NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 08:35 AM) Then who's the trade chip you're talking about? One of Danks/Floyd, preferably Floyd.

QUOTE (BearingPro @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 12:30 AM) I want to see big changes with this team. At the very least we need a 3rd baseman, a right fielder, a closer, a DH, another starter...KW has his hands full with this team. Anyone that thinks this current WS team can compete with the AL elite is dreaming. Another starter is the last thing this team needs, in fact just about every other team in baseball would love to have the 6 guys the Sox have lined up for that role next year at this point. Third base is also not a need, the team has a surplus of guys to fight for that spot. Really, the only big needs right now are a lefty bat that can DH/OF, and another bullpen guy (not necessarily a closer, if Putz is your guy next year). Other needs are about dealing with Konerko and AJ's impending free agency. Anyone that thinks this team is not competitive in 2011, already, is having nightmares. I would love to see the Sox get Konerko on 2 year deal, and assuming Peavy is healthy, trade one of Floyd or Danks (preferably Floyd) along with maybe Quentin to get the best LH OF/DH bat you can find. Give AJ a one year deal, which at this point is all he'd get anywhere, and let Flowers get back on track in AAA. Then see what the market has available for relievers. Do those things, and this team is very much competitive in 2011.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 08:14 AM) The only way I'd even consider trading Sale middle of next year...if he's having a successful year in AAA as a starter...is if I'm convinced he's 100 innings away from the Tommy John surgery. Between D1 hitting FA at the end of 2012, Jackson hitting FA at the end of 2011, neither one having any reason to be extended, and Mark constantly talking about retirement...we need that extra arm. Hell, we could use a couple of them. I wasn't talking about Sale.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 08:07 AM) The players will leave without talking to anyone. So be it. They can choose to go to the interview room, or choose to go home.

QUOTE (wallyburger @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 08:05 AM) Williams is disturbed and bitter. That's how I like my GM's. And my coffee.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 06:30 AM) How about they just ban all reporters from the locker rooms, male and female? Let the players change and what not in peace and then interview them when they get out in the interview rooms or wherever. Thank you. The topic shouldn't be about women in locker rooms, it should be about reporters in locker rooms. Makes no sense to me that they are in there at all.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 07:21 AM) The Town is at 91% after 74 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Previews make it look like another The Departed, which was one of the most over-hyped and overrated movies in recent memory (from, IMO, the most overrated director currently making movies).

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 07:51 AM) Not to sound like a Cubs fan, but since when is 2 (in 2008 they had 89 wins, might win 90 games this year) a disaster? I mean I just think your rhetoric is a bit over the top. Get used to it. There will be posters with these laughable over the top posts from now until April, saying the Sox are doomed, they suck, its over before it begins, etc. I think its just some people's way of dealing with a frustrating season.

QUOTE (J.Reedfan8 @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 11:07 PM) Honestly, out of all the times we've lost to the Twins in the decade (not counting the Tigers), I can honestly say this was the year that they are just a way better team (on paper and on the field) than we were. The fact that most of us on this board here called that when spring training didn't even start! That was mind boggling. I thought Nathan going down would be bad for them getting those last 3 outs, but of course, the usual Twins way, they find a way to get the job done (same with Justin going down, boom, Thome carries the load lost from him). We all knew their offense was far superior. I was of the few here that knew Liriano was gonna do well in year 2 of TJ. (told ya wite ) I didn't think Pavano would be this good (though there was a couple posters here that warned us, especially Ranger, that he was very underrated) We all knew their bullpen was really good, it was the other SP that we weren't too sure about. They all clicked in typical Twins fashion, and boom, here they are with another playoff appearance. In a way, I actually hope they can find a way to win the W.S. for more reasons than one (makes our org. wake the f*** up hopefully, no more posters here saying, oh they have own this division in this decade like the 90s Braves, i.e. poor man's version of them, but the 90s Braves do have that one world series win and the Twins don't etc.. etc..) Might be one of the only times they have a chance to play the Rays in the first round, which is a much better match-up for them, and we'll see from there. Other than the continuing mild obsession with predictions (), this is a very good post. I'm pissed about some things the Sox did this year, that includes players and managers. But its really worth noting that this Twins team is on track to win more games than any ALC team has since 2005. QUOTE (RockRaines @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 07:42 AM) I like how the perception now is that our team didnt want it or wasnt mentally tough. ON their climb back into this thing I dont think I've seen a more mentally tough team wearing the Sox uni in awhile. Yes they fell short, but it wasnt their mental state or their desire, it was the fact they sat on their asses in slumps for 2 months while every other team actually played baseball. There have been seasons, as recently as last year, where I felt the team lacked some drive or desire. This year, no way. This team fought back in more games than I remember any Sox team doing since 2005, even games that seemed hopeless, they made closer. This team did not have a problem with mental toughness, that was not the issue.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 09:21 PM) Sale to compete for a starting job in spring training next year. He is Peavy insurance it seems. Article also mentions the possibility of a 6 man rotation (lol wut) or Sale moving back into the pen after Peavy returns. (if Peavy's return was delayed in the first place) http://tinyurl.com/2b8tr2f I quite like the idea of going into next season with Peavy, Danks, Floyd, Buehrle, Jackson and Sale all in the mix for the rotation. Definitely should be a strength, or maybe provides a very valuable trade chip if Peavy is indeed healthy and back to form.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 07:21 AM) There are more and more rumors Ozzie could be leaving. I have only seen the opposite. Where are these rumors coming from? I'd be curious to see them.

QUOTE (CQMVP @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 12:48 AM) Kenny is just average. There's really no other way to put it. For every good move he makes, you have a Kotsay, Linebrink, Manny, Teahen, etc. It is what it is. Our organization is nothing more than average, from top to bottom. Our scouting is, arguably, below average. I mean, the Sox just don't develop major league talent, and it's pretty f***ing sad. Even teams that finish in the top 8 year after year develop major league talent, despite their poor draft positions. There's just no excuse for it. We have to start at the beginning and work our way up. The biggest, most glaring problem this team has, is our scouting staff and minor league development. It's just downright brutal. Reminds me of the Bears and Jerry Angelo. The last three drafts, the Sox have actually done quite well. Part of the reason you don't see that in the minors is that Beckham and Sale are already in the majors, and the 2009 draft caught a serious injury bug in 2010. Still needs work, but in reality, things have improved in terms of drafting and development in the past few years, and that will eventually start bearing fruit (really, it already did, with Beckham and Sale).

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 10:28 PM) Some of those ideas are pretty crazy. More insanity from O'Donnell, now fully endorsed by the GOP: AIDS Gets Too Much Gov't Money, Condoms Wouldn't Stop It She also has some pretty crazy ideas on porn and masturbation. Also bought into the 'Clinton killed Vince Foster' crap. The Tea Party candidates are simply conservatives. They're on the right-wing fringe end and sort of crazy for the most part, but they back common conservative ideologies. It's not some brand new movement and it never has been. It isn't libertarian. It isn't about more personal freedom. What you are saying is true about these three candidates. Its not necessarily true of the movement as a whole. That's part of the problem I see them having, is a lack of cohesion. You basically have the far-right-wing crazy conservatives getting nominated, and they represent some PART of the Tea Party mentality, but its not quite the same.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 08:05 PM) Joe Miller has some pretty terrible ideas, but I wouldn't put him quite into the same category as the other ones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Miller_(Alaska_politician) More anti-science crap, though. Ideas I disagree with are one thing. Being outright crazy like that trio mentioned earlier is another.

QUOTE (Butter Parque @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 07:48 PM) Give me a reason to be optimistic QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 07:56 PM) We are going to petition to have Selig put the Sox in the NL, Cubs in the AL. You guys are seriously priceless. This team, despite losing their ace pitcher for most of the year, the worst year their closer has had, and having nothing at DH, is going to win in the territory of 90 games... has guys like Sale and Santos developing and a truly solid 5 man rotation if not more, with only one well-performing player going to free agency... and you are already writing off 2011? In September of 2010? I mean, nothing is guaranteed, but you'd think reading this that this was a Royals or Pirates board.

Paul f***ing Konerko. You f***ing Rock. That is all.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 07:42 PM) More craziness: Glad to see the GOP endorsing her now. This is the quality of candidate populist movements based on anger and a good dose of anti-intellectualism get you. Raving idiots. Rand Paul. Christine O'Donnell. Sarah Angle. And the movement is largely swayed by Palin and Beck. Its funny how this is all working out. Tea Party gets going, the GOP decides to co-opt it, they succeed in primaries, and now they will likely bury the GOP's chances of winning the Senate. I'm actually glad to see new blood, but its a little sad that these are the candidates they are coming up with. There has to be better there. In all seriousness, are there any Tea Party-supported candidates that have won primaries so far that are not crazy in the way those three are? I genuinely hope so.

QUOTE (Tex @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 06:56 PM) I thought the piece was very well written, well thought out. The reactions around here priceless comedy. Seriously. 2007 was worse than this? We're already not a contender in 2011?

QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Sep 14, 2010 -> 11:08 PM) KW cost the Sox the division this year. The litany of bad moves is ridiculous: Swisher trade to NYY Vazquez trade Teahen acquisition and extension Kotsay over Thome Hudson for Jackson I know some of those moves were pre-2010, but they still affect this year's club. Those are all truly awful trades (or FA choices). Even the Pierre trade was bad, IMO. Pierre managed an OK OBP this season, but the Sox are still locking up $8M in a left fielder with a sub-.700 OPS. Next year looks awful. They have too much money locked up in junk like Teahen, Pierre, Linebrink to go with an overpaid Edwin Jackson and Jake Peavy...there's no money or minor league talent to fill the holes on the team. That's an odd list to discuss as failures. Swisher was terrible here and was clearly not going to work in the clubhouse - the bad trade wasn't sending him away, it was acquiring him at all. And even that seemed like a reasonable move at the time, though quesitonable on the defensive end - hard to have predicted he'd turn into such a cancer in the clubhouse. Vazquez trade? Hard to evaluate for certain yet, we need to see how the resulting players do in the majors. Lillibridge is a utility guy at best, but if Flowers is a starting catcher, that alone is a big win. Teahen acquisition was fine, but I agree with you on the extension, that was just a bad move. And Teahen hasn't played enough to have been a significant force good or bad. Kotsay over Thome was Ozzie's call. Hudson for Jackson, at this point, I will agree, it was a bad move. Not an awful one, and certainly had no negative effect on the team's performance in 2010, given how well Jackson has done. So really, tell me how any of those moves other than Kotsay, which was Ozzie's move, blew the 2010 season. Because I don't see it. Also, maybe I'm nuts, but I like the look of 2011 at this point.

QUOTE (chisoxt @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 04:14 PM) You forgot the part that reads...And I will offer Kevin Towers the same package of players that I offered two months earlier in the season when Jake WASN'T on the disabled list. As I understand it, the package was NOT the same. I believe Hudson or some other higher-considered prospect was in the original package, and not the later one, from what was posted here. Of course its all rumors so really, you and I don't know for sure.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 03:35 PM) And...why might I think that unusually high temperatures might be an environmental issue? (it's probably not just low tides and high temperatures, it's probably those things combined with all the other environmental calamities that are producing the dead zones in the gulf...most specifically fertilizer runoff. The high temperatures just encourage microbes to eat the stuff faster). It is potentially tied to an environmental trend, I was just pointing out that the article was stuck on the oil thing, when in the end, it appears that was not the conclusion the scientists came to. I am sure though that you are right, its multiple factors. Ecosystems are just so complex, its hard to ever pin a result on one specific cause.

QUOTE (Real @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 02:35 PM) Blah blah, puff piece. This team is where it is, 8 games out and financially strapped for 2011 because of Kenny , the gambler. Go gamble in Oakland Puff piece? Its a well-balanced article, and a great piece of journalism. Seems clear you didn't really read it.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 01:49 PM) Link At the end of the article: UPDATE: The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries investigated the fish kill and determined that it was the result of low oxygen levels caused by low tides and high temperatures.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 10:21 AM) They are very good, as they usually are. Couple that with their run as of late, well, the Sox had no chance. It has been a fun ride though. The past two seasons, the winner of the ALC didn't even win 90 games. This Twins team is on track to with 97-98 games. They are usually good, but not that good. I think most of us, if we were told going into this season that MIN would win that many games, would say "well, f***, that ain't happening". The Sox had troubles, but they are on track to win 88-89, which would have won the division in 2009 and 2008. Part of this is that the Twins are just having a ridiculously good year.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 11:57 AM) Checking other Sox boards, that seems to be the verdict. I haven't seem him play. Sounds like the typical White Sox organization that can load up with future DH/1B. I'd love for the DH to be out of baseball so more youngster would be forced to learn how to catch a baseball. Sounds like Viciedo is Josh Fields III. You still keep saying the bolded, and its still not at all the case. If anything, the Sox organization severely lacks 1B/DH types, which is why we ended up with Kotsay/Jones at DH. Viciedo is the only young up and coming player who fits that category, and he's still just 21, so its way too early to give up on him entirely for defensive purposes. Josh Fields? Fields simply couldn't catch up to 90+ heat, that was his major problem. Viciedo on the other hand has incredible bat speed, so catching up to fastballs won't be his issue. And this thing where you keep harping on defense still hasn't caught up to 2010, where the Sox have improved defensively and aside from the part-time RF (Quentin) and occasional 3B (Teahen), the team is pretty strong in this category.