YASNY

QUOTE($I Need Money$ @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 10:05 PM) Yes that is exactly what I'm saying. To quote an old broadcaster ... "I can't believe what I just saw!"

Dye looked good at number 3 in the post season. It may not shake out that way, but it's the way I'd do it heading into ST.

QUOTE(hi8is @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 12:23 PM) from espns fantasy analsys of the trade: "If he returns to full form, Thome could hit in the neighborhood of 30 homers in the AL Central. " BWHAHAHAHHAHA and "playing at U.S. Cellular should not provide to much of an offensive drop off..." Sometimes I wonder if these people live in another dimension or something. Some of the analysi (?) are so off base from reality, it's scary.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 09:52 AM) Rush's character he portrays on the radio and on TV is that of a pompous ass. I am fairly certain he is not like that in real life. But I would rather listen to you everyday than him. After reading SL&P, I usually need to listen to Rush for an hour to deprogram myself.

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 03:17 AM) No the Pittsburgh pirates would move to the NL East... Where they belong anyway... You can't have an odd number of teams in each league.

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 08:22 PM) nice research. im fine with throwing Brian Anderson out there, bumping him at the 8 position, and moving Crede up to Rowand's spot. Our lineup, praying the Paulie is back, is then... 1. Pods 2. Gooch 3. Dye 4. Thome 5. Konerko (maybe you moved Thome and Konerko up a spot, bumping Dye down to 3, but in the World Series, Dye was quite good in the three-hole) 6. Pierzynski 7. Crede 8. Anderson 9. Uribe I think Juan turns the lineup over quite well for Podsednik. I said it last year, there are no holes in this lineup. All of these players can come up with a big hit when needed. No need for Pierre, give the kid a chance, and keep the farmhands we have instead of dealing for Pierre. plus we do have 12 guys who throw the ball who are all pretty f***ing good. That is the exact every day line up I would go with.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 07:49 AM) Why would Boston trade Mota? Their bullpen was brutal last season. They are keeping him. Oops.

From "The Daily Herald's Scott Gregor":

QUOTE(SoxAce @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 04:20 PM) I agree with you to some extent. I do believe Gathright will hit .300. I'm not saying .320+ but .305 or so is not out of the question. (hell he hit .276 which isn't bad in 200+ abs) I know he hit .300+ in the minors which doesn't mean he'll do the same in the majors but he does not strikeout much or walk so you know he'll put the ball in play. I still like Gooch in the 2 hole. I don't know why people here are riding him off tryin to move him down. I would put Gathright down maybe 8th or 9th in the line-up kinda like they were doing to Willie this past season. They can us his speed more to distract the pitchers down in the line-up more like Pods was doin so he can set-up the top of the order. (gives Pods, Gooch, Thome more RBI chances) I'm alittle lost right now cause I just found out yesterday comming home from work about the Rowand trade and how I think it's f*** up they announce this before thanksgiving.. but that's just me. The announcement came out of Philly ... prematurely.

QUOTE(whitesoxmanager @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 01:13 PM) Aaron Rowand loved the Chicago White Sox. He loved Joe Crede. He loved AJP. He loved being in the uni. He loved the fans. He said he was shocked and still is. Doesnt anybody care about how he feels right now? He is sitting somewhere on Thanksgiving depressed as a MOFO! He came to this team and gave his heart & this is how we repay him? I AM PISSED! I DONT GET IT! I wouldnt trade my cat for any business reason! IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT! THIS IS THE WORST THANKSGVING EVER! I am never going to embrace Thome like i would a guy who gave his all for us from the beginning! Do I feel sorry for a guy making 2 to 3 million dollars a year for playing baseball? Not really.

I made a point to show that banner to my girlfriend. Great work, Ian.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 08:44 AM) He's also obese. Jenks. King. Buffet. LOOK OUT!!!!

QUOTE(WinninUgly @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 08:49 AM) "The Associated Press reports the Chicago White Sox signed OF Aaron Rowand to a two-year, $5.25 million contract Friday, Jan. 14, avoiding arbitration. Rowand will earn $2 million in 2005 and $3.25 million in 2006. Additionally, he holds a player option for 2007 at $3.25 million. If he declines it, the White Sox can exercise a $5 million option." Only a Player Option for 2007. Ok, technically you are correct. BUT, what are the odds of both Aaaron and the Phillies declining the options?

Addison. No flame from me. Well said and Happy Thanksgiving.

QUOTE(WinninUgly @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 08:45 AM) A total Class Act. He can also be a FA after 2006. Maybe the Sox can pick him up next offseason. I believe that is incorrect. The FA part, I mean.

From the lnik above: Class. Pure class. Fare thee well Aaron.

QUOTE(thephan @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 07:40 AM) Philly Phan throwing in. Trade equity is a bit TBD I think on the Phils side not knowing the prosects well or having actually seen them in action (minor league stats are interesting measures sometimes IMHO). I wanted to say that I think that you will be very happy with Big Jim. I think his injury last season was just a bump in the road, and that most major leaguers go through something in thier career. Certainly his recient stats show that he has been a special guy (he did win the HR crown in the NL). Also, his defense is surprisingly good as it seems to generally be overlooked. Some of those 3B skills still remain. I have read most of this thread and see that there are character concerns about the departure of arow. Well, Thome is a club house leader and a community minded player. You have gotten the kind of guy that people want their children to grow up like. I don't think you've missed a step. Also, this is his home coming. He will be missed in Philly. I think you will find that there will be a lot of Philly phan crossover in rootig for the whitesox 'cause of Thome. I hope he hit the cover off the ball for you guys. I really hope he does it for him as he deserves it! Good luck Jim anf the Sox! Most of us 'veteran' Sox fans are very familiar with Thome, including the fact that he's a pillar of society. You guys are going love Aaron Rowand. He plays the game 'balls to the wall'. See ya in the Series. By the way, we have become kind of fond of those post season sweeps.

QUOTE(sayitaintso @ Nov 23, 2005 -> 05:16 PM) Cold Don't crawl too far out on that limb.

QUOTE(WinninUgly @ Nov 23, 2005 -> 06:51 PM) I know it was mentioned, but compared to the amount of media coverage the NYY and Marlins rumors were getting, there was not that much. Also, the other trades (Beckett, Delgado) had a few pre-trade rumors pop up, where this one just hit without any earlier warnings. Rowand to Philly in a deal for Thome was exactly what I thought was going to happen. So, yes, I can say I could see this one coming.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 03:43 AM) I disagree on that, but that's JMHO. Gio's a top 5 prospect in this organization, Haigwood would be pushing it after the season he had. I don't think Diaz or Munoz would have been close to getting there at any point in their White Sox minor league career, they'd be scraping around the top 10 mark. But of course if the Sox actually handled Diaz like they did with B-Mac, we could have a different story with him today also. But I think they've definitely learned their lesson in terms of that. There were a few doubters in regard to Munoz and Diaz, but there were a LOT of people that thought they were gonna be "da s***". You, I'm sure, weren't one of them, but there were plenty.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 03:35 AM) Munoz was as a relief pitcher, but he still struggled in the high areas of the minors (besides early 2004 in B-Ham). Diaz had 1 good season in AAA and that was it. I rate Gio and Dan higher than those 2, and I'm sure pretty much all of the minor league gurus would as well. Haigwood's season this year was a lot like B-Mac's in 2004, and Brandon himself has said Dan's got the best stuff out of any minor league pitcher in the organization. And Gio being in high A already and still doing quite well (especially those K/BB ratios) is another good sign. I know what they were, and what they are. I also know that they were as highly regarded around here as these two we traded today, if not more so.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 03:23 AM) Thank you. Gonzalez especially and Haigwood are quality prospects. When were Josh Stewart, Felix Diaz and Arnie Munoz ever that? Sure Munoz has the stuff to make it in a major league pen (even though it probably won't be here). And who was going gaga over those 3? Last time I checked, Felix Diaz was referred to as Tee-Ball for the way hitters lit him up in the big leagues. You have to go a back a bit farther in time than that. Prior to the ML appearances, Diaz and Munuz were very highly thought of around here.

Of course the team is going to have budget restraints. Get real Josh. Boston, the Cubs and yes, even the Yankees have some sort of budget they stay within. JR has not been operating on the cheap for quite some time. As gross profits have gone up, so has payroll. year after year after year, etc.

QUOTE(lemon44 @ Nov 23, 2005 -> 03:30 PM) Aaron is a great guy and will i miss him.Up in Milwaukee earlier this year my family and i were sitting right behind the Sox dugout and when the Sox were coming back to the dugout after the inning Aaron gave my son the ball.My son and the rest of my family thought this was great and when the Sox played the Cubs this year we had a chance to see Aaron and he signed the same ball.Aaron thanks for being a very good player and even greater guy. Your son has the autograph of a champion. A champion as a person, teammate and a ballplayer.

I've read through about 20 pages of this thread. Wide range of comments and emotions expressed, that's for sure. Here's a few thoughts in reaction to ssome the comments, in general. I agree with the train of thought that prosects are suspects until proven otherwise. Acquiring Thome was a move KW had to make, if it was at all reasonable. Frank is a great big "?" and Thome offers substantially less risk. Delgado was already off the market and big bats are scarce. Getting Thome, in addition to adding a great LH thumper, also serves as an insurance policy in case Paulie flies the coop. Aaron Rowand. Wow. What else can be said about this guy. I've loved him since he came up to Sox and I really hate to lose him. He's a gamer and he'll always be one of my all time favorite Sox players. That said, this trade just makes sense for the Sox, both long term and short term. We have needed a Jim Thome type player for years. We have a slew of good young outfield talent just waiting to force their way into Chicago. We'll leave Arizona with one them having done so, more than likely. If not, then we have acquired Pierre of someone else.