CWSGuy406

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Apr 17, 2006 -> 01:53 AM) Different situations with Pods and Brian. I agree that he needs to play but ozzie might have wanted to give him a few days off just to clear his head. I'd bet he plays the whole KC series. I hope so. I thought before the season, something along the lines of .250/.315/.430 for BA, which I still think he can do. But, more importantly, I expected good defense, which he's given us, other than the one bad read against Detroit. There's really no question that he's the best defensive outfielder on the Sox...

.125/.222/.125 .129/.206/.194 I know Anderson is struggling right now, but Mackowiak isn't doing a whole lot better. If Podsednik is and has been allowed to work/play through his slump, the same should probably go for BA. I can understand sitting Anderson against righties with hard breaking stuff (ie Burnett), but against Josh Towers? Come on, GMAB.

I have a silly reason for bumping this thread, but here it is anyway. Does anyone remember the meal that V serves the girl while she's at his hideaway? IIRC, it looked like a slice of french toast with an egg, sunny-side up (or sligthly over easy) on top of the french toast. Anyways, I was talking with someone a couple days after the movie, and they said that they had something like that before, and that it was really good. Does this 'food item' have a specific name? I tried googling it, and didn't get what I was looking for.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Apr 14, 2006 -> 07:06 PM) It was also reported that he came to camp out of shape and doesn't put the work in to be the best player he can be. No thanks. Let him go to the Yankees, he sounds like a perfect fit for them. Yep, we need more grinders. f*** talent.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 11:27 PM) Byrd has never, NEVER made back to back 30 start seasons in his career. Last year he made 31 starts, so he has already pissed away two of his 24 (guessing) 2006 starts. Which is why I said: The Jake is actually a pretty big pitchers park, too. I don't think there'll be a whole lot of drop off, if any, from Elarton to Johnson. But, I'm rooting for Johnson to stay in that 4.75-5.00 ERA range, because that's probably not a bad enough ERA for the Tribe to promote Sowers.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Apr 14, 2006 -> 12:21 PM) The pitching was pretty key. There were a whole lot of pieces of the puzzle. The team was reshaped quite a bit even without that trade. They still hit 200 home runs so it wasn't like there was this absence of power. The team used power as much as any team in baseball. Looking at players, right now, I'd rather have Lee back in the lineup. Then by your logic, since we won a WS with Rowand in the lineup, we lost the trade for Thome unless we win a WS. Because Rowand was crucial to the WS win. Losing Frank and Carl will be a disaster because we won a WS with them on the roster. The thing is, Tex, if all things were equal (read: salaries), yes, I'd rather have Lee. But half of the selling point in the Lee deal was that we lose $8 million dollars off of the payroll. That allowed us to sign, IIRC, Iguchi, Pierzynski, and El Duque. Do we win the AL Central with Willie Harris, Ben Davis, and Jason Grilli/B-Mac in place of the former three? I dislike "Scotty" as much as anybody here, but I can see why the trade was made.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Apr 14, 2006 -> 12:30 AM) I'm not sure I agree with all of this. He wasn't 100% in Sept and Oct, healthier than August I'd say, but nowhere near 100%, and he was pretty awesome in September and October. I think Fathom was referring more to Podsednik's second half, where he was pretty bad, by putting up a .284/.326/.356 line, and 14 caught stealings compared to only 15 stolen bases.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 04:15 AM) Yeah I don't like Byrd or Johnson at the back end of their rotation at all. I think someone like Jeremy Sowers could be up by the end of the season to replace one of em possibly. Offense has gotten off to a very good start though. Byrd isn't going to be a problem. The last four seasons he's put up ERA+' of 109, 132, 110, 112. He was actually, IMO, one of the better starting pitcher signings this offseason -- the deal was something like 2 year, $12 million, right? That's pretty good for a slightly above average pitcher. I don't know how injury prone he is with that new motion and less velocity he's throwing with, but if he's healthy, he certainly won't be the one on the staff that'll hurt you. And, Johnson will be the weak link, but he probably won't be bad enough to get replaced. I mean, I doubt Shapiro was expecting a whole lot when he signed Johnson, other than a guy to give the Tribe 190 innings at the back of the rotation, with an ERA around 4.60. He's probably just a very tiny bit better than their fifth starter of last year, Scott Elarton.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 04:33 AM) And really, there ain't very many Brad Wilkersons out there. In the vast majority of cases, you're not gonna have a guy with a great OBP and a s***ty batting average. Being able to draw walks usually means that you have a solid batting eye. Having a solid batting eye usually means that you can hit for a good average. Or maybe I'm just oversimplifying things. No, that's true. There's very few cases like the Adam Dunn's of the world. But, Dunn's value isn't just in his OBP, it's combined with the fact that he's going to hit 70-80 x-tra basehits a year. Oh, yeah, and he's 26 friggin' years old...

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 03:26 AM) It's an important stat but it's overrated in the sense that some people think it's the only thing that matters. That's far from the case. I'm just one of those people who hate when people say that Garrett Anderson sucked last year cause his obp and ops were down yet he still drove in 96. It seems at times that people have now forgot about the traditional stats with all these new age ones out there. I think the reason people like SLG% and OBP more than batting average is because the former two have proven to correlate better with scoring runs than the latter (over the course of a 162 game season -- in the playoffs this changes). And Jason, it's all relative. I mean, yeah, you can say OBP is overrated, but you have to put it in a context. What I'm saying is, if you have a player who is making $8 million a year, but his only real asset is his OBP (say he's putting up a .250/.375/.375 line), then of course he's going to be overrated. OBP isn't the be-all, end-all, and I doubt any real saber fan would tell you that. You have to mix and match it with other things (such as defense, power, position relativity -- ie, is this a catcher or a right-fielder?).

Wrigley Field is a pretty tough call when it comes to hitters park/pitchers park. The past two years, it has played as a hitters park, but from 2000-'03 (a four year span), it played as an extreme pitchers park. Miller Park, OTOH, is a difficult call. It's been in existance five years (going on six); for two years, it's played as a slight hitters park ('01 + '03), two years as a pitchers park ('02 + '04), and in '05, it played neutral. I'll be seeing a lot of Brewer games in the near future (going to Marquette next fall), but I'd have to guess (by the numbers) that it's a slight pitcher's park.

Sox Hawks . Bears . . . . Bulls Marquette Basketball title (well, in the coming years) It used to be different. It used to be Bears, without a doubt, at the top, then Hawks, then Sox. Then I realized the joy that is the baseball season.

Hitting-wise, the guys I'd really like to see "breakout" this year are Valido and Hernandez. I've heard rave reviews (at different times) about both guys, and what I like best is that they are supposed to be pretty solid defensive players (I am correct in saying that, yes?). Defense is becoming more and more sought after, as more and more comes out on how exactly to measure it. It'd be nice, for a change, to have the Sox develop some good-fielding, good-hitting middle infielders (and catchers) rather than outfielders. Obviously, there's a lot more value if you can hit and play catcher than if you can hit and play RF. It also breaks down nicely with Hernandez and Pierzynski, too. The three year contract to Pierzynski gives Hernandez a pretty decent amount of time to get through A-ball and AA (and, if necessary, Charlotte). One more question about another catcher, Chris Stewart. He had a pretty decent year at Birmingham last season, and he could prove to be pretty valuable as a backup catcher in the near future. But, how's his defense?

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2006 -> 10:16 PM) Those numbers do include 1 abberation on the part of each of them...a sky high year by Lee, and the year that started off with Konerko recovering from a Broken foot. That's all fine and dandy, but those years are still there, in a pretty significant amount of ABs. I doubt either returns to the levels they displayed in those years, but I still think Lee is going to settle into a 140-150 OPS+ range (for at least a year or two), something that Konerko has yet to reach. Add in the fact that he's much better on the bases, and might even be better defensively -- I don't know how one can make a statement like this (and yes, I realize you, Balta, did not say this):

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Apr 11, 2006 -> 09:42 AM) His career numbers are comparable to Konerko's, but Konerko has been much more consistent. So Paulie's deal looks better now. That makes really no sense. Konerko's career OPS is .837 to Lee's .864. Now, consider the fact that Lee has played all but two years in one of the worst hitters parks in baseball, while Konerko has been hitting in one of the best. Again, you guys are severely underestimating his years in Florida. Lee's 2002 and 2003 seasons were very good -- he averaged in those years (approx) .270/.380/.500. That's very good production for playing in Florida. Konerko more consistent? Again -- they seem like comparable consistent players, with one being slightly better (Lee). Konerko's OPS+ the last four years -- 123, 85, 123, 136. Lee's OPS+ the last four years -- 131, 135, 114, 177.

QUOTE(WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Apr 11, 2006 -> 04:01 AM) Fielder's choice Ahh -- thank you. So he reached on the FC and on the error, I assume? Well, he's off to a dissappointing start at the plate, but nice job on the basepaths today.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Apr 11, 2006 -> 03:19 AM) If you really want to use that approach though, let's come up with a more relevant comparison. Is Lee really that much better than Paul Konerko, the guy who was the team leader on a champion, was the top FA on the market, and signed for 5-60? I'd personally take Lee over Konerko. That's not to say I don't like PK, I just think the Lee is the better overall player. I think you're short-changing Lee's pre-2005 years a little bit. He's always been a pretty damn good hitter, especially his 2002 and '03 seasons (131 and 135 OPS+s in those two years). What I guess I'm saying is, I don't know how one can be a fan of the Konerko contract while disliking the Lee contract. They're very similar contracts, other than the full NTC in D-Lee's. I think Derrek Lee, though, is the better player (IMO), and I think the contract is reasonable. Not a bargain, but not grossly overpaying either.

QUOTE(JimH @ Apr 11, 2006 -> 02:04 AM) Nice win for Charlotte tonight, they win 2-1 in Columbus. Not much offense. Nomo did not pitch, Steven Randolph went 4 innings, one run and 4 walks. Sean Tracey, Chad Bentz, and Farnsworth finished it off. Nice DP turned to end the game, Rogowski to SS Velandia to Farnsworth. Not much offense for Charlotte. Five hits and a walk. Sweeney was 1-for-4. How the heck did Owens score two runs? No hits, no walks, no strikeouts (drop third). He also stole two bases. Am I missing something? Oh, and there was only one error in the game from Colombus. Good to see Tracey adapting well to the bullpen. He and Javier Lopez, actually -- both are probably one-and-two as far as depth in the bullpen, righty and lefty (well, maybe Redding is one).

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 09:22 PM) I don't remember what the former Busch Stadium was considered, but apparently this has the same dimensions. That's a good question. Over the past six years, it's varied from favoring hitters to favoring pitchers. In 2005, it favored hitters slightly. In 2004, it favored pitchers. In 2003, it favored pitchers. In 2002, it heavily favored pitchers. In 2001, in favored pitchers slightly. And, in 2000, it played pretty neutral. So, if New Busch plays the same as Old Busch, I'd call it a slight pitcher's park, but pretty close to neutral.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 10:44 PM) Of course, Ozzie brought us a championship and Frank didn't. Big difference. Ozzie also didn't get into a childish war of words through the media with Ron Schueler after he left. Nor did he throw several fits about his contract through the media during the last six years of his tenure. Well, no, I think Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, Neal Cotts, Paul Konerko, etc etc brought us a championship -- and Frank was apart of that. Our offense was clearly better with Frank in the lineup than without him. QUOTE(WCSox @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 10:44 PM) If I had a chance of being in the stands on May 22nd, I'd be giving Frank a standing ovation as well. However, you can't deny that the way he exited the organization pissed off a lot of the fans. Frank could've been our version of Stan Musial or Ted Williams. Instead, he chose to be our version of Sammy Sosa. :headshake Meh, I guess it's how you view it. I don't view Frank nearly as much of a negative as you do. His teammates (not to my knowledge) never really sounded off on Frank as often as they did on Sosa. And, come on man, Sammy Sosa? One will go down as one of the better right-handed hitters of all-time, the other as a product of steroids who has pretty much dissappeared as of now.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 10:23 PM) Everett and Frank should've made note of the way that Rowand and Ventura left the White Sox. Whatever beef they had with JR, Kenny, or Scheuler, those guys realized that keeping their egos in check and exiting with class was incredibly important to the fans. And yet, when Oakland visits the Sox on May 22nd, I'll bet that 90% of the stadium will be giving Thomas a standing ovation. IIRC, Ozzie Guillen didn't exactly leave the organization on great terms, yet ask the casual fan right now if he remembers that? I really hope this doesn't turn into a Thome vs. Thomas thing. Williams made the correct choice, as Thomas chance of staying healthy the rest of his career doesn't seem very good, and Thome looks to be recovering very nicely from last years injuries. But that's about it. Thomas will always have his place in Sox history, and Thome will be paving his.

Really, choosing between Baker and Lohse is a tough choice? No questions ask (if I was a Twins fan), Baker -- without a doubt. You'd think Lohse would fetch something on the trade market. He's by no means a great pitcher, but he's only slightly below league average -- far worse pitchers (ie Eric Milton) command far greater contracts. Oh well -- I'm not complaining.

The problem isn't manufacturing runs. In fact, our offense will be built off of the homerun -- not off of bunting and stolen bases. Our problem is that we don't have anybody (right now) who can replicate what Podsednik did for us last year -- a .350 OBP, along with good LF defense. I contend that Gload could probably be Pods' equal at the plate, but you'd take a big hit in defense (and that's saying something). I hope either Jerry Owens or Ryan Sweeney are ready for the show by mid-June. Perhaps it's just my natural bias against a non-100% (health-wise) Scott Podsednik, but I'm not optimistic at all...

Owens is in Charlotte, playing LF/CF for the Knights. He's off to a slow start, putting up a .182/.250/.182 line, but only 11 ABs. Pretty big year for Owens... if he has a good year, the Sox could trade Podsednik and won't be forced to resign him.

QUOTE(JimH @ Apr 9, 2006 -> 07:11 PM) I hope so, I think they'll need him at some point this season. How fast would you say Owens is? Faster than a 100%-healthy Podsednik? The reason I ask is because his stolen base percentage hasn't been real good, IIRC. I know he was a wide receiver at UCLA, so he's gotta be some athlete, huh?