LVSoxFan

A-Rod I could see (however unlikely) but you guys can't be serious about Bonds. WTF would Bonds bring to this team? We already have enough HR hitters and after watching Prancer miss fly balls all year in LF why would we want some broken down wreck like Bonds patrolling LF? Oh, and did I mention also that he's an ASSHOLE?

Pods better be gone next year. Thanks for 2005 buddy but dammit if I have to see you not get to one more fly ball (like yesterday, like Saturday) even though you're allegedly speedy... no way. Goodbye. BTW if we keep Grinderstadt as a starter, hope you're looking forward to 2007, The Sequel. And what worth MacDougal has at this point to anybody is beyond me.

I get Bob's point and I suppose I'm willing to hold off and see what KW is thinking here but I will say this: another season like this one and I want KW gone. Gone, gone gone. I also think the rotting core of our farm system is what's undermining this team. With the exception of Fields--who needs work--nobody they brought up this year excited me. But having had to suffer through 2nd half 2006 and this, truly the most dismal season I can remember (how perfect that yesterday went the way it did), I'm not going to listen to any of Kenny Wannestadt's crap if we aren't just killing next season. The other topic among us at Saturday night's game was how we are totally sick of homers. Sure they're fun but we'd all give 'em all back for clutch hitting, bunting, opposite field hitting--you name it. But enough of the big bombing, feast-or-famine offense.

Another Thome argument. Zzzzzz... ANYWAY: Mark Buehrle: B+ Javier Vazquez: A Jose Contreras: F Jon Garland: C Jon Danks: D Gavin Floyd: C Bobby Jenks: A Mike MacDougal: F David Aardsma: D Boone Logan: C+ Ehren Wasserman: B Mike Myers: F Matt Thornton: C- AJP: C Paul Konerko: C Jim Thome: B Iguchi: D Richar: C Juan Uribe: D Josh Fields: B Scott Pods: F Erstad: C Jermaine Dye: C Jerry Owens: C Toby Hall: F Andy Gonzalez: AA (LOL... exactly!) Ozzie Guillen: D Kenny Williams: D The Fans: A

I like interleague play just fine but yeah: Pittsburgh? AGAIN? Please.

It hit the concourse, which is amazing. The only thing I've seen even close to that was Terrero's homer (in person!) this year into LF which came this/close to landing in the beer stand under the kids' deck. I've never seen a ball hit that far in the current Sox park; not by Frank, not by Thome, nobody.

I'm diggin Fields too as our Left Fielder for the Future, after Crede comes back. Put Josh in some off-season ball to get some good LF experience, show him how to hit OF (as Ozzie mentioned this week), and I think we're good to go!

I salivate at the idea of A-Rod on the Sox. That would be like a shot in the arm to this franchise. Yeah, he's expensive, but he'd be worth it. As far as the Boras thing, how long is that going to drag out? Are we really going to deny ourselves all Boras clients from now until whenever because of some personal feud? That's cutting off your nose to spite your face.

QUIET! I am there tonight and I want to see it TONIGHT so I can have at least one highlight for the season besides... besides.... besides...

OK I'm an Ozzie fan no doubt, but offering a guy a five-year contract when you've got the worst record in all of baseball? I'm not THAT much of a fan.

If that's the idea, it's bound to fail. They don't even have local appeal at this point, as evidenced by the scarily empty park I was at this past Saturday. The only time I've seen it that empty is when I was at the -20 windchill game in April. I really thought their ads of late have been awesome so this puzzles me. Or, are their people here who didn't like them?

Actually what gets it in front of people is the Sox' advertising budget, whether the agency is big or small (and what media they intend to buy). I don't understand why a local team would need a large agency like BBDO.

LOL! Talk about re-arranging the deck chairs. When I first heard this I thought: huh? I think the Sox ad campaigns over the past few years have been brilliant, especially the ads this year with the super-slo-mo black and white photography. If there was one thing I WOULDn'T change, it'd be the ad agency. You know, if it ain't broke.... Thumbs down on this boneheaded idea.

That was a good game today. My first win since Elvis night. Way to go AJ! At this rate, I might just make it into the double digits before season's end.

Call me crazy but I'd say that's pretty good news that Floyd faced the Detroit Tigers at their place and gave up but one run. The other good news is our entire bullpen--almost literally--also only gave up one run. Losing 2-1 to the Tigers in extra innings isn't bad news when it comes to our pitching. Now, our offense? A whole different story.

Greetings from Detroit, where I now am in my hotel room after returning from Comerica Park, sitting 14 rows behind the Sox dugout. Honestly, it's a miracle we didn't get blown out in this game because we used so many bullpen pitchers. The moment they started showing up, I started the congratulating Tiger fans with whom I was speaking. I can't believe it went extra innings; I can't believe MacDougal got an out. Hell I can't believe he threw a strike. The good news is that Floyd held the Tigers to one run and didn't get too rattled in a couple of ducks-on-the-pond situations. The bad news of course was our embarassing offense. Rogers had a one-hitter until he gave up one more before the pen came in. And people like Uribe just swing at CRAP... it's not like Rogers was overpowering them--I was sitting right there. Also, they pulled not ONE but TWO double steals. The only reason they didn't get a third was that the batter walked, loading the bases. Sure, Thome got robbed on that would-be double/homer (nice play we thought it was out) but really: our lineup just blows at hitting. Floyd did his job though; I CANNOT fault him at all. BTW beers at Comerica are up to $8.50!!! Although they are 24 oz. and not 16 but still! Great park on a summer night like tonight. Also: I've never seen a balk get REVERSED before.

Holy crap we won a game!!!

I can't disagree with this. At this point I don't care who stays or goes, we need a change. Thanks for 2005 guys, really. But it's time to say goodbye.

Here's how bad this season has been: I only watched maybe three minutes total of last night's game. In that three minutes, I got to see Uribe not even bother to hustle out a grounder and give up an infield hit, and Thome get thrown out from right field where what would have been a single was an out because of the shift, because everybody knows where he hits the ball. I really wonder if it's possible that we could be the anti-Cleveland '05 this last month. Remember when people like Ozzie back then wondered aloud if they were going to win every remaining game? At this rate I wonder if we could possibly lose every remaining game. I can't ever remember checking out this early (relatively speaking in a season); my jerseys hang in the closet, I don't go anymore, I don't watch. I'll go to one more game just to say goodbye to friends and employees at The Cell that I know, but sheesh! Embarassment and disgust have now turned to just... sadness. I feel bad for the team, for those who care. That has got to SUCK to have to go out there every night and experience no joy whatsoever. I wonder if Buehrle's wondering: "What did I get myself into?" LOL

LOL. Love the increasingly profane titles of the game threads. Funny, but... true.

This is correct: Pinella did go off on his team as they were stinkin up the place in that first month or so. Difference is, they eventually turned it around. Here's my take on Ozzie's recent "tirade" or talk in the Sun-Times today about how he's going back to his "old" self because being "nice" didn't work--I hear a man trying everything to fix this, and can't figure out what will work. That's not a slam, but in the end he can only hold so many meetings, make so many threats, babysit so many times... these guys are the ones on the field, and they suck. Pinella said pretty much the same thing during his tirade: in essence, he can do whatever he wants but if people can't catch balls or hit with men on base, what is he supposed to do? Pinella didn't waste any time calling his players out and the buzz back then was that some veteran players had to "adjust" to his confrontational style. If anything comes out of this maybe has Ozzie has learned that holding his tongue and being "nice" isn't going to produce winners. The story that blows my mind the most is how many times this season, after yet another loss, the Sox players would be in the clubhouse laughing and joking as if it was nothing. I think that's a huge chunk of your problem right there.

Like I've said I'm biased about Ozzie but if they were to fire him tomorrow I probably wouldn't protest. The more this goes on the more I do indeed think: he has lost this team. They don't listen to him. I'm game for one more year but at the same time I think I'm just asking for another 2007.

I have made the mistake of being a Mariotti defender here before (true story! I even started a thread! Never doing that again!) but when I read this all I could think was: STFU already. All this faux outrage about Ozzie's wife and yada, yada. Sometimes Jay has a point (the LaRussa thing is intriguing) but at this point all I get from this guy is he wants Ozzie fired so he can finally get back into the Sox clubhouse. Only Mariotti seems to view Ozzie's tirade about the team as a negative. Instead of focusing on the issue, Mariotti's all offended by the language. Sniff. I think at this point Mariotti is too blinded by his feud with Ozzie to objectively report on the Sox. He should just stop writing about them.

Me neither, but there are those out there who think that Ozzie is indeed the whole problem. It's hard for me to say because I'm biased--I like Ozzie, and I was thrilled when they got him. But you gotta wonder. Houston didn't waste any time saying "See ya" to their manager/GM after only 22 months since the WS. I'm kinda shocked that a team has become this embarassing yet no branches are being shaken. And the more this misery goes on, like with the Cubs-no-Boston-no-Oakland-no-Seattle-no-Texas, the more I cringe when Kenny Wannestadt gives his latest "All the pieces are in place" speech.

Cleveland must be totally psyched that they now have an entire weekend to pad their lead over Detroit! They must be licking their chops.