UC76

Bobby Jenks is the man. At least he'll be fresh for the playoffs.

I'm all in, baby!

Alright, alright, alright.

First Sox player to smash a line drive off of Randy Johnson's left hand wins.

QUOTE(JimH @ Aug 20, 2005 -> 10:29 AM) Some of your comments are about as way off as they can get. 1. "The fact is that most people just don't like Hawk" - please show us evidence, wait never mind, you can't. 2. Re: ticket sales, "... he doesn't help" - Really? The White Sox marketing surveys say he's extremely popular with season ticket holders. The last I checked, the season ticket holders buy tons of tickets. 3. Using your Cub fan mom as an example of why it's a bad broadcast - Umm, ok. This is so whacked out it's not even worth commenting on. 4. Your comment in a prior post that Harrelson got Paciorek fired because he was jealous of TP's popularity: Completely Wrong. You couldn't be more wrong. Are you just pulling this stuff out of thin air? 5. His 1/2 inning breaks: Do you know why he does that? No, you don't. Have you seen his contract? No, you haven't. Here is why he does it: he's giving Darrin Jackson a chance to grow and develop as a play-by-play guy. It is a move designed and supported by Harrelson, Jackson, Bob Grim, and those in charge of White Sox broadcasting. 6. What does Harrelson's tenure as GM have to do with his broadcasting skills? Answer = nothing. 7. All your Cub fan buddies hate Harrelson, so therefore in your mind, "almost everyone" hates Harrelson. Gee, what a shocker that Cub fans hate Harrelson. My guess is you've been a Sox fan your entire life, all 19 or 20 years of it, right? You have no clue what you're talking about on this topic, sorry. 1. Ask around. People who aren't diehard Sox fans. When do you hear Hawk's name mentioned as some great, likeable TV guy? It isn't. By anyone - except Sox fans. SOME Sox fans. 2. OK, you're using ticket sales numbers of a franchise notorious for low ticket sales. 3. I used my mom as an example of someone with absolutely no prior or prejudiced opinion. What's wrong with that? That actually makes perfect sense. Maybe you think it would be better if I asked someone who already hated Hawk or liked him. Yeah, that would make sense. 4. Paciorek? I've heard it. I bet plenty of others on here have heard it as well. I'm not making anything up. And I SAID that I HEARD it. I didn't say it was fact. 5. He's grooming DJ? Hahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!! Good one. Whatever. Get in the $%$#@ booth and do your job and stop stuffing your face with free food. Grooming DJ? I'm laughing here. 6. I never said Hawk's GM skills = broadcasting skills. I mentioned it as a completely unrelated topic within the same post. It's called a tangent. 7. I never mentioned my "Cubs fan buddies." Try reading the post. I mentioned baseball fans who aren't Sox fans. I'd say their opinion is pretty objective. And they don't hate Hawk. They just say he's boring and dull and repeats the same hamburgers over and over.

Like I said, I'm not blaming the Sox broadcast for anything. But I am saying it doesn't help. Look at Harry Caray. The Cubs barely sold tickets when he took over. By the time he left, the Cubs were the cash cow they are today. Why? Because people saw the Cubs broadcast, had fun, and started coming out. Caray was a breathing commercial for Cubs baseball. Caray was the face of the franchise and people fell in love with him and (conversely) the Cubs. Nobody tunes into Hawk and says, "Yeah, Sox games look like fun!" That's because he's usually b****ing about umpiring, talking about some backup catcher he played with in the minors 45 years ago, or just sitting there not saying anything because he's pouting. Or he's taking his 1/2 inning break, which is LAME Diehard Sox fans might put up with that (like myself). Baseball fans won't. Neither will casual sports fans. Again, a TV broadcast is like the face of a franchise. You see it everyday. It can be a huge selling point. And the fact is that most people just don't like Hawk. And that doesn't help in selling the Sox "brand." I'm not blaming Hawk for low ticket sales over the years. All I'm saying is he doesn't help.

QUOTE(Ozzie Montana @ Aug 20, 2005 -> 09:45 AM) Thats why ive tuned into rooney and farm last 2 weeks and will continue to do so. They dont keep on repeating the same things and actually have some contructive things to say instead of "where's that pitch" or "yay, a strike". Id recommend this transition to the radio for any who have grown tired of the announcers. Also, wasn't Hawk GM for only one year and manage to fire Tony LaRussa? Ugh. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I'm not a big LaRussa fan at all, but the guy has done nothing but win his entire career (just like he did with the Sox.) This was probably one of the stupidest decisions in Sox history. Don't you think? What would the Sox have been like in the late 80s and early 90s if LaRussa was still in town instead of in Oakland. It seems to me Hawk set the Sox franchise back several years by firing LaRussa. Next time Hawk starts rambling on about chemistry or about how the Sox don't needing Griffey, someone should mention the name of LaRussa to him.

That isn't happening.

QUOTE(bighurt2719 @ Aug 20, 2005 -> 08:08 AM) your statement is so stupid it requires no response. hawk's not going anywhere- it's not even worth arguing about. i love hawk, but if you dont, whatever. if you dont have anything noce or constructive to say, dont say anything. That wasn't a stupid comment. In fact, it's right on the money. I have several friends who are huge baseball fans, but not Sox fans and Hawk is not liked by pretty much anyone except diehard Sox fans. In fact, I'd say for the most part that Hawk is hated. If you ask anyone who isn't a Sox fan what they think of Hawk the answer will amost always be that he sucks. That comment about killing the fan base is right on. My mom isn't a huge baseball fan but she loves the Cubs and watches them a lot. When she happens to catch a Sox game she comments on how "dead" and "boring" it is. I can't argue there, especially when Hawk isn't saying anything (or isn't even there) or Hawk is answering his 156th e-mail of the night. The fact is, if a team's broadcast is boring then people aren't going to tune in. And if people don't tune in, you're not creating fans. Hell, just look at the Sox' "fan base" before this year. People are showing up now because the Sox are in first place, but where were they before? I'm not saying that's all Hawk's fault, but the fact that a lot of people can't stomach a Sox broadcast doesn't help. The fact is, a TV broadcast is like the face of a franchise. It's what you see everyday. Hawk is seen everyday. And people just don't like Hawk very much, except Sox fans (and not even all Sox fans.) As a lifelong, diehard Sox fan, I find Hawk bearable, but I'f be lying if I didn't say that I find his act old and dull and boring at times. And didn't Hawk get Wimpy fired because he was jealous of Wimpy's popularity? Come on now. That's very, very lame.

So this article is written by Trib employee and he's poking fun of Sox fans for disliking the Trib while writing the article in a Trib-owned newspaper? Ah, the irony. Whatever. Who cares.

Griffey is looking better and better.

I try not to get caught up in the Trib-hates-the-Sox stuff. However, this is crapola that Newsday and the Trib are the only two news outlets that ran with this. Maybe the honchos at the Trib are getting a little worried about the sellouts at the Cell while the Cubs disappear from contention. So why not toss in some negative Sox stories to deflect from their success. Pathetic. The article should never have been written. Morrissey blows. And Mariotti was on Around the Horn saying Ozzie should be suspended for two weeks. Mariotti is another tool. Does anyone even care what he thinks?

This is a list of every player in baseball history ever to be duped by the hidden ball trick. Our Ozzie is on the list three times.

I commented on Ozzie/Morrissey in my blog (if you care.) Morrissey is a douchebag. He went out of his way to write about a comment that would not have hurt anyone had it never been PRINTED IN A MAJOR NEWSPAPER!!!! Maybe he's a Cubs fan just trying to tear down the Sox. Nice journalism, Rick. This is like some garbage Mariotti might pull.

I'm pretty much taking the same approach I took with the Illini basketball team last season - I'm just going to enjoy the ride. I don't want to be overly optimistic about the Sox and I don't want to doubt them. I'm just going to watch and believe a little more with each game. It's a long season and a long playoffs. When the Illini were winning some people said they were overrated while others said they were going to win it all. Same goes for the Sox. I'm not going to take a view either way. I'm just going to enjoy it and let the chips fall where they may. Go Sox.

A Yankees fan I know mentioned today that he was only watching Hawk and DJ because the Yanks were playing. He said the Sox were cheap because they didn't take e-mails during road games. But Hawk has been taking e-mails this entire series, right? Or was I imagining it?

QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 9, 2005 -> 12:34 PM) Looks like a punch to me.. That's a punch, baby! That's ridiculous.

El Duque was awesome yesterday. You knew exactly what he was going to do to Sosa and he still made Sosa look foolish. Here's hoping El Duque keeps it up.

Nomar????????????? Ugh. I don't like this idea. Only if Mia Hamm promises to come to every game in a bikini.

The Sox were winning without Frank and they can keep winning now. I hope Frank gets well and has a full recovery, but this is far from a panic situation, unlike in years past.

This guy's article here is all about the wave of new stadiums in MLB, and at the very end he says really nice things about the Cell.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Jul 26, 2005 -> 04:13 PM) Dude, keep this nonsense to yourself, or put it in your blog where nobody will see it. What do you get, like two hits per month? BTW, get a life. :rolly Relax. I didn't say anything bad about Frank. The dude is arguably the greatest player in team history. No doubt. All I'm saying is that he's getting old, he's hurt, and he can barely run to first base these days. And he's not getting any younger.

Personally, I hope Frank doesn't come back this year. There is just something about the vibe he creates. With him back the Sox were slowly creeping into that dead mode that killed them in the second half the past few years. Now that he's gone again, the Sox seem to be getting the fire back the last couple of games. Besides, Frank can't hit for average and can barely make it first base. He's done. Finished. Kaput. I love Frank and all he has done but his time with the Sox has come and gone. It's over. I can't believe Kenny Williams was talking about a contract extension so Frank can finish his career here. That would be a BAD, BAD move.

I can make out most of it but, yeah, it can be difficult.

I think Shingo just needs his confidence back. I read a quote today that said he was "nervous" going into the 13th. He needs to get back to just pitching and not worrying about his struggles. I think he'll be solid the rest of the year.