heirdog

This is a joke. Buehrle and Contreras in my mind #7 at worst. Or Buehrle and Garcia at least #9.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Feb 13, 2006 -> 02:39 PM) I do believe he throws a knuckleball already, not really during games but in batting practice against guys like Wakefield he throws his knuckleball so the Sox hitters can get a feel for it. Damn, he has that kind of repertoire? I feel sorry for the little high school kids that had to face him...here he is 6'4" maybe 240 at the time staring down at you and throws some mid-90s heat that makes you s*** your pants, drops a nasty hook that stretches your ACL and then throws a knuckler to embarrass you in front of your pimple-faced girlfriend.

QUOTE(TheBigHurt @ Feb 12, 2006 -> 05:13 PM) Wow. Isn't all this uncanny? Frank has been the conerstone veteran of his team as has been Bagwell. I believe they were born the same day, they have close to identical stats, and both of their teams met in the World Series last year for the first time while both were injured, and now BOTH are being driven away and there is bitterness on BOTH their parts? LMAO, it doesn't stop! Except that Bagwell was put on the World Series roster and Frank wasn't...maybe Frank's bitterness is a little more justified (I don't agree that it is but just stating a possible position he or his sympathizers might take). Bagwell came up with a chance to give his team a shot at winning in Game 1 but was gassed down by Jenks. Imagine if Frank came up in the top of the 14th as a pinch hitter instead of Blum (he probably would have come in to pinch hit earlier but for reference sake...), could he have been the one to hit a GW homer on a broken ankle a la Kirk Gibson? Either way, I think that brain (KW and Ozzie leaving him off the roster) won out over heart (Houston using that slot on Bagwell) in this case.

Did Goose Gossage have a change up? If I remember correctly, I thought he was straight potential 3-digit heat and a devastating curve, which could be Jenks template for success. I don't think he needs another pitch. He just needs to move his stuff around and continue to throw some gas inside and up high and drop some curves (even in the dirt) to become and/or remain unhittable. He will get touched up once in a while but what we saw in the post-season is pretty impressive considering his age and lack of experience.

No way this trade happens. As KW said, we will only trade the Count for more pitching not hitting (i.e. pitching has to be the main piece we are getting back...not Abreu). And on top of that we add in a club house leader who is inexpensive and solid...I don't think so.

Replace one vowel in "Soxtalk" and you have your answer. The firewalls probably have simple "worm" codes that randomly seek key words and anything close so unfortunately, yours is a blind earthworm that misreads vowels. Of course, you could petition the mods to change the name of this forum but I don't think you'll have success since it will dilute the brand equity already gained by the site over the years.

QUOTE(DABearSoX @ Jan 27, 2006 -> 10:26 PM) who the hell is that guy? I believe that is Schneider from "One Day at a Time."

QUOTE(Texsox @ Jan 27, 2006 -> 05:50 PM) Glad you found us See here's a new fan who seems like a nice guy . . . I've been a Whitesox fan since 1980. I came across the board a little before the trade deadline last year because I was interested in seeing what was being said about some of the possible trades. I agree I am a "new" member but I am not a "new" Sox fan. I can answer some 1980's Sox trivia if that will help prove that I am neither a casual fan nor a bandwagon jumper. I wasn't trying to be a smartass initially but saying your comment was understood and that there really was no response to it.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 27, 2006 -> 05:47 PM) Yes I understand statistics. I was speaking about the pitchers that we would have considered our "rotation" meaning the ones who actually were on the roster in the playoffs and the beginning of the season. I didnt even include BMAC in my assessment nor am I. Wait, you chastised me previously (don't remember the exact debate) for giving an opinion and not providing the stats to back it up and now when I learn from the error in my ways and go and get the stats (took me forever by the way) you undermine them? Again, more caveats are entering your comment ("playoff roster and beginning of the season") so I really can't keep this argument going. My opinion is based off my interpretation of what you initially wrote sans the additional criteria you have since added. Just a question though, if BMac were to be included in your assessment, where would he rank in the 2nd half of last season?

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 27, 2006 -> 02:56 PM) I dont know about that. Garland started 15 games in the second half with a 3.65 ERA. Thats three times the work, three times the value. Brandon did pitch in 7 games, but only pitches 40 innings. Garland was more valuable than Brandon was in the 2nd half. For arguments sake lets go with pitchers who were in the rotation, because thats what I was saying. Jon was the most consistantly good pitcher for us all year. First of all, I don't disagree that Jon was probably the best, most consistent pitcher from start to finish. But I do still disagree about the 2nd best in the 2nd half part because BMac was in the rotation down the stretch. 2nd half (post All-Star game stats): Garland: 5 W 6L; 3.65 ERA in 99.6 innings McCarthy: 3 W 1L; 1.70 ERA in 42.2 innings So while Garland may have had more work (not quite 3 times), I don't equate that to 3 times the value. BMac's W/L and ERA more than stack up to Jon's in the second half. That is why I brought up the Jenks/Hermanson example...Jenks got many less save opps in the second half but was in my mind clearly the best closer in the second half.

Ok. Thanks.

Hmmm...the New Jersey Devils, Duke Blue Devils and Miroslav Satan don't seem to have a problem with the connotation. I think its time to find some other lame excuse for the lack of team success.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 27, 2006 -> 01:28 PM) He only started like 4 games in the 2nd half. Yeah, he shredded everyone he faced in the 2nd half...but it's hard to be our 2nd best pitcher when you only start 4 games. I didn't know there was a caveat to the comment but he started 5 games (from Aug. 30th on) and he pitched twice in long relief after El Duque got shelled in the first 2 or 3 innings of two other games (once going 5 2/3 innings). Regardless of the small sample size, I would argue that we was our second best pitcher in the second half last season. Just like Jenks was our best closer in the second half with only 6 saves versus Hermanson who had 13. Its the quality of work as opposed to quantity...IMHO.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 10:15 PM) Here we go. I think Garland was the best pitcher on our staff last year. Even in the second half he ws impressive, much different from what people think, he was our second best in the 2nd half and the best in the first half. I think he will win around 17-19 games with about the same ERA as this year. I really think jon figured it out. I would say that was BMac

Thanks for giving me one last memory Frank. I always loved you and know that with you, we get: a great hitter on the field, a nice guy to fans off the field and a malcontent towards the organization. I would expect nothing less than what you said after your press conference so it doesn't change my opinion of you one bit.

Minaya is like Kenny in that they will pull the trigger to get players they want regardless of the amount of prospects. To get Freddy for half a season (and of course the ability to sign him long-term), we gave up our #1 prospect in Reed, our platoon catcher and "star of the future" in Olivo along with another solid prospect in Morse. Now for a full season of Contreras (with perhaps the ability to sign him long-term...just need money, which Mets have), we might get more than Milledge. Granted Milledge is even more highly touted than Reed but we should be able to get some pitching out of it too.

QUOTE(Felix @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 02:21 PM) Lastings.. If we could get him, I would get over losing Chris Young. According to Phil Rogers, Anderson Gomes will cure your Chris Young blues.

Diaw. A lot of talent that was buried away in Atlanta.

Wish you the best Frank. Get those 500 dingers.

My predictions: I think Javier Vazquez will win the AL CY Young...but not next year...in 2007! Next year a non-Sox pitcher will win...Rich Harden.

Good for Baj. Hopefully he doesn't get any blisters signing autographs. Anyone that goes should tell him to use a batting glove or one of those rubber finger protectors:

Bust: Red Sox...losing more and more key offensive players and Schilling and Foulke's free fall continues while Papebon and Arroyo not ready to assume bigger roles. Beckett a great number 2 but blister issue may be a problem still. Sleeper: SF Giants...good young pitchers (Lowry, Cain) to go with a healthy Schmidt and resurgent Matt Morris and Bonds back.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 02:56 PM) Also, people need to learn that this is an internet message board, and try not to take things so seriously. What? Why didn't anybody tell me? Man, I got almost 180 posts and I just found out that this was an internet message board. I'm a relative newbie, over 30 (just barely) and probably wouldn't respond well to pedagogy so if you jump on to this board (kid or adult), you have to be able to learn in a trial by fire manner or else recoil back to the video game chat boards. And everything said on here to the newbie (Buehrle the ace) has been pretty benign so I'm not sure that Rock et al need to be shackled on this one...on this one! There have been other times that "Mr. Inexplicably Infallible" could use a good Singapore-style caning.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Jan 24, 2006 -> 03:10 PM) Hafner = 30+ HR's Peralta, Blake, Sizemore, Martinez, Broussard/Perez = 20+ HR's each Belliard, Boone = 15+ HR's each I think the Indians can afford to lose some power for some OBP. And their bullpen is pretty damn good even without Rhodes... Fernando Cabrera Matt Miller Scott Sauerbeck Rafael Betancourt David Riske Bob Wickman Agreed. That bullpen is solid. I was hoping that the Phils would hold out for Betancourt over Rhodes but I guess they caved.