BrandoFan

No, this team needs what they so often did not have in 2002 and 2003: leadership in big games. Thomas, Ordonez, Konerko, Lee and Valentin have to start earning their salaries and THEN some. I tired of seeing them try to uppercut-pull an outside strike or missing a get-me-over-fastball because their greedy stride was just a hair too long....They are constantly down in the count because of it and it pisses me off. Rowand, Uribe, Willie, Alomar, Timo and Crede will come around when they see the big-boppers leading by (unselfish) example and thus take some pressure to perform over their abilities off of them. That is how it worked in the triumphant April and June 2000. Fordyce, Perry, Singleton performed well when Durham, Valentin, Thomas, Ordonez, Konerko and Lee were terrorizing the pitchers in that 1st half. The team was feeding off each other. When the big guys occasionally went cold, the little guys became heroes for the day. But only for the day - if you expect your Credes and Fordyces and Timos and Gloads and Alomars and Willies and Perrys to single-handedly pull the team out of slumps time and time again, you're as good as dead against quality teams like the Cubs, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, etc. What I am saying is........When it comes to our big-money, big-name players......No more excuses, no more skyward looks of frustration or slammed bats. Get the job done or get the f*** out of town.

Is it though? People speak of Randy Johnson in the same vein they do of Kendall, Andruw, R. Ortiz, Beltran, Guardado, etc. The aformentioned players, while improvements over what the Sox currently have, fall closer to the "expensive luxury" category than the "expensive necessity" one where Unit resides. Unit is one of the few starting pitchers who when healthy can single-handedly change the complexion of the short series - your Priors, Becketts, Schmidts, Pedros (prime), Shillings, Browns, etc. Sox do not have the talent of either Yankees or the Red Sox, and recent miserable failures of Harris and Uribe (our 1-2 table-setters) only further reinforce that truth. Hopefully one of them can get his s*** together come playoff time. So Sox need the great equalizer (like Hasek in his run with the Sabres and J.J. Guerrere with the Mighty Ducks in the 2003 playoffs, like Beckett with the Marlins last year, Mussina with the Orioles in 1997, etc) in Game 1 and 4 of ALDS to have a legit chance. I have enough confidence in Buehle and Garcia to pitch in Game 2 and Game 3. Which is not to say that Sox can't get swept out of ALDS even WITH Randy Johnson because they very well can, but IMO that's the risk you take if you're in a unique position Sox currently find themselves in. You just do.

Who's getting all hyped up? I am just trying to enlighten your ass as to why Sox should pursue RJ with vigor if not outright fanatical determination. Whether he is actually coming here is not an issue. And I've been gunning for him since the time immemorial, so it's not as if it was sparked by Levine non-news.

Liefer almost hit 40 HR one year in AAA. Ross Gload had year when he hit 14 HR in less than 30 games (!!!) in the minors. What does that prove?

So it is. You and Cerb need to get over that in a hurry. Are you forgetting where you are? A MESSAGE BOARD! What's this "much less Chicago" s***? Chicago is a great f***ing city, with much more forgiving media and the fandom that makes LEGENDS out of mortals who bring it a (very rare) Championship glory. Mike Ditka has been coasting for 20 years. Sosa is the next greatest thing since slice bread - in NY, he'd be just another Mantle wannabe torn to shreds for failure to hit 50 HR in the last 2 years. And Jordan.... Unit wins a World Series clincher and Daley might as well turn over the key to the city.

When you have an untalented f*** on the mound and half the line-up shouldn't be in the majors and the other half only cares about being on Sportcenter (Von Joshua was right.....hitting up the middle/the other way and generally shortening/leveling the swing doesn't interest them all that much).......when you face off with a good team, what the hell do you expect? If anything, Sox winning this game would have been an injustice.

He is a f***ing RADIO announcer and yet he can't paint a picture or describe the action to save his life!!!!

Somebody please put the blind squirrel John Rooney out of his misery. Lee's homer was obviously foul from the get go, yet this s*** was yelling for near 10 seconds seconds before informing us of the outcome. Uribe's FO? Sounded like a HR too....

Who is? Timo? Burke? Schoenweiss? When Carlos Lee is your #3 hitter, you're f***ed.

At least 6 of that is deferred. And half of 2004 is already gone. And, no, Sox will not become "kings of Chicago" even if they win 3 World Series in a row because Chicago is a Cubbie town.....But making a few serious runs at the Ring in consecutive years can do wonders for tipping the scales a bit and revitalizing the old fanbase/the national interest in the team. Which is all you ask for. Step by step, you can transorm this franchise into something 1st rate.

I just threw up in my mouth. And it wasn't a little. So....E-Lo...you're looking into 3/30 then, are you not? Any word on when Mr. 92-94 mph Fastball will be making an appearance?

You're looking way ahead into ALCS. I am more concerned with what the hell Sox are supposed to do to get past Boston/NY in a short series. Once in ALCS, the season can already by called a "success" (hopefully Sox can take a couple of games there) even if World Series aren't reached. But ALDS? That makes me nervous.

Sox do not need Ortiz or Jones, esp if they pull of a real coup and land Unit. Will the team be gutted? If they pull a mother of all choke jobs and don't win the division, then I imagine JR and his group will be SOME kind of pissed. However, if attendance and ratings (former already up 20% and the latter is up as well, not sure what % it is) and merchandising continue to climb, and with the Comcast deal and revenue sharing kicking in after the season........Let's just say all this team needs is a divisional crown and a decent playoff showing (ie at least 2 home games) and I do not think Sox ownership would have the balls to dismantle the team. * - Remember tickets are more expensive this year too, so the attendance #s will have to be adjusted accordingly as well when comparing 2003.

Can we wait until Fields does anything at the upper minors first? Or better yet....dare I say....majors....for more than 2 months (Crede I am looking at your baby face)?

Oooh, spoooky.

No. Beltran is a luxury. Unit is a necessity (if Sox want a legitimate WS shot). A pitcher is always more valuable in the playoffs than a positional player - unless we're talking about Bonds, in which case it's close.....but they could always pitch around Bonds - whereas opposing hitters can't "hit around" Unit when he is ON his game. He would make Garcia and Buerhle better by default by pushing them back and taking some pressure off them, and would give you a better chance to win in Games 1 and 4 of ALDS. But then, I am not saying anything here that I haven't said in other threads, am I?

Good to see McNeil saying his piece regarding that worthless bag'o'bones.

f***. all. that. I've had just about enough watching this garbage in 2001-2003. I almost ran out of patience with this team last year. They better win ALC, bare minimum.

Well, no kidding - have you looked at their division lately? They're a 1st class organization and those tend to not cash their chips while only 2 games out and Giles yet to make a return.

You know what? If this Sox team can't handle 2004 Minnesota freakin' Twins, then what else is there to talk about? Why bother with the loser underachieving players and/or with greedy, short-sighted, insincere ownership that couldn't capitalize on a golden opportunity after a golden opportunity to bring home a winner after a century of almost uninterupted mediocrity or worse?

Hoping and wishing and counting on more injuries on the opponents....Niice. Maybe you should wait until Sox score 1 or 2 ER off a tough starter (esp RHP) in a nationally televised road game before being all confident and stuff about Sox chances.

Magglio is not having a Vladimir Guerrero season. Why is he getting Vladimir Guerrero money? Let him earn it first by having a 2nd half of his career (Albert Belle 1998) and leading the Sox past ALDS. Then we give him what he wants or receive comp picks. I don't like going to the playoffs with Garcia as #1 - his 4.15 Road ERA and questionable make-up don't thrill me. Does anyone believe Sox can score 5+ runs a game against Pedro/Shilling/Brown/Hudson/Mulder/Vasquez in a hostile environment, on the national TV no less? I have my doubts.

First of all, learn the quote function - you've just attributed something to me I never said. Vlad the Impaler would have nailed your bloody turban to your bloody scalp for this Secondly....JR did NOT spend like he should have, with the exception of the 2001 season. In 2003, 50 Mill payroll was an abomination - one of the most special seasons in this franchise history (All Star Game, 1983-1993 connection) and yet he totally low-balled it 'cuz, you see, he didn't like the 2002 attendance. f*** JR - just another couple of Mill spent on a decent #5 around May would have spared us all of Wright-Porzio-Cotts debacles, and a 5-6 game lead instead of a 2 game lead in mid-September (which was the case) is the difference between winning the division and going home. Given that he refused to pay for Alomar or Everett, obviously 2 Mil would have been too hefty a price. Sums up JR perfectly.

Agreed, anybpdy who 1) Blames 2002 failures on Foulke 2) Refuses to admit the direct AND indirect damage Koch had done in both in 2003 and 2004 is a moron. You want to know why Sox lost in 2002? 1) Ritchie for Wells. How many games is that? 2) Frank Thomas had a slow bat and a low OPS in April-August, which is where the season was basically decided. How many games did it cost compared to his 2000 and 2004 production. With the way Maggs was swinging the stick in 2002, a red-hot and compltely healthy Hurt would have given the Sox a TREMENDEOUS boost and helped avoid some of the losing streaks. 3) Kenny Lofton plain quit. How do I know that? Because he had an awesome 2002 with the Giants, then quit again on the Pirates and then had an even better 2nd half with the Cubs. Kenny sold us out when he was needed the most. Him and Ray were demonizing pitchers in the first 40-50 games. What could have been.....They ended up being traded so that made for a few extra losses as well. 4) Because of the above 3, a severely weakened Sox team was crushed by a resurgent Minnesota Twin team in Metrodome.......Had those first 3 been in our favor, not only would the Sox have Sox gotten to a BLISTERING start, Minnesota would have been less confident and wouldn't have dominated us head-to-head. Division would have either been won by the Sox outright (as was the case in 2000) OR at least it would have been decided in the last 2 weeks (2003).