YASNY

I think we are in a slump. Nothing more, nothing less. There is too much talent on this team for it to continue very long.

QUOTE(dyenamite23 @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 11:10 AM) TB has always asked to much for there players New GM now. QUOTE(Jimbo @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 10:22 AM) Chatanooga is so close to Tampa and Detroiit. He added some relevent information to topic. Why shoot him down for it?

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 07:26 AM) i have found that SH1980 likes to broadbrush when he meets any sort of resistance or difference of opinion(even in jest). I poked fun at something a week ago and became part of "you and your ilk" very quickly. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Not saying exactly how I'll use that info, however. By the way, I love the avitar.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 10:26 AM) 2 points. First, Alomar was the Dodgers' Number 3 catcher, not the Rockies'. Secondly, I think a lot of people are forgetting one of the other things that this whole board was going after Widger for...his pitch calling. Remember all those discussions of his Catcher ERA this year? Remember how people were complaining about him only calling pitches away and never going inside? There are more ways to make improvements than just by finding a bat off the bench. Good point. However, I seem to recall some dissatisfaction with Sandy's game calling and/or CERA his last time around with the Sox.

QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 05:10 AM) No, it is not just you. It is you and some other fans who will support everything Ozzie does because the Sox won the championship last year. For you and your ilk, nothing he does is worthy of criticism. He gets a pass on anything and everything. Everything he does is right because...well because he's Ozzie. No. You are entirely incorrect. I'll critcize when and where I think it's warrented. I just happen to believe Ozzie's knows a whole lot more about managing a baseball team than you will ever dream of knowing. Petulance is not flattering.

So this the type of team we got away from in '05? Of the 8 regular postion players, 7 of them were regulars last year. Anderson replaced Rowand in CF. Then the addition of Thome as DH to replace Everett or Thomas. Where is the big change over that mad us go from a scrappy small ball time to a bunch of slow thumpers?

QUOTE(Steff @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 05:20 AM) For some reason I'm fighting the urge to make a diaper comment.... As for your post.. well no kidding the Sox need to make some changes. As for your attack of the "stay positive" crowd, maybe you could just skip the threads that are clearly doing that if it bothers you so much. Don't you just love this kindof stuff?

Wanne, don't post that picture on this board again.

QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 11:58 PM) The facts are the facts. Ozzie handles the pitching staff very badly. He leaves starting pitchers in too long too often. Very often, he just leaves them in long enough to get hammered, and then leaves them in for a few batters more. Additionally, his mishandling of the bullpen is well documented. Also, he loves to play bench players so much that we are typically playing with 7/9ths of the regular starting lineup. I can't believe you think his in-game decision making is even decent. And some managers can make bad pitching worse. Two starts ago, Vazquez starts to get hammered in the 6th. Ozzie leaves him in to take more punishment and allow more runs to score. Vazquez's last start, he again starts to implode in the 6th and Ozzie leaves him in to allow more runs to score, AND start the next inning (allowing two baserunners before finally being pulled). These are just two examples of many, many examples of poor handling of pitchers. Most major league managers aren't that bad. No sir. Those are opinions not facts. I happen to believe they are misguided opinions, but that's just me.

QUOTE(Shamrock4Life @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 07:26 PM) he didn't hit anybody this time up either and then garland missed so ozzie had to send somebody down. apparently green front is above me. i need to learn before i move up to A ball. Anybody with a handle like yours definitely needs to be able to use green.

QUOTE(Iguana @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 09:32 AM) I thought Salisbury was a football guy? Yea, Crede is finally living up to his potential. He should be a Sox for a long time. He is a football guy, and it shows with this comment.

If Ichiro just signed a deal in Seattle, I missed that news. I was under the impression that Ichiro was not happy with the direction the franchise was going.

I'm gonna throw this out there, but it's purely a hunch on my part. Kenny's been talking about a "big" deal and knowing how he works under the radar, this has been swimming around my brain as the type of deal Kenny would make. I'm talking about KW getting Soriano and then flipping him to Seattle for ... wait for it ... Ichiro. It's the type of thing KW would do.

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 12:39 PM) Could be. Pardon my ignorance, but what are "flips"? Don't get me wrong; I won't miss Widger. It just seemed like he was offed in a very public way, compared to Politte, who was quietly let go. Or maybe it's just the timing; who knows? That's where a coach is kneeling or squating by the batter and flips the ball up to him and the batter basically hits it into a fence a few feet away.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Jul 23, 2006 -> 11:10 AM) Or all the years we lost to the hated Yankess and finished second with Al Lopez managing, or 1967 when we couldn't score at all or 1968 or... or ... 1977 when we had lots offense and no pitching or.. or... Thanks for bringing back such wonderful memories.

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 12:32 PM) His comments seem to suggest that this is the first time he's heard of it, dontcha think? Yet, there had been clubhouse rumblings about him not taking 'flips' in batting practice. Maybe Widger just wasn't listening.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 09:47 AM) It amazes me the conversations that happen in here about Ozzie's use of subs. Yeah, I'd say Anderson should see a little more time, now that he is hitting. But as we saw last year, and are seeing this year, one of the reasons Ozzie's teams do so well is that he gives his guys some rest AND gives his bench enough playing time to be good. And yet, people seem to so easily forget that, and then blame a loss on the fact that Mack or Cintron or Ozuna are in the lineup. I mean, those guys are all good hitters anyway. But besides that, in case no one noticed, that hasn't been our problem. Starting pitching, starting pitching and starting pitching are the problem. And as for pulling Javy after 4 or 5 innings as soon as he gives up a hit... I can't believe people would consider that. If Vazquez can't ever last 6 innings, and/or can't survive an inning once he gives up a run, then he shouldn't be starting at all. Thats at least a logical argument to make. But until he is traded or replaced, he needs to be treated like a starter, or he'll never get any better. to having a long term perspective! Let me preface this by saying I've been one of Ozzie's biggest 'defenders' when it comes to how he handles his team. I thought they way he rested starters and kept his bench sharp was one the keys to last year's success. However, in a conversation with my father before the Detroit series I said that Ozzie has to keep Anderson in CF regardless of pitching matchups. With that big outfield in Comerica, Brian should have been in CF for every inning of that series.

Here's the way I see this. First, Widger wasn't producing offensively or behind the plate. Apparently, there has been talk around the clubhouse about him not taking "flips" in batting practice. Yet, he's been on an 0-24 skid. Widger said he'd prepared the same way last year, and now it wasn't good enough. Well, Chris, I'm sorry but the results haven't been as good as last year. Widger, apperently, was unwilling to try something different to change the results. Now, add in the fact that the Sox coaches have him telling KW to get Alomar back for a month and you have an established pattern of a player not producing, not listening to coaches and the coaches wanting an upgrade. They told Widger to his face why they were releasing him and didn't go the media with. Widger did that himself. Basically, Widger got fired for not doing his job then whined to press about.

QUOTE(Zoogz @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 04:15 PM) Quick note from the Tigers fan... You guys realize that the Sox outscored the Tigers through this series, right? That the final game, this one, was a one-run game that could have legitimately went either way as one-run games often do? I saw much the same talk from Tigers fans after the Tigers started 0-5 against the Sox who all said that the Tigers just could not compete. This is a small sample size. Even smaller than a playoff series. And anything can happen. While I understand that losing sucks, I am still petrified of your team far more than of the streaking Yankees or the Twins. In all seriousness, you guys should be proud of a team that is, in July, doing as well as the Sox are (and have proven themselves winners). As you may have noticed, the Tigers offense is horrid too. The Yankees have an outfield of stiffs and a pitching staff barely held together. The Twins consist of two great pitchers and two great position players. EVERY team has holes, and in all honesty the White Sox' holes are pretty miniscule compared to those teams. I have no clue which way this season will go, but I am still looking forward to an awesome stretch run and fully expecting the Sox to not only heat up but to make a major run. And hey, I hope it happens anyway, as the AL East has been in the playoffs far too long for my tastes anyway. Feel free to direct any additional flames you have my way, I don't mind. Great post. Thank you for that. It saved an otherwise pathetic thread.

I don't believe we'll make a major trade, because I don't think there is a matchup out there.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jul 17, 2006 -> 12:51 AM) Can't we get rid of shoota for 10 days anyways? I kid because I care. I'll make a bet with you. If Detroit wins the series, you suspend shoota for 10 days. If the Sox do, I'll suspend him. Deal? just kidding shoota

I think Mark's got a tired arm. He needs to skip a couple of starts. As bad as Mark has been lately, it wouldn't hurt to let Tracey take his turn for a couple.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 01:29 AM) Don't think Krivsky would give up Bray and Majewski when the bullpen has been the weakest link for the Reds so far this season. You are right on the money. The reason the Reds made this one sided deal is to get bullpen help. They aren't going to trade those two away now. No way.

I'm no expert of the technicalities of some of the rules of baseball, but I'm inclined to agree with Rex.

It's all about respect people. Treat people like you want to be treated and there's no problems. As was stated earlier, if you have to ask if this or that is acceptable, assume it's not and you'll be in good standing. Not too hard to figure out.