Hangar18

QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ Sep 11, 2006 -> 11:41 AM) I think Frank will surpass Jim...Jim has not been good this second half...and not clutch. For one month, I thought the SOX indeed got the better end of this deal. Deep down, I understand the move, KW wanted/needed to upgrade the offense from last year. Just plain bad luck that Big Frank's injury was mis-diagnosed leading him to reinjure himself last season. Anyone remember just how Amazing Frank Thomas was in just one month back in 05 with the SOX? He was swinging that bat like the Frank Thomas of the 90's. I'll be making that drive up to Cooperstown one day soon. Heres to Big Frank, future Hall-of-Famer

Unfortuneately for us, Frank Thomas is having MORE of an impact for the A's down the stretch than Jim "Swingin" Thome is for the SOX.

I'll take the April 2006 Jim Thome, or the Frank Thomas of right now ..........

Uggghhhh. The Twinks are going to do to us, what we did to the INDIANS last year. We have wasted game after precious game ......... The SOX should be 6 games ahead in 1st ........

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Sep 8, 2006 -> 03:57 PM) This has been more painful than the September slide, because this .500 stuff has been going on for months it seems. Yeah, this hasnt really been a fun season at all. its weird, because were 20 games over .500, but in a much tougher league. SOX fans expected a lot more from this team and the pitching staff. Yeah, were 20 games over .500, but at this point, thats not good enough. Heck, the other team 8 miles north CELEBRATES losing, and here we are, gnashing our teeth because were only 20 games over .500, heh heh QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Sep 8, 2006 -> 04:03 PM) Hey you know what Hangar? I hear that. Last night and many nights lately I've done the unthinkable: just turned off the game. That game against Boston on Monday, when the RedSox tied the game in the 9th off of Jenks, after the inning finished, I quietly turned the game off and did something else, completely unconfident that our bullpen would hold the lead for our offense to win it in extra innings. Say, that reminds me, I meant to post something about that particular inning. With 2 outs in the bot of the 9th, a RedSox player pops up behind the plate, and AJ goes over and makes a close catch to the stands for the 3rd out. The BoSOX fans over by the dugout next to him, all clamor for the ball, at which AJ goes to his glove, sticks the ball out, a few fans reach for it, and he PULLS IT BACK AND HEADS FOR THE DUGOUT! I LAUGHED MY BUTT OFF, I thought that was hilarious. Anyone else catch that?

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Sep 8, 2006 -> 03:48 PM) didnt you say the season was over like a month ago? YES. I did say that. My basis? The SOX stumbled badly and the only way we'd win the division was a monumental collapse by the Tigers AND the Twinks in conjunction with the SOX suddenly coming to life and going on a 10 game (or so) run. The first to variables happened, sort of, but the SOX didnt hold up their end of the bargain, continueing to bumble and stumble their way thru these games. Their record since the ASBreak is awful. Too many things stacked against us at this point. Can they come back? Sure. And man I still hold out hope ........ Im just not as Frustrated when we lose (like we did last nite)

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ Sep 8, 2006 -> 01:37 PM) This team is entirely too good to miss the playoffs. They can rip off 8-9 in a row at any time. And theres the rub ................... This team should be able to reel off 9-10 in a row. Problem is they HAVNT done it at all this season, so whats to expect them to suddenly do it in the last 2 weeks of the season? The SOX have had NUMEROUS opportunities to run away with this division, but they havnt. Of course, now watch them finish the year on a 9game winning streak and miss the playoffs .............

QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ Sep 8, 2006 -> 08:28 AM) Changes sound good. Trade Freddy and Buerhle to his f***ing Cardinals...move Brandon in the rotation and sign Zito...I'll take Count, Garland, Javy, McCarthy and Zito. I hate saying this, since Buerhle is one of my favorites. Id much rather trade Javy, but yes, Buehrle and Vazquez cannot be in the same rotation. If its time for Buehrle to move on, the so be it. BUT GET SOMETHING FOR HIM, namely a pitcher. The Cardinals have a garbage minor league system as I understand it, not sure who we get for him ....

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Sep 5, 2006 -> 09:16 AM) So .................... Knowing they must go 20-6, after the first 7 games, the SOX stumble to 3-4. THE SOX NOW must go 17-2 the rest of the way ....... Ok, so the bumbling stumbling SOX are now 3-5 since we've been keeping track. The SOX now must go 17-1 the rest of the way ...........

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Sep 6, 2006 -> 12:21 AM) There ain't a damn thing fun about any of this and I gaurantee Dan Bernstein would agree with me. This season has been Frustrating, because of the inconsistency. What made it worse, was everyone thinking we would go on this magical tear ..........because of last year. Last years team was/is different from this years team, not to mention that there are other teams involved in the race (Twinks/Tiggers) Gutless is how I will remember the 2006 SOX. Look at the Twinks, we are better than that team on paper, but paper doesnt win divisions or championships.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Sep 6, 2006 -> 09:08 AM) This is one thing that I believe had absolutely nothing to do with the Sox being horrid for so long now. Im not trying to hate on Thome, but in April he was dangerous for us. He hit the ball the other way, he took walks, he didnt swing at every pitch. The solo homeruns are great, but I'd rather see the Konerko/Dye type shots that tie the game/put us in the lead.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Sep 5, 2006 -> 10:03 PM) 2nd half records in the AL Central....This is the tale of the tape. TEAM W L PCT GB Minnesota 32 18 .640 -- Detroit 26 24 .520 6.0 Chicago 22 27 .449 9.5 WOW. Thats pathetic. I posted our record since the All-Star Break ......but it was deleted. QUOTE(Drew @ Sep 6, 2006 -> 05:10 AM) If anything, Ozzie manages us out of the playoffs. This division was there for the taking. Even with all of the trouble the SOX had with the pitching and hitting, it was still winnable. Too much Mackowiak in CF, too much Thome batting 3rd, too much leaving Vazquez in too long. The games where these guys made the "difference", happens to be the same difference we are behind.

Time to hit the panic button? I hit that button weeks ago ............

QUOTE(brijames @ Sep 3, 2006 -> 09:51 PM) This is amazing. The Tigers are 8-17 in their last 25 games. The Sox should have a 3 game lead right now. Its sickening is what it is. I didnt think the Tigers would let up, and most predicted a slow-down on their part. But the pitching inconsistency hasnt gone away for the SOX and thats the difference. They just dont want it bad enough

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 5, 2006 -> 10:21 AM) Nice to see you have a new number to keep track of... No, they don't need to go 17-2 the rest of the way. They need to play .5 games better than MIN the rest of the way. So unless you think MIN is going 16-2 during that same span, which they won't, your math is wrong. The Sox need to go .5 games better than MIN in the next 25 games. If they want to be in a strong position when they get to MIN (where they need just 1 win there), they need to be 2.5 games better over 22 games. That is not nearly as bad as you make it out to be. It's not good either, but its surely doable. I actually have the numbers skewed towards overtaking Detroit. It is the same principle, because if we DO NOT HAVE better than a 3 game lead in the Wild Card by the time 9/29 gets here, the SOX are in big big big trouble. The Twinks will not lose in that dome the last weekend of September if their wild-card lives are depending on it

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 5, 2006 -> 10:42 AM) Are you serious? We have one of the better bullpens in baseball. Our pen is a lot stronger than our starting staff, actually. Bullpen minus Jenks isnt all that great to me. If were in a tie game, I dont trust them. Bullpen blew that last game against Tampa. Bullpen blew last nites game. Bullpen in middle relief blew a bunch of games actually for us, the stats dont really show that ........ QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 5, 2006 -> 10:52 AM) I'll say this much, you can't say he hasn't gotten his chance anymore. He has had two REAL good chances in the last few days to make a statement that he belongs in the group getting more regular pressure situation work, and he hasn't responded at all. Really ever since he resuced the Sox with the 5.1 IP in relief, he hasn't looked the same at all. With Riske and Cotts pitching as erratically as they have been, this was Brandon's golden chance. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Ozzie just buries him now, based on how Oz has used him previously this year. Exactly. The bullpen (middle relief) has been brutal, and Ozz has noone he can count on besides Jenks. McCarthy really needed to step up for us the last few weeks, and he just hasnt done it. Games we won last year 2-1 and 3-2, were losing now because BP cant hold the lead.

I'll be completely honest. As soon as the Red Sox tied it in the 9th, and knowing Jenks cant pitch more than one inning, and knowing how our bullpen cant hold a lead ............ I turned the TV off.

Look what Delmon Young did his first game up ......

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 02:05 PM) In our next 26 ................. The SOX must go 20-6. They control everything if they do this. If they fall short of this, they'll be Golfing on October 2nd So .................... Knowing they must go 20-6, after the first 7 games, the SOX stumble to 3-4. THE SOX NOW must go 17-2 the rest of the way .......

Its a 26 game season in my eyes, and to me, we need to go 20-6. So far, were 2-1. Now its a 23 game season ............... we need to go 18-5. At some point, this team is going to have to start SWEEPING some teams the next couple of weeks. We have to be in front of the TWINKS for the WC by at least 3 games ..............by that last weekend

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Aug 31, 2006 -> 11:09 PM) No mention of the owner being a Cub fan yet? Just sayin' Actually, its the son. I rememer years ago going in there for a beer before games, and the guy would be wearing a cubs tshirt all the time. I politely hassled him every time I saw it, and apparently, so did a lot of customers, and the old man Jimbo told him to stop wearing that junk at the bar. Hasnt wore it since.

This is the one cosmetic change that will see immediate dividends. I know people that sit in those areas, and I hate sitting there and staring at the Centerfielder ................... Kudos, the SOX really are listening to the fans.

Great Minds think alike!

When I heard about the Nevin trade yesterday, I have to admit, that was the 1st thing I thought of .......

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 01:38 PM) Which is why you should read more into these topics before making such bold accusations. Hmmmm. I look in the Tribune today and this is what the blurb says: " The Tigers called up lefthanded pitcher Andrew Miller from ClassA Lakeland, where he struck out nine in five innings.........The 21 year old was ....first round pick in the June draft after going 13-2 ....at North Carolina." Nowhere does it mention his contract status, his having signed a special deal, nor that he must be called up or else. I think it was safe for me to assume 5 innings of work might be rushing the guy.