Kalapse

If Ozzie is worried about his second lefty walking hitters in crunch time then Andy Sisco will undoubtedly be in AAA to start the season, talk about completely erratic. Sisco probably has the worst control of any pitcher with any sort of shot at making the roster. Boone walked a grand total of 2 letfies in 34 chances as a Knight last season. I really hope Ozzie isn't putting too much stock into 1 outing in a minor league game during the final week of the Spring.

QUOTE(scenario @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 01:06 PM) What a bunch of horse**** Brian was hitting .180 something, then went on a short binge, then had another drought, then picked it up again. Erstad was consistent. Brian wasn't. The coaches picked the guy they thought did the better job and would give us a better chance to win. If you think there's any more to it than that you're deluding yourself. Darin Erstad had a .300 OBP just last week, he's now at .333 what the hell is consistent about that? The overall numbers point to Brian and that's what needs to be looked at here since that is what Ozzie said would be looked at at the beginning of the Spring. Player A: 70 AB | 10 R | 1 HR | 8 RBI | 4 BB | 12 SO | .300/.333/.400/.733 Player B: 46 AB | 6 R | 2 HR | 5 RBI | 7 BB | 6 SO | .283/.370/.457/.827 So player A was given 24 more at bats and was hitting 1-2 in the lineup every game. Player B was hitting 8-9 in every game. It's going to be fun having a 2 hole hitter who's striking out 3 times for every walk. QUOTE(Colorado Sox Fan @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 01:20 PM) He gave him a shot and Anderson proved again that he is clueless at the plate. Despite drawing the 3rd most walks on the team in spring and posting a .827 OPS? I must say Erstad's 3 strikeout days showed me just how outstanding he is with the bat in his hand.

QUOTE(supernuke @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 12:43 PM) Maybe Ozzie gave the illusion of an open competition to try and motivate BA to work hard and improve. Maybe he felt that if he told BA sorry kid I don't think you are ready for the starting job that there would be no reason for him to work and try and get better. Maybe it was an open competition and there is still something that Ozzie wants to see from this guy that just isn't there. So he fed him bulls*** for the whole damn month about still being in the running for a starting job, every damn day going to the media saying if Brian produces in Spring he's my guy and the whole thing was just a ruse to get Brian motivated? That's just ridiculous if true. What did Darin Erstad do during the Spring to earn the starting CF job? Is Ozzie's motto: "Nothing is just handed to you everything is earned" just a crock of s***? Erstad and Podsednik were handed jobs this Spring, neither of them earned it. And to say "he saw something in Erstad that he didn't see in Anderson" or anything along those lines is such a cop out. He could say that at any time to justify any asinine decision he chooses to make. "I've decided to go with Alex Cintron as my secondbaseman, I just saw something in his this Spring that I did not see in Tadahito." You as a fan can not question that, he is immune to criticism because you're not out there on the practice fields every day watching these guys play, if he says he saw something in Cintron that makes him a better candidate to start over Iguchi then who are you to question him. What if Ozzie had used this logic in choosing Floyd over Danks for the 5th spot? "Floyd just showed me somthing that Danks didn't" Would that be acceptable? At a certain point lying to motivate a player becomes too much and the word of Ozzie as a man comes into question, how can you EVER believe anything he says? He could have some ulterior motives behind the things he says. What about Brian in all of this? He did everything asked of him this spring and beat out the competition yet despite meeting the objectives of his manager and being rewarded accordingly he's told "Sorry kid, you never really had a shot" or "Not good enough". Seems pretty slimy to me.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 11:47 AM) seriously, I have no idea what the hell that means. Tell me how Ozzie lied to Brian. It's like selective hearing only with reading, half of that post had nothing to do with anything I had posted. Ozzie gave the illusion that he was holding an open competition in the outfield, if Brian produced during the spring and beat out his competition that he would be granted a starting job. This was obviously a charade, he had Erstad penciled in as his starting centerfielder from day one and never actually intended on holding any sort of competition. That's called hypocrisy.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 07:47 AM) Well I was one of the few who held out hope that BA would make the team and start in CF. I guess I got half my wish. I'm pretty pissed at Ozzie - not for making BA work for a position - but for apparently not intending to give BA a real shot to start. I'm happy he's on the roster though, and as people said, he may be starting sooner rather than later. It looks like Ozzie was surprised that BA actually showed up with the right attitude this spring and some positive changes, so he feels he needs to do something about that, and changed him to this utility role. Not as ideal as him starting, but better than him at AAA, as long as he actually gets to play a few days a week. Yeah basically. I think Ozzie got stuck in a situation much like Bud Selig, he got his guy this offseason and was all set to go into 2007 with the new guy by his side leaving the other guy behind to rot in AAA but he knew he had to make it look like he was at least giving the other guy a chance to be his starting CF this year or he would look pretty bad. So in order to save face he offered up an ultimatum to Brian, one that Ozzie was convinced he could not live up to. And much to the chagrin of Ozzie Brian actually stepped up and did everything asked of him but Ozzie, not wanting to give Brian a starting job went back on his word and rejected his efforts, making them out to be insufficient. Perhaps Brian could take him to court.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 12:57 AM) two good months out of six. outstanding. and who in the hell lied to the guy? oh, that's right. that guy. anyway, enjoy your whine, it will be champagne in a few weeks once erstad heads to the DL. And Pods pops another nut. And Brian will take his rightful place in the starting lineup. Every day. It's coming, believe me. And then we can argue how Bri-guy isn't seeing good pitches because he should be hitting 5th or 6th instead of 8th and 9th and how that f***er ozzie is a master of career sabotage. Alas, if only we had a manager who knew how to care for the fragile youth. You just read whatever the f*** you want don't you? Assuming an Erstad injury is no reason to mess with the kid. What is the point of telling him he has a shot at being a starter when he has no chance at all? Seems a bit hypocritical and stupid to me, it has nothing to do with career sabotage or Ozzie being some kind of evil bastard like you make it out to be it has to do with being a hypocrite which Ozzie has proved himself to be with the bulls*** he pulled this spring.

QUOTE(knightni @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 12:35 AM) So, Javy Lopez even sucks as a backup? He's a DH with a sketchy (putting it mildly) chemical history.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 12:23 AM) they can't develop them for s*** They'd rather spend their late 1st round picks on safe pitchers who will travel through the system quickly and hold solid trade value then later trade off these meh starters for failed former top 15 picks who have great arms but s*** control and mechanics then allow the major league coaching staff to fix their mechanics and refine their control turning them into quality major league arms. I'm not so sure this method has ever even been put to use by the organization but it seems to be the plan.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 11:45 PM) According to the Trib, it's likely to be Molina. We officially have the worst back-up catcher in baseball now. From best to worst.....super! Is it just me or has he been terrible behind the plate this spring? Is his arm really as bad as I think it is?

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 11:05 PM) and two days later went 0-5, leading to a blistering .161 avg in April. But hey, he pushed it to .164 in May, then really broke out in June to bump it up to .174 and you still didn't answer the original question. Get over it, he SUCKED last year. We all hope he does better this year. Then hit .313 in July, .296 in August and .200 in September. Just for the sake of full disclosure. And why again was he lied to about being given a chance to win a starting job in Spring Training? Ozzie went on these nice long rants about how nobody is handed a job, everything is earned and that the 2 outfield spots were open to competition, the winner being who ever is the best during the Spring and yet he never even gave Anderson a shot.

I still think it's interesting that Erstad was given 24 more ABs than Anderson this spring. As a matter of fact Darin has had more ABs than any other player on the team and it's really not even close. Erstad at 70 and second was Konerko with 17 fewer.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 10:51 PM) riddle me this - who was that guy starting in CF opening day last season? Who was the guy they gave the job to at the beginning of ST last year? Who was the guy that was lied to about being given a chance to earn a starting job this season?

Yeah but this move just makes their studio shows that much worse. I don't usually watch MNF anyway since the games are so f***ing horrendous.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 10:12 PM) Interesting. I wonder if they would go with a 10 man staff and put Perez on the team. Not with a 21 year old rookie and a 57 year old vet in the rotation not to mention that blonde bombshell Buehrle. I'm not sure I've ever seen a team carry only 5 bullpen pitchers, especially in the modern baseball era of specialization. QUOTE(jphat007 @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 10:13 PM) They'll still be pissed. Just about something else. I know right. What's with that?

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 10:09 PM) I knew he would make the team. haha, you guys were so pissed before. I'm still pissed but what's new?

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 10:06 PM) Maybe they were just watching tapes and it said 90 kilometers per hour. I know you're kidding and all but I almost hope this is the case and he is throwing 56 miles per hour in side sessions simply because of the comedic value involved in such a f***up.

So if Brian does make the team as the 4th outfielder that makes Ozzie a hypocrite correct? 1.) He said Anderson would not be making the club as a reserve, he'd rather Brian get his ABs in AAA. 2.) He said the starting job in LF/CF would go to the player who performs best during the Spring. Good to see Brian is going to make the team but he got totally f***ed in this situation.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 08:51 PM) What are those of us who get blacked out of Sox games in Carbondale on MLB.tv for some f***in reason and have now been completely screwed out of getting the extra innings package supposed to do? Well for starter you could quit your b****ing. Once you've done that you can use a proxy server to get around the blackout, I did this in '05 and it worked just fine for me.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 02:04 PM) Charlie Haeger, 2006 stats 3.44 ERA 4.91 UERA ...you know, just saying Oh man I love UERA like Buehrle's 5.47 from last season or the 4.31 for his career. The guy just has an inordinate amount of runs scored on him that are not earned.

How about you stop being a little b**** and pony up the $120 for MLB.tv like the rest of us TRUE fans. You sicken me.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 07:30 PM) It'd only be appropriate now if the final bullpen spots were given to Sisco, Aardsma and Floyd. That would about cap off an absolutely frustrating four weeks of spring training. I don't know why he'd say that. Did he not notice what the Brewers received for Brady Clark? How much could it possibly cost to get Miller? Well Miller is going to make $2.25M this season and the Brewers don't need him and don't want him. He could probably be had for a song.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 07:21 PM) I believe the phrase "get off the deck" just means to quit being lackadaisical. When the Score began playing the soundbye after the Iguchi grandslam I initially thought Farmio was yelling at fans to get off the fan deck. Out of context, you have no idea what he's saying. He tends to yell it after homeruns though, it makes no sense to tell the team to stop being lackadaisical after they just took the lead on a big homerun.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 07:13 PM) My mood just significantly soured...and the combination of the performance of our pitching staff combined with the whole Erstad/Anderson situation is worrying me more and more. With the FA situation, it may be entirely possible that the White Sox could be selling by the trade deadline this year and stockpiling more for next year. Are you certain? I'll give you a choice between Wiki, the Widge, and Alomar Sr., and suicide is not an option. Widger only because I took sex appeal into account.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 06:43 PM) It's the worst part of the home run call by Ed Farmer when Crede won the game against the Indians. I think he also said the same stupid line when Iguchi hit the slam to tie it against the Astros last year. Farmer said "Get off the deck!!" which Boers and Bernstein later defined as "They were losing and now they're winning". I don't know if I buy any of it mainly because the phrase makes NO sense but that's what they said anyway.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 06:38 PM) I bet Hall has had plenty of practice time at 1B however. And I bet Ozzie would not have put Hall out there at 1B if Hall said he was not comfortable with playing 1B. Obviously Hall felt comfortable enough to play 1B, and wanted to get extra at bats in. Just like when Ozzie asked Mac's permission before he stuck him in CF . . . oh wait. Why would he have to move Toby Hall to 1B in order to get him more ABs? Why couldn't he just leave him at catcher where he had played for the first half of the game? Or are 1B ABs worth more than catcher ABs? I'm not even looking for answer to this question, it's more of a general post. I'm done with this discussion.