Yossarian

QUOTE(valponick @ Apr 25, 2005 -> 12:52 PM) http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylc=X3oD...cnnsi&type=lgns Sorry, I agree with him. Ozzie comes across not just outspoken, but angry and vindictive too. In business and in life I like straight at you direct, to the point, outspoken people. What Ozzie does is way beyond this. On another note, yes we Sox fans and our team are the poor neglected red haired step children of American sports. The national media would love to see the cute adorable ones from the north side in the playoffs much more than they'd like to see the Sox be there. Still, the degree of reflexive circle the wagons mentality about each and every little slight isn't going to help the cause. If the Sox keep winning, the media will have to shine the spotlight on our team. It would be a good thing if our "outspoken" manager would keep that in mind and learn to pick his times to go off with a little more discretion.

I bought it when it first came out after the exciting south side hit men 1977 season. Lindberg has greatly improved upon what was then a hopelessly juvenile campy writing style. He's not only the most authoritative historian of the White Sox, but he's on his way to becoming the most famous chronicler ever of Chicago history. I'm jealous. I wanted to be Rich Lindberg when I grew up.

QUOTE(Cerbaho-WG @ Apr 25, 2005 -> 10:42 AM) This is a blog piece written by me of all people, and is not placed "In the search of Sox blogs category" because of my hyperoffensive stuff that is below my post. Read up, it's the first posting, and of course comments are welcome. http://cerb.unked.net Hey Cerb, why don't you tell us how you really feel? Seriously I think you're a talented and creative writer, if a little rough around the edges. The culture in general, and your generation in particular are more "in your face" these days, but you write very well nevertheless IMHO. About the Sox. I share your concerns and it's not lost on me that KC started at 16-3 2 years ago. Now look at them. Hopefully, that won't happen to us, and I don't think it will. Still, I find many of your criticisms and reservations well taken. The White Sox lineup is very ordinary and I don't think Frank Thomas is coming back any time soon, if at all this year. I do have a little more faith in and appreciation for our team defense and pitching. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Jon Garland is finally going to turn into the pitcher we all hoped he would be. Buerhle and Garcia should remain solid. I worry about our two aging Cuban pitchers (their listed ages notwithstanding). The bullpen should be above average, and hopefully Ozzie got that one bad game out of his system when he burned up his relief corps against Cleveland. I don't think our defense is great, but it shouldn't be a major weakness, despite 4 errors against KC. I find it interesting that you criticize Pods about taking the best route to a fly ball. Didn't just about everyone say the same thing about the dearly departed Carlos Lee? I'm enjoying the teams fast start. I'm old enough to remember the 59 World Series and would like to see the Sox in another one before, well you know what I mean. Speaking of us old farts, don't be so hard on 50 somethings looking for dates. Hopefully when you're that age you won't have look for a Hannidate for whatever passes for one at that time.

QUOTE(The Critic @ Apr 22, 2005 -> 06:22 PM) In the absence of Chuck Tanner ( managed my favorite Sox team ever, the 1972 squad ), I voted for Al Lopez. No manager ever did better in one year than Tanner did with the 72 Sox.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Apr 21, 2005 -> 06:47 PM) Al (The Senor) Lopez and Eddie (The Brat) Stanky. The Brat during 1967 was classic. Stanky calling Yaz an "all star from the neck down" wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do. Stanky could be very abrasive to the point that it hurt the team. Umpires and opponents just loved sticking to the "Brat".

QUOTE(Winnin Ugly @ Apr 21, 2005 -> 05:36 PM) I would never vote for AL Lopez that guy was such an idiot for not voting for Nellie Fox getting into the HOF.. IMO Lopez is the worst mgr ever for screwing your own ballplayer He also kept Billy Pierce under wraps in the 59 WS. Lopez was a smart baseball man and a good game day strategist. He was also thin skinned and dictatorial. Still, all in all he did more with less for a longer period of time than any manager in my lifetime. For all his faults he is the best Sox manager in the last half century. Ozzie Guillen on the other hand is a disaster waiting to happen. I wish he would just put a muzzle on it for the rest of the season. Outspoken is one thing. What Ozzie sometimes does is quite another.

It's early in the year and I hope Joe can hit .260 - .270 with a little power and solid D. I once had such high hopes for the guy. He doesn't seem to be the type that can make a minor change in his swing, let alone a major one. He definitely needs more speed and less loop in his bat. He can still crush a pitch in his particular zone of liking. In the minors he could feast on the inferior pitching. In the ML, pitchers will be more likely to find you out and exploit your shortcomings. That's the story with Joe. Still, I hope he can salvage his career. He seems like a decent guy.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 8, 2005 -> 10:30 AM) And when things get complicated in real life, just simplify things to the point where it is useless... My point is that managers sometimes paint themselves into a corner by going by the modern "book". I say the hell with the book. My first inclination is to do what gives the team the best chance to win whether or not it's by the book kosher. Yes I know, if Shingo goes one, two, three we aren't having this cyber conversation.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Apr 8, 2005 -> 08:45 AM) Now, onto the tragedy that was the game. Perhaps, no, it was the worst bullpen management I've seen. Why Dustan Hermanson was ever taken out of the game is beyond me. Why let teams get extended looks at Shingo? Hermanson was flat out nasty yesterday, yet we have to pull him to get Shingo a save. Nothing against Shingo, but Hermanson will be closing for this team soon enough. I completely agree. I'm still upset and churning over that game. A sweep would have been a great way to start the season.

QUOTE(AirScott @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 06:57 PM) guys, chill out. Shingo is the closer, and he had given Ozzie no reason not to give him the ball in the 9th. it's too early to say Shingo shouldn't be our closer, give it some time. also, for the people who don't understand why there are designated closers, name a team in the past, say, 10 years that made the World Series without a designated closer (cause I don't feel like looking it up myself, though I'm pretty sure every team did). In business, in life, in baseball, thinking should never get stagnant. Going by the "book" may have cost us a game. I don't give a whit for the orthodoxies of baseball or of life. Just get it done, and don't be afraid to "think outside the box". Actually I hate cliches too, but what the hell, this seemed like as good a time as any.

I preferred Nelson Algren myself, he didn't get the accolades like Bellow, but he was a superior writer IMHO. Nevertheless Bellow is part of a long standing tradition of great writers coming out of Chicago. He will be missed, and I did enjoy Humbloldt's Gift.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 05:05 PM) Ozzie was quilty of overmanaging today Definitely. He painted himself into a corner today.

QUOTE(FlaCWS @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 03:02 PM) Dustin Hermanson looked great in the 8th. Ozzie lifted him just because Takatsu is the "closer." I've never understood that mentality. I mean, if you have Rivera or Gagne, fine, but no one else should get that automatic call, IMO. This is not a second guess. I was thinking this when Shingo came out there for the ninth. Now the game is tied and I'm not sure what pitchers are left if they need extra innings. Maybe Vizcaino. Hopefully we can win it in the bottom of the ninth so it won't matter. Amen to that! It wouldn't have killed Hermanson to work the ninth. It isn't necessary to burn up your bullpen by using three different guys 1/3 of an inning each. Managers are overdoing it, because of the way the game has "evolved", especially where pitchers are concerned.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 03:06 PM) shoulda kept hermanson in Yes, see my previous post.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 03:04 PM) Vizcaino and that is all. Did Ozzie paint himself into a corner this time? I'm just asking. 1/3 of an inning here, 1/3 of an inning there, now all he has left is Vizcaino. What if the game goes 13 or 14 innings?

QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 02:36 PM) How was Hermanson in the spring? He did very well.

QUOTE(rangercal @ Apr 6, 2005 -> 02:30 PM) Dude if you state your opinion here you will be bashed. Then if you start an argument with a moderator it is all over. All the sheep will come and help. So you will lose this argument 10 out of 10 times. As message boards go this one is pretty mellow. If you don't take yourself too seriously you should be OK. Plus this place actually has posters that know their stuff. You can learn a thing or two, and this coming from I'm sure one of the older members. On another note, for all my life (looong time) the Sox have never been a big draw in April or May. If the Sox are contenders the Cell ( can't stand that name) will rock in the dog days of summer. Sox fans are loyal, but they aren't sheep. I don't like JR particularly, but enough. He ain't going nowhere, and I want a reason to get pysched this year. I think this team can surprise a lot of people.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Apr 4, 2005 -> 03:14 PM) Its pathetic of me to say this, but now i finally get Gene Honda Civic Sorry Cheat, I'm just a wee bit slow. Me too!

I didn't get a chance to see it but this reminds me of days of old- the Go Go era. A win is a win and hopefully this is the first of many. The first time I ever saw the Sox live and in person way back in the Stone Age it was against the Indians. A win against them is always special. Go Sox!!

QUOTE(The Critic @ Apr 1, 2005 -> 12:12 PM) Please, dude, take off the goggles. The announcers had absolutely ZERO to do with the Cubs' failure last year. The Cubs gagged on the pressure of finally having expectations, then they paid WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much attention to what the announcers were saying and their substitute teacher of a manager didn't tell them to shut the f*** up and play better. There is NO EXCUSE for Kent Mercker to call the broadcast booth whining DURING A GAME. None. The announcers didn't fall apart like wet cardboard against the Mets, Pirates and Reds in the last week of the season. The PLAYERS did, and the MANAGER did. Blaming the announcers for "distracting" them is a classic example of scapegoating. OOOOPS, I SAID "GOAT"..... The Cubs have enough talent to compete seriously for a championship, but it reamins to be seen if they have the stomach for the pressure. , , and to this post. Great! Substitute teacher of a manager I'll be laughing at that one for a long time.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Apr 2, 2005 -> 01:39 AM) Yes, he was correct. But Dusty Baker or Barry Bonds can speak in a similar vein, and no one calls them out on it. Don't forget Al Campanis too. Raked over the coals and vilified.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 05:55 PM) And? I learned my lesson sticking up for this guy. I'm no big fan of our owner or GM but Maggs tried to play us like a violin and it boomeranged I'd say.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Apr 1, 2005 -> 03:45 PM) 2 stories Someone I knew (huge Cub fan) told me a similar story. I guess they were staying at the same hotel as the Cubs during ST. I guess a white kid came up to Shawn Dunston and asked him for his autograph and he said 'No, I don't sign autographs for white kids". I tend to belive it since it came from a Cub fan. One of the worst stories I ever heard. Someone I knew who was a cabbie in the 80's told me he picked up Ryne Sandberg once. The cabbie's son is a huge Cub fan, so he strikes up a conversation with Ryno. Five seconds into him telling Ryno that his kid loves the Cubs and idolizes him etc., Ryno interrupts him and 'Hey, can you turn the radio up'? I guess athletes can be jerks........like everyone else. When I was a kid Frank Thomas gave me the brushoff outside Wrigley Field. That would be Frank Thomas then of the Cubs and the year was 1960. The same Frank Thomas who swung a bat at Dick Allen when they both played on the Phillies.

QUOTE(Al Lopez's Ghost @ Apr 1, 2005 -> 05:55 AM) I read Kittle's book last night. For the most part it's pretty light reading, maybe not the best baseball book you'll ever read, but if you want to relive the 1983 team, or learn more about Kittle, it's fine. Co-written by Bob Logan, the book's official title is Ron Kittle's Tales from the White Sox Dugout, and the publisher is Sports Publishing L.L.C., website www.SportsPublishingLLC.com. Now, as for Barry Bonds. Kittle says that over the years, Ron has bought game used jerseys and taken them to the player for an autograph, in order to auction the shirt off for his charity golf outing. He says that every player he has approached has cooperated, mentioning McGwire, Sosa, Jeter and Clemens. Every player but one. Kittle writes that in 1992: "I walked up to Bonds at his locker in the Wrigley Field visitors' clubhouse, introduced myself and said, 'Barry, if you sign these, they'll bring in a lot of money for kids who need help.' Bonds stood up, looked me in the eye and said "I don't sign for white people." If lightning hits me today, I will swear those were his exact words." Kittle talks about Matt Williams and Dusty Baker calming him down after Bonds walked away. He concludes by saying "So if Barry Bonds is looking for a breath of fresh air to live and I'm the one who has to give it to him, unfortunately, the man will die." If this is in his book then Kittle needs to edit this passage. In 1992 Barry Bonds was still a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1993 he was on the Giants and Matt Williams was a teammate and Dusty Baker was his manager.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Apr 1, 2005 -> 11:34 AM) LMAO Obviously, April Fools. Most of you knew... But it did make for some pretty damn good laughs. Here's to a great SOX season! That's what I was hoping. I didn't really think Tex wanted to embrace the dark side.