NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 09:01 PM) 25,264 watching White Sox-Rays tonight Props! National TV game tomorrow, hopefully they show up well. Was a 6:10 Fireworks game, now 3:05, that always causes some drop-outs. But the weather is supposed to be spectacular, and if the Sox can pick up a game on DET tonight, maybe they'll get a good walk-up.

That was close.

Meanwhile, batting w/RISP for the Sox continues to be atrocious. I'm really surprised they've been in such a funk in those situations for THIS long.

Minny now up 2-0, bottom of the 7th, on a Doumit HR off Coke.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 08:30 PM) Hawk said good crowd, FWIW. Yeah, which is kinda weird... you'd have thought the CLE games, when the Sox were more in it still, would have drawn better. Tampa doesn't exactly have a big following, though they are a better team.

There ya go, Alex. He hit a rocket foul right before then, usually that means you don't do it again fair. He did it there.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 07:52 PM) I was wondering if something happened Wednesday night between the two that caused Hawk to be out last night. I think Hawk may actually be sick. He was scheduled to be on a conf call with season ticket holders (one of those ask-the-player/coach/announcer type things) yesterday and it was cancelled just prior. Of course, this season may also be what is stressing Hawk into getting sick.

DET and MIN still scoreless in the 5th. If Minny can't get some runs on Smyly, that doesn't look good for the rest of that series.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 07:03 PM) I've heard that Memphis has more palpable racial tensions than anywhere else in the country. Never been there, but I want to visit just for the BBQ and music. It is definitely a fun town for a weekend or two.

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 03:55 PM) I don't agree at all. It has it's faults, but so does every city. I really love Memphis. There are a lot of great things about it. Then again, I grew up in Memphis so maybe I'm biased b/c of the "home" feeling it provides. I lived in Memphis for about 3.5 years. Crime rate dwarfs that of Chicago, schools are awful, the neighborhoods are more segregated than any I've seen in any other American city, and the summers are horribly muggy. City government is completely screwed up, they thought it was a good idea to spend a few hundred million for a new stadium for a basketball team that couldn't fill the one they had, but they couldn't find $15M to get the asbestos out of their schools buildings. That's what I see as awful. There were some good things - music, food, bars, tolerable winters... but again, most of that is more important for visiting than living there. Also loved having Shelby Farms there. But if I had to make a list of cities to live in, it would probably be near the bottom of my list.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 06:15 PM) Funny, I was actually on a huge cargo ship on the Yangtze River in the middle of that game WED where the division lead went bye-bye. I guess it's appropriate for the ship sinking and Titanic/Lusitania/Remember the Maine analogies to kick in. Are you Ty Webb?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 07:54 AM) With me having strong ties to my family in Indiana, Chicago and Indianapolis are the only big cities I'd actually consider living in, but if that weren't a factor, here's how I'd rate cities that I have spent significant time in, based on cost of living, climate (I'm more of a cold weather person), traffic congestion, crime, politics and entertainment: 5-star: Dallas, Denver 4-star: Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, San Diego 3-star: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Houston, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Phoenix 2-star: Baltimore, Detroit, Jacksonville, New York, San Antonio, San Francisco, Washington 1-star: Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Saint Louis, Seattle Yeah, some cities are great for visiting, but not great for living in. Memphis being a prime example. Same with New Orleans.

Places like Scotssdale and Arlington are not cities, they are suburbs, and should be part of their actual cities for the list to be useful. Unless it is a list of best suburbs. And smaller towns should be a seperate list too. Also... Tulsa? Lincoln? Seriously?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 02:51 PM) I rated him as a 5 star poster. Haha, poor guy is famous already and he doesn't even know it. Watko25.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 02:19 PM) Of course I've never done anything like that myself & all my posts are on point and terrific That we actually ban for.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 01:36 PM) I think you and I were two of the most consistent posters with regards to fears of the pitching running out of gas. I'm pretty sure everyone had that fear. I know I stated it pre-season in my predictions, and so did many others. The rotation just screamed that. This was a year to stretch guys out - which is good for 2013, but not so good for 2012.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 01:39 PM) 2012 attendance is now at 2003 levels. It's projected higher than 2004 but still better than 2000, when the sox made the playoffs. That was kind of what I was getting at. They are still mid-20's, worse than much of post-2005, but also better than much of the 90's and early 2000's. Also, amazingly similar trend to the housing market.

The drama in this thread is hilarious. I feel like I walked into a planning session for a sorority ball.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 10:45 AM) Kenny failing to get a back-up SS/3B at the deadline was a huge blunder. I disagree. With Youk and Ramirez, they play basically every day. I can see an argument for a backup for Youk given his history, but he only missed a few games, and I think the impact of that is miniscule compared to other issues.

QUOTE (Doc Edwards Shot @ Sep 28, 2012 -> 10:32 AM) This is true, except that you have to have somewhat productive players on the bench to put in. You can't make a habit out of a guy like Orlando Hudson who hits like .150. This shortcoming is on Kenny for not giving Robin decent bench players. Chicken and egg. Maybe they were hitting .150 because they never played. Look at Tyler Flowers, who by the way was a pretty good 2nd catcher... he started hitting near the end of the season, when he finally saw a little more playing time. And Escobar was never thought to be much of a hitter anyway, but again, they guys need to play to keep the rust off. Bench players are bench players for a reason. And I think KW did an OK job with it. Flowers was pretty good, Escobar was good defensively. The Wise pickup was a good one. Danks works out fine as a backup OF.

I really didn't see any magical turning point - I saw a team that just seemed to be getting more and more tired as September went on, and then the pressure took a further toll in making batters press w/RISP. It was more of a slow fade, in my view, than some single turning point. And by the way, that's one thing I'd actually put on Robin, that I hope he learns from... he needs to play his bench a little more during the whole season, not just near the end. I love the job RV did overall, but of the few things I didn't like, that one really sticks out.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 27, 2012 -> 02:13 PM) They'll start off decent, but with some growing pains in the bullpen and on defense. By May they'll be in the race, and stay there near until August, ans the team starts to gel and hit. Peavy pitches surprisingly well, almost like old Peavy... Dunn has a big comeback year... Beckham does better than last year but still not quite there... and Rios sucks, but Fukudome takes more playing time. Then Peavy, Sale and possibly Humber start to feel the wear of massively increased innings, and start to dog down and struggle. One or two might even be shut down or moved to the pen, replaced by Molina or Axelrod or Castro. The team fades through September, but is on the outside edge of the WC race until the last week. 82-85 wins, and about 5 games short of the 2nd wildcard. Other than Rios (who I was very wrong about), I was pretty close.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 27, 2012 -> 03:07 PM) Because he's a veteran, over 200 innings, a free agent, and the season is over. That's just what they do. I have never seen "they" (them) do that, and I see no reason to do so now. If anything, he wants to prove he has the strength to keep going. So I highly doubt they sit him. They may site Sale and Quintana though.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 27, 2012 -> 03:03 PM) Detroit's health is what is winning them this division. Their 3/4 hitters are going to play ~160 games and have been basically unencumbered offensively by injuries. Their top 3 starters all got healthy for the stretch run as well as their talented leadoff hitter. The rest of that team is very suspect (that's baseball, right?) Scherzer was just scratched from their Friday game. Smyly in. And JV is hurting. So actually, their top starters are exactly what is getting unhealthy now. We'll see if it makes any difference though. Agree on their offense though, that is the big difference maker for them.

Yup, 8th best record and 9 games over .500, with a team that you and most of the pundit world projected would finish last or near-last in the division. And they were able to stick it out until the end because of some pretty awesome moves by KW. I agree, good send-off season, though obviously it would go from good to great if they actually make the playoffs. Also LOL at you posting this, as if you didn't already say it in multiple other threads. And as if it means anything. And as if every poster here isn't already keenly aware of your irrational reactions to all things KW does.