Greg Hibbard

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 24, 2012 -> 12:54 PM) Well, you are just a better fan than me. I just think the White Sox have responded to this pennant race in horrible fashion. Horrible. I hesitate to evaluate this race on the heels of playing our toughest remaining series while the tigers played their easiest.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 24, 2012 -> 11:40 AM) Great post. Great. Hibbard, how can you say the gloom is "hilarious?" Some of us want the White Sox to step up and win a division not rely on Detroit to lose every one of its games while we do the same (though that would be nice). Southsider is right. There are a ton of reasons for this team to not make it, but if the team can somehow make the playoffs anything could happen. But the doom and gloom is totally justified. Sox have been pathetic of late. Because really, the gloom is hilarious. Some of you people are posting wild, disproportionately pessimistic bulls*** with no basis in reality. Yes, the Sox got swept over the weekend. As long as they came home still in first place I was fine with whatever this weekend's result was - and they did, without even having to share it. There's no reason to act as though the sky is falling. If Detroit had swept the Twins and we had won 2/3 in LAA, it would have been exactly the same result, and people would've been saying "Detroit GONNA GET HAWT" instead of "SOX SUCK AND EVERYTHING ELSE SUX TOO" I'll take my chances with 7 of the last 10 at home against these two teams. If they don't win the division in this position with 10 games left - yes they choked. Yes, it would be a tremendously disappointing end to an otherwise very exciting, awesome season. Yes, they will miss out on some much needed playoff revenue, national visibility and an attendance bump. However, what's amazing to me is that the first 145 games of this season bought this team exactly ZERO equity with its fanbase in terms of believing in it for ONE MORE WEEK - and you're the poster child for exactly what I mean by that.

Pretty much no matter what happens this week, both teams are playing inconsistently enough that the @Cle series will probably decide the Sox' fate. I still think there's a chance the Sox gain 1-2 games by this weekend.

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Sep 24, 2012 -> 10:26 AM) Just imagine the gloom amongst Sox fans had the Tigers won both games. Considering that the Tigers lost both games, the gloom around here is downright hilarious. The Sox have lost 4 games in a row since thursday and lost exactly 1 game in the standings, all while detroit was at home playing mostly the easiest games left on its schedule.

QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Sep 23, 2012 -> 11:03 PM) Both teams go 6-4. Sox win division by 1 game. This.

They make poor decisions even when they are making outs lololol

DAT DEFENSE

The dreaded lead off walk!

The great thing about getting into their pen in game one is some of those guys may not be available/effective in game 2

5-2. I love it when Detroit plays defense and has their bullpen pitching

Welly, welly, welly.

There were many questions about many of the same players prior to the 2012 campaign, and many of them worked out just fine. Who plays third, who is beckham, is konerko done yet, what about rios and Dunn, etc.

The extra A is for BYOBB. Let's get em, boys.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 22, 2012 -> 12:15 AM) Because most likely only one of them will be a playoff team. One of those teams is our direct competition for the division and if the other three collapse the WC may come out of the central.

These "contenders" have the following things that make them look "not like playoff teams": Angels- a 5-6 record over their past 11 games overall, including losing 3 in a row at home to Oakland in a potentially season killing series. Athletics - a 3-5 record over their past 8 games overall, including you guessed it - a 3 game losing streak themselves. Tigers - A 7-9 record over their past 16 games overall. They had two losing streaks of 3 games in there. Go figure. Rays - a 4-7 record over their past 11 games, including a 3 game losing streak. Let's get 'em tomorrow boys. 5-3 in our past 8. We hit a rough stretch of three bad games but I expect this team will snap out of it. Tomorrow. I believe.

Not pessimistic at all after this loss. If we get one win in Anaheim, I'm fine with that. If we get swept I'll start to get worried.

If we win one and the tigers win two I am completely fine with that. We would emerge from the weekend with a 1 game lead and 7 of 10 at home vs their 4 of 10 at home. Magic number would drop to 10 with 10 left. I like our chances of going at least 6-4.

Ultimate - the one thing I'd say in response is that if the sox lose another game or two this weekend, that these are the easiest games remaining for Detroit and the toughest by far for the sox

If the Sox win even one game at Anaheim its a crushing blow for detroits chances IMO Two or three wins in LA locks this thing up

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 21, 2012 -> 02:24 PM) Is it unrealistic to think that against the competition both teams are playing over these last four series, that the Tigers could go 8-5 and the Sox could go 5-8, and the Tigers take it with 87 wins? Could happen. Might not. Nothing will surprise me these next two weeks, but by no means do I think the Sox have this even close to locked up. Do I think the sox are going to go just 3-3 against the Indians, get swept in Anaheim, AND merely split against the fading rays at the Cell, where they are much better and the Rays are much worse? No, no I don't.

Ultimate - I don't know at what point in this season you thought the sox were some sort of world beaters, but I never really drank that kool aid. They've been streaky all year - not as great as their 16-4 runs but obviously not as bad as their 3-11 runs either. I never thought this team had what it took to compete with New York and Texas, in particular, even though we've handled them head to head all year. However, I do feel a division title would be a nice thing and playoff revenue would be even better, would set up next year as an improvement to the attendance and further sell the sox as the legitimate baseball team in this city, which I feel is somewhat crucial. I feel as though the past 8 years or so the Sox have made great strides compared to the cubs in generating interest in young fans/kids, as the cubs just keep treading water when they're good and bumbling toward disaster when they're bad.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 21, 2012 -> 02:15 PM) A team that wins its division, unless they had a huge lead to work with, should be able to go 25-20 in its last 45 games, largely weighted by division games. And not just division games--games against teams from a weak division. Good teams win. Bad teams lose. Slightly better than mediocre teams like the White Sox should be able to 25-20 down the stretch. Hell, 24-21 should have been good enough, and they may not even do that. What are we arguing here again? How it's not the Sox fault if they don't win the division? I think my main point is that the Sox have been fairly consistent and so are the Tigers, and the teams are who they are. I don't really expect either team to do anything differently than they've done it for the first 149 games of the season I really dont get why anyone thinks the tigers are going to go on some unrealistic tear AND the sox are gonna swoon

Greg, my point was that Oakland and Texas cannot handle their own divisions either.

You know what guys Sox are gonna win 87, 88 or 89 games. I'm confident Detroit will win either 1 or 2 games less. If you don't believe it, don't worry, I got this one.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 21, 2012 -> 01:47 PM) There's one problem with your theory. With your theory a team can never have a great year, that it all balances out and the team finishes 8-10 games over .500. No, to have a playoff caliber team you have to do better than 5-13 against one of the worst franchises in baseball the last 20 years. You don't win every series, but you have to do better than that against division rivals to have a team worthy of the playoffs. Just like Texas and Oakland, right?