Balta1701

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 02:13 PM) [insertJimMorahere] Best non-Colbert-related laugh I've had in a week.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 02:07 PM) They also have him working much quicker, which really keeps the batters off balance. He had Maggs especially look as bad as anyone ever does. I doubt there's any team in the big leagues which uses "Work quickly on the mound" as a mantra as much as the Sox. And strangely...it keeps working.

QUOTE(joesaiditstrue @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 01:55 PM) you can look at numerous players who've used PED's, and none of them have accomplished what barry has, that's a testament to his skill, not the drug's he supposedly used There's another issue here. There is no double-blind study out there of what every system of PED's and every variety and type of them does with a specific person. For example, there are some drugs like Winstrol (What Raffy was on) that can help you increase your strength, but don't necessarily make your whole body explode like THG did. Different bodies will respond in different ways to being loaded full of these drugs. Some bodies will add an enormous amount of mass, others may add less. Some may stay healthy, others may develop a wierd non-malignant cancer and collapse upon the stress. Bonds's skill probably plays some role. But another key role was played by how his body reacted to the regimen of PED's that he was on. Not every person reacts to a drug in the same way, especially when it's a gigantic, untested program of experimental, non FDA approved steroids designed to beat drug testing.

Has anyone other than me noticed that Bonds's numbers, aside from the month of April and the fact that NL teams still don't want to pitch to him, are rather pedestrian this season? The OBP is still through the roof because people won't throw him strikes, but, well look: April: .356 .536 .814 1.350 May: 194 .449 .388 .837 June: .364 .558 .621 1.179 July: 186 .429 .424 .853 August: .111 .333 .111 .444 He had a great April and a very good June, but if you just ignore the OBP, he's looking at 3 terrible months so far this season.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 01:20 PM) Pitched inside, used his change a bit more often and showed the poise to pitch over some bad calls/defense. I think all of those things show just how much more confident he was today. He needs to string several good starts together in a row now, but he was terrific today. Like I said in the game thread, hopefully this will be the confident boost needed to go along with the talent that he does have. In AAA this year, he got over a little blister issue in May, and then had a good start like this and then just took off.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 01:20 PM) And this is why I rode the Gavin train all along. Ditto here. Boo yeah Gavin. I'm not gonna start bragging yet, since he's got to keep that up for a while...but damn it seems nice to have a little hope. These guys who are picking it up in the big leagues are solving so many of our potential problems for next year...

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 01:16 PM) If we just flat out release Jose aren't we responsbile for his salary (or at least part of it) even if he gets picked up by another team? No reason to let him go now unless we get something in return. I agree that the 6 man rotation is at least something to consider for the rest of the season. The White Sox would have to pay the entire $22+ million remaining on Jose's contract in order to actually release him.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 11:55 AM) That's funny because Kos is a Cubs fan. See everyone, it's just about this simple in the Dem Primaries. Hillarity: Cubs Fan. Obama: White Sox fan.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 12:58 PM) I can't stand Bonds but I'd learn to love him. Getting Barry and unloading Thome could make the team so much better. I wouldn't watch or care about a game any season with that man on the team. I might even depart from this board if we signed him. They could win the World Series with him, and I wouldn't care one bit. I'd cheer for every single opponent of the Sox that year. Including the Cubs.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 11:46 AM) He is hitting like .350 since the break. AJ's been that way all 3 years he's been here now...hot and cold. On fire when he stops trying to pull everything over the RF fence and just hits the ball into LF, and ice cold with the occasional HR when he tries to kill the ball.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 12:41 PM) Balta...lets hope Kenny finds a creative way to unload Jose. I honestly wouldn't even care if it was to get an overpaid, yet still decent outfielder (since we have an extreme need there). Say a Jose Contreras for Shawn Green type deal (with the Mets kicking in a bit of cash). Green is ridiculously overpaid but stick him in left and he at least isn't horrible production to go with a resigned Jermaine Dye and a young player in CF. I still would hope we could just unload all of Jose's contract though (and Green is just a name I'm throwing out, but just a player that is a bit overpaid yet could still be productive to a team that could use a pitcher and would take the chance on Jose). IMO, I think it's going to be flat out impossible to unload Jose unless the Sox pay at least 1/2 of his remaining contract, which is $10 mil, give or take. Given his performance over the past year, if I was another GM, no matter what contract I was looking to unload, I just wouldn't want him. Oh, and on just Green...according to press reports earlier this season, the Mets are going to exercise the buyout option in his contract for $2 million, making him a FA this offseason, so the Mets have already dumped him.

Too early for me to start saying "I told you so" in the Floyd bashing threads yet...but there's 1.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 12:27 PM) That happened a while ago. Just showed up on Gameday for me what the injury was

Jose will be back in the rotation next year at the worst. His contract is such that we really have no choice but to give him another shot. Gavin has just pitched himself into another few starts hopefully, and the good news is, if Gavin keeps this up, it makes it vastly easier for the White Sox to trade someone this offseason that there may actually be demand for, i.e. Garland or Vazquez...and use that guy to acquire players to fill our biggest holes for next year (SS by far, followed at a distance by OF).

Casey has come out of the game with an injured elbow, replaced by Monroe.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 12:22 PM) A healthy Pods is more valuable than Mack and could get an A ball player. I think a healthy Erstad probably could as well because a healthy Erstad is as good of a bench player as Mack, imo (or at least similar). Although if I were a team I'd prefer Mack because he's more likely to be healthy and can play a few more positions in a bind. And if you could find a live T-Rex, it'd be worth even more than the fossil ones.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 4, 2007 -> 02:10 PM) Wow, this is two years in a row the Tigers have fallen apart in the second half. Is it that difficult to expect that a team like Detroit with a very young pitching staff might have these issues, with guys like Verlander, Zumaya, Miller, and so on having to adapt to throwing more and harder innings as the year goes by and getting hit a little harder as the temps warm up?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 4, 2007 -> 02:12 PM) Can you blame Santana for being pissed? This is a second half ballclub, whose time is running out, and they deal their starting second baseman and leadoff hitter for nothing. Hopefully they screw with Nathan and Hunter too, so that they all leave and go elsewhere. Did you seriously think there was a chance in Hell of any of those guys resigning? The Twins aren't stupid enough to think that anyone of them except maybe Johan is irreplaceable, and they know full well they can't afford to give Johan $25m, Hunter $15m, and Nathan $12 mil a year and still field a ballclub.

QUOTE(max power @ Aug 4, 2007 -> 12:09 PM) I agree, it doesn't make much sense. Unfortunately, by not listening to the team's doctors last offseason, Joe put the team into a situation where that has to be an option. The team has to monitor his rehab closely, and if there's any possibility of a setback of any sort, then you have to seriously consider dumping him, because the team has to decide by about 3 weeks into December whether or not they want to spend $5 million + on him starting in April. It's not an easy situation to be in, and if anything goes wrong, then that money may well be spent elsewhere. Hopefully Joe's rehab goes well through this winter and he can come back strong next year, thus sticking Josh in the OF until Joe leaves or is traded, but if there's a setback of any sort, I don't know how you could tender him a contract.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Aug 3, 2007 -> 06:37 PM) Do they judge it by the top 20% at CF or the top 20% of all OF? Plus, he didn't have that good of an 06 so that might help him being a type B... I ask all this because the White Sox are looking like a probable suitor for Rowand, and I don't want to see the loss of the draft pick. According to the Sporting News's listing of them last year, it may actually be 1b, OF, and DH all lumped together. But fear not, the Sox would only lose a 2nd round pick, because we're almost assured of being in the top 15.

QUOTE(AirScott @ Aug 3, 2007 -> 02:27 PM) Which raises the question, why would he be taking greenies when he's suspended, if his original suspension was to end tonight? Have to wonder if maybe he's gotten himself hooked on something.

QUOTE(AirScott @ Aug 3, 2007 -> 05:11 PM) It's for "stimulants," not performance-enhancing drugs. A stimulant can certainly be a Performance enhancing drug. It is not a steroid, but it can certainly improve your performance during an athletic activity.

And it keeps getting worse for the Clips. Man, what happened to that team from 2 years ago, aside from signing Tim Thomas? They looked so damn good.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Aug 3, 2007 -> 07:16 PM) If Dye does leave however, do we replace him in house with Ryan Sweeney, or go for another stopgap in a Geoff Jenkins type of hitter, if the Sox brass feel that Sweeney still isn't ready yet (which I don't think he is either, and I don't know if he'll ever be a regular major league outfielder actually)? I'd love to replace JD with Sweeney next year, but even "prospect happy Balta" has to admit that Sweeney's numbers right now do not tell me he's ready for the big time. If JD does leave, we need to have an OF other than Owens and Fields, and our only 2 in house options appear to be Anderson and Sweeney, and both are on the DL and not living up to their promise right now.

You know, if the White Sox had a decent offense behind him, Mark Buehrle would have a legit shot at his long-deserved Cy Young award this season.