whitesoxfan101

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Aug 18, 2006 -> 03:07 AM) Question: Why are we getting rid of Uribe? All the terrible at bats, the fact he's never on base, isn't always focused in the field, and his generally wildly inconsistent play may have something to do with it .

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 10:43 PM) Heckuva matchup down there in Birmingham -- Egbert vs Broadway. Egbert struck out nine but walked seven. Broadway wasn't bad, either, but he walked four (along with four hits), and he gave up a homer. Boone Logan also had a pretty good night, two-and-two-thirds innings while striking two. He did give up an unearned run. Sweeney's night at the plate will, again, put his OBP above .350 and his SLG% above .450. Hopefully he can finish the season strong with an OPS around .825. I have to figure out what bandwagon I'll be on when the offseason starts. I think I'm really wanting to see Sweeney playing LF full-time next year. But I'm conflicted, because I'd also like to see talks between Chicago and Boston rekindled (Coco Crisp for Freddy G). Getting Crisp for Freddy wouldn't be all bad, but to be honest I don't know how much better a LF Crisp would be for us than Sweeney would be next year, let alone long term.

I'd love to see us go after Frank Catalanotto. He's a FA after this season, and a career .300/.365 guy who is pretty patient at the dish, has a little pop (which would be aided in The Cell), is a lefty, could hit leadoff, and can play an average LF on defense. He's 32 and has some injury issues, but hey the last COF with injury issues that we took a risk on has worked out pretty well too. Plus, with Johnson, Rios, and Wells as their future OF, Toronto would let him go since he doesn't put up typical DH power and that's where they'd have to put him if they keep him long term. I doubt we'd do it though, he's not fast enough for Ozzie to hit leadoff. Thus bring me Julio Lugo or bring me death I guess.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 10:49 PM) I still think they are a threat in the playoffs, with or without Harden. Zito and Haren are both good starters, and Blanton and Loaiza can both be solid from time to time. If they can get to even the 6th in the playoffs with a lead, they have to feel pretty comfortable. The problem is the offense, but if it gets hot, they can win it, just like the Sox did last year. The talent is most definately there in my mind. Also, Rich Harden is becoming a joke. I don't even consider him when I think about Oakland...he's just completely fallen off the radar. He is the next Wood or Prior. Everyone talks about how good he'll be if he's healthy, but the problem of course is that he's not healthy at all. Agreed totally about Harden and them being able to win if they can get a lead to the 6th or 7th with their pen. But that team simply doesn't have NEARLY the potential our offense did. They don't have nearly as much power and don't even get on base as much as we did, and that staff couldn't hold the 2005 version of ours jock strap. Haren and Zito have been very good, but Loaiza and Blanton have both been average to slightly below average. And a rotation with only 2 true studs combined with a mediocre offense with minimal combustable abilities won't cut in this AL come October, even with that pen.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 11:48 PM) Here's to hoping the Yankees take 5 Ick, both those effin teams are evil. However I agree, let the Yanks take 5 for standings purposes. But damn I feel dirty even saying that.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 09:07 PM) I was responding to Dick's post about wishing some of our starters being like Rogers in the second half. Contreras got hit hard in the third inning yesterday. If Zumaya was in our pen, he would not have come in. Because it was the sixth, Rogers was bailed out by his pen and smart manager. Ahhh ok, fair enough. It was Rogers first win since the break tonight, and if his pen hadn't saved him, his start against us last Saturday would still be his only good one since the ASG.

Garza was a bit better today, but he still isn't ready. Garza in 2007 is going to be a problem though.

Well that was a good cut by Laird. Tigers win again of course, 6.5 game lead. Could be 5.5 or 4.5, but the Royals sure are scrappy!!

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 09:03 PM) Second Half WHIP's (through tonight) Contreras: 1.23 Buehrle: 1.50 Garland: 1.37 Garcia: 1.33 Vazquez: 1.37 Rogers: 1.50 What about ERA?? Because it's more important how many runs you give up than it is baserunners you allow, last I checked. Rogers is usually a 2nd half bum though, and he didn't last very long tonight.

Why do people consider Wells and Beckett tough pitchers. Beckett has an ERA just over 5 and Wells is injured/washed up. They are talking the Tigers up like greatness because they beat those 2, but right now they suck.

QUOTE(chitownsportsfan @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 08:49 PM) Yep, the order of importance should be 1.) OBP and then speed a distant second. Ideally the best leadoff hitters combine both, but I can't name many other than Ichiro perhaps. Sizemore. Ichiro isn't even a great walk guy, but his OBP is inflated due to the always high average. Sizemore is incredible, plays a great CF on defense, .300/.382 with a .912 OPS and has 18 steals along with being a lefty hitter. Sizemore is the best leadoff man in the game IMO.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 08:35 PM) Michael Young is a damn professional hitter. Yeah he made an out but he is just so damn solid up there. Hopefully the Rangers can knock around the rest of the Tigers pen. Zumaya was fortunate there were 2 strikes and Young had a shortened up swing, or that pitch might have ended up in the RF bleachers. Rodney in the 8th, Jones in the 9th.....hopefully Texas keeps it at 4 and figures out a way to get a couple runs.

QUOTE(chitownsportsfan @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 07:18 PM) Personally I'd like to see the Sox get creative and throw tradition out the window. Sure, stealing bases is nice and all, but I"ll take the 40-50 times more per year a good OBP leadoff hitter will get on base over what Pods is giving us. Sox really don't have a lot of guys that can take a walk outside of Thome though. Obviously it will have to come from either a trade or signing this offseason. Agreed, the leadoff guy doesn't have to be some guy that steals 50 bases. Just give me a professional hitter who gets on base a lot for the big boppers, speed be damned (although if he can run, I won't argue with it).

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 08:30 PM) His numbers would indicate he is miscast as a leadoff man. I think he has less than 10 steals. The Tigers still win. You could have Ron Kittle leading off, if you have the best pitching in the league, you will win a lot of games. I really am looking forward to a Pods-less White Sox team. People put way too much stock in his steals. His OBP is really misleading when you consider how many times he gets himself out on the bases. Its also a good thing he scored on Konerko's double today. He actually pulled up at second on the play, and had to take off again. I don't find Pods to be a very cerebral player. I agree with you, Granderson is probably an average leadoff hitter overall, but watching him he seems more like a 6 hitter or so. People tend to overrate speed in the leadoff spot too, I'd rather have a guy with a .400 on base and below average speed than some guy with a .350 OBP that steals bases leading off.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 08:27 PM) So does everyone on that team. Worst BB:K ratio in the league. Well I think that's as much a fact that they don't walk as it is that they do strikeout. They have no patience at the plate, which is why our pitching does well against them. They'll chase any crap you throw up there.

Granderson at .273/.352 has an adequate average/on base split and a .352 OBP along with his pretty good speed and lefty bat isn't bad as a leadoff man, but damn he strikes out a lot.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 08:18 PM) I didn't realize you were allowed to bring in your best bullpen pitcher in the 6th inning. I'll send the memo to Ozzie next time Vazquez loads the bases in the 6th. Well in that case, we'd be using Jenks in the 6th, and I wouldn't exactly want that to be happening. The Tigers are rare in the sense that their best bullpen pitcher isn't their closer, so they have the luxury to do whatever the hell they want with Zumaya.

Laird's mistake was on 2-0. His best chance was to turn and burn and hope he got a center cut fastball. He got a center cut fastball, took it for some reason, and was toast. Zumaya in the 6th is probably the smart choice since it quelled a huge rally, but now your only through 6 and have used about 20 pitches out of his arm.

Zumaya has pretty good stuff

Rogers already done after 5+, here comes Zumaya with the bases loaded and 0 out, with Mark DeRosa, who (along with Gary Matthews Jr.) after several years of being awful has learned how to hit a baseball, due up. DeRosa walks on 5 pitches, it's a 4-2 game, still loaded with 0 outs.

Happy Birthday Nuke!! Get really drunk and have some fun or something.

The club attendance record is 2,934,154.....set in 1991 (first new at new joint). To break that, we must average 35,426 a game the rest of the way......I think that one is going to fall. EDIT: We averaged 36,224 per game that year, and this year our average is 36,436 as of now. So unless the average somehow goes down the rest of the way, we'll set the new club attendance record.

We must average 39,299 to reach and just bump over 3 million btw. 17 home games left, highly unlikely we can average that.

"The Yankees and Red Sox are like the mafia. When you need money, you got to them, even though it's not really right" -J.P. Riccardi

QUOTE(Reddy @ Aug 17, 2006 -> 04:05 PM) well at least now you're giving credit to bobby instead of sweeney I don't blame Bobby at all for the 9th. He was brought in in the 8th, and he DOES NOT PITCH WELL in that senario. I give him credit for at least making the big pitch and not blowing the game, however he can't be brought in like that. I figured we'd have learned that lesson after the Texas game last month when we brought him in in the middle of the 8th (although that game was tied, but same concept).