fathom

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 22, 2006 -> 12:00 AM) vs. KC (Jenks blown save) at TB (Vasquez left in too long) vs. Flubs (Uribe f*** up) Games like these are games we won last year, and were why we clinched the division at Detroit instead of heading to Cleveland tied for first or down a couple games. If we lose this division and/or don't make the playoffs, these types of games are the reason why. You can't blow 3 games, ESPECIALLY against s*** teams with late leads. I hope I won't have to bump this thread in 4 months. Umm....I agree that it sucks we've lost these games, but we had our fair share of pathetic losses last year also. We blew quite a few big leads vs the Royals late last year. We also lost a few bad games at Tampa. The one thing I beg of Ozzie is to unleash Jenks! Stop treating him with kid gloves....our bullpen's not good enough without him (especially in situations where you need a K).

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ May 21, 2006 -> 09:55 PM) His d has been shady all season. You're right, .200 is bad with or without bad defense. It just magnifies his offensive woes when he's not making the plays in the field. And it's magnified even more when we're getting no production from our CF position either.

QUOTE(Whitewashed in @ May 21, 2006 -> 09:51 PM) He definitley needs to step it up because we all know he can swing the bat a lot better than that. We do? With his current stance and approach, he's not going to hit for s***. As many on here always discuss, I have no clue why he went away from the leg kick. As of right now, he's just another guy who has numbers circa 2004 that he hasn't been close to matching since.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ May 21, 2006 -> 09:30 PM) He just had more important things on his mind than what the Sun Times's week-old douchebag Moronatti had to say. Like stories about Carl Yaz or Jim Rice?

He's sucked this season. His defense has been nowhere near as good as it was last year. He's one of the worst hitters in all of baseball. I don't even want to think what his numbers would be if not for that 2 homer game against the Twins.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ May 21, 2006 -> 09:19 PM) Yeah, there's a direct correlation there. :rolly Never said there was....just that it's funny Hawk waited until that point of the game to do it.

Not quite sure why Hawk waited until the 8th inning to do this. Have no fear though Hawk, immediately after you said the stuff, the Cubs started their rally.

QUOTE(WCSox @ May 21, 2006 -> 09:11 PM) Yep, Neal really s*** the bed after the double-play-that-should've-been. He still had the lead, two outs, and the runner was only on first. And it's not like Walker was a threat to steal and score on a single. While Uribe and Paulie deserve some blame for not turning the latter half of that DP, Cotts was the one who lost the game. You can't make a pitch like that with two outs and the go-ahead run at the plate. I just hope that Ozzie wasn't more concerned with Jones than he was Barrett. If he had no problem bringing in Jenks last Sunday in the same spot, why not tonight?

QUOTE(MayIHelpYouMrLennon? @ May 21, 2006 -> 09:05 PM) You couldve said at the start of the season that McCarthy would've been a huge guy out of hte BP (even w/ his 5.38 or w/e it is ERA) and that Cotts and Politte would retain form. I want to be able to have our pitchers go 7 inning and be up by 2 w/o having thier lead have a pretty decent chance of getting blown and if it means losing McCarthy, then so be it. If McCarthy is what you guys make him out to be, arent you going to be somewhat excited at what we can garner in a trade for him? You absolutely don't trade McCarthy. Also, I don't know of a single soul who expected Politte to come anywhere close to matching his numbers this season. Lets all be extremely satisfied with how great he was in a year that we won the World Series.

QUOTE(MayIHelpYouMrLennon? @ May 21, 2006 -> 09:01 PM) Yea, and the reason we have that 2nd best record is because we werent complacent in the offseason. Now theres a weakness thats emerged on this team. The only guys on our team that can conisistently hold a lead past the 7th are our starters. When you just say "Oh, things will work themselves out", they very rarely do. "Emerged"? Even the boss of this site recognized that our bullpen was neglected in the offseason.

Anyone hoping for bullpen help from our minor league guys (not signees like Lopez and Nelson) is going to be disappointed. We don't have anyone that can come up and help. And like someone else said, if Ozzie/KW trades McCarthy, he should be punched.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ May 21, 2006 -> 08:54 PM) What I hate most about this loss (more than the fact it was against the Cubs) are the upcoming series. Oakland Toronto Cleveland Wins may not come easy, and giving away victories due to a weak bullpen and defensive miscues CANNOT happen these next few weeks. Defensive mistakes more than a bullpen. There were three plays today which gave the Cubs extra opportunities. Games are going to be tougher to win with some of our guys settling back to their norms (Crede). We have got to start getting some production from the bottom of the order....our 2-3-4-5 can't continue to drive in nearly every run.

QUOTE(Ndgt10 @ May 21, 2006 -> 08:52 PM) Politte sure does blow major ass this year. I can't believe he doesn't have an ERA under 2 this season. :rolly

Maybe the roles need to be changed a little? I just don't know why Ozzie is so hesistant to use Jenks when we're WINNING!

Oh my god........how am I going to live? - The Sox aren't in first place - The Sox lost to the Cubs

On the bright side, at least Contreras is back. That will benefit us more the rest of the way than a Sunday win over the Cubs.

At least Jenks got a nice rest this week....he only pitched once.

QUOTE(JimH @ May 21, 2006 -> 08:46 PM) Disagree. They like Hairston, they drafted him, they've tried to acquire him in the past, his dad is a Sox employee. All you had to do was look at Politte's reaction, plus Politte is trying to shut the door, not put guys on base to score, which ultimately a guy did. There was no intent there. Fair enough...I'll agree to disagree. Maybe Politte simply forgot how to throw inside (no shock).

QUOTE(SpringfieldFan @ May 21, 2006 -> 08:46 PM) Give Juan a break. I recall last year Crede had a defensive lapse and got an "It's alright Joe" banner the next day. It was alright - evidenced by October. Maybe if his offense hasn't sucked all year, people would be a little more forgiving.

QUOTE(SouthsideNorthsideFan @ May 21, 2006 -> 08:45 PM) what kind of garbage is that?? The pussification of America.

Crede have like one hit this whole week?

QUOTE(CYGarland @ May 21, 2006 -> 08:43 PM) PR for AJ Why?

QUOTE(JimH @ May 21, 2006 -> 08:40 PM) You couldn't be more wrong. Punch and Judy Jerry Hairston Jr. is the last guy they'd hit if they were tyring to send a message. Ozzie will be the first one to say the beat themselves, assuming they lose this game. He doesn't play those types of games. The Sox have had issues with Hairston twice in the past (Loaiza and Colon). I remember hearing from someone associated with the team that they thought he was a whiner. I agree that the Iguchi play wasn't intentional, but that sure looked to be right at him. Also...Ozzie wasn't retaliating for yesterday....that was for today.

Does anyone know what our record is this season leading after 6 innings, compared to last year?

Cliff Politte....away, away, away. Our bullpen is awful!