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QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ May 17, 2010 -> 09:20 AM) This reminds me of that meaningless college basketball stat, where I hear that the reason 2010 Duke shouldn't beat 2010 UNC is because 1956 Duke had a great record against them. We're talking about completely different players under completely different circumstances, run by completely different people, in a completely different time. That's right. This pitching staff is more talented than the one that lead the 2005 to the World Series.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ May 17, 2010 -> 10:37 AM) Someone once suggested, fire Ozzie and make AJ a player manager. No one would be able to tolerate AJ as a manger. No one likes him now and they aren't supposed to listen to him.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ May 16, 2010 -> 09:28 PM) Salty = Rube Baker. Trade for him and get him a subscription to Playboy and we're good.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ May 5, 2010 -> 08:14 PM) I think this might be drugs. Believe it or not, from what I understand he doesn't do drugs or really drink. Maybe he should start.

QUOTE (WCSox @ May 4, 2010 -> 08:27 PM) No, it's not. Mark routinely threw 89-91 five years ago. Now his four-seamer is more like 87-89. The year after the WS, it was more like 86. That's what age and heavy use do to a pitcher's arm. And while I won't argue that Mark's going to tear his labrum or rotator cuff any time soon, the risk obviously increases with increased use. And even if we accept the premise that Mark is the next Tom Glavine and his arm troubles won't manifest until his 40's, his arm strength and durability will, at best, diminish slightly as he approaches his mid-30s. Since it's unlikely that his command will improve significantly over that time (it can't get much better than it already is), it's difficult for me to believe that he's going to pitch any better than he has over the past three years. So we're looking at either more of the average of the past few years or a slight decline. And that's a best-case scenario. I think this is the scenario we are seeing now. There is currently something different in his delivery. After watching the tape of his last start again I think it's his arm slot. It looks lower, which is common in someone with shoulder issues no matter how slight.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:57 PM) Disagree about Buehrle, simply because he's been horrible for a month now after Opening Day. Still, he'll turn it around for 2-3 months and be the Buehrle (dependable version) we all know and love, and that every opposing GM would love to have on their roster, IF IF IF they could afford him. I do agree with one aspect, the Cardinals have been much more budget-conscious and have gone with the "diamond in the rough" theory of acquiring starters since overspending from 1995-2005 in this area. There is something different in his motion this year. I can't quite figure it out yet. I think the decreased innings in spring wasn't about resting him for the season. I think it was about lingering shoulder issues from last year.

QUOTE (G&T @ May 4, 2010 -> 06:06 AM) I think you have it easy if Taylor Swift is the problem. I agree. The Taylor Swift concert I took my daughter to was tolerable. Some of the others were Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, etc. and they were unbearable

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 04:37 PM) I think the dude that's hitting .197 as a member of the White Sox while making an outrageous amount of money can use a confidence boost. Get this guy a set routine, coddle him, vote for him as best CF on the team (this is an important one), put him in the 5th slot behind Konerko and leave him there. He could potentially have a monster year. Ozzie is coddling him by not putting him in the greater pressure situation of hitting higher in the order. He is protecting Rios by hitting him lower in the order and building his confidence.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 03:31 PM) Can I just say how proud I am of being on a Sox message board, that allows debate, and doesn't resort to screaming, "OZZIE PLAYED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!!! YOU HAVEN'T!!! YOU CAN'T QUESTION HIM!!!" when the legitimacy of a managerial move is called into question? This board is great, and one of the best things that ever could have happened for my White Sox fandom. there is validity to the point of the people on this board not being in the cluhouse and knowing the players. Maybe Jones is down and needs a confidence boost so he is putting him the situation to see how he does. I'm not saying this is the case but Ozzie will do this for his relief pitchers and young players alot. ozzie may not always be the best x and o manager but he knows players and gives them plenty of room to excel or sink themselves. He basically allows the players to determine if they should be with the team or play. He will do the same with Jones and Kotsay.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 03:12 PM) I agree Rios should never be moved from center. The boobirds will be out tonight if Jones makes some obvious blunder in cf. It would be funny in a way cause Rios got booed some last year. it's part of Ozzie's plan to semi-rest his players. Rios is still playing defense but at a less physically demanding position than CF.

Great pics. Thanks for getting one of me in there. Your pics are so good you can see me over PK right shoulder in the pic where he is rounding 3rd after the homer.

QUOTE (knightni @ Mar 24, 2010 -> 02:29 AM) Are you insinuating what I think that you're insinuating about Pujols? Let's just call it an educated guess and leave it at that.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 10:09 PM) When did he have a knee problem? I know he's had 2 surgeries on his right elbow, a strained calf, Plantar Fasciitis, the strained oblique and some lower back problems early in '06 but the only problem he's had with his knee that I'm aware of was a contusion from sliding in '08. I'm not disagreeing with you or anything, I'm just curious for the sake of continuity. Wasn't the oblique injury a red flag? I can't find the knee problem now that I look back. I thought a previous chronic soft tissue injury was the knee. Must have been the recurrent elbow problems. The number of chronic soft tissue injuries was my point.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 08:44 AM) Pujols is having back spasms, went in for an MRI, got an anti-inflammation shot. There's very little possibility that they use an injection for muscle spasms in a professional athlete. The injection was to decrease inflammation around a nerve. The muscle spasms are there to protect the nerves from the instability in the spine. He could be in some trouble this year. PS. Hmmmm lots of soft tissue injuries (knee, plantar fasciitis) progressing to lower back problems. Sounds a lot like what happened to McGwire.

QUOTE (knightni @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 04:34 PM) I wonder if the pin in his elbow has loosened due to his violent curve and his velocity is down because of it... If this happened it would show up as elbow pain and difficulty with his breaking pitches more than the fastball. If anything he seems to be throwing more breaking pitches than before.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 10:10 AM) Alex Rios' contract has no merit? I just stated facts. KW said he had a trade for a pitcher that could have made his rotation the best ever. He said they ran into a problem with an extension. These are facts. I said not having to owe $60 million to Rios probably would have helped with the extension. I also said maybe not, because it may not have been the extension. Perhaps Halladay or whoever it was just said no. IIRC, Halladay has a NTC. I also love how you rip me for speculating, then speculate yourself. As for spending, the White Sox have recently spent a lot more money on starting pitching if you break it down $/player than any other position. 2006 the only 2 players on the roster being paid more than the 5 starters were Thome and half of his salary was being paid by Philadelphia, and Konerko who was a post season star for a championship team. Konerko at that stage was owed about the same as Rios is right now. If KW was at least semi- prepared to make a deal with Halladay or whatever pitcher it was that was going to make his rotation the best of all-time in his words, I'm sure he knew it would cost a pretty penny not only prospect-wise, but money-wise as well. Adrian Gonzalez, if the Sox somehow get him, is going to be just as expensive, if not more if they want to extend him. Rios has a lot to live up to. Paying someone $60 million for 5 years is expecting he will perform a lot better than an average player. He needs to be better than the "well he's better than Dewayne Wise" thoughts. I don't see where 25 or so spring training ABs shows he's ready to live up to his end of the deal. I hope he does, but nothing has been answered yet. I'd bet the ranch if he was placed on waivers, he wouldn't be claimed. If he was making $1 million a year, he most certainly would be claimed. His contract has plenty of merit. I would bet that if this was truly the case it had more to do with the length of the contract. The Sox have shown they will offer pitchers good money it's usually the length of the contract with which they have a problem.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 18, 2010 -> 08:04 AM) Thank you for helping my point. The results and numbers have nothing to do with it. If you havent SEEN Andruw Jones play, you cant make one call or the other on how he looks based on ST numbers. Of course based on how he is hitting the ball to all fields, staying back in his stance instead of the pull happy out in front approach he's been taking the last few years, I would say he is a much improved player and could be in for a good year. You can get excited when you see CLEAR changes in the way a player looks and is approaching the game, which has NOTHING to do with the actual numbers which was my point. If you havent seen the guy, your only negative or positive feeling is going to be based on stats on a sheet, which is irrelevant. This can't be true. Greg Walker is the hitting coach and he only teaches lift and pull.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 17, 2010 -> 11:09 AM) There's no "baseball related" reason on their roster to release him. The only replacements on their roster as OF's are Justin Maxwell (Kinda young, career .793 minor league OPS), Chris Duncan, Willie Harris (group 4!), Willie Taveras, or moving another player there. The "baseball" related reason is that he wasn't worth the headaches for the "baseball" organization.

I don't know if it was posted elsewhere but Elijah Dukes being released by the Nats was a little surprise. I would have thought they could have gotten a bag of balls for him. Edit: Never mind, I see it in the MLB catch all thread

QUOTE (danman31 @ Mar 16, 2010 -> 03:26 PM) Yes, that does sound like it was on the lower end of the scale in terms of starting rehab. I would like to know why rehab is expected to take 4+ months though. That is actually a fairly short course of rehab for this extensive damage. The reason it takes time is its important function in supporting the arch. There are two factors here. 1) With 5-7 weeks of rest the tendon will become very weak. The strength of the tendon will increase as stress is added and strengthening of the muscle begins. It takes at least 6 weeks to add true strength to the muscle so as its strengthening the tendon will as well. So, its 6 weeks to increase strength and the rest to regain baseball activities. 2) There is also regaining the proprioception which is the body's unconscious awareness of control. When you tear this tendon that is vitally important in foot control he will lose this control. He is going to need to re-learn this control. Balance training will be the focus here. The time table for this part is variable but should fit in this rehab schedule.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 16, 2010 -> 02:01 PM) So if he is starting rehab that quickly, it must mean the tear ended up being the lesser of the two evils, I take it? Most likely. The tear was either off the bone or near the terminal end of the tendon.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Mar 16, 2010 -> 10:13 AM) 1. Total bulls***. AJ has 2-3 years left at least and if the Sox have any sense at all they'll extend him so we don't have to watch some roided-out return of the Mark Johnson/Brook Fordyce/Ben Davis/Josh Paul/Miguel Olivo/etc. Black Hole of Youth swallow this team for another decade or so. 2. You've finally outed yourself as an impostor. The real Hawk Harrelson loves AJ even more than I do. The real Hawk also lives near AJ in Florida and has been a fan ever since he watched AJ play high school baseball. 3. AJ exemplifies the new era of White Sox baseball. AJ deserves to retire as a member of the Sox organization and then he needs to become a coach so he can show all these little f***ers coming up through the minor league system what it means to wear the black and white. 4. Any "Sox fan" who talks s*** about AJ needs to check the hat on his skull because it probably says Cubs or Twins. I would disagree with this if you look at the whole picture. He does not exemplify White Sox baseball. He is a very good player and I like to watch him play, however, you can be a good player without being a complete a** to everyone around you. Your attitude doesn't need to be carried off the field. If you want all of the minor leaguers to treat everyone like sh**, then he's your guy. He will never be a coach because no one will be able to stand the guy.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 15, 2010 -> 08:52 AM) Interesting. So the obvious question would be is this a "better" or "worse" than the Ventura injury in terms of recovery potential? Do you think Mitchell will still have the same overall potential after his recovery? Mitchell's problem is more of an unknown. If the surgery and rehab goes well, he has the potential of having no lingering effects. If it is a difficult surgery and rehab he has the potential of having any number of lingering issues from tendonosis to biomechanical foot pain which could hamper his performance. The navicular bone to which the tendon in question attaches is the keystone of the arch of the foot. If it doesn't do it's job properly the whole foot is effected. Look at Frank Thomas this is the bone which he broke and really couldn't run for the rest of his career. Ventura's injury was certain to cause lingering issues. Whenever you damage a the ankle so severly to dislocate it, there is major damage to many tissues and the joint. The ankle joint rarely regains full range of motion and free movement. This would really decrease the adavantage in the speed game. It Ventura's case this wasn't a big deal but it probably decreased his qucikness and range to the opposite side of the injured ankle. In mitchell's case this injury would have hampered his speed game.

I had to bump this thread. Here is a quote from an his article today: "It's the same basic injury Robin Ventura suffered in a slide at home plate in the spring of 1997. It proved only a minor setback for Ventura, who would play in the World Series with the 2000 Mets, but he wasn't fast before his injury. Mitchell's value is based, in a large part, around his speed. Ventura fractured and dislocated a joint. This is an injury which involves 3 bones and the joint articulation. Mitchell ruptured a tendon and didn't dislocate a joint. Other than both injuries occurring below the knee they have absolutely nothing in common. They aren't even the same anatomic structures. He obviously did no research on the injuries and just threw it out there because they are both severe injuries around the foot.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Mar 13, 2010 -> 11:55 AM) He'll be fine, but you'd think he lost his leg by the overreaction going on around here. He should be with the medical staff the White Sox have but it is far from certainty.