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QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Sep 5, 2006 -> 08:40 PM) A thread like this would never be started if there were any more good posters around. This is as far as i have read yet... and jphat has amused me already... and i see there is much more of him to come. It is both amusing and boring at the same time... Amusing because he truly believes everything he says... and boring because it is all he mentions.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 31, 2006 -> 04:16 PM) How much more does Pods have to suck before he gets removed from the starting lineup? He improved today... what more can you ask for from him?

Well there is one positive from this game... if thome played today the sox probally would have gotten shut out.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 31, 2006 -> 04:08 PM) Seth McClung in. We got ourselves a ball game. They do not want to win this game.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Aug 31, 2006 -> 12:38 AM) Scott Podsednik is not a free agent after this season, he still has i believe 2 years of Arbitration remaining. Meaning he is under Sox control so they can do 1 of 4 things this offseason: 1.) Trade his ass 2.) Sign him to a new deal avoiding arbitration 3.) Go to arbitration with the bastage 4.) Non-tender him, he becomes a free agent, the Sox get diddly. He will likely sign his one year deal and then they will trade him off... depends how soon they want to get him. They do not want to get rid of him to the point that they non-tender him.. i believe that we will get more back for him than what is expected.

QUOTE(cgaudin @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 10:19 PM) That stolen base was freakin' clutch. He did everything he could to get an opportunity to score. Had that been Thome hitting 3rd, we would be in extra innings right now. Derek Jeter helped himself tonight for MVP honors, but JD would not be outdone, and he scored the winning run! MV phawkin' P! This is not a fact.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 03:58 PM) Jose has some mechanical issues, and he's gone away from what made him great. However, Contreras is not as good as he looked for that extended stretch. He's never had pinpoint control....and then all of a sudden, he was able to throw any pitch he wanted in the perfect location. He is not a sub three era pitcher... anything in the 3.30-3.75 range should not be out of question. I also have a feeling we are gonna see he make one last run... along with two others from out of starters. Blind hope maybe... considering who it is coming from.

Dye into the three hole is a non-move. QUOTE(Kalapse @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 12:56 PM) Rocco's situation is much different than Dye's, just look at the nature of the injuries. Dye's have mainly been freak injuries, following balls off his shin has been his main problem as well as the spiderbite fiasco. Rocco on the other hand relies on his speed, without that he's nothing, he missed 230 games over 2 seasons because of a knee injury and since comming back this year in July he's missed games because of a hip injury and is fighting a nagging hamstring even now. I'm not really sure how a change of scenery is going to keep him from f***ing up his legs any further. You cannot really say he wouldn't be anything without speed. Players who fit that description are gathright ( who is awful even with speed)... taveras... podsednik... etc. Baldelli has shown great potential and has shown he can hit at any level he is at... not to mention his defense is a big plus. Sooner rather than later he is gonna have a big season (.900+ ops out of a center is what i am saying).

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 12:32 AM) One thing about Uribe though, he plays the most important defensive position on the field, can you name me a single player in all of baseball who plays better defense than him at shortstop? This is arguable... short does not have as much power on the team as a center field.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 11:07 AM) I see your point. The only possible explanation for those moves are that Montero and Thornton are both a lot older than B-Mac and have more experience. Thornton and Logan both came in to get out a tough left-handeder, a situation that McCarthy is obviously not going to be in. One could argue that Ozzie is just being extra-careful in bringing B-Mac along, although I'm not sure how strong of an argument it would be. I don't really see how B-Mac's quiet demeanor could "clash" with Ozzie, given guys like Paulie, Thome, and Garland aren't exactly hyperactive loud-mouths. But other than the Sox being extra-careful with B-Mac, I can't offer an alternative explanation. Montero is older sure... more experienced? No. Mccarthy already had a three game stretch that he gave up just two runs in 22.1 innings pitched... against texas, boston, and the angels last year... showing he is more than capable in any situation. Why is it obvious that mccarthy cannot come in to face a tough left hander? Left handers .181 average and .587 ops against tell me differently. There is no reason he couldn't come in to face that lefty and then go on to pitch another inning... even if needed or he was in a rhythm. QUOTE(greg775 @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 12:29 AM) I just read this post. I can't believe how tired the fire Oz stuff has become. My god, he won the World Series last year, people. Do you realize how insane the idea of firing Ozzie is? That said ... if he is miserable here I hope he quits and takes a job with a team he cares less about. There is no doubt nobody wants the White Sox to win more than Ozzie. He won a world series? Ozzie did nothing last year that was rather amazing as a manager other than make bone headed mistakes in game and out. Constant misuse of the bullpen and line-up. Very limited injuries and the pitching was amazing. Sure... i guess you can say he rested his line-up? Which made them go on to a world series victory? Probally was not what his starting pitching did... I just ask for my manager to put me in a position to win every game... and i do not think with a straigh face anyone can say he does.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 04:59 PM) The performance of Dye, Iguchi, and Thome against lefties and righties is, at this point, no longer a sample size issue, but a fact of this season. Having Iguchi, Thome, and Podsednik all together weakens us tremendously against left handers, which is the biggest reason by far why I would like Dye in the 3 hole...it prevents a team from being able to bring in a guy like a Jamie Walker or a Dennys Reyes to pitch to 3 guys who are hitting .219, .233, and .247 against Lefties. Against lefties i have no problem changing the line-up around. When facing a right-hander the lineup should be as followed. Podsednik. Iguchi Thome. Dye. Konerko Crede. Pierzynski. Uribe. Anderson. This is the most logical going by what they have done verse right handers this season. I feel it is the managers job to put us in the best position to win... and he has not done it with the offense. We have two every day players not batting in the right place and a third in mackowiak when he comes off the bench.

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 04:31 PM) Good point .... We wouldve won despite Thome being in the #3 hole on Sunday I believe also, but game may have been much closer So gload's one single and steal was a deciding factor? Sox win 6-1 either way... idiotic to think other wise.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 04:23 PM) Didn't Thome bat 4th or 5th for all of those great Indians teams? Thome was also not the best hitter on those indians teams. Thome is the best and most feared hitter on this white sox team... dye's amazing season does not change my opinion and likely will not sway any others in the league. The offense has been fine outside of a couple stretches... which as we all know teams will run into at some point in the season. Dye's ops with runners on this season is 1.073 while thome's is 1.170... dye's ops with runners in scoring position is 1.183 while thome's 1.236. Thome has the slight edge in both and has been there all year... therefore making him more comfortable than being switched for no reason. When dye and thome are both in the line-up it doesn't matter who bats 3-4 because you would not gain or lose anything long term. Also if dye only had two hits in his twenty at-bats with one lonely double this swap idea i keep seeing/hearing would never have been brought up. I have just come to accept that people love sample sizes and have short term memories. Btw, if anyone should be moved it is clearly konerko and dye.

QUOTE(cgaudin @ Aug 22, 2006 -> 09:12 PM) But he was "brilliant" last year? C'mon. Bottom line is starting pitching has not done the job. Subsequently, the pen has been overexposed, which leads to a snowball effect of pisspoor pitching performance. Thome has been a great hitter this year. But I've said all year that he's not the right 3 hitter for this team. He is the primary reason why the offense is predicated solely on the long ball. He's also the strike out extraordinaire of this team. That is Guillen's fault for abandoning a key ingredient from last year's offense. It wasn't a power offense, but it was a PRESSURE offense. Team speed is atrocious, and the offense is nothing like what it was last year. Last year's team didn't score a lot of runs, but the offense was CONSISTENT in scoring a few runs. Like the top thread indicated, if not for the long ball, this team does not score runs. That alone has cost this team about 7 or 8 wins this season. Ozzie's only flaw is that he puts too much stock on a player's history, as opposed to his current game rhythm. In other words, he thinks "He came through for us last year, he'll do it again" while ignoring that player's slumping tendencies. I hate the Yankees, but I love Joe Torre. He doesn't put up with garbage for too long. If a player ain't producing, they dig deep to find a replacement quickly, and he rides out players on a hot streak better than anyone in baseball. The sox are in the top of the league is many of the major offensive categories. What i put up in bold is just a guess and you have zero facts to back up that claim. Jim thome is still the very least of our problems and will continue to be all year. The sox were not a power offense last year? Is that why they hit over 200 homeruns along to go with one of the highest home run to run ratio in baseball? Hmm...

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ Aug 16, 2006 -> 09:56 PM) There had better be a closed door meeting or early bp or early fielding or hopefully all of the above even though there is a day game somebody's voice had better be raised in that locker room. the intensity was not there tonight it is unacceptable to lose that badly to that team at home with your ace on the mound. Not to mention that team was the royals of all teams...

QUOTE(gosox41 @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 10:49 PM) I've been disappointed all year with the Sox inability to hit sacrifice flies. It seems like there's been a lot more DP's and pop outs with the bases loaded this year. Bob The sox are second in baseball with 42 sacrafice flies this year...

QUOTE(SoxAce @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 12:13 AM) You my friend... are a god send! ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Even though Fop and Dougly are very, very close. Talk about a total 180...

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 9, 2006 -> 03:48 PM) Sure...but just because you're a Sox super fan, it doesn't mean you're a good poster/smart baseball person. For the most part that is what you find when looking at any given sports team message board. Great fans who generally know their own team in and out... then limited knowledge of anything else around the league. Best places for talk are generally baseball blogs... people usually put more time and thought about what they are trying to get across.

QUOTE(rangercal @ Aug 7, 2006 -> 11:30 PM) Call me a liar. Call me a homer. But I knew he could. The man is a freak of nature when healthy. There are a few factors that led me to belive he would come back strong. 1) I firmly belived he came back too early last year to help the team. On one leg he hit 12 hr's last year. Imagine what he could do when he can plant his feet . That gives him balance, balance is very important for big guys. 2) He may be getting old, but he will have his batting eye for years. That is one thing you don't lose as fast as other tools. 3) The guy is still in amazing shape. He has not relied on steroids to keep himself in that way. 4) He has played 108 out of 324 possible games the last 2 years. Games and practice that would have been grueling on a player in his mid 30's gave him a chance to not put so much strain on his body. 5) Frank Thomas was put into the same sentence as players like Ruth and Williams when I was younger. He is the only first basemen besides Jimmie Fox (32 & 33) to win Back to Back Mvps. He could easily have had 4-5 if he were a media darling like griffey or ripken. Frank Thomas may be the only sox player in your lifetime that was a legitimite contender for triple crown. This is a man who is 6'5 257 lbs and won a batting title. A career .425 obp and .991 OPS is nothing to laugh at. You have a guy who is 8 years older than some of the stars in the game and is still putting better power numbers up (i.e guerrero) My point is. Big Frank is a special player. That is what gets you in the HOF. You just dont give up on players like that. Best thing about number two is that he has actually gotten a better eye than this year than the past five years. He has walked as many times this year as he has struck out (53) and has seen 4.32 pitches per plate appearances... which would be the best in his entire career... excluding his first season with less than 200 at-bats.

QUOTE(Al Lopez @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 04:55 PM) Well hold on here. What specifically is the lie and a half, and who do you think is lying here? Sure isn't me. Buehrle's fastball when it is ''on'' is in the 89-91 range... not 85. He reaches 85 with every fastball he throws up there... not just 44% of the time. Could have just been a type i suppose...

QUOTE(Al Lopez @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 06:49 AM) Then he added this: last year Buerhle's fast ball, when it was on, was at 85 mph. This year he reaches 85 only 44% of the time. The numbers support what our eyes are telling us. This is a lie and a half...

If the sox do not score at least five runs tomorrow...

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 10:49 PM) I think sometimes people forget how bad our offense was last year. One of the reason small ball seemed to help us win games is because it was the only way that team could score. I think sometimes people forget how bad our offense was last year. One of the reason small ball seemed to help us win games is because it was the only way that team could score. Do people not remember the pathetic swings we took against B. Backe in Game 4 of the World Series? How about how we went about 8 innings in Game 3 of the WS without a run? Small ball/ozzie/grinder/smart ball is a bad way to go about the game. If you play for just one run... one run is all you will likely end up with. The media made up and ran with the entire ozzie ball thing because we never have been a small ball team. There were spurts when they attempted it last year and many of times it failed miserably (people will of course only remember the good). Small ball just hinders any opportunity for a large inning and should nearly never be used before the 7th/8th inning. Small ball teams are not always among the league leaders in runs scored via the homerun while hitting 200 plus every year. This team has hit too well the majority of the year with risp for me to not believe that they will regain there form. This would not even be a topic if someone in our rotation could give us something that resembles a quality start other than jon garland. The problems with this team is the starting pitching... and of course ozzie's capabilites as a manage... which have lacked from day one. On soxtalk though it is a sin to bad mouth such a master mind of the game. When you and i use to point out something and it went wrong before it happened one of two things would be said... We have it out to get him... Or... There was a purpose for it and it actually made sense... Ozzie is an awful in game manager and no one will ever convince me other wise. I can honestly care less if the players love him and he is like one of the team. What i do care about is him putting us in the best position to win each and every game... which he fails at. I do not even fully blame him, someone in the orginization has got to tell him just because you are left handed does not automatically mean you are incapable of getting a right handed batter out. Neal cotts all last year was taken out when some weak hitting pos walked up to the plate and it was ridiculous. That is just one of the thousands examples i can give. Ozzie is a god though and shall never be criticized.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 02:46 AM) sometimes with some of the stuff you see on message boards where people are serious.... green is neccesary. This is not jeckle we are talking about... this is wite.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 02:44 AM) you forgot the green right? Why do people bother asking this? Seems rather obvious...