hogan873

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 1, 2009 -> 09:36 AM) Any chance the trades somehow spark this team to go on a tear? It may. At least I hope. I don't necessarily think that the trades are KW's way of saying he's giving up. Both moves made sense in order to get ready for 2010, but aside from losing Thome's big bat (which has been inconsistent), the team is still intact. I predict a win tonight and tomorrow.

It looks as if the 2010 makeover has begun. The big question is who goes and who stays during the off season. If nothing else, it'll make for an exciting winter here on SoxTalk. As much good as Dye has done for us over the years, I would hope he will also be playing somewhere else in 2010. I don't see Konerko going anywhere, and I would hope AJ sticks around. I'm not nearly as knowledgable regarding potential FAs or trades or even our minors as many other posters, so I'll refrain from trying to come up with a lineup. However, I see this as a partial (positions only, not batting order): 1B - Konerko 2B - Getz 3B - Beckham (I think he remains a third baseman) SS - Alexei LF - Pods (he's re-resigned for one year to allow Mitchell or Danks to be MLB ready) CF - Rios RF - Quentin C - AJ Well, after I typed that in I realized I didn't allow for many changes, and I think this team needs more changes. Good thing I'm not the GM.

Good news. I would like to see Peavy pitch this year. It may not matter, as the team will most likely be out of it soon, but there's no reason to not let him start a game or two. I understand the concern about his health, but if I see the words "shut Peavy down" one more time I might vomit.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Sep 1, 2009 -> 08:51 AM) There are a ton of doctors and general managers on this site. *puts away his stethoscope and suit jacket*

Sox made a classy move for a classy guy. I hope he gets his ring, and I hope he smacks #600 next year...somewhere. And the comments about Thome being a roider are classLESS. There's never been any indication that he was juiced.

Good arcticles. Sad to see Thome go, but he's with a team that can make the playoffs and he really had no spot with the Sox in 2010. I like the Contreras deal. This pitcher in return has a potential good up side.

It would be nice to see Flowers and some of the others they call up do well. I'm not saying the Sox can get back into it, but the games will probably be a little more exciting to watch.

Sigh. I've read through this thread and noticed how it became more of a KW love/hate fest. I still do not understand those that think the Peavy and Rios acquisitions were bad. What a lot of people seem to forget is that both deals were for the now, but more so for the future. Peavy may pitch this year (I hope he does), but regardless he's going to be vital part of the rotation for years to come. Rios is slumping, but I'm sure he'll get back to where his career numbers are. He's a legitimate CFer, can steal bases, can hit well, and even has some power. So, KW gave up Poreda, Richard, and two more minor league arms for a solid #2 or even #1 starter. Oh, and he gave up zilch for Rios. I know, I know, what about the money. Well, we all know cash will be freed up during the off season with the non re-signing of a few guys and maybe even a trade or two. I'm as frustrated as the next guy about this team this year. But things are looking good for 2010 and beyond.

Well, history and statistics say the White Sox will win tonight. Four game sweeps are hard to come by, even against under-performing teams. So, I think the Sox (White) win tonight. Now, how they win may very well determine how the Yankees series goes. An offensive explosion coupled with a great outing from Danks could propel this team into NY with high hopes and a hint of momentum. They could take 2 of 3 there. At that point, the road trip would be 3-4. This scenario almost has to happen for the Sox to have a chance. A three game set at the Metrohell will be tough.

Well, let's hope to avoid the sweep and head to NY and...nevermind.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Aug 26, 2009 -> 08:57 PM) Gavin Pods You showed fight tonight I agree. And tip a beer towards Freddy for last night. He buckled down and pitched (and sweat) his ass off.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Aug 26, 2009 -> 08:55 PM) I don't see the point in rooting for it. And I never would. I was just saying that others outside of SoxTalk would realize that this team has problems.

No need for an In or Out poll. I think we've all accepted that this team is not going to the playoffs.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Aug 26, 2009 -> 08:52 PM) You know what I'm happy about? It's that if we're atrocious the remainder of this road trip (and I don't see why we wouldn't be), there should be NO excuses. What contributing player aside from Peavy was on the DL the final 40 games? EVERYONE is here. We're not the Mets. There will be no one to blame but ourselves. I know. You don't really want to see them go 0-11 or 1-10 or whatever, but it might prove a point.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 26, 2009 -> 08:50 PM) Why would you think that? Didn't you know Coop can fix him? Can't fix what ain't broke. He's just not good enough to pitch in the bottom of the 9th in a tie game against the heart of the Red Sox order.

Aside from Pods coming through in a PH situation, the hitters looked absolutely lost out there.

You have to wonder if any heads would roll if it was an 0-fer road trip.

I saw Pena coming on and saw who the BoSox had coming up, and I knew it was over. Pena is no match for Ortiz.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 26, 2009 -> 04:26 PM) 6?? I'm thinking 14 at least. Well I would say to just win out the rest of the season, but then MLB officials would become suspicious of the influence of SoxTalk on the White Sox players' ability.

It starts now. Go Sox.

Has Nix hit lead off before?

If the Sox can be patient and wait for that knuckleball to float in there, they can do some real damage. I remember seeing the Sox hit some of those very far in the past.

Regardless, some of these guys are gone after this season. I like the fact that KW speaks his mind and calls out the team. We all have our guys we'd like to see suit up for the Sox next year and those we don't want to see as a Sox again. Time will tell who will be here and who won't be.

I have to honest. After Boston went up 6-3 in the 8th I wanted to jump on SoxTalk and start a thread about how bad this team is. But I didn't. I calmed down, drank an Abita Purple Haze, and actually found everything to be pretty laughable. This team has played like this since day one. Flashes of greatness tempered heavily by bad baseball. The AL Central is a mess. No one wants this division. The Tigers have tried to give it to the Sox and the Twins, the Twins said they didn't want it, and the Sox have seemed to side with Minnesota. I think the most frustrating part for me is that the Sox are still in it. What I mean by that is if the Tigers were 10 games up, these losses wouldn't sting as much. The first two games of this road trip have hurt greatly because Detroit has decided to play good ball. Now the Sox are 4.5 games out, tied with the Twins. And still, the Sox are in it, albeit much less so than on Sunday. Yes, Linebrink did not pitch well last night. He has not pitched well as of late and has given up some key runs. But the offense has been absolutely brutal lately. First and third, no one out, and they blow it. That half inning should have ended with the Sox up by at least one. And that's just one example. Maybe we should start a thread where everyone can post an example of when the offense let us down. To myself and anyone who was in the room with me the past two days, I have said I'm done watching the Sox. But that was just the frustrated me venting. I'm not going to stop watching. I love baseball, and I love the Sox. I want to see Freddy pitch well, Beckham win the Rookie of the Year, Dye turn it around, Rios start hitting, and AJ continue to tear it up. It's just very frustrating right now because these games matter...a lot. There are 9 games left on this road trip, and if the Sox get their collective heads out of their asses they could play themselves right back into contention. However, they can also play themselves right out of it, too.

There's no real reason to shut him down. I don't know if I'd pitch him this weekend, but he should definitely pitch this year.