jphat007

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 02:17 PM) And that's why many baseball experts believe you should never pay top money for a bullpen guy. The position is just so inconsistent year from year. I agree with some of the other posters that potentially our main weakness is the bullpen. Sure it is. Because bullpen results are so up and down. Which is why trading for bullpen help to replace one of our big four would be out fo the question. You would have to give up a lot to give up a lot to get them and then you wouldn't even be sure that they would put up better numbers than what you already have. As KW has said, you go with what you've got until you see in the season that it is not working and then you go out and trade for what you need. But you can't try to guess and go out and make a preemptive move. That's just not how the business works, especially right off of a World Series. We improved on offense, on the bench, and in the starting staff, and that should offset any regression in the bullpen. And if it doesn't, Kenny will go get us some help when he knows that is the situation. We don't know that right now. If the top 4 + Bmac are healthy, that is who you go with. Every team can worry about something, but some teams (us) get to worry a lot less than other teams. And as he has said there is no point in giving up a bunch for a guy who only has to get an occasional lefty out.

QUOTE(ScottyDo @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 02:09 PM) I'm sorry, but we had 3 starting pitchers last year who had not-so-great seasons the year before, and I'm willing to bet at least one of them has a not-so-great season this year. The lineup is looking good, but there's no indication that Brian Anderson will provide much bat at all this year. It'll probably be a while for him. Unless we shore up that second lefty in the bullpen, I think we'll fare similar to last year, maybe a few more losses because (admit it!) we got a little lucky last year. Not to say it wasn't the best frickin year of my life! 93 wins, probably another division title I think you overrate the impact our last pitcher out of the pen will have on this team.

QUOTE(Felix @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:28 PM) And thats exactly why some people are worried about Cotts, Politte and Hermanson, and think that Kenny should trade for some real bullpen help. How do you know who "real" bullpen help is? How do you know those people won't regress either? THat's just not the way you run a ballclub as I said in my other post. You can't run around trying to predict what will happen next year. You have to go with those that had GOOD years last year and hope that they can hang on.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 11:53 AM) Exactly, and FWIW, Walker was lights out for 6 spring training appearances before being hit around. He only allowed 2 hits in his first 7+ innings last spring. Lopez sucks. If the White Sox have to rely on him getting key outs this season, Everett and Thomas will be right. LOL. Most other teams in the league have A LOT more problems than who they have as their last person out of the pen. This is just a guy who will have to pitch when we need to get a lefty out in the 5th, 6th, or 7th inning. A guy like that will NOT have an impact on whether we repeat or not. If we don't go back to the playoffs the reason won't be because our second lefty sucks. All the guy has to do is get out an occasional left hander.

QUOTE(Felix @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 08:24 PM) Kenny Williams thought Frank Thomas wouldn't stay healthy this year, so he traded for Jim Thome. Frank was healthy last year? My point is you don't try to replace somebody that had a good year last year. If Hermy is healthy, The Top 5 spots you have to stay with. Bmac, Jenks, Cotts, Politte, Hermy. If you want to trade for a second lefty that's fine, but I think whoever we pick out of this last group will be able to get lefties out for the most part. They'll suck against righties but they won't face them that much with Ozzie.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 07:22 PM) Think? Cotts, Hermanson, and Politte all had career years last season. Do you really think they are going to match their performances from last season this year? They could be good but there's no way I see them matching their stats from last season. They will all likely regress a little bit, but you can't go get somebody else because you think it might happen. That's not the way you run a baseball team. It's not like trying to improve by replacing Carl. Our top 3 is really good. Jenks, Cotts and Politte. We just need Hermy to have an era in the high 3s or low 4s and have BMAC eat up some innings.

LOL. Don't count on KW trading for any BP help before the season starts. You don't go acquire a new bullpen when your bullpen dominated last year just because you THINK they might go back to the way they played in past seasons. We have Bmac if any of the one falter.

This is not a day to measure the pitchers. THe ball is jumping. Tho to be honest, ST isn't the time to ever do it.

White Sox winner. woohoo.

Blakely goes Deep. 10-3 Sox. This pitcher's OPS against has to SUCK.

Wow. Fields and Sweeney are nasty. 3 run bomb for fields.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 04:26 PM) I'm guessing that I'm in the "they" category. Like I've said, Ozuna's only real asset now is his speed. I'm fine with taking him along for the playoff ride, as he'd be the fastest guy off the bench. But that's all he brings to the table, at this point. Can't hit well, and he's behind a backup at every position. 3B = Mack. SS = Cintron. 2B = Cintron. OF = Mack + Borch/Gload. Over the course of the season, I'd think that having Borchard's ability to play all three OF spots or Gload's stick would have a bigger impact on the team than a SB from Ozuna here and there. JMO. Off to work then the Hawks game -- cya folks, go Sox. Ozuna is the backup at second, not Cintron. Ozuna is probably the backup at third too if Mack is going to be mainly in the outfield.

Paulino looks fairly solid. I think we'll get what we need out of either he or Lopez.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 03:45 PM) thanks, Hawk. you can put it on the board, but you can't pull a greased tee out of my behind with a pair of plyers. mercy. Hawk's great.

Valido looking like he's 20 years old on during that AB, which he is.

I tell you what. Pablo really hits the ball hard. Men on 1st and 2nd, nobody out.

Hawk and DJ teasing poor Dan Jiggets.

Good job by Reynoso pitching out of trouble. Half way home, 5-3 Sox.

Thome hasn't struck out this year and he has 4 walks in 13 ABs.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 03:18 PM) This is easily the best the offense has looked all spring. Thome looks real good. locked in.

LOL. Joey in midseason form.

Damn. Sweeney is hot.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 03:09 PM) Ozuna swung at a pitch that was 5 feet off the plate and 6 feet below sea level. It was a hit and run. Oh. I was just going by what Hawk said. He made it sound like somebody missed a sign. DIdn't even see the swing.

Really nice turn by Pablo on a hit and run leads to a DP. Good decision.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 03:03 PM) It was a hit and run. Well. We don't know that. Somebody missed a sign, whether it was AJ or Ozuna.