Jake

The thing is - his testosterone levels were actually low. It's just that his epitestosterone levels were incredibly low, which made his T to E ratio almost 11 to 1, which some say can be explained by the cortizone shots he was taking. I honestly don't know what can lower epitestosterone, but I'm told that cortizone blocks epitestosterone production. It seems that if his testosterone levels were actually low relative to the typical man, he was at a disadvantage even though the ratio was off.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 07:13 AM) I'm sure that was the guy's strategy too. Great minds think alike you know. The only difference is I would never lose something worth 20 grand in the first place.

Has anyone caught the Manbearpig South Park episode with Al Gore? It was somewhat funny although they make it sound like he made up global warming. Really can't stand the guy tho. QUOTE(Soxy @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 08:38 AM) (Yeah, that's right, I said polar bear extinction is sadder than losing NYC) How about we speed up this "global warming" stuff? It eliminates half our wildcard competition! QUOTE(Soxy @ Jul 1, 2006 -> 07:30 PM) Just got back from the movie. It's really good and entertaining. Al Gore is so different in this than he was in 2000 (had he been this relaxed and charming then, he would have won in a landslide). Anyway, the movie was really well done and thought provoking, I do recommend it. Who needs charm when you invented the internet?

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 04:52 PM) Are you serious? He was dating her? Wow what a waste of a beautiful girl, she can come see me if she really wants, haha. Damn, I can't sing but I'll make her scream.

QUOTE(loltrain @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 05:09 PM) I don't remember Dombrowski ever saying Sanchez wouldn't be traded, he's always been the big name brought up in all of our trade rumors. Seriously, how would we possibly aquire Soriano, Abreu, or Lee without giving him up, regardless of whether Chicago is involved? Obviously we aren't trading anyone important on the major league team or Maybin, so that leaves Sanchez as our only real big time prospect. Give them Maggs, Zumaya, Verlander, and Bonderman. Please?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 03:50 PM) What? Are you serious? KW didn't do that, just FYI. Yes, although it's an interesting document he has there, it's not complete and has the obvious error with the Schueler Todd Ritchie trade.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 03:28 PM) What the hell did he expect Thome, Pauly, and Jermaine to tell him? "We suck. We need more." I don't know if Big Jimmy can string that many words together.

QUOTE(Damen @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 02:54 PM) I don't know if he's lost the team, but he's lost me. Not that that's important. OH NO!

QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 03:26 PM) I think there are some things to be worried about: 1. His strikeout rate this season is an extremely low 4.03 K/9. That is considerably lower than any other season of his major league career. The last two seasons it was 6.05 and 5.67 respectively. 2. He has become extremely hittable. Opposing batters are hitting .306 against him. That is much, much worse than any other season in his career. The last two seasons it was .271 and .262 respecitvely. His OPS against is .828. His previous high was .738. If you're giving up a lot of hits and can't strike guys out, you're going to fail big time. This isn't just a slump, it is a horrible season. Maybe it is the huge number of innings and pitches he's thrown over the past 6 years, but he has definitely become a different pitcher this year. The numbers just confirm what we already know, he's getting hammered. What isn't apparent is exactly what the problem is, or if there are just a series of problems. Obviously location has been a problem, and poor breaking pitches.

QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 03:03 PM) I couldn't be less worried about Mark. He'll be just fine Does anyone else find it funny someone who's name is Judy Garland is saying Buehrle will be fine?

QUOTE(GoSox05 @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 02:43 PM) It seems like Sweeney has shown more power every year. This team has plenty of power. We'll have plenty of power for a long time. We need good hitters. I think Sweeney will be an excellent hitter, good defender and good baserunner. An all around solid player. Not just a guy who smacks homers and than strikeouts 3 times in a row. I agree 100%.

Whatever the real speed was, it still bothers me the closeness of velocity between his change and fastball. Whether they are 88 and 83 or 84 and 79, that takes away a lot of the effectiveness of the pitch. Although I do agree a large part of his problem is due to inconsistent control as well.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 04:22 PM) another turn through the rotation and we have . . . UP TO THE SECOND SP TRUST LEVELS: 1a.) Jon Garland - Jonny boy came up absolutely huge, saving the Sox from being swept by the Rangers. I now trust him more than any other starter, I feel dirty. 2.) Jose Contreras - Ok outing from the Count in a big game Vs the Twins, a pathetic 0-2 pitch to resulting in a 3 Run Homer off the top of the left field wall sealed his fate however. I guess I'm still pretty damn confident in him. Totally agree ^ - - - - - - 3.) Javier Vazquez - 5 INNINGS OF PURE DOMINATION YO! Too bad this isn't softball or Vazquez would be the spiff. He sucked but not as bad as Buehrle so he jumps into the #3 spot which isn't saying much. As of right now, Vasquez would be my 5, by far. He has never showed us that he can be a consistently successful pitcher, he's more or less performing like he's always performed. He needs to piece several good starts together before I can force myself to believe he is capable of being a good pitcher. 4.) Mark Buehrle - 5 straight losses and he's allowed 5 runs or more in all of them, he's given up 47 hits in his last 26 2/3 innings of work. I don't know WTF is wrong with him but I don't really see an end to the suckiness in sight. Buehrle is my 3, although it's a hesitant move. He's been bad for a long stretch of time now, but I have faith he will eventually return to previous form. Previous form. Something Vasquez has little of to fall back on. But that's a different story. - - 5.) Freddy Maddux - A fluky start from the Mad Dog nets him a notch on the board, I still have no interest in seeing him pitch for the Sox. His situation is one of utter mystery. While I'm not incredibly pleased with Freddy, he did do better his last start and tomorrow we'll see if it was a fluke or maybe he will start to do better. He's my 4. He has the stuff to be a consistently dominant starter and has been in the past. Maybe a kick in the ass by Oz could jumpstart him, or the possibility of changing teams or being on a losing White Sox team could have the same effect.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 02:26 PM) What gun are you basing this on? Many of them are very inconsistent. The TV ones rarely seem to be right. From what I've seen he's been right around where he normally, generally about 87-88 on his fastball. I was basing this off the TV gun that has his fastball and cutter slower, but his changeup the same speed, so I assumed his fastball must be slower.

Too good to be true.

QUOTE(southsida86 @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 03:11 PM) Sweeney has Zero power. You can't have your RF hitting less than 15 HRs a year. Although I have not beared witness to this, but many feel Sweeney's home run potential is relatively high. He is only 21 years old, he has more time to grow. We need more gap/doubles/contact hitters as it is. (No I don't mean Podsednik slapping popups to the left side non-stop. Does anyone remember a time when your "speed guy" just beat it into the ground and ran like hell? And on that note, Podsednik should be fast enough that they never turn a double play on him, but it happens all the time. I doubt his effort sometimes.)

There are some unspecified minor leaguers in that spreadsheet I'd be interesting in knowing.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 02:14 PM) Location is killing Buerhle more than his velocity. He has survived with pinpoint control at below 90. His control is off, and worse is he is leaving pitches up. 88 and 84 are vastly different. And as I said it makes his changeup more ineffective even when thrown correctly. Right now batters can guard the low part of the zone easily because they have plenty of time to adjust to the high pitches. QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 02:17 PM) My co-worker thinks Mark is injured and asked about his velocity. When I saw him last Friday, he was hitting 88 with regularity on the gun, and I've never seen him top that when I've been at games (I know once in a while he'll get into the 90s), so I told him: it's not velocity. You could make the argument with Freddy, but Mark? Naw, it's something else. But I have never seen a pitcher collapse so quickly after years of realiability. Unless, as my co-workers says, those years of tons of innings are now coming crashing down on him. Yesterday's game he hit 87 only once. I don't know if it's the career innings or innings of late or even an injury or lack of effort, but he needs to make some kind of change. If he ends the year above 5 ERA, I don't expect the Sox to pick up his option.

You don't take him out after the 5th, you just don't let him give up runs in the 6th. Ozzie needs to take control of the game when its 6th inning or later and Javy lets men on. It's just time to take him out late in the game with runners on. He proves day in and day out that he can't work out of jams later on in outings.

Has anyone else noticed Buehrle's drop in velocity? He was never a hard thrower at all, but he was usually in the 87-90 range with his fastball and usually 77-79 with the change. In his last few starts, his fastball has been around 83-86 and his change is the same speed (He also threw several 81 mph cutters yesterday). Not only does this drop in velocity cause a smaller margin for error, there is a much smaller difference in speed between his fastball and change-up, which is ideally 9-12 mph slower than your fastball. Mix this with imperfect location, you get the Buehrle of the last month.

QUOTE(shoota @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 11:16 PM) Since the man BMac would most likely be replacing in the rotation, Javier Vazquez, is a five-inning pitcher, BMac wouldn't have to be stretched out much to be a better option. Well Vazquez is one hell of a five inning pitcher, if only he would just be done after his five shutout innings.

QUOTE(Harry&JimmyRocked @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 12:00 AM) i think you need to use your northsidebaseball.com account I didn't think it needed the green.

Yes. So when someone finds my 20 grand, I'll give them a nickel because they will benefit more in the end from the other people.

QUOTE(bmags @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 12:20 AM) i'm glad...everynight i go to bed thinking ... "there is a chance this will be the greatest action movie of all time, and i will feel embarrassed, but also pride" haha i doubt it. but samuel l. will definitely kick some ass. and i see it has keenan, but no kel? come on man.

QUOTE(bmags @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 12:17 AM) you could have tooken that as you might like dispatch too there high horse. finally read the bottom...and no...i just don't like dave matthews. The fact that he's popular just gives me more opportunities to not like him. I dislike OAR just as much, but i don't have as many opportunities to say why i hate them. I don't hate pop music because its pop...i hate it because its spiff. I miss the days when the bands i listened to were aspiring to be number 1 on the radio...but whatever its not that bit of a hit to my experience with them. Totally unrelated, but everytime I see Snakes on a Plane commercials I think of your sig and laugh.