Ozzietheairedale

At the risk of answering my own question, the answer after last night's game is....... YES!

I think it's a little more complicated than that. I understand what you mean, though. If you want Uribe in the lineup, he is either going to play 2nd, SS or 3rd. It seems unlikely that Uribe would move Valentin off SS except for a breather. So, if Uribe plays 2nd then Harris goes to CF and Timo sits. But if Uribe goes to 3rd then Harris plays 2nd and Perez plays CF, so it really does come down to Perez or Crede. The issue that complicates things is that I think it's unreasonable to expect Harris to play the infield and the most difficult outfield position as well as hit leadoff. I just don't think that's fair at this point in his career. Leave him at 2nd. Brando, I would like to know why anybody would prefer Rowand to Perez in CF.

Uribe has to go to third. Crede has to sit - he's played himself out of a job at third.

.295 and .269 is better than anybody else we have to put out there right now, right? Timo's a veteran who hits from the left side and has experience playing center at the major league level. Who else do we have who is better?

I never liked the idea of playing Harris in center, but now with him being hurt it's a moot point for the foreseeable future. Let's leave him at second and let him concentrate on playing second and leading off. I hope Ozzie keeps Timo in center for a few weeks, especially against righties. If he wants to play ARow against a lefty occasionally I can live with it but I really want to see what Timo can do if he plays everyday for a while.

I'll join Nuke as well. I bashed Koch for last year and the first 6 weeks this year. I hope I'm wrong but I will believe Koch is back when he can get outs in the ninth consistently without walking the bases loaded and giving up just enough runs to preserve the save. I never bought into the argument that Koch was still a great closer because he gave up the lead-1 runs in the ninth. If he can do what he did the other day on a consistent basis, I'll say I was wrong. But 1 inning compare to a year and a quarter doesn't make me change my mind.

You know what there is alot of on this board? Alot of posters like this who have this "holier than thou" attitude that they can criticize players, managers, owners, ballparks, whatever but anybody else who does it is "player bashing". Nobody is criticizing players' families, races or religion. But I, like fans for decades, can criticize the playing ability of whoever I want and I don't need Yasny to tell me whether or not it's OK. Also, could you at least be accurate in your description of my criticism of Konerko's ability. Putting words in quotes as if I actually wrote them is misleading. I never said Konerko's hits weren't "pretty" enough. But any dope who knows anything about baseball knows that a grounder from a slow player with men on 1st and 3rd and 1 out is not what he's looking for. Even Konerko said he was "lucky".

Look - I think we're talking about two different things: what's good for the team and what's good for Konerko. Clearly, getting a base hit was good for the team and better than a screaming line drive for an out. But don't try to tell me that a weak ground ball that finds its way between 3rd and short is a better indicator of a hitter's ability than a screaming line drive for an out. If I'm just trying to gage whether a hitter is mechanically sound, I'd rather see the screaming line drive than the weak ground ball. The fact is that with a slug like Konerko hitting with men on 1st and 3rd the LAST thing Konerko was trying to do was hit a ground ball. He's just off right now and it was pure luck that weak grounder found its way into left.

You guys cant be serious. You think that if a guy hits a weak ground ball that is a "seeing eye" grounder that it is the same as a line drive in the gap? Please - you all know as well as I do that there are weak grounders and line drives and that they demonstrate the quality of the at-bat. It was a lousy at bat for Konerko. There were men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. What is Konerko's job at that point against a very poor pitcher? Hit the ball into the outfield to drive in the run or hit a 6 hopper between short and third? Puhleeze.

And by the way, why do you have such a bug up your butt about Timo Perez? The guy is a career .274 lefty hitter who is hitting .250 in 48 at bats this year. I'd take that over Rowand or Crede right now. Sit Crede and Rowand, put Uribe at 3rd, Harris at 2nd and Perez in center (at least against righties).

The only problem is Crede's hitting 210ish. This is his second full year and I still don't see anything. Somebody needs to light a fire under him. As for Harris in center - a poor everyday center fielder catches that ball. A second baseman backpedals until he almost falls down and the ball hits him in the head. I don't like the idea of fiddling with Harris' brain right now. Let him concentrate on 2nd base and being a lead off man. And as for Konerko's 8 million dollar salary, I'm not going to let that stand in the way of the Sox winning more ball games. If they win more games with him sitting, then he sits. Lets see what Gload can do.

I want to keep Harris in the lineup, but at 2nd base.

I'm really happy about the outcome but we had 1 inning of run production tonight. Harris really muffed that fly to center because he has 2 games in center since last year. Crede looks pathetic at the plate and should have made the play at 3rd. Please, please Ozzie. Put Uribe at 3rd and Perez in center and leave them there for a while. Especially against righties. As long as I'm wishing, put Gload at 1st against righties too. That ground ball Konerko hit with men on was 2 feet from a weak double play grounder.

What!! Isn't this a whole lot of nothing? 1. Why send down a guy who is a left handed bat off the bench? Can you honestly say we've given Timo Perez a good look? 2. Clearly, the Sox organization doesn't think Reed is ready yet. He's certainly not ready to come up here and provide a hitting boost to this lineup. 3. I have no problem sending Diaz down but Wunsch? Also, your lineup sucks. How can you put Reed, Konerko and Crede in full time but platoon Uribe? Putting Reed in the 2 hole is way too much pressure. Batting 2nd requires the ability to do multiple things with the bat and take pitches - too much for a rookie. Get Gload and Perez in the lineup and sit Konerko and Crede at least against righties.

For tonight's game, here's my lineup 1. Harris 2b 2. Valentin ss 3. Ordonez rf 4. Thomas dh 5. Uribe 3b 6. Gload 1b 7. Lee lf 8. Perez cf 9. Alomar c I can't watch Konerko, Crede or Rowand right now and against the righty tonight, let's get our lefties (Gload and Perez) in the lineup

I really want to see Gload at first, Perez in center and Uribe at 3rd tonight. Harris 2b Valentin SS Ordonez RF Thomas DH Uribe 3b Gload 1b Lee LF Perez CF Alomar C

I'm so tired of thinking that the organization will finally come to realize that it needs to invest more in its product. The fact is that this team has played second fiddle to the financially challenged Minnesota Twins since the playoffs in 2000. If the Sox organization hasn't figured out how to act like a major market franchise in 4 years of coming in second, what makes you think that a 4 games series in Minnesota will knock some sense in them? :banghead

The article says that Seattle wants to get more "athletic". Somehow it doesn't seem likely that they would think that Konerko makes them more athletic. Unless athletic means big, slow, plodding, spit on your hands automatic double play.

It may be a little early but with the way the Twins are playing and the Tribe coming on fast - I think it's do or die time now. That means Ozzie needs to come up with a lineup tomorrow night and stick with it. He's starting to act like Manuel with all the ridiculous lineup changes. He's been watching Rowand, Crede, Konerko, CLee, Valentin play for almost 3 months. I don't care how much money they're making - Ozzie and KW need to make a DECISION!!

Here's my lineup 1. Harris 2B 2. Uribe 3B 3. Ordonez RF 4. Thomas DH 5. Lee LF 6. Valentin SS 7. Gload 1B 8. Perez CF 9. Olivo C Crede's got to prove he can hit. Right now he's the odd man out because Valentin has proven in the past he can hit and Uribe just can't be left on the bench. Thomas cant bat second because he's too slow and he can't bunt.

I think he's playing with the lineup too often lately ala Jerry Manuel. It was absolutely assinine that Uribe wasn't in the starting lineup on Friday and Saturday against the Twins. He has to settle on a lineup that has Uribe playing every day and leave it alone. My preference is Uribe at 3rd (or even better 1st if he can play it).

I'm not crazy about moving Willie from 2nd to CF. His defense at second has been very good and moving him defensively might affect his hitting. Let's let Willie settle in at 2nd. That still leaves the problem of getting Uribe into the lineup EVERY Fing DAY. Ozzie are you listening? EVERY Fing DAY!!! Can Uribe play 1st? If he can, and I don't see why he couldn't, I'd sit Konerko ASAP. I would like to see more of Timo Perez in center and I agree that Reed should be up here the moment the Sox feel he's ready. I've seen enough of ARow. Use him as a PH, Pinch runner, late inning defensive replacement or to spell one of the other OFers.

Right now I would trade anybody on our team for Mienkiewicz straight up. I wish we had 1 guy with his heart.

You have to look at the reasons why a team is winning one run games. Is it that they are winning games 1-0 or 2-1 with great pitching and defense? Or, as in our case lately, is it because they went into the ninth with a 4 run lead and almost blew a save down to a 1 run lead? The first team is a good team, the second is lucky.

I'll bet nobody will remember this the next time there is a discussion about how much safer Wrigleyville is compared to Bridgeport. http://www.dailyherald.com/news_story.asp?intid=381147