Chisoxfn

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jun 1, 2006 -> 09:21 AM) I'm sure that their horrible pitching (especially in '03) had more to do with it, but I see your point. No offense, but I'm going to take Ned Yost's opinion over somebody who watches the games on TV. The fact that Clark was playing RF in '04 instead of Pods says quite a bit. They had nowhere else to put Pods and they figured they were better off with Clark in RF and Pods in CF as opposed to Pods playing RF. It wasn't like they were going to bench there studly leadoff hitter (Pods).

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Jun 1, 2006 -> 08:53 AM) Ive heard that before and always ignored it. I cant tell you how GREAT I feel, when I see a grounder roll roll easily under the outstretched glove of a helpless cub, as the other team scores the winning run. Theres a small rush I get, I admit. But, I get a bigger kick out of (back in the day) watching a 1990's Frank Thomas fouling off pitch after pitch, in a sort of chess-match with the pitcher, looking for the ONE pitch he can drive, and then like clockwork, gets the pitch and smokes it to deepest left-center for a home-run, knowing you were right there with him, pitch-for-pitch, knowing what he was thinking, what he was doing, and for a quick moment, Celebrating that blast with Big Frank, in a small way knowing what it must feel like to hit a ball 475 feet to LeftCenter for a homerun. I think the part I miss about Frank the most (since he can still hit hr's) would be when he would be totally overmatched at the plate as a pitcher was dead on making perfect pitches and he'd just have one of his ugly swings where he just tried to slap the ball over the 2nd baseman or 1st basemans head (or dump it into CF). He was the best I ever saw at taking a great pitchers pitch and depositing it in for an ugly single. VINTAGE FRANK. Its too bad he turned into a HR happy guy the past few years and his avg totally suffered because of it. QUOTE(Jimbo @ Jun 1, 2006 -> 08:54 AM) shall we say high noon behind the old barn?

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 1, 2006 -> 08:40 AM) Teams aren't in the market to be trading. Realistically, only 3 teams are completely out of it already (Pitt, Florida, KC). Good luck trying to find a lot of talent on those teams that could help us out. The only person who I think would be a good fit on any of those teams, and could realistically be traded, is Roberto Hernandez. Last time I checked, his ERA was well under 2. I'll never forget when Hernandez gave Ripken a nice nose bleed during the all star game photo shoot on accident. Ozzie and Roberto were teamates and some how Roberto is doing pretty good so that could very well be an option.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Jun 1, 2006 -> 08:47 AM) if you start and then go back to the pre- bill of rights site,i will be pissed. And Jimbo is the Incredible Hulk of Soxtalk...say anything bad about the Jayhawks or the Sox and uh oh

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Jun 1, 2006 -> 08:46 AM) YES, just waiting to hear which thread the Mods would like it to be in. Just show ya back an email, but its cool in this forum. I had the Tribe feed of the game last night and I was laughing at Martinez reaction as well. Didn't see the part when the inning ended and Freddy and him shared a quick laugh but I'd have been laughing than too. Now lets just take this game tonight with Jose on the mound and split the series.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Jun 1, 2006 -> 06:11 AM) Didn't he take a no-hitter into the 6th last inning? Then, the Angels got an infield single on a bad call, and the Twins took him out after that inning. Ya, I was at the game..it was a total hores*** call. We could tell from our seats that he was out and that isn't wasn't even that close. Total joke of a way to lose a no no. He got rattled after that, but still got through things. I made sure to get to that game cause Liriano is my favorite young pitcher in all of baseball.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ May 31, 2006 -> 01:15 PM) Click Here To Vote in The Poll Vote at the above link and discuss here. Not even close, the pen. We won't lose this year because or 8 and 9 hitters aren't any good at the plate (if they continue to do what they are doing today). We would potentially lose if those two guys stopped playing gold glove caliber defense though. However, the pen will prevent us from winning games. QUOTE(beautox @ May 31, 2006 -> 07:53 PM) Seriously i think Cliff Politte skews it that bad. Matt Thornton has had how many scoreless apearences now? and as that recent article has stated hes now in phase two of his project with Coop soon he will be putting hitters away with regularity. Jenks has been great when used in the appropriate situations, Cotts has been good hes posting a 2.91 ERA. I think McCarthy needs to be moved into the right handed set up man role and get more consistant work. Jeff Nelson is the ROOGY, and Politte needs to be moved into the mop up role. Uribe has proven himself at the ML level hes getting better at the plate these past two games he hasn't been swining at the first pitch as much and yesterday he actually had hit, up until today he was batting .265 in his last ten days. Anderson just looks lost and outmatched right now. He's an amazing defender but as i've stated time and time again we need a complete CF, Mackowiak appears to be cooling off a bit, and i really don't feel comfertable with him in CF. In other news Corey Patterson went 1-3 today with a single, SO, BB, SB. hes still batting .290 and has 19SB/1CS I'm starting to like the idea of Patterson (shudder the thought) but with the way he's playing it would probably take a bit to get him.

Happy Bday Alex

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ May 31, 2006 -> 05:08 AM) Is anyone else having problems with the "Download Show" link or it just me? Just tested it and it worked for me. Maybe there was a short outage or something???

Download the Show This week Mario Scalise was unable to attend the show, so Jason Gage flies solo. Listen in to see if he crashes and burns in his attempt at any semblance of a show or if things actually go well. Jason discusses Brian Anderson, some potential pickups the Sox could make (if they looked outside the organization) and the bullpen (yet again). Find out why Politte should be replaced with Brandon McCarthy and what Ozzie needs to do for Bmac to work in the pen. Download the Show Streaming Version of the Show Instructions to Subscribe to Our Feed Hopefully you guys like it. I suck ass at solo shows, and my plan was to have a guest host this week but that fell through so I figured I'd roll out a relatively quick show. My technical abilities are still pretty limited so hopefully it sounds alright (plus I was all by my lonesome and its hard to talk that long )

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:56 PM) I think Fields will have a nice high ceiling. However he needs more seasoning in AAA. If we do decide to move him to LF we will need to have him play there a bit so he can get used to the position. We just cant dump him over there for a few games, then run him up here to play defense in a packed house for a pennant race. Its not fair to him or his development. I still think the next move up should be sweeney. Fields is a 07 target. I feel the same way you do about Sweeney and after he gets enough AB's after missing time with that hamstring injury and we may just see him. I'm curious to see how he is out in CF. QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:55 PM) Sweeney struck out about 12 times his first week and a half, and didn't walk at all for a little bit. Since then, he's been steady, 1:1 K/BB ratio. The one encouraging thing about Fields is that he has walked more in May than in April. He still needs to limit the K's but if he can develop a solid batting eye, he'll survive like Thome/Dunn/Gomes etc. Fields has a pretty good batting eye and seems to have really gained comfort at the plate. He's obviously not afraid to strike out, but we have a guy on the Sox who gets by despite high k numbers. Fields will hit for a higher AVG than Dunn and should be a .275 hitter with 25-35 HR power if everything works out well. Plus Fields is just adjusting to AAA so he should continue to make strides and get even better. He's grown a TON at the plate in the past 3/4's of a season (since his hot streak for most of the 2nd half of last year). I remember seeing Fields 2 years ago and he would whiff a lot but he'd also lay off tough pitches and when he hit the ball it just exploded off his bat (I saw him hit a few bombs in BP and than he hit a towering shot to dead center during a game).

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:53 PM) I expect better out of you than Hunter and Erstad. I really do. One will come very cheaply and the other is just the 2nd best defensive outfielder in the game. He will also hit 25 hr's in a full season at the cell (with ease) and post a .265-.270 avg. In fact, with him actually having a bit of protection and a lot less pressure, he could even do a tad better. Don't forget guys power numbers really seem to go up when they leave Minnesota (AJ, Ortiz).

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:51 PM) Jason, please never mention Erstad's name again. The guy may not even be comming back this year due to his ankle (depends on how he reacts to the cortozone shot he recently had). The guy has always been a mediocre offensive player and now that he can barely walk plays a below average CF. I'd much rather have Mack starting out there. I wouldn't want him on the roster simply due to the fact that he may get an AB in a clutch situation, which would not turn out well. Also, would you be willing to move any of our top prospects to the Twins for Torii Hunter? Which is why I edited the post to say I'd prefer Cameron or Erstad. We are talking about the back of the order. If Erstad is healthy (and we have a month or two to evaluate that) he is a solid pickup. He's extremely over-rated by some, but we wouldn't have to give up any top prospects to get him and he's got plenty of playoff experience. He's a very good baserunner and can get a clutch hit from time to time (don't know what his stats are, but I've seen him get plenty of em in Anaheim). Defensively he's not what he once was, but when healthy he's solid. If he proves he's not heatlhy, than thats an obvious pass. Cameron would need to prove he's healthy as well. I doubt I'd give up the prospects for Hunter, especially since I think the Twins would demand Anderson (who is a Hunter clone- TOOLS WISE) plus a guy like Valido and probably even a Whisler type). I am sure a few other solid enough CF's will enter the market, but the most important thing is finding defense. If Mark Kotsay didn't have such a high salary, I'd consider making a deal with the A's, but Beane really likes him and I think Kotsay is signed relatively long term (plus the A's aren't dealing unless they get major league help in return so it would have to be a 3 way deal; if by some shocker the A's were out of contention than there may be a possibility).

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:49 PM) Bad Jason. If you were a woman I'd slug you. Why?

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:49 PM) Brian hit .295 in AAA last year with a .469SLG% and a .829 OPS over the course of an entire season. He struck out at a lower rate than Fields with a 25% rate of King last year. So he almost hit 300, he had a good slugging percentage, he k'd less than fields will this year. And look at him now, overmatched. Yet you think that Fields coming up will solve all, why again. Fields will come up, and will be overmatched. Fields has a superior approach at the plate and despite his High K totals has a good eye. I have no doubt Fields would come up here and hit (especially if he gets a little more seasoning in AAA) and he wouldn't even be the problem in left (he is good enough of an athlete to handle it if he was able to play a few months in AAA to adjust). Its Pods playing CF that would be scary.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:41 PM) I still don't see where you know that Kenny is thinking about moving a AAA 3B straight to LF in the bigs and moving possibly the worst LF in baseball to CF. Could you maybe clue the rest of us in. Garret Anderson and Ramirez are worse, but Pods easily ranks among the worse 5 starting left fielders in baseball with the glove. Here are some names: Mike Cameron (Pads would probably be willing to move him later on) Torri Hunter (Twins may find themselves far enough out of contention that they would deal to a divisional foe if the price were right) Darrin Erstad (Angels are playing better as of late, but if the A's get rolling the Angels may be out of contention; plus they need to be getting McPherson/Figgins/Morales all AB's and the only way to do that is to have Erstie on the bench) All 3 of these guys have larger contracts and two of them may come relatively cheap (Hunter would not). None of them are stars and two have checkered pasts in terms of injuries (Erstad and Cameron) but all 3 have been upper echelon defensive players at one point in there careers (erstad isn't anymore, but he isn't terrible either) plus he would be a pretty nice 9 hole hitter in terms of his slap hitting ability. I know Erstad's deal is up and I think Cameron becomes a FA relatively soon as well and so does Hunter (end of this year). If we could take on Erstad or Cameron's contracts while only giving up 1 or two prospects (Sean Tracey type of prospect plus a guy like Wes Whisler who I consider a joke) and it may be worth it. We would be able to hold onto Anderson and let him get relaxed in AAA and hopefully come up later on in the year as a defensive replacement and groom him for the job next season (he's too good defensively and has too many offensive tools to give up in a deal). Getting Erstie or Cameron would be a wise move down the stretch if Anderson doesn't figure things out, especially since it would allow Mack to go back to filling in all over the field (making us more deep).

QUOTE(Cuck the Fubs @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:17 PM) How bad is Fields' arm? You can mask one bad arm, but 2 you can't. Note I could have mentioned the Cubs OF in this, but I am refusing to. Fields has a very good arm and it probably would be among the league bests in terms of left fielders. But the man has not played any left field, so before we discuss this he would have to get some innings in AAA in the outfield. A more realistic possibility is Ryan Sweeney being called up. He's been playing CF and was just activated from the Knights disabled list and has already had a couple hits since coming back. QUOTE(Thunderin @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:38 PM) All I can say is Kenny is thinking about doing it. And he knows alot more about baseball than any of us. I was (and still am) a big supporter of Brian Anderson at the beginnning of the season, but I am just tired of watching him either swing and balls in the dirt and strike out or hit the first pitch and its an easy, weak two-chopper to the infield. Something is wrong with the guys swing/mecanics, so let him go to the minors and figure it out. Inside info or is that from your original quotes on Fields moving to left. I think the point of Fields moving to left is valid, but it won't be to allow Pods to play CF, it will be because Pods is gone after the off-season, or something else completely odd happened. Fields could play left, 3rd (but not very well), 1st, DH and maybe (and this is a big maybe since he'd need to log some innings) RF.

I'm not against moving Fields to LF, but Pods is not a solution in CF. Pods is one of the worse left fielders in baseball and would make Mack look great out in CF. If Anderson is sent down and continues to struggle I think the team will have to look elsewhere to find a defensive minded (but solid enough on offense) outfielder that could either start everyday or platoon with Mack. I love Fields and what he's turning into, but he won't be up until Pods is gone or if the Sox go another direction somewhere else (3B).

QUOTE(Dam8610 @ May 30, 2006 -> 10:04 PM) So was anyone signed? Still waiting on the official announcment. Usually this comes relatively slowly just because its not a priority by the Sox or MLB. We should hear something tomorrow and I have an email in.

No Crede???

QUOTE(danman31 @ May 30, 2006 -> 04:40 PM) Anderson, Fields, and Broadway are looking like 3 straight good first round picks so far. Thats something I'd agree with. Even Honel was looking like a good pick up until he fell apart. Still I'm going to wait and see if these guys develop. Fields is turning into a STUD prospect this season while Broadway has really kicked ass in his first full season and well Anderson has all the tools to become an above average centerfielder.

One was the founder of Soxtalk's hot chick contest and is a long time poster and the other is a solid contributor to the site as well. Hope you both have great Bdays

Check out FutureSox.com as we have two draft pieces up and more to come this week and than follow up pieces the following week.

List of Potential Draft and Follow Candidates By Randy Brace FutureSox.com The White Sox selected a few potential draft and follow candidates in the 2005 amateur draft. To be eligible as a draft and follow candidate the drafted player must be playing at a 2 year institution (junior college). The White Sox will follow the players' progress and depending on their liking will try and sign the candidate. The deadline to sign these candidates today and FutureSox.com will be working hard on finding if and who the Sox came to terms with from last years draft class...MORE We will update everyone when/if the Sox announce that they have came to terms with any of the candidates (they needed to do so by today).

QUOTE(dasox24 @ May 30, 2006 -> 03:09 PM) Even though the draft is such a crapshoot once you get around where the Sox are picking and lower, I know one thing for sure: I'll be happy with whoever the Sox take b/c I have complete faith in their scouting department. They suck at picking em in the first round, but have done very good after that.