kevin57

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Nov 4, 2005 -> 12:35 PM) This is the exact type of thinking that has gotten GMs fired in the past. A player spends a good portion or all of his career with a team then near the end of his career he's kept around for too long and ends up being more of a burden than a asset. I think you need to give up on your giant Frank man crush. The guy was an unbelievable talent for the Sox during his prime but the numbers don't lie, he may never play again let alone be someone you count on to produce for you. I agree. It's a sad fact of economic / baseball life, but nonetheless true. What's actually sadder is watching so many athletes not recognize that their day has passed and then "retire" embittered.

It was also reported on the SCORE that Guillen has said he does not want to pay "big bucks" to any one guy because of how that could change clubhouse dynamics. The unanswered questions, though, are: Just what are "big" bucks? and is all this the "counter-offensive" to PK's agent's talk about how many teams are bidding and how much they want his client. I suspect that most of what's being reported at this point is just that...trial balloons to see what kind of reaction the other side will give.

Good Section. Well done. When the Sun-Times didn't have anything right after the Series--like the Trib did--I started wondering what was going on. This was worth the wait.

I'm still thinking / hoping that this is all "agent-speak." Whatever leverage from whatever source, you know.

The ultimate irony. Eric Zorn calling out Marriotti. Folks, they're starting to eat their own children. At Bally's yesterday, I saw Marriotti sporting a Sox jersey and Ozzie mask. I couldn't hear the program...didn't want to...but what a laugher that picture was.

Nicely worded response. You could have spiced up that "couple of good pitchers" retort by noting that the Sox ERA against LAA was 1.87 (?). As I've said to those who have noted the Sox "lucky breaks" from umpires during that series, there ain't no way you're going to beat that kind of ERA.

They had very good chemistry to begin. I think that some of them being "cast offs" from other places helped minimize ego inflation. Also, I sense guys like Rowand are genuinely nice people. I give credit to Ozzie especially during the tough weeks in August and September. Other teams have and would have started finger-pointing.

No, I'm still in celebratory mood. Now comes the time for Sox fans to reminisce...to let it soak in. I too was emotionally a wreck, especially during the playoffs. Great baseball, but tight, especially during the WS. Our record in games with a margin of 2-runs or less was more than impressive, but also a killer on the nerves. My work was also minimal and crappy (Sorry, boss). I'm sure once the doldrums of the Bears, Bull, and Hawks becomes a part of standard reality for us, then that emotional withdrawl will kick in.

At Casto's on 111th & Central Park. Good crowd but not jammed packed. The bars in Beverly were splitting at the seams. Afterwards, 111th was rocking with horns and cheers. I tried to get to Bridgeport around 1:30 but the police had the area hermetically sealed!

QUOTE(beck72 @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 06:04 AM) Ozzie couldn't "shape up" Carlos Lee, Maggs and Olivo. What makes you think Ozzie could shape up a prima donna like Manny? Bringing Manny in would go against what the sox did this yr. No matter how good Manny is, by all accounts, he's not the unselfish team player the sox would need.

Sox fans are knowledgable. Period. I remember predicting (okay, I was actually more hoping) that the Sox slide of August/September would actually serve them well for the pressures of the post-season. I think that was borne out. We'll never know for sure, but if they had kept winning at a .700 or so clip, would they have been caught unawares in the unique dynamics of post-season play?

Konerko will get the 5 years instead of 4 that it is reported the Sox are offering. But PK will not get Beltran money. Also, Sox will not "Ordóñez" his contract with lots of deferred $$$. I predict he'll return. He'll turn down (somewhat) better financial incentives in other markets because he'll realize that he's a good fit for here.

Congrats...and thanks!

Pass. This team was a team because egos were in the background at best. Can anyone say with any certainty that Mr. Ramirez would park his as well?

I'll play the cynic and say that that's what they were saying for public consumption, but they still would have preferred Yanks, Bosox, Cubs, LAA even in the Series.

Dear Sox and Stros, Fox is not happy with the TV ratings and our friends at ESPN are still trying to reconstruct their egos after being blindsided by your successes during the 2005 season. But we at MLB Headquarters owe you a big thank-you. You have helped salvage our sorry asses. It is still a bitter memory how steroid use was tarnishing baseball. From neighborhood bars to the halls of Congress we were being scorned. Records were being questioned. Legislation was being drafted. We were on the ropes. Of course, truth be told, we were entirely complicit in this. After the strike of '94 we needed to change the sport. Sex it up a bit, you know. What would draw attention and fans to the ballparks was power. Give 'em lots of homeruns. Give 'em strong bodies. We knew it wasn't on the up-and-up but it sure put the game in the spotlight again. Problem is that spotlight became a laser beam, shattering people's confidence and threatening to make everyone as cynical of the game as they had become in the wake of that horrible strike. Then, you guys came along. You revived what made baseball the greatest sport in the world: pitching, defense, timely hitting, oh, and yeah, team work. You have set the pattern for other teams to work not so much on individual stats and the cult of personality, but on picking each other up, on doing the not-so-glorious things like bunting the guy along and stealing. It may take a while for people to get used to this style of baseball. Sadly, even the "experts" seem to not get it. But we do, and this is our salute to your style, your class, your integrity. Sincerely, --Bud

Media reports say nearly 1.75 million at the parade/rally. Beyond words.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Oct 28, 2005 -> 09:46 PM) Never use the word Cred***re or Cru**y again. Yes, sir, whatever you say, sir

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Oct 28, 2005 -> 04:46 PM) writing a professional letter and using the words "boobs" and "pissed" will usually hurt your credibility. Just a thought.... I agree. Your basic thoughts are right on, but keep the invective out of it, and you may actually get a hearing. Maybe.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Oct 28, 2005 -> 09:37 PM) You should be banned just for using that word. That is sacreligious. Sorry...he deserves his props for fantastic post-season play, but if anyone tells me they were never frustrated by his offense during the regular season, then he's fooling himself. Hell, even Crede said he did not object to the boos during the season. He said he thought he sucked. Let's not ban because we don't like others' words, please.

1) I'll miss Rooney. One of the best. 2) Famer is fine. Of course, as someone aligned with St. Rita HS, his alma mater, I may be prejudiced. :rolly 3) I would love to have Black Jack involved in broadcasting, but the little I heard of him, he's as "flat" as hell.

I was as frustrated at Crediocre as anyone else. Never a question about his defense, but unfulfilled batting average, definitely. I suspect, though, that he's getting into the "Garland" mode. That is, a player of great promise who FINALLY is realizing all that acclaimed talent.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Oct 28, 2005 -> 02:04 PM) If it comes down to a 5yr 60 mill deal and a 5yr 63 mill deal from Anaheim or Boston, I think he'll be coming back to Chicago. Now if he gets a 6yr 75 mill offer and the Sox are at 5yr 60-65, than I'm guessing he'll go elsewhere. And frankly, if those $$$ are being tossed around by other clubs, I'd have to see the need to say to PK, "Thanks for the memories."

From the agony of defeat to the thrill of victory.

QUOTE(The Critic @ Oct 28, 2005 -> 03:37 PM) The part of the motorcade I saw was great. We were right where the trolleys stopped before turning onto LaSalle. Yelled some stuff to AJ and Bobby. The rally was s***. Couldn't get anywhere near it, couldn't see or hear a thing. The only thing I saw was a bunch of dips***s climbing on the Trio Video truck. I'd give the entire deal a B-. I agree with your observations, but I give it an "A-" because while the technical stuff limped, the "experience" was primo. I just went to a bar to watch and listen to the rally after the parade.