CWSGuy406

QUOTE(Wanne @ Jan 7, 2005 -> 04:21 AM) Can I ask why they only signed him for one year. I thought I read that he's not eligable to be a free agent until 2006. Do the Sox have an option on next year. I'd hate to have this guy for just one season...I mean...FINALLY...a catcher. He's arbitration eligible next year. I'd imagine if everything went good for the first half of the season, you'd see the Sox try to lock him up for at least three more years.

QUOTE(chi-guy2 @ Jan 7, 2005 -> 04:04 AM) I was thinking about that carlos lee trade after the signing and thought instead of acquiring a "player to be named" we might actually be better off getting cash out of the deal if that is possible. That would definitely help our team. I definitely would have loved had Keith Ginter been the third guy in that deal (he kills LHP, and is a nice utility IF who could platoon with Harris @ second), but what's done is done, so no complaining from me. In case anyone's interested, you can listen to the AJ Pierzynski Conference Call Here, and hear AJ speak about his new team. If anyone can find for me the Kenny Williams conference call, that'd be just dandy... EDIT: I wanted to add this, I suggest for (there's not many here, but over at WSI, there's a bunch) some of you doubters to listen to the conference call. While I know you can't take a guy's word as gospel, he definitely sounds like a guy that wants to be here, wants to prove himself, and really wants to get back at those Twinkies...

QUOTE(Chisoxmatt @ Jan 7, 2005 -> 03:57 AM) I think we should just play it safe and sign Cairo. We know what to expect from him. What if Iguchi sucks and we waste 2 million on him? This offseason has already been very succesful so ill be happy with either one though. Agree 100%. Cairo would be a safe signing, and he'll hit the hell out of LHP's, which was really one of our akillie's (sp?) heals last season. It would be nice having a couple guys in the lineup (Rowand and Cairo) who would really give Santana and Sabathia an especially tough time at the dish...

I'd say he adds at most, two wins. And just because the number is that small, doesn't mean it's an unimportant addition. That number might even be a little too high, though. But the additions of Pierz, Vizcaino, Duque, Dye, Hermanson (in the bullpen), and Podsednik ('03 version, PLEASE ) collectively adds a bunch of wins to this team. A healthy Thomas, and I'll put this team up against anyone in a seven game series. Honest to God.

QUOTE(S720 @ Jan 7, 2005 -> 03:53 AM) Everyone, please calm down. Kenny still has three more moves to be made: 1) Sign Iguchi 2) Sign Rob Nenn to a minor league contract 3) Trade Garland, Burke and Brian Anderson for Vazquez Only then Kenny will be done with this offseason. Heck, even without the above signings and trade, I still bow to Kenny. Jamie Burke would never be part of a trade. Other teams around the league don't want a 32 year old catcher who just has 133 ML AB's. And anyways, I don't do that trade. Leave the rotation as it is, unless you can get a clear upgrade at a reasonable price. Vazquez, IMHO, isn't a clear upgrade, especially at that price. I agree with the first two, though.

QUOTE(Mr. Zero @ Jan 7, 2005 -> 12:42 AM) Bruce Levine seems pissed off about this. He was going on and on about him being a massive cancer. They had a clip of AJ talking and he said he never had a problem with any ChiSox players and that he has a lot of respect for them and that he also knows Frank and Buerhle. You know what, I like what Bruce does for ESPN/Comcast, I like his knowledge, but f*** Bruce. You know what, f*** the media too. If this were the reversed situation (Sox/Cubs thing here for a minute) -- and the Cubs were the ones improving their team with all these moves and what-not, and all the Sox had done had made some minor moves -- everyone would be ripping the f*** out of this team. Kenny Williams has a plan, whether or not you agree with that, that's besides the point. He wanted to improve his pitching staff, and make his team more speed/defense oriented, while still keeping some power. He's done that. He's solidified our bullpen with Vizcaino and Hermanson, made our pitching staff the best since '93/'94, he's made this team a bigger threat on the base paths with Podsednik, and he's improved our situation behind the plate with this latest signing. Jim Hendry, on the other hand, has let a career year from Glendon Rusch earn him two million and, the Cubs will rely on him as a starter. He's resigned Nomar and Walker (both solid moves), and he's overpayed for Henry Blanco. Meanwhile, he's failed address the biggest problem of their s***ty bullpen. LaTroy Hawkins, Kyle Farnsworth -- that's all they have down there. Way to go, Kenny.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Jan 6, 2005 -> 11:27 PM) Rotoworld approves. Well I'll be damned... That's a first. Awesome signing, I love it. Kick some ass for us, AJ!

Wanted to add this quickly: This could be another opening for the Sox. The Cards were rumored after Cairo -- and if Kenny could get us Cairo, we'd have an awesome platoon at second base in Cairo/Harris. I know our wishlist has been long, but please -- make Cairo the cherry on top, and White Sox nation will be very, very happy.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 5, 2005 -> 12:55 AM) Cora handles the bat better, he can bat 2nd, and it would allow us to move aaron down in the order, statistically they are very close but alex does the little things better. Also something that just came to my mind(yes I know, I'm very slow) but do you guys thing Depodesta would target a catcher for 2-3 million dollars with as low an obp as aj?? Again, who plays second base against left-handers? Cora has had one good season. 2002 was OK, but I'm not going to take much from 258 AB's. He really doesn't make this team any better... Then again, I prefer WSF's scenario of Adkins/Harris for Polanco. Hell, I made that trade in OOTP, maybe they'll do it in real life too...

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jan 5, 2005 -> 02:37 AM) If I recall the Ravens OC is a former Bears assistant from the Wanny years. Linehan, the Vikings OC, is a free agent and could be a good acquisition. There was a period where many thought he'd be an oustanding head coach. IT should be interesting, but Fassel and Norm Chow are other guys plus Norv Turner and you could even see them interview Ron Turner. Good point on Fassel, Jason. He always struck me as a smart football guy, and he seems like the kind of guy who'd be able to fire up our offense a bit. The offense was never the problem with Fassel's Giants, IIRC. And, when he took control of the offense, it flourished under his playcalling. I can't comment on Turner because I don't remember his days as an OC.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jan 5, 2005 -> 01:01 PM) Doesn't really change much then where we were at a few days ago, but mabye the post really has some evidence that were close. God, how nice would it be if Kenny signs Iggy and AJ on the same day????? If Kenny is able to turn Carlos Lee into Luis Vizcaino, Scott Podsednik, Orlando Hernandez, AJ Pierzynski, and Tadahito Iguchi... Then, wow... I'll say this though, be careful what you wish for. Like Beck said, he's really only had two good seasons. I hope we aren't paying a fortune for his services, even though he'd be a nice upgrade over Harris. A two year deal with a third year option sounds right...

Alrighty. I'm fairly young, so I won't have one of the better lists, but I'll give it a shot anyways (20 years, correct? Oh, and I'm not going to do a batting order, either): At Catcher, we got Carlton Fisk of 1990. While his average dipped a little, his OBP went up 20+ points, and he still had a fair amount of RBIs/HRs. Not too tough of a decision, considering the others we've had the past 20 years. First Base - Frank Thomas of 1996. Now, I was looking for Frank Thomas' numbers (like I said, I wasn't such an avid fan when I was eight years old). He was friggin amazing in '96. 40 HRs, 134 RBIs, with a BA/OBP of .349/.459 (drooling smile). Such an amazing player... Second Base - 1999 Ray Durham. He'd probably be my leadoff hitter, with a .296 AVG and a .373 OBP. Lot's of strikeouts, but whatever... Third Base - 1995 Robin Ventura. He gives us the lefty force in the lineup, with a .294 AVG, and a .384 OBP. Power is solid, with 26 HRs and 93 RBIs. Shorstop - 2000 Jose Valentin. More lefty power. I really didn't consider anyone else, even though I didn't look. Solid defense, good AVG/OPS in 2000. Right Field - 2002 Magglio Ordonez. Magglio's best season in his major league career. .320 BA, .381 OBP, 38 bombs with 135 knocked in. I dislike what Magglio has done now, but damn, did he put up some great numbers while in this uniform... Center Field - Aaron Rowand, 2004. Rowand's breakout year. Love his defense, too. I now consider him the best overall player on our team (five tool player), now that C-Lee is gone. Left Field - Albert Belle of 1998. What a f***ing season. 49 HRs, 152 knocked in, with a BA/OBP of .328/.399. Defensively, I don't remember, but he's got A-Row in right to cover his ass. Starting Pitchers, with no explanations attached (in no certain order): Esteban Loaiza, 2003 Tom Seaver, 1985 Alex Fernandez, 1993 Wilson Alvarez, 1993 Bartolo Colon, 2003 (Meh, probably a bad pick) Setup Man, Damaso Marte, 2003 Closer, Bobby Thigpen

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 5, 2005 -> 12:38 AM) Well, I have yet to read what other teams have shown interest or, more importantly, offered contracts. For all we know, we might be in an AJP race against ourself. I haven't read the names of ANY one team in specific that has shown interest besides the Sox. I'm really thinking we have the best shot at AJP. Hopefully Kenny can get it done this week. As for the middle infield, I'm expecting Alex Cora. Cora would be a great fit to platoon beside s***-head and the you know Kenny is going to give him a long, hard look because of the brother-discount. Cora in Black and Silver is a great possibility, in my opinion, better than Iguchi. If by "s***-head", you mean Willie Harris, it would be absolutely pointless to platoon the two. Absolutely pointless. They're basically the same player, except Cora can play SS. Both can hit right handers equally well, Harris has more speed, but for the most part, both play above average defense. The only differences are: a.) Harris is faster and will steal more bases. b.)Cora strikes out less. c.)Harris will make at least 500,000 less. No point in signing a player that we already have, IMHO...

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Jan 4, 2005 -> 08:01 PM) Kiper's board does not include underclassmen. Also, Williams has not run a 40 time yet for this draft. If it is sub 4.5, his value is top 5. If it over 4.5, his value will be around 10. SB Ugh... Maybe it's just me, but I absolutely hate judging a guy based on .1 or .2 tenths of a second on a 40 time. Terrell Suggs had a s***ty combine, and it dropped him six friggin' spots, from four, to where he was projected to go, to ten. I don't think the Ravens regret that pick... If a guy can play, he'll show it through his college career. Mike Williams can play -- I don't care if he's only been in the league one year, the kid can play. He's willing to go over the middle, he can go deep, he's a playmaker. You can bet a couple of things, with our new offensive coordinator. First, he's going to see Justin Gage, and say, "Damn, this kid needs to be on the field". But, he'll also see a need for one real playmaker on this offense. Mike Williams can be that guy, our go-to-guy...

Maybe someone can explain this to me, but if the Sox, or Kenny Williams specifically, is that confident that Pierzynski wouldn't cause any clubhouse problems, what's the big deal on giving him the multiyear deal? I don't see why giving him two year, six million (with a third year team option at four million, perhaps) is that big of a problem. Again, Jim -- you usually give great explanations on this thing, so maybe you can give me some insight. Why not give the extra year to a catcher who's only 27, a guy who you'll know you'll get a solid average from (and low strikeout numbers, something Ozzie likes, a real grade-A b**** at the plate), as well as (now, I'm saying this by reading Kenny's new comments on AJ) a guy that would give this whole team a kick in the ass, and be an ass to play against. Any thoughts, Jim? Beck?

If I were Angelo, I'd grab someone from the Belechik/Moore tree. Get a guy in here who knows what's going on. Get a guy in here who understands that week-to-week change is neccessary. Shea's scheme was good when we had everyone healthy -- but when our O-Line started to suck and get injured, he made no changes. I'm so glad he got the axe, though. We need a smart coach in here. We also need a coach who isn't stubborn. Forcing square pegs into rounds holes doesn't work in football.

QUOTE(chi-guy2 @ Jan 4, 2005 -> 12:25 AM) id give grossman this year, if he doesnt do anything worth it heres what id do draft next year if they join (possible candidates): vince young omar edwards (bowling green) Man of Steel, you could comment more on this, but unless Vince Young develops a better arm, I really don't think he'll be drafted as a QB. He's a damn good football player, and a helluvan athelete, but I don't think he'll be an NFL QB. I could be wrong, though.

QUOTE(Man Of Steel @ Jan 3, 2005 -> 08:43 PM) Jacksonville has way better WR's than the Bears do.. so I wouldnt say Leftwich works with junk.. I think you need to see Grossman for a full year before people start callin for a new QB Oh, don't get me wrong. I just regret taking Haynes at 14, because you could totally tell that this team wasn't sold on that pick. IIRC, that was the year in which they were surpassed by two other teams, because the Bears didn't make their pick within the alotted 15 minutes. I would have been much happier had they traded that pick to another team for a future first rounder, or something along that lines. And, FWIW, I agree with you. Johnson/Rolle/Barren are all appealing at four, but we have nobody at WR, and Williams is/will be an absolute playmaker. There will be bumps along the way, but if you give Grossman just one weapon on offense, I think he'll make do.

QUOTE(Beastly @ Jan 3, 2005 -> 10:56 PM) Uribe has always been a tub of goo though, so by gaining more weight it doesn't make much of a difference...still putting on weight isn't good and Ozzie is strict on this sort of thing. Tub of goo? Uribe's a big guy, but he's by no means fat. If he were to stay as big as he was last year, that'd be fine by me. That's where a lot of his power comes from, too, I presume. He's just gotta, like Jim said, drive past the McDonalds, and perhaps stop at the Subway. Ozzie better get that man a couple Southsider's, then he'll be in good shape...

I kind of agree with Jackiehayes. In 2003, most likely we would have grabbed Leftwich/Suggs at four, rather than Grossman & Haynes. Would we have been in a better situation had we grabbed Suggs? I think so, but I could be wrong. The way I see it, Suggs would have either stayed at end, or moved to OLB -- so today, we'd be sitting with Suggs/Urlacher/Briggs. But we wouldn't have a QB. Had we grabbed Leftwich, we'd have had a franchise QB (or at least a QB to develop for the next couple years), we'd be set at ends (I'm assuming the Booker/Ogunlye trade still goes down), but we'd be missing a linebacker. I dunno, I just think if you have a chance to grab an impact player, you do it. Mike Williams is an impact player. I really hope we don't miss out on one, especially at four...

QUOTE(Man Of Steel @ Jan 3, 2005 -> 05:13 AM) No that would be your 3rd Ah -- thanks for clearing that up. I'm just thinking about Reggie Bush. Damn, is he good. No linebacker in the NFL would be able to guard him one on one, put him in the slot, put him in the backfield. Perfect fit for Lovie's "fast" (or what's supposed to be) offense.

Well, at least we're in a pretty good position this year. Lot's of guys to look at -- Williams, Clayton, Johnson, Barron, Rolle -- trade down, take two. If there were a scenario in which we can grab Johnson and Clayton, I'd be all for that. But those two are studs, I doubt that they last that long...

Guys -- If memory serves me correctly, we traded this years second round pick to Miami along with Booker, in the Ogunlye trade -- no?

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jan 3, 2005 -> 03:30 AM) The reason I put Pyrz ahead of Dye is that it breaks up the monotomy of right handed bats. Then you have Crede and Uribe behind them in the lineup. God I'd like that lineup, especially if both Igutchi and Pods could put up .340 OBP's. I'm not greedy, cause I'd just like that overall lineup. I'm hoping this is Kenny's plan and my belief is he has the finaces to do it, but I have mega doubts as to whether it will happen, simply because I've been wrong all offseason, lol. I agree with everything you've said, Jason. That lineup has no holes in it. One might consider Joe Crede a hole, but I really doubt he's as bad as he was last season. It would also give you some outs in case Podsednik turns out to have a season like last year...

Normally I'd agree with you, but when a talent like Mike Williams is available, you can't pass him up. And it looks like he'll be available.