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Am I the only one that is fascinated by this congressional hearing regarding Roger Clemens and steroids? Maybe it's because I'm such a huge baseball fan and this puts into question all that we've seen over the past 2 decades, but I am drawn to this like a moth to a flame. And am I the only one that thinks a good portion of our 2005 championship team was on something? Especially our bullpen. A lot of people had years that were so out of the norm that it certainly raises my eyebrows. Neal Cotts in 2005 = 1.94 ERA Career (excluding 2005) = 5.60 ERA Cliff Politte in 2005 = 2.00 ERA Career (excluding 2005) = 4.87 ERA Dustin Hermanson in 2005 = 2.04 ERA Career (excluding 2005) = 4.31 ERA Jose Contreras in 2005 = 3.61 ERA Career (excluding 2005) = 4.89 ERA Jon Garland in 2005 = 3.50 ERA Career (excluding 2005) = 4.58 ERA Mark Buehrle also had a career best ERA in 2005 - although not quite as dramatic of an improvement as some of the others. That's 2 starters that improved their career ERA's by more than a full run, as well as our 3 main relievers who had an ERA of less than half of their career numbers. Very suspicious to have that many people on the same team to have such dramatic improvements.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 08:40 AM) I have to go with Mark too. Having said that, it's always about the laundry. Never would I root for an ex-Sox to have success against the Sox. However, there are guys who will always be favorites that have come and gone over the years. Absolutely. From the age of about 13, Frank Thomas was my favorite athlete, and when he left the Sox I was 25 and it killed me. But when he faced the Sox both with Toronto and Oakland, I always hoped he'd whiff or GIDP. Other than when he's playing the Sox, he's still my favorite non-Sox player and I'm glad he's been able to find some success after the Sox basically gave up on him.

QUOTE(DonnyDevito @ Feb 11, 2008 -> 10:53 PM) When he's healthy...Jermaine Dye. he's got a great arm in RF and just gives it his all every time he steps onto the field. My most fond memory of JD is when he made a catch in RF late in the game where he ran into the wall and hurt his knee. Looked like he might be really injured, but he stayed in the game, and the next half-inning he came to bat and hit what I believe was a game winning HR. Maybe my mind is failing me, but for some reason I remember that distinctly. Anyone know if that even happened? And if so, what game was it? I'd like to see the highlight of it again. I'm sure Hawk went nuts.

I voted for Crede. He proved how much of a stud he is in the 2005 playoffs, and continued that in 2006 when he went out and played gold glove caliber 3B while having his best career season offensively - all with 2 herniated discs in his back. It's sad that he's probably never going to play another regular season game with the White Sox, but I for one enjoyed his stay with the club and wish him a full recovery and the best of success wherever he winds up (probably Frisco). One of the things I'll miss most is hearing Hawk yell "Joooooe Creeeede!" after either a stud stab at 3rd or a clutch bomb.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Feb 10, 2008 -> 07:11 AM) Opinions don't need logic, but a statement such as "Crede's merit as one of the best 3B in baseball" does need logic behind it. That wasn't what I said. Here's what I said... If you don't know what IMO means, it's "In My Opinion". What is that opinion based on? Playing 3B as well as anyone else in baseball for several seasons (the latter part of which has been with 2 herniated discs in his back, by the way), and his evolution into one of the better clutch hitters in the game. He's coming off his best full season (2006), and is probably in the prime of his career. If his back is healthy and the Sox trade him, I think it will be a big mistake. Why? Because Josh Fields has proven that he can hit the long ball, but at the expense of striking out almost 1/3 of the time and giving the Sox less than Joe Crede defense at the hot corner.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Feb 10, 2008 -> 10:00 AM) Wow, someone's momma raised them right. Let's, get united behind immorality!! Um, the thing I read that Josh said was that he wasn't comfortable with reporters waiting by his locker when he stepped out of the shower. The whole media angle is what seemed to bother him the most. Has nothing to do with immorality. That's just part of the game - and something that apparently he had problems adjusting to. He better learn to adjust quickly, because the media isn't going anywhere.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Feb 7, 2008 -> 03:32 PM) I'd really like to see the logic behind this statement. Opinions don't need to be backed up with any kind of logic, because opinions are based on how a person feels about a particular topic. However, if you need any kind of evidence that my opinion is indeed fact, watch the 2005 post season highlights and then break out a highlight reel from 2006, and you'll learn something. And someone said this is a "non-issue" because it happened 2 years ago. I couldn't find who said that, but maybe that's because they either edited or erased the post - because the article specifically says it was at the end of last season, which would have been 2007. So it was a matter of a couple/few months, not years.

First off, there's nothing wrong with being religious, as I myself am a born again Christian. With that said, this is potentially a major problem. If Josh had reservations about whether or not it was "right" for him after just a few short months, who's to say that won't be a problem again in the future? If I were a member of the Sox brass, I would think long and hard about who they are going to hitch their wagon to when it comes to the 3B of the future. I think they should trade Fields and hope they can sign Crede to a long-term deal (I've been saying this for a long time, based soley on Crede's merit as one of the best 3B in baseball IMO, so this is not a new position of mine). If that were to fall through, at least they'd have Alexei waiting in the wings as a potential fill-in for 2009. The Sox could probably get a pretty nice return for Josh, I would imagine.

QUOTE(ChiTown364 @ Feb 7, 2008 -> 10:34 AM) That's for sure. It's only about a month away, right? Pitchers & catchers report on the 16th - 9 days from today. First game will be on the 27th, against the Rockies.

I love Hawk's passion and energy for the game. He's one of a dying breed in broadcasting, so I am very glad that he'll be on the air for at least another 4 seasons. He's not one of the cookie-cutter announcers that most teams have, who are just there to collect a paycheck and pretend to care about the team that's employing them. Hawk is a fan just like all of us - he loves it when we win, and it kills him when we lose.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Feb 4, 2008 -> 11:39 PM) Rickey getting caught stealing isn't just taking the opportunity of scoring out of his own hands, it adds another out to the inning and takes away another player's opportunity to score a run. Also, I am sure Rickey got caught more than few times trying to stretch an extra base out. Getting thrown out has a much higher negative effect than stealing a base has positive. The stat wasn't that Rickey contributed only 5 runs over the course of the season, it's that his base running did. An average base runner adds 0 runs. Players like Konerko add negative runs. I don't think it's that hard to believe. Well now you're splitting hairs. That's like saying "the stat wasn't that Barry Bonds contributed only 15 runs over the course of the season, it's that his power numbers did". You can't separate a player from his attributes. They're a package deal, good and bad.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Feb 4, 2008 -> 08:15 PM) I actually remember that piece about Henderson's base stealing, it was written by James Click. The entire point of the article was to evaluate what impact Ricky Henderson's base stealing had on the 1982 A's offensive production because even though he stole 130 bases that year his success rate was only 75%. The conclusion was that Ricky's 130 stolen bases only had a positive impact of a little over 1 run that season because he was also caught stealing 42 times. I think that might be where the 75% rule came from (or just an example of how the rule holds true), if a base runner steals bases at a 75% success rate he's actually right around the break even point value wise. Well if you're going to assume that every CS is a run that is not scored, then yeah there might be a case to be made about that. But the fact of the matter is, if a player steals 130 bases vs. 42 times caught, the positive results are going to far outweigh the negative. Plus factor in what I mentioned before, the stretching a single into a double; a double into a triple; 1st to 3rd on a sharp single, etc...and there is no way in hell anyone can suggest he only had a positive impact of 5 runs over the course of the entire season.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Feb 1, 2008 -> 10:56 AM) Interesting stathead stat, Baseball Prospectus concluded in their book, Baseball Between the Numbers, that in Ricky's 130 SB season, his base running added a mere 5.1 runs over the course of the entire season (according to EqBR). So you're trying to tell me that of the 130 stolen bases, or the countless times he advanced to 3rd on a sharp single, or scored from 1st on a double when other players would have pulled up at 3rd, or managed to stay out of a double play by beating the throw to 2nd, he only scored (when he otherwise would not have) once every 30 games? Please. All these simulation and "what would have happened if..." and "what about when..." so-called stats are ridiculous and nobody should give them a second thought. Somehow a simulation model of something that happened 25 years ago becomes accepted as fact, and it's absurd. Edit: And incidentally, I just looked up a SB-by-SB account of that season, and he stole home twice. So I guess other than that, his baserunning only added 3 runs? LOL. Nice "conclusion".

QUOTE(bmags @ Feb 4, 2008 -> 01:11 AM) i thought danks was pitching very well for his experience and age and then it was clear he just got fatigued. Home runs were getting hit on him, but early in the season they were a lot of solo shots that happened because he was challenging batters when no one was on base. I liked what I saw early on. I think he can be a reliable #4 this year. 139 innings for the year and he's fatigued? That's not a good thing. Pre-All Star break he posted a very solid (for a rookie pitching in the AL) 4.62 ERA. It was after the break where it went bad, as his ERA post-break was 7.12. Those numbers would tend to prove what you suggest is true. Also take into account that July is when it really heats up and the balls fly out of US Cellular like they used to at Coors Field - that in and of itself probably accounts for at least a half run increase a game. Hopefully he's worked hard this off-season to stretch his arm out so he can give us a full season of starts. If he can pitch 160+ innings, I'd say that's a fairly solid job. Somewhere around 175-180 would be ideal. Save that bullpen as much as possible.

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Feb 3, 2008 -> 02:36 PM) Also, I am not sold on a 43 yr old Rogers, a 5+ ERA Bonderman, a "can't post a winning record on a good team" Robertson, or a declining NL transfer Willis. The only sure thing in their rotation is Verlander. The Indians are not that much better. You subtract Santana from the Twins and it looks like a 3 team race. I didn't realize how bad the Tigers' pitching staff performed last year. Bonderman 5.01 ERA, Willis (w/ the Marlins) 5.17, Rogers (who missed more than half the year with I think it was a blood clot in his arm) 4.43, and Robertson 4.76. Like you said, the only guy who had a good year was Verlander. And their bullpen is pretty $hitty. They will put up a ton of runs, but I'm not so sure they're the team to beat in the Central. Maybe Cleveland, but their rotation isn't all that great either, plus they have a very questionable closer just like the Tiggers. I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin...

We need another starter. Hopefully we'll get one for Crede. We won't go anywhere in a very tough AL Central if Danks/Contreras/Floyd make up 60% of our rotation.

QUOTE(haroldbainesknees @ Feb 3, 2008 -> 09:01 AM) A return to the "past perfromance mean" for Ordonez, and Polanco; and maybe-maybe Granderson Another year older for Pudge, IROD is 36 yo opening day, .296 OBP in 07, 11 bombs in 07; lowest total since strike shortened 95. Another year older for Sheffield, Carlos Guillen. They can have off years similar to the yeras had by Dye, Konerko in 07. Well if Mags stops taking the juice/HGH, you can bet his production will plummet, just like I-Rod's did. And I think Dontrelle is going to get shelled in the AL. I really hope I'm right. If I recall, he's prone to walking a lot of people, and you don't get away with that in the American League.

QUOTE(rowand's rowdies @ Feb 2, 2008 -> 10:39 PM) the additions of Swish and Quentin along with O-Cab really are exciting. Add them to a core of Thome, Konerko, Dye, Fields, and AJ and that is some pop in the lineup. Add to that the presumably much more reliable bullpen, and I think 2008 is going to be a very exciting year for White Sox fans. We have some real good ball players, and if Oz can get them all on the same page like he did in '05, some interesting things could happen...

QUOTE(Soxpranos @ Feb 2, 2008 -> 09:57 PM) Joe Borchard hit them pretty far as well. The only thing Borchard hit harder than a baseball was a bong.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 2, 2008 -> 05:28 PM) Swisher charges Padilla, also below it is 2 games beforehand where Swish admires an HR. Kid has some attitude thats for sure. I cant wait to watch alot of this young talent. http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/multimedi...ve.jsp?c_id=oak LOL Swish tried to spear Padilla. Love it! Brawls are awesome. And he wasn't admiring that HR 2 games before - he was making sure it was fair. It only cleared the fence by about 10 feet.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 31, 2008 -> 10:58 AM) I harped on this during the season, and I'll repeat it now. Erstad did not have a good start (aside from the first day, where he had a home run). He hit .261 in April and .266 in May. It only appeared he had a good start because 2/3 of our lineup was hitting around .200 for that first month. He hit .260 but seemed to be doing well because no one else in the lineup was hitting .260 or above. He did however have a great July. Put up an OPS of 2.000. Dominated. In that one at bat. Ok, settle down. It was a long time ago, like I said, and really...does it matter now?

QUOTE(bmags @ Jan 31, 2008 -> 01:28 AM) to be fair, at the start of 2007, he was literally the only offensive highlight for us. I seem to recall Erstad had a good start. But it seems so long ago....

QUOTE(The Beast @ Jan 30, 2008 -> 08:57 PM) My mistake, that's what it was. Still, the one run games thing was my key stat. I knew I was unsure of that one run stat. Oh well, I tried. If I counted correctly, the Sox were 35-21 in 1-run games in 2005. Let's just all agree to agree on the fact that the 2005 White Sox had it all. We had very good starting pitching, a very good bullpen, a good mix of speed & power on offense, and that certain "it" that cannot be described. It was our year, and everything came together for us. Best sports year of my life - and most of you would probably feel the same way.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jan 30, 2008 -> 06:16 PM) It looks that way. There are a lot more familiar names without contracts at this time than I can remember in the past. Most are going to have to sign for peanuts or find some other line of work. Kind of makes you wonder why they might not have contract, eh?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 29, 2008 -> 09:15 PM) I wonder if Black Bart calls Kenny back now? Let's hope not.