fathom

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 15, 2007 -> 09:01 PM) Angel was AMAZING in high school. I remember being 100% certain he would be big-time. Looks like he still has a chance to be just that. Do you feel confident about bringing him into the program with his previous behavior issues? I'm not so sure Weber can bring in any "high risk" recruits right now.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 12:02 AM) I'm really growing more pessimistic about our chances to reach the playoffs every passing day. I'll be just as surprised if we win the division as I would if we came in 4th place. The Indians and Tigers definitely got stronger over the offseason, and we did not. The Indians are my pick to win the division.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:27 PM) Lets put it this way... So far McCarthy has looked probably worse then Floyd and Danks. Shouldn't he be granted the same excuses as Floyd/Danks though, as he's pitching in Arizona with a repetoire of pitches that would be greatly impacted due to the circumstances?

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:23 PM) I'd gladly take that bet. I'll put more stock in the experience of Wells, and also that he's pitching in the NL in the best pitcher's park in the world.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:22 PM) Actually, from all I read, KW has been expecting big things out of Floyd, and even thought if McCarthy had stayed that Floyd could have beat him out. Danks wasn't considered at first but he has provided some good results. Also, this is much different then 04, as in 04 we only had garbage for the 5th spot. Now, we have several young talented arms. And putting so much faith in Floyd was a huge mistake by KW. BTW, our organization didn't think that guys like Arnie Munoz and Felix Diaz were garbage back in 2004. Actually, some of the guys we brought up then had more success in the minors than Danks has, and especially Floyd. Of course, Danks is young, and should be better than those guys in the long run.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:18 PM) I just went through this gamethread. Its interesting that Wells gets hammered and he sucks and needs to retire, and Danks gets hammered and the wind is blowing out and the umpires have a small strike zone. Danks is young. I'd bet a thousand dollars that all things considered, Wells would have a better ERA over a 162 game season this year than Floyd or Danks.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:18 PM) I just went through this gamethread. Its interesting that Wells gets hammered and he sucks and needs to retire, and Danks gets hammered and the wind is blowing out and the umpires have a small strike zone. Danks is young. He's going to struggle if he makes the team. He's struggled initially on just about every level and then became good. That's a good sign, but remember the jump to the major leagues is the biggest leap you can take. If the White Sox are relying on good results from him in the major leagues in 2007, the offense better be the best in team history. I really hope KW is looking for a 5th starter outside the organization. I think Lieber would be perfect. He struggled last year, but he was hurt. It just boggles my mind how KW put us in a position where we didn't have a sure-fire candidate for the 5th starter spot coming into this season. It's as if he learned nothing at all from the 2004 season. I really hope he wasn't expecting Floyd or Danks to be a bonafide starter in the majors this year.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:13 PM) Mack has been awesome this spring. Triple for Rob. I It's just too bad he can't be our starting LF.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 09:44 PM) I really have very little use for Floyd at this point. He has shown me NOTHING to think he is ready to contribute anything to the Chicago White Sox. Welcome to my world. This 5th starter spot is a disaster.

Is this game only on mlb.com?

I like the idea of only worrying about having 4 starters the first few weeks of the season. This way, Perez can make the opening roster, and we can get him in the lineup to face some of the tough lefties we'll face in the first few weeks (assuming he's healthy). I still demand that Floyd start the year in AAA and actually show he can get professional hitters out at a good rate.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 04:19 AM) One small point, but Collins was a silent verbal to Illinois, so yes there was interest. Some say it was a mysterious visit from Bill Self to his mother that changed his beliefs, but I doubt it. I don't think Bill is dirty past the fact that he hires people close to recruits. Weber just lost him somehow. I don't mean to turn this into another Bill vs. Bruce pissing match like every Illini thread seems to turn into so I will just leave my final thoughts. It just bothers me about Illinois fans that Bruce is not even allowed to have a 23 win season and 4th place finish. Could they have been better this season? Yeah, probably. But it wasn't too horrible regarding all they went though. I definitely don't think Weber should be fired right now. However, the program is in serious trouble when it comes to public relations. Nothing that has happened recently will make recruiting easier for him, and he was having enough difficulty before that. Weber might as well lose all of his assistants, as they've really been a disappointment. I just read that there might be some surprise transfers this offseason, and that might not be that bad. The one thing I'd suggest is that they don't sign Angel Santiago. Weber needs to make sure that the guys he's bringing in can be trusted on/off the court. Angel's past doesn't exactly make me confident he can do that.

I don't think that this is true at all. Weber might be a bad recruiter, but he's not that idiotic (even though that story on why he didn't invite Sherron Collins to Midnight Madness is comical). However, this is bad press, as this type of thing will be used against him even when recruiting out of the city. You don't have to believe me if you don't want to.....I've been saying this story for 2 years now, so it's not like I'm making this up to fit this new story.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 01:34 PM) So you're telling me that Dee Brown told Julian Wright to go play at Kansas instead of with Dee at Illinois? Nice try. He told Wright that he'd enjoy his stay more at Kansas. It didn't matter in the long run, as Wright thought Weber was a dork and that his in-home visit was comical. If Self never left Illinois, Wright would have been a 100 pct lock to go there. Why's it so hard to believe when there's a quote in the media how Dee might have done a similar thing with Sherron Collins?

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 07:27 PM) Nice to see fathom again trying to get in a subtle dig in at Illinois on a situation he knows nothing about. Considering we all know what player I'm referring to, and that some of us are from the south suburbs, maybe I might just know this person's coach and best friend? http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10064832 Some more positive vibes for the program. I know there's a lot of good people who are Illini fans on here, but there needs to be some changes made with this athletic dept.

QUOTE(G&T @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 10:59 PM) Bobby suddenly looks fat. He looks huge, and has little flexibility.

I guess I'm the only one concerned about Jenks.

I'm eager to see if Jenks will regain his 98 mph fastball this year, or he'll be in the 93-95 mph range.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 08:53 PM) i think BA will make the club. probably be a utility guy to start season but i could be wrong KW/Ozzie said he'll only make it if he's a full-time starter.

QUOTE(winninguglyin83 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 08:50 PM) Was it just me, or do anybody else come away from the interview with Kenny Williams and Ozzie in the second inning thinking Brian Anderson is going to Charlotte? Sure didn't hear his name mentioned and it sounded like they expect Erstad to get a lot of at bats. considering what Ozzie has already said about Anderson needing to go to the minors if he isn't the everyday CF, he's a dead man. If you've been paying attention to everything being said in the media, you would see that Anderson has no chance to make the big league club.

Cubs outfield defense = not so good

QUOTE(southsida86 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 08:26 PM) Pods looked SLOOOOOOW on that steal. Pods looked slow all last season. I'm convinced guys like Mackowiak are faster than he is. There's a reason Pods is the first no tool starting outfielder in baseball.

He's not the only Kansas player who Dee told to go there over Illinois.

QUOTE(Grindersrule @ Mar 14, 2007 -> 11:15 PM) Pods "triumphant" in return! Woo Hoo http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/artic...sp&c_id=cws Good for Pods. Since he's going to be playing no matter what, we need him to do well.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 14, 2007 -> 11:02 PM) Well, Gonzalez looks like crap. Duh