CWSGuy406

What's Jon's pitch count at?

Flyout to end the inning, halfway home, 6-0 Good Guys!

Olivo is locked in. Uribe hits lefties well. Which of the following should we do? a.) Everyday SS and 2B no matter who the pitcher is, Valentin and Uribe. b.) Everyday SS and 2B no matter who the pitcher is, Valentin and Harris. c.) Vs. Lefties, Uribe and Harris. d.) Vs. Lefties, Valentin and Harris/Uribe. e.) Something else. I think I'd choose C, but if Valentin keeps hitting lefties well, I hope he proves me wrong and his BA and OBP skyrocket. Harris is hitting well, too. It's nice to have this kind of 'problem', IMO

Jon got squeezed a bit on that last pitch, I must say, but he still gets the popout! Way to shake it off Jon G!

Lets go Sox! I have to leave at 3ish, I want the game in the books by then, lol!

Top 3, No Score.

Haha, Detroit Sucks! Way to go, Preds! I hope the Preds go back to Detroit, beat the Wings, then come home to finish off the series! I agree, playoff hockey - nothing better.

Am I reading something wrong? Isn't the topic about Konerko and Perez? How am I straying from the topic?

And here's the Phil Rogers Article! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Konerko catching Ozzie fever April 14, 2004 Paul Konerko was angry. He had left two runners on in the third inning, striking out when the underwhelming Darrell May threw a good slider, and briefly tried to convince umpire Eric Cooper he had foul-tipped the pitch. It was the kind of scene that played out often during the 2003 season, especially in the first three months. But it's a new year and maybe it's the old Konerko too. This time around, there was no beating himself up over the strikeout. Instead he lined a 2-0 pitch from May over the left-field wall the next time up, turning a 4-4 tie into a 7-4 lead for the White Sox. It doesn't seem Konerko needed long to get a grip on Ozzie Guillen's cardinal rule—that is, have fun. "Guys with negative attitudes are bad for the team," Guillen said Tuesday. "If you make an out and you want to cry, then go inside the clubhouse and cry. I don't want you crying in my dugout." You can't get much more positive reinforcement than Konerko received after his three-run homer. The sounds of "Paulie, Paulie, Paulie," washed over him as he reached the dugout, prompting him to acknowledge the U.S. Cellular crowd of 37,706 with a quick curtain call. "That was a great feeling," Konerko said. It was a nice moment in a successful home opener for the Sox, who entered the season with both the upper deck and the expectations they carry lowered. Wouldn't it be something if the 12-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals were indicative of the season to come? What if Jerry Reinsdorf took out too many seats? Kansas City and Minnesota have replaced the White Sox as preseason favorites in the American League Central, but the reality is it's a wide-open division the Sox can win. A productive Konerko would make it a lot easier for Guillen to be an overnight success as the White Sox's manager. He appears to have shaken his hitting demons, batting .370 with six runs batted in thus far. It's only seven games, but it is a nice trend. "I have a good approach going right now," Konerko said. "It's not too much about what pitchers are trying to do to me. … Hopefully, the ball just runs into what I'm doing. That's what I'm working on." As it has been since Carlos Lee arrived in May, 1999, this is a team built around baseball's most long-standing foursome—Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Konerko and Lee. Those four right-handed hitters combined for 120 home runs and 458 RBIs in 2000, allowing the Sox to run away with the Central. But when one or more of them has struggled—as Konerko did last year, hitting .234 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs—the entire lineup has suffered. Former manager Jerry Manuel never got his hitters to work counts and manufacture runs. Guillen is determined to have a team that keeps opponents on their toes. While he would love for the White Sox to have their fifth consecutive season of 200-plus home runs (with the New York Yankees, they have a chance to have the longest such streak in history), he knows they must have other ways to win games. That's why Guillen didn't bat an eye in the first inning when Jose Valentin was thrown out at second base trying to leg out a double (Juan Gonzalez made a perfect throw, but it appeared umpire Chuck Meriwether missed the call) or when Miguel Olivo was an easy out at third, trying to stretch a double in the third inning. With only one out, Guillen didn't mind Olivo taking a chance. He would have been in position to score on a sacrifice fly or even a grounder if he had gotten to third. "Jose's ball was supposed to be a double," Guillen said. "If he stops at first base, we'd be a station-to-station team and that's not my game. Olivo, he was the second out, if he was the first or the third out, then it's different. But I want them to do that. I might be criticized for that [aggressiveness] but I'll take the blame." You wouldn't figure Konerko to take the extra base too often. But he's the only active player who has an inside-the-park homer for the White Sox, so you never know. Olivo, who is probably the fastest catcher in the game, proved that by scoring from second base on a strikeout for the Sox's final run. He broke for third when the ball skipped past Kansas City catcher Benito Santiago after Valentin swung through an outside curveball from Jamie Cerda. Olivo sped around third when Santiago made an off-balance heave toward first base and scored without a throw when first baseman Mike Sweeney couldn't make a clean pickup at the other end. Call that an OR—an Ozzie run. "I don't want to play the way we have in the past, waiting for Frank to hit a home run, or Carlos," Guillen said. "I know we have power, but I don't want to play that way. … If something happens on the basepaths, you can blame me, but that's the way we're going to play." Konerko and the other guys in the middle of the order can make it easier on everybody, Guillen included. Email: [email protected] Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Both are pretty good article, IMO.

OK then here goes - first the Rick Morrissy Article: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hugs for all: Ozzie debut ends happily April 14, 2004 It's early yet, and the differences will become apparent soon enough. But we can say this with some certainty: Jerry Manuel never hugged this much. If you were anywhere close to Ozzie Guillen during the White Sox's home Opening Day ceremonies Tuesday, you were in danger of getting the life squeezed out of you. Carlton Fisk, who opted for a White Sox cap, got hugged. So did Luis Aparicio and Chico Carrasquel, Guillen's fellow Venezuelans and fellow former Sox shortstops. Fisk got another hug on general principle alone. Mayor Richard M. Daley would have received one too, if he hadn't been in the second row and if it wouldn't have looked like a political shakedown. So much love. Guillen says he's not the show here, but surely he knows better than that. He received the biggest ovation during introductions Tuesday. According to the Sox's marketing campaign, nothing has changed from last season except everything, meaning Manuel is gone and Guillen is in his place. In Guillen's mind, this is where the hugs stop and the accountability begins. "They lost last year because their play was poor, not because of Jerry Manuel," Guillen said. "They had great talent. They didn't need a manager last year with the talent they had on the field. That's an excuse. They have to do better than that. "I told them the first day in the meetings: 'The talent Kenny Williams put on the field for you guys? You should have won that thing. … You want to win? Play better and don't make the manager make any moves.' I respect Jerry Manuel as a man. That's excuses." Guillen already has had his fill of excuses, so he has done something about them. "If we lose, what excuse are they going to make now?" he said. "[Jon] Garland can't pitch because Jerry won't let him pitch past the fourth inning? Well, now we're going to see. Now I have Garland [going longer]. Now he has no more excuses. "Oh, Jose [Valentin] was hitting second or seventh, playing center field or left field or shortstop. Well, now he's the shortstop and we'll see what he can do. "Frank [Thomas] was hitting third, this guy wants to hit fourth. OK, here's where everybody's going to hit. Now, what are you guys going to do?" A lot, as it turned out Tuesday. All those bats that went to sleep at times last year were fully caffeinated in a 12-5 victory over the Royals. Valentin, batting second, had a two-run double. Paul Konerko, who was colder than a miser's charitable arm last year, homered. So did Juan Uribe. No excuses. Just fun. Konerko was struggling with his swing early in spring training, and it was a good thing Guillen was on hand to give him technical, inside-baseball help. "He'd just laugh and say, 'You're terrible. Get over it."' Konerko said, smiling. "… With Ozzie, from Day 1, it has been great. It has been a party." Valentin and catcher Miguel Olivo each were thrown out trying to stretch hits Tuesday. You don't have to make excuses when you're being aggressive. Want something to worry about? Esteban Loaiza gave up four homers to the Royals. He gave up 17 all last season. You want something to make you feel better? When the Sox hit like they did Tuesday, with 12 runs on 14 hits, it doesn't much matter. It can be 43 degrees, as it was Tuesday, and it doesn't matter. That's when baseball's fun. You can have Ray Romano filling out the Sox's lineup card, and it won't be enjoyable if they can't score runs or pitch well. It wasn't enjoyable last year for the Sox. "The team didn't have fun," Guillen said. "It was all business." "You didn't see many smiles throughout the course of a ballgame," Williams said. Victories produce smiles. Guillen will be a failure if the Sox don't win, simple as that. He knows it. Fun goes as far as the next losing streak. "My players make a difference," he said. "They don't play good because of Ozzie. They play good because they start believing in themselves." The burden's on Guillen too. People want to know if he's more than a rah-rah guy. They want to know if he can make the correct decision at a crucial time. They want to see his baseball acumen. "I might get the biggest cheer today and the biggest boo in July," he said. All he has to do is make the underachieving Sox achieve. What pressure? Email: [email protected] Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This has to be the best line I've seen in awhile, it cracks me up, I laughed out loud at my computer. This is what Ozzie said after PK struck out, LOL! "He'd just laugh and say, 'You're terrible. Get over it."' Konerko said, smiling. "… With Ozzie, from Day 1, it has been great. It has been a party."

hammer, just asking because I truly don't know, is it legal, or OK for me to post the stories?

It's good to see the Sox actually get some good publicity, of all places coming from the Tribune. Rick Morrissy writes an article about Ozzie Guillen and the good day of White Sox Baseball (Actually, I have no clue what the article is about, I'm going to read it after I post it.) Rick Morrissy Article And Phil Rogers writes an article about how Paul Konerko is perhaps catching this fire from manager Ozzie Guillen. Way to go Pauly, turning heads already! Phil Rogers Article I hope this hasn't already been posted, if it has, feel free to merge/delete, mods!

You make absolutely no sense. You're judging guys on different scales very unfairly, which makes your argument mute. You say that Paul Konerko doesn't put up good numbers. Basing it on what, last year? OK, Konerko sucked last year. Then you ought to judge Perez on the same basis, past play. Well, Perez was terrible last season, in a PITCHERS PARK. HOW ARE YOU NOT UNDERSTANDING THAT IF YOU DO NOT SUCCEED IN A PITCHER FRIENDLY PARK, CHANCES ARE YOU WON'T SUCCEED IN A HITTER FRIENDLY PARK! Hello? Is that hard to comprehend? You say that I'm playing the "guessing" game, when actually, I'm basing my arguments on facts and stats, while your basing your argument on your opinion. I presented you with how each has performed thus far - can we not agree that Paully has done way better than Perez? Please tell me that Konerko has done better than Perez, if you don't, you're crazy.... Please, using some stats, facts, something besides just your opinion, tell me why you have some 'secret' reason to believe that Perez would do better here, in a hitters park, when he's already pitching in a pitcher-friendly park. You say Perez did well in Spring Training. Well, Billy Koch did pretty damn well in Spring Training too. But you don't like Koch? So did Danny Wright, he did pretty well in earning himself a starters spot in Spring Training. Kelly Drandsfeldt (sp?) also did pretty well for himself in Spring Training. Point is, numbers can lie in Spring Training. BTW, I really don't appreciate personal attacks like "little s***" or "momo" (Is that supposed to be "homo"?). All that shows is that you can't really back up your argument, so you feel to cuss me out. I don't know, perhaps you can explain that too?

Yeah, I'm sure Paul Depodesta is looking at Paul Konerko's 370 average, six RBIs, and 414 OBP, and just laughing at it, as opposed to Odalis Perez' "awesome" numbers on the hill - 5.40 ERA, 7 earned runs in 11 and 2/3rds innings pitched, with a WHIP of 1.71. Yeah, I'm sure Paul Depodesta definitely wouldn't make that trade now... The trade didn't go through not because Depodesta wouldn't do it straight up Konerko for Perez - it was because Kenny wanted Mota as well as Jackson or Miller. Get your facts straight - your not an insider, you have no idea as to why the trade didn't go down. Brando, wake up from your dream world. There is no comparison between Perez and Konerko, Perez would be getting his ass shelled every game he started if he pitched here at the Cell. He sucks in a pitchers park, there's absolutely NO reason to think he'd do better here. Konerko is hitting the cover off the ball but it's all negative. Man, I've heard of pessimism, but you're taking it way too far - we win, you complain. We dominate - you complain. These are our players - deal with it. If you don't like them, go root for a team who's players you do like...

Brando, do you understand that this is not a video game? Not one of the pitchers you named is really a top notch prospect, all are quality prospects, but none of them really stand out (that doesnt mean that they won't in time). In this dream scenario of yours, if we wanted to get Halladay - we'd have to trade at least one of the following, probably a few of these guys: Reed, Sweeney, Anderson, Honel, and to a lesser extent Borchard and Rauch. No thanks to that....

For those of you at the game (I was also at the game), did you see Sweeney's homer? It was a pitch up in the zone, and Sweeney made a great swing on it, basically tomahawking it out of the park. The Berroa and the Guiel homers he hung some pitches and it got hit hard, and I didn't see the Tony G homer. I agree with Critic - if you keep Loaiza's confidence up when he's struggling by helping him out on offense, that will help him out in the long run during this season.

That's pathetic - why in the right mind would you do this deal? To free up some salary space? PK is much more of a help to this team than an overrated pitcher. He sucks in a pitchers park, what will he do at the Cell? 6+ ERA is what I think....

I, for one, will admit that I was wrong about one thing. During the offseason, I was wanting desperately another quality starter. I blindly thought that adding an arm such as Odalis Perez would really improve our staff. I thought that trading Paul Konerko and adding Perez would be a great trade - I think this season will prove me being wrong. In two starts so far, Perez has lasted a total of 11 and 2/3rds innings, giving up 16 hits and 4 walks, and a 5 + ERA. I know the season is still very, very young, but I for one am glad that Kenny didn't pull the trigger on a deal of Odalis Perez for Paul Konerko...

Give him a break. Last year he had a few games where he got screwed, only giving up a few runs where the offense didn't come through - he deserves a couple of these types of games, where he might not be on his game and the offense puts up a load of runs...

I just got home, it was AWESOME! As it turns out, I thought my seats were behind the Royals dugout, but they were actually in left field, but the seats weren't bad at all. The stadium looked great! I think everyone in the Sox lineup today hit the ball hard today, Magglio is locked in. Frank is getting his groove back, good to see that. Paulie is back, I hope. For those of you who got a better view, was Loaiza leaving pitches up in the zone, or did Berroa/Graff/Sweeney/Gueil(sp?) just make good swings on his pitches? I think E-Lo has better days ahead. And it was very cool, I got my first ball today ! It was during BP, Angel Berroa was at the plate, and he hit one to left field just above the bullpen, about four rows up. Well, I was standing there in the second row, and the guy above me dropped it, it rolled down, I look at my feet, and the ball is right in the middle of my feet. It was awesome, that got me pumped, even if it was a Royal BP homer. Might I add, Man Soo Lee is one of the coolest, nicest guys I've ever met. He is such a nice guy. He was giving people baseballs, out in the bullpen and near the bullpen - he was chatting with people, signing autographs, jokin around with everyone. What a guy! There was this one drunk guy in my section - man, was he wasted. First, he spilled his beer while he was trying to get through the aisle, twice, on two different occasions. Then, I looked over at him this one inning, he was just looking straight ahead, eyes glazed. LOL, and from about the third to the sixth inning, he forgot where he was sitting, and he had nachos in his hand, so he just kept walking through different aisles eating his nachos. He was so hammered, this was all in section 157. LOL, and then, (lots of stories from opening day, lol) this heavy-set guy, older, was walking down the stairs in section 157 and he just fell, while he was carrying his beer. I had a blast - hot dog with grilled onions and mustard, pizza, curly fries, and nachos to top it off! I cant wait till the Yankees series!

Damn I just can't fall asleep, it's about 4:30 AM right now. So that makes it, what, 8 and a half hours till first pitch? Woot! Spring Break is awesome!

I have no reason to boo any of the players tommorow. Or well, in two minutes, later today ! Why boo Koch? He wasn't the one who blew it in KC on Opening Day. Why boo Takatsu? Because in his first major league appearance, in Yankee Stadium of all places, he gives up two runs? Nah, I'll save my booing for when the Royals lineup is announced. :fyou

That's fine with me, we'll have to agree to disagree. I think you can carry a contract of fifteen million dollars, not be the Yankees, and still be a good baseball team. I believe that if money is spent in the right places, than you can have a good baseball team. IMO, spending big money on Mags is spending it on the right places, but some people may differ, oh well. We're all after the same goal - a World Series Title on the Southside, we're all just wanting to take different routes to get there.

My mom got free tix from her boss at work - free Sox tickets rock!

Yeah, I know - that's what I get for getting a jersey based on a signing bonus / potential, lol. I still have faith that JoBo might come through.