fathom

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 10:45 PM) He's prob next in line. And should be. Has to be...no way you can use Thornton in a pressure situation right now. Wouldn't shock me if we hear about some lingering elbow issue in the coming days. I will say that Jeff Gray is a waste of roster spot, and you might as well bring up someone you think can get you one out. BTW, extremely impressed with Bob Geren this series. He definitely puts his players in a good chance to succeed with how he plays match-ups.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:43 PM) I'd imagine ticket sales have completely dried up with the way this bullpen is pitching. Should be a ton of empty seats until the end of May. That's assuming they were ever "wet"

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:43 PM) "I don't have a closer" - pissed off Ozzie after the game. Hey dumbass, repeat after me: SERGIO SANTOS

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:40 PM) Not worth getting too worked up about. There's a lot of clarity knowing that if this team underachieves, at least it means the likely end of the KW/Ozzie regime. This bullpen is making it very hard to "like" this team right now, as they already have 4 just heartbreaking losses.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:38 PM) Matt has been dominant with basically just a fastball for 3 years. Teams haven't suddenly figured him out just because he is pitching in the 9th inning. He isn't locating the fastball as well as he has in the past and his velocity seems down a bit. His slider is also worse than usual and it isn't surprising he is getting hammered. People seem to forget he fell apart physically, and in some ways mentally, last year. Will he ever recover? His next outing has got to come in a non-pressure situation.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:37 PM) the following are the things that stupify me about todays game (i know i am being redundant with some of them, but this is irritating me that much) if you come out publicly and say Thornton is your closer, then thornton is your closer If not, and sale is your closer, then ok. But if sale is your closer and you bring him in winning by 3, then he is your f***ign closer and you leave him in there with a men on 1st and 2nd and 0 out up by 2. If you then decide that Sale isn't your closer because he gave up 3 straight hits, and Jesse crain is going to be your closer, and you allow crain to pitch with bases loaded an 0 outs, then you allow crain to pitch with bases loaded and 1 out. More than all that though, if you aren't smart enough as a manager to realize that 3-4 tough games for a reliever (2 of which your LF dropped easy fly balls that would have won the game), isn't nearly as indicative of a guys potential as pitcher as his stellar previous 3 years (and 200 innings) of work, then you aren't smart enough to be a manager in major league baseball Great stuff in here...I'm still shocked Crain didn't start the 9th with two righties starting the 9th inning. It's like Ozzie was more scared of Matsui than anything else.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:36 PM) Close and delete this thread. Hit the gym, get a beer, watch the bulls and hawks. Take a breath, back at it on Friday. Can we just skip the Weaver/Haren games? Good stuff in here though Rock, have a fun night tonight!

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:35 PM) Jenks was terrible last year and his WHIP and ERA had gotten worse for 3 straight seasons. The only positive sign at all for him was that his K rate was up lst year from the previous 2 seasons. I don't fault the Sox at all for not bringing him back especially at that salary. Jon Rauch had a better chance of returning to the Sox than Jenks did after last season's off the field issues.

QUOTE (kapzk @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:35 PM) might as well make Jake Peavy our closer now Awesome, get like 2 relief appearances before he'd get injured again. Thanks though kapzk, I was waiting for this post!!

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:34 PM) Plus 1. I wanted him for that role. Unfortunatey he took more money. He'd also be a calming influence on Thornton right now also.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:32 PM) Cowley: And I agree. Yep

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:30 PM) And I get that. It just seems that, right now, it doesn't matter WHO Ozzie uses, they find a way to blow it, regardless of situation, regardless of anything. All of you are simply second guessing whoever Ozzie picks, they blow the game, and you ASSUME that if he had picked ANYONE else, it'd be different...kinda like how that other retard accused me of having nothing but inept opinions because I base on them on assumptions? I've never seen a stupider post from anyone on this board... Check the board, this is second guessing at all. Thornton for Buehrle and using Sale today were criticized well before the implosion took place.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:29 PM) Even if the Sox had the worst bullpen in baseball, its still a statistical anomaly that they have given up this many runs in the 9th inning. Eventually there will be a regression to the mean, its just annoying today. I bet that's what Arizona thought last year This is purely mental right now with them. I'm so freaking disappointed in Thornton. At this point, you hope his contract extension isn't a waste of money.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:28 PM) Have we gone down 1-2-3 in the last inning of all our losses? yes

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:27 PM) Holy s***, weaver and haren this weekend? We are f***ed. Yep, hopefully Dunn starts contributing again.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:26 PM) Um, ALL second guessing is done via assumption, just as every last one of yours are. You simply ASSUME that using Thornton off the bat, instead of Sale, results in a successful outing. See how that works, you jackass? Which makes your opinions inept, and f***ing retarded, quite frankly. All that matters is the f***ing result.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:25 PM) What do you even do at this point? I can't recall having this bad a problem in recent history. Make Santos the closer in about 5 minutes. Have Crain and Sale your set-up men, and use Thornton in the 7th inning for now.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:19 PM) Crain failed too. So did Thornton. So keep making excuses for members of the bullpen, because it wouldn't have mattered WHO Ozzie used. Crain got one guy out, and gave up one walk. That's better than we can hope for from anyone besides Santos.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:17 PM) Kenny Williams just punched something. Hopefully it's whomever told him that Thornton has the make up to be a closer.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:14 PM) It has to be Ozzies...despite him trying to use just about the entire bullpen, only to have every one of them fail...it's his fault. Keep making excuses for Sale starting the 9th. Pretty simple choice to use Crain there with 2 righties up.

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:12 PM) I can't believe just ONE aspect (the bullpen) of this otherwise fairly solid team is about as frustrating for me to watch as that damn 2007 season as a WHOLE... and it's barely been a week and a half worth of games. This is just brutal. Just like the leadoff issues 2 years ago and the DH issue last year, whenever there's uncertainty with a Sox position, you know the self-fulfilling prophecy of failure will occur.

Thornton is absolutely awful this season. What a freaking choker. Way to step up and take control of this bullpen. Serious issues with this bullpen now, as no one besides Santos seems to have confidence. Probably the most disappointing 7-5 record you can imagine.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 10:04 PM) Santos will blow a save and be the wrong choice in no time. Give it a few days. He would have been the wrong choice today to pitch after 2 innings yesterday.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 10:00 PM) the biggest thing is that ozzie comes out and says thornton is his closer in public, then deflates the guys confidence putting sale out there, then puts him in an impossible situation in which the likelihood of failing is high....its awful managing Sale threw 2 stressful innings last night. Even if he went 1-2-3 today, I would have felt like it was too much for him. When you also add into the fact that the 2 righties he faced today faced him last night, it's truly a pathetic decision by Ozzie.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 09:56 PM) couldnt disagree more...you say publicly the guy is your closer....so f***ing use him as your closer, not a rookie who pitched 2 innings 18 hours ago I have no idea why Crain didn't start that inning.