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I don't see Ventura as a manger. That would be like Baines as a manager. Both very smart and good baseball people but not great communication skills. He's more the front office type. I bet he is shotting for a GM position. Fisk would never make a good manager. The players wouild hate him within a month. He can't get along with anyone and if you got in his doghouse you would never see daylight again. Talk about a guy who holds grudges. It took him about 25 years to talk to the Red Sox again because they wouldn't re-sign him as a free agent.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jun 6, 2011 -> 08:52 AM) Fine, forget about the Cubs portion of that last post. Let's address the other part. Again, at what point does one realize he's incapable of pitching through pain? You're not helping anybody by getting hurt every couple weeks. When you feel something, anything, let Herm, the medical staff or whatever know. He doesn't deserve extra credit for trying to be tough. It's not trying to be tough. It's his overall attitude. You can't be a extremely competitive person when you want to be. It's who he is. The same thing that makes him want to pitch through problems is the same thing that makes him a Cy Young award winning pitcher and a pitcher who came back from an unprecedented injury. Was what he did smart? No. But all athletes that are at the very top of their profession tend to have this attitude. Did MJ sit out of a game when he had food poisoning? No. Why did he do it? It's because that was his personality. If he would have flopped in that game everyone would have ripped him for playing while sick and "not helping the team." I prefer this attitude to the "giving up" attitude of some players. But then again that type of player is not usually one of the best in the game.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jun 5, 2011 -> 10:09 PM) As fathom always says, thank the devil they took advantage of their chance in '05. Looking back now, it's hard to believe a team under this management/coaching staff pulled off a World Series title. I almost can't wait for KW and Ozzie to be gone to hear what you have to say about the next group. JR will not hire a GM or manager with much experience. Past records with both the Sox and Bulls he prefers to find rookies and see how they do. That will be some interesting reading.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Jun 5, 2011 -> 08:11 PM) He's a f***ing idiot, there is no way to possibly defend him at this point re: continued fighting through injury, but I will love to watch people continue to try. so you prefer the type of athlete that, at the slightest pain just gives up and says I'm done? That's fine if you prefer an athlete with that type of attitude. I prefer the type that doesn't give in and continues to work at it. Pitching is a violent motion and pitchers always hurt to some extent. You get guys like Prior who can't deal with it and guys like Peavy who try to work through it. You can have Prior, I'll take Peavy.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 4, 2011 -> 08:34 PM) I have no clue how Sale's ever going to be a starter. Righties get too good of a look against him. Maybe the Sox management agree and that's why is in the pen.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 4, 2011 -> 05:35 PM) The book on Morel has always been an adjustment period. ALWAYS started slow. Hopefully with some increased playing time, and, you know, leaving him alone, he'll get comfy. There is no learning at the MLB level. You must be a star right away or you'll never be any good.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 10:07 PM) Don't tell me you really buy into Hawks lines? This is the same guy who was telling us Dunn might be back the day after his appendix was out. that was unrealistic. Even with laprascopic surgery you need to cut through abdominal muscles and for a hitter that is painful.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 10:06 PM) Technically don't they at least have to cut skin? Yes, but it will be a very small incision on the back of the hand where it won't get in the way. If he needs to hit they will just put a pad over it and a batting glove on top. It really shouldn't bother him unless they needed to "dig" it out. In that case it would be sore but it doesn't sound like this is the case. Removing loose bodies will not cause much soreness.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 09:39 PM) Is it really minor enough to be able to hit again that same day? yes, it's minimally invasive with just a small incision. He'll feel better without the grinding or block in his wrist movement. they aren't cutting anything, just removing something that is already loose.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 06:40 PM) He had minor surgery and is available tonight? I don't get that. Two things worry me, though. Dunn's minor surgery didn't have a great outcome. And Konerko's last bad season was due to a wrist injury. It is probably related to the hamate bone fracture he had years ago, in the minors or early in his career. Sometimes there is just a little piece of bone that gets dislodged, especially in the bottom hand of the hitter. The knob of the bat bangs around in the palm and can cause loose pieces of bone. The surgery is just to make a tiny incision and remove the bone, especially if it's near the surface. There is no pressure on the back of the hand so they can play with a small incision there.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ May 25, 2011 -> 08:26 PM) This has been a problem since June 2006 ................fire Walker new life is needed on this team. Th9is has been a problem with the Sox since the early 80's. I remember the Sox just flailing away against soft tossing lefties like Scott McGregor and Mike Flanagan. You'll see from my previous posts that I often bring up Sox futility against lefties, especially soft tossers.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 25, 2011 -> 07:28 PM) That '94 team was special. I know Kalapse thinks they're overrated. Hell with that. If they had finished that season out, they were at least in the Series. That team was loaded. Led by the best offensive player (that's never cheated) that I've ever seen. For that one year, anyway. That team was good but I think the Expos were better.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 25, 2011 -> 06:29 PM) It's amazing that we're only 5 games under. We're getting replacement or below replacement level production at DH, CF, LF, 2B and C. That's a lot of suckage on one team. But Greg Walker is still a great hitting coach. Pitching is still the most important variable in baseball and our pitching is pretty good. That is why we are only slightly below .500.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 25, 2011 -> 02:51 AM) Baseball should really just stop keeping track of that statistic. that's true. Winning means nothing in baseball. The teams with the best OPS, OBP, strikeouts and UZR make the playoffs.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 23, 2011 -> 05:09 PM) I would never fire at you. I don't do that. But I don't like the way Morel is being handled. i don't either but making the generalization that no young player will develop is unfair. Although it does seem to be hitters and not pitchers doesn't it. Maybe Ozzie is the anti-Pinella, he has no idea how to handle hitters,

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 23, 2011 -> 05:02 PM) He's made Morel a platoon guy without even knowing if he's a platoon guy. No young talent will ever develop with Ozzie in charge. I think you're going overboard with the generalization. Ozzie didn't do this with Beckham, Alexei or TCQ when they struggled as young players. The coaches must see something that they prefer to ease Morel into the full time role with giving him good chances to succeed. Go head and fire away at me for looking for an answer.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ May 23, 2011 -> 02:17 PM) You can treat dwarfism? I was also unaware that Leno was such a cheater. Yes you can in certain instances. Dwarfism in a generic sense is a pituitary problem, where it doesn't produce the appropriate amount of human growth hormone (HGH). Sometimes these conditions can be treated some cannot. It depends on how well the pituitary is functioning.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 23, 2011 -> 07:51 AM) And as I always say when this topic comes up...the fact that its illegal means you'll never get a double-blind clinical study of the actual effects of the abuse. It might be that 40% of the people who use it heavily explode like Bonds, 20% see improved visual acuity and some muscle gain but not immense, 20% have ligaments that tear themselves apart, and 20% wind up dead, and you wouldn't know. randomized double blind studies are rare in all medical literature due to confidentiality, HIPPA and FERPA concerns as well as patient consent. However, walk into an NFL locker room and you'll know. The most obvious sign for HGH is the head changing shape. It usually has the Jay Leno chin effect and the protruding forehead. Of course you can't prove it. there are many studies done on the lower dosage HGH for the treatment of dwarfism and some muscular diseases. All of this research shows the improvement in growth and the increased muscle strength and endurance.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 22, 2011 -> 07:48 PM) I just personally don't believe that HGH could have this type of an effect on any hitter simply due to the nature of the product. It doesn't seem to drastically increase the strength of a person. If there is any effect, it's simply improving vision. It (apparently) leans you out and will help with day to day recovery, but there is no real indication of that. And it wasn't a slight swing adjustment either, it's a very drastic change that he has made and it's basically been a complete overhaul of his swing. I'm not sure where you got this information but HGH has a huge effect. The athletes just need to take more of it and it costs more. The dosage given out to the appropriate patient's doesn't have drastic effects just enough to stimulate normal growth. However, in the amount athletes take, it makes drastic changes. Look at the NFL. Most of the players are on it. The medical staff will tell you, they estimate 75-80% of players are on it. This is the current PED of choice because the only somewhat reliable test is through a blood test. No union, MLB or NFL has given in to allow blood test, for some valid reasons. I'm sure there are some designer anabolics out there but nobody has found them yet. Labs cannot test for PEDS in general. They need to know what to test for. So if they don't know about it, they cannot test for it. The IOC may be coming out with a program that could change this. What they will do is take a baseline blood sample. If anything changes, they may not know what they are taking but they will know they are taking something to effect the T/E ratio.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 19, 2011 -> 07:39 AM) And Joe Maddon is a smart enough manager to sit Joyce against lefties cause he can't hit them, instead of putting him in a situation to fail like many other managers would do. Most of the FAs the Rays lost are struggling with their new teams too I don't think this should last for very long. You want a young player to build his confidence but you don't want to take a talented player and make him a platoon player. If he always sits against LHP he will have no chance to become a star.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 18, 2011 -> 03:35 PM) I guess I'd be more accepting if McPherson wasn't the alternative. But he's not young. So Ozzie automatically likes him. Both KW and Ozzie do prefer veterans.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 18, 2011 -> 02:56 PM) and if I stay it will be double Should I stay or should I go?

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ May 17, 2011 -> 05:32 PM) OK, I don't agree with it either. But if he refuses to change his rationale and open his eyes, then he has to go. What are we arguing about? I wasn't saying that I disagreed with you. What I said was that this is the way Ozzie will operate and probably the way most managers will operate so while your points have some validity, nothing is going to change. They will always look for the sterotypical leadoff hitter and it mostly likely won't change even if Ozzie is gone. You can get mad about it but in the end it will just drive you crazy. Like my problems with the Adam Dunn type hitter. Because he puts the ball in play at a low rate due to the huge amounts of walks and strikeouts he loses many opportunities to drive in runs. With a guy on 3rd he would just need to make contact to drive him in but the walks look good in the stats but it doesn't help the team win. Before anyone goes off on me with the advantages of OBP, OPS etc., I understand it's valuable. However it doesn't help me during the game when the offense is struggling and he is looking for walks instead of driving in the run. You can either let the situation drive you nuts or let it go, because in both situation, it isn't changing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 18, 2011 -> 10:59 AM) You can make the opposite case quite easily here. He's settling into doing exactly what he needs to do, being somewhat patient and killing the ball when pitchers pitch to him. But...he's been doing that for all of what, 2, 3 weeks now, and doing so without having to break through a second slump? There's benefit long-term to having him getting used to beating people up just like this in AAA. That doesn't mean this is the best thing for winning the Central this year, but if you want to do the best thing possible for DV's long term development...a few more weeks/a couple months of this level of performance in AAA is the best thing you can do for him. i agree and it's the most likely reason why he is still there. He could be a future star and is progressing nicely. The only thing he hasn't had is patience, so let him continue to work on it.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ May 18, 2011 -> 11:00 AM) Agreed. And the Brewers will compete in that lousy division before too long. No way Hamels leaves. Why would anyone want to leave the best team in baseball to play for a team in decline? with the money that Lee and Halladay make, I would bet he is one of the most likely to leave.