elrockinMT

He had the tendency last year, along with garlnad to fall apart and give up a big inning. Garland has overcome that and Wright hasn't. My thoughts would be to send him down to Charlotte. I never thought we would needa fifth starter, but now I am not so sure...

I think this is cruel and unusual punishment for even a Sox fan.

They gave the guy a double? Diid Everett make a running try for it or something? Also I wonder how many homers Koch has give up this year?

Thomas and Ordonez didn't want to give up, but our all-star Everett decided to end the Sox agony. I'll see you all tomorrow on WGN. Maybe we get to see a rookie phenom pitch? Any word on who goes in game 2 tomorrow?

Harris and Lee both strike out so nothing new going on with theose guys or the offense. I am surprised that WH didn't try his famous bunt tactic.

Manuel did something right, but Koch couldn't again. We are almost there then. When Koch and Manuel cad do soemthing right we'll be on a winning streak. Any bets on when that will happen?

I just now had the opportunity to get on Soxnet and MLB gameday. The first thing I see after the score is Koch giving up a double to the first batter he faces. It looks like we are shot for sure...

It's me and Armando Rios getting sent down together.

GM Williams May Be Forced To Play The Blame Game Friday, July 11, 2003 By Bob Markunas White Sox General Manager Ken Williams has tried just about everything to make a contender out the sow’s ear he calls a baseball team. In the past few years, the parade of players trundling through the portals of Comiskey Park (now “The Cell) at 35th and Veeck Drive reads like a Who’s Who In Baseball. David Wells, Jose Canseco, Royce Clayton, Kenny Lofton, Barolo Colon, Billy Koch, the Alomar Brothers and Carl Everett have graced the greensward on the South Side, but with each passing transaction, the team seems to sink to new disappointing lows. This 2003 cast of characters continues the trend. Williams, hamstrung by budgetary constraints has creatively and admirably responded. His recent acquisitions, Robbie Alomar and Carl Everett will be paid by the organizations they left; teams only too happy to accept youthful prospects in return. Williams kept the faith in spite of a poor first half, always looking for a spark of team energy. When he saw it against the Cubs, he pulled the trigger on the recent trades. Unfortunately, the spark was short lived as Williams’ charges went on the road and got summarily spanked by the Devil rays and Tigers, falling 5.5 games behind the Royals. So now the Spitless Blunders move on to Cleveland where another second division team lurks. Sports radio rumors suggest that Williams is looking for pitching, but until the bats come alive no amount of pitching help will turn things around. How is it the White Sox submerge into these miserable offensive funks, where the walk up to the plate, take a few swings and return to the dugout before their seat cools off? If firing Jerry Manuel is what it takes to wake up this moribund collection of underachievers, then so be it. Williams has tried everything else and if he truly believes the talent is there, well, it’s the only card he hasn’t played. No doubt, White Sox fans would support such a move. “He's (Manuel) the only reason (the Sox) are not leading the division,” says Sufferin’ on White Sox Interactive. “They don't have the talent to be the best team in baseball but they're certainly the class of the division. This clown screws around so much he somehow manages to put a lineup together that scores a run a game against the Tigers! Hey Manuel, Big Frank hits 50 points higher when he's playing first base. Why the (expletive) do you keep putting him at DH?” When you get past the vitriol, Sufferin’ raises some valid questions. But how much really can Manuel or any manager be blamed for poor team performance? Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield explained it to Mike Philips in a recent Miami Herald article. "If you are talking strategically, it's a lot less than people realize," Littlefield said. "But a manager can make a difference. The thing that is under appreciated about managers is their ability to evaluate talent. You look at the guys who succeed and they seem to make good decisions about the fifth starter, or they get a guy who has been a utility player all over the place and then he become a super utility player. Guys who know how to use their 25-man roster, how to keep players ready, succeed." Sounds like Sufferin’ without the venom. So what will Ken Williams do? Is the manger getting the most out of his talent? Kicking water coolers or screaming at umpires is hardly the answer. Who can deny that Jerry Manuel has gotten little out his talented roster? One short week ago, the White Sox were riding high and baseball fans around town were noticing. The fleeting momentum has been squandered against some poor competition. Four stinkers in Cleveland and Ken Williams may be forced to play that final card, the one with Jerry Manuel’s name on it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Markunas is a freelance writer based in Chicago. He writes the Windy City Report, which appears on ChicagoSportsReview.com courtesy of Fanstop.com. He is available via email at [email protected].

There is nothing wrong with Paul Konerko's hips, Bartolo Colon & Billy Koch do not have arm problems, Jerry Manuel will not be fired and Kenny Williams is the General Manager.

It is always a special feeling to beat those smirking smurffs

Sounds kind of like a minor league operation, but as long as they don't get hammered it's not a bad thing to stretch them out a bit. However, what's the use of stretching them out as Manuel put it, if they go through 3 or 4 days of sitting during the break? I kind of hope we do bring up a minor league pitcher phenom and get to see a new face for one game.

My guess is, after this embarrassing last series and the one in TB, that we split withg the Indians and have to pick it up after the break. The one saving grace is that no team in the AL Central wants to win the thing. KC is losing too and think where we could have been if we had played to our potential these last 6 games. We chould have been 5-1 if not 6-0. Pitching is still our strong point.

Jump into the water, it's a softer landing that way and the blood washes away. Have some consideration for your friends.

1) Who will win the series (CHW/CLE/Split) (2 points)? split 2) Which Alomar brother will have a higher batting average for the series (Robbie/Sandy) (2 points)?Robbie 3) How many errors will the Sox make (4 points)?2 4) How many pitchers will the Sox use on Saturday (4 points)?7 in DH 4 in 2nd game 5) How many singles will Aaron Rowand have in the series (5 points)?2 6) How many walks will Danny Wright issue (5 points)?47) Who will lead the Sox in men left on base (4 points)?Crede 8) What will be the outcome of the Saturday DH (sweep/split) (2 points)?split 9) Will Magglio Ordonez be hitting over .300 after this series (Y/N) (2 points)?N 10) Will Danys Baez get a save (Y/N) (2 points)?NoTIEBREAKER: What will be the run differential of the series? (Total Sox runs - Cleveland runs) Sox 22-Indians 18

Friday, July 11, 2003 Brewers outslug Sox By Tribune Staff -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HELENA -- Antoin Gray and Brandon Bounds hammered homers, but for the second night in a row the Great Falls White Sox were defeated handily by the Helena Brewers in a showdown of Pioneer League Northern Division contenders. Robby Deevers had four hits and Drew Anderson knocked in four runs with three singles as the Brewers defeated the White Sox 11-8 Thursday night before 1,791 fans at Kindrick-Legion Field. The Brewers improved to 16-5 overall and took over first place in the Northern Division with a second straight one-sided decision over the White Sox (15-6). The White Sox never led in the game. Helena went on top 1-0 in the first inning as starting pitcher Matt Nachreiner threw a wild pitch, then failed to cover the plate. Great Falls tied it at 1-1 in the second as Carlos Lee drove in Bounds with a sacrifice fly. But the Brewers regained the lead in the bottom of the second on a double by Justin Barnes, and three more runs came across before the side was retired. Nachreiner, a fifth-round pick in the recent June draft, yielded five earned runs in 1-plus innings of work and was saddled with his second loss in four decisions. The White Sox got a run back in the third on Ricardo Nanita's RBI single, but still trailed 5-2 after leaving the bases loaded. Nanita had singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 20 years. The Sox pulled within 8-6 in the top of the sixth on Gray's three-run homer, a two-on, two-out shot to left. But the Great Falls bullpen couldn't stop the Brewers, who added one in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the home half of the seventh. The White Sox committed two errors and had a few base-running gaffes, too. In the top of the seventh it was 9-6 when the Sox put two runners on with two outs. With Lee at the plate, an errant pitch bounced high in the air off the plate, and Great Falls base-runner Brian Anderson was tagged out attempting to score from third. Bounds clubbed his fourth home run of the year, a two-run shot that brought the Sox to within 11-8, in the top of the ninth. The White Sox then put two runners aboard, but Cory Haggerty fanned for the fourth time in the game and Helena reliever Dana Eveland got Mike Myers to end the game.

Paul Konerko

Jose Valentin

Roberto Alomar

Paul Konerko

Just to let you know about Armando Rios if you don't already have the news. Still wonder if a trade for an OF'er may be in the cards. Rios might be back up or included in the trade.

That's it in a nutshell. Daubach hit it on the nose and a great dive caught it. Unlucky play. We could have been ahead by 2-1 if it had gone through. However, when the count was 2-0 or 2-1 I could see a steal of 2nd base with BD not swinging at the pitch just to stay out of the DP, but heh it didn't happen. I guess there are lots of things that could have been called, done or not done.

I like Rick White and Danny Wright too. Part of me thinks that Rick W should be left in the bullpen and let's bring up some guy from the minors, but I think someone has to get sent down to do that and then be brought back up. The other part of me thinks that we have tried all the old baseball wisdom as far as managing and maybe thinking outside the box with White starting might be great and he'll win a game?

I think that is a position lots of us are taking now after a sweep by the Tigers.

Your right SoxFan. We shouldn't be taking the teams woes out on our fellow SoxNet posters. I had to watch via MLB Game day and saw the flash about a line out DP, but of course I can't see what's happening. I was ticked off too, but I understand now the ball was scalded and Pena made a great diving play to rob Daubach, Loaiza and the Sox...