Yossarian

Canseco was the least hesitant of the players in answering, nonethless he came off looking like a major phony to me. He did endorse steroids big time. As a matter of fact he stated that steroids were passe and old fashioned. Designer drugs tailored to the individual were the wave of the future. Sadly, he may be right. Sports as we've known it may be on the cusp of extinction.

QUOTE(Steff @ Mar 17, 2005 -> 09:35 PM) OT.. is a BMI of 14.4 good for a 31 year old..??? I don't like that formula, it's a one size fits all thing, doesn't take into account bone structure or anything else for that matter. In any case, congratulations for being 5'6'' and 114 lbs. I'm built like an NFL offensive lineman, only about a foot shorter. As a matter of fact I'm getting ready to pump some more iron so the bullies in cyber world and the "real" world don't pick on me.

The statement went on to say that Cuba is the only Latin American country that fights inequality and has the fairest income distribution in the world. Didn't Churchill say something about this? "Equal sharing of the misery" comes to mind. Still, he is a hero to many leftitsts here.

IIRC andro was not illegal when it was "found" in McGwires locker, and also IIRC he never denied using that supplement. Bases on his non testimony at the hearing I get the firm impression that he was using a hell of a lot more than that and would not admit to it. He took a major hit and the whole thing actually made me feel a little bit sorry for him.

QUOTE(T R U @ Mar 17, 2005 -> 08:45 PM) haha, you give me your "numbers" but yet you have no experiance with this what so ever.. You sit there and tell me "good luck in life" like im pulling s*** out of my ass or im like some 15 year old who is clueless.. I have friends that have used steroids, I have used illegal substances and if you abuse it you will get in trouble.. but like I said.. if you have never taken it you dont know what your talking about, simply put you can show me all the anti steroid articles you want, doesnt mean I dont know what Im talking about In other words don't confuse you with the truth. None of us are doctors here (to my knowledge), and you won't accept the links other posters have offered to you. Why not just consult a physician who has experience in this regard and then call that doctor a liar when he or she tells you what you don't want to hear. Really, you sound childish and foolish.

I haven't had time to read this long thread but IMHO McGwire all but admitted that he took steroids. Many of the representatives jumped on him big time during questioning and he looked oh so uncomfortable. Sosa came off a complete buffoon. Palmiero denied steroid use emphatically, in fact he was fierce in his denial and he is obviously angry beyond words at Conseco. Jose, by the way, comes off as a complete and total phony. All throughout his book he praises and extols the virtues of steroids. He was backpedaling furiously before the House Committee. All of he players were tripping all over themselves in their desire to volunteer to work with the youth of America and save them from the evils of steroids. It was kind of sad and pathetic in a way. Baseball looked the other way because the home run records made the cash registers ring.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 16, 2005 -> 12:43 AM) A "baseball expert" (because he knows what he can and can't do) that doesn't know that "errors" is not spelled or pronounced "airs". Significant credibility damage alert. The schools in Deerfield must be going seriously downhill.

Borchard is a bust. I find it amazing that he is still with the organization. He's not even close to a major leaguer. It's time for Borchard and the Sox to move on.

mreye- Billy Koch for Keith Foulke was NEVER a good idea. Foulke is gone, I'm happy for him and he ain't coming back. Nonetheless that trade was a stinker from day one. It's amazing to me how KW has "rehabilitated" himself the last couple of years. We'll have to see how all his deals work out. I give him credit for working his butt off in a restrictive setting. His boss is Jerry not George and I never forget that. Still he's made some bad trades and like I said it will take a while to judge his more recent moves.

QUOTE(Butter Parque @ Mar 15, 2005 -> 09:26 AM) Jees, Eye, what did you think he was going to say, "our goal is to finish at .500 and in 3rd place". Every teams goal is to win the World Series. I just don't believe him anymore. I believe he tries every year, his hardest to put the best possible team on the field, but I don't really have any reason to believe in him anymore. This guy just makes bad mover after bad move. I want the Sox to win the Worls Series more then ever, but I don't like our team this year. From Analyzing our team, I'll tell you why: Scott Podsednik: Had a great rookie season, but tailed off dramatically. Juan Uribe: How in the hell are you going to get a guy who wants to swing for the fences, to be a small ball player. Tadahito Iguchi- So far we've heard a lot of disheartening talk from scouts and from MLB players who have seen him ex) Ray King, He's also never played in the majors before. Paul Konerko- After a terrible 2003, he rebounded in 2004 to hit over 40 HR's. But doesn't he have the capabiluty to hit .300 and hit 30 HR's. I take that instead. Aaron Rowand- Everybody's hyped on him, like myself, but wasn't this guy and underachiever hisa whole career until he finally had one great year. Jermaine Dye- Never even came close to repeating his career year, always hurt. AJ Pierzynski- Has no defensive capabilities, and has been known to be a clubhouse cancer. El Duque- Can't get through 1 healthy season anymore. His arm might fall off this year. Contreras- Has no control and no confidence. So far, a bust Shingo- Can hitters finally catch up to him this year. Buehrle- Is eh a true ace/ Garcia- Struggled since coming to Chicago I hope they win they win this year, but there are a lot of ?'s I agree somewhat and have also been posting about how "iff"y this team is. Having said that I am cautiously optimistic about our new Japanese addition and think Pierzynski will be solid enough at the plate. He's not Johnny Bench, but I think he'll do OK. I think that Buehrle and Freddy will put up good numbers and Contreras will be his usual erratic self. I wouldn't be surprised if Hermanson or someone else will be called upon to join the rotation. I am concerned about El Duque. There is evidence that he was born in 1965 and not 1969 like his baseball card says. Dye, Posednik, and Uribe do not excite me in the least. Neither does Timo Perez who seems to have lots of fans on various message boards. Rowand may regress a little but I expect him to be pretty solid. It's do or die time for Crede and I'm not sure that he just hasn't been solved by ML pitching. Josh Fields ain't nowhere near ready. I have a little more faith in Shingo than you do. In short this looks like about a .500 team to me. The ALC is weak and maybe some of the question marks will fall on the positive side, but as for me I don't see this as a particularly good team.

QUOTE(quickman @ Mar 15, 2005 -> 08:27 AM) This is the players union speaking. I have no doubt Frank wants to go, but the players union wants all the players to be unified. That's what unions do, one voice speaks for the players. if Frank jumps at the chance to go while the others are trying to decline Frank looks like he is not supporting the players. i am sure he will speak. Add me to the chorus who thinks you are correct here.

QUOTE(quade36 @ Mar 15, 2005 -> 09:19 AM) we don't need rob deer...... Don't insult Rob Deer.

Many of our top prospects in recent years have been like a mirage of an oasis in the desert.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Mar 13, 2005 -> 08:54 PM) Or, maybe his career ERA+ of 95 says that he's a below average pitcher. Geez -- a person states on opinion that is saying that a particular player might not do as well as some people hope, and certain people jump all over him for it (not talking about santo, either). I wish there's a "You're a dumbass" sign, because that post deserves it. I don't understand why some are so high on Contreras. He has done nothing to merit such expectations. I don't expect much from him. El Duque on the other hand, has a much better track record. If his arm is healthy he should be a solid acquisition. The Sox have many question marks going into the season. The starting rotation is just one. For better or worse Ozzie is getting the team he asked for, within the limitations of JRs budget of course. It could be a glorious season or it could be a really long one. Whatever happens I am not big on Contreras and expect relatively little from him. If a poster sees it the same way there is no good reason to bash him or her. Contreras has a track record and it ain't all that good.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Mar 9, 2005 -> 11:14 PM) People don't like baseball here. Also, what's a reasonable team batting average for high school? That's a hard question to answer. In high school teams with really good pitching can dominate. It's not unusual for a hot shot high school pitcher to have 18-20 K's in a 7 inning game. Some have K'd all 21. What you will find is a great disparity between the top teams and the also rans. There is a much wider gap at the high school level than in the minor leagues, let alone MLB. The really good high school teams will have team batting averages over .350. Notre Dame High School of Niles, last years IHSA AA baseball champs had a team batting average of .358 going into the quarter finals (elite 8) of the tournament. Joliet Catholic, the state runner up was batting .374 and had a team ERA under 1.

Part VII is part re-run -- Joe Jackson's imaginary meeting with the Sox' lawyer Alfred Austrian first appeared here nearly a year ago, in #280. An "imaginary meeting" as evidence? Like I said I'm open to changing my mind if I come across something substantial but an "imaginary meeting" hardly qualifies. I'll check our your other two links as soon as I have time. I suggest you read Asinof's book. It's not perfect, but it is highly informative. Also Nelson Algren's short story "The Swede was a Hard Guy". It is very sympathetic to all the players and the timeline of events is riveting.

QUOTE(ChiSoxyGirl @ Mar 9, 2005 -> 08:52 PM) I'm a girl and I follow the sox almost slavishly. So, yeah, I get teased quite a bit about it. A real man would love me for my obsession. *sigh* I'm too old, too broke and too married for you. I do hope you find a real man to share your obsession with.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Mar 9, 2005 -> 05:15 PM) He did take some $ but it was strictly out of fear for the live of his wife & his own life. He repeatedly refused to accept it until that was made clear to him. As for his defense I know he made several catches near the wall. I would imagine if he makes an attempt at such plays & fails to connect it's going to wind up a triple. Just something to consider. If you've got some new info clue me in. The evidence does not back up your claim. In Asinof's book, the Black Sox players felt betrayed by the gamblers. After going down 4-1 in the Series (it was 5 out of 9 in 1919) they decided to try and win, resulting in victories for the Sox in games 6 and 7. It was at this point that goons hired by the gamblers approached game 8 starter Claude (Lefty) Williams and informed him that they would kill his wife if he did not throw game 8. Not only that but he was ordered to fall apart in the first inning. He complied and the rest is history. The evidence is that Joe Jackson gladly took his money and complained when there was no more. Long time Chicago sportwriter Jerome Holtzman claimed that Jackson dogged it at the plate and in the field in crucial situations. The whole thing was a terrible tragedy. Decades later Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk told a then young sportswriter Bill Gleason that without the Black Sox there would have been no Yankee dynasty. Comiskey was an autocratic cheap tyrant. He also built the White Sox into a powerhouse twice. After they won the WS in 1906 he had a falling out with player manager Fielder Jones and the White Sox struggled from 1909-1914. He restocked the team, eventually winning another WS in 1917. By 1919 they were poised to be a dynasty. Then the Black Sox scandal wiped out the team. Old Commy thought he could rebuild again, but this time he was not up to it. Everybody paid a heavy price for this. I don't believe in making heroes or saints out of the players. Like I said only Buck Weaver earns my sympathy.

Comiskey was a double dealing cheapskate. That is stating the obvious. Still Buck Weaver is the only one of the Black Sox that garners any sympathy from me.

Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk was never part of the fix.

Cicotte started 3 of the last 8 games in the 1919 season. You can verify that for yourself at retrosheet.org which is a great site by the way. Great Baseball Website

Al Lopez was probably the greatest manager in White Sox history. He did more with less. However he could be a thin skinned tyrant, and this interview (which is great by the way) gives that much more evidence. As for Horlen, he was the ultimate hard luck pitcher. His all time record of 116-117 is in no way indicative of the pitcher he was. He had great control and great ball movement on almost every pitch. The 60's White Sox were loaded with pitching. If Frank Thomas had been born in 1938, instead of 1968? Oh hell, what's the use in dreaming. You can't defy the laws of physics and bend space and time. The past is what it is.

Please note the caption in the link provided by the thread header. " A sad day in 1989".

"I'll meet you at McCuddy's". I remember saying that a few times to friends and coworkers. Great place from another era. I miss it a lot.

I can't remember having more questions about a Sox team before the season started. I want to follow them real close in spring training before I make a prediction about the regular season.