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QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:14 AM) Summarizing the many gaffes of the Chicago White Sox in just one offseason. Juan Uribe To no one's surprise, less than a week after placing Juan Uribe on waivers, the White Sox seem to now be planning to start him at second base. Certainly, he was placed on waivers because everyone assumed the team was finally ready to move on from his horrible .234 AVG/.284 OBP last season. Luckily, for Kenny Williams and the franchise, some team actually wanted Uribe enough to claim him AND the 4.5 million salary that comes along with him. All of Soxdom cheers as Juan Uribe, the most unwatchable hitter in the Major Leagues, he of the expanding ass, is gone! Hallelujah! Party in the streets! So what does KW do? He PULLS URIBE BACK, thinking he can squeeze a low A-ball reliever out of what I presume to be the Baltimore Orioles (but possibly SF/LAD). Guess what? Claiming team tells him to screw off, and now we're stuck with Uribe. OK, that's fine, whatever, it's not my money. We've got Sexy 'Lexi looking good, and Richar's only out a few weeks (news that broke the same day Uribe was placed on waivers, surely making this somewhat difficult for Kenny, but not really). I mean, seriously, if you're worried about that, let Juan go and sign Marcus Giles for something like 700k and save yourself a lot of money while getting roughly the same production. ANYWAY, We've got Alexei Ramirez, we've got Richar coming back, it just made sense to be rid of Uribe... finally and forever. Now, we're stuck with him, and of course he's going to start at 2B on Opening Day. Heaven forbid we not have to watch that fool hack at balls in the dirt for one more season. This is quite possibly the oddest turnaround for a player I've ever seen, to go from waived for the purposes of being rid of him to starting for the same team that waived him less than two weeks later. Josh Fields As if one goofup wasn't enough, we now have the Great 3B Question of 2008. For any other franchise (save maybe the almost as moronic Tampa Bay Rays), this one is simple. Move Crede, regardless of return, and continue the development of the only prospect worth a s*** in your organization. Josh Fields burst onto the scene in 2007, through 100 games blasting 23 homers and 67 RBI (albeit with only a .308 OBP). A work in progress, but the progress is obviously ready to continue in the Majors. The fact that Josh Fields, after the production he had last year, is being sent down is an utter catastrophe. Another case of Kenny overvaluing what he has in Joe Crede (see Juan Uribe and pulling him back). Seriously, Joe Crede is what he is... a Scott Boras client, coming off major back surgery in the final year of his contract who had one of the worst Spring Trainings in baseball. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO GET FOR HIM? Yes, 2005 was great, but it was time for Crede to move on. One player with a forced foot out the door is enough, but this team has two. That's not how you create a championship ballclub. Centerfield, Leftfield, where's Swish going to play, who the hell's in our outfield? Yet another screwup by management by over-crowding our outfield. With Jerry Owens in-house and being given every chance to start for this team, it's obvious that management thinks incredibly highly of him and had no intention on anyone else starting in CF. So why was Nick Swisher fielding there in Spring Training? Now, Brian Anderson has had his ups and downs. However, KW has managed to not move him regardless of what he's said about him to the press and how he's handled Anderson. So here's BA, to no one's surprise a talented player having been a first round draft pick, raking in Spring Training, yet Jerry Owens gets all of 36 at bats in Spring Training and it's obvious management was going to hand him the starting job. However, it seems he's being DL'd right before the season starts. We're 5 days away from Opening Day, and the outfield is filled with questions. Now, with "Black Prancer" DL'd, Anderson's the obvious choice to start, and I hope he continues to rake as I've always been a fan regardless of what this franchise has tried to do to him. Now, here's Carlos Quentin, a guy KW got for Chris Carter, one of many of our top prospects who would be moved this offseason, and Quentin might start the season in AAA or a backup role (correct me if something's been announced already). The perception when he was acquired is that he's a high-upside, power bat (with good OBP), and the trade was a steal. Even I thought so. Then, not long after that, KW trades 3 more of our top prospects for Nick Swisher, whom he forces to play some games in CF in Spring Training, and never gives a defined role to... CF, LF, lead off, 3-hole, 6-spot, where's he going to play? The guy who everyone considers this franchise's cornerstone is not being given a defined role. He's being juggled around. Luckily for the White Sox he's a class act and hasn't complained. Summary My main argument here is that management has no gameplan. Now, I understand Kenny holds onto the weird notion that the White Sox are going to compete this year. That's fine, delusional GMs eventually get fired. However, have you ever seen a true title contender have so many question marks heading into a season? Absolutely not. Yeah, I jumped around a lot, but this is a lot of stupidity for one offseason. If the White Sox do what we think they will (hover around .500 or worse) with their 3-5 starters all being huge question marks and a lineup that still tries to only hit homeruns aside from its 33 year old shortstop, what will we have to show for it? I believe another relatively high draft pick that we can combine with this year's high pick to trade for another guy who will help Mr. AARP Jim Thome and co. flounder toward a .500 finish. Maybe we'll throw Poreda into that trade as well. /rant Do you honestly think they don't have a plan or are you just trying to stir up trouble? The plan is obvious. They wanted to trade both Uribe and Crede but had no takers. They have to start both of them to drum up trade value. It sucks in the short run but will be better in the long run. Uribe was on waivers to see ifthe could pull him back and make a trade. It hasn't happened yet but it will. the sox will gain a player from the Crede trade and another year of service for Fields. i don't think there is ever a problem with too many good players. Who wouldn't known that Anderson would have put his head on straight this year when he hasn't in the past? Quentin if not used extensively this year is the replacemenbt for Dye next year, it is not a waste to season him a little more. For all your complaining about there being no plan, I see a good plan with backups built in for injury cases. We have a few older players so you see waste and redundancy, I see backup plan. The plan is obvious, you just don't like it.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 04:57 PM) Fields is fine on tough plays...it's the routine plays that he struggles with. This is more of a lack of focus with him. This isn't like Ryan Braun where they wanted him to get repetitions in regards to throwing from 3rd to 1st without hitting someone behind the 1b dugout. I honestly don't worry about Fields defense, it's not nearly as bad as some Crede fans make it out to be. I'm more concerned that he won't get a lot of practice against 93 mph fastballs and up in the minors. I think he may so more in the minors. There are alot of guys who throw hard in the minors but have poor breaking pitches. The big difference in the minors and majors is the "ungodly braking pitches" not so much the velocity. His hitting is progressing nicely although I dislike the K rate. It's the situational defense that he needs repetition on and must play everyday at 3rd. He will become anaverage to above average defensive 3B. He needs the repetitions.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 04:18 PM) What don't you get about talent levels!? What Josh Fields need to work on is facing MLB pitching, not facing primarily AAAA pitchers. Add that to the fact you will be messing with him mentally (KW saying all this crap about him being the guy, him actually outpreforming Crede in ST, etc), you can severly retard his development. Fields has always known that if Crede was on the roster he was going to AAA. KW has said all along they will not be on the roster together. Crede will be show cased and traded. The same applies to Uribe. The added bonus is that the service time clock is started later and the Sox prevent his free agency by another year. The only smart decision for the team is to send him down to work on defense and cutting down his strike outs by playing everyday and call him up when Crede is traded within a month or so.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 20, 2008 -> 09:29 AM) Two scenarios come to mind. One, they did the MRI because they thought it was a muscular/tendon issue, and happened upon the mircofracture. Or two, when they said "MRI", they really meant a Bone Scan, which may all sound the same to a reporter. Very possible but they wouldn't happen upon the microfracture because it wouldn't show on the MRI scan. The bone scan concept is possible that is an imaging procedure they would use to examine bone for a stress fracture or small fracture not seen on X-rays. The most likely scenario is that they did the MRI after the X-ray and when both show nothing they docs assume it's a small fracture. The reporter heard "we did an MRI and determined it was a microfracture." However I never put it past professional sports teams to hide or mislead people on injuries for any number of reasons. This one could be they are trying to find a thirdbaseman on the cheap because all of their's are injured nad don't want anyone to know it.

There is something funny going on with this report or it's a mistake in the report. MRI scans do not detect bone defects. They are specifically designed to look at soft tissue such as muscle, tendons or ligaments. Either they used the scan to rule out soft tissue involvement then assume it's a bone problem or somebody has something wrong here, deliberate or not.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 12, 2008 -> 12:34 PM) his wrist was injured in '06? He originally hurt it in college and had a minor surgical procedure after the sox drafted him. They weren't sure if he was going to need a more extensive procedure on it in the future. He obviously did.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 10, 2008 -> 04:07 PM) http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....ut-3-5-day.html I wouldn't want to be the person who did the manual reduction, and who are these "sources"? And that description of the surgery, yikes. :uhoh Sorry to say I have done it. The surgery is minor but he'll be sore as hell because of the sensitivity in the area.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 11, 2008 -> 04:49 PM) Fields steals 2nd, Saltalamacchia throwing error ball goes in to CF, Konerko Scores, Fields to 3rd. Sox take a 3-2 lead. Crap, I hate speed. Stolen bases and being able to run is useless for a baseball team. It doesn't force errors or anything.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 8, 2008 -> 10:54 AM) I was half kidding, but he still wont make the hall, the same way that Ventura wont, and they actually have pretty similar numbers. Santo never had a real stand out season, never really factored in the MVP race or playoff race, and played on crappy teams a majority of his career. Because of those reason, he probably wont get in, although he should and still has a chance to. I would argue his numbers were worthy especially during a "pitchers era", but he doesnt have that hook to hang his HOF hat on. Fun fact: Santo led the NL in walks 4 times. I agree. How can you be considered a HOF player if you were never considered to be one of the best when you played? MVP winners are sometimes political based on press but all of the best players get at least into the top 5. Was he ever a top five player in baseball when he played? I don't think so. Did you ever do anything that would even arguably be the best of all time? He was a very good player but I don't think he ever was the best or is the best at anything.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Mar 7, 2008 -> 04:29 PM) And before anyone jumps in with the clutch argument. Robin had 18 grand slams. And was a pretty damn clutch hitter himself. Ventura is the better overall player and I'm a big fan of Crede. Again we cannot sign him because his agent will have him test free agency. That's not a knock on him. It's his right to test the market. But with a cheap alternative in Fields there's no need to spend the money on him. This team can put that money to better use in positions of need.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 6, 2008 -> 10:01 PM) I'm thankful Lowry got injured now (hopefully he's ok). The surgery he's having is quite nasty, as it requires a s***load of stitches. It won't be too bad. They basically will just release the compartment tissue around the tendon sheaths to give them more room to move. These are some of the few tendons in the body that have their own synovial sheaths. You're right he will have alot of stitches. He will probably be able to start throwing again in 3-4 weeks. He will need to be careful on how he throws his breaking pitches.

QUOTE(almagest @ Mar 5, 2008 -> 10:58 PM) Like which teams? Look at all of the past world series winning teams and 9 out of 10 will have this type of batting order for the top four hitters. 1. Fast or pesky hitter 2. good bat handler 3. Good ave and power 4. best power guy. I shouldn't have started this again. Every spring I go on this rant because every body has their own ideas on how to build a team. People keep commenting on how Ozzie wants to bring the "Marlins" here but it's the same philosophy most teams use. Being around the game so long you see many things come and go but the typical lineup has remained constant for the most part.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Mar 5, 2008 -> 05:44 PM) Oh please. He's 17 months removed from his WS MVP award that you already mentioned, and had a better year in 2007 than 2006. Quit being foolish. Who's being foolish? Back injuries cause problems in a hurry. My only point is GM's and managers build a team with a purpose and most of them like the "pesky" hitter such as Eckstein or the "speed" guy such as Pods at the top of the lineup. Many people here don't like it but these players can be effective. More often than not winning teams are built this way. Of course it doesn't always work no plans ever do, but most winning teams are built along this philosophy.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Mar 5, 2008 -> 05:38 PM) If he can carry it over, he's a heck of a backup option. It never hurts to have an outstanding defensive player for the bench.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 5, 2008 -> 02:26 PM) Its hard to feel sorry for them when they will be vastly overpaid in the future. The average raise for arb eligible guys is over 100%, so screw them if they don't like it. i agree. This money doesn't include the 300,000+ for baseball card deals and the 100.00+ in meal money per away game. Granted it's hard being away from your family if you have one, but for a decade or so it can be worth it.

QUOTE(almagest @ Mar 5, 2008 -> 05:29 PM) And that's why teams were lining up to give Eckstein that giant contract, right? This is akin to saying that a pitcher's value is based entirely on his win-loss record and "intangibles." Eckstein is pst his prime. As I recall he won a world series with Anaheim then the Cardinals acquired him and he won a world series there also. Sounds like he was wanted to me. That true with pitchers. Who cares if they win or lose. All that matters if they pitch well. That's the problem with many pitchers today. Who the hell cares if the team wins or loses all that matters is that my stats look good. I need my "quality start" If I pitch 6 innings and give up 3 or fewer runs I did my job. That is the attitude that drove me crazy with Garland, he said this many times. Wins and loses doesn't necessarily tell you how well he pitched but it does tell you if the team won or lost when he pitches. A team doesn't go to the playoffs with a pitcxher with a low ERA or high stirkeout to walk ratio. They go if the team wins regarless of individual stats.

If the splint is for his thumb then he probably has an injury called De Quervain's syndrome. It is a tenosynovitis related to tendons that bring your hand toward your thumb side and lift your thumb up. This happens in pitcher's from decelerating your wrist if you snap your wrist too much during your breaking pitches. Rest and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds are the best way to treat it. It should not be a long term problem but will set him back for spring training

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Mar 3, 2008 -> 11:01 AM) And all of... one division title and playoff appearance. It's like last year all over again. They (Kenny, the media...) told us how awesome our top-of-the-order was going to be with Podsednik and Erstad. Speed and a guy who can handle the bat? OMGz teh awesome!!!!1 Hell -- IIRC -- you had the pro-Erstad people telling the anti-Erstad people after April -- after Erstad had put up an amazing .313 OBP -- how wrong they were. Yeah -- that turned out well. It's an embarrassment that we actually have to discuss whether Jerry f***ing Owens is going to be starting. You can throw all the stats around you want. They have been successful with it and will continue to do so. Many teams would die for a World Series title (especially 80 some years in the making) and only one losing season in the last 7 years. Don't get caught up in the stats and minutia and forget the results. This team has been successful until last year. Now if they run a couple of losing seasons together then you have a case. We'll see if it's last year over again. Who cares what the individual stats are (unless fantasy baseball is more important) Wins and loses are all that matters in the end. This is how guys like David Eckstein look awful when examining stats but somehow are starting shortstops on WS winning teams and win MVP awards. The games are not judged by individual stats. The season is determined by the numbers of wins and loses which are determined by the integration of all the parts. Sometimes the role players add up to more than the sum of their individual stats.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Mar 3, 2008 -> 10:20 AM) In 05 we won because of great pitching and an offense that got hot at the very end of the year. Outside of that in 05 the offense was bad. In the first part of 06 we hit the crap out of the ball, and in the 2nd part of 06 Pods was lost in groin-injurville. In 06 we had a good offense because Thome and company were crushing the ball and hitting everything. Not because Pods was stealing bases. I understand that. However, no matter what way you look at it, the Sox under Guillen and KW have one with this type of offense and I think they will stick with it. I know the stats people hate it but many people in baseball including those in power believe in the "lineup roles" Leadoff hitter being the speedy base stealer, the second guy is a good bat handler, the third is the best overall hitter and the cleanup guy has the best power. You can state the reasons you believe the White Sox have done well until last year but that will not change the fact that they have been successful while employing this type of offense. The pitching and good defense factor into the way they built it as well.

QUOTE(juddling @ Mar 4, 2008 -> 09:15 AM) The Cubs have had players miss time already this spring thanks to some very odd reasons. Mark DeRosa had to be hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat, and needed surgery to fix it. Meanwhile, pitcher Jose Ascanio, got jacked up in an attempted robbery. On top of that, Alfonso Soriano just broke his finger. Still, none of these guys are going through anything like Felix Pie is right now. Get ready to cringe, fellas. From the Cubs official site, ...outfielder Felix Pie missed a couple of days early because of a twisted testicle. Ouch. (insert you own joke here) link.....twister accident It sounds funny but a testicular torsion is very painful. Did it say if he needed surgery?

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Mar 2, 2008 -> 07:37 PM) This is Ozzie Guillen's footprint for this one, not Kennys. Sure Ozzie spoke of OBP but when its all said and done he wants a speedster ala Pods and Ala Pierre. If he viewed OBP as a valuable commodity Mr. Owens wouldnt be on the team right now. Ozzie wants his prototypical bantam weight track star. Look at all to goo about Owens by Ozzie already. Camp is only 2 weeks old and he is gooing about how it would be great to have Owens as the leadoff guy. Now why would it be good to have him as the leadoff guy. Sure he is fast and can steal bases, but he sure as hell cant get on base enough to make a difference. We didnt learn a thing from last years Pods/Erstad deal. We still want 2 low OBP guys up on top because we are trying to recreate the Marlins offense. This is not the national league, you dont need some low OBP guy who is fast and can bunt. You need a guy who can get on base so the guys behind him can drive them in. Its amazing how quick it was for Ozzie to jump on the Uribe needs to be the starter, and now Owens needs to be the starter. Sounds like the 08 version of the Erstad trials. These battles were already figured out before Ozzie stepped foot in the Arizona sun. Uribe will be the 2nd baseman, and Owens and his miserable OBP will be choking our offense out as he gains most of his OBP from his batting average. Hope he hits about .340 then. He needs all the help he can get. Or he is trying recreate the White Sox offense when the team was winning. In 05 and 06 the team was winning and this was the type of offense he had. It's the type of offense that won when he was with the Marlins. They are probably going by experience. Pitching was the key of course and they are trying to build the same type of team. Good rotation, bullpen and defense with an adequate offense. We've has these discussions before and you can continue to complain about it because they will keep doing it. They've won a heck of alot more games than they've lost using this concept.

QUOTE(almagest @ Feb 26, 2008 -> 05:13 PM) Myth. Crede has had exactly 1.5 (2002 and 2006) seasons where he's produced at or slightly above the expected level for a MLB third baseman offensively. Every other year, he's been mediocre ('00, '03, '05) to putrid ('01, '04, '07). 1.5 good years and 3 mediocre years vs. 2 putrid years. (2007 doesn't count he only played about 1/4 of the season). That sounds decent to me which is what I said he was.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Feb 26, 2008 -> 04:27 PM) Do you know what is difficult, trying to convince the Crede's fanboys on this site that their guy is going to move. The evidence is overwhelming and the reasons to keep him are minimal at best. The amazing thing is the amount of moves that people have put in place to shuffle everyone around, like Crede is some central player that you build a team around. I love the fact that people gloss over the fact that Joe is represented by Scott Boras. The amazing amount of written history on the relationship between Boras and the whitesox should be enough to realize that a long term deal isnt going to happen unless Joe fires his agent. And why would he do that. He just went through an injury that scares him and his family and he wants to max out years and money just in case his back messes up again. You cant blame him. I shudder to think of the reaction to when Joe is moved. The fanboys will call into stations, ask for Kenny's head, and then hate on Josh Fields because their pet is moved. Kind of like the hate that Thome gets from the Rowand fan boys. I would suggest that you buy a 2005 WS DVD and keep it on infinite replay so you can enjoy Joe for the rest of your life. If you want to see him in the future, you may have to fly out to San Francisco. But look at the bright side, you can get a 2 for one crush treat there. I think I'm probably one of Crede's biggest fans because of his defense and decent hitting. I still think defense and pitching are the keys to winning. however, given the fact the Boras is the agent and the price he will command, I'm ready to begin the Fields era. Realism is more important than getting attached to a player. I am a White Sox and baseball fan. As much as you want to get attached to a player, the improvement of the team is the most important aspect. IMHO

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Feb 25, 2008 -> 01:57 PM) Funny in the wayback machine, we were talking about how much of a stud that Ventura was and how Crede wasn't near his offensive prowess and how could Crede take over for the defensive wizardry that Ventura showed. Now a few years later, people act like Crede was a gold glover coming up. In 2002 Crede received his first taste of the big leagues, he had a 2.36 RF9(Range Factor for 9 innings played) with a zone rating of .766 while Fields had a 2.69 with a zone rating of .713. Crede had 8 errors in 53 games while Fields had 9 errors in 79 games. The almighty's Fielding Percentage was .938 for the god of Gold Glove while Fields has a .958. So as much as we remember the DVD's and the Hawk comparisons to Brooks Robinson, Mr. Crede wasnt Brooks out of the gate like some people believe. This is true. In the minors Crede was known as a good hit-no field 3B. As was Ventura at OSU.

wins vs. loses