Fotop

I got in from work in the third inning. I have no idea what tonight's batting order is (like I have no sense of it at all)...is this some sort of getaway day crazy lineup?

Matt f'n Stairs. That guy has murdered us this series, no?

QUOTE (rangercal @ Apr 25, 2008 -> 09:15 AM) What about Girardi's Moves? Why Do you pitch to Crede with 1 out, 1st base open and Ramirez coming to bat? The Runner at 1st is meaningless and could have set up a potential inning ending double play. Plus you get the bat out of Crede's hands and force a rookie to beat you. As bad as Ozzie may have been, Girardi's Bad Moves trump Ozzies. Agreed. He had some head scratchers as well, specifically the one you mentioned (I think the whole park, myself included, called before the bottom of the ninth that Crede would end the game - I think you have to walk him there, no doubt). I thought PH Posada was a good move though...but that one seemed like a no-brainer.

Obviously I'm quite pleased we won last night, however I was just curious what everyone thought of how Ozzie managed the game in the late innings (especially the defensive replacements). I was at the game, so I didn't see everyone's reactions here, but here were my thoughts: The scenario in question is I believe what was either the 7th or 8th inning in which Ramirez was moved to center, Uribe brought in to play 2nd, and Swisher to RF. I understand Dye was hurt, but does Ozzie REALLY have it out for Anderson this much that he won't even put him in as a defensive replacement? Secondly, why the heck do you put Uribe in Dye's batting spot in a tight game that could potentially go to extra innings? This bothered me as much as the defensive replacements... If he were to do it again, I would have liked to see the following: 1) Sub Uribe for ramirez if you want the added defense at 2nd. Realize that Uribe would lead off the bottom half of that inning, but its a sacrifice you make if you believe his defense will make a difference. 2) Sub Anderson for Dye, shift Swisher to RF, put Anderson in CF. Granted, Konerko still lacks protection if the game goes to extras...but it's much better than having Uribe (who is easily our worst hitter currently on the team) hit behind him. Improve your defense in both CF and RF. Seemed pretty simple to me. Just curious why it was carried out in such an odd manner. Thoughts?

There's one. Attaway Joe.

Well you know, Mussina can just flat out pitch. You don't win 252 games by accident. Shoot, it was just a matter of time the Sox would run into a buzzsaw like Mussina. /endhawkmode (Funny thing is I was typing this as he went on his mini-Mussina rant. heh)

Don't we hit Rivera well, or is that just Carlos Lee?

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ Apr 22, 2008 -> 10:01 PM) sure about that? Pretty sure. Ramirez has the same approach as Juan at the plate, just far more athletic (but ridiculously raw). Ozuna does nothing for me there as well. Anderson...well we know that would have been a sure K. And that leaves Toby Hall, so ultimately not really exciting to me.

Man, it would have been nice to have someone to PH for Uribe...too bad our bench options in that situation weren't much better.

Two gifts from the official scorer this evening: 1) Konerko's non-error 2) Swisher's "hit" And of course the Orlando Cabrera adventure continues at the plate...GIDP on the first pitch. ugh.

It's been raining here (I'm on the northside). Doubt this one starts on time, but who knows.

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 08:10 PM) Hey Joe Morgan, how's Carlos Guillen's Gold Glove season coming along? Didn't you know? Rafael Palmerio's already got that one locked up.

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 6, 2008 -> 08:01 PM) Joe Morgan is just such an idiot. Yes Joe, good hitters like it when a breaking ball breaks compared to hanging. +1 I can't stand Morgan and that comment is a fine example of one of the many "insights" he drops all game. Miller isn't much better. with his Juan OORIBE pronounciation.

Ok, who called up Fields...put him in Crede's jersey and started him at third tonight? Come Clean.

Sloppy game for ND, hats off to Marquette's D. I knew I was right to be afraid of McNeil. The kid is good. I guess the only frustrating thing is how well Marquette shoots against us. I think today's game makes them an above 50% 3pt shooting team against us this year. That's ridiculous, and may say something about NDs perimeter def (I hope it just means ND ran into a buzzsaw, nothing more). Hot Marquette shooting + early foul trouble for Luke = End of Game. It's really that simple. Can't say this isn't disappointing; ND always does poorly in the BET and it sucks. Pitt winning the game before makes this especially disappointing because ND matches up well w/Pitt. Another Hibbert/Harnagody show down would have been cool. ND should be a 4 seed now, but will likely get jobbed and get a 5 or 6, get shipped off somewhere crazy and have to play some upstart mid-major (cough Davidson cough). /endtinfoilhatconspiracytheory Should be a GTown/Marq rematch in the final on Sat.

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Mar 11, 2008 -> 08:31 AM) I'm thinkin this is gonna be a UCONN-L'Ville battle for the title with the winner grabbing a 3 seed in the tourney. Hopefully UCONN can continue their momentum after their demolishing of Cincy the other day. The Huskies fans always travel extremely well to the Garden for this and they should have beaten G'Town in DC earlier in the year. Also, ND is so streaky, if L'Ville can just keep Mcalareny from going off they should control that game. (I'm assuming the top 4 advance, although Pitt could actually give L'Ville a game, IMO.) If L'Ville or GTown win the BET, they will get a 2 seed. If not, that'd be quite the job. If UConn or ND win, they'll probably be a high 3, with a case for a two (could be a two depending on how everything else shakes out; Wisky doesn't win the BTT, Stanford gets bumped early in the P10, etc). I'm not really all that impressed w/Pitt this year, but I think I say that about Pitt every year. They're the same team year in and year out. Physical, solid D, and no go-to-guy on the offensive end. L'Ville should beat them in a walk. Don't know how you can say "if L'Ville can keep Macalarney from going off they should control that game." Harangody dropped 40 on L'Ville last time they played. Sure they shut down ND's 3 pt shooting w/an extended zone (and they consistently play this way because Pitino hates giving up the three), but I think they'd def. pay more attention to the big guy the 2nd time around (considering ND will probably perform better vs. the press in a 2nd look at it). One would think the guards would get some better looks in that scenario... Personally, I think a L'Ville/ND matchup in the semis could prove to be the best game of the tourney to watch (way more entertaining than a knock down drag out game between GTown and UConn...that sucker will be like 47-43 for a final, heh).

Simply put, Louisville is the best team in the Big East. Losing again to them wouldn't hurt the resume at all (and to a certain extent neither would losing to Marquette who has a rather high RPI). However, ND has a bit to gain by not going 1 and done. Seeding wise they look to be a solid #4 seed right now. If they lose in a bad game to Marquette or God forbid lose to a streaky SHU, I think they drop to a #5. If they lose a close game vs. Marquette, or win vs. Marquette and lose to Louisville I think they stay a solid #4. Make it to the final, and they're a three seed. If they win the BET, they could argue they're a two seed, but would probably still be a three. Regardless, considering last year's debacle (being underseeded at 6, sent out to the far west coast to play a tough mid major in Winthrop); ND needs to not leave any room for doubt, for they may get nicked again (this year the excuse will be the weak OOC schedule). Hence, the importance of Thursday. Anything past Thursday would be gravy, but like you said, it could cost them from a fatigue standpoint.

Yeah, think we're on the same page on this one really. Should be a good matchup if we see it...the Big East Tourney is always good fun even though ND is historically horrible in it. As for the James stuff, like I said, he reminds me too much of Thomas, hence the blind rage. I'd say because he was considered so good as an underclassman (again the Thomas parallels are staggering), he constantly has this aura of "well if he puts it all together..." around him. Right or wrong, that "potential" is what makes him consistently overrated. He is a solid defender, but at the same he seems like the type that lets things get into his head and his whole game suffers (really, I could keep drawing the Thomas parallel but I think you get the picture ). I mean I hate to single out ONE play, but a guy of his caliber needs to be a ton smarter at the end of the GTown game. How the heck do you hack Wallace like that? The dude was basically chucking up a prayer fallaway three. Just makes me think his basketball IQ is lacking...fair or not.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Mar 9, 2008 -> 09:29 PM) Not a chance in hell. Nope -- not a chance. In fact, I was just going to post how glad I am that Marquette -- if they're lucky enough to make it to round two -- won't have to face UConn and instead gets ND. So... If ND gets by (what will most likely be) Marquette -- which is no given, seeing that Marquette pounded ND at home by about 30 and lost by all of three at ND. And I'm not just being a Marquette homer, either, it's just how Marquette matches up with ND. Harangody will get his but Dominic James eats Kyle McAlarney's lunch -- they won't get by Louisville. Book it. Except the whole Marquette thing. The way they're playing now I'm sure they'll f*** me over and lose to Seton Hall on the first night. Obviously, this road for ND is sub-optimal as the best case scenario would have been getting WVU in the quarters and GTown in the semis. I really think Louisville is the best team in the Big East; they're really deep and play lockdown d. Avoiding them until a potential matchup in the final would have been nice, but it didn't work out that way, and it's the Big East...no one ever gets a break. That isn't to say I think ND is going to be a quick out. This is a talented team. Personally, I think on paper we matchup really well with Marquette (assuming they beat SHU). Marquette has no answer inside for Harnagody, and Kurz should do damage as well. The game will be won or lost on the wings for them, which is pretty much their M.O. James is overrated. There I said it, but the guy reminds me too much of Chris Thomas to have an unbiased opinion of him. Regardless, much like Thomas, if he gets hot he's dangerous; if not, he forces stuff and is typically a detriment, again much like Thomas. McNeil worries me more than James to be honest. Defensively, if ND were to play man, we'd probably see Tory Jackson covering James due to his quickness...McNeil vs. Macalarney in that case would worry me. So like I said, it comes down to Marquette guards vs. ND bigs. I like the fact that ND has already played in MSG this year and well against a solid team (KState). Mcalarney has been lights out anywhere near a couple hundred miles of his hometown of Staten Island. I also like the fact that ND has been using some diverse looks on d (3 quarter press, multiple zones, man, etc). Marquette will have to prove they can shoot well to win this game, because I'm certain ND will come out in zone (probably some sort of 1-2-2 or 3-2 variation with one of our "long" players at the top of the key...think Zach Hillensland or Ryan Ayers). ND will need to extend the d a bit to cover the three early on; but Marquette will have to prove they can shoot consistently well from outside to win as the zone will sag to prevent penetration if the shots do not fall. In short, it's going to come down to how well Marquette shoots. If hot, that picks up their entire game, and they start running. If ND can drag them into a physical, lower tempo half court game (neutralize Marquette's transition game) I think that plays to ND's advantage (this isn't to say ND can't fill it up...they're near the top in scoring avg. and generally play up tempo). But that's just my two cents. Per usual, I expect to get blasted for my perceived "blatant homerism".

So I think it's safe to assume major plot points/movie discussion can be had here since there's huge spoiler warnings everywhere. But just in case you just HAD to click (I've been there as well), realize there are MAJOR SPOILERS in my commentary below:

I may get flamed for this, but am I the only person that HATED this movie? I understand suspending belief when it comes to films, but come on....this was a little much. The entire premise of Rob going back for Beth was mind-bogglingly stupid. And the fact that his friends would follow him the whole time is even more unbelievable. At no point, did I feel any sympathy for any of these characters, and ultimately that's where the movie falls way short. In theory, this is a good concept (with some interesting viral marketing) and I'm glad to see Hollywood took a chance on this film instead of something like Click 2: Electric Boogaloo staring Adam Sandler. But, I'm of the opinion that it fell flat on its face. Other minor gripes: - I believe it's the shortest movie I've ever seen. Went to a 10pm showing last night and was out at 11:20 or so. Meaning that's its basically about as long as an episode of Lost. This really isn't a problem if executed properly, but you can tell the length had an adverse effect on character/plot development. - Shakey Cam. Take a dramamine (sp?) before you see this one. I'm not really one to be prone to motion sickness and didn't think this would bother me, but it's really distracting. At times, you'll have to look away out of sheer frustration of the odd angles and the picture constantly jumping around. I couldn't even imagine watching this one in the first 10 rows.

Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere here, but the short of it is the Mets are in pursuit of Santana for Deolis Guerra, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, and Phil Humber. Apparently, the Twins say it would be a done deal if they tossed in Fernando Martinez. That's a ton to give up...but it is Santana. You could assume that with the core players the Mets have (Reyes, Wright, Beltran, and Santana), they'd be relatively young enough (and have enough money) to live through a depleted farm system for a couple years. I also think they have quite a few high round draft picks (3 or so in the first 2 rounds). Text: Link

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Jan 5, 2008 -> 10:42 PM) Guys are you for cereal? Kong wont be traded to the Angels, but I could see an NL team maybe saying hello to the Sox. Haven't read the whole thread, so I don't know if someone has mentioned this idea yet... Say somewhere in the NL West? I could see the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Giants all having interest. Usual suspects would probably be the targets (you'd hope): LAD: Kershaw, Broxton, Loney, LaRoche, Miller, et al. ARI: Jackson, Owings, ummmm whatever else? (Really, don't have much of an idea of what we'd get from them) SF: Lincecum, Cain, Lowry (but doubt anyone would be pleased with that), Sanchez, et al. I know it's a pipe dream, but if SF is in any way serious about dealing Cain or Lincecum, I say you have to go for it (esp. if it's Lincecum). Lots of teams in the NL West looking to win now...it's obviously a strong division. Adding someone like Konerko could have a strong impact on the race out there and I think there are multiple suitors who would "mortgage their future" by netting konerko.

Take this with a HUGE grain of salt, as I got it from friends of friends of friends....It'll be interesting to see if it's true... Full list.. "Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rick Ankiel, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Aaron Boone, Rafaeil Bettancourt, Bret Boone, Milton Bradley, David Bell, Dante Bichette, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Wil Cordero, Ken Caminiti, Mike Cameron, Ramon Castro, Jose and Ozzie Canseco, Roger Clemens, Paxton Crawford, Wilson Delgado, Lenny Dykstra, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett, Kyle Farnsoworth, Ryan Franklin, Troy Glaus, Rich Garces, Jason Grimsley, Troy Glaus, Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Jose Guillen, Jay Gibbons, Juan Gonzalez, Clay Hensley, Jerry Hairston, Felix Heredia, Jr., Darren Holmes, Wally Joyner, Darryl Kile, Matt Lawton, Raul Mondesi, Mark McGwire, Guillermo Mota, Robert Machado, Damian Moss, Abraham Nunez, Trot Nixon, Jose Offerman, Andy Pettitte, Mark Prior, Neifi Perez, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Juan Rincon, John Rocker, Pudge Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Schoenweiis, David Segui, Alex Sanchez, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Julian Tavarez,Fernando Tatis, Maurice Vaughn, IJason Varitek, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams and Kerry Wood."

Haven't posted in awhile so I guess I'll shake off the rust...heh. Just wanted to say I'm a big fan of this deal. Outside of Quentin's abilities as a hitter and a defender (as I'm sure has been outlined enough so far) he adds the Sox further flexibility in the free agent market as well as the trade market. I mean Jose f'n Guillen is about to sign with the royals for 12million per (3 years, $36 million). Don't get me wrong, I think Guillen is a nice player (def. has some issues though) but $12 million? That's pretty ridiculous. The Sox just got a guy for basically the league minimum for the next couple years that should put up a good obp and some decent numbers. This is something I believe (as well as many others here believe) they desperately needed...a cheap, young solution in the lineup. To me, this points to someone like Fukudome rather than Andruw Jones. The market has been set on Jones, and Boras wont budge (although he could end up getting screwed if Jones continues to sit out on the market...many teams are filling their need for OFs already).