spiderman

QUOTE(Chombi and the Fungi @ Nov 8, 2007 -> 08:55 PM) There are alot of problems and issues as you said, but to our credit, our team isn't as bad as they played for 2 reasons. 1) Bad years everywhere. Somewhat flukey. (2) we play in a tough division and it takes it toll....That said, we still have a division that is only going to be one year better. So I don't see much improvement. One of my biggest concerns, which I probably should have shared earlier, is that Kenny Williams has too much faith in the team. Last year's 72 wins were bad, but this really started after the all-star break the previous season. I think Kenny really needs to remake this team instead of just adding to it, which definitely helps.

QUOTE(GreatScott82 @ Nov 8, 2007 -> 08:46 PM) Pitching: I agree spiderman i am a bit worried about the rotation.. ESPECIALLY if Garland gets traded. You can't rely on Contreras to get back on track. And how can we expect both Danks and Floyd step it up? Danks showed promise in the first half but tapered off quickly after the All-star break. Floyd struggle hardcore when he got here, but than found a little groove toward the end when the season was already long gone. I don't mind having one of these pitchers in our rotation, but i don't want them both... The bullpen.. YIKES Kenny said this will be his top priority this offseason.. I really hope it is, because it was down right HORRIBLE. Speed: If we get Hunter for CF, that leaves LF as our only open spot (pending a Crede trade) for a speedy leadoff hitter. . With all the other possitions filled up, that also leaves the critical #2 spot open... someone who can bunt and have a solid OBP. I really don't see any #2 hitters in our lineup now that Iguchi has departed. Fields is more like a #6 or 7 hitter and so is Hunter. Uribe will likely be the 8th place hitter and Richar the 9th. . This team is pretty much assembled like the 2000-2004 team of one leadoff hitter and the rest boppers. . But its EARLY: KW can pull of many surprises.. last year he didn't do much and the results showed that. the year before he added Thome, Mackowiack, Cintron, Vazquez and Thorton. That was a good offseason... Despite the fact they collasped in the 2nd half. This offseason he needs to do even more IMHO. Make 1 or 2 trades... get a few speedy guys in the lineup.. trade a bopper or 2 (Crede and Konerko?) hopefully trade Contreras for a team desperate for another starter.. possibly give us a decent reliever and prospect back.. Sign a Japanese reliever or 2.. Add some bench depth... Yeah this offseason is damn critical for KW... With those rumors of Hunter possibly getting 6 years, I don't think the White Sox would be willing to do that (smartly) too so I really think that CF is more likely to be filled through a trade with somebody like Coco Crisp. I know Rowand is probably next on the free agent list in CF, but is really worth $10-11 million a year over 4 or 5 seasons ? As far as pitching, I just don't think this team will be near the top of the division if they have to depend on both Gavin Floyd and John Denks as the #4 and #5 starters. If the White Sox are unable to sign Hunter, might they be willing to look at resigning Garland instead with this money ? Just an idea, but it's hard to compete with a mediocre starting rotation.

It's a shame that we have those guys doing games. They suck, and the White Sox are staying with a bad product.

Texas has to be extremely happy about this. First, they get out of the deal, and then they see the Yanks eventually resign him! Now, they can overpay for somebody else! At least this guy would be on their team!

Using Lowell would be a loss, but they'd just go out and make a trade for another all star caliber player.

QUOTE(South Side Fireworks Man @ Nov 15, 2007 -> 06:46 PM) Now that the figures have apparently been agreed upon, and assuming he hasn't actually inked the contract yet-- I wonder if another team swooped in and offered to match that offer would A-Rod accept? Supposedly he really wanted out of NY but nobody wanted to deal with Borass and his tactics (asking for 30-40M). Now that the terms are set, what's to stop another GM from telling A-Rod he'll match that offer and get him out of NY? Yanks have money to burn, I would have been shocked to see any team willing to give 10 years at $27 million plus. They severely overpaid for him, but it doesn't really have any effect on NY because they have nothing but money to throw around.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 01:10 PM) His use of the numbers is bad. But he is pretty much dead on about a political solution being needed. I don't agree with the type of solution he is stating exactly, though. No doubt a political solution is needed, but can one exist with such a high level of violence ? That's why the recent progress is good news. If it lasts, it allows for a chance at a political solution being worked out.

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Nov 13, 2007 -> 03:49 PM) This really is not a Democrat v.s Republican thing...it's really more of a Bill Richardson v.s not being an idiot thing I think it's clearly a Democratic stance that Richardson seems to be the most definite about. All of the leading Democrats are talking of withdraw, though not as immediate as Richardson, but not far behind - leaving limited number of troops behind for special missions.

USAToday: Roadside bombs in Iraq fall sharply The number of roadside bombs found in Iraq declined dramatically in August and September from earlier this year, and U.S. officials say the discoveries of thousands of ammunition caches might explain the drop. Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are responsible for at least 60% of U.S. casualties in Iraq. The Pentagon has repeatedly refused to release figures on the number of IED attacks in Iraq or the number of casualties that have resulted. USA TODAY obtained the month-by-month tally, which represents the total numbers of IEDs — exploded or unexploded — found in Iraq, including those targeting U.S. and coalition troops, Iraqi security forces and civilians. Since the start of the year through September, coalition forces found 25,208 IEDs, according to the figures, which were confirmed by the Pentagon. In those nine months, IEDs killed 510 coalition troops. The numbers of IEDs found and the deaths they caused have declined steadily since June. In September, coalition forces found 2,022 IEDs. That's down 38% from March, this year's peak. On Monday, the U.S. command in Baghdad also said rocket and mortar attacks have dropped to their lowest levels in 21 months. The tallies were issued a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said suicide attacks and other bombings in Baghdad also declined. U.S. officials say the figures show that efforts to crack the Iraqi insurgency are succeeding. The decline in IEDs is due to "a combination of the right technology and equipment, world-class training, and successfully attacking the networks that build and employ the IEDs," says retired Army general Montgomery Meigs, director of the military's Joint IED Defeat Organization. In Iraq last week, U.S. commanders cited a spike in the number of ammunition caches that U.S. and coalition forces have found. "The clearing of these caches has helped contribute to the downward trends we are seeing in IED explosions and indirect fire," Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said. In the first 10 months of 2007, coalition and Iraqi forces have found 5,364 caches of explosives and ammunition — twice the volume found in all of 2006. "These caches consist of a range of munitions, homemade explosives and other items necessary to build improvised explosive devices," Smith said. Iraqi security forces found and cleared many of the caches, Smith said. He credited the increasing effectiveness of those forces and the recent surge in U.S. troops as key factors. "Starting in April, when the majority of the surge forces had arrived in Iraq, the number of caches found spiked considerably. And in the ensuing months, we've seen a steady increase," Smith said. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of U.S. forces south of the capital, said Sunday he believed the decrease in rocket and mortar attacks would hold because of what he called a "groundswell" of support from regular Iraqis. "If we didn't have so many people coming forward to help, I'd think this is a flash in the pan. But that's just not the case," Lynch said.

Watching FOX News Sunday, and wanted to share this exchange between Chris Wallace of FOX and Democratic Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson, who believes all troops should be pulled out of Iraq within a year. Richardson keeps referring to General Sanchez as a commander in Iraq when in fact he hasn't been the commander in 2 or 3 years, and he is completely ignoring any progress of the surge. ** WALLACE: Aren't you, at this point, about to pull the troops out at exactly the moment when the troop surge shows signs of working? I'd like you to take a look at these numbers, sir. Thirty-nine U.S. soldiers died in October. That's the lowest monthly number since sectarian violence spiked in March of 2006. According to the U.S. military, Iraqi civilian deaths fell from 2,800 in Ja nuary to 800 last month. And, Governor, look at these numbers from Baghdad — murders down 80 percent from the peak. Attacks using roadside bombs down 70 percent. Governor, aren't you giving up — aren't you going to turn back hard-won territory to our enemies just at the moment when the surge is beginning to work and violence is decreasing in Iraq? RICHARDSON: First of all, I don't believe the surge is working. You don't mention progress... WALLACE: Sir, how do you explain those numbers? I mean, October was 39... RICHARDSON: You don't measure progress by body counts. Here's how I would measure progress. Number one, there is no progress in political compromise. The Maliki government has failed to make that happen in dividing up all revenues. Three out of 18 benchmarks by the General Accounting Office have shown that it is a failure — three out of the — benchmarks, especially the ones that matter, like are we training Iraqi forces at a successful rate. Is there movement toward a political compromise where the three groups get together? General Sanchez, our Iraqi commander, comes out and says basically the surge is a disaster... WALLACE: ... I mean, you've mentioned Sanchez twice. He was our Iraqi commander a good long time ago, and he was let go as part of the Abu Ghraib scandal. So I mean, he's not on top of the situation right now either. I mean, you're ignoring... RICHARDSON: No, but, Chris, he's a military leader. WALLACE: Some years ago he was on the ground. It seems to me yo u're... ignoring the fact, Governor, that in Anbar province, the Sunnis have turned away from Al Qaeda and now favor us. Places like Ramadi and Fallujah — people can walk down the street. There are neighborhoods in Baghdad that used to be death zones that are now safe for people to walk. And aren't you ignoring just the facts on the ground in Iraq? RICHARDSON: No, this is a quagmire. There is no military solution. There's only a political solution. And that window, in my judgment, is vanishing. When 3,800 American troops are dead, 60,000 American troops are wounded — mental health — 100,000 Iraqis have perished, you can't say that this successfully has been a military operation.There is a political solution, and I believe that solution can happen if we use the leverage of our withdrawal responsibly over a 12- month period, but push the United States diplomacy, leadership, a Dayton-type agre ement in which the three groups in Iraq potentially have some kind of a political compromise where they share power, an all-Muslim peacekeeping force with European forces, too, headed by the United Nations to patrol that potential agreement. And then thirdly, other countries, Chris, like donor countries in Europe and Japan, to pay for a war that has cost the American people $750 billion. We need to shift our forces. I would keep some in Kuwait. I would refurbish our presence in Afghanistan. We need two more divisions in the Army. We need one division in the Marines. Our military has been bled dry by this war. It is time to shift.

Sox's hunt for OF is on Chicago Tribune Link Williams also targets bullpen, leadoff man in off-season dealing A White Sox fan smirked last week that he will save about $2,000 by electing not to renew his 2008 partial-season-ticket package after the team chose to re-sign shortstop Juan Uribe. The Sox, however, are expected to pour their financial resources into signing All-Star center fielder Torii Hunter. The effort begins Tuesday when teams are allowed to make financial offers to free agents other than their own. The latest recruiting tactic occurred Sunday night when general manager Ken Williams explained his plan for reviving the Sox to Hunter at an undisclosed location. But now the Sox and other teams interested in Hunter must back up their pursuit with an offer that should reach at least five years and perhaps more than $15 million annually. Such a contract would be the largest in Sox history. Hunter, 32, is a seven-time Gold Glove Award winner who drove in 107 runs for Minnesota last season. In addition to landing a center fielder of Hunter's caliber, Williams must retool a horrendous bullpen and possibly acquire an accomplished leadoff hitter. Williams has repeatedly said he has the financial resources to sign a top-notch player. But he may need to trade dependable starter Jon Garland and third baseman Joe Crede, who is coming off back surgery and eligible for free agency after 2008, to complete his off-season mission. One team source believed the Sox would be better off settling for free-agent fan favorite Aaron Rowand as their center fielder so they'd have more money to address other areas. This much is certain: Hunter has turned down a three-year, $45 million offer from the Twins and has expressed a belief that the next contract he signs will probably be his last. He's also aware that Williams can expand a payroll that already includes seven players earning $9.5 million or more. At last season's All-Star Game, Hunter said he had wondered what it would be like to play in a large market such as Chicago instead of Minnesota, which has won consistently without a large media or marketing spotlight. But it could be a mixed blessing: Two of Hunter's friends and former Twins teammates, Jacque Jones and LaTroy Hawkins, hardly flourished playing in Chicago with the Cubs. Getting away from the Metrodome's artificial turf will help Hunter's longevity. He has hit at least 26 home runs and driven in at least 92 runs in five of the last seven seasons. Hunter is a year older than Rowand, who is coming off a career-best year but knows the demands of playing under the microscope in Chicago and Philadelphia. Rowand's value has been enhanced greatly by his 2007 season: .307, 27 homers, 89 RBIs. Those numbers could guarantee him at least four years and $11 million annually, exceeding previous deals signed by outfielders Gary Matthews Jr., Juan Pierre and Eric Byrnes. Signing Hunter or Rowand, however, would still leave the Sox without a leadoff hitter unless they stick with Jerry Owens, who batted .340 in the final month of the season and .284 with 29 stolen bases after his second call-up from Triple-A Charlotte on July 3. Williams plans to explore the free-agent market for relievers to strengthen a bullpen that ranked 12th in the American League with a 5.47 ERA. The Sox tried to acquire Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel, both free agents, during different junctures in 2006. Both are free agents, as is Hawkins, who has the same agent as Hunter.

QUOTE(G&T @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 01:41 PM) I agree with this. But after reading the article it feels like other teams are not as hot to make a deal as the Marlins expected, and the Sox might now have their foot in the door rather than just being an after thought. Kenny Williams is probably just calling and calling looking for a trade partner.

It sounds like they are only in the mix if other teams back out or aren't interested.

I'd like Mark Loretta - he can play SS if needed, but he'd provide competition for Richar, and has hit for a nice average.

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 12:14 PM) Looks like this is heating up: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7432422 Left Field? Looks to me like just more speculation. Basically, the White Sox could get in on this if 5 other teams aren't interested.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 8, 2007 -> 09:08 PM) Am I the only person here who owns a calendar? Of course, it's early and we have the entire off-season to make moves that will hopefully improve the team. My concern is that we have a lot of problems, and I'm sure that we're a few moves away from getting back into contention.

Are the White Sox a mess ? When I look at this team, I see way too many issues/concerns and holes for this to be fixed all in one off-season, and I fear that this team is just mediocre with not much upside. - The bullpen isn't going to get the overhaul that many hope it will. I think, at most, we'll see 2 new faces from outside the organization, but most of the improvement is going to have to come from MacDougle and Thorton. - The starting rotation has Buerhle and Vazquez. After that, I have my doubts that Garland will be back, and Contreras hasn't had a lot of success, and who knows how old he is. Denks and Floyd could both be our rotation next season, and that's not going to be good for our team ERA. Can we win with at least 2 questionable starters, and 3 if you include Contreras ? - The offense is all or nothing, and is dependent on hitting HR's. They don't have a leadoff hitter, and they have several guys coming off bad years. They don't walk a lot, but they do strike out a lot. - Kenny Williams seems all too willing to throw his free agent money at T.Hunter. He's a very good player, but he's 32 years old. I'd love Hunter, but we are overpaying both in years and contract. - Juan Uribe is back. - Who's at 3B ? It's probably going to be Fields though Crede could be here for one more year. If it is Fields at 3B, does that mean Jerry Owens will be our leadoff hitter in LF ? If true, can Owens justify the faith ? - Is Paul Konerko going to be back ? He's got the big contract, but hasn't been as good either. He's been mentioned quite a few times in rumors to the Angels. - What about 2B ? Is Danny Richar the man ? I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I also don't see a lot of hope here, more of a lot of pieces to puzzle, but nothing really fits, and it's all over the place. Where am I going wrong OR am I right ?

And there has been talk of the Sox acquiring Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera -- a move that could mean dealing Fields. Could someone other than Crede or Fields play third base for the Sox in 2008? ''Is there a chance? Hell, that's what we're all here for, to explore possibilities,'' Williams said. ''But I wouldn't bet on it.''

I was hoping that SS may be a position where they could find more of a contact hitter....Nope. Still have a lineup of all or nothing (mostly) home run hitters.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Nov 7, 2007 -> 07:00 AM) We need to get a 3-way deal going, involving at least one of Garland, Contreras, and/or Crede. Brian Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, Chris Carter, and perhaps another spect, depending on who we get back for Crede/Contreras/Garland. Would that work? I'd love to make a move for Cabrera, though I highly doubt the White Sox will, and then balance the payroll out some by moving Garland/Crede for younger players. I'm also interested only if we can lock him up beyond the next 2 years.

Sox interested in Cabrera GM MEETINGS | Williams has what it takes -- young starting pitchers -- to land 3B Ken Williams was sitting alone at the lobby bar of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort on Tuesday. It was the perfect place to scan the expansive room teeming with general managers, their assistants and eager agents attending the annual GM meetings. And it was the perfect spot to be seen. Williams sat chatting on his cell phone, barely going two minutes without waving hello to another club official. This is what happens when you are one of the few GMs with an abundance of starting pitching -- a nice mix of veterans and priced-to-move youngsters -- in a market demanding arms. So could Williams -- known for his gunslinger mentality -- be the first GM to pull the trigger on a big deal this week? ''Oh, I don't know,'' Williams said, glancing around the lobby. ''If one of these guys comes up and sits down and says the right deal, hell ... ''We will not act spontaneously because we have all sat around and discussed our targets for months and months. In some cases, some guys have been on our target lists for years. So if the right proposal comes our way, yeah, we're ready for it. But we're not going to act without rhyme or reason.'' One of the names that has been at the center of the Sox' talks, according to sources, is Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera. The buzz on Day 2 of the meetings was the message the Marlins have sent to interested parties: They will entertain offers for Cabrera and left-hander Dontrelle Willis. It's no secret Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is fond of Cabrera. The two Venezuelans formed a tight bond in 2003, when Cabrera was a rookie outfielder and Guillen was the third-base coach during the Marlins' World Series championship season. Cabrera, 24, hit .320 with career highs in home runs (34) and RBI (119) last season. He has had at least 112 RBI in each of his four full seasons in the majors. The biggest knock against Cabrera is his work ethic, something that wouldn't figure to be a problem with Guillen riding him on a daily basis. Florida wants young arms The Marlins are said to be targeting young starting pitching, and the Sox have plenty of that. Sources say they might be willing to deal two of their top prospects, right-hander Lance Broadway and left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Landing Cabrera also might mean parting ways with Josh Fields. ''When you trade really good players, you want really good players in return,'' said Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest, who wouldn't speak specifically about Cabrera. ''[Cabrera] is an awfully good player, that's for sure. ''We have our payroll challenges that we have to meet head-on. ... We have to look at everything right now.'' Beinfest was scheduled to begin chatting with other GMs on Tuesday night, and Williams was expected to be on the list of interested parties. The Marlins are looking to deal Cabrera mainly to save money. Cabrera earned $7.4 million in 2007 and stands to earn at least $10 million in arbitration this winter. Great impersonation Aside from his close relationship with Guillen, Cabrera could bring solid credentials as a Cubs hater -- something always valued on the South Side. During a 2004 game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Cabrera re-enacted the darkest moment in Cubs history when Moises Alou fouled a ball into the left-field seats near the Cubs' bullpen. It was close to the spot where the ''Bartman Ball'' incident occurred against the Marlins during the 2003 National League Championship Series. Though the ball was deep into the seats, Cabrera -- playing left field -- did an impressive imitation of Alou's stomping temper tantrum. Sox fans had to love it. And they quickly would embrace Cabrera, making it easy to forget about Joe Crede. It's clear Williams is on a mission to upgrade a 90-loss team. ''We have a starting solid core of position players and a solid starting rotation, and you've got your closer in place, and some young guys who have come up and shown they can get the job done,'' Williams said. ''So it's just augmenting that, and how we do that will be the difficult task. We'll travel down the free-agent road as well as the trade path and see where that ultimately leads us.'' Tops on the Sox' free-agent wish list are Minnesota Twins center fielder Torii Hunter and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein. Landing one or both of those players, then entertaining the idea of acquiring Cabrera likely means dealing first baseman Paul Konerko. There is a feeling Konerko, who has no-trade protection, would approve a deal to the Los Angeles Angels. But Williams is working one step at a time. ''This will be a test in patience for us this offseason more than anything because we really do have to -- more than we have in the past -- let the free-agent market evolve a little bit,'' he said. ''You can't act trade-wise too quickly before you get a lay of the land there in the free-agent market.''

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Nov 6, 2007 -> 06:10 PM) SI's Heyman: Miguel Cabrera officially on trading block. The usual suspects (at least according to the article) are after him.

QUOTE(Lemon_44 @ Nov 6, 2007 -> 06:46 PM) If the Sox sign Eckstien and trade for Damon, they may be the most un-watchable team in the league. You would think KW knows better than to rely on old speed, grinder types,with no arms after the year Pods and Erstad just had. Damon is worthless. Hell, they might as well re-sign Pods since he'd cost about 9 million less and you'll be getting the same production out there. I still can't believe there's any interest at all in Eckstein. I've neve seen a SS have to wind up to get the ball to 1b until i stumbled upon a Cardinals game. Last year's team was pretty unwatchable after May.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Nov 5, 2007 -> 08:38 PM) Why? With the inflation in contracts lately, his contract has gone from being relatively expensive at the time he was signed to relatively cheap for the numbers he puts up. Money doesn't strike me as being the best reason not to go after Tejada; i can think of quite a few better ones. He's owed $26 million over the next 2 seasons. I don't think the White Sox take him unless Baltimore throws about 8 million into a deal.

Tejada is clearly on the block in Baltimore, but the Orioles would have to pick up a ton of $$$ for the White Sox to acquire him.