Balta1701

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 01:46 PM) I was THINKING THE SAME THING. When did they start with this GBA thing? I can't remember when it started but I do remember thinking "Didn't we already sing the national anthem? Why the two-fer?" Mid to late September, 2001. Now no one wants to stop it and be the one who's unpatriotic on national TV.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 10:16 PM) I've always said: give the kid his chances. I look forward to seeing Gavin Floyd pitch at the Major League level, preferably not at a time when we're contending, which is now, because I know what the results will be. Still, I'd like to see them. I know I'm not the only one who believes that Floyd is a terrible pitcher. We've had this discussion repeatedly, but I'll still fire out that I think Gavin Floyd is going to be a good to very good pitcher someday. His fastball has reportedly regained some of the life it lost in the last year or two, making him about the only guy in our organization other than Buehrle who hasn't lost velocity this year. He's been getting that curve ball over lately also, which has accounted for why he's been so good at AAA. But it seems he does have at least one issue in that at the last couple stops he's come to, his learning curve at each stop has been fairly slow. So his numbers at AA weren't great his first season there, he struggled when the Phils called him up from AA, and he never got the chance to adapt to AAA until this season because he kept starting the season in Philly. He'll probably take his lumps when he comes up. But I'd rather he take his lumps in the big leagues for 2 months and then be over them after this season than have him need to do so next season at the beginning.

QUOTE(maggsmaggs @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 10:04 AM) I just can't see KW spending the $3-4 million per year for a top set-up man this off-season. I can't see a top set-up man signing for only $3-4 million this offseason. Justin Speier got 4 years, $18 mil last offseason, and the price of relief pitching is only going to go up from there.

QUOTE(Brian @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 01:21 PM) For some reason, I'm going to the afternoon game Tuesday and if I have to watch Floyd give up bombs, I'll be peeved. Even though I am first row behind the Sox bullpen. Maybe get a souvenier. Does Floyd have options? Floyd could not have started this season in the minor leagues for the Sox without passing through waivers if he had no options left. When a player has options remaining for a year, he can be sent up and down as many times as the team wants during that year without clearing waivers. I don't know if Gavin has any options left for next year though.

At least John seems to have gotten himself past that "100 pitches in 5 innings" issue he was having a month back.

GIDP by Willy Mo Pena ends that threat, Danks limits the damage to 2 runs.

2-1 Bosox, bases loaded single by Crisp.

QUOTE(whitesox1976 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 01:21 PM) It looks to me like Contreras days are about finished as a started. I would use him in short relief myself. I sort of doubt if we could get much in a trade for him with the record he has this year. We've been told repeatedly that Jose has a very long and involved routine warming up for games he pitches, which may not translate well to the bullpen. But then again, at some point, maybe you do have to give it a shot. Guy throwing up a 90 mph fastball and a big breaking forkball could be pretty good out of the pen.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:32 AM) Pinella and the Cubs can't do anything wrong right now. Other teams can't get a hit with RISP to save their life against their starters either these days. The Cubs are on their way to winning their 17th out of 18 against righty starters. And, as with all things in baseball...the numbers eventually start to even out.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 01:14 PM) can anyone give me a quick synopsis of whats happening? Im at work right now 1-0 Sox on an RBI double by Fields scoring Konerko.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 01:12 PM) I still refuse to believe Andy Gonzalez is actually a major leaguer. So does Andy Gonzalez.

QUOTE(AirScott @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 12:44 PM) I don't know why people write of Jerry Owens as a career fourth outfielder already. He's had all of 121 at bats at this level, and I see him developing into a Juan Pierre kind of player. Owens could be a valuable player in 2008, especially if he can be placed in left field. I'll tell you why quite simply. After hitting a nice looking .331 in AA 2 years ago, Owens was promoted to AAA last year, and hit a whopping .260, with a .328 OBP. He had improved on that this year, to the tune of .284/.361, but for a singles hitter who's only real weapon is speed, that .280/.360 or so is pretty close to the bottom level of performance we'd need from him. In other words, for him to be a starting OF, he needs to be better in the big leagues than he was in AAA for 1.5 seasons, or at the least, exactly the same. He can not really have his average go downwards, or his SO's go up, or his walks go down, or his SB %age go down, or he rapidly falls into the 4th OF category. That all said, he also does have room for improvements that could really, really help. He's not a very good bunter yet it appears, and that'd make a huge difference for a guy like him if he could grab a few bunt singles per year and get the defense even more out of whack. And his SB %age went from 65% back in 05 to 76-79% in the last 1.5 years in AAA, so he's showing improvement with his running. And his K/BB and BB/AB numbers in 06 in AAA were pretty close to where Podsednik has been for the Sox, and they've improved during the last couple years, so it does look like he actually is learning. He just needs to get the whole slap hitting thing down. If he can do that, he's a starter on our team for 6 years. If he can't, then he's a pinch runner/Willie Harris.

My Man Mitt!

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:32 AM) Pinella and the Cubs can't do anything wrong right now. Other teams can't get a hit with RISP to save their life against their starters either these days. The Cubs are on their way to winning their 17th out of 18 against righty starters. The one thing you can always remember in baseball is; you're never as good as you are when you're playing your best, and you're never as bad as you are when you're playing your worst. When I see a team on fire, I always think about those stretches Oakland had, like in 05, where for a month they look like they're totally unbeatable, then they wind up still missing the playoffs. Or that 12 game winning streak the D-Rays had a few years back. Or the Royals 1st half in 03.

A few notables. LA Times piece: Tribune: AP: If he gave the Knicks an extra win, he cost us Greg Oden.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:17 AM) I was thinking about that too Balta. There are complaints in every game thread about our pull-everything, swing for the fences mentality. Sweeney appears to be a hitter outside of that mold. But the 150-point difference between home and road OPS should raise some concern. Hopefully as he develops he can find a happy medium of the two approaches or as you said just fill out and become a stronger hitter. You know who hits against us like I want Ryan to hit? Bobby Crosby, back in 05 or so when he was healthy. The guy never hit a ton of home runs, but every time he came up to the plate he seemed to do something positive. Doubles all over the place, just nailing the lines, and always seemed to be one or two steps ahead of the pitcher. As good of a swing as Ryan supposedly has, that's exactly what I'd hope he can do. Except, minus the enormous amount of injuries of course.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:22 AM) Willie Harris hit .380 in Charlotte with 6 homers in 100 ABs at approximately the same age Richar is right now. He came up to the White Sox later that season and hit a robust .204 in 137 ABs. Getting a few hits in Charlotte doesn't necessarily make someone a can't miss prospect. And yet, the Atlanta Braves would not even be in the playoff hunt in the NL East right now without what Willie has given them.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:19 AM) IF we are going to support a $100 million payroll with guys like MB and PK on the roster, we are going to have to have some $500,000 a year starters on this team. I hate to ruin the parade here, but if Owens hits in the .270 range and steals a lot of bases in 2007, he will be a starter next year, and the Pods/Erstad era will be over. And, I might add, we will be a MUCH better team if Owens could hit .270+, given that, wow, we'd actually have someone who could steal bases. This team needs to get younger and cheaper in a lot of places. Not older and more expensive with guys like Byrnes, Rowand, Pods, and Erstad, no matter how Grindy they are.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:13 AM) Maybe he is being pitched away or just feels more comfortable hitting opposite field. Well, he'd be what, the only person in our lineup who isn't trying to pull everything then? That's a positive in itself, isn't it? I think the hope I have for Ryan is that as he fills in a little bit, he develops a little bit more power to all fields. TO the point where he's somewhere in the 20 home run area, but he becomes one of those guys who is just a really tough out who you never want to face. I.e. your ideal #3 type hitter.

So, this was requested in the other HP thread. Anyone who wants to actually discuss anything happening in the book, this is your thread. Everyone who doesn't want to know...stay out!

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 20, 2007 -> 11:13 PM) The cubs are not the old whitesox. They have no pitching outside of one pitcher. Think more of the 2004 whitesox. They wont make the playoffs. So dont get them in a bunch over this. Fixed that for you.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:07 AM) Because certain members of our organization think we still have a shot. At this point, which pitcher gives us the best chance to win a ballgame, Floyd or Contreras?

Seriously, what in the world is the harm of giving Gavin Floyd the next 2 months to see if he can't start adapting into a real big league pitcher?

QUOTE(briguy27 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 10:40 AM) I think even you can answer this question. Are they better then San Diego? No. Los Angeles? No. NYM? No. Philadelphia? No. Boston? No. Were the Cardinals better than the Mets, Dodgers, and Padres last year? That's not the question you have to ask. The question is, can you win 3/5 and 4/7? And you have to think that Zambrano can get 3 of those wins on his own, maybe even 4 if the schedule falls out right.