Rex Hudler

In my mind, UNS, no. All that would do is create a frenzy and feed it up until Spring Training. They want SoxFest to be a positive time for all, and allowing the media to jump all over an issue like that would just poison the whole thing.

Worrying about Winter League stats with the small number of AB's is worrying about nothing. Guys go to Winter Ball for many reasons that may affect stats negatively.

If the Sox don't back down, that deal will never happen.

It's that kind of premature thinking that got Kip Wells traded to Pittsburgh. Sure would be nice have him in our rotation right now.

I tend to thing Frank is a cancer and the Sox would be better without him, but I would be inclined to cut him some slack in missing a SoxFest or two. I think the atmosphere may be a little tense (bordering on negative) anyway this yearand adding Frank to the mix and giving the media a chance to feed on the Frank/Ozzie issue can't be good. If he indeed doesn't show up, I can't say it would be a bad move.

Hey Steff, has Frank ever missed a SoxFest before?

I don't care who it is as long as they get the job done. I am not convinced Schoenweis will last long in the rotation, but I can't tell you who would be the better option right now. Pacheco and Diaz will both get looks in ST as well.

aboz, I know this is a day late and perhaps a dollar short, but here are two good sites to get salary info. The first one will take awhile for all the newest deals from this offseason to update (I think it mid-April last year). Just recently found the second one so I am not sure how well they keep it up to date. It gives you team payroll info, historical info on salaries, etc. Bookmark them, they are good reference sites... MLB Salaries/Contracts USA Today Baseball Salary Database

Man Jason, you aren't too hip....... he didn't mean catcher. LOL

He won 15 games for Philadelphia in 2001 but ran into arm problems in 2002 and missed 2003. He has never been very consistent. Signing him could compare to signing Loaiza last year. I liked Loaiza better because he had for the most part remained healthy and although he was never great, he piled up innings. Person is coming off basicallya year and a half off, so I wouldn't get visions of 21 wins from him, but if he is healthy, he could contribute.

At least I'd be smart enough going in to know that I could never make everyone on this board happy at once. LOL

I think you are right. Maybe I should buy the Sox! Perhaps I'll make Jerry an offer......

I'll give you that there isn't as big a disparity in walks as I thought. I was surprised that Caruso walked as much as he did. But they are nowhere near the same player. Caruso had no pop and could barely get the ball out of the infield. Miles could be a doubles machine in Colorado and has the pop to add 10 HR's. Maybe their walk totals were similar, but they are far from different players. There is more to baseball than just walks.

First of all, it says nothing about operating expenses. It says OPERATING INCOME, not expenses. Second, the revenues and expenses are for the 2002 season, not last year. The bottom line is there is no true way to know how much money the Sox make because they don't open their books. Lots of people can guess, but there is no way of knowing for sure. If these numbers are correct, then they are basically saying that the club made $1.2 million BEFORE interest, taxes and depreciation. If that is the case, then that is a VERY reasonable profit for an ownership GROUP, which includes many partners in addition to Reinsdorf. Again, that is just a guess because no one knows for sure. I am no accountant, but I know enough to know that these numbers in no way indicate that Jerry made $35 million.

Because he hits .300 and walks 5 times as much as Caruso??

baggs, you may have already thought this through, but if you really are going to do that, make sure you have specific thoughts to back it up. Ask the question with some facts and specific instances to make your point. There is nothing worse than hearing someone voice an opinion which is perceived as baseless or just an angry opinion.

Somehow I figured you two were cooking something up. LOL

No can do aboz.... I'm lucky to make it up to Chi-town once a summer. It has been two years since I have been able to do that.

baggs, you may need to get in line. I have a hunch HSC may be on the warpath as well.

Allow me to play the role of Kenny Williams: - Who will be the closer next season as of right now: Koch or Marte? We hope that Koch can regain his effectiveness this year and give us an option of having a RH or a LH closing games. At this point there is no need to name one or the other. Ozzie will evaluate all of our positions in Spring Training and make whatever decision is best for the club. But having two guys, throwing from opposite sides, would give out bullpen a tremendous lift and give us the flexibility a lot of teams don't have. - What are your thoughts on Jeremy Reed and his chance to contribute to the team next season? We are very excited about Jeremy and what he can bring to this club. We'll invite him to Spring Training and get him into the mix. Whether he is ready for the Majors this year or not remains to be seen, but regardless we are excited about his future. - Not to look too far ahead, but what needs will the team look to address in the 2004 amateur draft? It is very difficult to draft for specific needs. We have at times in the past drafted heavily on pitching to help replinish our system. What we will do this year is look at our system and see if there are any areas that we need to address, but the main focus of our draft will be getting the best available players, regardless of position. We want to find the players that best fit our system, that have the best mix of talent and potential to make it to Chicago. - Do you think all of the trade rumors that had Mags sent to Boston will affect his willingness to stay with the Sox after next season? And also, do you plan to make a competitive offer to retain Mags? Magglio is a professional who understands the business of the game and won't let rumors affect him. I have always stated that I would only entertain offers that I felt would make the White Sox a better team and am not out there trying to sell players off. We want Maggio to be back with the Sox next season and for many years, but that will ultimately be determined later. We hope to be able to present him with a fair offer that will make him want to stay here in Chicago. Whether we can get things worked out or not, I have no doubt that Magglio will show up to the park every day, work as hard as he can and do what he can to make us a better club.

You're a smart man, Yas.

Sometimes that is the best way, sometimes the other way works best. A lot depends on the personalities you are dealing with. I definitely agree with that statement and may play more of a part than anything I said. KW is not known to have a small ego.

Hence the reason I have asked three times for a link to the info. I can't find it.

Sure, like giving us a payroll like Baltimore, the Dodgers or the Rangers and still having nothing to show for it! I'll give KW the benefit of the doubt on Magglio, because 3 years ago when his contract was signed, no one reasonably would predict that the market would change as much as it has. The Sox still had a strong nucleus and expected to compete at a higher level the next few years and also, they were in the middle of a year where the payroll was $65 million. KW had no way of knowing that the payroll 3 years later would be only $58 million. I think KW's offer for Colon was probably more than fair. The Angels just stepped up and paid more. Based on the landscape I see today, I think the Angels took a big risk, a bigger one than I would have taken. I don't blame everything on KW like some, but I don't think he is a good GM either. I do think it is his fault that Alomar did not sign. Ribbie DID NOT sign a better deal with Arizona. He took less with them. He did not re-sign with the Sox because something happened in the negotiation. Whether it was KW changing his offer, being sneaky behind Alomar's agent's back or what, no one really knows. But when a guy publicly expresses a desire to come back and when it is widely reported the Sox were going to (or did in some fashion) offer him much more than he eventually got something stinks. I can smell the stench all the way here in Birmingham on that one. KW has been known to rub people the wrong way before. He certainly isn't known as a big people person. People have to understand that when it comes to negotiating and signing free agents. I firmly believe his personality/approach turn people off. Sometimes it is about the money and sometimes it is not.

Again, where was this information? I'd like to see it.