LVSoxFan

Me too. I'm a bit wary of KW's version of "All the pieces are in place" after this season, saying that's kinda what he said about... this season. And '06.

Pods is our Mark Prior. We could put that salary money to better use; like: burning it, for warmth, for example...

I'm enjoying the sarcasm, actually, because between this and KW's "We're almost there!" (Wannestadtian!) proclamations, I really don't want to hear it. Talk, talk, talk. What I want to see is DOING. On the field. We have sucked ass since July 2006 and I've heard pretty much every excuse you can imagine.

Isn't this argument sort of a false choice? Either Uribe sucks ass, or no: it's Fields! How about: Uribe is at the very best underachieving and at the worst lazy and mentally distracted? Or: Fields has a lot of potential and can swing the big stick but he's also a ROOKIE?

I hate to say it but I think that's right. We are going to have a crap 2008 if we build on the core, because the core is obviously rotten somewhere. I wish I had an answer but where do you even start here? Ozzie: could be--could be that the "novelty" of him in 2004 and 2005 wore off on the players and he can't control the club. Kinda like how they say you can't be a parent and your kid's friend at the same time Konerko: bad first half but of course he's a keeper (where is that "leadership" though?) Uribe: pfft. All the talent in the world but he just seems like a lazy ass now Pods: why we kept this guy in '07 is beyond me Erstad: destined to set a DL record Fields: hell put him in left I'll take him over Pods (potential trouble: the HRs are fun to watch but do we need ANOTHER power hitter with low percentage?) Richar: great glove... how long do we wait for him to learn how to hit? (see: Brian AAAnderson) Then comes the pitching: Buehrle: Fine Garland: WTF? Is it 2004 now? At first I thought don't trade away your starter horses but he just seems out of it these days Vasquez: Fine Contreras: what do you even say with this guy? Mr. Lights out up until last July and now it's like he's never played the game. Can't unload him... how long do you wait for him to figure it out? I thought Ozzie/KW said the Sox are not the place where players come to figure stuff out? Danks: is he? Isn't he? My head just spins at all the question marks. I don't even know where to begin. But I agree that what this team needs now is some major event/change, and not "If it's clearly broke, don't fix it."

I don't know how to feel about this. I like Jermaine Dye just fine, but I thought he would be the #1 trade bait last month, seeing that he can still play (albeit slower), he has power for a team looking for it, he's an OK fielder. I also noticed that when he was not traded, he seemed to have a little more pep in his step. That said, watching him round third and rumble home against Seattle on Elvis Night I thought: man, that guy is not fast. It looked A.J. slow, but not quite hitting the Konerko Slow bottom. And that's what worries me. We seem to have right now a mix of slow-running power hitters (PK, AJ, Dye, Thome), a couple of potential speedsters who can't hit (Pods, Uribe, Owens, etc) and... that almost seems like a zero-sum game.

What do you expect from Hawk the Homer? What I wouldn't give to have Stoney & DJ in that booth. What a year this has been though. Worst I can remember in recent history.

I'm kinda over it because we've been bad for so long at this point. But the amazing thing to me is how far we fell from 2005, so fast. With most of the core team intact. I've been used to at least being in second until we inevitably slide in August or September but... dead last? Wow. You wonder how we ever pulled it off in the first place, as crappy as we've been since last July.

Whoa, who's the bird in your avatar, William?

You know what, that's not a bad theory. I could see that.

I do! After last Sunday's game and currently 0-2 in Oakland I say they won't hit .500. The only intrigue for me at this point is: can we take last place? Can we literally go from World Champions to last place in the course of two seasons?

But of course: if I don't worship Thome, I'm "ignorant." Pfft.

LOL. It's like I just put up the Bat Signal...

I've been saying that about Thome for months and getting pounded for it. Love the guy, but he ain't helpin. We didn't need anymore power hitters to begin with, much less one with no speed whatsoever.

QUOTE(striker62704 @ Aug 14, 2007 -> 09:01 AM) I'm sick of power hitters, they have gotten us no where in the past two years. We need OBP guys. Guys that can hit opposite field. We need guys that can hit Jeff Weaver and Jake Westbrook (guys with losing records and ERAs over 5 that completely shut us down). We need to get rid of

I'm not saying we're doomed from now on, I'm saying I don't even know where to begin to fix this team. Well actually I guess I do: offense. How many great starts this year have been wasted by our total lack of offense or situational hitting. In 2006 the starters were wobbly but this year (save for Contreras) they've been pretty good... which meant nothing when we couldn't even score a run. Whether that means adding offensive-minded players or working with what you have (and firing Greg Walker) I honestly don't know.

This season has been such a mess I'm not about to jump on Ozzie and blame him for everything--although plenty here have kept track of his questionable moves that they say have cost us games, so I digress here and there. As for the Jenks entry yesterday, yeah, I'm glad he tied the record but man was that depressing. We're so clearly losing the game and the only entertaining thing worth staying for (we would have left earlier) was putting Jenks in to try and get the record. Point being: we still got blown out/shutout. That was just a weird feeling as a Sox fan--cheering for ultimately meaningless records when the game was still a loss. So this is what it's like to be a KC fan.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Aug 13, 2007 -> 11:28 AM) Wrong year buddy. LOL. Oops. Hey I wonder if that was a Freudian slip. It really has seemed to be the same season since July 2006 hasn't it?

LOL. I stand the whole time. To your point, what I'm trying to say is: I don't even KNOW where to begin on how to "fix" this team. KW didn't wave the white flag or clean house, so.... what? He's going shopping in the offseason? Farm system? LOL. That sure has worked out. Dye I thought was our trade bait but he didn't go anywhere (actually he's been playing well lately). Pods? Why, God... why Pods? Is Crede even coming back? Will Owens ever hit, or is he another AAAnderson? Contreras? What do we do with him? Are Danks or Floyd for real? Or do we have a five hole? Again? Just thinking about it all makes my head hurt, and no wonder Ozzie seems confused these days. I'm not sure threats work with the veterans and nobody's job seems in jeopardy so...

So there I was yesterday, spending just over two hours roasting in the sun watching the Sox embarass themselves and their fans. Again. At this point, when you pay money to see a team score literally no runs and blow what seem to be endless opportunities with RISP, you want to ask for it back. It wouldn't be such a big deal--a loss--but we've seen this kind of corpseball loss so many times this year we can't even keep track (check my sig). How is it that you sweep the Tigers in Detroit (causing a quick flash of optimism) and then come home to blow not one but TWO consecutive series against Cleveland and... Seattle? Friday night I was there for Elvis night and that was probably the best game I've seen all season. All-around great play. Momentum? Of course not--Saturday we get blown out. Let's not kid ourselves: it was 7-2 in the ninth and the only reason it looked close was Field's slam. Coming that close... you'd think it'd light a fire, right? Wrong. Yesterday yet another dismal, offense-free game where everytime I looked up he had a two-hitter or then three-hitter going against us (eventually five). That game, yesterday, really signaled the end of the season for me. Not that it hasn't been over for a while, but when there was at least some spark after Detroit, the Sox showed they waste no time extinguishing it, losing two home series in a row. And leaving that stinker from yesterday for us to remember as they go on the road. Anybody notice all the empty seats yesterday, BTW? A beautiful, sunny hot day on a weekend and I don't think I've ever seen that much green seatage on such a nice day. Who can blame anybody at this point? I truly regret having gone yesterday because I could have saved the money and done something more enjoyable than watching a team that just doesn't care. And I think it's time that we admit that: they don't care. I'm not sure where it is in the clubhouse--where it begins and ends--but a team that can't put together more than a four game streak seemingly since July 2006 just doesn't want it. Maybe it's time to call them what they really are: losers.

I was at the game last night and Bobby was topping out at 95 consistently. Hey, 95 is still smokin. I'd rather see him "pitch" then rely on 100MPH, which I think is a parlor trick that either a) batters will eventually figure out or B) ruin his arm.

BTW this year I have the glasses. Thankyaverymuch.

Hey what time do the Elvii parachute onto the field? I'm assuming it's sometime before 7 (haven't been to Elvis night since '05).

I'm still happy with Ozzie as a manager for now so I'm not about to jump on any anti-Ozzie bandwagon. I'm sure some of the people here are right about him sometimes but my attitude is: this team has been sucking all year and really--what does he have to work with? Now they're kinda coming together FINALLY. Another year of this though, and I may be less understanding.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Aug 8, 2007 -> 04:30 PM) Actually you being a Big time Rowand fanboy and avoiding all stats that show how good of a hitter Thome is in most situations is much older. Really? What does this have to do with Rowand? I'll remember that next time I'm watching Thome in a clutch situation and drizzling away like he did last night and more times than I can keep track of this year. But hey: that's Thome-hate, right? Pfft.