Drew

Seriously. Thor in 6th, inning over.

Paging David Riske...

On a similar note, I want someone not named Podsednik in the leadoff spot. Ozuna has been hustling his ass off, swinging the bat well and making some solid plays in the field the last few weeks.

I get mine from someone who reports to Bud Selig. I'll find out how much I owe in another few weeks. Last year, she hooked me up with ALCS and WS tickets at the eleventh hour, and they were very last row upper deck behind home plate at both Angel Stadium (behind Bengie Molina's family, no less) and USCF.

I'd rather have another Comissioner's Trophy.

Well, I don't think it was a bad thing to put Thome in the 3-hole at the beginning of the season. He had some pretty lengthy on-base streak going and was putting up monster numbers. When you want your highest OBP guy in that slot...there you go. What we didn't have for most of last season was a no. 3 hitter, and Thome came in as a natural no. 3. Easy choice to put him there. I do, however, think it's a mistake to keep the gimpy, post All-Star Break Thome at 3 when his production has fallen off and you have someone who has been putting up 3-worthy numbers consistently. When you have the luxury of guys like Thome, Konerko, Dye, Crede, and even Pierzynski swinging as well as they have at points this year, it should figure in the lineup more than it has.

a proper thread title would be "Former 05 Sox Players Headed to Post Season?"

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 23, 2006 -> 06:44 PM) Granderson really is trying to resemble Pods now. Come to think of it, I have seen a black Peter Pan before...

That makes what--eleven LOB?

one and out for BA.

I want to see Cintron lead off.

JOOOOOOE!

If we put Thor in two batters earlier, we may be done and batting by now. Apparently Ozzie wasn't taking notes when Leyland gave Miner the hook in the second.

HEED! THORNTON! NOW!

QUOTE(ottawa_sox @ Aug 23, 2006 -> 04:54 PM) He simply has no speed. Give the guy a break. Nonsense. I've seen him score from second on a home run.

Ozzie, See what Leyland's doing right now? Are you taking notes?

Way to go Freddy, give back your early runs.

Verlander adjusted extremely well in his outing after it seemed like we had his number all season long. Our offense didn't adjust to stay with him. Last night our offense failed to adjust to Kenny Rogers, who did not have his best stuff but still made us look like Little Leaguers. To make matters worse, we dwelled upon Dan Iassogna and the White Sox mentally conceded the game--in the second inning. Combine that with poor outings from our starting pitching and some questionable management, the White Sox have been outplayed and outmanaged the first two games just like we were the last time we went to Comerica. Detroit was the better team those two nights and the win-loss column shows it. What we haven't done this year with any sort of consistency is play like World Champions. We've got the best roster in the AL on paper, but our guys are underachieving. It's a hell of a feat that we're only single digits back behind Detroit right now.

QUOTE(JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Aug 23, 2006 -> 10:41 AM) just using it as an example as to why the situation could be MUCH worse for the white sox and their fans We drop these next two to the Kitties, we'll be as close to that as we've been all season long.

How many times has Ozzie Guillen been tossed for arguing balls and strikes this year? I remember Ron Kulpa tossing him and Don Cooper in Minnesota over a check-swing and sometime during one of the Cleveland series earlier this year. The only time out of the five I remember that wasn't was the 8/10 game vs. the Yankees over Eric Cooper's pre-meditated 'safe' call on Bobby Abreu. I felt that Iassogna was giving Rogers strikes he wasn't giving to Buehrle, but Ozzie has to be smart enough to realize he has no check and balance against the umpires. I'm not even sure Bud Selig does. The entire team, including Buehrle, allowed that douchebag to take us out of the game, mentally. By the second inning. Champions don't let that happen. Captain Obvious says that we have not been playing like World Champions this year, period. The starting pitching that set the tone last year is struggling, the defense isn't as efficient. The offense has not been carrying us like it did the first half. While that is what the men on the field and at the dish are charged with, Ozzie can be charged with not making enough adjustments to try and turn things around. Last year, Ozzie only used the same lineup something like three days in a row. The plug-and-play with the bench players notwithstanding, the only adjustment to the lineup he made that I can readily remember was recently when Thome and Konerko were out. Perhaps he was willing to shake up the order because he was without a marquee DH for all but 34 games last season? Jim Thome was on a tear the first half of the season and he is now struggling. For the past few weeks, he has consistently made the third out in the Sox half of the first, or often he will tap out to second with RISP, and isn't drawing as many walks as earlier on in the season. Dusty Baker did the same thing with Sammy Sosa, not moving him from the #3 slot in 2004 because Sammy was 'sensitive.' I'm pretty sure Jim Thome is man enough to take a temporary demotion--he came to the Sox because he wanted to win, no? His handling of the starting rotation has been piss-poor. Brandon McCarthy could have and should have been moved into the rotation several different times this season as an answer to the underperformance of Garcia or Vazquez but it hasn't happened. I don't understand what he is waiting on. I don't understand why KW hasn't intervened. If they aren't going to use Brandon McCarthy, DO SOMETHING WITH HIM, like get him in a deal for someobody.* While Ozzie Guillen will forever be remembered for bringing a World Series Champion to Chicago, I would not be surprised to see him packing his bags in the next few seasons. *No, I am not suggesting Brandon McCarthy be traded. I am simply expressing frustration that he has barely been used at all when the circumstances would point to it.

way to swing at ball four, Jim.

This sucks. Buehrle sucks, but Iassognia is not being consistent at all. Two-out hits, two-out runs, and a bases-loaded walk.

When Thome was out a few weeks ago, I really thought AJ did well at #3. His slap-hitting added a lot of dynamic to a top of the order that was stagnating. I would really like to see what either he or Dye could do in that slot as a shake-up. There were a lot of variables clicking at the right time for last year's Sox, but I feel that the batting order shakeups had at least a little something to do with our jumpstart to avert the collapse of a 15-game lead. It seems that what Thome is doing a lot of lately is grounding out to second, while JD is swinging the hot stick. What kind of difference would it make to get JD in the box in the first to either get on or move the line. As well as Cintron has been hitting, I'd be curious to see how he does leading off. Also, BA has been swinging the bat well in the second half of the postseason. Originally there was talk at putting Crede at #9 to protect BA, which has not yet happened. Just for a game, just to see what happens, I'd like to see a lineup like this: 1. Cintron SS 2. Iguchi 2B 3. Dye RF 4. Konerko 1B 5. Thome DH 6. Pierzynski C 7. Mackowiak LF 8. Anderson CF 9. Crede 3B

You've got to Cage that Tiger before she eats you up.

it's happier than getting swept, but how happy can you be with sloppy defensive play and poor pitching that cost us even a chance at the two games we lost?