Yossarian

It's ancient history to most but the Sox-Yankees from 1951-1964 was as intense as anything I've seen in my lifetime. Unfortunately, although the Sox were scrappy and competitive the results were all too often one sided. In any case, there was always a lot of excitement and drama in that era when those two teams matched up. Billy Pierce vs Whitey Ford was always a big deal. I still say that if both Chicago teams ever got their act together in the same year it would make those old New York subway series seem tame in comparison.

Flaws in the swing are difficult to correct. Most eventually fall back into old and comfortable habits. Crede's flaw is evident even to a rank amateur like me. Still, it is correctable with a minor adjustment or two. Now Joe Borchard is another story. That is a truly awful swing.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Feb 24, 2005 -> 10:07 PM) Then please name some managers that would be able to take us there. Instead of bashing the current guy for no apparent or explained reason why don't you give us some examples of who you would have hired in order to get us to where we have not been since 1917. Would you have rather had Cito Gaston? Who would have though Joe Torre would have done that for the Yanks. He was a terrible manager for the STL Cardinals and the next year and first year with the Yanks he takes them to the World Series and wins it. How about Jack McKeon for the Marlins, Terry Francona for the Red Sox, Mike Scioscia for the Angels, or Bob Brenly for the Diamondbacks. I am sure none of those guys were viewed as a manager to get their respective team to the world series let alone win it. However all of them did just that. Point is you never ever know exactly what you have. My recomendation to you is be happy we have a very colorful and fun manager and enjoy him while you can. He may just be the guy that wins us the World Series. Stop being such a negative guy and back your team and the manager of your team. He seems like a very easy guy to like and if nothing else he is very entertaining. Thank God we don't have that big blob that sits on the bench on northside. Ouch! Man call off the dogs. Yes he is a colorful and fun guy, and I loved him when he played on the Sox. I still think he is afflicted at times with a bad case of foot in mouth disease. I may not be totally in the Ozzie camp, and he might not have been my first choice, but I'm not throwing in the towel on him yet. My favorite Sox manager was Al Lopez who did more with less for almost a decade. Still he might have managed us right out of WS championship by being stubborn about Billy Pierce. The Senor could hold a grudge and in this case it may have cost him. My favorite manager since I've followed the game was Earl Weaver, but as I stated previously I saw him out manuevered by Chuck Tanner in 79. My favorite manager today is Lou Piniella who sadly appears to be dying on the vine in that baseball wilderness in Florida. Like I said I like Ozzie better than his two predecessors, but I'm not yet sold. Ozzie still has to "show me". He's got a team more to his liking now, so maybe he'll do just that. Sheesh, wasn't trying to nail the guy just voice an opinion. And how would you like that horsemeat cooked. Emeril is not available at this time. I'm the chef.

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ Feb 9, 2005 -> 04:29 PM) This 13 year old isn't a pimp. Or a stud. More then likely the poor kid will be in counseling for years trying to get over what happened to him. Don't bet on that.

QUOTE(easyw @ Feb 23, 2005 -> 08:34 PM) James T. Farrell's "My Baseball Diary"? Its all about the Sox, and the Irish south side... More here: http://southsideadventures.blogspot.com/ Hmmm. Scroll down on that link, verrrry interesting. Seriously Farrell was a giant of a writer, and Chicago was once fertile ground for top notch writers of all stripes. The novelist Nelson Algren was also a big White Sox fan who wrote some of the most interesting stuff outside of Asinoff on the Black Sox of 1919.

QUOTE(OldRetiredGuy @ Feb 24, 2005 -> 02:32 PM) The players have to play. I could give Emeril a 5 pound horsemeat roast, and while he'd do better than my housemate with it, he isn't going to turn it into steak. I figure the manager is about 5% of the equation, and only after the first 95% realizes it. I suspect Emeril will do a bang up job with that horsemeat. Seriously though, it's true if a coach or manager doesn't have the horses (no pun intended) the team isn't going anywhere. Still I believe all things being equal a good coach or manager can get the most out of his team and then some. I saw Chuck Tanner out manage the great Earl Weaver in 1979, and closer to the present in another sport Bill Belichick seems to outclass and outperform Bill Cowher every time it really matters.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Feb 23, 2005 -> 11:06 PM) Nothing is official in ST, especially with how Ozzie chirps. I don't think he remembers today what he said Monday. Yes and that's one thing that really bothers me about the guy. He may not always remember but others do and may take offense, weakening his credibility and standing as a leader. I really want to believe in and like the guy but my gut instincts tell me that he might not be a Manuel or Bevington, but he's not the guy to take us where we haven't been since 1917. When it comes to Ozzie, I remain far from convinced.

I third that. Ozzie asked for it, he got it. Now he needs to push all the right buttons. I also agree with Tex on the starting rotation. Contreras, El Duque and Garland are all big question marks in my estimation. If two of them pan out, we'll be right there. If all three do, then it could be a truly magical year.

QUOTE(Butter Parque @ Feb 23, 2005 -> 04:54 PM) From watching all of his starts from last year, you could see he is a completely different pitcher then when he first came up. He changes speeds constantly to keep the hitters off balance to make up for his diminishing velocity. But from this and just thinking about our rotation, there are a ton of question marks. Mark Buehrle: It's known he's not a true ace, but has been very productive over his career. He has worked a ton of innnings and you go to hope injuries don't become a concern. Freddy Garcia: He was a highly touted prospect and came up and was great. Struggled a bit before rebounding last season. But when he was traded to Chicago, his numbers definitely slipped. Can he be as good as he was in the first half of last season? Jose Contreras: He's a headcase. I can understand struggling in NY. But when he came to Chicago, he still was 50-50 on how he was going to pitch. One game he was dominant, one game you had no chance to win with him in the game. Which Jose Contreras will show up this year? El Duque: The biggest question mark in the rotation. Hasn't been able to stay healthy and has gone through major arm surgeries. Just when you thought he had come back healthy and productive last year, he gets hurt and makes only one start in the postseason. 5 innings, 3 earned runs. Will he stay healthy? Jon Garland: Definitely an upgrade in the 5th startere spot, but he's a headcase, who in my opinion, doesn't want to be in Chicago anymore. He has the talent to win 20 games, but never gets past 12. He's a great 5 inning pitcher, unfortunatley he'll be counted on to go more then that. The onl;y constant inmy opinion is Buehrle. After that, theres a lot of question marks. I wish I could say I disagree with you, but I agree except for Freddy. I think he's going to be all right. The other three guys are all big question marks.

Wow, the Sox once had spring training in Mexico City.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Feb 17, 2005 -> 09:36 PM) f***, he got engaged?? Mine as well trade him because he won't be as effective anymore Seriously though, I expect another great season out of Mark. All the guy does is win, he's not on the schilling, johnson, santana level but he's the level right below them. Buehrle is a great pitcher and is an ace imo. He may or may not do it, but I think he has a shot at reaching that level. I think a guy like Leo Mazzone could help him get there. No, I don't want to see him traded to Atlanta, I just think he's right on the cusp.He's almost there and just needs a little refinement. Buehrle is a finesse pitcher who needs to stay sharp, and keep the hitters off balance. Except for the first half of 03, he's been fairly consistent. I'm looking for big things from Mark in 05.

QUOTE(lvjeremylv @ Feb 21, 2005 -> 10:47 AM) "I felt a little heavy last year behind the plate"... :rolly - you didn't feel heavy before the steroid issue came to the fore-front, though, right? Or before you were implicated in a book by one of your former teammates? Too funny. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1996273 It's Corta Slim or Leptoprin no doubt. Plus a lot of hours in the steam room.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Feb 20, 2005 -> 11:58 PM) And the choice to be gay CK? Oh man, that's hilarious! "Lets see -- I can lose rights, be harassed, beaten, attacked, hated for no rational reason..." yeah, a lot of people are making that "choice". This is knee jerkism and poor thinking. It's also a dangerous slippery slope outlook. I mean if being gay is totally outside the bounds of any type of free will, then what other types of behavior are too? Think about it. I'm older than probably 95% of the posters here and I've not led a sheltered existence. I've known many gays and I can tell you that it is my considered opinion that the journey has many paths and yes free will is a big part of the equation. I'm posting this not to bash anybody, and hope the dialogue if there is any will be civil. We all make choices and we have to live with and take responsibility for. Many genetic and cultural forces impel us to certain actions, but nobody is 100% compelled. As far as the original post goes; some people, things, places, religions, philosophies, etc are open for the most vicious and unfair criticisms and others are immune and sacrosanct. It's a PC world we live in and it gets worse all the time.

QUOTE(The Critic @ Feb 7, 2005 -> 12:01 PM) It's funny to me that the things Allen did have become almost legendary, but if he was a player these days he'd get destroyed if he did the exact same stuff. He caught plenty of hell in his time. Some deserved and some not. But you're right, today's vicious venal highlight reel driven sports media would give him no peace whatsoever. Nevertheless, personal faults and all he was a great talent who almost singlehandedly saved the Sox from extinction. He could stir a frenzy in the old ball park by just making an appearance in the on deck circle.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Feb 17, 2005 -> 08:12 PM) Anything that gets him out of here I am all for. So long, William.... Agreed.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Feb 18, 2005 -> 02:43 PM) Democrats want felons to be able to vote huh? I guess they have to do something to stop the shrinkage of their voting base. They can't even rely on the hispanics anymore. IIRC 43% of Hispanics voted for Bush up from 32% in 2000. Hispanics in the SW states were more likely to vote Republican. It's probably going to get worse for the Dems. They keep marginalizing themselves and refuse to acknowledge it let alone correct it.

It didn't used to be this way. In the 50's and 60's Chicago was decidedly a Sox town. That started to change when Leo Durocher came to town. By 1969 and 70 the Sox future in Chicago was shaky. Dick Allen almost singlehandedly saved the franchise and both teams were for the most part lousy in the 70's. When the Sox won the division in 83 it was a really big deal all around. The Sox flopped in 84 but actually had higher attendance than the division winning Cubs. However that year was a turning point. Wrigley Field area gentrification was picking up steam and Harry Caray mania was too. For the last two decades it's evolved to the sad point we are now. Go outside of Chicago and the Sox virtually do not exist and when folks find out you're from Chicago they're shocked when you tell them you don't like the Cubs. They look at you like you just cooked the Easter Bunny.

QUOTE(daa84 @ Feb 11, 2005 -> 11:55 AM) actually, those stat geeks you spoke of, shouldnt be the ones to bash lee since he had a perfect fielding % last year and his zone rating was 3rd in the AL. His range factor was below average, but that doesnt tell nearly as much since that it largely dependent on the pitcher. Stat geeks would also point out that he lead the AL LFs with 11 assists. however, these are the very stats taht can be decieving...although i dont have numbers i will be willing to bet that lee failed to throw out more runners than just about anybody in the league, since everyone ran on him. I also know that Lee got to very few balls outside zone, something which good fielders should do. also his lack of errors could easily be seen in his passive approach at fielding. The stat nerds are the ones who overvalue Carlos, and the scouts in this case have it right. Oh well I guess I'm not going to win any arguments here. I don't think Carlos Lee is a GG outfielder but you're proving my point that he can't do anything right. This also reminds me of how everyone who leaves the Sox had a "bad attitude", was "lazy" or a "clubhouse cancer". Everyone, even Keith Foulke. I'll be watching Lee to see if he regresses. His team is likely to bomb, so it will be interesting to see if he gives his all, all of the time. I still say he's a very good hitter, who made himself a good outfielder. I actually like the defensive aspects of the game a lot. If folks want to think I'm dumb fine. I'm dumb. Lee has not been a bum in the field for a couple of years now.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Feb 11, 2005 -> 11:08 AM) In my opinion, Carlos worked hard to improve his defense, but he still qualified as "suspect" defensively. On his best day, Carlos was average. To top that off, when you hear that he would ignore coaches directions from the dugout when he was in the field, that says that not only were his skills suspect but his attitude was as well. I live over 800 miles away from Chicago so I'm limited in how many games I can view on the boob tube let alone live. Those closer to the situation and with a good reputation IMHO say he worked hard to improve his defense. This is a perfect example of "perception is reality". The guy is never going to get any props. He could make one Jim Edmunds like catch every week and it still won't do him any good. He's lazy and suspect in the field. I just disagree. OTOH you have a guy like Vlad who every body bows down for and I'm not all that impressed. A great arm yeah, but lots of misplayed balls and lots of errors. He gets the Gold Gloves though. GG awards are all about perception and not too much reality.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Feb 11, 2005 -> 02:14 AM) Shingo only had one bad month (August.) He was lights out in September 1.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 11:4 K/BB. Absolutely right. He did not fade in the end, he came back strong. Hopefully with more depth Ozzie will be able to spot him in the most advantageous situations. I'll be very disappointed if the bullpen is not significantly improved in 05.

I'm not trying to rehash the Lee trade. Ozzie clearly wanted to go in another direction and the Sox had been banging their heads against the wall since 2000. I'm A-OK with what KW did this off season. What I object to is the "suspect defense" of Lee mentioned in the article. Once you get a label I guess it's impossible to erase it. I know stat geeks will never be impressed with his perfect fielding percentage because of range factors and other assorted criteria. The man worked to become a good left fielder. He should get credit, so I'll give it to him even if I get blasted. He was awful, he worked hard and made himself better. Other guys did it and got credit for it. Not Carlos Lee. Now his base running? That's another story altogether.

The White Sox enjoyed a mini revival under Manager Jimmy Dykes. The original owner Charles Comiskey died in 1931 and the franchise was bottoming out. Comiskey had rebuilt his franchise into a winner once in the WW1 era and was confident he could do it again. Alas, it was not to be. The Black Sox scandal just buried the organization. His son J. Louis Comiskey did a good job of making the Sox competitive again. Dykes was a big part of it. Unfortunately the Sox couldn't quite get over the hump (sound familiar?) and J. Louis died in 1939 IIRC. The Sox had decent teams in 1940 and 1943 but the widow of J. Louis was penurious and by the late 40's the White Sox were again a near comatose franchise. Then the Chuck Comiskey (grandson), John Rigney, Frank Lane team took control and the White Sox ultimately won a real pennant. That's a story for another time I guess. By the way, absolutely great post by TLAK.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Feb 1, 2005 -> 10:01 PM) Sammy Sosa was not considered a prospect at the time of the trade. No he was just another schmo, nobody special at all. Until he figured out how to "remake" himself.

QUOTE(Carlo Paz @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 11:25 AM) Back in the 70's some filmakers gave my friends and I a big banner that said "drop dead LeFlore" and filmed us holding it in the center field bleachers at Comiskey before a game. I assume they were making a movie about Ron Leflore, though I never saw it. That was probably the made for TV movie starring LeVar Burton as Leflore.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 01:40 AM) Wow, straight from the Cubune? I don't think it's biased at all.