fathom

QUOTE(rowand @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 06:11 PM) let's let him play 2-3 games a week with us since he is hitting well. pick our spots with thome and give konerko a day off once a week for pete's sake. Or how about we let him play in LF more? His D is bad out there, but so is everyone else we've put out there this season. There's no reason to keep PK and Thome on the bench once a week if they're healthy.

Dye's offense has been awesome, there's no question. However, why do people keep saying he has a cannon for an arm? He hasn't thrown out anyone at 3rd or home this season, and teams are definitely being aggressive on the bases against him.

QUOTE(SadChiSoxFanOptimist @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 05:22 PM) I like JD, but I think perhaps this is his last year with us. Wrong!

I wish Dye would charge the ball more when someone is trying to score from 2nd base on a single. Far too often this year, he's sat back on the ball, and ends up throwing it flat-footed to home. It's one of the main reasons he hasn't thrown out anyone at home this season. The same thing goes for Pods. Even if you have a pathetic arm like he does, it doesn't mean you can't charge the ball. Pods plays the outfield like he's a 250 pound infielder playing the position for the first time.

QUOTE(Al Lopez @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 04:39 PM) The dropoff for Buehrle is just as significant for him, in that (as Hawk would say) to the batter's eye there isn't a big difference between Mark's fastball and his changeup. Batters are pounding him because they aren't being fooled. Maybe Mark has to adjust to his slower fastball by making his changeup slower yet. Game of adjustments. I sure wouldn't give up on him, and I'm glad they didn't trade him this week. Eventually - maybe next year - he'll figure it out. I haven't noticed much of a drop-off at all with Buehrle's speed this year. Actually, he was throwing harder in his last game than he normally does. Buehrle is a control pitcher, and his main issue is everything is up in the zone. Garcia is much different, as he used to use his fastball to set up his offspeed stuff. Even when he threw 94 mph, he rarely threw his fastball by people. However, the difference between the 88 mph fastball and 94 mph fastball, followed by an offspeed pitch, is huge. It's not just Garcia's fastball that isn't as crisp. His slider has nowhere near the tilt that it did when he first joined the Sox. If you go back and watch his first start with the team, he had terrific stuff. And as someone mentioned before, his velocity started to decline pretty drastically last year. He was in the 90-91 mph range all season.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 04:40 PM) More than Brandon's success last season is the failures of our current rotation. Myself, and others, aren't using it alone as proof everything would turn around -- just that what's out there right now isn't working. I believe it's different than suggesting how "Buehrle was pivotal to our success last year, so therefore he must be again." I was very impressed with McCarthy last night. He seemed to pitch with more confidence. Maybe the trade deadline being over helped him relax, or maybe his awful outing in Baltimore might have made him pick up his game.

It was nice to see us get a big lead against KC and actually prevent them from rallying. Lets hope Thome is ok...we're going to need him.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 02:35 AM) Ha. Take off your Red Sox hatred goggles. Laughable. If you're going to ask a question, why laugh at anyone who says Pujols?

Here's the dreaded 6th inning again.

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 01:37 AM) Too bad Ross Gload is not good inthe outfield, otherwise I might suggest him as a LF. What makes his defense any worse than Pods now?

BTW, we should also be rooting for the Indians to beat up on the Red Sox this week. The Red Sox are basically as much of a threat to us as the Yanks are right now.

I'm just grateful we got the good Thome this season. He's been better and more consistent than I thought he would be this season. People forget how many 3 run homers he hit for us earlier in the year that gave us enough cushion to win.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 01:23 AM) No I don't. The only 2 I find totally useless are Vazquez and Garcia. I have been one of Contreras' biggest supporters since he became a White Sox. Last year when people wanted to trade him for Burnett, I was laughed at for suggesting he could outpitch Burnett the rest of the 2005 season. I'm not a huge fan of Garland, but he's been better lately. He'll fall back from where's he been but probably won't be as bad as he was at the beginning of the year for the balance. Buerhle I like, but he's been so horrible. He'll be back. You've been very consistent in your view of players. I've never seen you switch your opinion of a specific player from one game to the next just because of something they do good or bad.

QUOTE(Whitewashed in @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 01:15 AM) Yeh Gload's a good hitter, he just isn't versatile enough to really utilize him on this squad. He earned his spot on the roster for the rest of the season on Friday night. If Thome has a lingering wrist injury, we're going to see a lot of Gload.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 01:10 AM) Yeah, well, it's an easy way to criticize. Contreras pitching rough in a game doesn't have to do with a rough day. I think we can all agree we've seen too many "rough days" lately. I do agree though, I used a bad word to describe Contreras. I was referring more to the entire starting rotation. If these guys don't want to be remembered as one of the more disappointing collection of starters in the last 20 years, they need to have a strong finish to the season.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 01:07 AM) No guts? This is not directed to you, but just sports in general. How can you tell that? Just because they aren't pitching well? Is it their demeanor? I just always wonder when fans say they have no heart or no guts or whatever just because they are playing like crap. I know, it wasn't a good word. I tried to explain it better by saying stepping up and taking charge. There's only one pitcher who I think has no guts on this team, and we know who it is.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 01:07 AM) That error was costly, but Jose has been crap anyway so it doesn't matter. He needs to start pitching good cause he's been mediocre since a few starts before his streak ended. I will never understand why he was so intent on developing new arm angles while he was injured. Last I had checked, he was pitching great prior to that.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 01:05 AM) Contreras' problem isn't guts. Not every pitcher's problems has to do with "guts." It would be great to see just one of them step up and carry the team during a tough stretch when they need innings.

Our pitchers have absolutely no guts right now.

Our left side of the infield can't throw the ball with any authority for some strange reason. Lets call it the Garcia Effect.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 12:53 AM) Crede does look tired lately, but doesn't he historically hit well in KC? Yes he does. He hit some homers against Byrd that haven't landed yet. That was a fun series, as LTP hit an inside-the-parker. QUOTE(CYGarland @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 12:54 AM) I dont see why he would be tired, he had 4 days off from the all-star break, and a couple more days off since. If anything, he's either aching or ill, or just in a slump He's swinging and throwing like someone who has a back problem possibly.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 12:47 AM) And our offense dies all of a sudden. It's such deja vu of the Pirates game. Contreras will likely struggle all game, and our best chance of winning will be against the KC bullpen. QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 12:48 AM) Oh, and BTW, worst night to sit Iguchi. He can only hit righties. If you know so much, why aren't you the manager?

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 12:44 AM) Pods looked like he was playing bounce or fly and he needed to get one on the bounce. He is really pathetic defensively. He wasn't great last year, but the dropoff this season has been tremendous. People say he's supposed to be a decent outfielder because he has speed. However, he's so tentative out there, and he looks slower than hell now. I laugh when people rip on Manny's defense when trying to stick up for Pods. I watched some Red Sox games this weekend, and Manny made 5 throws in those games better than any Pods has ever made.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Aug 1, 2006 -> 12:42 AM) It was the right thing to do. Unless we could have acquired another leadoff hitter/left fielder to replace Pods. There was no excuse for this team to not acquire a 4th outfielder.

Good job Ross....and yes DA, Pods is the worst LF in baseball. He better appreciate playing this season, cause he's going to be a bencher for the rest of his career after this season.