CWSGuy406

What's the name of the website? Not that I wanted to go to it...

My bad Jackie, I said it wrong. I kind of meant the second best ERA+ for the 'available' pitchers -- not all pitcher's in general.

Hmm... How old is he? Late 20's, 27 or 28?

Ace, I'm tellin ya, I'm giddy now . If Kenny got us Miller, I'd half forgive him for the Carlos Lee trade, and if he got us Pyrz/Eckstein cheap, then I'd totally forgive him. No one on this site better make a Wade Miller picture in a White Sox uni, because that hasn't worked out with ONE FA this year. Please, no one make one of those...

Cheat -- what do you think he'll get, in a market inflated like this one? Though Rotoworld suggests it, I don't think Boston's pursuit will be that strong, they want to really get Varitek signed now that they got their targeted SP (Clement). Meh, I see the Yankees having some interest, but not a ton. They already have Pavano-Wright-Brown-Vazquez-Mussina, and potentially Randy Johnson in Vazquez' place. Angels might have some interest, I don't see a lot coming from them though, the Angels GM seems to be pretty content with their rotation as it is. If Kenny was willing to trade Carlos Lee for Wade Miller (or a package around Miller), then I really hope he pursues Miller hard as hell. I really like that stat, Cheat, ERA+, and off the top of my head, it seems that the only pitcher with a consistent ERA+ better than his was Pedro. Would three years, 18 million, with a chance to make up to 24 million (in incentives -- 24 million including incentives and base salary) be a fair offer? Miller + Pierzynski/Eckstien, and I'd be a happy kid come Soxfest...

If Eckstein came cheap, I'd definitely love a platoon of him and Harris at second base. Both would be pretty tough outs at the bottom of the order, and while Eck doesn't hit lefties particularly well (at least he hits them better than Harris does, .340 OBP last year vs. southpaws), he plays the game the right way, a grinder, if you will. I think Guillen would love him on the Sox.

Definitely agree with all of your points. It would be a plus if both of these guys turn out to be special ballplayers, whether it be in the bullpen or as a starter. I also wanted to add that I think Grilli has a higher ceiling. I believe that if he's able to put it all together (control, stuff, mental), then we'll have a really good starter on our hands. I just think that Diaz has a chance to be a more reliable starter, and definitely (not this year), a good number four. One more thing -- I know you said that you didn't necessarily agree/disagree with Guillen's analysis, but I definitely don't like Guillen's thoughts on some of the players on this team (Harris, Lee, and Grilli, to name a few). I dunno, maybe it's a good thing, but I think Guillen is a little too stubborn. I didn't like how he handled Harris last season, nor how he said that Lee wasn't a complete player (because Lee was as close to complete as any player on this team). His thoughts on Grilli are really discouraging, too, as I've seen nothing that he can become a sold major league starter.

Yeah, but Vazquez is going to cost you something. Vazquez will cost Garland + Marte/Konerko. Garland + Perez + Marte + Konerko >>> Vazquez + Armas - Marte/Konerko. Also, if we were to get Perez for six million, I imagine we'd still be able to make a run at Pierzynski. That wouldn't happen with Vazquez...

Jim, you bring up some good points, but I disagree with your main premise. As I showed in my earlier post, Diaz was bumped around, and while you say that's really the life of a major leaguer, that's not really fair to Diaz. They gave him two starts, at most (in a row), to give him a chance to prove himself. There is no way you can judge a pitcher on two starts, yank him, give him another chance two months later, yank him. There has to be a little bit of a routine. After six-seven starts, he's still not showing consistency, then yank him -- but this organization, as a whole, really sucks at getting young pitchers adapted to the bigs (outside of Buehrle). I also disagree with your point about Grilli knowing how to pitch. Sure, the stuff is there, but he has absolutely no control. He also didn't have one quality start, and he was garbage almost every time (save for MAYBE one time) he came to the hill. Diaz, OTOH, was able to put up really dominant numbers at AAA -- awesome K numbers, as well as low BB totals. A guy doesn't strike out ten guys per game (consistently) without knowing how to pitch. Like I said, that just doesn't go away, especially for the length of time that Diaz did it -- one doesn't just lose his control. Thus, I chalk up many of Diaz' starts (again -- poorly placed starts from the White Sox' organization's standpoint, one on three days rest, one on eight days rest) to jitters. While I'm part of a small contingent on this board, I definitely believe that Diaz has the chance to be a solid #3-#4 starter for the White Sox.

Diaz had seven starts this year -- seven. In May, he pitched twice for the Sox -- one time on eight days rest, one time on three days rest. If you want to base your judgement upon that, go ahead, but I surely won't... So, Felix is sent down, and called up a month later, to pitch in the biggest game of his major league career, in front of a packed house at the Cell, against the Cubbies. Not only does he pitch well, he pitches very good, going six innings, allowing three runs. Awesome job, and we see the real Felix, as he only allows one walk over the six. Diaz starts once more the next week, against the same team, in the same pressure-cooked situation, this time at the pisshole up north. Diaz doesn't pitch very well, going four, allowing three runs -- still better than any s*** we've seen from Grilli (not saying that you're defending Grilli). So, once again, Diaz is sent back down to Charlotte, only to come back up again in August, pitch poorly against Cleveland. And then, something clicks in Felix. August 31st is the date (a game I attended). Diaz gets rocked early, giving up six runs in the first two innings. And then, (at least in my eyes), something changed in him. He looked, after those first two innings, like he started pitching with a swagger, Pedro Martinez-like. He started pounding hitters up and in, and then getting them to chase some really bad pitches down and away. September, Diaz pitches dominantly, going 16+ innings, allowing just four runs. My point being -- Diaz isn't as bad as you guys make him out to be. God forbid we don't acquire another starter before April -- but if that happens, I want the ball in Diaz' hand, definitely.

What's the problem? I don't agree with Jeckle lots of times, but he's right. He was put in a positioin to fail. First time he pitches, it's on eight days rest. Second time he pitches, it's on three days rest. They never really gave Diaz a shot to hold that fifth starter's spot -- meaning, give him a string of consecutive starts, five, six, seven in a row. Obviously, the first couple of starts might be a little jittery, but I honestly feel that Diaz has a shot to be a good starter. You don't just lose control, which is what happened to Diaz. He had absolutely awesome control at AAA, and he lost it at Chicago. That doesn't happen. I attribute that to jitters, nervousness, whatever you want to call it. BTW - Diaz has three pitches; slider, changeup, and a fastball. When he uses his fastball effectively (as he did against the Cubs, pitching up and in, and then using his down-and-away slider as his out pitch), he pitches well. When he doesn't, he gets bombed.

What Jerry Angelo has done is put this team into a damn good position in '06 and beyond, by some good drafting. I'll admit, we're still a few pieces away, but at this point, I like where we're at. Admittedly so, even with everyone on this team healthy at the beginning of the season, I didn't think playoffs were a realistic goal for this team. You figured, even if you had everyone healthy, that with all of the bumps that this team was going to have to fight through (first year QB, coach, O-Coordinator, D-Coordinator), 8-8 was probably the best that this team was going to do. The only reason some of us were talking playoffs (and yes, I was one of them) was because we looked and saw how weak the NFC was, and that 8-8 was probably going to get you that last wildcard spot (which still will hold true, IMHO). Our defense was playing crazy good, we were getting some guys back (Azumah, Tillman), and Urlacher was still healthy. One has to admit, our defense plays at ten times the level it normally plays at when #54 is standing right in the middle. That said, I want a receiver in the draft. I watched highlights of the Lions/Vikings game, and I saw two dominant receivers -- Randy Moss, and Roy Williams -- make outstanding plays. The whole complexion of a game changes when your in the redzone, and you have a Moss, or a Harrison, to throw to. You CANNOT one-on-one cover these guys, and if they do, just throw up a jump ball, and nine out of ten times, the Moss/Harrison will come up with it. I'll admit that, while I want the Bears to win these next two games, I won't be crying if they lose them either. Grabbing a Mike Williams would do this team wonders...

If Jon Garland is our number five starter, we will be in good shape. As a five -- me likey Jon Garland. As a three -- me no likey Jon Garland.

Gaining Odalis Perez, or an established starter, changes the whole complexion of this team. If we're able to sign Perez, or trade for Vazquez, we'll have a staff that will eat up close to 1000 innings (Buehrle -- 220, Garcia -- 210, Garland 210 --, Contreras -- 160, Perez -- 190). All of these are rough estimates, and I even rounded down. You figure you'll have right around 1500 to pitch over the course of a year, so it'd be nice to have a staff that would be able to take out 2/3rds of those innings. Five capable starters is something we Sox fans deserve, considering the s*** we've seen from that black hole the past couple years...

Anyone have an answer to this question? I'm interested in when these names will be made available...

Wow -- if he did that, that'd be one hell of an unprofessional man... I wouldn't think that anyone in the major leagues would do that, but then again, I really don't "know" any of these guys, so...

Thirdbase - Like it or not, Crede will be your opening day 3B-man. Shortstop - What are you talking about? Uribe... Awesome range, awesome arm, plus a damn good OPS at a good price. Secondbase - Harris was damn good against righties last year, we just need someone who can hit lefties to platoon with Harris (Cairo). Catcher - Pierzynski will be pursued, and if we don't get him, it will be Davis/Burke behind the plate. Definitely agree with you here, though. Fifth starter - Definitely gotta find another competent starter without losing one (Garland).

Just got home from the game. Talk about c-c-c-c-cold. It was so f***ing freezing out there. 12 degrees BELOW zero with the wind chill. At halftime, I had absolutely no feeling in my fingers or my toes. As for the game -- well, don't get me started on the game. I'm pissed as hell, I froze my ass off for three plus hours, to watch that s***. The offense was pathetic, anemic, bulls***. Week after week, the defense has to put the team on it's back, and while we are pretty good defensively, we definitely aren't at the point where it can hold a team to under ten. f*** Shea, f*** David Terrell, f*** Quasim Mitchell. Thanks for ruining my whole f***ing week... :fyou

I could be wrong on this, but I'm hearing that Hillcrest has beaten HF, 65-60. Jerel McNeal dropped 21 on HF, leading them to victory. I've also heard that Wright didn't play very well, too... Wow, kind of puts things into perspective. My team lost by 18 to Hillcrest, who just might be the best team in the country. And we played like s***, too. Boy, I cannot wait until we get the Hill again in January. Our team will be much better prepared than last time, I can guarantee that...

Qwerty, I know I'm a little late here, but I'm willing to put up our bullpen up against just about anyone's right now (I'm overstating that a little bit, but I'm very confident in the bullpen right now). I'm not saying the Oakland bullpen will be bad, but I really like the way our bullpen is shaping up. Fifth-Seventh Innings, you got Cotts, Adkins, and Politte. Cotts was solid last year when someone not named Mike Jackson pitched behind him, Adkins was solid for the better part of the year, and Politte was very good post-Montreal. While I'm not confident on saying whether or not Politte will improve upon last year's numbers, I am confident in saying Adkins adn Cotts will do so. Seventh and eighth innings, you got Hermanson, Marte, and Vizcaino, which I think is pretty damn sick. Hermanson was a lot better once he was a full time reliever, and I think that he'll be one of Kenny's better moves this season. You know that at worst, Marte will give you a 3.75 ERA and be damn tough against lefties, and Vizcaino is a very good addition. Shingo is the wildcard. If he's able to be as good as last year (I'm not expecting that -- I'm expecting a little worse, but it'll also be good that this year, in most cases, he'll only need to pitch one inning rather than two), then our bullpen might shape up to be one of the best in the AL. I've preached for a while (and it's not like I'm proclaiming anything huge here), that a good bullpen is probably even a bigger key than having that fifth starter. I really hope we're able to do some damage this year, as our bullpen will definitely be a strength. JMHO.

Meh -- who's their closer? It's definitely not Dotel, either -- he was garbage in the closer's role...

Things I want improved in MVP 2005: -Left Handed hitting glitch. It sucked ass to realize that, halfway through the year, Jose Valentin had one home run, and Magglio Ordonez had 25+. Give me a game where hitting from both sides of the plate is equal. -Minor league developement. I was so happy when I got the rosters imported onto my PS2, and then found out that the minor leaguers never really developed. I wanted to go into rebuilding mode with the Sox, so I traded a lot of guys, and my minor league system was awesome. Then I found out about the glitch... If they can improve that, I'm going to be so happy. I look forward to the day when I can get through a whole baseball season, and enjoy every single game of it. I've never had that experience, hopefully MVP 2005 will provide that...

Beane said that if he were to trade Mulder/Huddy/Zito, that he wanted them OUT of the AL. Calm down, there... Or, hit your head on your keyboard, but just don't get all pissy.

Hernandez... is that the catcher who hit well at A-Ball, who a lot of guys (anaylists, guys from BA, even some from here) like a lot, or consider a sleeper to be a real damn good player some day?

I'd stay away from Zito. JMHO, I could be dead wrong, but I think Zito is a pitcher's park pitcher. I know all pitchers are going to get killed pitching at US Cellular, but I think Zito really wouldn't do well here. I'd like him, but not at what it's going to cost this team...