AddisonStSox

Hi, I'm Brandon McCarthy, the sixth/spot-starter coming out of the bullpen. I'm already with the big league club, have proven I could get major league talent out, and would not force another arbitration clock to start ticking.

I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.

QUOTE(indyman @ May 8, 2006 -> 02:51 PM) Haeger would not start Wednesday. Even is someone was hurt, with Monday off, everyone would just move up a day and the Sox wouldn't have to decide until Saturday. I could give a s*** if this kid is brought up or not, if there is some base to this, what the hell would force Contreras to miss a start, McCarthy not to get a spot start, and a f***ing kunckler brought up from the A ranks? EDIT: f***. Mission accomplished. This bastard got me talking about a a-ball knuckle-baller for 45 minutes? I just got chumped. I'm out.

QUOTE(wcw2323 @ May 8, 2006 -> 02:42 PM) Thanks Jenks Heat....finally a response with some intelligence Well, if this is somone close to the Haeger camp, can someone tell Chuck to try and develop a fastball or a slider to go along with that knuckler? A kunckler + MLB Hitting + U.S. Cellular Field + A team that prides itself on its dominant starting pitching = a pretty incredible story to say the least.

QUOTE(wcw2323 @ May 8, 2006 -> 01:50 PM) Geez, how about some moral support for the kid....Many of you have already dissed him, such a shame! Before people get carried away, just look this post over. Clearly, this is not an objective reporter we have here. I'm suprised this thread has lasted as long as it has, normally mods are good to get a lock on these things before they get taken too seriously.

QUOTE(wcw2323 @ May 8, 2006 -> 02:26 PM) Hi Guys...yes it is confidential....stay tuned and try to show some patience, and most importantly some class! Start crafting your apologies and have them ready! Charlie, is that you?

Group: Members Group: Banned See how fast that can change? Thanks for playing.

QUOTE(wcw2323 @ May 8, 2006 -> 01:50 PM) Geez, how about some moral support for the kid....Many of you have already dissed him, such a shame! ^^^^^^ That about did it for me. Come clean. This has no base whatsoever. You are just trying to stir the pot. /end

Contreras' scheduled start? With McCarthy on the roster? Unless Contreras is still feeling under the weather, you just got worked.

I know this much, this guy has mastered the art of douchebaggery.

That would have been something else. I'm a little upset Iguchi wasn't swinging there. He's one of the most fundamentally sound ballplayers on the roster...he could have hit a ball to the OF.

We have ourselves a tied ballgame. Pablo Ozuna is a ballplayer...simple as that.

This "lineup" needs to get its act together, quickly. Losing two of three from the Royals at home in unacceptable. Winning ballclubs do not do that.

Radiohead tickets? I'm sorry to hear that.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 5, 2006 -> 10:13 PM) True. If Tracey could hit the strike zone I'd want him up pronto cause he's en fuego. Oh, Christ...another minor leaguer? Sorry, but, this is not the time to be breaking in rookies. Jenks was a fun story last year with his 100mph fastball and that hammer, but, unless Tracey has some velocity I am not aware of, give me some major league talent...the last thing this team needs is another kid to piss down his leg in the late innings.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ May 5, 2006 -> 10:01 PM) Yes, i felt the pitching calls were a bit messed up by AJ/dugout, whoever was doing it at that point. I know AJ usually calls everything, but sometimes in close/late situations the dugout takes over. I wasn't paying attention enough to figure out if AJ was glancing at the dugout there. But all in all, some poor choices were made from a pure baseball standpoint. I was talking to Steve about this too, but, there seems to have been a noticable drop-off into terms of the catching corps calling games this year. Does Widger even call his own game anymore? When he has been paired with Garland and Buehrle, you can tell the two aren't in sync.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ May 5, 2006 -> 09:56 PM) You've made some fine points yourself - it's been a nice conversation. I think you've used the term "thornton was throwing gas/heat/smoke" about 5 times now I know what you are saying about Rivera, et al...BUT, it's not like we have a ton of other great options in this pen to close out games/take a few outs in the 9th. I think now's the time to make sure/figure out if Bobby can be THE guy the rest of the year...then establish the rest of your roles from there. Right now we've played a month and there are zero roles in this pen besides Man Soo Lee. I'm in term-paper hell, senior, cut me some slack. As for the roles in the bullpen, it has been a work in progress and I think Ozzie has gone about it the right way, I really do. He wasn't handed the best bullpen this season--let's be honest, Cliff pitched over his head in 2005 and Cotts has yet to pitch like that on a consistant basis--and he's still managed to get some things done...I don't think it's a desperate as you make it appear. He's worked Thornton into more and more pressing situations and so far, he has been up to the task. You can kind of see where Ozzie is headed with him and I think he's done it the right way. He wants to know if Thornton can throw some strikes in the 8th inning and at least merit some set-up innings...and if tonight is any indication of how he approaches the 8th, he looks up to the task. He's also pegged Cliff as a guy who will not be that automatic set-up like he was in 2005...the same can probably be said for Cotts, although I still don't quite know what to make of him this year. As for Bobby, he's handed him the ball in the ninth all year and until tonight, it has worked.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ May 5, 2006 -> 09:49 PM) If Jenks starts the 9th and blows it, so be it. As our closer, at least he was put in the best position to succeed. Alright, fair enough. You've all made some fair points. For me, it's unless I have Mariano Rivera trotting out from left-field, it is nowhere near an automatic situation. As trite as Hawk has made it by this point, his point remains: Ozzie coaches from the gut. He lives and dies by the sword and tonight it came back to hurt him. Thornton was throwing smoke in the 8th and with Bobby pitching some hard innings lately, he wanted Thornton to get the left-hander out. It didn't happen and Bobby then allowed the inning to unfold the way it did. That said, point well taken and you've all made some solid points.

QUOTE(JimH @ May 5, 2006 -> 09:41 PM) The way Jenks pitched tonite, Aaron Guiel hits the game tying HR off him and it gets progressively worse from there. You guys squawk about matchups but by the same token you insist the closer gets all three outs. Here is what Ozzie learned tonite ... Boone Logan will be sent out soon and he will put both Jenks and Thornton back on the horse asap. Ok, good, I'm normally not on at this time and I wasn't sure if I was missing something. That's exactly where I was headed. You can't have it both ways.

Bold prediction: these local fans are going to eat Salisbury alive. Unless this Rosenbloom is able to speak intelligently on local sports--and I'll be the first to admit I am not familiar with him--these two are done in six months' time.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ May 5, 2006 -> 09:38 PM) One person I'm not blaming for this is Matt. He did his job and he's been pretty solid, he just shouldn't have been out there in the 9th, he's not a closer. Just curious, has Ozzie deemed Jenks the "closer" this year?

QUOTE(Soxfest @ May 5, 2006 -> 09:34 PM) B.Logan can go down, Sox do not need 3 Lh relievers anyway, Nelson is a veteran and can be ready quickly call him up this weekend. Well, while I agree with you that he needs to be with the big-league club, I don't think this weekend would be the right move. As many of you know, there have been a few of us wanting Nelson since the 2005 off-season. The guy can straight get it done. He's pitched on the game's largest stages and he has succeeded. Look at his splits against right-handers. He'll be up and our little a-ball adventure will be all over with. Thanks for the mop-up duty, kid, but, we're trying to win ballgames.

People laugh at Jeff Nelson, but this guy has a hand full of rings, has pitched on the game's grandest stages, and is murder on right-handers. We'll see how many are laughing when he develops into a go-to guy in the late innings.

No, this loss is not on Ozzie. Thornton was throwing gas in the 8th and was sent in to get the left-hander out in the 9th. Bobby has been pitching a lot of innings lately and if Thornton could have gotten an out or two, everyone would have been saying that was the right call. This loss was a blown save on the closer. It happens. Luckily, this was the first time this year. What's more troublesome is this pen unable to stop the bleeding.

If it is any consolation, this is the only game so far this year that has left me with a pretty awful taste in my mouth. This was one of those games that you had penciled in as a W into the 9th and then it fell apart. Closers blow it, boy. It happens to the best of em', just look at Wagner and Lidge this year. Like I said, this was the only game so far this season that I turned off saying this should have been a W. Let's get 8 strong from Vazquez tomorrow.