gosox41

QUOTE (SadChiSoxFanOptimist @ Jun 6, 2008 -> 07:35 PM) Forgive me if this has been posted, but I just read this from Keith Law at ESPN: The worst pick of the day belongs to the White Sox, who took GM Kenny Williams' son in the fifth round. Kenny Williams Jr. is a senior at Wichita State who doesn't even play every day and who was ruled academically ineligible for the 2007 season. He's a good athlete and at least a 55 runner, but he's 22 years old, played in 12 games in total prior to 2008, and wasn't on most teams' draft boards, although two or three other teams appeared to have had him inside the 10th round. It is hard to imagine that he would have been their 5th-round pick if his name was Kenny Smith, but the White Sox liked Kenny Jr.'s athleticism, something that was relatively scarce in this draft's pool of college position players. Kinda makes you proud to be a Sox Fan, huh? I ws just going to ask if KW's son was a legit 5th round pick. For a team with a crappy minor league system, it doesn't sound like, especially if only a couple of teams saw him as a 10th rd pick. If he wasn't a legit pick, then this is worse then Schu picking his daughter in the 45th round (or whatever it was). I'm guessing more fifth round picks make it to the majors then 45th round (though there are exceptions like Piazza and Buehrle in the 38th). And I've heard enough the state of the Sox farm system to know not too waste any picks anymore.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Jun 6, 2008 -> 08:30 AM) I remember this about Loaiza ... That last year he was with us ('04?) he was throwing about 89-91 mph fastballs. Till he went to the AS game to audition for Joe Torre and the Yankees, where he was popping it 94-95. Comes back to the Sox and goes back to the mediocre effort. So yes, Loaiza was being lazy and I was glad to see him traded. Can't lance Broadway fill Loiaza's role? Or are the Sox that down on him.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Jun 6, 2008 -> 10:09 PM) ANDDDD 6 over the Tribe, 9.5 over the overpaid Tigers, and 10 over the horrid Royals. IF we sweep these guys, huge IF, we could inevitably win 16 straight games, as we then go to Detroit, and come home for a bad Pirates team and a bad Rockies team. I know, 16 in a row is almost impossible, but I'd even take 13 or 14 wins during the stretch I just mentioned. Someone likes their Kool Aid.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 11:38 PM) Oh come on! Kenny has GOT to be in line for executive of the year thus far. Sure, nothing has been won yet. But everything he said about who he's gotten in the last 18 months or so has panned out. Danks/Massett/Floyd/Ramirez/Quentin/Linebrink/Dotel....and I would bet a LOT that Swisher will be fine and rebound into the player we all know he is. Find me another GM that has done so much with so little to help his club in the past 18 months... KW has been great at bringing in talent this off season. And he may win Exec of the Year. But it is a long year and hopefully this continues, especially if the hitting finally starts coming around. But I'm referring to more the last 7 years. Outside of 2005, I feel like the other years have been more disappintments (not as much for 2006 as they did win 90 games and I was still riding off the 2005 high). But one play off appearnce in 7 years in a division that has been winnable more often then not. From 2002-2007 the Sox had the highest pay roll in the division. The fact that some teams won spending 2/3 to 3/4 of what the Sox did says a lot. I saw a lot of missed opportunity. 2003 still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as the Sox IMHO clearly had a better team then the Twins but played slightly abov average baseball in a division where 88 wins got it done and 3 of the 5 teams were below .500. 2004 was lost due to injury to our 2 best hitters and thankfully Magglio wsa greedy enough not to take KW's standing contract offer. 2007 showed me why we need a team that has some speed to go along with power and the ability to find "grinders" who are actually good (ie not Erstad) instead of the station to station garbage that failed miserably.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Jun 5, 2008 -> 08:06 PM) Great article. I wonder where all the "fire Kenny Williams" people are on this forum this year?? No different than the people claiming Floyd had no talent, these people shouldn't utter another opinion as extreme as these and just shut their mouth because they have been proven wrong. Period. I'm still here. And nothing has been proven to me. Sure he's made some great movesm but his love affair with slow, one dimensional aging power hitters boggles my mind. I could go over the stats the last7 years, but I won't unless you insist because it gets repetitive. But the stats explain a lot about why KW isn't as great as some think. As for Floyd, I don't remember every saying he lacked talent. I remember saying he lacked confidence and was a head case. Big differece. I know the physical ability is there, but how many players with all the talent in the world fail to live up to the hype. Credit Coop and Ozzie for rebuilding Floyd's psyche. The hard part wasn't seeing this guy has a great curve ball, the hard part was getting hi to believe. But KW should get credit for getting him when he could have easily as seen him as another nut case.

QUOTE (Steff @ Jun 4, 2008 -> 10:47 AM) Just signed to a 1 year deal. Can he catch lightening in a bottle twice... Can he hit?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 1, 2008 -> 08:21 PM) That's not a stat that's generally available...you'd have to research something like that. Baseballreference.com has every box score from the last gazillion years, so the information is out there, it just isn't organized. I wish I had the time.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 1, 2008 -> 09:52 PM) I really believe the wake up call will Walker getting fired. I haven't heard anything indicating Walker isn't a solid hitting coach, but clearly he's not getting through to his fullest extent and at some point you have to be judged by your record (and this offense has been pretty poor 3 out of the past 4 years (this includes the World Series year, where the offense was decent, but far from what I'd call good). Plus, I think Walker getting ousted should continue to wake guys up. In addition, I continue to believe the Sox may make an adjustment to the bench/roster (not via trade, rather AAA). I don't know if they'd send Wass down and get Getz up, plus make a move with one of there struggling bats (calling up Fields and making sure he rotates in). Interesting quotes from Kenny though as it sounds like this was Ozzie doing one thing and Kenny being out of the loop (I completely undersatnd Ozzie's frustration and a lot of this might be motivational to an extent, but at the same time, him and Kenny need to talk and get on the same page and quickly). Wholesale changes have to happen to this offense, but I think everyone has been well aware of that for some time on here (specifically finding a legitimate leadoff hitter, getting CF covered, and finding a way to replace struggling vets with solid vets or young players (because regardless of what Thome/Konerko/Swisher have done, none of it matters when you aren't producing and I'll put up with growing pains if it gets the Sox some players who will be trending "upwards" and not spiraling "downwards" (note that Swisher doesn't necessarily fit into the over the hill part, but he's clearly struggling). It's a shame that Walker is the fall guy when it's basically 3 veterans who are bad right now.

QUOTE (29andPoplar @ Jun 1, 2008 -> 06:16 PM) I understand what you're saying ... but the two (Guillen and Williams) are not on the same page at the moment. Guillen wants changes, Williams is preaching patience. Williams apparently does not feel changes are necessary and/or he knows there's nothing available. I'm guessing Ozzie is in the right. As someone who wanted this team broken up after last season, I'm not that surprised by all this. This station to station baseball with lots of power hitters is not the best formula for success. A well balanced line up is. Bob

QUOTE (Big Hurtin @ Jun 1, 2008 -> 03:12 PM) Guillen has enough after loss By Mark Gonzales - 3:47 p.m. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After watching his underachieving offense go 2-for-14 in a 4-3 loss at Tampa Bay, manager Ozzie Guillen promised some changes to his White Sox roster. "Just be ready because I expect movement Tuesday," Guillen said. "I expect Kenny to do something Tuesday, and if we don’t do anything Tuesday, there are going to be a lot of lineup changes. That’s all I’m going to say about the offense. "It can be me. It can be (hitting coach) Greg Walker. It can be the players. It could be anybody. I’m sick and tired to watch this thing for a year and a half. I’m not protecting anybody anymore. (Bleep) it. "If they can’t get it done, Kenny should find someone to get it done. That’s it." link http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....en-has-eno.html But KW said it's not like you can go out there and trade for a Jim Thome type hitter. The team is too blame as a whole, but a lot falls on PK, Swisher and Thome. They're the veteran leadership and 2 of them are getting paid big bucks. In terms of on the field actions, if they hit like they can, you can probably take AJ out of the 2 hole (he's not a number 2 hitter). Is it coincidence that the Sox are so bad with RISP yet you still have Thome and PK in the middle of the order. CQ carries a .400 OBP. Cabrera is heating up. Dye is hitting .300 and is on base a decent amount of time. The big boppers need to do their job. If they do what they are capable of then everything else falls in place. If Ozzie's answer is to sit Crede, then he's wussing out. PK, Thome and Swisher are the 3 main hitters. I'd love to see Ozzie do something with them. The Sox just blew a gold opporutnity to take 3 of 4 from a very good hitting T Bay team while on the road. They blew it big time. It's about time Ozzie got pissed.

QUOTE (RME JICO @ Jun 1, 2008 -> 07:40 AM) The Sox are 10-1 when they allow 1 run, 6-6 when they allows 2 runs, and 3-1 when they allow 3 runs. That is a 19-8 record when you allow 3 or less. I am sure that it is a game or two below the norm, especially the 6-6 with only 2 runs allowed. However, I don't think a change here would actually give us the "best record" in baseball. In comparison, Boston is 18-5 when allowing 3 runs or less, and they have a much better offense than us. The issue is clearly the offense. They were shutout 4 times in May compared to only once in April. The Sox seem to be riding CQ, and when he doesn't produce, they lose. They are 3-13 when CQ goes hitless, and 4 of those losses are shutouts. Coincidence or not? Thank you for the info. I didn't realize they were 19-8 when giving up 3 runs or less. I'd still like to know how that compares to the rest of the majors the last few years. Unfortunately I don't know where to go to look it up.

QUOTE (spiderman @ Jun 1, 2008 -> 01:33 PM) If Konerko isn't going to hit, and is apparently injured, DL him for a few weeks. I don't know that Anderson is ever going to be more than a .240-.250 hitter, but at least CF will be well taken care of defensively with so many low scoring games. Exactly.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Jun 1, 2008 -> 10:10 AM) Ozzie's job is to get the best out of every player. To do that, he better not have a double standard, he better have 25 different standards, one for each player. What might be great for Buerhle, could be a disaster foir Jenks. I see your point but what about what's best for the team?

If I'm the Sox this is what I would do right now. DL PK. Make BA (and not Ramirez) the everyday CF. BA has been more productive to the 2008 Sox then PK both offensively and defensively all year so I can make an argument that we're a better team. Not sure what the deal is with Swisher, but maybe playing him out of position is taking it's toll on his offense. He is a corner OFer or first baseman. Now he can play first base for the next couple of weeks. When PK is due to come off the DL (assuming he can swing the bat with some authority and not have his thumb bother him) insert him back in the line up. If by this time Swisher or Thome aren't showing signs of hitting sit the weak one and leave BA out there. PK can DH or play 1B depending on on whether Thome or Swisher is still scuffling. If Thome and Swisher are both hitting, then sit BA and see how PK's thumb acts.

Not sure where to look this up or if it's even calculated. Throughout MLB the lat 5 or 10 years, does anyone know the winning percentage is for teams that gives up 1, 2, or 3 runs a game? On the same note, how does that compare to the Sox winning percentage this year when giving up 1, 2 or 3 runs a game? We've had exceptional pitching and should have the best record in baseball IMHO. I'd like to see how the stats bear out.

It appears Ozzie has a double standard of how he manages certain players. I remember an incident with Uribe, I think it was in 2006 where he had a minor muschle injury. Ozzie was PO'd that he wasn't straight forward with him because Uribe wanted to play and thought he can play through it. He sat Uribe a couple of games to rest, but to also teach him a lesson. He ranted about how he needs open communication and he wasn't going to put an injured player out there if he was going to hurt the team. Now we're in 2008. And while PK has probably been 100% truthful of his injury, he has clearly hurt the team (unless .200 hitters are in vogue now). Why isn't Ozzie sitting or DLing him so he can heal a bit. If he can't swing a bat because of a bad thumb, I see no reason to keep him playing everyday. Is it because he's the captain? His ability to turn the 3-6-3 DP a few times we need it a year? And before I hear this crap about how we're in first place and I should relax, I would like to point out that if this team could hit a little better we could have a 7-8 game lead. I didnt' realize certain people are happy to struggly to stay in first and didn't want the "pressure" of a big lead. I'll take the big lead any day. This situation isn't helping. I could understand hiding PK's bat if everyone else was hot, but we have 2 other guys who are bad right now and Ozzie is still playing them. Bob

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ May 31, 2008 -> 04:44 PM) Take a chill pill. The Sox have not even played close to what they are capable to yet. If the offense gets going, which it almost has to with some of the names in the lineup, we can get on another big streak. I swear I heard these lines before. I think it was a year ago in 2007. Bob

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ May 28, 2008 -> 08:29 PM) I'm bored, and I figured it would be fun to take a look back at what could possibly be the greatest draft ever, not to mention a draft where the Sox screwed up. First Round (bold have reached majors) 1. Ari-Justin Upton 2. KC-Alex Gordon 3. Sea-Jeff Clement 4. Was-Ryan Zimmerman 5. Mil-Ryan Braun 6. Tor-Ricky Romero 7. Col-Troy Tulowitzki 8. TB-Wade Townsend 9. NYM-Mike Pelfrey 10. Det-Cameron Maybin 11. Pit-Andrew McCutchen 12. Cin-Jay Bruce 13. Bal-Brandon Snyder 14. Cle-Trevor Crowe 15. Chw-Lance Broadway 16. Fla-Chris Volstad 17. NYY-C.J. Henry 18. SD-Cesar Carillo 19. Tex-John Mayberry Jr. 20. CHC-Mark Pawlek 21. Oak-Cliff Pennington 22. Fla-Aaron Thompson 23. Bos-Jacoby Ellsbury 24. Hou-Brian Bogusevic 25. Min-Matt Garza 26. Bos-Craig Hansen 27. Atl-Joey Devine 28. Stl-Colby Rasmus 29. Fla-Jacob Marceaux 30. Stl-Tyler Greene Other notable selections 36. Oak-Travis Buck 40. LAD-Luke Hochevar (didn't sign) 42. Bos-Clay Buchholz 66. SD-Chase Headley 73. Min-Kevin Slowey 76. Atl-Yunel Escobar 83. Ari-Micah Owings 102. Cle-Jensen Lewis 107. Atl-Jordan Schafer (really good prospect, but just got busted for PED's) Very, very impressive. Already have players who are about to be stars with guys like Rasmus and McCutchen on the way. Dissapointing that the Sox have Lance Broadway when there were guys like Buchholz, Volstad, Garza, Ellsbury, Rasmus, etc. on the board. Although at the time the word was the Sox were interested in Bogusevic and Carillo, and Lance should turn out to be better than both of them. This team needs to start drafting and developing talent better. They've been pathetic at it under KW.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 27, 2008 -> 08:24 PM) According to Cowley, the front office was livid when OC publically stated that Scioscia was the best manager he's played for. Supposedly, OC hasn't been close to the leader they thought he'd be. Instead, he's the first one to leave the clubhouse after the game. Why would they care? Everyone has opinions. It's not meant as a knock on Ozzie. Bob

I heard 3 distrubing things today that can greatly affect clubhouse chemistry: 1. Cabrera whining like a littile baby to the official scorer in the middle of a game. Forget him. That's garbage. 2. Ovtavio Dotel going after Allen Thomas-not sure if this true, but it's what I heard. What's the story behind it? 3. Alexi Ramirez ignoring Guillen's bunt sign in the 12th last night. Yes we all know it worked out, but who's running this team, Ramirez or Guillen. Nice to know a .200 hitting rookie is calling the shots. Are Sox management going to stand for this? Looks to me like the inmates are running the asylum. Cabrera is selfish and a cry baby. I don't know about you, but where I work physcially going after an employee is not a good idea. Last, Ramirez should listen to the manager. Am I over analyzing this, or are these 3 incidents somewhat disconcerting? Bob

QUOTE (Gregory Pratt @ May 26, 2008 -> 11:46 AM) According to the article posted in the catch-all, he considers himself a mercenary hired to fix our chemistry. What a fool he is. How about hitting, Orlando? It is a walk year. If you want to cash in, I suggest hitting more then 2 freaking 40.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ May 26, 2008 -> 10:37 PM) I'm glad it doesn't bother you that our former #3 and current number 5 hitter is hitting about .200 with lots of strike outs. If this keeps up, should I order my World Series tickets for this year and next year or just this year? Bob

QUOTE (BobDylan @ May 27, 2008 -> 10:04 AM) That's the problem. And they aren't the only one's with no-trade protection. KW has handed out those clauses like candy the past few years. I mean, if I have to give a middle reliever a no-trade clause to sign him, then I'm not going to sign him. Linebrink has been great, but next year? The year after that? Then the year after that? I applaud what Kenny has done with the team, but he's signed himself into a trap. If he can't find a way to move Konerko and/or Thome, then the team has to wait 2 more years to go the direction they should have gone last off-season. Fortunately, they're in first place. There is a way to get rid of Thome: bench him. Don't let him get the plate appearance he needs. The Sox should pick a realistic dead line, whether it's 1/2 through the season, Alll Star Break, tomorrow, the trade deadline. If he's not hitting by then, it's time to bench him. Bob

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 27, 2008 -> 09:14 AM) his career numbers. Done. Then why isn't Fisk still catching for the Sox? There's a time when age catches up to a player. Unfortunately, it looks to be here now for Big Jim

People have said they have seen signs of Thome breaking out of his slump. What signs? The HR's? His average hasn't risen lately. What are people seeing in this guy. It seems like a lot of his HR's are against his former team. And while that's all well and good, I don't see why he is batting 5th and people are getting excited about this guy 'breaking out'. Thome is more like Dave Kingman right now. In terms of former Sox, he reminds me of the 1984 version of Luzinski. The season is 30% over and this 'great hitter' has managed to piss it away. I don't recall great hitters slump for almost 1/3 of the season. If we're stuck sticking with this guy, 8th seems like a good spot to bat him. And outside of facing CC, don't start him against lefties. I can see where this is going. The Sox will continue to contend and keep putting Thome out there day in and day out He'll hit .220, 30 HR's and 160K's (with a very good OBP) and we'll be stuck with him next year when his option kicks in. So, someone give me a reason to have faith that he'll be a productive hitter this year. Time is running out. Bob