jackie hayes

QUOTE(fathom @ May 14, 2007 -> 03:04 PM) I actually always thought putting Uribe in the 2nd spot could help him, as not only would he see more fastballs if Pods was on base, but he'd also get more fastballs with Thome behind him. Besides that, if he had to try and hit behind the runner, it would make him focus more on hitting the ball to the right side. I always thought Iguchi would be better down in the order, but unfortunately, he's been crappy this year. I imagine it might help him, I just don't see it helping the team much. I'd always rather have those obp guys at the top. But if he keeps producing, I wouldn't mind if the Sox let it ride.

Slightly different wording in the Sun-Times: Over 2005-2006, Uribe's struck out once every 6 abs. In May, he's striking out once every 8 abs. I don't think Ozzie's saying that strikeouts are always and everywhere a 2-spot disqualifier, rather that when Uribe is being his usual impatient self, you see a bunch of strikeouts, and the lack of those now are a sign of his current approach at the plate...who knows how long it will last. And I'm usually up for some good Ozzie criticism, but imho this is an overreaction. If anything, I'm relieved to know that the Sox aren't going to try to revive the Uribe hitting 2nd experiment.

Anyway, from Sam Smith's article in the Trib: A good summary. I couldn't figure out why they all looked so timid in the 2nd. Maybe just a bit of, 'Oh crap, it's happening again.'

I recall a while ago a promise from the administration that they would step up enforcement of the embargo. Has that actually happened? In any case, they're hardly going to ignore someone openly flaunting the embargo. No matter how idiotic that policy is. Anyway, who cares? Some administration higher-ups get what they want, Moore gets what he wants. Everyone's happy -- except the moviegoing public, which hasn't seen an entertaining MM movie since Roger & Me.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ May 11, 2007 -> 02:40 AM) Ben can be 0/15 and still be a threat to go off at any moment. You still have to respect him. Thabo has no jumper, shady ball-handling, and just overall makes a lot of dumb mistakes. We gave up 81 points last night. We didn't lose the game because of defense. If Ben were just cold, fine. But he's not even getting looks, he's not shaking anyone. He makes dumb passes on the offensive end, and how many times does he need to get trapped in the corner this series before he learns to avoid it? At best, he's been a nonfactor on offense. Not because of luck, but because the Pistons figured out how to completely shut him down. And he's a huge liability on defense, no matter who he's guarding. I'm not saying Sefolosha would have won this game, I never have. But if judiciously used, I think he could have made it a few points closer. And as decisively as the Bulls have been losing, I'd like to see some change to the strategy. The Pistons seem to have this one pretty well in hand. QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ May 11, 2007 -> 02:40 AM) Did you actually read any of the pre-draft reports? The league he came from is supposed to be better than the NCAA. He was supposed to step right in and contribute. The tall guard the Bulls so desperately needed. I'm not saying the dude is garbage and will never amount to anything. But as far as right now, color me unimpressed. Yes, I did. So whatever source you quoted as saying he's "NBA-ready" (the closest I can find is someone saying he has an "NBA-ready body") meant only that he'll contribute? Well, fine, if that's all it takes, then I'd say he's NBA-ready. He can contribute in a rotation as a good defensive player. He's worth a roster-spot. But nowhere did I see any suggestion that he was well-rounded, or that his shooting was good. My impression after the draft was that he was a defensive-minded 2 who didn't have much of an offensive game and wouldn't be starting anytime soon. I haven't been surprised one whit this season.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ May 11, 2007 -> 12:52 AM) Then who's gonna score, or even be a threat to score? I know Ben struggled in the second half. Just like Luol and Kirk did. We're having enough problems scoring as it is. And what the hell has Thabo done all year? People keep calling for him based off what? The few minutes he played an injured Dwyane Wade well? He's been a bust if you ask me. He was supposed to be the "steal" of the draft and "NBA-ready." Ben is a threat when he's being completely smothered? The Pistons have owned him this series. So if he can't score and Thabo can't score, it'd at least be nice to take away one or two Detroit baskets. As for evaluating him, I'm not asking you. He's underdeveloped, and because of that he didn't play much this year. I don't know where you're getting that "NBA-ready" garbage. Everything I heard after the draft was just the opposite -- that the Bulls drafted him because he has the ability to be a good defender, with good guard size, but given the competition he'd seen, it would be a little while. He's lived up to his billing perfectly. Why call for him? Not because he's a star by a long shot, but because Gordon is providing absolutely nothing this series. So why not try someone else, who might match up well on at least one end of the court?

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ May 11, 2007 -> 12:01 AM) So we bench our best scorer for an offensively-challenged rookie who's done pretty much nothing all year? That's how we're gonna beat a team the caliber of Detroit? Our best scorer, when? He disappeared. He looked okay for about a second today (even broke some ankles late in the 1st half), but why is it taboo to play the guy who's playing better now? I definitely would have liked to see Thabo more, even though he's not (as you point out) the guy who'll make the difference in this series. We don't have that guy. So why not play the better defender? QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ May 11, 2007 -> 12:11 AM) Am I the only one that remembers the Jordan/Pippen Bulls getting smacked around 3 straight years before we got to the top? This current Bulls team was not going to win a championship under any circumstance. It's all about progression. We won 8 more regular season games than we did a year ago. We go to the second round this year. That's progess. This I agree with. At least now they know what it takes, and how far away they are. This Detroit team is title-quality. Only problem, obviously, is that there's no Jordan now.

Hey, Mack's been studying some tapes of Pods' d. He has the moves down.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ May 10, 2007 -> 02:32 PM) We just kept grabbing guys off the scrap heap. Like Cory Snyder. Ugh. 96 pitch AB for JD. Ah, c'mon. Don't knock Snyder. When he was with Cleveland, he had a GUN. I loved watching him play.

Even the Twins announcers say he was safe. Gardy just wanted to get tossed.

QUOTE(danman31 @ May 9, 2007 -> 09:20 PM) Baines and Tom McCraw. Fixed.

Let's see that old Ramon Ortiz, the one we all know and love.

QUOTE(Hideaway Lights @ May 9, 2007 -> 12:39 PM) I'm sorry, but tied 4-4 in extras at the metrodome, if you honestly thought we had a good chance to win that game no matter what the situation, give me some of what you're smoking. I chalked that one up as a loss as soon as we headed to extras. Good point. It's basically impossible to win a tie game. I'm just angry that Ozzie didn't forfeit on the spot and at least spare the bullpen.

QUOTE(joeynach @ May 9, 2007 -> 11:58 AM) The pitch Morneau was about letter high 6 inches outside. He just hit it, somehow. Usually thats just a bad pitch and an obvious ball that you take. It wasn't in, and it was up, but it wasn't anywhere close to 6 inches outside. Right over the plate.

Travis Hafner made to look like a scrub by Ervin Santana. Slider, slider, slider, slider, slider.... 4 strikeouts. (Game's not over, but Santana's out.) After tonight, gotta look for any positive.

That was heartbreaking.

Bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, better. Why even keep Gordon in? For his offense? He isn't giving us any. At least Sefolosha crashed the boards a bit, and made the Pistons take some awkward shots with that length. I mean, they hit them anyway, but at least it took something impressive. WOW, the Bulls are getting MURDERED on the boards. And when you get the rebound, secure it! But if there's one thing that's pissed me off, and I know it's not the major reason we lost, but it's just incredibly annoying -- it's those pussy fouls on f'n layups. If you're gonna foul the guy going for the easy layup, he better not make the f'n shot. I couldn't believe how many times the Bulls looked like they were instigating a slapfight under the basket. He scored? No f'n s***. Oh, and then those lazy passes... Christ. QUOTE(SoxAce @ May 7, 2007 -> 11:40 PM) Maybe one day someone will give props to Detroit's defense... It's both, though. Detroit is playing very, very well, absolutely. If the Bulls were playing their best, they'd still probably lose. It just wouldn't be an embarrassment.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ May 6, 2007 -> 09:37 PM) I think he'll do better than most people predict however because I think he's still a pretty good SP, and the NL to AL effect is a tad overblown IMHO. I basically agree, but he'll also be starting sooner, which could wear him down some. During the ESPN game, they were saying the Carmines were only offering $18 mil prorated, and over a shorter schedule? I'm surprised by that a bit -- just the pr value of his return to Boston would seem to be huge.

That was some kind of domination. QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ May 5, 2007 -> 09:17 PM) Is Nocioni on drugs? Not the performance enhancing sort.

So I guess they don't quite have the blackouts problem fixed yet, huh?...f***ers...

Just curious. Sorry, no pics.

QUOTE(Fotop @ May 1, 2007 -> 08:46 PM) Obviously I trust Angelo when it comes to later round draft picks, maybe he sees some Warrick Dunn in Wolfe? Who knows. All I know is I would have grabbed someone like Pittman or Lorenzo Booker (who I believe was taken right before the Bears pick). Angelo explicitly compared him to Dunn, in fact. I didn't like the pick, but then, I didn't like the Hester choice, either. I'm willing to trust Angelo on this.

QUOTE(MHizzle85 @ Apr 30, 2007 -> 11:08 AM) Ryan Langerhans traded to Oakland for a PTBN. And Willie mf'n Harris brought up!!!

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 30, 2007 -> 09:55 AM) Because your current RH CF is a young top prospect and needs to play everyday to refine his swing. You do not want to risk hurting his development anymore, so you bring up a guy that can produce the same way, has more experience off the bench and isnt a development risk. N/m -- actually I was thinking for some reason that Sweeney is rh. My bad.

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ Apr 30, 2007 -> 09:48 AM) Ozzie has not mentioned Perez recently, nor has KW. In his most recent comments, he said the call-up was between Fields (as a DH) and Sweeney to replace Thome. Since Terrero is the only player capable of playing CF and Owens is battling an injury, Terrero's the best option unless they go out outside of the organization. And it would take Perez at least a week or so before he would be ready to play. The point of the thread is how ridiculous it is to say that Ozzie is racist, because I've seen it overtly alleged, as well as more covert accusations. It permeates a number of threads. I also see Ozzie being held responsible for not helping the White Sox sign every Venezuelan player (since he's Venezuelan), as well as the disaster with Razor Shines, BA and the Tiburones (Sharks) this past winter. I have no reason to bash Anderson, I said I would pick him over Jeremy Reed in another thread. The only manager in baseball who's not under fire is the manager of the defending World Series champions, and LaRussa's already had his share of headaches this year, now exacerbated by the death of Hancock and the media boycott against the Post-Dispatch after their comments about the Cubs. We think we have it bad? The Cardinals REALLY went on the cheap and they're suffering for it...no team is pitching to Pujols unless they absolutely have to, and the Cardinals' rotation is in shambles without Carpenter. I wonder if Cardinals fans are as critical as we are, because it seems they tend to be more supportive. I would say the same thing about BA I said about Rowand, Borchard and Crede when they first came up....those long, looping swings are going to be picked apart by major league hitters. BA is classically in-between. He has to guess fastball to get his bat started fast enough...but he's still not hitting the breaking ball, which has been his Achille's heel. You would think with a slower or slider speed bat, he would be able to stay on the pitch to the outside and poke it into RF, but he's pulling too much with the front side of his body and I don't even think he's seeing the ball the last 5-10 feet. He swings and misses as much as any Sox player I've seen, perhaps with the exception of Borchard. You mentioned Perez. In the title. I'm not biting, sorry.