fathom

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:26 PM) Kenny did recently say that he was gonna wait until spring training to see where Dustin is at and evaluate from there. I took that as him probably going out and makin a move if he doesn't feel Hermy is at or close to 100%. And that's all we're saying in this thread. We think that it's very likely that KW will have to add bullpen help.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:14 PM) How about the "eternal pessimists" who are complaining about how bad the 'pen might be? Given that this team already has six starting pitching options that range from "pretty good" to "great", I don't think that adding another middle reliever is something that has to be done right away. Never thought I'd see Tony and Felix be characterized as eternal pessimists.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:09 PM) If Hermanson is healthy, I have faith in him. He doesnt have the best stuff, but I beleive he knows how to get the job done. However, health is the key word, and like yourself, I dont beleive Dustin will ever get to 100% this season, let alone 80%..... I don't know how confident he is in his own stuff right now. Even if he was healthy, I don't think he would have kept his ERA in the low 3s. No one appreciates what Hermanson did last year more than me. I think he was the MVP of our team for the first 100 games of the season. However, he seemed to be able to do no wrong. He got away with a lot of meatballs right down the plate, and the opposition seemed to have warning track power against him.

I'm going to duck after I say this, but I was hoping that KW would look into trading Contreras for a package including Brad Lidge this offseason.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:03 PM) ^^^^x100. Im almost getting sick of myself because it seems like thats all I post anymore. We need at least 1 more veteran in pen. I threw out the name Ray King, but there 20+ other guys that fit the bill, and will be available by June. I know it sounds greedy when we keep saying that we're going to need another bullpen guy, but it's the truth. It's the one spot on our team that looks like it could be a big downgrade from last season. I have absolutely no confidence in Hermanson. Between his back problems and his lack of velocity/splitter, I think he's going to be serving up homers left and right this season (if he's not on the DL).

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 08:09 PM) You have to go with those that had GOOD years last year and hope that they can hang on. And that's why many baseball experts believe you should never pay top money for a bullpen guy. The position is just so inconsistent year from year. I agree with some of the other posters that potentially our main weakness is the bullpen.

QUOTE(maggsmaggs @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 07:14 PM) This is a huge blow to Bulls playoff run. He is a 10 points per game player and we got no one to relace his scoring. I guess more Noc and Luol in at the same--which I like, but it looks like our playoff aspirations have taken a huge hit. Does this mean big Luke will get signed for the rest of the season?

Valido looks very smooth in the field. Jenks was working on everything but the heater, and seemed to have solid command.

First time seeing Jenks this year......he looks like an American version of Bartolo now.

Sweeney with a decent swing against a side-arm lefty.

DJ just did my biggest pet peeve, which is when he said "the Sox are trailing today 6-7?! Ugh DJ....you sounded like a 15 year old girl who's never watched baseball.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 10:11 PM) This is not a day to measure the pitchers. THe ball is jumping. Tho to be honest, ST isn't the time to ever do it. The only thing to really look for is the velocity, and if they're having trouble catching up to what it normally is. Hermanson is an example of this. However, there's still plenty of time to get it geared back up to previous speeds.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 10:10 PM) Cliff gave up 11 runs in 12.2 innings in ST last year. 9 of em earned. How many total innings did he throw last season compared to the year before? I just wonder if he'll have some fatigue from last season.

4 up, 4 hits vs Cliff. Jenks is warming up.

QUOTE(GoSox05 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 10:06 PM) It Seems like Sox pitchers are giving up lots of lead off doubles. Well, the wind is ridiculous today.

Has Politte pitched well this ST? I still think he might be a question mark this year also. He pitched his ass off last year though.

First time seeing Haeger on the mound. There's been some bad luck hits, but he has a long way to go to refine his knuckler before he can pitch at the big league level.

The Rockies should look into getting Borchard. Playing at a place where the curve doesn't break as much, and the ball flies out of the park, could be what Borchard needs to get going.

Great play by Iguchi

I just saw the new Sox repeat commercial, and it's glorious.

The more I hear Carl and Frank talk, the more respect I have for Ozzie for making the clubhouse get along so well last year. This also makes me like guys like PK and Thome more. Those are classy players who make it easy to root for them.

Sweeney's biggest fan, besides Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney, is Ozzie.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 08:06 PM) We'll never have a good spring under ozzie. Look at the lineup he runs out there even though we are at home! Do I need to start my "Fire Ozzie" thread again?

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 01:46 AM) I still don't think I agree with the statement "our bullpen will be weaker than last year." Balta...I think the bullpen will be weaker because guys like Cotts and Politte won't be able to match their numbers from last year, even if they have a terrific season. They were two of the best set-up men in baseball. I don't think we can expect them to match their numbers. I'll be content if they're both in the 3.5 ERA range. Hermanson is a huge question mark right now, and I think it's safe to say that no one, not even the organization, knows what stuff he'll have this year.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 01:34 AM) KW's big success was acquiring pitching depth -- so when Shingo stunk we had Hermanson, then when he went down we had Jenks. And Damaso and Politte were also there if we needed them. It looks like our last man in the bullpen could be a big problem. That's not a big deal by itself -- he just won't see many innings. But one disappointment and one injury later, and it's possible that we'll be scrambling for something. Cintron'll help, I'm just concerned about the depth. As for the two pitches, hell, Foulke basically has one. It's not easy to get people out (k's) at aa and aaa -- he seems to use them well. There's very much reason to be concerned about our bullpen. Between guys being injured, tired from last year, or just inconsistent (no position is even close to having as inconsistent of numbers as the relief position is), our bullpen looks to be weaker than last season. However, other aspects of our team look to be stronger, which will hopefully offset any weaknesses. In reality, we're not the New York Yankees. KW doesn't have the payroll to have superstars at every position with amazing depth. With that in mind, given the bullpen depth issue, I still don't think Baj would have been an option. I never got the sense that Ozzie thought highly of him, in regards to pitching in the majors.