Milkman delivers

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 11:13 AM) So you want Mack or Ozuna to start and the White Sox make no moves or put Fields in LF? Because if Fields, as so many want, is in LF next year...I ask again...who hits leadoff? For this year, I believe Mack/Ozuna will perform much better than Pods. I'd like them to make a move, but I'm not exactly sure what you're asking. What I'm worried about is this year, and Mack/Ozuna is better than Pods this year.

WHY CAN'T OZZIE JUST START THE REGULARS FOR THREE STRAIGHT GAMES AGAINST THE TEAM THAT IS BEATING US FOR THE DIVISION?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?1?1/1??! There, that feels better.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 11:31 AM) Thank god we are resting AJ for the royals series down the road. Posada played all 3 games against us in NY, and now it seems that IRod is playing all 3 games. This is a big series, and we keep playing subs like we are sititng on a 15 game lead. But our players will be rested for the playoffs. Let's just hope they'll have a reason to need to be rested.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 11:24 AM) How will this fix Garcia? For as bad as Vazquez has been, Garcia has been even worse. If the Sox are going to only replace one starter I would much rather it be Freddy, the guy has no chance of succeeding with no out pitch. Atleast Vazquez has his stuff so there's a chance he can go out there and give you 5 innings of pretty good ball. Garcia, I don't think is even capable of that. Exactly what I think, though I wouldn't cry if either one is traded. I wish they would do what someone said in trade winds. Trade Garcia for Heilman and a prospect, trade Fields for Linebrink, and then let McCarthy start while Heilman can be the swingman in the pen. QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 11:29 AM) I keep waiting for that to happen with Javy. Keep waiting like the 2 other organizations that have had him the last few years before us. He's 30, he's not changing.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 10:49 AM) I dont understand why everyone has a boner for picking up relief help. Our bullpen is not the issue at all. The back end of it is strong, and Riske was solidified the middle. Not to mention bullpen pitchers are probably the most fickle and overrated players in the game of baseball. Look at Cliff Polite, how much would someone have paid for him last year. Now he is spiff. It makes no sense. I think a lot of us want bullpen help because we want to take McCarthy out of the pen and throw him into the rotation to replace Garcia/Vazquez. So, we'd then have a hole in the pen. QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 10:44 AM) Love the sig milkman. Ditto.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 10:44 AM) Hawk and DJ were pretty much letting Vazquez have it for his pitching style last night, and that was while he was cruising. Shockingly to me, they have slammed Vazquez and Garcia in the past several days, and I'm glad the sugarcoating is OVA. I'm to the point where I can't stand seeing him on the mound. The White Sox generally score a lot of runs when he's pitching however. A lot of times I do yard work or take care of the pool while we're on defense and Vazquez is pitching. I really cannot stand to watch him.

I've been saying for a while to give Mackowiak a chance out in LF with Ozuna platooning with him sparingly. If we can get another OFer that is capable of playing a good CF, then go for it. If not, Anderson has already had a lot of time off this year and it won't hurt him much to play out there almost everyday with Mack giving him a break once in a while (he just plays way too much at this point in CF, it's like once a series).

This scenario is perfect in theory. It really seems like a perfect answer. The only problem is that the organization will never pay him the money they do to be a mop-up guy/reliever.

I doubt we'll make a move. Unfortunately, we don't have a 15-game lead on the division this year.

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 08:59 AM) Who would hit leadoff for us? So many of you are complaining that this team resembles the 2002-2003-2004 team of sluggers and no small ball. But yet so many want Pods gone and Fields/other LF to replace him. So I ask again...who hits leadoff then? Mackowiak with Ozuna giving him a break every so often.

QUOTE(Jake @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 10:10 AM) Yeah, I haven't noticed a supreme lack of backbone, I've just seen a lot of bad pitches thrown. Seems like a lot of his problems hang from his shoulder. The lack of backbone comes from the fact that he's scared of the bat. He tries to be too perfect with his pitches. He'll start off a hitter with a bunch of pitches that just miss the zone because he's trying to avoid contact, then he's in a hole and has to work out of it. And then when he actually gets ahead of a hitter, he throws the wrong pitch again. He's just f***ed either way.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 09:47 AM) It amazes me the conversations that happen in here about Ozzie's use of subs. Yeah, I'd say Anderson should see a little more time, now that he is hitting. But as we saw last year, and are seeing this year, one of the reasons Ozzie's teams do so well is that he gives his guys some rest AND gives his bench enough playing time to be good. And yet, people seem to so easily forget that, and then blame a loss on the fact that Mack or Cintron or Ozuna are in the lineup. I mean, those guys are all good hitters anyway. But besides that, in case no one noticed, that hasn't been our problem. Starting pitching, starting pitching and starting pitching are the problem. And as for pulling Javy after 4 or 5 innings as soon as he gives up a hit... I can't believe people would consider that. If Vazquez can't ever last 6 innings, and/or can't survive an inning once he gives up a run, then he shouldn't be starting at all. Thats at least a logical argument to make. But until he is traded or replaced, he needs to be treated like a starter, or he'll never get any better. to having a long term perspective! Ha, he's had about 10 years of ML experience to "get better." It clearly ain't happening. And about the subs, this series is huge by Ozzie's own admission. It wouldn't kill the starters to play 3 straight games after an off day and a few days after the all-star break.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 09:50 AM) The only thing that is unlucky about Vazquez is that we are unlucky to have someone with such talent and the backbone of a 5 year old. Good pitchers man up, and try to get the guy out, they pick up their team. Vazquez folds like a cheap tent the minute something doesnt go his way. There is a reason this guy has been on 4 teams in just as many years. And hopefully somehow at the end of the year, it'll be 5 teams in 5 years. I'd love to get rid of him and Garcia.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 09:39 AM) I suspect we shall see Widger. I just wonder what other members of group 4 are making it out on the field today. A must win series, so lets rest some of our starters. Because Ozzie is matchup happy. Maybe Widger can hit the ball out of the infield today. Instead of doing his popup, groundout, strikeout routine. I'd settle for a decently-called game.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 12:40 AM) Everytime I see Ozzie put Mack out in CF I ask myself doesnt he pride himself in having a good defensive team out there, for that is what he preaches. Then I close my eyes and remember that he had to get certain players into the lineup last year no matter how they didnt fit defensively. Timo at 1st base, Timo the DH, Timo Insert OF spot. So as much as we see Mack in center and it gives us pains, this is the same Coach who put Timo at 1st. Play the A team Ozzie. You can play the Sunday lineup against the royals. These lineup changes are more frustrating than Manuels sunday lineup. At least that was only once a week. I said this in another thread, but I'll say it again. Ozzie said this series was big, yet he decided to play two utility players in the second game? I can see him doing it in the third game if we're going for the sweep, but not in the second game when we have that meltdown-waiting-to-happen pitching. Plus, Mackowiak misplayed a ball which led to runs, as he does every single game he starts in CF. QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 12:44 AM) If Ozzie really wants to get Mack in the pen, why can't he stick him in LF in place of Podsednik every once in awhile? Did Mack not play leadoff during spring training? The guy has an incredibly high OBP and some good speed along with excellent defense in LF coupled with his above average arm. Seems like a good fit to me. What has changed between Spring Training and now? I've been suggesting this for a while. I really see very few negative aspects to it. QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 08:28 AM) From Trib: Going into this game, opponents were hitting .228 against Vazquez in their first two times through the batting order, .361 thereafter. Why doesn't our manager and coaching staff realize this? Are their heads buried in sand? They should have a guy start warming whenever Vazquez sees the batters for a 3rd time in a game. I am so very confident that Vazquez will never become a good pitcher. The best we can hope for is for him to be average. He's just clearly never made the adjustment he needs to make. He's 30-years-old and he still makes the mistakes of a rookie. I imagine that if he had the brain of a retarded monkey, he'd pitch roughly the same as he does now. He's the definition of a thrower as opposed to a pitcher. If he gets an 0-2 on any hitter, you can expect a poorly placed fastball or a hanging curveball right down main street. If a batter gets on base due to a poor call by an ump, an error/mistake by a defender, or by a flukey hit, you can bet your ass he's going to give up about 5 more runs in that inning.

Contreras, please dig us out of the hole that Vazquez put us in. We need to win this series.

QUOTE(DonkeyKongerko @ Jul 20, 2006 -> 03:55 AM) Ozzie loves his matchups and can't stand to send AJ out there vs. Kenny. It's like he has this magic pair of blinders that only lets him see his righties when a southpaw is on the hill and vice versa. What I really can't stand is that Ozzie said himself that the Tiger series was a big one, yet he threw two utility players into the lineup in only the second game. And of course, Mackowiak misplayed a ball that ended up hurting us, as he does every single game he starts in CF.

QUOTE(T R U @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 01:48 PM) Jermaine Dye hit .321 in 2000 And Thome hit .300 a few times: .314 in 1995 .311 in 1996 .304 in 2002

Does it bother anyone else that JR can't pronounce McMahon? Every time he says it now, it bothers the hell out of me. He never says the "ck" sound. It comes out like Mister Mihmayn.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 12:43 PM) What's wrong with you, Milkman? From Wikipedia: Wow. And his facts: Ha, touché. To me, it just shows what is and has always been wrong with Willie. He thinks he's much better than he actually is. Remember how he wouldn't even play SS in winterball? And now he won't accept a demotion to AAA when he clearly isn't cutting it in the majors?

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 12:26 PM) He thinks he's someone that can get a major league contract. And last I remember a ML contract makes more than a minor league contract. Can you blame him? He's got about two teams left that will give him a shot (I think only three teams had interest in him during the offseason). So once the Rockies DFA him, he won't be able to get a major league contract. QUOTE(fullcollapse @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 11:49 AM) yeah, i figured you would know about this already. i was in ny earlier this year, they have t-shirts and stuff with melk man on them. i told some yankees fans the name was taken already. turns out they have never heard of herb. Nobody knows him. That's truly a tragedy.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 11:48 AM) I think I remember reading that his nephew asked him to hit a home run....he hit two. When was this?

They just showed the sound clip of Melky Cabrera's walkoff homer from last night on Sportscenter. The announcer said, "Melky Cabrera...and the Melkman delivers!" Needless to say, I'm pissed and I might sue.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 18, 2006 -> 08:49 PM) Red Sox designated outfielder Willie Harris for assignment. A future Minnesota Twin? Harris got 45 at-bats in 47 games for the Red Sox and hit .156/.250/.200. He's already said he's not interested in returning to Triple-A Pawtucket. Jul. 18 - 4:23 pm et Who the f*** does Willie Harris think he is? He's proven time and again that he's not good, yet he won't accept a demotion to AAA?

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 09:11 AM) I'd much rather keep Lummy than Fields to be honest. Sweeney is a guy I do want to keep but I have no problem trading Josh if the price is right. Still, imo this is just Kenny trying to drive up the price of his players. That's what I'm really hoping it is.