YASNY

I want to see how good he looks with that uniform drenched in champagne sometime in late October.

As for the opening line of your post, Clayton deserved every bit of the flack he got in here. In fact, he also got plenty of flack at the ballpark. So it wasn't just us, but the whole White Sox nation. He came in from Texas, had the position handed to him, even though we would just won the division with Jose at short. Valentin was the "field general" on defense. Clayton struggled for months, each season, to achieve the lofty status of the "Mendoza line". Regardless of what the rest of the team did, Royce Clayton was in a large way, responsible for the 2 disappointing seasons the Sox had. And I am referring to the attrocious starts he had, and the crap he caused in the clubhouse. Good riddance to him. Now, having said that, I will agree with you on one point. He did provide good defense. However, that positive factor was greatly outweighed by the negativity he brought to team, and his pathetic lack of production till the team was buried even below "also ran" status.

Frank Thomas WAS the best Sox hitter ever... I'll agree with that. Maggs IS the best Sox hitter today. Now if Frank can become the old Frank Thomas, then yes, I'll agree with you.

My sentiments, exactly.

Olivo will firmly entrench himself as the starting catcher. Rowand put up decent numbers in CF after Lofton was traded, and if that injury doesn't interfere with his swing, there is no reason to think he won't do so again. I'm more than happy to have Jose back at SS where he belongs. Crede and Jiminez sure looked good to me last year. I also believe we have enough quality candidates for the 5th starters spot, that we will find someone that is at least serviceable in that role. I really like this team this year.

I had to go with Maggs.

Carlton Fisk... current player is Maggs.

All those years that Ventura was with us, I thought he should be #3 and Frank clean up. Frank was the definition of a clean up hitter. I never understood why they insisted on him batting third. Well, Robin's gone now, so yes, Frank should be there at this point. He's nailed it down for a vast majority of his career.

Marte did a damn good job last year, but Koch was acquired to be the closer. He's been a solid closer for 3 years or so. He was thr Rolaids AL Fireman of the Year last season. Seems to me that this issue was decided the day the trade was announced.

I'm sure that 5th starter hasn't been decided yet. I hope Rauch can nail it down.

I have been a Sox fan my entire life ... I was 2 years old when they last went to the Series. I would love to experience, one time, what it would be like for the team that I have lived and died with more than any other, to actually win it all.

1957-59, Blue Island. IL 1959-76, Chicago Ridge, IL 1976-current, Calvert City, KY

Now, this is a good one to post.

Regardless, we have a damn good young pitching staff.

If I understand this contract thing correctly, Frank has the option of coming back in 2004 for $6M. If he declines to pick up the option, the Sox can do so but they'll have to pay him $8M. At the point, Frank has an escape clause, to where he can be a FA even though the Sox picked up the option. I believe that next postseason is the only time he can invoke the escape clause, even though the mutual option thing is there for every year of the contract. For example, in 2005, if the Sox pick up the option, Frank cannot use the escape clause. Does any of what I just said make sense? Hell, now I'm confused. Guys, if I have this screwed up, straighten me out on this. Of course, you'd do that anyway.

The fact that he is a 3B and has shown the capability to put up those 40+ homer years is why I'd make the trade. He's similar to PK, yes, but he has more value, even if we would have to play him at 1B.

Old or not, I like Rick White. The dude has a 'tude.

For the record, the Confederates were no more "treasonous" than the colonies were against England 85 years earlier. At that time the US was not referred to as a "Union". States' rights was a big issue in both the north and the south. The people of the southern half of the US were not right in maintaining slavery, but there were an whole lot of Northerners that got very rich from the slave trade. The Stars and Bars represent, to a southerner, an army that fought bravely and valiantly, against all odds and an overwhelmingly superior military, and still gave them all they could handle. It has nothing to do with racism in the minds of most people in the south. It's just one more that Jackson, Cochran and all the rest of those loudmouths can b**** about.

Don't blame the country because most of the time its just one f***ed up asshole that's f***ing everything up. NK's leaders don't care what happens to there people and if they go down they want to take a lot of people with them. Don't worry, the US wont attack North Korea. Bush won't have that kind of support needed to take down a country as powerfull as them. In the end NK will promise to shut down there nuclear weapons program, and the US (and UN) will buy them off in some way. tell me that you didnt just say that north korea was a powerful country.......have you ever been over that way?????? theres nothing that powerful about them.. and we dont need to worry about taking them down the south koreans and japan wont let the north koreans get out of control.. they will squash them like little ants if they try.............. Obviously you don't know that much about there military, not only do they have a Nuclear Program, but they also have a very respectable Biological and Chemical weapon stockpile. There most powerful weapon is there large supply short range missiles and a few long range missiles (about 9,000 km range). With those missiles they'd be able to kill thousands (or millions if there nuclear program is advanced enough) of Japanese and South Koreans. Too top is off they have over a million soldiers in there millitry and have a strong enough air force and anit-air weapons to put up a decent fight. In the end, they have no chance, but they have the power to wage war for a long period of time and in the end could use there "weapons of mass destruction" to take a lot of people with them. again i ask have you ever been over there???????they are hording russian cold war era, throwoffs from decades ago, their s*** isnt all that advanced...if you think it is then look at how they live sometime and tell me again how advanced they are.... and another thing the japs and south koreans wont let north korea get out of hand.. both are far more advanced than north korea and of course we are over there already to lend a hand .........trust me when i say we have nothing to fear in north korea....... oh and by the way.. as to the millions of military they have.. south korea has a law that each male age 16 and over is a military member.. automatically they are drafted and serve.....not to mention the americans already stationed over there.. japan also has a similar military to the south koreans.. males of age 16 and older are automatically in a branch of the military.. and the americans are also over there... you may want to toss in the phillipeans if we need for them to help out ( doubt they would need them but just in case)....they also have a nice sized military which will lend a helping hand to south korea and japan if needed.. but i doubt it.... north korea may have millions but old/young women and men carrying broom sticks dont count......their army isnt as highly trained as the south koreans and japaneese......... The only problem with your scenario, HSC, is that behind NKorea there happens to another country you might have heard of..... China.

It's really going to be interesting to see who he ends up with and how much he'll get. You can bet on one thing... he won't end up in Yankee pinstripes. He sucked in NY and the boss would never resign him.

No way do you put him ahead of Wright ..... Danny proved himself last year. Rauch has POTENTIAL but hasn't proved s***.... yet.

I'd make that trade too... in a heartbeat.

I agree to start Olvio, I think he will be good, and I am glad to see Sandy as mentor on the team. Was reading the Sports Illustrated issue that came out just before the Super Bowl (I am behind on my reading) and was interested to read that AL pitchers were trashing on IRod for not attending meetings with pitchers so being unprepared for the games, calling fastballs with runners on base, and other things - some AL scout really trashed on IRod's skills - so maybe we came out way ahead not signing him - sounds like a bigger cancer than dare I say Clayton - I remember Robin Ventura as a rookie going 0-57 or something like that - thank God that was in the days before mesage boards - woulld we have patience with a rookie now as we are lucky the Sox did with Robin? Patience is sometimes a good thing and pays huge dividends with young players That's a damn good point about Ventura. However, even then, you could see that Robin was a hitter.

count me in too...thomas and griffey win the AL and NL comeback player awards respectively I wouldn't bet against you on that one... well, actually I would, but I think you very well could be right.

No, it doesn't "confuse" major league hitters. But still, if they see 3 righthanded fireballers in row, they won't have to adjust to anything. You just want to give them different looks to keep them from getting TOO comfortable.