NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (smalls2598 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 09:29 AM) Hopefully I can bring good luck to the Sox on my first Gamethread! Come on Clayton, keep up the great work. I'll be at the game, section 134 Perhaps your first game thread can ofset the first start against the Sox effect.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 09:22 AM) He shouldn't be platooned though. It just doesn't help him, or the team. I agree completely. Dewayne Wise is not a major league player, I've said it before. I've also said before, and will continue to, that you can make a long list of outfielders just in the organization, that are better than Wise. He should be about the 8th OF, by my math.

We now face two straight LH starters, so I'm sure we'll get lots of BA in those two games. The test will be after that, when he's definitely healthy, but we're not facing LH all the time.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 09:58 PM) Do we really want another pisser "can't beat a rookie" post game thread? I don't believe I bumped the other threads, just linked them. Did you even make any predictions in this thread, where you want to point out where people are wrong? Risk nothing, then criticize the people who have balls that you don't? Does the phrase "get a life" mean anything to you? I just looked at mine, and they are more wrong than right. So the f*** what?

QUOTE (tommy @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 04:17 PM) I highly doubt this game gets played. There is one weak blob of rain that might arrive in a couple or three hours, otherwise the radar for anything headed this way is clear. I'd say there is a very good chance they get it in.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 04:13 PM) We know - Obama really is the Messiah. Eeyore reappears briefly to tear the head off the straw man and throw it into the crowd.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 01:14 PM) also a mild chance of an earthquake...and for the first time the Aurora Borealis will be visible in Chicago....balta will provide details on the percentages later on. I actually saw the aurora once from the north suburbs, on the lake, looking north up the lake away from the city lights. Faint, but it was definitely there, and it was reported on the news that others saw it as well. It does happen on very rare occasion. I also remember a very small earthquake happening in Chicago, I think it was centered in the near west suburbs, some time in maybe the early 80's. It was like a 3.1. So there!

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 02:48 PM) Is Anderson still having flu like symptoms? Could be the reason. I sincerely hope so.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 12:51 PM) LINK I don't think I've ever laughed at that character, its just not funny. A movie? Seriously?

We do a lot of bashing in here, often for good reason. So it got me thinking... what politicians, present or past, do you all actually like? I am not saying you think they are perfect, but, ones who you think are at least close to what you'd like to see?

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 10:47 AM) lol wut That whole sentence is full of awesomeness.

By the way, I told that writer about this guy being in the Cubs' lineup at Iowa, and got a response: Looks like the Pirates PR office didn't even get it right.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 09:39 AM) Tejada Not Oswalt: A Steroid User. Thunderbolt Not Interested. What are you, Bo Jackson?

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 09:24 AM) Fields loading motion (IMO) is only going to be cured if he starts bringing his hands up and behind his head. His hands are just too busy when he holds them around the chest If you saw him hit in the last couple weeks (yesterday aside), he kept that back elbow up higher. That also means his hands were a little higher. He looked tons better.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 31, 2009 -> 09:21 PM) Your weekly reverse racist comment by Joe Morgan tonight was "Milton Bradley is one of the best athletes in baseball". I don't see the racism there, I just see Joe Morgan showing he is far and away the worst, least well-informed announcer in baseball. Again.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 08:13 AM) While I agree that Josh's swing looked messed up last night, the thing that I have noticed about him over the past few weeks is that he seems to be consistently "just under it". They say you get an average of one good pitch to hit per at bat, and Josh has fouled that one pitch straight back time and time again. His timing has been right there on those pitches, but he's not centering it. He's below center constantly. His bat load is also causing him to "chili dip", with his back elbow being too far down, causing the bat to start in the swing too low. At least, that is what I think I am seeing. That, and his inability to catch up to good heat, are both caused by that bat load. which by the way, he wasn't doing as often during his little hitting streak. He kept the back elbow higher, didn't hitch down as much in the bat load, and got the bat going sooner. Less power, but way better contact.

Until last night, Fields appeared to be making progress. Not only did he have that nice hitting streak going, but his swing had actually changed, and he was hitting fastballs. But last night, it looked like he regressed about a month, going right back to that big bat load/hitch again. Hopefully that was a blip, and he goes back to the quicker bat reflex again. If its a real regression, then yeah, Beckham will be in Chicago very soon.

Looks like they took Maxwell out of the rotation in W-S (best for all involved), and Jacob Rasner is now a starter.

Radar looks decent for now, next wave looks like its just now approaching the Mississippi. That is, unless another wave develops in between.

Donny had a stronger May at the plate than his April, though he's still not exactly hitting the ball well yet. He's splitting time pretty much evenly with Cole Armstrong (who is doing even worse). Here are his May numbers... 15 G, 50 AB .260 AVG .278 OBP .340 SLG 13 H 4 2B 0 3B 0 HR 4 RBI 2 BB / 11 K 1/2 SB/ATT Mediocre at best, though an improvement over April. One thing that concerns me is that high K rate and few walks. Donny had better plate discipline through the AA level, but has lost a bit of that in AAA. Hopefully that is just an adjustment underway. Defensively, Donny continues to throw out base stealers at a good clip – threw out 7 of 18 in May (39%). Add that to April, and on the season he has thrown out 12 of 29 (41%). He did also have 2 PB (first two of the season), and his first error. As related news, the Sox a couple days ago designated Corky Miller for assignment after acquiring a new backup C from the Mets (Ramon Castro) plus cash in exchange for Lance Broadway. If Donny had been doing better thus far, I'd say there is a good chance he might have been called up to replace Corky. Now instead, of Corky accepts the assignment, there will be three catcher fighting for time in Charlotte, which could further jeopardize Lucy's already decreasing prospects of becoming a major leaguer.

Fields in last 8 games: 11-for-27 (.407), .448 OBP, 3 2B Just sayin'.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 1, 2009 -> 11:26 AM) With all the games without a day off including a DH, it was imperative KW get a guy who could contribute offensively as a back-up C ASAP. Not having to give up much and not having to pick up money was a great move. My only questions about him are injuries and this: Castro is married with three children, and resides in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. In November 2004 he was charged for a rape that allegedly occurred in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hotel room on August 28, 2003. On November 29, he pleaded no-contest to reduced misdemeanor indecent assault charges and was sentenced to a year of probation. Where did you find that? Not something I am happy to see.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 1, 2009 -> 11:10 AM) GM formally files for bankruptcy. It's funny how the market doesn't even seem to care, it's up 213 right now. They were headed there for a while, and even before that were headed to what amounted to a controlled version of it anyway. Already priced in, and they probably realize its better for the long run anyway.

Garrett returned from the DL, made a couple shaky relief appearances, then a very short and shaky start. He has since appeared in relief again, where he finally looked like himself again. Still no idea what the nature of his injury was, and its unclear if he's now a member of the bullpen, or if he will go back to starting again. Here are his May results, which were not pretty: 5 games (2 starts), 11.1 IP 0-1 7.15 ERA 2.03 WHIP 5 BB / 12 K 4.00 GO/AO .367 AvgA 2 HR His K rate is still as high as you'd want from him, and he's still inducing ground balls at a good rate. But he's getting hit and hit hard, giving up 18 hits in those 11.1 IP. Hopefully his last appearance (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K) will get him going in the right direction again, and we'll see if his future is in the rotation or as a reliever.

Dan had a blip on 5/24 (0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) and took a loss, but has put up three straight shut down closes again since. His numbers on the season so far (as Kanny's closer) are solid in core numbers, and outright ridiculous on some of his peripherals: 18 games, 19.1 IP 3-2 2.33 ERA 0.87 WHIP 3 BB / 36 K (that's a 12:1 K:BB ratio, and a 16.75 K/9) 1.71 GO/AO .203 AvgA You really can't ask for much better numbers than that from your closer. He's not at all the prototypical closer though. Given the numbers he is putting up, you have to wonder if he put velocity back on again (see profile - his velocity and resulting K numbers had dropped his senior year). I doubt he stays in Kanny much longer putting up numbers like this.