CWSGuy406

I hate the bunt there. Scott has as good of chance as anyone to get a base-hit... Ick.

Don't lay down the bunt yet. He's thrown five balls in a row. Make him throw a strike...

ROWAND!!!!! There's some power for ya!

KONERKO!!!!

That a'way, Mark. Come on, offense, let's get a little bit of a cushion here.

Manny is so... awesome.

Is there any chance that Nanita gets moved up this year to Birmy? He's doing well, but is extremely old for high-A. The most encouraging thing is his 38 BBs/36 Ks, but again -- he's 24. I realize the OF at AA is stacked, but hopefully he'll get his shot -- .281/.377/.469 is a pretty good line.

Zito and Harden have just dominated their last four combined starts. Zito's last two starts -- 15 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 4 BBs. Harden's last two starts -- 17.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 3 W. Nine baserunners in almost 18 innings... amazing. And that's a start each against Texas and LAofA. Oakland is 6.5 behind Anahiem, and 2.5 behind Minny/New York for the Wildcard... The AL West is getting interesting.

QUOTE(SHAFTR @ Jul 21, 2005 -> 07:24 PM) Call me crazy, but I would'nt mind taking Lowell in the deal. All signs point to this being a fluke year. His #s this month are decent. I like that he can play 3rd to keep Crede healthy. Also, if he can move to first next year, he could replace Konerko. I wouldn't mind Lowell if I was able to take some sollice (sp?) in knowing that he'd regress somewhat to his career numbers, but man -- .230/.281/.351, that's just pathetic. And like you said, his career numbers are good -- last three seasons, he's posted OPS+' of 116, 132, and 127 -- that's awesome. But, he's on the wrong side of 30, and is still owed over $20 million. I can't see the Sox committing themselves to that kind of money...

The only part I didn't care for was when he said that the stadium is always half empty. If the stadium holds 38-39K, and we're averaging 26K (a number that is on the rise, BTW), that's off by 7K -- I'm not gonna b**** and moan about it, but I don't think saying the stadium is "half empty" is very accurate. One more little story. I was at the game on Monday, and had to buy some tickets for the game on Wednesday. I was in the Upper Deck, and there was actually a sort-of-long line at the in-stadium box office for upcoming games. I highly doubt there will be anymore crowds less than 25K this season, unless the team totally collapses.

If we were to trade for Burnett, we don't necessarily need to resign him. Say, for example, a deal sent Contreras + Shingo + Sweeney (hypothetical) for Burnett. We now have the six million off the books for next year. Next, the Sox could just offer Burnett arbitration. I assume he'd be a Type A Free Agent, meaning two compensation picks, which would go a long way to replenishing top talent in the farm system. And, if Burnett happens to accept the offered arbitration, then that's fine too -- you still have your five SP's with Buehrle/Garcia/Garland/Burnett/Hernandez, with (hopefully) a more ready Brandon McCarthy battling for the last spot with Hernandez. I've warmed up a little bit on Burnett, so long as the only one going from our major league roster is Contreras (and if they want Harris or Timo, that's fine too).

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jul 21, 2005 -> 10:09 AM) Yeah, he's a bust. But that's what scouting is for. People who can gauge his intangibles, like heart, desire to win etc. Looks like he got his big contract and went back to sleep [like many ball players before him] I was just teasing, beck. I'm sure you could dig up a lot of dumb stuff/predictions that I said/made in the offseason...

Link Not saying I agree or disagree with the list, but it's interesting. Folks, Chris Young is catching on -- ranked as our highest prospect on the list at 28th, and here's the comments on him: If you don't feel like scrolling through the list, the Sox have five players on there -- Young, Anderson, McCarthy, Gio, and Sweeney. Sweeney comes in at 94, and everyone else is lower (meaning better, according to Roto).

From reading the reports over the last couple weeks, it seems like Kenny has made his stance on it known to the Marlins, and, like the article says, will jump in only if it seems Baltimore won't be a destination. My best guess is that KW thinks that Burnett is an upgrade over Contreras, but doesn't think losing an arm like Marte is worth it. I also guess that he wants no part of Lowell, wanting it to be Burnett alone or nothing at all. Florida has the potential to be really good, but their staff can't stay healthy, and I really can't see them staying with Atlanta, who will win the East yet again (IMO). I'm just thinking, they keep saying they still want to have a shot to win the East, but I don't see it...

Beck... what about -- uh -- Christian Guzman?

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Jul 21, 2005 -> 12:47 AM) If Widge got the bunt down the game was tied on Uribes hit That's not the point. You take all the pressure off the pitcher by giving him an out. Plus, it's Chris Widger at the plate. In an ideal world, everyone can put down a bunt. But I didn't expect our backup catcher who plays once (or twice) a week to be able to lay down a perfect bunt. And, Widge didn't get the bunt down. So....

Just got back from the game... Two major gripes. First -- I forgot what inning it was, but Jermaine Dye and Aaron Rowand led off the inning and got on base. I believe that both walked -- I'm positive that Rowand walked, and I'm 90% sure that Dye walked too. Anyways, next batter is Chris Widger, and on the first f***ing pitch, he's bunting. I hate that. He took all the pressure off of Robertson by giving them that out (they got Dye out at third). At least, make him show you that he can hit the strike zone before conceding the out. Smartball, Ozzie? No, that's what we call "Dumbass-ball"... Second -- why the heck did he send Garcia out there for the ninth? It was pretty clear to me from Section 554 in the UD that Garcia didn't have it, plus he was at 108 pitches, plus the hour long rain delay. Did he address it in his press conference? Because, in my mind, those were two extremely stupid managerial decisions made by Guillen.

TRU, is Vincent Young good in this game or what? It's funny... just run the option, no need to juke, stiff arm, or nothing. He just runs around people. And if they try to tackle him, he plows. My friends get so pissed.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jul 20, 2005 -> 04:08 AM) I never said he wasn't a major prospect. He IS the SOx top prospect but he is, like fathom said, very overrated. He got his shot and underachieved. I am not giving up on him whatsoever. Like I said, I wish him success with the Sox but he just hasn't shown me anything. BTW, the only stat that matters is Wins and Losses. 3-7 with Charlotte, 0-1 with the Sox. Besides, he has a 6.745 combined ERA in AAA/MLB. :puke :puke :puke

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jul 20, 2005 -> 03:02 AM) I wouldn't call Schmidt a sure thing either. I wasn't around for the gamethread, but it sure sounds like you have a huge hard on for Jason. Also, I have yet to seen anything out of Jose that would tell me he doesnt work hard, so I don't know what games your watching. I'll still in Jose's corner. Tony, I know I'm late on this thread, but that's the funniest thing. Jose doesn't "work hard" now. I'm sure glad that our Soxtalk correspondent SoxFan1 knows that Jose Contreras doesn't "work hard". It's a joke. What's next, "Let's go get some real winners and put 'em on this team!".

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 20, 2005 -> 01:21 AM) I can't speak for Frank, all I know is I saw a batter who went out of his way to pull an offspeed pitch that was well outside. The biggest irony is that it was the perfect time for him to just hit a fly ball. I know Frank has contributed some big homers this year, but if he was a video game player, his power would be top notch, but hit hitting ability would be below average. Well, I see a guy who's not really comfortable at the plate right now, and that certainly was not his homerun swing. Maybe I'm seeing crazy things, but that swing is the one where he basically throws the bat at the ball hoping that he can line it somewhere, but definitely not his homerun swing. His backside just totally dropped out... Alright, I'm out. Let's get some runs!

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 20, 2005 -> 01:02 AM) Rob Deer-esque. Frank doesn't even try to hit a single. Oh well, at least he's made most of his homers count. Was he trying to homer his first AB, too?

Just what we need... more "proven veterans". Seriously for a second, though, he's been a little unlucky this year, 3.99 FIP. And, over the last three years against lefties (about 300 ABs), he's held them to a .221/.247/.361 line, with a .608 OPS. So he might be a decent option as a LOOGY, if you could get him for beans.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 09:46 PM) You know this how? He's really Kenny Williams... No one has caught on yet.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 07:40 AM) Marte or Romero were my predictions months ago. Damn, am I good. Don't hurt your arm patting yourself on the back there, big guy...