clujer420

Yeah...his 9 for 41 performance thus far is making it really tough for me too.

If this happens, it will be very unfortunate. Frank is one of the best offensive players of all-time (yes, all-time), and I would love nothing more than for him to retire wearing a White Sox uniform.

A joke? You're right...it's too far-fetched for Carlos to hit .300. What was I thinking? He hit .283 after the All-Star break last season. He set a career high in HR with 26, a career high in walks with 75, a career high OBP (.359), tied his career high for SLG% (.484), hit into the fewest DP's of his career (5 - down from 15 in '01 and 17 in '00), and committed just 1 error. Yeah, let's get rid of this bum.

I've read a few people saying that they're very worried about the health of Dan Wright because "the Sox are being awfully quiet" about the status of his elbow inflammation. I say -- what do you want the Sox to do, talk about it constantly? They said that he needs rest and that there's no damage (as shown by an MRI). What more do you want from them? When his rest time is up, he'll try to go out and pitch, and if all goes well, he'll be fine. But in the meantime, the Sox don't really have much to say because there isn't much to BE said. End of story. Yes, there's a reason to be worried...but it has nothing to do with what the Sox are or aren't saying.

A decent pitching prospect and a backup catcher for Carlos? I do it if Carlos is struggling (and if that's the case, the prospect and catcher will probably not be very good), I would consider trading him, yes. But, if Carlos is playing well, why trade him? Is this team suddenly in need of dumping payroll?

Cut down this damn quote.... Anyways....Paulie makes $7 mill or so this year....and is guaranteed about $16 mill more after this year. He plays 1B(which is a very power friendly position), doesn't have much range, and is slower than molasses. He turns the 3-6-3 like no other, and will probably hit real well eventually. However...in the new CBA....that is too much money for teams to take on. He becomes less attractive just because of how much $$$ he makes. Lee makes about $3 mill less and isn't guaranteed the contract...so if the team wants, they can get rid of him at the end of the year. And then you consider that he is a 1Bman(and it is easy to find a power hitting 1B....hell, the Red Sox have like 2 or 3 of them)...and he is instantly unattractive. We could get much more for Lee than we could for Konerko...which is why I deal Konerko. And trust me...I wouldn't be sorry if he went on to be great....that would not only be good for the relationship between the Sox and the team we traded him to, but it would also get rid of the worst baserunner in the majors and a terrible defensive LF who is a better fit for DH. I won't miss his bat at all....Joey B's is fine with me and Daubach's and Rowand's are pretty good as well....good enough anyways. Problem is, if we trade Lee, we're cutting down our experience in the OF. I know Lee sucks as a defensive player, but at least he has experience and is improving. If Borchard comes up, our OF will be Borchard, Rowand, Maggs. That's a pretty unexperinced left and center. Borchard should replace Rowand if Aaron is unable to play. Good defensive 1B are alot easier to come by than a good LF. And how can we get someone better for Lee instead of Konerko? Konerko was an all-star last year, and capable of hitting 30+ homers, while Lee is not that valuable. Trust me, GMs are much more interested in Paulie. If we trade Paulie, we can easily replace him with Daubach and get a very nice starter for him. But the best decision right now imo is stick with what we got. Borchard stays in AAA until Rowand loses his job. Why is everyone so rough on Carlos and his defense in LF? Granted, he's made some pretty bad plays, but I've also seen him make some very good plays (like the diving catch he made against the Cubs a couple weeks ago on WGN). He is definitely improving, and he throws out a lot of guys trying to go to 2nd. Plus, I might be wrong, but isn't his natural position 3rd base? I seem to remember that the Sox converted him to LF. If that's the case, cut the guy some f***ing slack. And yes...stick with Lee, Rowand, Magglio until further notice. When Borchard is ready, bring him up and maybe move Rowand to our 4th OF slot and go with Lee/Borchard/Magglio. What would be wrong with that?

I don't think either Visquel or Mesa will still be around in '05. They're too old. Someone is gonna have to change teams for this matchup to happen. Selig should force that to happen "in the interests of the game". You mean like making the victor of the All-Star game getting homefield advantage in the World Series? I agree whole heartedly! Do this now! It would be so nice to see a Sox player be MVP in the AS game knowing that he just gave the Sox home field advantage in the WS (if they get there, obviously), and doing it all in front of the home crowd in Chicago.

I agree with most of that. The one thing we do need is Jon Garland to step up. Having a great 1-2 is very nice, but unless it's RJ/CS, they can't carry us for the whole year (and even they had a hard time doing it). We need a solid 1-2-3 combo, and if Jon can pitch like he did the last 10 or so starts, this Sox team will put fear into many teams' eyes. And Thomas needs to return to at least .300, 30, 110, with 100+ walks IMO (not quite mid-90's form, but close) in order for this team to make some noise in October.

Happy to help. opposing pitchers

Cut down this damn quote.... Anyways....Paulie makes $7 mill or so this year....and is guaranteed about $16 mill more after this year. He plays 1B(which is a very power friendly position), doesn't have much range, and is slower than molasses. He turns the 3-6-3 like no other, and will probably hit real well eventually. However...in the new CBA....that is too much money for teams to take on. He becomes less attractive just because of how much $$$ he makes. Lee makes about $3 mill less and isn't guaranteed the contract...so if the team wants, they can get rid of him at the end of the year. And then you consider that he is a 1Bman(and it is easy to find a power hitting 1B....hell, the Red Sox have like 2 or 3 of them)...and he is instantly unattractive. We could get much more for Lee than we could for Konerko...which is why I deal Konerko. And trust me...I wouldn't be sorry if he went on to be great....that would not only be good for the relationship between the Sox and the team we traded him to, but it would also get rid of the worst baserunner in the majors and a terrible defensive LF who is a better fit for DH. I won't miss his bat at all....Joey B's is fine with me and Daubach's and Rowand's are pretty good as well....good enough anyways. Well, first off, you made a typo... You: "We could get much more for Lee than we could for Konerko...which is why I deal Konerko." I think you meant to say "which is why I deal Lee." Regardless, WHY IS EVERYONE SO QUICK TO SAY WE NEED TO MAKE A TRADE? If ANYTHING, we could use another pitcher. But, everyone saying we need to trade isn't proposing we get more pitching. It seems like everyone just wants to primarily dump payroll. Why?! Guys...if - yes, if - Carlos Lee can finally realize his potential (or hell, even do what he did the year he hit .300), this Sox offense is going to be UNBELIEVABLE. We'll have the best 3-6 I've ever seen outside of a video game. We'd have Thomas, Magglio, Konerko, and Lee. That's 2 guys with .300 30 near 100 and 2 guys with .320 40 near 120/130. Is that a bad thing? I don't understand. If the idea is to make room for Borchard (a guy hitting just over .200 in ST, mind you - great potential, yes, but that doesn't mean we need to rush him), there STILL isn't a need to make a trade. Isn't Borchard capable of playing in CF? Replace Rowand with Joe -- I'd rather have Lee in the lineup than Rowand. Maybe someone can explain what I'm missing - but I don't see the need to trade Carlos Lee, unless some team offers us a good starting pitcher.

True. But I'd rather be optimistic than pessimistic.

I think the team chemistry is going to be much better than it was in '01 and '02. I think all of our cancers are gone, and I read that the guys are actually hanging out off the field. Plus, the steroid test incident showed that this team is much more of a cohesive unit than it was in year's past. Frank seems to be hitting the ball well so far this Spring (I think he's over .300 now after getting a few more AB's under his belt). We've got a legitimate and proven #2, which we didn't have in 2001 and 2002 (unless you count Wells, who was injured for most of 2001). Our bullpen situation was addressed and IMO, resolved. We've got possibly the best 1-2-3 punch in Marte, Gordon, and Koch. They're going to close out a lot of close games -- games that we lost last year. On paper, we've got a lot to be excited about as Sox fans. True, things can go wrong, but they can go wrong for every team.

I'd say Josh Stewart, but I'd flip-flop him and Loaiza (to avoid back-to-back lefties with Buehrle/Stewart). However, we better hope Danny is ready to go soon because Loaiza/Stewart is a much bigger question mark IMO than Loaiza/Wright is.

You are basing that comment on what? Our offense that will probably lead the world in runs? Our rotation that has one of the best 1-2 punches in the game? Or our bullpen that very well could be lights out? Which exactly is it?

Hmmm. So quick to say we're trading C-Lee at the trading deadline, yet the season hasn't started yet. Do we trade him if he's hitting .300 with 17 HR and 60 RBI at the deadline? I'd have to say no -- unless we were offered a decent starter, and not some prospect (what would be use in that?). I thought of another reason why Borchard should NOT start the season with the Sox. The first couple of months are going to be cold in Chicago, right? Thus, HR's are going to be harder to come by than they will be in the summer months. We should go with Rowand - a better OBP guy - and then if Borchard is doing good in AAA, consider bringing him up when the weather gets hot and the ball starts to carry. Until then, it's Aaron's job to lose. I'd rather see an OF of a productive Lee in left, a confident Borchard in center, and an MVP-contender Ordonez in right. That, IMO, beats your proposed OF of either Borchard/Daubach in left, Rowand in center, and Magglio in right. But, time will tell.

We really don't need another guy who can play 1b. We've already got Thomas and Konerko, which would be enough, but we've also got Brian Daubach who we'll want to work into the lineup as much as possible since he's a left-handed power threat. I think that we should go with Olivo and Sandy. Olivo won't ride the pine most of the time, because Sandy can't normally catch consecutive games. Olivo will get plenty of playing time (probably 80-100 games) for a rookie. Plus, at least he's good defensively. The past couple of years, we've gone with Mark Johnson (pretty bad all-around) and Josh Paul (pretty bad all-around), so Miguel should be an improvement.

Uh, barely cracking .200 in Spring Training is NOT acceptable. I don't care if every one of his hits are HR's -- it's not acceptable. We need him to hit at least .260 to be on this team. That's about what Aaron will hit, but Borchard's .260 would be better because he'll hit for more power (and he'll bring a left-handed power threat to the mix since he's a switch hitter). So, as long as he's hitting .200, his OBP better damned well be .400 (and it's not even close) -- otherwise, he'll be sitting in AAA where he belongs.

I agree with your first idea, but disagree with your 2nd. I say start Borchard down in AAA to begin the year (he's not hitting nearly high enough to make the team out of ST - at least as of now, because he's barely breaking the Mendoza line), and go with Aaron Rowand in CF, assuming he's able to. Then, after about 2 or 3 months re-evaluate things. If Borchard is hot in AAA and Rowand is struggling, make the switch, but Borchard must play everyday when he comes up. He'll never learn how to hit in the big leagues if he's only playing every 2 or 3 days. He needs to get his AB's in. If Borchard's not going to be our everyday CF once he gets called up, I don't think they should call him up. Playing everyday in AAA would be more beneficial to his career IMO.

.220 is unacceptable for a team with World Series aspirations. He'll have to hit higher than that. We don't need Borchard to hit HR -- we've got Thomas, Mags, Konerko, and Lee for that -- we need him to drive in runs and get on base.

Here are the important stats for today's game Pitching Loaiza 5 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 bb Munoz 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER Glover 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 HBP, 0 R Porzio 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER Gordon 1 IP, 1 hit, 3 K Hitting Jimenez 1-4, single, ROE Valentin 1-3, single Thomas 1-1, single, RBI, bb, HBP Ordonez 1-4, single, RBI Konerko 1-3, single Crede 1-3, single Borchard 1-1, HR, 3 RBI Lee 2-3, 2 singles, RBI, ROE Olivo 1-2, single, bb Nunez 1-1, RBI Daubach 0-2 Harris 0-2, ROE Hummell 0-1 Burke 1-1, double Valenzuela 0-1 Players of the game are Loaiza, Borchard, Thomas, Lee, and Gordon. Very nice game, albeit against a crappy team.

Top of the 9th Mike Porzio (1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER) out, and Tom Gordon in to face his old team Miles in for an injured (?) Willie Harris () - Liner to left-center falls for a lead-off basehit - Strike out on a curve for the 1st out of the inning. 1 down, 1 on They say Gordon looks twice as good as he did last season. That's a good sign, no doubt - Hook swung on and missed for strike 3 and the 2nd out They say one of the keys to 2003 will be getting to Koch (guys like Gordon, Wunsch, Marte, etc). I agree. - Swung on and missed for strike 3. Gordon strikes out the side after a lead-off single. SOX WIN, SOX WIN (ok fine, they beat the Cubs' split-squad, but it's still a win ) 10-3 Good guys...stats forth-coming

Bottom 8 - Rowand (1-3; single) strikes out - Jamie Burke (1st AB) hits a 1-out double to left - Jorge Nunez (1st AB) grounds one to left. Burke scores to make it 7-3 - Harris (0-1) flies one to left-center, Hubbard f***s up and drops it , and runners are now at 1st and 2nd "I swear, I'm watching the bad news bears" -- one of the announcers, - Rios (0-1) hits jammer to 3rd, it falls, 3rd baseman makes the play and throw to get Rios. 2 out, runners at 2nd and 3rd - Borchard (1st AB) BOMBSSSS one out of here on a 3-2 pitch and the Sox lead it 10-3. Atta boy Joe Joe They think that, barring a trade, Borchard would be the opening day starter if Rowand is unavailable for some reason. They mentioned that Griffey Jr is available, but I personally don't see that happening, nor do I want it to. I'd rather have the Sox spend $15M on pitching. - Daubach (0-1) hits one deep to CF, but it's caught for the 3rd out. 4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error End 8, Sox in control 10-3

Heh...Hawk's sayin that he goes into hybernation in the off-season, and normally doesn't wake up until February, but he's excited about the Sox chances this season so he woke up early. Kinda like when you're a kid. On a normal day, you wake up at like 8. But on Christmas morning, you wake up at 5:30. Same principle.

Top 8 Mike Porzio on for Gary Glover (1 IP, 1 hit, 1 HBP, 0 ER for Glover) - Trinidad Hubbard hits one down the RF line for a lead-off double They're saying that Porzio is on the bubble more than any other Sox player. - Bobby Hill drives one into the gap..run scores..6-3 Sox..Hill hesitates and is still at 1st - Someone strikes out. 1 down - Fielder's choice hit by Choi. 2 down, Choi on 1st - Strike out to end the inning. 1 run, 2 hits, 1 left on Through 7 1/2, Sox lead it 6-3

Bottom 7 - Daubach (1st AB) stares at strike 3 on the outside corner. 1 away They think Brian will hit about 10 HR because his AB's will be limited. That can change, of course, if there are injuries. - Valenzuela (1st AB) grounds out to SS after a long at-bat. 2 down - Hummell (1st AB) flies out to right. Inning over Through 7, Sox still up 6-2.