fathom

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:50 PM) That's actually who I was thinking of when I mention Kaz Matsui. I think the Boss remembers him.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:45 PM) See also Suzuki, Ichiro; Matsui, Hideki; Iguchi, Tadahito There's a huge difference between Japanese pitchers and Japanese hitters. Japanese hitters frequently use "junk" or gimmick pitches to get hitters out. It's a lot easier to adjust to that than a guy throwing 98 mph.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:41 PM) But being a stud for many years in Japan certainly is. Much like Dick Allen, I was posting on this board before last season that we should be very concerned with Shingo. Japanese pitchers are notorious for losing their stuff in a flash due to the extreme amount of pitches they throw at an early age. Shingo was no spring chicken, and it was very possible he was going to flame out like he did.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 09:31 PM) Sure, and spending extra money in March for a player that may or may not be needed may financially-inhibit KW from pulling off a big trade in July. Ummmm...we just traded for Cintron and his 1.6 million dollar contract.

How's this for another concern....I don't know how well McCarthy's change-up will be if he comes in for one inning every couple of days. He keeps saying it's a feel pitch, and it's hard to get in a rhythm if you're facing only a few batters at a time.

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.