LVSoxFan

Hey at least Paulie's making this guy work.

Go opposite field, Paulie! Like that. Almost.

OMG a stolen base! Et tu, White Sox? 1 out Gooch at second.

Nice quick swing by Gooch there. Atta boy. 1 out, 1 on, Thome up.

LOL! Did you see him go PHEW walking off the mound!

Actually yeah I do believe that.

Man, if they go all white flag/firesale this year... one shudders. Although somebody here posted either an article or an opinion that really the rebuilding is already underway and KW is just biding his time but really looking forward to... 2009. Ugh. I don't even want to think about it. I originally thought of all this not to blame Walker because these guys have all hit in the past and I can't understand what's changed in them. The stories of him "changing" people to these home run swings, though, horrify me. And where's the damn bunting? So I will join the consensus in calling for his head; although I like the idea of just moving him somewhere else in the organization.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Apr 17, 2007 -> 10:46 PM) Since when in the history of watching the whitesox have we ever been accused of being a 2nd half team. Our MO is lighting it up in the first half, and then dying a slow death in August. Slow starts scare me. Even last year, we started slow and the won a bunch of games. Point taken. But look at Cleveland in '05, or Houston. I think everyone's just pushing too hard right now. The team seems to get so demoralized whenever something bad happens. I don't see anyone smiling. I guess this is where Ozzie should come in: lighten up, boys--hack away, sooner or later the worm is gonna turn.

Not to be Hawk here, but I'd rather suck nowadays than go over the cliff in August/September, like we usually do. It doesn't make it any less ugly, but let's get the losing out of the way now. As long as we're in it approaching the ASB I'll be okay. That said, watching this game tonight was about as uplifting as watching Hostel: The Director's Cut.

Hawk informs us that it's the cold weather affecting our bats. In a game where Texas has just hit two homers, a double and a single in the past two innings.

Wow another 1-run game from us offensively. Ugh.

Ok so I'm not crazy. So why are we bringing up another pitcher and not, like Rock says, Terrero or Sweeney? Terrero hits lefties well, right?

Er... Pods goes on DL and we call up a .... pitcher? Huh? Oh, wait now I get it: 'cause BA would take over. Got it.

LOL.

I hear that. Sorry about the thread. I just wanted to come to some conclusion on all this, since he's been the Imus story of soxtalk.

Wow, well there you have it. I think we all tend to be in agreement then; BA should start, but if not he should be in AAA.

So the early consensus is that indeed BA should be starting, and Erstad the bench guy. Anybody disagree with that idea?

Okay so that's what I'm thinking: if he's not gonna start, then put him in AAA to get his at-bats. You can always call him up when needed, right? I guess that's why I don't get why they're not doing this.

So you'd start Anderson and use Erstad as the bench guy. Have I got that right?

I've been watching this go on here for months. On its surface, it's a good question. Why do we have this guy riding the bench if he needs at bats to get better? Is it because we just want to hold on to him as a backup in case Erstadt goes down? Or, if he needs at-bats and he's a potential backup for E., wouldn't we just send him down to triple AAA and call him up if necessary? My question is: what would be the best way to use him? I know he doesn't want to be in AAA, but wouldn't that be preferable to sitting around most of the time, if he is indeed our CF of the future? This isn't meant to be a thread on whether he sucks or not, whether he's overrated or not, whether certain trades were worth it or not, but simply: if you were Ozzie, how would you use him? I realize there's the Brian/Winterball thread, I'm just trying to get a consensus here as that's all over the place at this point.

Don't we all think it's a bit early to be slitting our wrists over the Sox? It's been two weeks. The pitching looks excellent, which is what we're built around. I think we should just be patient. If we're still at this point at the ASB, then I'd be worried. Right now I'm not.

LOL. I think you're right Rock. And for all the stick he took last year for his pitcher management (sometimes deservedly so), I think his bullpen management this year has been spot-on. Again, the pitching seems to be there. That makes me happy. I can't beleive that one of the most offensive teams of the past two years (no pun intended) is going to be in a slump forever.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 05:09 PM) The thing that I get a kick out of the post game call in shows and the calls in shows during the week. Everyone that calls talks about bunting, we need a bunt, why are we not bunting more. Bunting to move a runner into a scoring position, I can agree one that. But what has hurt this team for a while is situational hitting. To me, when you talk about the Minnesota Twins and what a grinder is about. Its getting the runner over, by hitting the ball and puting it in play. And by being a tough out. When you get 2 strikes, you should shorten your swing, and get the bat on the ball. A strikeout gains nothing. But we saw late last year and now this year. Long looping home run cuts in situational hitting times. Its like they want to be on sportscenter or the hero. Give yourself up, hit the line drive, hit the single. Dont fall over trying to hit the ball to mars. I thought we got rid of this mentality when Valentin and Lee were let go. Yet we are here, and I see long looping home run cuts. This is what I wanted our team to work on over the ST. Not bunting. This by far comes up more during the season than the bunt does. Can you hit the ball to right side. Can you hit the ball back up the middle. Can you put the ball in play on a hit and run. Can you be a tought out, fouling off pitches. Working the pitch count. Can you hit a sac fly. These are what I consider the grinder mentality that KW talked about when he wanted to Emulate the twins. Not the popups, not the suicide shrug on the "ooh I almost got into one", not the fall over K on 2 strikes with a man on 2nd and 1 out. And not the damn bunting. Winnah!

I agree, good post. How ironic that last year our offense 1st half was killin but our pitchers were letting us down. Now the situation is reversed. That said, I'll TAKE THAT any day over the former; you HAVE to think that Dye, Crede, Konerko, A.J. can't be in this slump forever. Just bad timing. But it is indeed a marathon and not a sprint and only nine games in, so I am not about to panic. In fact, the pitching thing makes me more optimistic than not.

Yeah I'm not sure what Ozzie did that was so wrong when his team can't score one run--he's not the one at the plate. And he obviously managed the pitchers well. I agree, and how many times have we said this in the past two weeks: ENOUGH with the home run swings? We've all been saying it since ST, yet it continues. Hell I'd rather see bunt attempts then another deep fly to... the right fielder. Or another pop-up to end the inning. How about some opposite field hitting?