AddisonStSox

QUOTE(StrangeSox @ May 9, 2007 -> 10:41 AM) And que resident Ozzie Guillen apologist.... Do you actually want to defend anything he did or just your usual "OMG, you're so ridiculous! OMG OMG!" followed b hyperbole and strawman Ozzie apologist? Surely you jest. If I am to champion anything, it's the desire to have the scope of accountability shifted from the front office and coaching staff to the players on the field. When it's Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams hitting .196 though the first month of the season, then you come back and we'll talk. Until then, let's place the blame directly where it should be placed--on the players on the field. You know who you are? You are the same guy that called for Bobby Cox's head following both the 1978 and 1979 seasons when the team finished dead last. You are the same guy that called for Bobby Cox's head when he decided to move first base and catcher mainstay Dale Murphy to center field--where he promptly won two MVPs and five Gold Gloves. Take a lesson from the past, sport. Blame not the manager. You put the blame directly on the players on the field and then if the team falls apart at the seems or under preforms once established players continually preform at historically miserable paces, then you consider a managerial change. Or, wait, wait, wait...maybe it would just be easier to fire the manager thirty games into the season.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ May 9, 2007 -> 08:47 AM) Wow, this loss was Ozzie's fault? I coulda sworn it was the bullpen. Hes right though, If Sweeney isnt going to play everyday up here, its more beneficial to have him play everyday at AAA. Its the correct decision. You take your evolved baseball acumen and get the hell out of here. This is another Ozzie b****-fest, can't you tell? This loss was Ozzie's fault Should Ozzie be fired? Where is the: "No, you're a pud." option?

QUOTE(Al Lopez @ May 6, 2007 -> 04:44 PM) Well you know he was in Titanic, so he knows a little something about sinking ships. Well done. Top drawer. Touch em' all.

Finish out the season as a professional (both on and off the field) in Chicago, and White Sox fans will wish you the best of luck in the future. Sorry, Scott, but it is time we part ways.

QUOTE(maggsmaggs @ May 8, 2007 -> 01:56 PM) Also Trey Thompkins who Weber is recruiting hard (he is 13th I think) and Terrence Jennings who is #9, has a top 3 with Illinois, Cal and Arizona. So lots of Illinois guys up there, I think this is the banner class the BW has wanted. Plus, '09 is stacked and the top two '09 players are from the Champaign area and '10 already has Richmond who is a top 5 player nationally. Things finally starting to look up for a true good guy in college basketball. Bingo. It looks like the karma train is finally coming into town for Bruce Weber. Things are looking awfully nice on the recruiting front for the O & B, but don't let any of the Weber doubters hear about it. It has moved beyond cautiously optimistic for me for the classes of 2008 and beyond. I think we are looking at some historic recruiting classes in the near future--historic in terms of talent and high school national rankings.

...even for me, that's going to far. This kid has had a near-picture-perfect swing since he entered the system and has had under 50 big-league at-bats. Methinks this is far too small of a sample size to be making any comparisons to anyone--let alone Brian Anderson.

Just curious, and I don't intend to read through this thread, but, at what point does the scope of accountability begin to focus on the players on the field and not the ownership, General Manager, coaching staff, etc.?

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 3, 2007 -> 12:57 PM) DeAndre Liggins moves to a 5 star prospect on Rivals. I cannot emphasize how much Illinois needs to get him, which means we won't of course. Don't be so sure. Weber is right there in the hunt. Conventional wisdom says Kansas or Memphi$, but, Weber is right in the thick of things with the in-state talent this year. Something tells me even if Illinois misses on Liggins, Illini fans won't be disappointed with the class of 2008.

QUOTE(The Critic @ May 3, 2007 -> 11:47 AM) I got apathy. Apathy split-decision over indifference. Indifference gets screwed over by the judges...............but doesn't really get too upset about it. Hilarious, touch em' all, you got all of that one. Sad, but true. It's hard to imagine, but boxing, which was still in the foreground of American sporting attention even just a decade ago, has now completely fell of the map and gone to the sporting wayside--alongside tennis and (sadly) professional hockey. There was a time when my family and I never missed a PPV prizefight. It seemed like once a month there was an opportunity to all gather around the now-infamous Chicago cable "blackbox" and watch a PPV boxing match for free. Now, complete indifference.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 29, 2007 -> 07:31 PM) Pittman would have been a much better pick. Angelo reached on alot of picks this year. Yes, and yes. Yet, far be it from me to question his mid and late round selections. His track record now speaks for itself. However, the Garrett Wolfe selection in the third round is very suspect and I believe this will become painfully apparent in the near future.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Apr 29, 2007 -> 07:10 PM) ASSumptions are bad. Like assuming the kid was a major league baseball player and attempting to make a cogent baseball argument for his playing time over the playing time of Darin Erstad? Agreed. Good call.

This was one of the poorest selections in the entire draft. A change-of-pace-back needed to be brought in, yes. But, to take Garrett Wolfe in the third round, ahead of the likes of Michael Bush (dismiss him as a big-back with injury concerns, fine by me) and Antonio Pittman (a Big Ten football player who played against the best in the country with near Garrett Wolfe straight-line quickness). The Bears needed to select a HB with a fourth round selection at the earliest and if it is going to be in the third round, you need to do better than Garrett Wolfe with some very impressive talent still on the board. And please spare the anti-NIU argument. I have nothing wrong with either NIU or Garrett Wolfe--I recorded a tackle against the kid in high school, so please. If Garrett Wolfe's the pick, wait until the fourth round; hell, he may have been there in the fifth. That's all I'm saying. That was very poor usage of a third round selection.

...a crying shame. How's the surfing in Charlotte? Better yet, how's the pot?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 27, 2007 -> 01:11 PM) I just want to know how this is Ozzie's fault.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Apr 26, 2007 -> 11:07 PM) He's a guard that has some semblance of talent, so ok. Just a darn shame Jamar is going to be back, Weber is such a....well a lot of bad things. Time to get a new act, pal. This one is getting pretty old. QUOTE(Jimbo @ Apr 27, 2007 -> 09:29 AM) I think having Jordan will be good for the PR of Illinois. Agreed. It's a PR dream and the kid may be able to eat up some minutes as an upper-classman. Even if this doesn't put Illinois in good standing for Marcus Jordan, it's a win-win.

Brian Anderson Observation: He's not good at baseball.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Apr 25, 2007 -> 04:28 PM) I have to say...whether he can coach or not...whether he can recruit or not...Zook has been great for the state of Illinois. Taking a Spring game to Chicago...going on a six-city tour...I can see him being here for a loooong time as long as he keeps recruiting and can consistently get to higher end bowl games (5th place and above). Maybe can't coach his way out of a paper sack, but he's gettin' the word out about Illinois football! The trick is, to have him stock the program with talent, and then ditch him for a top-flight X's and O's coach. Think Florida and Urban Meyer. ...I'm only half-kidding. That really ought to be the plan, because even in his two years here, I've seen more fundamental coaching errors than you would expect to find in the high school ranks. EDIT: However, in all fairness, I believe if you are able to match Zook up with some young, up-and-coming offensive wiz-kid (i.e. Lane Kiffin, Sarkisian, Jon Gruden) then you have something to work with--that scenario could work. Because, we all know Zook is an amazing recruiter, he appears to do it cleanly, and he works very, very well with defensive backs...match Zook up with one of those types of guys and then you may have a perennial contender in the Big Ten, which is all could be asked of a coach at Illinois.

QUOTE(quickman @ Apr 25, 2007 -> 11:44 AM) he is not a dead horse until he is gone. But I love the thought of putting him out of his misery. Nice science project though. Inbox.

Brian Anderson's approach at the plate looked pretty good to me last night. I love how major league hitters watch a straight-as-an-arrow fastball strike three go right down Broadway. As Steve Stone has said, someone I trust a whole hell of a lot more than some of the fan-boys here, the problem with Brian Anderson is that, he not only gets beat on breaking pitches (which he could not hit to save his own mother), but, he also gets beat on the fastball--which, as Stone correctly asserted, is inexcusable for a major league ball player. Oh, s***, this is a Darin Erstad thread--disregard this post. Oops. Maybe all he needs is a chance to play...

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 23, 2007 -> 01:19 PM) Damn it is 6 hours to game time, and already everyone has conceeded the series to KC. I guess that means you won't all be wasting your time watching the game... 6 hours to game time??? Oh, no, no, no. Ozzie cost this team a series victory days ago. /InsertShakingHeadEmoticon

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Apr 22, 2007 -> 08:13 PM) Hey, we were totally ranked 9th in 2002. You're gonna have to deal with it. I live and die with the Clones more than any other team. I would trade any World Series for a Cyclone national championship in football or men's basketball. Your passion translates well and you are certainly the most informed Cyclone fan I have ever had the pleasure of conversing with--believe it or not, there was another! I know I'm giving you a hard time, but, there seems to be reason for optimism in the cases of both of our belov'ed collegiate football programs. And, although I can not speak to the Cyclones to the extent in which you do, I think both programs are about to turn the program...if only our head football coach had the football IQ that Chizik possesses (Illinois would be a perennial contender).

QUOTE(Craig Grebeck @ Apr 22, 2007 -> 07:50 PM) He's so f***ing terrible. Why on earth isn't BA given a consistent opportunity when he beat the s*** out of Erstad in spring training, Addison? Explain this to me. Also, I'm fairly sure I could outmanage Oswaldo---but next time there's a managerial search that considers anyone who isn't a "baseball guy" (i.e. former player who doesn't know s***), let me know. Case in point. Out.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Apr 22, 2007 -> 07:45 PM) Pretty much. He's taking charge. Plus, he's got the nation's leading tackler in a scheme that suits him perfectly. I'm sorry, Heads. But, any time you post in a collegiate thread regarding ISU it reminds me of the obnoxious girl at the party that constantly interjects in the conversations of others hoping they elect to dignify her with a response. You know I'm not calling you an obnoxious girl, A. But, it cracks me up. Hell, I still feel uncomfortable talking college hoops with accredited Indiana, Duke, or Kansas posters (save one Soxtalker) because in some way I still feel like Illinois is an inferior program--and we went to a Final Four three years ago.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Apr 22, 2007 -> 07:43 PM) Notre Dame is gathering an impressive haul right now, with 10 early commits including several heralded players. None of them better change their minds throughout the course of this process, lest they forget the meaning of the word commitment.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Apr 22, 2007 -> 06:41 PM) I believe a common misconception among baseball fans is a general manager and manager have to be considered "experts" since, after all, they do hold a valuable baseball position. Williams? I would consider him an expert. Guillen? Not so much. I'm convinced half this board could make gut decisions and hold grudges against younger players. This has officially reached absurdity. Who are the experts then, hot shot, the guys that wrote your Baseball America? There is a reason those guys write Baseball America and you post on a message board and Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams are employed by professional baseball team. I understand that this is a message board, aimed at baseball discussion regarding your team of choice. However, every day I'm seeing some teenager proclaim to know more baseball than a manager of a professional baseball team. This amuses me. I am terribly amused. ...oh, and by the way. Erstad sucks! Start Brian N. Anderson!!!111!!! He's young and blond!