hogan873

The team is playing well. The Dunn signing is looking like it's paying off, finally. Rios is performing. Peavy is the Peavy we thought he could be. Sale is an upgrade over Buehrle (minus the potential loss of innings). Viciedo is awesome. The Orlando Hudson pick-up seems to be a no brainer. Okay, so what can we complain about? I know, let's talk AGAIN about "what if" the Sox sill had Gio Gonzalez. It doesn't matter. You can't play what if about something like this because so much has happened since then. The team would not look like it does now had the Sox not traded him (the first or second time). It's not as simple as the team would have Gonzalez instead of Danks or Floyd. Let's just enjoy this team as it is. It's a team that costs a lot less than 2011 and is playing a lot better.

Maybe it's because we're in the moment, but team seems genuine right now. During the couple streaks that happened last year, it seemed like we were all waiting for it to fall apart in dramatic fashion. I think the success of Dunn, Rios, and Peavy have a lot to do with it, but the whole team seems to be loose and having fun.

Who are these guys?

Damn!

I still say the only response here is to win the game, sweep the series. Maybe when the Rays come to the Cell they can plunk a guy.

I'd be surprised to see anymore batters thrown at.

s***

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ May 30, 2012 -> 01:50 PM) Good God please no. I vaguely remember talk of a trade, and there was much talk of him being a racist. Maybe I'm confused with someone else.

QUOTE (Cali @ May 30, 2012 -> 01:48 PM) Is it a slur to call Scott a douchebag? Cause I'm calling him that cause of his facial hair... I don't think douchebag is considered racist.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 30, 2012 -> 01:47 PM) He has a very strong opinion on the whole birth certificate topic. You can guess which side he is on Wasn't there a rumor last year or the year before the Sox were interested in Scott?

I wonder about the pitchers throwing behind a hitter. Humber did it a few games back and now Q. Were they actually trying to hit someone or just sending a message?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 30, 2012 -> 01:41 PM) Jones with an ERA hovering just barely above 1. White Sox absolutely on cruise control. Shhhhh....

QUOTE (Soxfest @ May 30, 2012 -> 01:39 PM) No Morel equals more offense. Addition by subtraction.

I stepped away for 20 minutes to actually do some work and I come back to 10 pages of posts. Too bad it was all about the ejections and warnings. Hope the Sox can hold on here.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ May 30, 2012 -> 10:29 AM) Little Ditty? Hittin' homeruns as hard as he can

QUOTE (chw42 @ May 30, 2012 -> 09:47 AM) There are no blackouts for audio. Wouldn't it be a muteout anyway?

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ May 30, 2012 -> 09:08 AM) They had the Sox losing 95 games this year. That seems kinda silly, even before the season started. Beyond silly. It was a lazy, stupid prediction. I think all they looked at was losing Buehrle and Quentin. They didn't factor in their replacements (Sale and Viciedo), nor did they consider any improvements in Dunn, Peavy, and Rios (the Kansas Bums).

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ May 29, 2012 -> 10:07 PM) I'll admit that I'm a relatively recent Sox fan...I didn't care about baseball until I moved from Michigan to the Chicago 'burbs for high school in the late 90's, so I didn't become a Sox fan till 2000 and even then, I didn't really understand what I was watching. So I don't have the early 90's teams to choose from like everyone else. I really enjoyed 2005 because of all the close games, rather than in spite of them. For one, I enjoy dominant pitching quite a bit. But also, watching a close game that you just KNOW you're going to pull out somehow is a great feeling. 2005 from start to finish! I'm in the same boat. I moved to Illinois in 1999 but didn't really start following the Sox until 2001 or so. So for me, aside from 2005, this team has been the most fun to watch. I just get the feeling that these guys are going out there expecting to win every game, and then they play that way. Last year, it seemed like every game was a struggle. I know they were a struggle to watch. I think it's about time to admit that the change in leadership has a lot to do with the way they are playing this year.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 30, 2012 -> 08:38 AM) He was signed to a "4 year deal" worth $10 million but there was no out clause like Cespedes has. He is fully under White Sox control for the next 5 seasons, with the last 3 or so being arbitration seasons. The Sox will be able to simply "Renew his contract" for the next couple years in the offseason, or they could attempt to sign him to a longer term deal to buy out some FA years. Key part is, we have his rights for 5+ years. Nice. I remember hearing that he's under control for a while. That's good news. Do you see the Sox discussing a long-term deal with him anytime soon? By soon, I mean after this season as the earliest.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ May 30, 2012 -> 08:08 AM) The usual. Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales Sox lineup: De Aza cf Beckham 2b Dunn dh Konerko 1b Rios rf Pierzynski c Viciedo lf Ramirez ss Hudson 3b Quintana p Man that's a good lineup. If Beckham keeps (slowly) improving and Alexei continues to hit better, this is one of the most dangerous lineups in the AL. Having a guy like Hudson as your #9 hitter? I'll take that. He's not the guy he used to be, but he is still a threat and has good speed.

I believe it was during the post-game last night someone mentioned that one of Viciedo's biggest issues was swinging at the pitches in the dirt, almost as if he couldn't see them. But, he doesn't seem to be doing it as much anymore. Frank Thomas has been singing his praises all season, and he said again last night that he could be a .300 hitter. On a side note, what is his contract status? He was originally signed for 4 years, correct? And then I assume there are some option years?

He went from "Whoa" to "Damn!" to "I never want to face this guy again" to "I want my mommy" in a span of about 3 seconds.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 29, 2012 -> 11:41 PM) How do you know? This is the first sign of life of this team in a long time. When the team actually does something of note it's easier to stay loyal during the rough patches. Only somebody like El Rockin cannot be fazed of the lousy play of the last two plus seasons. Your post is quite offensive. You don't know anything about my fandom. I've rooted for this team forever, since my days as a kid on the south side. This is the first stretch in a long time where you could be very very pleased with the team and the effort and the contributions of many. Rios is my least favorite player ever. Yes he is. Always will be. So what? When the team is clicking and playing well and winning, there's no reason to talk about his contract. It doesn't matter. Haven't you heard the saying, "Just Win Baby?" Best athletic saying of all time. Winning shuts everybody up. You offend me. Low blow. And my Ozzie posts are always in response to people who blast Ozzie. I don't bring up the topic. i stand up for the man. If the season ended today he and Robin would be likely candidates for NL and AL manager of the year. Um...what?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 29, 2012 -> 02:17 PM) they should just re-do the award for people not named Paul Konerko. Or just re-name it the Paul Konerko Award.

Funny how the Sox went from a 95-loss team to a playoff favorite. I realize it's not the same people making the predictions, but many are looking at the Sox differently now. Just about everything that went wrong last year is going right this year. Plus Konerko is playing out of his gourd, Sale is wowing just about everyone, and we've found a closer.