Balta1701

So let's see, Lou Dobbs completely invents a stat about leprosy trying to make some sort of point about how immigrants are evil, and the NYT calls him on it. Lou Dobbs's response...They're Commie-Nazis!!!! (Video @ link). Truly Rainier Wolfcastle-worthy.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 10:04 AM) Why in the world would the Yankees do that trade? If anything, they need a stud 1b right now. Also, the Yankes and interest in Contreras can't be mentioned in the same sentence. Oh come on Fathom, the Yankees don't need a stud 1b, they need starting pitching, and everyone and their grandmother knows it.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 09:41 AM) You are telling me a year from now the Rays aren't a much better team with: Earvin Santana and Lance Broadway (plus other prospects, I don't really care who, whether an extra guy from the Angels or one to two players from the Sox as long as it isn't Fields/Sweeney/Gio) than Carl Crawford (considering the abundance of outfielders they already have). Well, obviously the Rays would be better. But that's never the question with them...the question is whether they think they should make the deal. They would have been better moving a bunch of their guys earlier...Huff, Baez, etc, and maybe even Baldelli last season before his injuries crept up again, but time and again they just hold onto their cards. The question is not what makes them better, the question is what meets their asking price.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 09:32 AM) The bold move Williams needed to do last offseason was trade either Dye or Konerko. Maybe PK has a no-trade clasue but If he could have shipped Konerko to the Yankees, Angels, or Orioles for younger players it would have gotten the Sox out from under a bad contract very gracefully. Trading Dye would have been selling very high, and watching his defensive drop off, it's clear that was really the move that should have been made. An MVP-like RF playing for that cheap would have brought something good in return. Of course, that's all easy to say in hindsight. Konerko has a partial no-trade clause, preventing him from being traded to something like 10 teams without his permission.

QUOTE(SoxFanForever @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 05:45 AM) I was thinking "Downtown" Randy Brown is due. Craig Hodges.

Yay! Anderson finally got another hit!

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 07:42 AM) I think Kemp is another name that will come up in conversations about the Dodgers. Dye and Crede could both end up there, as well as the Angels...I think the Giants might also be looking at Crede. It sounds to me like Matt Kemp is starting himself on the lower end of the Elijah Dukes trajectory. He's already been involved with at least 1 fight directly with the White Sox minor leagues. The more I hear about him, the more I think the Sox probably wouldn't want him, just based on history.

QUOTE(Tannerfan @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 08:31 AM) Anyone who says the season is over has no understanding of the history of baseball. Is this team good enough to come back? I don't know. Is it possible based on being 1 game under on June 1st? Definitely. I am shocked at how negative this board has become over the past several months. Stolen from Jayson Stark's article yesterday.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 09:06 AM) I would have absolutely no problem pulling a Jermaine Dye/Joe Crede for Arod and Melky Cabrrera deal. I don't know if the Yankees would pull that though as I think they would be more interested in starting pitching. If Jose didn't have a no trade clause I'd see if we could get the Yanks re-interested in Contreras. Alex Rodriguez will 95% certainly be on the open market at the end of this year. The only reason that any deal involving ARod would make sense is if we got another piece for ARod and in exchange the Yankees got someone who is a FA for us at the end of this season. I like your throw Cabrera in idea...we do however have at least 1 pitcher who might interest the Yanks, especially as an innings-eater, in #56.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ May 31, 2007 -> 09:58 PM) Regardless, there seem to be a lot of posters on the board who think he was performing pretty well. I was trying to point out that, given that, it would be bizarre for people to think a rookie putting up those numbers was bad. The only reason any Sox fans think Erstad was performing well is that they were comparing him to the rest of our lineup. That sub-700 OPS does not look good, unless you start comparing it to a bunch of guys struggling to hit .200.

Oh for crying out loud...HE'S A FREE AGENT AT THE END OF THE YEAR!!!!

QUOTE(southsideirish @ May 31, 2007 -> 08:08 PM) Where do you get this stuff? Where is this supposedly 6 million dollar option you are talking about. Show me proof of it please. There is no such thing. Yeah, you're right - Anderson is the answer. FoxSports Link QUOTE(Dick Allen @ May 31, 2007 -> 08:32 PM) Detroit loses Kenny Rogers, Zumaya, and Rodney and they still keep winning. Minnesota is struggling a bit but has a payroll many millions below the White Sox, they lose Liriano and Mauer and kick the Sox ass. The Sox get the back-up catcher hurt, Pablo Ozuna hurt and a $1 million guarantee player like Erstad injured who gets hurt every year, and Pods another perrenial injury is out and they look like they may just prove BP's 72-90 PECOTA projection correct. If the Sox fail this year, injuries shouldn't be an excuse. Um, you also missed the few weeks Thome missed, and according to the stats, at the time he went down, he was generating more runs/game than any other player in baseball, Bonds and ARod included.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 31, 2007 -> 06:02 PM) Is under .500 and 4th place in June still too early?

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ May 31, 2007 -> 07:56 PM) Thome doesn't do much good, due to the fact that we won't be competitive again until 2009 or 2010, so you have to try to get younger eventually. I guess they can keep Thome and Konerko and Jim can get his 500th HR in front of 22,000 fans. If I were Thome and went from joining a team that was heading back for another World Series and is now headed in the direction of 2-3 .500 seasons, wouldn't you want to join an organization that gave you the best chance to win it all, like the Angels or possibly the Yankees? I feel bad for Jim that he'll have to waste two years of his career with no chance at all to get to post-season play. Technically...I believe Mr. Thome's 2008 season is an option year at $14 million. We wouldn't get anything back in the way of draft picks if he walked, and for all I know there was some unwritten agreement related to picking that up if he was traded...but still, if we're really looking to rebuild and slash payroll...

It ain't totally over...but it's got one foot off the ledge, and there's a guy behind you with a bat.

QUOTE(diegotony06 @ May 31, 2007 -> 07:49 PM) Plus the market is better this year for statring pitchers. I guess I am just hoping we hang on to this guy. There may be more starting pitchers on the market this offseason which could dilute the price yes, but you're missing one other variable. This offseason, the Yankees will be looking to spend money on a starting pitcher. Or two. Or three. That pushes the numbers right back in the other direction.

QUOTE(Melissa1334 @ May 31, 2007 -> 06:38 PM) thats why i would like a guy like hunter on the team. sure, it wouldnt be worth it, the money and years, but hes a leader and plays hard. Didn't we say the same things about Erstad, Thome, and a few other guys? Seriously, if we're spending money, spend it for performance!!!

Seriously though...aside from the sub-.700 OPS, this is the other reason why Erstad, no matter how grindy, is not an everyday player at this stage in his career. He's an excellent backup, maybe even a platoon OF player, but there's no reason why he should be your everyday player. He should be sitting at least 1/3 days, and now this is the result.

QUOTE(spiderman @ May 31, 2007 -> 06:27 PM) Enjoy his last 20 starts with the White Sox because chances are he'll pitching for a new team next season. Hell, he could be gone in 2 months if the White Sox can't get this going. He'd bring a boat load of prospects, and Kenny is going to have to think about that if the White Sox are buried by the Indians. I really hope it's more like 5 starts. Because if you're rebuilding on the fly, the 2 picks you'd get for Mark just aren't as useful as the 2 players you could get for him @ deadline time.

QUOTE(ROC Sox Fan @ May 31, 2007 -> 07:32 PM) And here I thought things were about to turn around after the Cubs series. Our lucky breaks are dissapearing. We were a much younger, and therefore much healthier team back in 2005. Some of this isn't luck, some of it is playing the odds. We've added guys like Erstad and Thome, and the rest of our lineup is 2 years older. The injuries are bound to start piling up. Which is why, occasionally, you need to develop a position player or two.

Well, who didn't see this coming? Anyway, welcome to the big league club Jerry. Hit .300. Please. And for God's sake Ozzie don't put him in CF. Or Mack. Or hell, anyone on this 25 man roster except Terrero. Seriously, Gonzalez needs to go down and a CF needs to come up.

QUOTE(Allsox @ May 31, 2007 -> 07:24 PM) I hear ya. But, the Sox won the World Series with Shingo, Dustin and Bobby closing. And the Cardinals won with Izzy and Wainright closing. Granted, it'd be an ideal situation to have a Rivera or Hoffman but that doesn't usually happen and teams usually ride the hot arms of the starters in the playoffs anyway. On the other hand, the Red Sox couldn't win until they grabbed Foulke as their closer, and the Marlins traded for Urbina mid-season to close for them through their hot run in 03. So at some level it does go both ways. Honestly, with the bullpen we have...if we go into full rebuilding mode, and someone gives us a king's ransom for Bobby (and I mean a king's ransom), hell with it, why not.

QUOTE(diegotony06 @ May 31, 2007 -> 04:57 PM) Let's see if we can actually score a f***ing run this f***ing inning!!! No.

I bet you Thome goes deep here just to show that it could have been a 3 run shot.

Simply amazing.