CWSGuy406

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Jan 19, 2005 -> 03:33 AM) Have you been paying attention the last 3 seasons? At best he's good for 12 wins. But hey! He's only 40 years from social security! I'm sorry that he hasn't been a 20 game winner by the age of 25...

Brian, I got your PM, and I'm in. I'll definitely do that. I know it's early, but I assume we'll be tailgating that game as well as Opening Day...?

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 09:14 PM) The Sox won't move Vizcaino. Anyways, stats aside, Vizcaino has one thing going for him Marte doesn't---he hasn't failed as a potential closer. Marte has. If Shingo goes down, Hermanson and Vizcaino would have shots at the closer spot. Hawkins, I mean Marte, has had his chances as closer. that train has left the station So what if he can't close? If it comes down to it that Marte has to close, that means we're in a lot worse shape than we all think (and I doubt that happens, even if Shingo falters). Here's how I see it going down if Shingo fails. Hermy will be given the first shot, then they'll give it to Vizcaino if Hermanson fails. If Vizcaino fails as well, that means we've all really overestimated how good our bullpen is, and we're going to have about zero shot at the playoffs. Just because a guy can't close doesn't mean he isn't good. Find me a better bargain just about anywhere in the major leagues than Marte @ less than 1.5 million (I'm pretty sure he makes less than 1.5, though I could be wrong).

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 10:04 PM) Thanks for the link Mike. I know we talked about the scout seating over the weekend and while it's a good idea, I surely hope they sell all the tickets because otherwise there's gonna be a lot of dead space behind the plate on TV. I think we both agreed that rather than having that they'll probably have to cut the prices on those seats rather than get nothing out of them. Anyone have an idea of how the sales for scout seating are going? I heard tickets were going to be something close to 100$ per seat -- could be wrong, but I might have even heard $200 -- one of those two numbers. Sorry, I know that's a broad price range, but I either heard one hundred or two hundred... I think you get full food service with waiters/waitresses, much like club level.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 07:57 PM) Now let's sign Iguchi for that $75 million payroll we were promised. Are you saying Iguchi @ 5 million? If you were, ugh -- no way, five million doesn't go to an unproven quantity such as Iguchi. Then again, if you had the payroll pegged at 72 million and meant three million per year, then I totally agree. As for the Vizcaino signing, nice job Kenneth!

QUOTE(Steff @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 05:48 PM) #'s 10, 11, 12, 13, and 17 Yeah, maybe to you number 11 is funny... Try being in my shoes...

QUOTE(Mr. Zero @ Jan 17, 2005 -> 03:02 AM) PITCHING PITCHING PITCHING. Our bullpen is a strength right now. Vizcaino had a 3.75 ERA last year, he could have well over 4 in the AL. How can he or Cotts easily replace Marte and his 2.5 ERA (except for last year). Marte IS our bullpen, and our bullpen sucks without Marte. I'd take Castillo to, but I'm not weakening my bullpen for someone with equal defensive talents to Willie Harris. Ditto. Many of you act as if Munoz/Cotts/Walker/Vizcaino will easily step in and take over Marte's job. Marte's worst year is about as good as Vizcaino's best year, and Munoz/Cotts/Walker can't even come within a full run of Marte's worst year. EDIT: My bad for this whole string of posts, I really gotta get the quote feature down and start using that.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jan 16, 2005 -> 02:39 PM) I could see Castillo leading vs LHP w/ Pods hitting 9th. I think KW got the sense from fans yesterday he's on the right track. A deal for a .300 hitter would be icing on the cake, the final offseason move. Even at the expense of MArte. Let's face it, .300 hitters don't grow on trees. LHP's are easier to find then those type guys. BTW, FA p/u Kevin walker also has to fit in somewhere. Interesting.... I disagree. Last year, we complained about Marte having a bad season, yet he still gave us good innings out of the 'pen, and put up a sub-3.50 ERA. You say "LHP are easier to find", saying it like Marte is any ordinary LHP. There aren't many LHP's out of the bullpen who I'd take over Marte, and Marte is one of the better 'relievers' -- RHP included -- in all of baseball, IMHO. Kevin Walker can fit somewhere -- at AAA, where he belongs. If we have aspirations of a World Series title, the only spot that Walker deserves is fourth on the depth chart behind Adkins, Diaz, and Munoz, as far as mop-up relievers...

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jan 16, 2005 -> 02:39 PM) I could see Castillo leading vs LHP w/ Pods hitting 9th. I think KW got the sense from fans yesterday he's on the right track. A deal for a .300 hitter would be icing on the cake, the final offseason move. Even at the expense of MArte. Let's face it, .300 hitters don't grow on trees. LHP's are easier to find then those type guys. BTW, FA p/u Kevin walker also has to fit in somewhere. Interesting.... I disagree. We complained last year that Marte didn't have a very good season, yet he still put up a sub-3.50 ERA. If Marte's worst year is 3.49, that's unbelievably good. I won't say that Castillo is bad, because he isn't. But I feel that Iguchi/Harris + Marte >> Castillo - Marte. Oh, one more thing. You're right, Walker has to fit in somewhere. At AAA Charlotte would be a good spot, if we plan on going for a division title and beyond, he isn't in our bullpen.

Beck, I know I'm a little late here, but in your opinion, is Castillo - Harris - Marte >> than Iguchi (assuming we get a deal done) + Harris + Marte?

QUOTE(quickman @ Jan 17, 2005 -> 08:29 PM) I don't think the Sox got Cora. Right? right. The sox continue to try to find a 2nd baseman despite all the willie Harris fans around here. He is obviously not wanted on this team. We may end up being stuck with him, but sox brass appears to not like him. i will take there word over any stats you can produce. I will tkae my own eyes watching every game, over the fantasy of teenagers who think he is great. There is something that is not right with this guy. If he were to have a huge upside I don't think the sox would be looking at all ends of the earth to replace him. Nuff said Where did I say the Sox got Cora? I'm saying that you were one who wanted to go after him. And yes, Iguchi is an upgrade over Harris. I don't know what the hell we're even arguing, other than the point that you think he's horse s***, while I think he's alright -- nothing great, just alright.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 17, 2005 -> 05:42 PM) I sorta have that game burned in my memory, unfortunately. Rowand did go in pretty hard in the 8th inning but it wasn't a bang-bang play at 2B, so he didn't have a chance to roll the guy at 2nd. Lee did not go in hard at all in the 9th but as I recall it was the same sort of situation, meaning he wasn't close to the 2B at the force out. I really didn't think too much of it. As some on this board may remember, I was much more livid that Mike Jackson didn't plunk Hunter in the 9th inning. Don't care to rehash the whole right/wrong debate, just mentioning that's how I felt (feel) about it. SS25K is dead on here though ... get players on the team that'll play the aggressive style consistently. Jim, you usually remember the games pretty well, and are always honest on things. So, I ask you this -- wasn't Carlos Lee, along with Aaron Rowand, one of the guys who went hardest into 2B, in your opinion? Maybe it's just my remembering incorrectly, but I always remember Carlos going into second real, real hard...

QUOTE(quickman @ Jan 17, 2005 -> 04:56 PM) The conversation is about his dumb comment of stealing 65 bases. There are very few except the people on this board who like this guy. This board falls in love with players. He is a second rate player who everyone here seems to think he will be some sort of allstar. The Sox continue to try to find replacements and make comments as if he should be replaced. Harris needs to be humble and do what the coaches say. He is not a leader, he is not even a full time major leaguer and he is making statements like he will lead the league in Stolen bases. Its nuts. He should shut his piehole and learn to play ball. No, people don't think he's gonna be an all-star. But when you bring up a name like Alex Cora (yeah, I know he's signed), who does the exact same thing as Harris, only Harris is younger, I/we feel that Harris is a better option because a.), he's cheaper, and b.), I/we feel he'll improve upon his .343 OBP/19 steals, which isn't terrible to begin with... Yes, Iguchi is an upgrade. But don't tell me that Cora would have been, because that's totally untrue...

QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ Jan 17, 2005 -> 06:41 PM) That is not a good list, something tells me Gload is the starting 1b in 06. Yeah, good point. Hatteberg or Snow would be welcome additions, but like you said, they'd probably just go with Gload rather than sign either of the two...

Well, here's my story... Got there Saturday morning, to see Brian (IlliniKrush) totally knocked out on the bed. Rather than waking him, my brother just told me to leave him be . I'm not much of an autographs guy, so I attended most of the seminars. The trivia was a blast, Rooney was pretty histerical IMHO. Family Matters with Gload/Politte/Rowand/Crede was alright, and Rowand is hilarious. Then came the conference with the GM and Ozzie and Hawk, nice job at the mic Steff, ABoz, and SS2k. After that we walked around a bit, and me and Steve (soxnbears) decided that we couldn't pass up the 50$ deal (cut from 125$) on the grey "Chicago" coat that Ozzie wore throughout the season. So, we went back to the hotel room to listen to the NU/Illini game and to watch some football, as well as hear Brian's Oreo story. After that, we all met up (thanks Steff ) at Houlihan's, where we saw a nice firework show just across the street, and that was a nice surprise. Food was good. After that, it was a couple hours of poker with me, Brian, and Steve. And then the real fun started . Steff comes up and tells us to come down to the bar. Now, if you've never seen me, I can barely pass for 15 (I'm actually 16), and your supposed to be 21 to get into the bar. Me, Brian, and Steve ran right by the security guard "patrolling" the entrance. By the time we were there, Harris couldn't see straight, and Rowand's eyes were glazed over. Jason, our wonderful site administrator, was obviously a little tipsy, and urging me to drink anything I could get ahold of. So, I had a beer (couldn't even take down half of a 24 ouncer) -- as well as many others offering sips of their drinks. I think my mom would have been glad to know what I was doing Saturday night. So, while drinking this beer, there's a security guard right behind me (and like I said, it's totally obvious I'm not even close to 21). Security guard taps me on the shoulder, and I play the dumb game ("I didn't know that you're supposed to be 21"). Steve comes with me, and we get back to the room, and I'm freaking out. Someone knocks on the door and yells "Security", and I'm scared s***less, only to see Steff and Brian laughing at the door. All in all, though, it really was one of the best times of my life. Saturday night was such an awesome time. I cannot wait until next year.

I like Konerko a lot, but he's gotta do better than .239 on the road. I'd like him to show me that he can hit away from US Cellular. If he has another season like last year, where he hits the ball really well at home, and poor on the road, I can't see how you can give him 7 million +. What's the free agent market looking like for next season anyways? I know that Japanese pitcher is coming out, anyone else at second/first base that we should really take a look at?

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jan 16, 2005 -> 09:37 PM) I think Arow, Pods, and Dye left to right is better than Pods, ARow, Dye. Why would Pods be better in CF? It would take at least a half a year to get used to the reads and the way the ball plays at US Cellular, plus like qwerty said, the Brewer fans Podsednik was really overrated, taking bad reads and routes to the ball. Plus, you gotta protect his Pods weak arm out in LF...

QUOTE(Cubs Suck23 @ Jan 14, 2005 -> 05:56 PM) Another trade I would make would be Konerko, Garland, Rowand and Sweeney to Texas for Alfonso Soriano Mark Teixeira Micheal Young While your at it, trade Podsednik to the Mets for Beltran, with the Mets paying all of Beltran's salary, as well as throwing a PTBNL who turns out to be Pedro, and they pay his salary too. Then, in a stunning developement, Adkins is traded to LA for Gagne. Randy Johnson backs out of the contract extension with the Yanks, and comes to Chicago for Jose Contreras. Oh yeah -- and Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Miguel Tejada, and Scott Rolen all quit their respective teams and join the Sox, and are paid through hot dogs and peanuts.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jan 15, 2005 -> 09:50 PM) Alright, so how did the KW Q&A go???? I'm at the Hyatt right now, my brother brought his laptop along. Me and Soxnbears are sittin here watchin the football game, with Brian (IlliniKrush) "sleeping" on the bed. As for the Q&A with Kenny, it was alright. Not a lot of tough questions for Kenny, but we got some insight from Ozzie as to what the lineup will look like. One more thing about Kenny -- I didn't have a problem with any of the questions ask, cause really, he filled all of the holes he needed to fill. Take it FWIW, but when Kenny was asked about Iguchi, he started chuckling a bit, and said that he wanted to keep things about him on the low down. I think we'll see Iguchi in a Sox uniform sooner rather than later, but that's JMHO. As for Ozzie's lineup, someone suggested A-Row leading off, but Ozzie said he likes Pods leading off. Here's what the lineup without Frank will look like, IIRC from the conference: Pods Rowand Konerko Dye Everett Uribe Pierzynski Crede Harris Don't quote me on that, but I'm almost positive that was what Ozzie said. Ozzie also said that Everett is in excellent shape. I might have switched up the Uribe/Pierzynski part of the lineup, but I'm positive that Crede/Harris will be your eight/nine guys (provided Iguchi isn't brought in), and that Pods/Rowand/Konerko should be the top three. And, though this isn't any big news, Mark Buehrle will be your opening day starter. I'll check back in later...

Wow. Allow me a moment to really take in what this team will look like, fully healthy, with Iguchi: LF Podsednik 2B Iguchi DH Thomas 1B Konerko CF Rowand C Pieryznski RF Dye SS Uribe 3B Crede I know that some will probably question the Rowand-Pierz-Dye part of the order, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. What I'm saying is, when your going to get 20 HRs and 70 RBIs (at least) from your number nine hitter, your in damn good shape. I'll tell ya, pitchers are NOT going to like facing this lineup, especially if Podsednik is at least able to put up a .270/.330 AVG/OBP...

QUOTE(Mr. Zero @ Jan 14, 2005 -> 09:10 PM) 3 to 3.3 million a year! If this is true, he should be signing it right now.... that's almost a million more than he made in Japan. I really hope the third year is a team option. I just don't want this team to be stuck with a worthless contract incase he doesn't pan out... But whatever. He'll be a welcome addition to this team, and even if he doesn't play very well, he'll carry his weight just by being such a huge PR influence halfway around the globe...

QUOTE(3E8 @ Jan 14, 2005 -> 03:58 AM) Levine's Predictions: Clement and Lowe get 11 wins. Kerry Wood wins more games than Freddy Garcia. Randy wins 25 games. Barrett bats for higher average than AJ. Sammy 38 home runs, Beltran 27. LOL! Barrett, who has had ONE good season in his career, is going to hit for a higher average than Pierzynski, who's played in some OK parks in his career, has still hit for an excellent average in all of his years, and is now coming to an awesome hitters park? I'm calling bulls*** on you, Bruce...

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jan 13, 2005 -> 11:36 PM) Since the Sox are going from speed to power, can someone tell me who else besides Pods the White Sox have acquired this winter has any speed? Dye can't run anymore, AJ thinks Konerko can beat him in a race. Pods is the only guy, and he might not get on base very often. To characterize last year's team as a power team, and this year's as a speed team is a mistake IMHO, at least as the roster stands right now. The saying, speed doesn't go in slumps is usually correct, but if its only Pods, I can assure you speed will go into slumps. Good point, Allen. While speed is all nice and dandy, this team also has to realize that you can't steal first base. Take your walk, and then worry about how you're going to get to second. As they say, ya gotta walk before you can run...

QUOTE(Loaiza21 @ Jan 13, 2005 -> 04:57 PM) Wilson Valdez doesn't deserve to be on this team, he's done nothing to prove he can hit up here yet so we shouldn't have him as backup option #1 for any reason. Spend the money to get Iguchi in here! How so? Valdez has had less than 50 ML AB's. How can you judge him on that? He can play defense, and Ozzie likes him a lot. If no one else is brought in, I bet you see Valdez platooning with Harris against LHP's...

QUOTE(Texsox @ Jan 11, 2005 -> 04:42 PM) As trades go it wasn't unreasonable. I just expected a top 15 prospect, possibly a pitcher. Teams now practically reinvent themselves each year and forgetting the past is almost manditory. I feel a dump everyone and sign free agents mood this off season. Hell, I would have taken Keith Ginter, and would have actually been happy with this trade. Had we gotten Ginter, we'd be set for Spring Training, without bringing in another secondbaseman. We'd have one hell of a combo at second base with Harris/Ginter. I just don't see why we couldn't have gotten him, considering Oakland got him for just a reliever. Isn't it fair to say that Lee = Ginter, Podsednik (A year in which he has a happy medium of 2003 and 2004), and Vizcaino?