Rex Hudler

Sounds like you are starting to come around roman. Keep in mind that "all his St. Louis comments" consisted of two off the cuff comments at a sports writer's banquet IN St. Louis. I think he should be a bit more careful about what he says myself and I didn't agree with his latest comments, but I don't think he should be crucified either. The St. Louis comments, however questionable they may have been in judgement, are harmless because he is with the Sox through 2006 anyway. I know Mark enough to know that I can guarantee he would never let the idea of pitching in another city years down the road affect what he is doing now. I think he recent comments, although misguided, should be taken with a grain of salt since they were made out of frustration. As long as those type of comments don't become the norm, then I don't see a problem with Mark at all. I do think that Mark got screwed up in the head and that has been the bulk of his problems. The lack of run support and defense has made him change the way he pitches and that has snowballed. A guy like Mark, without overpowering stuff, has to be precise. Anyone that has ever pitched before knows that to be precise you have to be confident and be able to let it fly without reservations. If you try to guide or aim the ball, you will get nothing but bad results. I think Mark has lost confidence and subconsciously started aiming the ball, trying to be too perfect. It has resulted in more walks and more hittable pitches and teams have taken advantage. As Mark (and perhaps he already has) regains his confidence and can go out there and just throw like he can without anything else affecting his brain, then he'll be fine. The athlete's psyche is very fragile and anything from a lack of run support, to bad defense, to making a couple of s***ty pitches, to getting hit hard, to the burden of being an ace can screw things up when he is not going well. Most of the time the athlete doesn't even realize this whole process is happening and then, when he does, he finds that trying too hard to correct can magnify it, rather than fix it. In the end, I think you will see Mark be a solid pitcher for the Sox. Is he a potential 20-game winner every year? Maybe not Is he worth Zito type money? Probably not But I think Sox fans will be proud to have MB having been a pitcher for the White Sox when all is said and done.

We always have. The other was just based on Tucson (and Sarasota before) where the ST facility is.

Don't they have a new or at least heavily renovated stadium??

The boxscore has already been posted in the Minor League boxscores thread.

I read Sweeney was a possible 1st round pick, but more likely a 2nd rounder. Apparently his stock dropped a little after a poor showing at some showcase in Florida last year. Also hurting him was being from Iowa. Iowa does not begin their HS season until after the draft, so while all these other guys from around the country have had senior season to be evaluated in addition to everything else, Sweeney has/had not yet played it yet. I think you can look at it as the Sox got two guys with similar talent levels in terms of draft status, one out of college and one out of HS. Since it appears the Sox got Anderson for reasonable money, then perhaps they will be able to get Sweeney too. Who knows, maybe the guy wants to play his senior season first?

Both you and HSC have posted saying KW is GM by name only, because he crossed EE. What is the real story. He still is at the park, still does the talk shows, still is quoted in the papers. This supposedly happened more than a month ago. If true, some of the media would have caught on by now. And if KW has no power , why is this not public, and just who is calling the personel shots? I will admit, that if it is true, it is an awfully strange way of handling business. I have never seen another similar situation before.

Wish I could answer that southsider, but since I haven't seen either of them play live (saw harris once in Atlanta last year) I don't have enough to go on. I don't know truly how fast Harris or Yan is. I do know from a reliable source that Spidale is fast as hell. He was called the "fastest white guy I have ever seen" by a college coach I know.

Yeah, but he's in Single A. There is no way he does that in AA. Good thing they are keeping him down where he belongs

Bristol wins even with suspect pitching and D. Interesting note: Robert Valido the HS SS from Florida went 2-4 with 2 RBI and committed 2 errors. He was rated the best HS shortstop in the state of Florida with hitting being his weakness. BRISTOL 10 AT ELIZABETHTON 8 YTD YTD BRISTOL AB R H BI AVG ELIZABETHTON AB R H BI AVG C.Young CF 5 2 2 0 .375 D.Span CF 5 1 2 1 .400 R.Valido SS 4 1 2 2 .500 F.Molina 2B 5 1 2 3 .400 L.Luna 2B 5 2 2 2 .400 K.Phillips DH 4 0 1 1 .250 C.Castillo CAT 3 0 1 1 .333 D.Gomon 1B 5 0 2 0 .400 M.Rodrigues LF 5 0 0 1 .000 B.Peterson 3B 2 2 0 0 .000 J.Rivera RF 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Spataro RF 3 1 1 0 .333 M.Herring DH 3 0 1 0 .333 J.Johnson CAT 3 0 0 0 .000 S.Martin PH 2 0 0 0 .000 S.Taylor SS 4 2 1 2 .250 M.Perez 3B 3 1 0 0 .000 J.Pospishil LF 3 1 0 1 .000 C.Young LF 0 0 0 0 .375 K.Geiger PH 1 0 0 0 .000 C.Young RF 3 2 1 2 .375 A.Fermin PR 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Bohlander 1B 4 2 2 1 .500 A.Fermin LF 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Tisch PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Perodin PH 1 0 0 0 .000 D.Banks PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Medina PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Little PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Brandon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Castro PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Meek PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Speigner PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 10 11 9 TOTALS 36 8 9 8 BRISTOL 2 4 3 0 0 0 0 1 0-10 11 2 ELIZABETHTON 0 0 1 0 0 5 2 0 0- 8 9 2 E--R.Valido 2, F.Molina, D.Gomon. DP--BRISTOL 1, ELIZABETHTON 0. LOB--BRISTOL 5, ELIZABETHTON 12. 2B--L.Luna (1), M.Bohlander 2 (2), D.Span (1), F.Molina (1), K.Phillips (1), D.Gomon 2 (2). 3B--C.Young (1). HR--C.Young (1). SB--C.Young (1), R.Valido (1). HBP--C.Young, J.Johnson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BRISTOL T.Tisch 4.0 3 1 1 4 2 0 2.25 D.Banks (W,1-0) 1.2 1 4 0 3 2 0 0.00 J.Little 0.2 3 3 3 1 1 0 40.50 F.Castro (S,1) 2.2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0.00 ELIZABETHTON D.Medina (L,0-1) 2.0 6 6 6 2 0 0 27.00 E.Brandon 2.0 3 3 3 1 4 1 13.50 J.Gray 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 E.Meek 2.0 2 1 1 1 5 0 4.50 L.Speigner 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 HB--D.Banks, D.Medina. SO--C.Young 3, L.Luna 2, M.Rodrigues 2, M.Herring, S.Martin 2, M.Perez, K.Phillips, D.Gomon 2, B.Peterson 2, J.Johnson, J.Pospishil. BB--R.Valido, C.Castillo 2, M.Perez, D.Span, F.Molina, K.Phillips, B.Peterson 3, R.Spataro 2, J.Johnson, S.Taylor. T--7:04. A--1003

Nice start for Great Falls, Brandon McCarthy and Micah Schnurstein... Would have been interesting if they had pushed him a little and started him in Kannapolis.... BILLINGS 1 AT GREAT FALLS 8 YTD YTD BILLINGS AB R H BI AVG GREAT FALLS AB R H BI AVG P.Gentry CF 4 0 1 0 .250 M.Myers SS 4 1 1 3 .250 H.Hernandez 2B 4 0 0 0 .000 A.Gray 2B 4 0 1 1 .250 J.Votto 1B 4 1 1 1 .250 C.King CF 4 1 1 0 .250 R.Mosby DH 4 0 1 0 .250 C.King RF 0 0 0 0 .250 K.Smith LF 4 0 0 0 .000 C.Kelly LF 4 1 1 1 .250 W.Olmstead 3B 4 0 1 0 .250 B.Bounds 1B 4 0 1 0 .250 M.Paula RF 4 0 2 0 .500 M.Schnurstei 3B 3 2 2 1 .667 M.Perez CAT 3 0 0 0 .000 C.Lisk CAT 3 1 1 0 .333 D.Beale SS 3 0 1 0 .333 C.Lee DH 3 1 1 0 .333 J.Vasquez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Ivy RF 2 0 0 0 .000 J.Groeger PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Nanita PH 1 1 0 0 .000 Telemantez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Nanita CF 1 0 0 0 .000 M.Trepkowski PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.McCarthy PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Johnson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Hernandez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 1 7 1 TOTALS 33 8 9 6 BILLINGS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 7 2 GREAT FALLS 0 1 0 2 0 0 5 0 X- 8 9 0 E--W.Olmstead, M.Perez. DP--BILLINGS 0, GREAT FALLS 0. LOB--BILLINGS 6, GREAT FALLS 4. 2B--M.Myers (1), C.Kelly (1), B.Bounds (1). 3B-- W.Olmstead (1). HR--J.Votto (1), M.Schnurstei (1). SB--M.Paula 2 (2). HBP--M.Schnurstei. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BILLINGS J.Vasquez (L,0-1) 6.0 4 3 2 0 5 1 3.00 J.Groeger 0.1 4 5 4 0 1 0 108.00 Telemantez 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 M.Trepkowski 1.0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0.00 GREAT FALLS B.McCarthy (W,1-0) 6.0 4 1 1 0 7 1 1.50 J.Johnson 2.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 F.Hernandez 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 HB--J.Groeger. WP--M.Trepkowski. BALKS--B.McCarthy. SO--H.Hernandez, J.Votto, R.Mosby 2, K.Smith 3, W.Olmstead 2, M.Perez, D.Beale, A.Gray 2, C.Kelly, B.Bounds, C.Lisk, C.Lee, B.Ivy. BB--C.Lisk, C.Lee.

Kannapolis loses 2-1. LaMura with a solid outing. Webster keeps hanging on to .300. Would be nice to see him get hot and give him some breathing room. GREENSBORO 2 AT KANNAPOLIS 1 YTD YTD GREENSBORO AB R H BI AVG KANNAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG A.Rohleder CF 4 0 1 0 .263 A.Webster CF 4 0 1 0 .303 K.Randel 2B 3 0 1 1 .198 A.Gonzalez SS 4 0 0 0 .237 J.Hermida RF 3 1 2 0 .279 T.Brice RF 4 0 2 1 .273 A.Molina DH 3 0 0 0 .230 M.Christense DH 4 0 0 0 .300 R.Word 1B 2 0 0 1 .185 J.Reyes 1B 4 0 0 0 .296 E.Ordorica 3B 4 0 0 0 .231 D.Ciraco LF 4 0 1 0 .247 C.Resop LF 4 0 1 0 .181 E.Varela 3B 3 0 0 0 .244 A.Brewer PR 0 0 0 0 .237 P.Lopez 2B 2 1 1 0 .264 A.Brewer LF 0 0 0 0 .237 G.Molina CAT 3 0 1 0 .223 P.Arlis CAT 4 1 2 0 .226 B.LaMura PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Andino SS 3 0 1 0 .189 A.Larson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Akens PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Arellan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Wolf PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Blalock PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 2 8 2 TOTALS 32 1 6 1 GREENSBORO 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0- 2 8 0 KANNAPOLIS 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 1 E--B.LaMura. DP--GREENSBORO 0, KANNAPOLIS 0. LOB--GREENSBORO 6, KANNAPOLIS 5. 2B--A.Rohleder (11), G.Molina (11). 3B--P.Arlis (1). CS--P.Lopez. SF--R.Word. SH--K.Randel. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GREENSBORO P.Akens (W,5-6) 7.0 5 1 1 1 8 0 3.45 R.Wolf 0.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.60 C.Blalock (S,9) 1.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.95 KANNAPOLIS B.LaMura 7.0 4 1 0 3 4 0 2.72 A.Larson (L,0-1) 0.2 1 1 1 0 2 0 4.13 F.Arellan 1.1 3 0 0 0 2 0 1.53 SO--A.Rohleder, A.Molina 2, R.Word, E.Ordorica 2, C.Resop, R.Andino, A.Webster 3, A.Gonzalez, T.Brice 2, M.Christense 2, J.Reyes, D.Ciraco, G.Molina. BB--J.Hermida, A.Molina, R.Word, P.Lopez. T--2:36. A--789

Winston wins 4-3. Two more hits for Spidale. Nice relief work from Stumm and Meaux. POTOMAC 3 AT WINSTON-SALEM 4 YTD YTD POTOMAC AB R H BI AVG WINSTON-SALEM AB R H BI AVG W.Bergolla 2B 4 0 1 0 .271 R.Yan 2B 4 0 1 0 .309 B.Anderson LF 3 1 0 0 .254 N.Martel RF 4 1 2 0 .240 E.Encarnacio 3B 4 1 1 0 .255 M.Spidale CF 4 2 2 0 .299 J.Gutierrez DH 4 0 2 1 .282 E.Welsh LF 3 0 2 2 .264 C.Williamson 1B 4 0 0 1 .221 D.Holt PR 0 0 0 0 .283 J.Bannon SS 3 0 1 0 .284 D.Holt LF 0 0 0 0 .283 C.Denorfia CF 4 1 1 0 .253 B.Becker DH 3 0 0 0 .265 B.Hawes RF 3 0 2 0 .263 C.Rogowski 1B 2 1 0 1 .261 B.Prince CAT 3 0 1 1 .258 M.Morse SS 3 0 0 0 .254 T.Blanco PH 1 0 0 0 .000 E.Storey 3B 3 0 2 1 .267 S.Kelly PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Stewart CAT 3 0 0 0 .208 N.Brannon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Allen PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Stumm PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Meaux PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 3 9 3 TOTALS 29 4 9 4 POTOMAC 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 3 9 1 WINSTON-SALEM 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 X- 4 9 0 E--J.Bannon. DP--POTOMAC 0, WINSTON-SALEM 1. LOB--POTOMAC 7, WINSTON-SALEM 5. 2B--W.Bergolla (12), J.Gutierrez (18), J.Bannon (16), E.Welsh (6). SB--C.Denorfia (13), B.Hawes (1), R.Yan (39), N.Martel (5), C.Rogowski (10), E.Storey (6). CS--M.Morse. SF--C.Rogowski. SH--W.Bergolla, B.Becker. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA POTOMAC S.Kelly 6.1 8 3 2 1 7 0 3.50 N.Brannon (L,3-4) 1.2 1 1 1 1 1 0 3.23 WINSTON-SALEM W.Allen 6.0 9 3 3 3 3 0 3.43 J.Stumm (W,1-0) 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.00 R.Meaux (S,7) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.92 WP--S.Kelly. SO--B.Anderson, J.Gutierrez, C.Williamson, B.Hawes, B.Prince 2, T.Blanco, N.Martel, B.Becker 3, C.Rogowski, M.Morse 2, E.Storey. BB--B.Anderson, J.Bannon, B.Hawes, D.Holt, C.Rogowski. T--2:37. A--719

Barons had an off day before a 4-game series in Orlando.

Charlotte loses 2nd game 6-2. Cooper takes the loss, but was the victim of four unearned runs. OTTAWA (6) AT CHARLOTTE (2) OTTAWA AB R H BI CHARLOTTE AB R H BI B Littleton CF 4 1 1 2 T Hummel 2B 3 1 2 0 E Garabito SS 4 0 2 1 R Hankins 3B 4 0 1 0 J Leon 3B 4 0 0 0 R Gload RF 3 0 0 0 J Cust LF 3 1 1 0 J Borchard CF 3 0 1 0 P Swann RF 2 1 1 1 M Rivera C 3 1 1 1 R Machado DH 3 0 1 0 A Sanders LF 3 0 1 0 J Hammond PR 0 1 0 0 J Burke 1B 2 0 0 0 C Lemonis 1B 2 1 1 1 S Morgan DH 3 0 0 0 J Alviso 2B 3 1 0 0 T Nicholson SS 3 0 2 0 S Lomasney C 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 28 6 7 5 TOTALS 27 2 8 1 OTTAWA 010 100 4-- 6 CHARLOTTE 000 110 0-- 2 E--T Nicholson, R Hankins, E Garabito, H Carrasco. DP--OTTAWA 1. LOB--OTTAWA 3, CHARLOTTE 6. 2B--E Garabito, B Littleton, R Machado. 3B--E Garabito. HR--M Rivera 1 (1) (off S Douglass), P Swann 1 (5) (off B Cooper). S--J Burke. IP H R ER BB SO HR OTTAWA S Douglass 5 5 2 1 1 5 1 B Pulsipher 1-3 1 0 0 0 0 0 D Cubillan (W,4-4) 2-3 0 0 0 0 1 0 H Carrasco 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 CHARLOTTE B Cooper (L,6-7) 6 2-3 6 6 2 2 9 1 J Meyer 1-3 1 0 0 0 0 0 SO--OTT: B Littleton 2, S Lomasney 2, E Garabito, C Lemonis, P Swann, J Alviso, J Cust. CHA: M Rivera 2, S Morgan 2, T Hummel, T Nicholson. BB--OTT: C Lemonis, P Swann. CHA: T Hummel. T--2:19. A--2,550.

Charlotte wins Game 1 with only 2 hits.... Munoz redeems himself at least partially and gets the win. Diaz with an intersting outing... Scattered 8 hits in 4 1/3, yet gives up no runs. OTTAWA (1) AT CHARLOTTE (2) OTTAWA AB R H BI CHARLOTTE AB R H BI B Littleton CF 3 0 1 0 A Miles 2B 2 0 0 0 E Garabito SS 4 0 1 0 T Hummel 3B 2 0 1 2 P Swann RF 4 0 2 0 R Gload 1B 2 0 0 0 J Cust LF 4 1 2 1 J Borchard CF 3 0 0 0 R Machado C 4 0 2 0 M Rivera DH 2 0 0 0 C Lemonis 3B 3 0 0 0 S Alomar Jr C 2 0 0 0 J Hammond 2B 2 0 0 0 A Sanders LF 2 0 0 0 F Bates DH 2 0 1 0 S Morgan RF 1 1 0 0 H Quattlebaum 1B 3 0 1 0 J Nunez SS 2 1 1 0 TOTALS 29 1 10 1 TOTALS 18 2 2 2 OTTAWA 000 000 1-- 1 CHARLOTTE 000 002 x-- 2 E--J Nunez. DP--OTTAWA 2, CHARLOTTE 1. LOB--OTTAWA 11, CHARLOTTE 2. 2B--J Nunez. HR--J Cust 1 (5) (off E Almonte). SB--A Miles 1 (1), T Hummel 1 (7). S--F Bates. IP H R ER BB SO HR OTTAWA R Beltran (L,3-4) 6 2 2 2 4 3 0 CHARLOTTE F Diaz 4 1-3 8 0 0 1 0 0 A Munoz (W,2-1) 1 2-3 1 0 0 2 1 0 E Almonte (S,13) 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 SO--OTT: H Quattlebaum. CHA: J Borchard, J Nunez, A Sanders. BB--OTT: J Hammond, C Lemonis, B Littleton. CHA: S Morgan, A Miles, T Hummel, R Gload. T--2:13.

Well this will always be a problem as long as fan vote is the way AS teams are composed. People that deserve to be there will be watching on TV, and people who don't deserve to be there will be on the field. They should come up with a mathematical program that measures a player's productivity, and the top producers at the various positions are automatically chosen. That's the only way to make sure the most DESERVING players (and not the fan favorites) will be there. But since the AS game is "for the fans", that will never happen. why don't we just let the computers play the game?? That will save on all the expense of actually having players there. No nned to spend all that money when computers can do the work for you.

Sure man, fire that email my way. You have the address, right?

Wasn't Paul Moviel on some of your guys "most wanted" list? He was the Sox 36th rounder from Kishwaukee JC. I was thinking he was a guy who slid thinking he would be a tough sign. Baseball America has him as signed. Anyone have any input? Am I smoking crack or what?

I did notice the jinx I put on ole Arnie. Hopefully it will not be a lasting jinx.

Jim, anything can happen. He has always been a 10-15 HR guy with good RBI numbers and a decent average. He doesn't walk a lot, but his strikeout numbers don't make you scream either. I have never seen him play, so I am by no means a truly reliable source, but generally when veterans like him are brought in they are done so to fill out a roster or make an affiliate stronger. It is generally tough for a guy like him to land a 40-man spot and even tougher to stick around for more than a year or so if he does. Is it possible for him to get called up and make a contribution? Sure Is he likely an answer for more than a year or two max? Probably not For a similar case, see below..... (rafacosta @ Jun 17 2003, 04:06 PM) Can someone give some info about Luis Raven? In 1999 he played in Charlotte and look at his numbers : 125 RBIs, 97 runs, 33 HRs. Luis Raven was a hitting machine! Easily the best flat out hitter I have seen in Birmingham. Luis hit .336 with 30 HR and 112 RBI in 1997 with the Barons, numbers that in some years would win the Triple Crown in the Southern League. He was a career .290 hitter and hit 199 HR in his career. He has played for Independent League teams the past two years. Problem with Luis is that he had no position. He was a DH through and through. Unfortunately there are a lot of guys that can really hit, but never get the chance to play in the Majors. He happened to be one of them. You could call him the poster child of AAAA players.

Luis Raven was a hitting machine! Easily the best flat out hitter I have seen in Birmingham. Luis hit .336 with 30 HR and 112 RBI in 1997 with the Barons, numbers that in some years would win the Triple Crown in the Southern League. He was a career .290 hitter and hit 199 HR in his career. He has played for Independent League teams the past two years. Problem with Luis is that he had no position. He was a DH through and through. Unfortunately there are a lot of guys that can really hit, but never get the chance to play in the Majors. He happened to be one of them. You could call him the poster child of AAAA players. Hope that helps.

In July or August?

That, I do not know.

Sorry, Jas, looks like you'll miss Reed in the All-star game out there.

Wunsch went on the DL, not to Charlotte....... Almoar went to Charlotte to rehab and therefore does not take up a roster spot...... yes, it seems crowded to me and i wonder how much time hank will get there...... i hope he gets to play and doesn't come back...... but i know he would be welcome on a Barons team that still needs offense, which he was most of