BlackBetsy

All Matt Garza has to do is throw fastballs. This could be a Colon-like game with him throwing 90+% fastball.

Jim Thome was a great player, but if he can't catch up to Garza's straight fastball, he's pretty much done as an offensive force. They will fastball him right out of the game. The Sox are without good fastball hitters right now.

QUOTE (CWSOX45 @ Oct 5, 2008 -> 03:31 PM) I really do hate Joe Maddon. I think he's a prick, and supposedly the feeling is mutual around the league. I have not heard this. Source / basis / what does he do to make himself a prick?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 5, 2008 -> 07:31 AM) The Sun-Times named 3, MacDougal, Logan and Broadway. I don't understand Logan or Broadway...they are fairly young players who may not get a chance to be around a playoff team again. Especially Broadway, who would want to get a place with the team in 2009.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 08:53 PM) In short, I dont think we could get a deal done for Mora + Roberts...in fact, I dont know that we could land Roberts, much as Id love to have him. Mora and Roberts are the O's two most popular players to their fans (Markakis is coming on) and Angelos doesn't allow his fan favorites to get traded, period. I'd love having both on the Sox, they are GREAT fits, but it's not going to happen.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 08:51 PM) Good, then that means we can deal him. Mark my words, he's history. +5 excellent, sir.

QUOTE (almagest @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 08:25 PM) Thome "just isn't a good hitter?" On whose authority? Yours? Please. He got us into the playoffs. He still put up an .865 OPS at the age of 37. He gets on base a ton and more than half his hits were extra base hits. You probably want to come up with some actual legitimate evidence before you post. Good points, but Thome is pretty much on his last legs. He is consistently behind the fastball now and his average has dropped into the .240's. My guess is that Thome hits in the .220's next year with a lower than normal OBP because folks will just challenge him with fastballs and then fades off onto the DL by July as Konerko replaces him at DH and Swisher becomes the full-time 1B man. Thome hit .205 / .314 / .398 in September, and I think that's more like what you can expect from him in 2009.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 08:16 PM) May 2008? Try August 2008 They drew about 13,000 on August 27th...pathetic.

QUOTE (BlackBetsy @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 08:08 PM) The Sox manufactured 70 fewer runs in 2005 than they did in 2008. The pitching - especially the bullpen - is the biggest difference. Not the structure of the offense. 200 Home Runs in 2005 119 solos - 119 runs 50 2 run shots - 100 runs 29 3 run shots - 87 runs 2 grand slams - 8 runs Total of 314 runs by the home run / 741 runs = 42.4% of runs 427 "other" runs manufactured. 235 Home Runs in 2008 133 solos - 133 runs 66 2 run shots - 132 runs 24 3 run shots - 72 runs 12 grand slams - 48 runs Total of 385 runs by the home run / 811 runs = 47.5% of runs 426 "other" runs manufactured. The 2008 White Sox "manufactured" one fewer run than the 2005 White Sox.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 08:06 PM) We were able to manufacture runs a lot easier than we do now. And our pitching and defense was much better. The Sox manufactured 70 fewer runs in 2005 than they did in 2008. The pitching - especially the bullpen - is the biggest difference. Not the structure of the offense.

Dye needs 1 more hit to tie Shoeless Joe Jackson for most postseason hits (19)

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 08:03 PM) So the formula he used when his team won it all wasn't good enough? That team hit 200 home runs and scored a high % of their runs through the home run. The whole Pods thing was mostly an illusion.

QUOTE (That funky motion @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 07:58 PM) Brian would have had that. +3 LOL.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 07:56 PM) Agreed. We don't need offense from our backup catcher, but we do need someone, who during a base hit in the late innings, can prevent that from becoming a triple. Paul Konerko could steal on us. Albert Belles degenerative hip could steal on us. Eddie Brinkman could steal on us. Forgive me father for that one.

QUOTE (Sox It To Em @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 07:54 PM) 5-2. Making the playoffs this year was awesome. Next year we'll have a healthy TCQ, so who knows. Not just making the playoffs! Making the Twinkies eat s*** doing it....Had the Sox just made the playoffs, I wouldn't be satisfied. Making the Twinkies suffer makes me satisfied. Honestly, this team is fairly poor without Quentin & Crede. That's an enormous amount of missing production. Can't really expect the late-season Sox to compete with a 97-win team like the Rays. The good news is that the Sox won't have to put Vazquez out there next year.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 07:47 PM) on tv too. Where are you getting your strikes and balls? The Umpire? LOL +2

QUOTE (chimpy2121 @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 07:44 PM) Stop blaming the f***ing umps. It happens in every damn game. Sometimes it hurts us, sometimes it helps. Maybe you guys should actually blame to people who are really at fault, the hitters. Wait, of course not. Some of you will never do that. Who am I trying to kid? I'm not traditionally an umpire blamer. But Bucknor has been unusually bad. Irrelevant now.

Even pro-Rays Reynolds acknowledges that Howell got silly calls that inning. I like Dye-Konerko-Thome against Wheeler in the ninth if the Sox can hold the Rays in the 8th. I gotta good feeling.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 07:37 PM) HAWK! How's it going, buddy? I tell you what, Swish has got to cinch it up and hunker down right here.

CB Bucknor is MVP for the Rays tonight...the 0-1 to Iwamura, the two strikes to Ramirez, the Ks of Uribe and BA...silly, silly calls.

QUOTE (G&T @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 07:31 PM) Yup. And to make it worse, this game is tied if not for ARam pointlessly throwing a ball into the dugout. Not quite sure about that. I think that oppo hit by Navarro gets the runner to third and the next hit brings him in.

I just don't think that the Rays bullpen is as good as they think it is. They can be had. That said, with Uribe and BA in the lineup, they don't need to be that good. Amazing how much CQ and Crede being out affects this lineup.

QUOTE (watchtower41 @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 04:58 PM) better than Thome's 0-13 with 5K's against Kazmir. "THOME don't like it.... ROCK the Kazmir, ROCK the Kazmir!" due? BA is 0 for 6 with 5 K's against Kazmir...and he's hitting. Thome 0 for 13 Swish 3 for 21 OC 2 for 14...0 fer last 10 AJ 1 for 6 I'd be shocked if the Sox scored 3 runs off of Kazmir. Better make him throw a lot of pitches and hope you can score off the bullpen. The biggest problem is that the Sox don't have many good fastball hitters. It's PK and OC (most of the time) and Ramirez and that's it.

QUOTE (letsgoarow @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 11:41 AM) A team who was #1 in the minors in merchandise sales for 3 straight years We wanted a name that was unique, our owner also owns the Lansing Lugnuts. Sinclairs is still there but fox and the hound closed. The players and staff drink at Buds which is right accross the street from Sinclairs. Price likes the clubs though lol If I recall correctly, Bud's is a total dive with cheap beers? I remember going in that place once...was enough for me.

QUOTE (letsgoarow @ Oct 3, 2008 -> 11:08 AM) I work for the Montgomery Biscuits. So i know a lot of the guys for Tampa. David Price, Longoria, Perez, etc... David Price is one of the nicest guys ive ever met, i can only wish him the best. I will root for the Rays if we get eliminated, but i can NEVER go against my sox! I was actually able to talk to Loaiza this year too which was super cool. Bobby also had a rehab here. Nice. I lived in Montgomery one year (97-98) before they got the Biscuits. Would have loved it if they had a farm team then, although it is as hot as blazes in Montgomery in the summer. Never did drive up to see the Barons. Use to drink at the Fox and Hounds (?) and Sinclair's [edit] and at the Marina.