Greg Hibbard

I know we need to make up 6.5 games on 3 different teams, but with good SP and enough hitting, we'll be right there, 3-4-5 games out, at most, in August, with the way this AL looks. This has been my hunch all season. I'd rather be relying on Sale, Shark, Q and Robertson than a team sporting a lineup clogged with hitters needing to stay hot with suspect pitching.

sorry about the accidental quick post. Fixed OP now.

I dunno. I guess this is why I refuse to give up on this season. Both Tex and Min stunk out of the gate, then feasted on relatively good schedules. Now we see Min falling precipitously back to earth. I just can't believe Tex is all that good, personally - I think they're just hot right now. NYY 19-17 TB 19-18 BOS 15-22 TOR 20-17 BAL 18-19 KC 18-16 DET 16-20 MIN 21-14 (second best in AL) SOX 20-18 CLE 20-17 LAA 18-18 HOU 18-20 SEA 17-20 TEX 24-13 (best in AL) OAK 14-23 (worst in AL)

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 09:10 AM) Not too worried. Their run differential is a little out of whack from that 5 game disaster of a road trip where they were -29. The 1990 White Sox were +7. If the players start hitting and pitching like they are supposed to, this is a good team. I agree with this.

Even when they were 5 or 6 games under I never stopped believing. I still think this team wins 85-90 games

QUOTE (flavum @ May 24, 2015 -> 03:49 PM) Also, it's 11 games. They need to go 7-4 to make up for this homestand, period. No, really, they don't. It's early days still. At the very minimum, they need to stay within 2-3-4 games of .500 for the next few weeks and hope KC and Detroit come back to earth a bit. At 70 games if they are 34-36, would you still rule them out? My answer would be "it depends on what record KC and Detroit have at that time." If either of those teams runs away and hides with this thing, it doesn't matter if the white sox win 77 or 93 games. We aren't seeing postseason play. I think there's very good starting pitching talent and enough hitting to make a run. Defense is still my main concern.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 24, 2015 -> 03:14 PM) 2-8 or 3-7 road trip should about eliminate this bad team Agreed but I think they will go 4-6 or better.

QUOTE (Tannerfan @ May 24, 2015 -> 03:35 PM) You're dreaming. Ok.

I'm still not giving up yet. I would feel much much worse if we had put together great stats and had a 19-22 record to show for it because we kept losing 6 games by one run to win the 7th by 14. What's not sustainable are the stats our players are putting up. This team has already shown the ability to put one winning streak together, and another 8-9-10 game stretch of really good baseball isn't just possible, it's an eventuality. We have no hope of the division if KC stays this hot but I refuse to believe this particular group of players doesn't have an 85-90 win season in them.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 18, 2015 -> 02:10 PM) At least he is being consistent. I can respect him for that. The ones that drive me crazy are the ones who seem to think the bad start was Ventura's fault, but the turnaround was luck or something. I think Ventura did nothing to inspire the team during the rut (it may not have been his fault either), and I think he's doing nothing to pull the strings during their hot streak either. I just can't figure out why he's the manager of this team.

Not even Rongey gave Ventura credit for the turnaround. He said "the start wasn't Robin's fault" and "the turnaround wasn't Robin doing anything" during yesterday's postgame. So in that case, what is Ventura doing, from Rongey's perspective?

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ May 7, 2015 -> 02:46 PM) We have been horrible on offense all year except for a few innings and some major help from the opposing defense Agreed. What the f*** is Ventura managing a team that cannot afford an incompetent manager?

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2015 -> 02:39 PM) Bad managing, but this game was lost by the offense. Offenses struggle. That's baseball. That's why the best hitters in the game struggle to get hits even 1 out of 3 times. What the f*** is Ventura doing managing this team, though? That's what I can't figure out.

Ventura's managing is indefensible

This was a really well played game, IMO

On the train back from the game. Had a great time at the park - hadn't been in a while. Miscues were keystone cops but it was nice to see Shark settle in and come alive.

I really don't understand how anyone who has been watching the White Sox for a long time could think 22 games will decide this season. It's not just 2001, there are tons of other examples, both ways. One need look no further than 2006 or 2000 to see a really hot team cool way off in the second half. The next 30 are crucial. If we finish the first 50 games around .500 I could still see us winning 85-90 games.

Pretty sure I'll be the only guy in the park with a road #22 Josh Fields jersey (I won it in a bet) Must win tonight. Let's do this.

It's way too early to make rash decisions. The 2001 White Sox started 8-19 and finished 83-79. At one point in late September, they were 78-72. They weren't ever really in it - but they had high expectations coming off of the 2000 division title, started out worse than anyone could have possibly imagined, and completely turned it around. Had the fifth playoff spot been in play - the 2001 White Sox would have finished just 2 games out of that slot. Let's not talk about the White Sox - let's talk about the field. I see a West and East with every other team besides the frontrunner below .500 at this point. I see a Detroit that's gone 6-7 in their last 13. I see a Kansas city that's gone 5-6 in their last 11. I see a Cleveland and a Minnesota full of holes. Now, let's talk about the White Sox. I see a team playing just about as bad as they possibly can, in terms of fundamentals and errors. I see a team hitting .242 with an team ERA north of 4.5 - and still just a handful of games under .500 despite that. Folks, we are hitting the bad end of the variance right now, and after this Detroit series - even if we get swept....we have the next 16 games mostly at home ALL against very beatable teams to get fat on - Cincy here, at Milwaukee, at a bad Oakland, vs. Cle and Min at home.... Don't close the book on this season until after the May 8-May 24 stretch. I see us going 10-6 there and clawing back into this thing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 24, 2015 -> 01:18 PM) Gotta say on this one...the Royals right now remind me of the recent Detroit Lions. I hesitate to condemn our team for getting a little rough with a team that's embracing their "be a bully" side as a way to come together. I will say that guys like Shark, Sale have to be better. They can go up to the point where they get suspended, but if they get beyond that and do draw a suspension, they physically cost the team wins. Ditto for anyone else who gets tossed. Exactly my point. Shark, Sale, have to be better. This is about who is managing these elements.....team-wide. When s*** like this happens, we don't need loose cannons deciding how many future games we're potentially going to forfeit. Wish this team could just go out and consistently start beating people's brains in on the field two or three days in a row - but I guess at this point it's just too much to ask.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 24, 2015 -> 01:15 PM) Scumbag pitcher hits our best player, scumbag pitcher tells our leadoff hitter to f*** off for no reason and it's Robin's fault the whole team got involved. That's a total copout. If you want to get made about something from the 3rd base dugout you get mad Sale/Samardzija went ape or that their teammates didn't do better to hold them off. For no reason? Do you know what Eaton said?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 24, 2015 -> 01:13 PM) If Avi Garcia would have had a hit in either of the two plate appearances before his last AB when he did single, the Sox would have won the game, and your perception on how Robin handled last night most likely would have been different. So, in your opinion, a manager is a completely useless position we can overlook, just as long as the players perform in the clutch? Gotcha. So, why exactly do we have Robin Ventura as the Chicago White Sox manager, again?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 24, 2015 -> 01:03 PM) With all due respect, you have no idea what he said, or didn't say, to his team. You are assuming he said nothing, beacuse he said nothing publicly. You're right, I have no idea what was said. However, I've been watching the White Sox for over 35 years, and my opinion is that I can tell when a manager doesn't really seem to have a hand in direction, control or handling of his team.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 24, 2015 -> 12:59 PM) I'm all for Ventura being replaced...he should have never got the job in the first place. But to say he did or said something wrong last night? No, I don't think he did anything wrong, or said anything wrong publicly. Chances are he's pissed at some of his players right now, as well as the Royals. it's what he DIDN'T say that bothers me. I don't know. I'm really f***ing pissed today.

QUOTE (shakes @ Apr 24, 2015 -> 12:57 PM) Are you seriously asking this question the day after a brawl, and our top two pitchers trying to fight the entire opposing team? on the field, between the lines, during the games? I don't see much from our lineup, consistently. Yeah, I saw a couple of loose cannons go off in a fight last night. Hopefully it carries over to game play for a few games in a row.