Rowand44

Most likely he's not. KC doesn't want to get rid of him cause he's big in the community there and is the only person that the casual Royal fan would have ever heard of.

QUOTE(bmags @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 01:30 PM) i suppose your right, but i feel this is different because we actually have a chance with kong, rather than basically no chance with maggs, hell, well we didn't want him...I'd be very suprised if we don't sign him...but seriously 5 for 65 is ridiculous if he gets it... Maggs was the one who killed all negotiations with the Sox...that was his fault, not the sox.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 01:18 PM) I felt that without a .300 hitter, someone to get on base, the team would have a hard time scoring runs. Small ball is nice, but someone has to get on. I think I was correct, they did struggle to score runs. I'm not saying I dislike this move. I think it is the best Kenny could do because I have almost no hope that Konerko will be resigned. It will be a huge steal *if* Thome returns healthy and *if* his body is holding up and *if* he adjusts to AL pitching. I am saying this is vintage Sox baseball. See above where Kenny said he couldn't get Pods or Uribe *if* they hadn't come off less than average seasons. Buy low and sell high is how SS described it. AJ, a move I liked, was coming off a season where he was labeled a clubhouse cancer, so *if* that was wrong, it would be a great signing. Another *if* came through. We are almost always signing cheaper players with *ifs* over proven guys in or near their prime. Baseball is a business and some times you have to take those risks. Thome is actually not that huge of a risk imo, he had one injury plagued year and none of those injuries should be nagging. Kenny does buy low and that's why he's so successful..he finds diamonds in the rough all the time. You don't just throw money at people just to throw money at them when you can find as good of an option for less..that's how teams get themselves in trouble. Also...IMO this team doesn't come close to a world championship if the Lee for Pods trade never happened, though I know I'm in the minority there since Pods seemed to hit many peoples s*** list for whatever reason.

QUOTE(JoshPR @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 10:56 PM) I wouldn't call Iguchi Solid. At least on D he's not. He's bad going back on Popups. With the bat i think we could expect more this comming season, him being acustom in the States. That said keep him where he is. Harris fills in nicely And there probably isn't a 2nd baseman who turns the double play better then Tad. He's a very solid 2nd baseman.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 12:57 PM) I'm not making it sound easier, I am trying to point out this is a typical Sox move. I should have been clearer Konerko will cost more than $10 mil, I agree. That is why I wrote $10 mil plus, choose the plus you want, plus $2 mil plus $3 mil plus $4 mil whatever. And look how often Thome and *if* are in the same sentance. *If* he returns to form, *if* his shoulder rehab works. This is classic Sox moves. Grab a guy with "ifs" for less and let the guy without "ifs" go. That is why my position is the World Series changed nothing. Konerko will not be signed, Thomas will. And people will write Thomas for 2 years $8 mil + incentives >>>>>> Konerko for 4-5 years, $52-$65 *IF* Frank is healthy and produces his regular numbers. This has been a fact of White Sox baseball for what seems like forever. Kenny has played the *if* game with an almost perfect record. Does this also mean we are getting away from small ball? Didn't you not like any of the moves last year either?? Kenny knows what he's doing. Also..no we're not getting away from smallball but we needed another middle of the order bat. EDIT: I should add that this team was still a mashing team last year but they could play smallball if need be. Anyways, we needed another middle of the order hitter and I still think Kenny and Oz would like to add someone so we can continue the smallball attitude.

QUOTE(SnB @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 12:34 PM) I'm really getting sick of these ridiculous unsportmanslike conduct penalties. That might have been the most ridiculous call I've ever seen.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 12:36 PM) Anderson is also better than Rowand defensively. That's a fact. This I disagree with.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 11:45 AM) From what I hear of Young, he has the same kind of potential as Patterson, the one difference being that Patterson is closer to being at the level today than Young is. It sounds like Young still has some work to do, but no one doubts his potential. I think Patterson has to loopy of a swing to ever be a successful hitter, but that's jmo.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 11:22 AM) Where in the order did Konerko hit almost all of last season? Where was he moved to in the order where he failed miserably? Where in the order has Thome batted quite a bit in his career and excelled there? What didn't we have last season? It's just so obvious who our #3 hitter will be. And aren't the righties split up at the top of this batting order? Podsednik (lefty) Iguchi (righty) Thome (lefty) Konerko (righty) Dye (righty) Pierzynski (lefty) Crede (righty) Anderson (righty) Uribe (righty) Konerko hits righties better than lefties anyways. He has always had trouble with tough lefties. Dye has always hit lefties better than righties. So worrying about the righty-lefty order is a bit overrated. Paul had 26 at bats there so I don't think anyone is going to judge him on that. We would have had a 3 hitter if Paul was moved there last year but then we wouldn't have had a clean up hitter. We were missing a middle of the order hitter last year and that it what Thome is no matter where he hits in the middle. Once again, Ozzie has said as recently as the playoffs that he likes splitting up the righties in the middle of his order. You're not thinking like Ozzie, he likes doing things in a traditional baseball sense when it comes to the righty-lefty stuff. There is a good chance, a very good chance that Thome hits 4th this year whether all of us agree with it or disagree with it.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 10:59 AM) Thome: 963 career AB's batting third Konerko: 69 career AB's batting third Dye: 25 career AB's batting third I'm taking a real flier here -- Thome will be batting third. Did everyone miss when we had no true #3 hitter last season? ..and the difference is what from Paul and Thome flipping in the order?? Thome when healthy is a better slugger and a better obp guy, so if Paul hits 3rd Thome has more opportunities to hit the ball out of the park with a good obp guy in front of him. If Thome hits 3rd then he gets on base more for Paul to knock him in more. Now the difference between Aj and Jermaine is pretty big, JD is a much better hitter. Dye is going to hit 3 or 5 and with Ozzie loving to play the righty-lefty game there is a good chance Thome hits clean up.

QUOTE(whitesoxmanager @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 10:27 AM) I will say it again you gotta know when is the time to NOT try to make the team better and just leave things the way they are... No matter how good your team is you always try making them better. When you stop trying to make the team better then you get passed by. Almost everyone here loved Arow but he was expendable and Kenny filled a hole that has been there for way to many years.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 10:30 AM) Okay, if Ozzie wants to split them up he could go with the following lineup: Podsednik (lefty) Iguchi (righty) Thome (lefty) Konerko (righty) Pierzynski (lefty) Dye (righty) Crede (righty) Anderson (righty) Uribe (righty) I just think Dye would be a much better #5 hitter than Pierzynski. But Thome will be our #3 hitter regardless of what the rest of the lineup looks like. You bat your best hitter third and that would be Thome. Konerko is a cleanup hitter and Dye is most definately not a #3 hitter. Are you Ozzie or something?? There's definitely a better chance that Thome bats cleanup and Dye or Paul hitting 5th compared to Thome batting 3rd and AJ batting 5th imo. Like I said, Ozzie loves breaking up the righties in his lineup and I don't see Aj hitting 5th, not a chance imho.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 10:28 AM) Kenny Williams is the king of buy low, sell high. Look at the guys he has gotten, and when he got them. There was something in the paper yesterday how Kenny has said he wouldn't have been able to land Pods or Uribe if they had come off good seasons. That's something Kenny tries to do, find a player who might be coming off a bad season who he believes will bounce back in a big way. I still find it hard to believe that anyone could criticize Kenny about anything this offseason. Whether you believe it's a good deal or not he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 10:25 AM) I don't understand why people think that either Dye or Konerko (if we re-sign him) should or will be our #3 hitter. You guys realize that a healthy Thome will instantly be our best hitter, right? Thome has actually hit well in the 3-hole in his career. Konerko has barely done it and has been brutal there when he has. The lineup would look more like this. Podsednik Iguchi Thome Konerko Dye Pierzynski Crede Anderson Uribe Afterall, are you not going to put the guy with a .970 career OPS in the 3-hole? Ozzie loves splitting up the righties in the middle of the order when he has the opportunity and he's said so many times. There's a good chance Jim will hit cleanup next year.

QUOTE(JoshPR @ Nov 23, 2005 -> 11:55 PM) That's my problem this team goes out and wins the series and still has to manuvre under the JR salary Cap. Teams get themselves in trouble by adding payroll just because they can and making moves just because their fan base wants them to. JR is going to raise payroll a considerable amount but Kenny just isn't going to add payroll just because he can. That's not smart business.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 09:22 AM) That is the exact every day line up I would go with. I probably put Paul in the 3 slot, though like I told boz I understand completely why you made the lineup like that. It's so nice to just look at that lineup though and realize we finally have a left handed thumper...it's been a while.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 07:17 AM) Especially when Mr Bora$$ wants 5/50M for his client. That talented bullpen is also on the verge of losing their two best relievers.

Have a good one, everyone.

Hopefully we'll all get to see Aaron on the southside of Chicago in October next year.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 11:29 AM) You could flip him and Dye but I think at this point I want Dye hitting 3rd. Also gives us a Right-Left-Right-Left combo is why I put him 5th. He may or may not hit in that spot. Who knows. Something to ask ozzie at soxfest Right, like I said I understood where you were coming from with that idea. I just think you'll see Paul-Thome in some order in the 3-4 spots. However, Paul isn't exactly the normal number 3 hitter and Ozzie does love splitting up the righties in the middle of his order when he has the chance to. I'll be looking forward to your question at Soxfest...but will you actually ask this one unlike the Reed question you were supposed to ask last year?

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 11:17 AM) You could possibly see Uribe in the 2 hole if he showed any discipline, I just don't see it happening. All the talk about moving Iguchi down is nice and all, but for how great he was in that spot this past season, I just don't see why you would. If it's not broken, no reason to fix it. If we don't add Pierre or another player like Juan, Gooch is still going to hit 2nd. Also, I know why you put Pauly in the 5 hole but I don't see him batting 5th.

Just get Pauly signed. Giles in centerfield to replace Aaron is a huge downgrade. Lets get Paul resigned and our middle of the order becomes one of the better one's in baseball to go along with a great top of the order and oh ya...the best pitching staff in baseball.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 06:01 AM) Is stealing 16 bases really that big of a deal? Anderson has decent speed and that's really not a ton of stolen bases. Hell, Dye is slow and managed to steal 11 bases. Anderson has real good speed. The guy can honestly fly, when I saw him run in person it took me a bit by surprised, I knew he could run but I wasn't expecting him to be that fast.

QUOTE(EvilJester99 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 06:36 AM) That is the scariest part of the Thome deal...seeing Pods playing in CF. With that rag arm and some of his bad reads...things could get ugly fast. Pods isn't going to be in centerfield.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 12:48 AM) If KW hasn't earned your respect and trust yet, then there's nothing more to add. Bingo. The man overhauled a whole team last offseason and built them into a world series winner, he gets the benefit of the doubt no matter what he does this offseason.