RME JICO

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Jan 28, 2006 -> 04:28 AM) I wouldn't doubt Frank's ability to hit homers at the Coliseum. Did everyone forget July 3rd against the A's last season? http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...d=cws&ym=200507 July 3: CWS @ OAK • Thomas' HR: 56K | 350K He destroyed Zito. Yeah, he was 1-4, with a K and 3 LOB as well. Ozuna on 3rd with 1 out, Frank strikeouts. Ozuna on 1st, Crede on 3rd with 2 outs, Frank flies out.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jan 28, 2006 -> 03:31 AM) And that's with home games in what used to called The Coliseum. That's not the Cell he'll be trying to jack them out of. Yeah, I didn't even take that into consideration. Adding that into the equation, and the fact that he hits one about every 15 AB's, does he even get to 20 HR's? In 2005, he hit 12 in 105 ABs, a much higher rate than his career average, but he hit 9 of those at home and only 3 away. Career Stats in OAK - 16 HR, 253 ABs.

It is hard to imagine anyone not rooting for Frank to some degree. He was the face of the organization for a decade and a half. I just don't think there will be too much to root for this year. I wish him the best, but fear the worst. 52 HRs seems like a long way away. Using his career averages, he would need almost 800 ABs to get 52 HRs and the most ABs he had in one season was 582 (2000). He obviously is nowhere near that form anymore, so if he can get 300 ABs this year (which would seem almost like a miracle), he might be able to put up 20-25 HRs. That would still leave him 27-32 short of 500 and without a contract in 2007 at the age of 39.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Jan 28, 2006 -> 02:42 AM) Thome had surgery to repair a frayed tendon in his right elbow. I don't believe he had Tommy John surgery. http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/index....rofile&name=266 Yeah, he did not have TJ surgery. His surgery was actually fairly minor. It was a fray not even a complete tear. It started out as tendonitis or Tennis Elbow and he tried to play thru the pain and it got worse. He had a successful surgery on August 16th. So he is almost 6 months since the surgery with rehab and physical therapy. There is a good chance that he comes into 2006 in better shape than he has in years.

It is really hard to compare everything as it lays out now compared to how it played out in sequence from the end of the season. Thome was insurance for Paulie's impending departure, and when Paulie resigned, that was when Frank was gone. Even if that didn't play out exactly that way, were the Sox going to wait until every other FA signed to see if Frank was healthy by ST? I highly doubt it. Also, if you research more about Frank's injury, it indeed is the "Big Hurt". He cannot have surgery on it again, and the next time he injures it, his career is over either way. That is a huge risk. It is all or none. Thomas was not going to take that contract from the Sox. Also, do you really think Frank would take a contract that low if he didn't have to? Why were there no other suitors willing to pay Frank that much? All he has to do is roll his ankle once rounding the bags and he is done. Frank also puts a lot of pressure on his left ankle when he bats, so there has to be a lot of concern there. He is a monster, so there is added pressure on his lower extremities, he is 38, and he has not run since the injury. He probably also has a higher probability of injuring another part of his body from compensating for his ankle. I don't know how you can compare that to Thome's situation. Remember this: These tests obviously had to show something that would lead the Sox medical staff to believe that he was a considerable risk, and that the Sox front office needed to start looking into alternatives. This whole situation is just going to motivate Thome even more to have a monster year and shut up all the naysayers. Lastly, you really cannot compare Thomas+Everett+Rowand to just Thome+Anderson. There is an extra roster spot that will contribute, whether that is a pitcher or backup positional player. The Sox added more flexibility, Thome can play 1st, where Thomas and Everett would platoon at DH and Carl would get some time in the OF. You are handcuffing your roster by having a player that cannot play any field positions. That last spot becomes even more important over the entire season.

Frank really feels like he was done wrong. Thome played in 59 games and Thomas played in 34 last year. Frank has only played in 108 games in the last 2 years, and played in only 20 games in 2001. I am surprised he is bringing up Thome in his own news conference. Thomas has not even ran yet. He wants to be ready for ST, but right now he is not. Thome is reporting with Pitchers and Catchers.

Regression? Iguchi's 2nd year in the US, not batting in the 2 spot. Crede finding his swing after the DL last year. AJ coming off his worst batting year in the bigs. Uribe coming into his own. A healthy Thome. A healthy Pods. Paulie getting protection from Thome. Anderson playing a full season vs Rowand's numbers. Mack and Ozuna over Timo and Harris. So the only one that would seem even close to regressing would be Dye.

QUOTE(MinnySoxFan @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 09:29 PM) Is anyone else surprised at how cheap they got him? I am surprised it was that low. They are really concerned about the injury if they are going to give him a bonus if he doesn't have an injury to that foot, and other play time incentives. It will be interesting to monitor this situation in ST. I am sad to see him go, but I can't imagine him returning to his old form.

Next Question!

DENVER SEATTLE

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 10:01 PM) I thought it would be obvious without the green but I guess not. I guess someone has to pitch in place of Viz.

Wow, I never saw that one coming, Harris playing CF for the Sawks in place of Damon.

Grieve has shown that he can play at this level with some good years in OAK, I just hope those years were not influenced by the Giambi Products Inc.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 01:45 PM) I doubt it. He's been planning on this publicly for a while, so I'm sure we would've heard if they have a problem by now. I think they'd be more upset that you spelled their name wrong. So I guess they are all upset. At some point you have to become a US citizen if you want to stay and work here.

Wow, Ben Grieve, haven't heard that name in awhile. He could be a huge pickup if he can return to form.

QUOTE(watchtower41 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 03:13 PM) The only thing I'm kinda surprised about is that he didnt throw Paulie a bone in the letter, as far as looking forward to playing with him or returing the praise that #14 dished out in his letter, mentioning that Thome had a great deal of weight in deciding to come back. At any rate, I'm glad that he is not taking the sit back approach and waiting to naturally become a part of the team and our chemistry. He is taking his own iniative to be a true White Sox team player right from the get go instead of trying to alienate himself for not being a part of the special year which triggered his arrival. In regards to mentioning Paulie, he probably didn't want to offend anyone by only mentioning one or two players. Welcome Aboard Jim!

QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 12:04 PM) In order to satisfy, one has to have a big penis. Its all about the penis. If you don't have a big penis, girls are not interested. Or men for that matter. As Dice Clay would say 'This girl once said, give me 12 inches and hurt me. So I f#cked her twice and hit her in the head with a brick' You need 12 inches to satisfy. That is my conclusion. Don't forget the girth. There is a big difference between a straw and a Pringles can.

Doesn't seem too bad, just wish they limit the amount of ads and videos. Thank god for Firefox and Flashblock.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 10:46 AM) Why would you remove KC though why not remove the white sox or indians in which case the West would be better..... Actually if anything remove the team in the middle which is the Twins to compare them. Whitesox > Angels Indians > A's Detroit KC so they are about =. The reason why I removed KC was because they were way out of the norm of even a bad team, and if the West added say an expansion team, I am sure they would be last in that Division.

I would like to just see him stay healthy. I think that contributed to his slumps. If we have him for a full year at 3B, he should put up better numbers.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 08:02 AM) I don't agree with this. IMO it was better then the West, and the only thing that brings us down against the east is how much better the Drays are then the Royals. The central was the only division in the AL where 3 teams finished above .500 plus having the team with the best record in the al. All 3 division were pretty damn good and I don't think it's correct to say the Central was the worst division, jmo. I agree, the Central had the best team in the AL (Sox), the best team not to make the playoffs (CLE), and the best 3rd place team (MIN). The West gets a break because they only have 4 teams. So it is not fair to compare the West to any other Division unless you remove one team (KC), and when you do that, the Central is better.

No, Biggio gets a ring for his routine popup drop in the WS. Paul gets ALCS credit, and Graffanino ALDS credit. Thanks to all of you for your non-stellar play!

I got a kick out of this one: You made $450,000 last year as a backup catcher who doesn't apply tags on close calls (see ALCS), you ask for $750,000, and your new team gives you an offer of $475,000. Man you must feel like a hot commodity. Widger got $500,000. The rest are here: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ArDd...ov=ap&type=lgns

All he does is regurgitate someone else's information, and yes Nolasco is a Marlin. It probably is not new, it it newly posted but I am sure it was compiled as a Top 100, then 10 prospects are posted at a time. It takes a lot of time for him to cut and paste from all the other sites.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Jan 18, 2006 -> 10:09 PM) If I'm remembering right here, Uribe didn't develop the leg kick until like mid-late August -early September. Yeah, Here is his Sept Splits: 92 AB .304 AVG .379 OBP .641 SLG 1.020 OPS 7 HR 16 RBI 10 BB 10 K and Post Season: 42 AB .286 AVG .362 OBP .476 SLG .838 OPS 1 HR 6 RBI 5 BB 8 K