CaliSoxFanViaSWside

QUOTE (Tony @ Aug 28, 2017 -> 06:01 PM) Sorry, but this just isn't right. I have my meatball tendencies, I'm in the camp of keeping Abreu around not only because he has been a very productive player for this team, but for what he seems to do with the younger players. I really do think that makes a difference, and can appreciate it. When it comes to the sacrifice bunt, in most cases you are hurting the team. That doesn't help the team concept. The manager is going out of his way to take the bat out of a players hand to "hopefully" execute a sacrifice bunt. Players are smart. Much smarter than a bunch of us on a message board. They understand how inconsistent this bullpen has been. They understand how they are in last place. Do you think RR calling for a sacrifice bunt in the 5th inning, playing for 1 run is really building a team concept? You want to bunt in the 9th to help seal up a victory? You want to bunt in an NL park with the pitcher on the mound? OK. I can wrap my head around that. Aside from that? Not for me. I'm sure you have been part of a team. Many of us have, a lot of teams over the years. We understand who the weak links are even if we didn't play professionally and have the talent traded away. When a team sucks it's a lot easier to have a mini goals that will serve them well in the future. That's why he stresses hustle. It's why he corrects mistakes. He shows he cares about the players individual careers. He wants them to be good team mates. Wins and losses are not the focus of this team so why get angry at your team mates when they make mistakes or just don't have the talent. I don't think it's a stretch at all to understand the players know Renteria cares about them. The main goal from all the mini goals is to not place blame , do your part and embrace the team concept as a way to show Renteria the loyalty he has shown you. Do you think a clubhouse as loose as the Sox have comes from out of no where? Players who hate losing and place blame do not a happy clubhouse make. If you aren't as talented players can accept that if you embrace a team concept. Is bunting a part of that team concept ? I think so but it's also not mathematically sound as I said (aka bad managing). I said I didn't want to get to crazy with the psychology but apparently you think I did. I am just of the opinion that in a season where wins and losses don't really matter the players are playjng for their manager and each other . If you don't want to think the sacrifice bunting is part of that , no problem. It drives me crazy also but I like to look outside the box at times.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Aug 28, 2017 -> 02:39 PM) Quote of the week. How much credit goes to Renteria? That's the scary part. I guess it depends on who is still there next season but anything can happen in baseball. The team could dabble in being a division contender in 2018 if some teams regress. It could be just like most Sox seasons, you get fooled a month or two then reality sets in. The difference is no veterans contribute to that disappointment. As much as we hate the bunting it's really hard to pin anything else wrong with Renteria. He was a cog in the wheel of signing Robert right ? The clubhouse seems loose . The guy's hustle. Mistakes are usually the over exuberance of youth type and he corrects them right after they happen in the dugout. Without getting too crazy with the psychology, maybe there's a method to the bunting madness. After all the term is sacrifice bunt. Why ? Because you are sacrificing your AB for the good of the team. Sacrificing the chance for glory to drive in that guy , letting the guys behind you do it, hypothetically. We mostly hate it because it's old school baseball that mathematically isn't very sound. It does promote the team concept however . all for one and one for all. If I am Sox management I'm happy with Renteria. Despite the loses piling up the key players, the youth of tomorrow, are thriving. What more could they ask for ?

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Aug 28, 2017 -> 04:51 AM) Usually, you want a #2 batter to be able to handle the bat well and not SO a lot. Moncada so far does not fit the bill. Hopefully in a couple of years he is the #3 hitter which I think will be perfect when his power numbers start showing. I want him at the top of the lineup to get as many AB's as possible mostly, plus the speed and the walks. K's not bothersome because at least its not a DP if the leadoff guy gets on. Mostly rooting for Abreu to get his 100 RBI again so I want the guys at the top who walk a lot. Also 3 run bombs provide instant big inning which is what Davidson is for.

QUOTE (ron883 @ Aug 27, 2017 -> 10:12 AM) I was just thinking how lucky the Sox are to have one of the all time great pitching coaches. Sometimes I take it for granted that we've got him. He is one of the best, and he seems to love the south side and the organization. He will no doubt have a job with the team until he decides he wants to hang it up. How do you rate Coop currently and in terms of the all time greats? I'm really not sure the best way to rank pitching coaches. People always say hitting coaches don't have a huge impact, but I think most can agree that pitching coaches are a bit more impactful on the game. Cheers to Coop. He's the man. I'm sure Coop would be the first to admit that it's a group effort from him down to the pitching coaches in the minors since we are well aware that the Sox are pretty adept at developing pitching talent.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Aug 27, 2017 -> 08:23 PM) I'm with ya! Almost TOO many interesting guys. It's a weird kind of depth we have right now. Not star depth, not even good depth, but not bad depth either. It's just solid to maybe good depth and it competes in an exciting way. Not sure what the hell I'm talking about. Go Sox I know what you mean. Take Engel for example. He plays a very good and fundamentally sound CF . Leury Garcia probably should be getting most of the starts there because he he also a good fielder out there but nowhere near as fundamentally sound as Engel. While many here think there's very few on the roster now who can contribute to a winning team, the Sox are trying to learn as much as they can about them all and ,as you say , it's an interesting group of kids. It'll be fun seeing Delmonico and Davidson in the same lineup. We haven't seen much if any of that yet. Moncada , Delmonico would be a great 2 and 3 in the lineup since they both draw walks with a 4 -5-6 of Abreu, Davidson, Avi or Abreu , Avi, Davidson .

Over the last 20 games the Sox have gone 11-9. They just concluded an 8 home stand going 5-3 . The recent run is because of solid pitching mostly from Rodon, Gonzalez and Shields and a surprising decent run from the bullpen. It has also coincided with a hot streak from Nicky Delmonico to offset games missed from Matt Davidson who proves his worth with a 3 run bomb in today's win. Tim Anderson and Yolmer Sanchez have contributed walk off hits in this stretch . Matt Davidson had 2 walk off hits in a row right before this 20 game stretch so the Sox have been playing some exciting baseball. Reynaldo Lopez had a solid debut in a game the Sox eventually won. Lucas Giolito has had a solid and very good start going 1-1 in his 2 starts. They won the series against the Tigers without help from Delmonico and Moncada who both were placed on the DL prior to the series . Moncada also had been playing some exciting ball recently showing off the wheels and contributing to late inning wins. It's probably no coincidence that the Sox bullpen has improved with the good starting pitching easing the bullpen load. Over his last 58 AB's Avi Garcia has 25 hits for a .431 batting average .493 OBP . 500 SLG and ,993 OPS . Avi has been reduced to a singles hitter during this span with only 4 doubles in those 25 hits . This is probably due to recent hand/wrist injuries . Give him credit though . Right when he was slumping and average creeping back toward .300 he has upped it back to .322 . In the last 30 games who is leading the Sox in RBI ? In the unlikely event you guessed Yolmer Sanchez you would be right. Yolmer went 3/4 driving in a run in the Sox 7-1 victory against the Tigers today. His last 7 games he has 3 HR and 9 RBI and also has raised his OPS on the season to over .700 . Jose Abreu has been the rock of the lineup hitting HR's and fielding much better the 2nd half of the season. I know it sucks for draft pick position but when the young guys contribute to victories I can't be unhappy about it. I've spent my whole life cheering for Sox wins and it's just counter-intuitive to do otherwise. Besides I know I am not alone here in wanting these youngsters to experience the thrills of victories and growing together.

Lineup: Hanson LF. Saladino 3B, Abreu. Avi, Davidson DH, Sanchez 2B, Narvaez, Engel

Carlos "Los" Rodon, another hot White Sox pitcher, takes the mound as our White Sox look to win another game in dramatic fashion.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 26, 2017 -> 11:17 AM) DL. Rob Brantly now a White Sox. Will be traded to the Yankees since they are getting 2 catchers suspended and their AAA catcher is injured

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Aug 25, 2017 -> 04:52 PM) So Kevan's new nickname is Ripper, obviously Ripper " I swear it has nothing to do with Jack the Ripper " Szmydth .

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Aug 25, 2017 -> 07:58 PM) Tim Anderson with a double and Yolmer plates him with a hit to right. Sox win! I love walk offs .

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Aug 25, 2017 -> 09:46 PM) Always nice to get a win on your birthday. Belated Happy Birthday if you were talking about yourself.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 25, 2017 -> 08:18 PM) Great pitching and back to back hits to start the 9th for the win. Timmy Anderson with the 2B and then Yolmer with the walkoff winner!!! Migo with another fantastic start as well!!! In the last Miggy start against Texas Saladino drove in 2 of the 3 runs with a double in the Sox 3-2 win in a game thread I started This game Sally doubled and scored the winning run in a Miggy start and a 3-2 Sox victory in a game thread I started. It's deja vu all over again. Sorry but not sorry for the wins .

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Aug 25, 2017 -> 06:02 PM) These uniforms are ugly. Is it true that the nickname on Yoan's uniform is Bustamente? YoYo . If that's a joke I have no idea what it means.

El Jalisciense 1 base runner through 3 innings . 4 K's Still 1-0 Sox.

Forgot Leury also out of the lineup with back spasms.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Aug 25, 2017 -> 05:22 PM) MAL TIEMPOOOOOO That's the spirit Heads !

Abreu bomb ! 1-0 Sox.

Miggy Gonzalez last 3 starts 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA gets the Tigers 1-2-3 with 2 K's in the 1st.

Avi playing, No Davidson either even though he was reinstated.

No Moncada or Delmonico. Avi ? Davidson ? Any way Player's Weekend should be colorful at least. Game on ! It's also Elvis Night ! Woo hoo !

QUOTE (ptatc @ Aug 25, 2017 -> 03:33 PM) They've been winning too any games. Put the hot players on the DL to stem the winning. I know you are being facetious but it sure does seem like that sometimes. If you have talent you're getting traded or put on the Dl.!

Either this place is dead from the Sox poor record or this thread has run its course even before the whole thing started. This is supposed to be fun,celebrate the little leagues, honor people who made you the player you are now and those who support you. Wear colorful cleats, swing a colorful bat . it's a pretty big deal around the league this weekend. Are they selling it ? Of course what good idea doesn't get promoted and sold these days ? It's a consumer society. I'm not going to spend any money on it but I still think it's something to promote baseball, it's cool it's fun , it gets people talking . Baseball is losing interest in US kids. It's a problem that must be dealt with. This is part of that process. Lighten up all you Francis's.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Aug 11, 2017 -> 06:05 AM) When their argument is: "they should have gotten more" without knowing what was offered, it's pretty stupid. Time to revive this since we will be seeing those jersey's starting tonight. Not only do the jerseys have the nicknames they also feature a kind of thank you patch on the shoulder where a player names a person or people that influenced his baseball career or people who motivate them . Here is an article from whitesox.com explaining what all the nicknames mean and the people listed on the thank you patches. Here is an explanation of the name on Kevan Smith's jersey . Kevan Smith: "Szmydth" The catcher's last name was spelled in this manner when his grandparents came over from Poland. What the article doesn't tell you is that was Kevan's 2nd choice. His 1st choice was Ripper which I believe was a college or HS nickname. So why didn't he use it ? MLB sent him some kind of waiver that said he in no way was supporting Jack the Ripper , the serial killer from London , England from over 125 years ago. He was so stunned he decided just to pick a new name. You can now speculate as to why he was called "Ripper" .

I know I am talking to myself at this point but saw a perfect example of some of what I was talking about above in tonight's Twins/Sox game. Greg Gibson was the home plate umpire. Of course like all umps he set up over the catchers right shoulder . To me that gives him a better view of the catchers right hand side of the plate. He seemed very accurate on the balls and strikes there. On the opposite side of the plate he wasn't so good. Several times he called pitches by Berrios that were clearly off the plate according to pitch trax on the telecast strikes .I'm pretty sure it happened 3 or 4 times ,some more egregious than others. I couldn't help but think those pitches will go down as well framed since they were called strikes when in reality it was clearly on the umpire and perhaps Berrios who seemed to have the pitches to his arm side fade off the plate many times during the night , up and in to righties but down and away to left handers. Now if I was keeping a book on umps I'd investigate games with Gibson behind the plate and see if that is the way he consistently calls games.