LVSoxFan

Did anybody notice that after "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" Sunday she just went off, completely showing off her chops on the next tune that she played? I was like DAMN: that woman has some serious skills!

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Oct 5, 2010 -> 08:00 PM) I'm surprised that AJ is listed as a Type A free agent, not sure how that will affect our offseason plans. I'm sure he will not be offered arbitration though. Can you explain this?

Why don't we crawl before we walk? That's a good point about KC--forget the Twins, who exactly were we beating this year besides Boston? Example: our record against KC was 7-8. People are wondering why we can't beat the Twins yet we had a losing record to basement dweller KC? I'd start there...

I was lucky enough to be sitting not far from her booth for the appreciation day a couple of weeks ago, and then to be there for her last game. She will be missed. Hell she is PART of that park as far as I'm concerned.

Me too.

Everything I've heard from PK in the press, he himself believes he's got three years left in the game. So I don't know why he'd be looking for some 5-year megabucks deal.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Oct 4, 2010 -> 01:39 AM) that was Crain in relieve of Liriano striking out both Konerko and Manny I think. That was brutal. Really made the last White Sox fan jump off the Manny bandwagon afterwards. Yes. I was at that game, and when that happened, you knew the game was over and probably the season too. If I had to pick one moment. And strangely, even though it was the seventh or eighth inning, people just started streaming out of the stadium right then and there.

What are the odds that Konerko comes back, realistically?

When it was time to run out and the team made Paulie run out alone, and then AJ. TOTAL CLASS. That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen, in a season full of classy Sox moments (Frank Thomas day, Nancy's goodbye). God I hope Paulie and AJ are back next year.

I don't they would ever tolerate that soap opera. Plus, Gardenhire seems like a guy who runs away from cameras, not to them.

You can't win the World Series if you can't even get in the playoffs. And if you remember in 2005 KW would say over and over: our only goal right now is to win the division, and we'll take it from there. Maybe I didn't make it clear: this is not a Twins praise thread I want to know what Paulie and Thome are talking about, and guesses about what Paulie's hinting needs to be changed before 2011. This thread is about what we can do for 2011, and Paulie keeps mentioning how they do things. Do what?

I don't think admiring a team is the same as "liking" them--it's acknowledging their excellence, which I would think anybody who wants to get better would do automatically. In fact, Buehrle said recently that on the field they absolutely hate them, but they have to tip their hat to how solid they are.

Well unless we're going to assume that both Paulie and Thome are absolutely full of it, they're obviously seeing something in the Twins organization that doesn't exist with the Sox. What is it? Assuming they don't simply mean the farm system (which they could very well be referencing).

But what is this "right way" that everybody keeps going on about? Because that implies we're not doing it the "right way"? I used to think that meant smallball/fundamentals but I really don't think we're lacking in that area anymore.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/wh...T-sox01.article So in an otherwise routine piece with Paulie talking about his plans for free agency, the most interesting diversion occurs at the end. To wit: ''Strictly speaking from the talent and the guys, I believe it's a team that can fight and win,'' Konerko said. ''I do think that things need to get better. The Twins are a good team, a great team, and more than that they go about it the right way. You have to go out and catch them. They're not going to come back to you. With the talent and the people here we can do that if we tidy up some things and get a little better with some things and move their way, move toward them.'' And then: Asked if tidying it up meant on or off the field, he said, ''A little bit of both, a little bit of everything. ... We've got to up our game a little bit. It's not just about the talent on the field. It's no different than Little League. It's not always the talent that finishes first, second, third as far as who has that on paper. [The Twins] are a great team on paper, too. Probably at this moment a better team. So if you're not the better team, you have to do a lot of things to catch them that are beyond the talent. That's something that will have to be addressed if they want to go in that direction.'' What I find so interesting is that whole "they go about it the right way" comment and how he's also talking "off the field" as well--because that first comment is exactly what Jim Thome said in one of his first interviews back here since joining the Twins. What do you think he's specifically talking about? Because he's obviously hinting at something, most notably: the Sox as-is are NOT set up to take down the Twins next season. What is he hinting has to change do you think?

Well both really. The White Sox hired Ozzie, not Ozzie's family. He needs to understand that. So do they, and therefore they should STFU.

Not sure if lowering ticket prices last minute would bring fans in if the team's out of it, and now it's colder out, and they're playing Cleveland to end it. I always hated the premium ticket scam--just because the team is the New York Yankees doesn't mean it's going to be a good GAME. I get why Cubs/Sox should be more but... That said I've been REALLY happy with stubhub this year for buying last-minute tix to games--got some great deals, deals that were nowhere to be found going direct through the Sox/TM.

+1. Cowley had it right in his column last week: KW needs to lighten up and Ozzie needs to tell Oney to STFU. His claim that he can't tell his adult son what to do is B.S. Name any job where your family publicly attacks your boss repeatedly and see how long that lasts. It adds nothing. Quite frankly I'm sick of them being in the press endlessly for non-baseball related things. That also adds nothing.

It's just a euphemism for "last home game." Maybe they'll walk the warning track after the game and wave at you and maybe somebody will get on the mic and thank us for being the best fans ever, but that's about it. Never did get where the "appreciation" part happened. You want to "appreciate" us? Make it free, mother****ers.

Sorry I still don't think we had a chance against a team that's been this hot, this long, and that's owned us all season.

Sorry but where does everybody get the idea that we had a chance against them this season? This was just the inevitable conclusion. They've OWNED us all year, not just part of it, but all of it. They're 46-16 since the All-Star Break. They wail on good teams like Texas and make quick work of teams like KC. They are 9-1 their last ten games, we are 3-7. They simply are, and have been in all year, a way better team than us and everybody else in the division. We'll see how far that gets them in the playoffs. But I don't get people here acting like we coulda, shoulda, had this. We've been wobbling since the ASB, we screwed the pooch in August, and only a prayer and a Twins losing streak was going to save us in September--and if you have to pin your hopes on prayers and other teams doing the winning for us, you're f*cked. I'm disappointed too but I'm not going to kid myself that we ever really had a chance. The one positive I will take from this season is that at the end of May, we were looking to be the last place team, we were that bad. We had a remarkable streak (and when was the last time THAT happened, streaks that long?) and we managed to keep it interesting until, arguably, the Detroit series where we lost 3 out of 4. That's just the way it lined up this year. Just like we couldn't be caught in 2005, this is their year. I'm not going to go stomping off into the night deluding myself that we were this/close to glory if it hadn't been for Ozzie/KW/f*cking Jenks/Ozzie/the DH-by-committee. I'm going to two more games and going to enjoy them just to enjoy some ball. We definitely have some pieces in place for 2011, assuming Peavy makes it back.

Good article. Gave me some insight.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 11:30 PM) Definitely throw Morel at 3B and let him get a feel for his future. And let Mark Teahen and Mark Kotsay get a job at a carwash and let them get a feel for their future. LOL. No kidding. I'm all for starting the kids from here on out; although, we can bring back Vizquel next year, cheap, if we want, right? Did anybody notice we starting going on our tear when Teahen went down and he stepped in at 3rd?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 09:40 AM) I'm going on Saturday night, and I'm treating it like the World Series. This was a fun team to watch for most of the summer, and they earned my respect. The Twins are just too damn good this year. I like how you think! I'm going Saturday too, and I'm going to just enjoy a baseball game and the fact that we can still see one and the weather's good, and it's an early start thanks to FOX. You're right, the Twins are just too good. I tip my cap to them, and will try and cram in another 2-3 games before season's end just to enjoy baseball for baseball.

I'll second that. In all reality the season pretty much tanked in August, if you go back and look at the record: -Lost 3 out of 4 to Baltimore -Lost 2 out of 3 to Minny -Lost 2 out of 3 to Detroit -Lost 2 out of 3 to Minny AGAIN -Lost 2 out of 3 to KC That's a winning percentage of .312. Which, coming into September, still wasn't enough to knock us out, but then, after SWEEPING Boston: -Immediately we lost 3 out of 4 to Detroit That was the time to make a statement--if there was even one left to make--but instead we snuffed out momentum instead of building on it. All that said, let's face the reality guys: the Twins are a far better team than us. I'm surprised we've managed to hang even this long, honestly. Since the All-Star break they are 41-16. That's a .719 winning percentage. It just wasn't our year this year. I'm at peace with that. We can at least enjoy the amazing tear we went on up to the ASB. By all accounts this could have been over in June. But they made it interesting until at least August. We just have too many holes right now, too much inconsistency.