Kalapse

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 03:10 PM) Dont we have to pick up his option? Or isnt their some buyout clause? His option vested a couple weeks ago, he's now guaranteed $13M next season.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 02:55 PM) It's nice to have a high OPS if you arent a station to station runner. So . . . 1.) Slow as hit 2.) Can't turn on the inside fastball 3.) Can't play the field 4.) Guaranteed $13M next season 5.) Holds full no trade protection and has shown no desire to go anywhere outside of Chicago and Cleveland 6.) Plays for a team that does not eat portions of contracts Yeah, should be easy to find a trade partner for that guy.

QUOTE (Shamrock4Life @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 03:01 PM) Any chance we bring the Gooch back? He has no business starting at a major league position in 2009, he really should go back to Japan and try to salvage his career there.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 02:58 PM) Anyone else think we need to make a deal for a decent CF? What we have will not do. Or you could just sign Furcal and Hudson (or trade for Roberts) and move Alexei to CF. He's supposedly great at both SS and CF and actually played more innings in center this year than he did short. Of course that would require a rather large and unrealistic payroll.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 02:52 PM) He's had a few "out of position" plays. But in general I think he's done terrific. He's still learning. I think his ability to turn a double play makes it worth keeping him at 2B if we can land a solid SS. He also can't handle of relay throw, has shown surprisingly poor range and has booted more than his fair share of ground balls. His arm is his only above average fielding tool at this point and that would be better utilized from the SS position. Having a well above average arm does not make him "terrific", it made him passable. That being said, he's still learning the position and if the Sox acquired a SS I'd have no problem leaving Alexei at 2B.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 02:49 PM) Why move him? He's good at SS and Ramirez has done GREAT at 2B. No he hasn't. He's been mediocre at best. He's made a few great plays but overall he's been below average at the position and I don't blame him, he's never played 2B before.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 6, 2008 -> 04:08 PM) We were both quoting the radio guys. I'd just like to say that Steve Stone is a lying b****. Thank you.

QUOTE (almagest @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 12:24 AM) He doesn't hit for average, I guess. Of course, if he was still hitting ~.300 at age 38 he'd probably be considered one of the best of all time, so that's probably not a valid criticism. Oh, and he's also not "clutch", whatever that means. I guess a 3 run homer in the 3rd is like 15x less important than a 3 run homer in the 8th. Seriously, I'd like to see what most people consider a valid option at DH Dye? Konerko? Someone else? And since Thome's option vested, where's he going to go? Thome was actually 1 of 4 players on the Sox to post a .300+ AVG with runners in scoring position this season. He also led the club in OPS with runners in scoring position and runners in scoring position with 2 outs situations.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 12:21 AM) Good points all in your post. I guess what you are also telling me is he's a future Yankee, Met or Red Sox. Or Dodger, Angel, Giant. He supposedly wants to play on the West Coast and stay in the NL so we'll see.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 7, 2008 -> 12:04 AM) OK guys and Steff (is she the only girl on here?) ... seriously. CC Sabathia. Why not? We are Chicago; a big market. Think about how he would help our staff and get everybody 110 percent jacked for next season. We'd be picked by everybody to win the division. It's just f***ing money. Is Jerry gonna take it to the grave with him? What are the Sox worth now? Some astronomical amount. Since they went back to the cool uniforms years ago after some of the old monstrocity uniforms, they must sell gobs of merchandise alone. Think about it. The Flubs got Soriano a few offseasons ago. They get Harden at the break. What about CC Sabathia?? Do we have to think small just because we are the White Sox? I want some serious comments. Can we get him? And the obvious answer is no, then why not?? Name a starting pitcher who received a 4+ year big money deal and was consistently good over the life of the contract. Now name some starting pitchers who received 4+ year big money deals and BOMBED. CC is looking at 6/7 years at $17M+ per. Sure he looks worth it right now but history says such a contract would be a mistake. Sure CC looks like the exception but Mike Hampton and Barry Zito were also supposed to be fairly safe bets as well. Mike Hampton went 8 years without suffering a single injury and was considered to be the most athletic pitcher in the game. When he signed his mega-deal with the Rockies in 2000 he was pretty much a better version of Mark Buehrle. (some would actually characterize CC the same way) 8 years later and that deal is considered to be the worst in the history of the game.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 6, 2008 -> 09:36 PM) How the hell does that work? Garland almost put up an ERA of 5 and his ERA was like 6 in the second half. I don't think anybody can complain that the team traded Garland. Trading Garland got Floyd into the rotation and he won 17 games. Well, you want your VORP to be as high as possible (see: Cliff Lee: 75.0, John Danks: 52.8 and Carlos Silva -17) so yeah, Jon Garland's value over a replacement level player was only 7.6 this past season which is just about as bad as it gets for a guy who pitches as many innings as he does.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 6, 2008 -> 09:05 PM) He was brought in for situational hitting and clubhouse leadership. I think we can all agree he didn't live up to expectations there. RISP: .261/.289/.343/.633 (s***) RISP & 2 out: .208/.278/.264/.542 (EMBARRASSING) Close & Late: .239/.283/.315/.598 (DREADFUL) Tie Game: .242/.299/.290/.589 (HORRIBLE) His situational hitting was a f***ing joke. Coincidentally, Jon Garland had the 6th lowest VORP of any starter with at least 180 IP this season, bump that up to 186 IP and he's #1.

The team that scored first in each of the first 3 games of this series has lost.

Quentin took full batting practice again today.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Oct 6, 2008 -> 02:51 PM) i get the whole lackey ace thing, but it seems like they've soured on Jon a bit. Then again, soscia manages with his gut...and it's a biggy. Well the numbers (4.90 ERA, by far the highest of the Angels' starters and his 7.6 VORP which is just embarrassingly bad) say Jon Garland was their worst starting pitcher this season and you don't normally see a 90 K pitcher start a playoff game for a team that won 100 regular season games. If the Angels bullpen wasn't kind of thin right now they probably would have left Garland off the ALDS roster all together.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 6, 2008 -> 02:34 PM) Come on, you of all people should understand the value of having the younger group hang around the people who have been there to learn how to behave and think like big leaguers. If not, you are probably wasting your time and effort in the boy scouts. Brian Anderson jumping out of the dugout with Aaron Rowand after Podsednik's walkoff in game 2 of the World Series is one of the coolest moments I've seen in my baseball life and I'm sure Brian feels the same way. It would have been a damn shame if he had gone home after the regular season just because he didn't make the playoff roster.

Your lineup: OC AJ JD JT PK Jr AR DW JU

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 6, 2008 -> 12:47 PM) I will say this much and this really pains me to say, but will need Javy at some point if we're to make it to the ALCS. We can't ride 3 pitchers in a 7-game series. Of course, can't even think about that until we win two more games. Or Clayton Richard gets a start.

QUOTE (rangerjae @ Oct 6, 2008 -> 09:47 AM) Agreed. The only reason I suggested Richard over Mark is rest being a factor. But he may not need it. He is after all Mark Buehrle. Who's going fishy hunting? We's going fishy hunting! He'd be on normal rest so that really shouldn't be an issue.

Looks like he's taking "Real" batting practice again . . . http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,5813216.story

Sneak Peek at the 2009 Version

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 5, 2008 -> 10:16 PM) That curve by Bobby was fricking amazing to whiff a good hitter. Wise can play big league baseball. He's earned a job with a team, if not us, somebody. He's as good a player as a lot of guys wearing big league uniforms the past several years. He is not a stiff. Nice job by AJ who never gets a day off. Good job, SOx. One more please. Let's take it to Tampa guys!!! My biggest problem with Wise: defensively, he's pretty much Scott Podsednik reincarnated in LF. And over the course of a 162 game season his bat isn't anywhere near strong enough to make up for his awful glove.

The more I watch K-Rod, the less I like him as a closer. On the other hand; the more I watch Papelbon, the more I love him as a closer. 1.) Rivera 2a.) Nathan 2b.) Papelbon -Soria -K-Rod -Jenks -Lidge -Wagner -Valverde -Fuentes As soon as Soria brings his act to a non-sub-.500 team he'll separate himself from the rest of the second tier.

QUOTE (almagest @ Oct 5, 2008 -> 08:55 PM) Everything I've seen shows that he's a free agent following the 2008 season. Figgins' service number will be 5.145 at season's end. That'll put him 27 days short of free agency meaning he'll have to wait another season before filing. He'll be a free agent following the 2009 season, anything or anyone that says otherwise is either wrong or is under the impression that the Angels will non-tender him this offseason.

QUOTE (knightni @ Oct 5, 2008 -> 08:41 PM) Danks didn't do anything that Buehrle didn't do. He just got run support and a decent bullpen. And if Buehrle were a 23 year old with only 2 year experience under his belt pitching in his first playoffs then yeah, he'd get a pat on the back too. Unfortunately for Mark he's an 8 year veteran making $14M a year with World Series experience, he's expected to go out there and shutdown the opponent.