Chisoxfn

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 06:21 PM) We have no idea if Kenny is reluctant to trade Javy. From everything I've read, he's been shopping him. I would be very very shocked if Javy is moved. If the right deal came along sure...but this team is not actively shopping him like it is another starter. *HINT* GARCIA */HINT*

Pods and Cintron with two weak outs...we'll need to shut em down this next AB and than get some serious magic against Todd Jones. COME ON SOX!!!

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 06:15 PM) Of course, we all know their are certain whipping boys on the team. If that was a slider, then that really was a brutal pitch. There was virtually no tilt on that pitch at all. It was a slider...you could tell by the velocity on it.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 06:11 PM) no the site is called soxtalk go to motown sports. Lets just calm down...put em on ignore if you don't like em. If they were going out of the way to attack that would be one thing but they aren't. I realize some people dont' like the Tiger fans in this thread, but just put em on ignore. Comments like this and the previous one aren't necessary. We have mods for that and I'd like to think we do a decent job at it. Hope you understand

QUOTE(JimH @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 06:12 PM) Jason I have it on the local feed but if ESPN was talking about that then they nailed it. That's exactly what he does, it's always a brutal pitch with runners on and it's always a hanging breaking ball of some sort. Easy for me but I was sitting here saying "go in on his hands, go in on his hands", i.e. with the fastball. Hawk and DJ were saying go outside and take a little off the slider and as it turns out they were right because Monroe was looking middle-in. And usually that's what it is on a hanging breaking pitch, the arm is dragging through the delivery, the finish is high and therefore the pitch stays up. Either way, bad luck or not, the time for analysis is over. We are trying to stay in a pennant race and this guy has got to perform. Granted there were a few bloops etc. but he has got to make a better pitch than he did. One of the worst pitches in a key situation of the whole 2006 season, if not the worst. Ya thats exactly what they were talking about and it is really noticeable. Of course once the bases were loaded he was able to use the higher leg kick and you saw better breaking balls, with the exception to the two or three he over threw. One of which was that awful hanger that should have been thrown outside. The whole world knows that Monroe and Thames are dead pull hitters that can't hit down and away breaking balls yet Javy threw the ball in the one spot where Monroe can really club the ball and since it was a hanging slider its hard enough that even if he was swinging for a fastball he's still gonna get plenty of wood on it and drive the ball.

QUOTE(DonkeyKongerko @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 06:13 PM) If we weren't paying Javy so much, I'd say he'd make a great bullpen pitcher with his stuff. POSS-I-BIL-I-TIES He may be throwing out of the pen if we make it to the post-season. That said I really think he's going to be a key piece to this team down the stretch and his success (or failure) is going to really be a key factor in the Sox success (or failure). After all the slamming I've done I got to admit I actually have some faith in Javy over the 2nd half of the season, even with tonights start.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 06:04 PM) I say this respectively, but Ozzie/KW got greedy when they added him. They got addicted to the thought of "the greatest rotation ever". I highly doubt they would have made the trade if they knew Garland/Contereras would re-sign. I have to buy into the whole leverage argument, but if they could have fast-forwarded a few weeks and seen Garland and than Contreras resign we wouldn't have made the move. Instead we'd probably have pawned Duque off to some team and than tried to pick up a swingman that could enter the rotation if any of our guys got hurt or faltered with Bmac in the 5th spot.

This was actually one of his best games, sans that inning. I realize the inning counts and this type of inning has completely hampered Javy but I really think we are about to see him turn the corner. He's working with Coop and I got faith. He really showed good stuff and good command most of the night. Now I'm going to hope the offense can come in and bail him out. On a sidenote, this is going on the game thread since it deals with the game.

Thats rough. Javy pitching great and than a bloop single that bounces over Crede....you get a clean hit by Pudge and than that bloop that fell when they thought Guillen was going to bunt and a single by Maggs that wasn't that clean (not that it was a good pitch). I think ESPN did a nice job talking about the leg kick though and I'm sure Coop is doing what he can to help Javy with runners on so his arm can catch up.

JOE CREDE!!!!!

Tomorrow we are scheduled to interview Birmingham Baron's farmhand Lucas Harrel and we wanted to take the time to open up the forum to see if you guys/gals have any questions you'd like to ask Lucas. He's a starting pitcher for the Baron's whose really been making some progress this season.

Lets not forget that trades in the next few weeks could open up a spot or two in Birmingham or Charlotte as well which would lead to a few promotions.

I assume the Sox and Barons are going to extend there agreement, but the release I got gave no guarantee of that. I guess we'll all find out tomorrow around 1 when the announcement is made. I hope the Sox and Barons stay affiliated. The Barons have been a very sucessful team while utilizing players from the organization.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 10:34 AM) Good look, but the orange may seem a shade too bright? Maybe its just me though. We got the color from the Bears site and did our very best to match it.

The Quarterback's Will Bring on An Offensive Renaissance By Jason Gage TalkBears.com The 2005 Chicago Bears took the league by storm. Led by a vaunted defense, they were able to overcome playing with as bad of an offense as there was in football. The team lacked a quarterback, had trouble finding a receiver that could catch the ball, and as a result had trouble putting points on the board (29th in offense). With that in mind, Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo went out to build an offense…right??? WRONG. Angelo instead focused defense, working to improve their secondary and defensive depth. Instead of improving a weakness, Angelo went the route of strengthening a strength. This was to the chagrin of many Bears fans and analysts around the league were left scratching there heads. But the ‘06 Bears (and Bengals) will enter training camp (on July 27th in Bourbonnais, Illinois) with more returning starters than any team in the league. Yes, that means most of an unheralded offense is coming back. Thomas Jones will look to show the Bears (or a trade partner) that he is a franchise back. The offensive line will attempt to continue to open up holes in an effort to remain one of the best rushing attacks in the league. At the same time that line is going to have to protect opponents from teeing off on quarterback’s Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton (as Bear fans, we’ve come to expect all 3 QB’s to get some action). However, most importantly, Grossman will look to prove to Bears fans, the coaching staff, and the rest of the league that he is the quarterback of the present and future. Two major injuries and one playoff start are Grossman’s career in a glance. In 06, he’ll look to put himself in position to get a few more playoff starts than injuries. Jerry did make one move this off-season on the offensive side of the ball. That one move and one position was all that Jerry Angelo had to upgrade to improve this offense (QUARTERBACK). Grossman is the best QB this team has had in years (sadly, I’m not even going out on a limb as I yearn for the days of Erik Kramer), but if he isn’t able to complete the season, the Bears have a competent, veteran QB named Brian Griese. Signed to an off-season deal, Griese gives the Bears much needed stability at the QB position. Angelo hopes this stability will carry right over to the offense. Angelo may not have said it directly, but he did so indirectly by not making any major upgrades to the receiving corps. Instead Angelo, Lovie Smith and the rest of the coaching staff will hope that Grossman (or Griese) will be able to execute the passes and get the balls in the hands of the backs (Jones, Benson, Peterson) and receivers (Mushin, Berrian, Bradley, Gage, Currie, Davies). The offense now needs to step up and mature. Bradley and Berrian are both talented receivers, Benson and Jones have the ability to be solid backs (in Benson’s case an upper echelon back) and Grossman and Griese are both capable of making all the passes (especially Grossman). On July 17, the Bears old offense will disappear and the beginning of a new offense (with a year of Turner’s system under there belts) and a more balanced team needs to begin.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 08:21 AM) Wes and Harrell both intrigue me a lot. Were working on something with the two new members of the Barons rotation. Not referring to Wes, but Rus

QUOTE(JimH @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 05:47 AM) Very nice job by the SoxTalk staff on the draft coverage. Looks like almost all our high draft picks are having a bit of trouble adjusting to pro ball. Not a lot of impressive numbers so far but let's see what they do by years end and in their first full season next year. Most times it takes a while to settle in. The only relatively scary part is that the Sox seemed to ease these guys into the league by sending most of them to the short-season league when in years past they were more agressive. My guess is the Sox were expecting the easier adjustment to pay off with more immediate numbers but the long term reality is that what they do in there first month or so in the league really don't mean squat as long as they are getting comfortable and improving. Josh, Evan and Dan all did awesome work on this and I think everyone will be glad to know we got quite a few interviews lined up and will have an interview posted on the site from Matt Enuco (draft pick) in the next day and a half and than are working on getting some from some current farm hands.

Decent write up, but I'm not convinced that Sickels ever really see's these guys play. Mentions Cortes and says potential sleeper, nowhere does he talk about the badass sinker Cortes throws. Talks about Lummy and his lack of strikeouts but nowhere talks about his damn good arm.

Speaking of Russel and harrel, Alex and I are working on setting up an interview with them.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 18, 2006 -> 08:49 PM) Dude, nobody is above becoming a drug addict.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 18, 2006 -> 08:40 PM) Dwight Gooden, Vida Blue, Frank Viola, Ramon Martinez, Britt Burns, and even Larmar Hoyt who are they? Pitchers who had good to great 3-5 years to start their careers but then things didn't work out for them to have long productive careers. Ramon Martinez: injuries Dwight Gooden: Druggy Can't really speak on what happened to the others since they were a bit before my time. I don't think Mark is any of them. I think Mark is a Glavine like pitcher.

IIRC, Mark has said that he feels really good. I'd buy the dead arm theory if it looked like his stuff wasn't there. He seems to be throwing about the same as always, the only difference is teams have been real agressive against him all while he's left his pitches up. He fixes his command and makes an adjustment or two and he should be golden to be the Buerhle we've all came to expect.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 18, 2006 -> 08:31 PM) Depodesta huh? I can argue this stuff all night but I'll agree with Sabr and just let it be because I've had these arguments way too often. Wow...I'm tired. I was thinking of the Dodgers as the team that failed with it at the same time I was writing about Epstein.

QUOTE(SABR Sox @ Jul 18, 2006 -> 08:28 PM) Yea, and thats just something we have to live with. He's not going to strike people out. At the same time, its a downfall in a way. Striking out people is a really good quality, and he doesn't have it. It was part of the problem for him a while ago, and it still is to an extent. When you pitch for contact, good things can happen, but it also opens the door for a lot of mishaps. His control is still great, and he kind of "makes up" for his low K rates with it. But his lack, and I mean lack, of ability to strike people out isn't something good, and it migt catch up to him, if he doesn't get the big outs when he needs to, like in 2005. I think its worked pretty damn well in Boston and NY too. Boston doesn't seem to use it as much and I wasn't aware of the Yanks using it. But ya, Depodesta used it sucessfully, but it doesn't hurt when you have Ortiz and Manny in the middle of that lineup and at the time a pair of aces like Schilling and Pedro.

All I got to say is who got Neal Cotts...we did