CWSGuy406

QUOTE(beck72 @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 11:04 AM) Ozzie couldn't "shape up" Carlos Lee, Maggs and Olivo. What makes you think Ozzie could shape up a prima donna like Manny? Bringing Manny in would go against what the sox did this yr. No matter how good Manny is, by all accounts, he's not the unselfish team player the sox would need. Beck -- if the White Sox' offense of two/three years ago had the pitching staff of this year, we might have won 105 games. The reason we didn't win in past years isn't because the 'chemistry' was bad. It's because the pitching, for the most part, sucked.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 03:22 AM) I think so, but there wasn't really a huge change in philosophy, like they still drafted quite a few high schoolers, instead of all college player. I don't think drafting high schoolers vs. college kids is as big of a deal (now) as you make it out to be. Oakland took a bunch of high school kids, too. Perhaps another market shift?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 01:18 PM) You also have to remember that injuries killed the Twins this year. They're not as bad as the record idicated. Santana - Liriano - Radke - Silva - Baker along will allow this team to compete along. That's not even talking about their bullpen, either. They'll be right in the thick of things for most of the year.

I quit...

QUOTE(Dam8610 @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 06:25 AM) Call me greedy, but I'd like to see the Sox have another top notch pen arm on top of Jenks, Cotts and Politte. If it's going to cost $8 million or so to bring one in, then I'd say pass, but if one of them could be had for a semi-reasonable price, why not make a strength even stronger? I'd offer Octavio Dotel an incentive laden contract...

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 10:05 PM) Okay, your opinion. I still say Renteria is a better player who had a bad year. And no chance were Roberts and Cabrera the difference there, it was all the pitching. Sentiment doesn't get outs. Yup -- pretty hard to win when your best starting pitcher has an ERA+ of 106. They didn't have another starter who was above 100 -- that's pretty bad. Not to mention the bullpen...

QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 09:33 PM) There was a mutiny this year in LA and the GM has to be accountable for that. Normally, you would say the manager but the GM brought those guys in and the team knew that the GM wanted the manager gone. Gammons hypothesizes that Orel and Bobby V are possibilities for LA. I think Bobby V would be an excellent choice. He's not an LA guy but he'd bring something the Dodgers have lacked. Lastly, after reading Three Nights in August and hearing about JD in Atlanta, I'd have no interest in him on my team-stats be damned The whole situation in LA is screwed up. There's rumblings about how McCourt didn't want the guy that DePo wanted (Collins), and how DePo didn't meet face-to-face with Hershiser (sp?). Plus, the media out there pretty much despised DePodesta the day he was hired -- that doesn't help, either. Either way, though, you can't say that two years is enough to judge a GM. It wasn't even two years, though -- he didn't even get the 2003-2004 off-season -- the only moves he really made were trading for Milton Bradley, and the 2004 deadline moves of Penny/LoDuca and Finley/(whomever). And, of course, his 2005 moves. Personally, just from reading about DePodesta, I don't think he's a very good 'people' person, and I think that's killing him. But, again -- that's just what I've read, which, admittedly, isn't enough to make a full-fledged stance on either side. I just believe that two years really isn't enough.

QUOTE(fathom @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 09:16 PM) Red Sox could let Manny, Pedro, and Damon go after last season, and the Red Sox fans would have still shown up. If KW would let PK, Frank, and Garland go after this season, the fan base would be up in arms. The Red Sox have enough money that they can let one superstar go, and just sign another. The White sox have a much better chance of signing a superstar that is within the organization, and not having to outbid other teams on an even playing surface. If the Sox replaced Konerko with a viable replacement -- such as Manny -- the fanbase, IMO, wouldn't be in arms. If we're going to be built around pitching and defense, why not market it? It seems pretty simple to market one of the majors best pitching prospects entering next year's rotation, under the wings of guys like Buehrle and Garland, along with diversity of guys like Pierzynski, Iguchi, and Uribe. Then again, the marketing department is what I'm worried least about.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 07:16 PM) The Sox WS win seems to me to disprove much of what the Moneyballers professed. The Sox stole bases, they bunted, their team was greater than sum of its parts. I think most anyone who followed the Sox this year would now agree that chemistry, while not everything, certainly makes a difference in winning and losing. You can't base a team of human beings on strictly numbers. Actually, the White Sox and Athletics were awfully similar this year. Offensive theories aside... -Both ranked near the top of the league in team defense -- Defensive Efficiency, which I believe is the number of balls in play converted into outs, had Oakland and the Sox ranked #1 and #2. I think defense is going to start becoming very popular amongst the saber-oriented teams, especially as better ways of valuing it begin to emerge. -Both ranked near the top of the leagues in pitching. Both teams carried five above average starters, along with a dominant closer (Street vs. Hermy/Jenks) and setup man (Duchscherer vs. Cotts & Politte). Of course, in both cases, we were slightly better (starting pitching) or deeper (bullpen). -And, finally, neither offense were very good. Oakland scored 30 more runs than the Sox scored. Both teams were able to be in their respective positions because of strong pitching and superb defenses behind them. I am, however, a little surprised by the DePodesta decision. I don't know how to judge his offseason moves -- the main guys he brought in didn't do terribly (Kent, Lowe, and Drew were all very good -- you can argue about Drew, but still, a HBP on the wrist? Maybe if he strained a hammy in the OF, but a HBP strikes me as sort of a freak incident), and the guys he let go, for the most part, were awful (Finley and Beltre were awful, but Green was pretty good -- although, the Dodgers have their future catcher now). I don't know, regardless of whether or not you think sabermetrics is the way to go, or whether or not you think DePo is a good GM -- the axe after two years, one of which was a playoff year? Seems harsh to me, but that's the way it is, I guess.

QUOTE(fathom @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 07:40 PM) Carl Everett b****ed about where he was batting in the lineup about two weeks prior to the end of the season. The Sox were able to overcome that, weren't they? I'd take Manny on this team in a HEARTBEAT! Yeah. If Ozzie is as good a manager as we all think he is -- I happen to think that he's as advertised w/r/t keeping things loose and fun (or 'fung') in the clubhouse -- then he'll be fine with Manny. Especially if Manny continues putting up 150 OPS+ seasons...

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 06:49 PM) Where is the one you're talking about? I've ordered the WS DVD. I don't think they make a team DVD, unless your team wins it. There wouldn't be much reason to. Is there a DVD out there with all of the World Series games on it? I recall that Boston (illegally or legally) had one released last year, I hope that someone does the same for the White Sox this year...

QUOTE(rventura23 @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 05:59 PM) We do NOT need Manny Ramirez. He is a phenominal hitter, but hes lazy, complains too much, and is bad for the clubhouse Was he bad for Boston's clubhouse in 2004? Or, did he just get bad for the clubhouse in 2005? I mean, his 156 OPS+ probably disrupted the team chemistry that those 'good' guys like Kevin Millar were trying to create, right?

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 05:55 AM) Anyways, if Paul goes to the angels we could always *gulp* trade aaron and maybe a marte for Gary Sheffield, *ducks for cover*. Holy s***, the planets are aligning. If Cashman offered Sheff + $$$ for Aaron + Marte -- wow... where do I sign? I believe this is the last year of Sheffield's deal, meaning if it doesn't go well, we can either trade him at the deadline, or let him go. But, he's going to mash the crap out of the ball in the time he is here.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Oct 28, 2005 -> 11:33 PM) Worst case scenario this off season is losing PK. But if that happened why not sign Jaques Jones and move JD to 1B? Adding a good lefty bat would be nice, he's as good if not better in RF as JD, he adds speed on the base paths and he's a good guy in the clubhouse. If the Sox are going to add I say they should add to their strength, pitching and defense. Tell me -- what about Jacque Jones' .249/.319/.438 line, or his 99 OPS+, screams "Sign me!"?

If the Sox can't reach a deal with Konerko -- that's okay. I realize that Paully had one helluva a postseason, but if the money starts going to five years, $65 million -- that's a lot of money to give to a guy who has had a bad hip problem and will be on the wrong side of 30 very soon. But -- they need to bring someone else in, obviously. I'd overpay for Brian Giles, and really wouldn't hesitate giving him 3 years/$30 million. There's also Jim Thome -- I've read that Philly is going to have to eat a big portion of that contract, and he's a great bat. There's Adam Dunn, too, but I don't think Ozzie would be able to stand all the K's. Tough off-season for Williams. I said that last year, too -- this year might be even harder.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Oct 28, 2005 -> 10:13 PM) Begs the question: Does a knuckleballer really have a future in this organization? Last time I checked, we don't exactly play in Turner Field. Tim Wakefield pitches in a pretty good hitters park, too. Either way, it's going to be fun watching Haeger for the next year or two. He might not make it, but it'd be pretty cool to have a good knuckler on the staff. Then again, I'm a sucker for the crazy motions/odd pitches, as shown by my sig...

Steve -- tell us how you really feel...

Nuke -- I support the team, not the owner. I'm in no way a fan of Wirtz. Weren't you going off on Reinsdorf just a year or two ago the same way? Maybe we should pull up some of those posts... W/r/t the team, it's ugly. Slow, slow, slow. Brent Seabrook looks good, so that's nice. Then again, I've seen one game in whole this year, so I really shouldn't comment. I will say this, however. A guy at BHZ really had me convinced on Khabibulin not being worth what he got paid. And no, he's not just going off of ten games. IIRC, he lives in Florida, so he sees Tampa Bay a lot -- and pretty much, he talked about how Thibault and Khabibulin put up eerily similar numbers throughout there careers -- or, at least, the past couple years -- while Khabi has had a much better defense in front of him. I'm not putting all of this on Khabi, because it isn't totally his fault. But, when you give out top bucks to a 'top' goaltender, you expect him to be able to bail you out when your defense ain't playing so great. He isn't doing that right now. Any chance Florida will give us Luongo for free? I have NHL Centre Ice, and he's the best goalie I've seen this year. He is so good.

You guys have mentioned some good ones, but for me, personally, I'll always remember this season as the 'evolution' of Jon Garland. And I go back to this game as the one I'll never forget. It was getting late in the game -- the 7th or 8th. There were runners at the corners, and it's Garland vs. Tejada. He tried hitting the outside corner a couple of times, went up, Tejada was fighting everything off. So, he goes changeup down and in, an awesome pitch -- Tejada swings over the top of it for the K. I sort of felt then that Jon had -- ugh, I hate to sound so cliched -- "taken the next step". His sinker has always been good, but it's not always there -- he now has another legit pitch. More than anything, I really hope the Sox can lock up Garland/Buehrle to reasonable contracts in the coming years. McCarthy/Buehrle/Garland are going to be quite the trio for the next five years...

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Oct 26, 2005 -> 06:53 AM) Dolgin kick his ass I hope? Levine kept being a real jackass on air. It sort of went like -- Levine kept asking over and over and over what was the programming schedule for the next day, and Dolgin told him the schedule, and Levine kept asking. And then, after awhile, Levine goes, "I don't like how that's scheduled. That's odd." Then, Levine sort of accused Dolgin of being the one who made the "poor" scheduling; and Dolgin, at the end, says, "Bruce, I don't think on air is the place to talk about it." And Levine kept on pouring fuel into the fire. It got real -- akward, like I said. But yeah, Dolgin impressed me a lot there -- he handled himself very professionally, while Levine was a real jackass.

Steff -- did you hear, a couple nights ago, when Dolgin and Levine got into it on air? That was -- akward, to say the least.

Thank you El Duque. Thank you Damaso. I know that you guys both have taken about five years off of my life, but thanks. I know Damaso probably won't be here next year, but thanks. It was awesome seeing him get Biggio and Tavares, back-to-back, on that fastball inside. Awesome. And, as much trouble as he had with the bottom of the lineup, he made Morgan Ensberg look silly, and had Lance Berkman off balance. Great job, El Duque, Damaso, and Bobby...

Thanks, Rex. Sort of a sad story there.

QUOTE(FGarcia34 @ Oct 25, 2005 -> 03:20 AM) It's not first come first serve, as said in the other thread, its general admission because all the tickets are the same price whether you sit in the upper deck of lower deck. So from what you guys are saying, its just going to be televised on the big screen on the scoreboard? Thats pretty crappy for paying 15 bucks for a seat. Also the tickets are being sold on the united center website. Then don't go. Nobody's forcing you.

QUOTE(Middle Buffalo @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 05:03 AM) Sure. My point had more to do with teams like KC knowing that had absolutely no shot of keeping Beltran. Some teams, including the Sox, operate their team with some kind of budget. This is due attendance, tv contracts, etc. No matter what, a team like KC, TB, or Milwaukee will never have the money available to compete with the Yankees on a yearly basis. No matter how well they draft/cultivate talent, they have a window of opportunity to be successful before their players leave for bigger markets. Name some other guys besides Beltran that they've lost to free agency. I'm sure you can name me a few, but until these guys start consistently churning out players from their farm system, I'm not going to feel bad for them one bit. The Pittsburg's, the Kansas City's, teams like that -- these teams make stupid, stupid, stupid personel decisions, and cry poor. Look at Milwaukee. Melvin has taken his beating on the chin for a couple of years, and now is reaping the rewards of developing one helluva a farm system, and making moves like grabbing a Derrick Turnbow. Take Pittsburg for example -- they have a player in Chris Shelton, who hits, in 2002, for a 1.012 OPS in A-Ball, and then follows that up the next year with a 1.119 OPS. And, after all that, they decide to leave him unprotected? I would be calling for Williams' head if he did something as stupid as that. How about this? Instead of wasting money on stupid contracts like the one given to Jose Lima, invest it in taking a player in the second round who's a first-round talent, yet is holding out for more cash. I realize that this isn't a totally level playing field, but I'm not convinced either of these organizations would do much better with a $100 million dollar payroll...