BrandoFan

There's that Yankee wit.

Since when is 740 OPS "good" for a corner infielder. You're right to put his hitting on par with his fielding; both are overrated. And don't tell me about his "future". He is 26. Historically, it's PRIME. When he becomes that All-Star stud who guns people down from his knees, then talk. I hope he does. Until then he's just another underachieving Sox.

Set the budget limit at 80 Mill instead of 60 (they're over right now). With 15 extra Mill (and prospects), you could buy all sorts of talent around July. An ace. A lead-off hitting 2B. A closer. Maybe more, with a salary exchange.

Fine. He is average-to-slightly-above-average. Hence the "overrated" part. Happy? Wite....these homers are fun, aren't they? Soxtalk rules!

How many expansion teams have there been in less than 10 years that separate Omar and OzzE6? Again, their careers overlapped. Neither is a power hitter. Vizquel doesn't look like a roider. Are you telling me Visquel's strike zone is drastically different? And OF COURSE it's fairly easy to compare them. OBP+, Slug+, etc. When it's all said and done, you have to outperform your CONTEMPORARIES. ERA of 3.00 is only very good because the league average is around 4.50. And so on. Ozzie was a mediocre hitter by his day's standards and so is Vizquel. Both have longevity on their side. Both were excellent baserunners. And great defensive players. I don't see why you couldn't compare them, regardless of whether or not they belong in HOF -- who knows what arbitrary induction standards the buggers at Cooperstown adhere to....

Chavez is too reckless to be a great fielder, but I remember him throwing leather around on Thomas and Konerko last year...Mercy! Joe is an average fielder just as Uribe is an average fielder. Both could be good some day, but until that happens are just another in a long line of unrealized potential. Errors are but a part of fielding. Joe has demontrated that in Baltmore and in Toronto where he was errorless, but failed to come up with at least 3 plays that led to runs. He led to a s***load of runs in 2003, but got nary a mention as he's the Golden Boy. I am still waiting for him to break out.

No kidding. A fun stat: Cubs have outscored the Sox this season -- with a pitcher as #9 We could get Halladay and it still won't make that much of a difference if the 5-6-7 don't start mashing, thus rendering 3-4 less pitch around-able. Thank God for ALC. In ALW, we'd get blown off the field.

Likewise.

What about the one where you're a hype-buying bonehead, did you hear about that one?

Too bad reality says otherwise. Crede is no better a 3B than Jose - a SS. Join us in the 21st century where we actually know how to measure Total Defense pretty accurately or stay stuck in the Fielding % swamp of ignorance. Crede is extremely overrated a fielder. Eric Hinske, not exactly all that good a 3B himself, made Crede look really bad by comparison this weekend.

Michael Moore is a smegma-raking satirist. He does/used to do the dirty work nobody else on the left would touch. I could care less for him personally, but I am smart enough appreciate the role he plays. R&M was pretty good and BfC, while not Sorrow and Pity, certainly had its moments, even if ultimately the subject matter is too complex for him to answer the questions he poses. Meh. Plus he makes me laugh, which is always good.

Chip is anything but stupid. He's just not a sports man/broadcaster; he lacks the instincts and knowledge. His style is grating to say the least, but then again it PERFECTLY suits Casual Cubdom sensibilties.

I know the high points of his GManagerial tenure, but can someone summarize it for me in a few paragraphs? I heart it was something else...Mercy!

Neither can Griffiey anymore, apparently. Look, this is pointless.

This has nothing to do with karma. Team plays like garbage. They must play better -- much better. Getting high and low is the only way. Highly recommend.

Ozzie's and Vizquel's heyday is only 10 years apart. They were comparable offensive and defensive players.

He has an 800 OPS. Jeremy Reed could give you that. He is old. He is brittle. He is very, very expensive. Sox don't have the money. Sox need an ace pitcher Sox need a lead-off hitter' Sox need a closer.

:headshake

Yes, both were left in too long. Prior had 3 dominant starts, and singlehandly (along with Wood) propelled the Cub team to 5 outs away from WS. Hell he gave up a few meaningless runs to Fish in Game 2 when the team had a 10-0 lead. Griffey won't have mistake pitching to feast on in the playoffs. And his bat is no longer enough to GET the Sox there. Hell, Jose Valentin has an OPS some 70 points higher than Junior, for crying outloud! And then there's his age, health and contract. Yeah go ahead, sign Griffeys, Bartolos and Beltrans to full-boat....and before you know it, the 86 year streak is 90+

My point was that Sox have not been getting shut down by crappy pitchers over the last year+ because they are too right-handed. They have been getting shut down because they were/are overswinging chokers. Until Maggs, Lee, Konerko, Rowand and Crede improve their eye and patience (and I have no idea if that's even possible anymore), they will continue having trouble hitting middle-away breaking balls, they will continue to underachive, LH bat in the middle of the order or not. Simple as that.

No, not f*** 2006-2009. This is a POS division that could and should be dominated by us for many years to come. Being short-signed and impulsive has led to the 86-year drought in the first place. And it's not as if we're not talking about getting Bonds or Prior here. We're talking about an aging, brittle SHELL of his former self with a long-ass contract. Junior is exactly the type of free swinger who gets exploited by Pedro, Shilling, Brown, Hudson, Mulder and Vasquez in the playoffs. I still remember how helpless Andruw-Sheffield-Lopez looked against Wood and Prior last year. There is NO point in getting Griffey -- unless it's for Konerko, which of course is a crack pipe dream. He won't help you do jack squat, and his contract will cripple the team in the process. You're itching to spend money freed up after Koch and Konerko/Lee depart? There are many better, cheaper options than Griffey out there. Let's go on a 40-20 streak. Then JR will have to open his wallet. Rent ourselves an ace pitcher, a closer, a lead-off hitter at a prorated cost. And all will be well.

THis isn't Barry Bonds versus Babe. They played in the same decade. Very similar players. They can be compared.

Yes it is just you. I guess Craig Counsell is perhaps the best ever at using that f***ed up stance. Let's induct him. Larkin is a better hitter than Visquel and a better baserunner. Vizquel gets a slight advantage defensively, but that's not enough.

Funny you're looking at 2004. How about you look at 2006-2009 and then all the subsequent seasons when the deferred moneys would have to be paid back, and as such will techinically be on the payroll? The way Lee is hitting right now, NOBODY wants a part of his 15 Mill over 2 years. This isn't 2001 anymore. Paul Konerko has NO value, especially to a NL teams. Wake up, Dodgers are laughing at ys for suggesting a Perez-for-Konerko deal. Griffey is nothing special anymore. He is also the most injury plagued player in baseball, bar none. White Sox need starting pitching and a closer, not an overrayed, aging free-swinger player with a GIGANTIC LONG-TERM CONTRACT

What makes you think Jose will be gone after this year? Don't hold your breath waiting for Willie to break out. I betcha Manos is back for Kenny Lofton (2002-2003) money -- if only because losing Maggs and possibly Carlos and Loaiza, as prudent as both moves would be, is a PR nightmare.