elrockinMT

Uribe with a grand slam pinch hit homer. Wow! Someone asked in a post on the board who the MVP's were this year. My vote goes to Uribe and Paul Konereko. Together they have made the season interesting.

QUOTE (qwerty @ Sep 22 2004, 02:01 AM) Ted williams can be the white sox hitting caoch and people would still blame him if the team did not hit. Rowand44: Is he available? :rolly

There are some good posts here and lots to think about. I do agree that what happens with the offense may well hinge on Frank Thomas. I think the Big Hurt was on his way to a great year before that injury and Maggs was looking pretty solid too. I still stick with what I said about trading Paulie though. The guy has really come around and look at the rebound from last year. Tonight he hit #40 and has driven in close to 110. No other Sox player has those numbers. Jose has a homer tonight as well and I am happy that he found that long ball again.

I think a lot of the problem the last few yeasr has been a failure of the pitching staff to perform and specifically the stud relief pitcher and 5th starter. We have also seen the pitching we acquired fail to step up. Colon was good for us, but manageemnt wouldn't spend money and maybe they were right considering the amount requested. This year the injury buy to Frank and Maggs was the nail in the coffin and no closer to speak of. I think Crede and Valentin need to be given another oportunity and we need to exit Robbie and probably Carl Everett. Maybe Sandy should be released too. Borchard should get the start in RF.

You don't give up a strength in one area to improve youurself in another because you just open up a hole again. As I said Gload is not the option over Konerko. I think Lee is a stable and very strong option in LF. I think Maggs will be gone and we can use the $14M to look at free agents to fill the starting pitching hole we have. Borcgard gets the opportunity to start in RF with Timo Perez as the back up. I like Valentin and am not sure Valdez or Uribe is the answer at SS, but realsitaically Jose is probably gone and we have another $5M to play with to go after a stud relief pitcher. Or maybe Jose signs for less and comes back in '05 to show this year was a fluke. A .250 plus hititng Jose V hitting 25-30 HR's and driving in 75 plus runs is a solid offensive SS. I also think Jose is not the defensive liability some think he is. Joe Crede may or may not be the 3B answer, but he has too much talent to just throw away. We could use some of our present relief corp as trade bait including the likes of Kelly Wunsch and Jon Adkins and Cliff Politte. Diaz may be a good bullpen long relief man.

I would ask the fans that post here to step back and consider the overall impacct to the team if certain trades are made. I can't understand the clamor to trade someone like Paul Konerko and replace him with Ross Gload. Paulie is hitting .280 plus with 39 homers and over 100 RBI's. Gload is a utility player, who does very well in filling that role. Trade Carlos Lee, who is hitting .300 with 26 plus homers and 90 RBI's and who does a real good job in the OF. Trade Crede, who has a lot of talent, but replace him with who? Uribe is a super sub, who perfomrs even better than Graffanino did in that role. Valdez is a possible I.F. reserve. We need pitching folks #1. We need an ace closer more than anything in my book and a good starter. I would even be reluctant to let Valentin go. We have given up too much in the last 2 years in young talent going after Everett and Robbie Alomar, not once but twice. I see Jon Rauch over in Montreal is now 2-0 and has thrown two consecutive 3 inning long relief stints giving up zero runs. Keith Foulke saved game #30 with Boston. We could have still had Keith if we had been willing to pay a little money. We haven't had a solid relief ace since he was traded. Folks, you don't trade away all-star caliber players and have nothing and no one to replace them with. You need someone who can play just as good if not better. Slow down on the "let's get rid of our players bandwagon." There isn't just one player that's responsible for the Sox decline. I even could point a finger at Ozzie Guillen and say fire him, but lets give him and the others a chance.

The Sox offense scores 4 runs in 3 games and the pitching gives up 26 runs. The defense helps the pitchers suck big time. This is a pathetic excuse for a team that claims to want to beat the Twins.

I think he just wants to end the misery sooner rather than later

The team needs to start retooling for next year right now. If they have to be built to beat the Twinkies they ain't got a chance if it stays the same.

I have to give it up to Valentin. He hung in there against a tought lefty and go gets a basehit.

I logged on late again. Just in time though to see another embarrasing display. The Sox should be ashamed on themselves for setting foot on the same playing field as the Twins. It really pains me to say that... but it's true.

I haven't heard anything about him lately. Did he get released or something? I am guessing you think he won't get re-signed by the Marlins? Heck, give the guy a chance. He can't be any worse than our stellar rookies we have been bringing up.

I just logged on after coming home from an evening meeting. NINE runs allowed in the 6th inning. For crying out loud what happened? This is beyond emabarassing and no word can describe the garbage play in this game. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.

I hope Jeff puts in together for the Sox, but this is his 3rd game that I know of and he has yet to pitch a scoreless inning. Am I wrong?

The kid sure looks good out there doesn't he?

Well, Timo and Carlos ruin my thoughts of a possible Sox comeback against Colon

I have been thinking that same thing. Where does Hawk get these stupid nicknames? Peapod isn't my idea of an appropriate name for a good ball player like Harris or anyone else for that matter.

Yes, I can imagine her now... :rolly

You must describe her is all her awesome detail for those of us without TV coverage

Thanks for the update. I have to watch MLB Gameday. At least last night I saw a winner of WGN.

What did or didn't Joe do?

It would appear that with 4 hits and 3 runs allowed in the 1st inning that Contreras isn't willing to listen to Cooper and Guillen about going more with the fastball and less with the splitter. I think this means that in his last 2 or 3 innings over 2 starts that Jose C has given up 10 (?) runs.

Don't be so quick to jump on the free agent signing band wagon. Gibbons is NOT a decent replacement. Look at his stats. It may be that we give Borchard a chance to produce or be gone and also start to develop our own. Pitching is where I think we will need the free agent money spent. The Sox rave about Grilli. Nine hits and 5 runs in 5 innings? Nothing to rave about. A long reliever he might be, but I am just not certain yet about his ability to be the every fifth day starter. Diaz maybe, but he could be in the bullpen too. I see a reshaping of that bullpen crew and an addition of a power closer along with another starter to be our priorities. I would also like to see a run at Maggs made.

Timo Perez is a very good substitute OF'er. A true #4 guy, but not a starter. Borchard has been a terrible disappointment even though he has shown some tremendous power potential with a 500 plus foot homer. Do we give him the shot next year? I am resigned to losing Magglio Ordonez because I think that the Yankees or Mets will sign him with San Diego being an outside chance. Next year might be Joe B's make or break season. I am not hapy with our bullpen regardless of what Ozzie thinks about them. They give up too many homers and too often let the first batter on base. I think there is a decent nucleus there though. I would like to see a real stud closer and a middle reliever brought in over the winter. A good fifth starter wouldn't hurt, but maybe Grilli or Diaz will step up and take that. I am not sold on Schoenweis.

Cotts gives up the lead off walk and then a single and the game is tied.