WCSox

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Aug 23, 2008 -> 10:29 AM) Lack of raw stuff is not Dotel's problem. When ever you have a lot more K's than innings pitched like Dotel , you got good stuff. It's just location location location. Dotel tops out in the low 90's and doesn't really have an effective "out" pitch (e.g., Hoffman's changeup, K-Rod's breaking ball, etc.). Outside of the good movement on his two-seamer, I consider his stuff pretty average. Frankly, I'm amazed that he's able to rack up so many strikeouts. But I agree that location is a big problem for him. And that really becomes magnified when you don't have an arsenal like Jenks or Linebrink.

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Aug 22, 2008 -> 11:59 AM) Willie Harris wouldn't be in my top 50 favorite players, but I could see the attraction. JMO, but I don't see how stealing a base and scoring a run in the WS makes one a Top 25 favorite of all time. Sadly, I get the feeling that Greg Luzinski, Ivan Calderon, Tim Raines, and Lance Johnson won't be represented in the Top 20.

QUOTE (Whitewashed in '05 @ Aug 23, 2008 -> 08:52 AM) They have been playing great with the exception of yesterday. Dotel for the most part has been great this season. The sky isn't falling, the sox are only .5 games back. Yeah, the Sox sure looked great against crappy teams like the A's, Royals, and Mariners. But they need to play at least .500 ball against the good teams. And their bullpen is an absolute mess right now. They need to step up and make a statement against the Rays and Red Sox.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 22, 2008 -> 09:23 PM) We got bad Dotel tonight. I'm sorry but he's sucked in enough games that he can't be considered a phenom or pleasant surprise or a bullpen standout. Yes he's been decent. Yes he's helped us win some games and on some nights he's been outstanding The Dotel Cinderella Story ended last night. I figured that his career numbers and lack of raw stuff catch up with him at some point, and he magically morphed back into a pumpkin in the 8th inning. Dotel had an outstanding April and May, and has had his share of moments since... but his numbers have steadily trended downward since. He just can't be trusted to hold leads right now. When he has a bad outing, he either turns a small lead into a two-run deficit or completely takes us out of a games that are within reach. I pray that Linebrink is able to return soon, as I have no idea who in the heck would be a better 7th or 8th inning option right now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 20, 2008 -> 06:49 PM) For now, I'm much more curious/wanting/concerned about Liney. But thanks. Yeah, I've pretty much given up on Crede at this point. I'm sorry to see him (probably) leave the Sox this way, but we have to move on. Regarding Linebrink, this sounds encouraging, but I'm not sure if it means that much... Linebrink (shoulder) threw without discomfort on Tuesday and may throw again from the side on Wednesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. (Aug 20)

QUOTE (RME JICO @ Aug 20, 2008 -> 05:00 PM) You could say the same thing about the offense. Just think of their numbers if they were not so bad early on. The Sox offense actually has a ton of talent and I think that most people expected them to recover. However, several members of the bullpen (Logan, Thornton, Dotel) over-performed in comparison to their numbers over the past few seasons. Even if Thornton and Dotel continue to pitch like they did in April and May, Logan's gone and Linebrink's status is still up in the air. Given that pitching will be more important in October (should the Sox make it), I'll call the Sox a "pretty good" team, rather than a "terrific" one.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Aug 19, 2008 -> 11:01 AM) Jon (Minny): Who are your top 3 AL MVP candidates as of right now? Buster Olney: (1:36 PM ET ) As of today: 1. Carlos Quention. 2. Kevin Youkilis. 3. Joe Mauer. From Buster Olney's chat this afternoon Youkilis is a very underrated player who is having a really nice season and all, but the ESPN Red Sox knob-slobbing is incredibly annoying. Number two in the AL MVP voting? GMAFB. Also, Morneau is having a better season at the plate than Mauer. And given that he and Mauer are pretty much the Twins' entire offense, he's more deserving than "Youk" as well.

QUOTE (ChWRoCk2 @ Aug 20, 2008 -> 10:33 AM) I'm still waiting for Tampa Bay to fall apart. I figured once Longoria and Crawford were out they would struggle and slip in the standings. Crawford is definitely gone until at least October, but I had heard that Longoria would probably be back next month. With Baldelli partially helping to overcome the loss of Crawford, I think that they'll be OK. But if the Sawks lose Beckett for an extended period of time, I could definitely see the Sox or Twins taking the WC.

The bullpen ERA ranking is weighed heavily by their numbers from earlier this year, when Linebrink was healthy and Thornton and Logan were all pitching better. Getting Linebrink back will help. Any word yet on when that might be?

Could you imagine a thread with this title being posted here last season? OMG, Kenny's so stupid!!11!1! Fire him now!!11!1!

Good thing our guys broke out the sticks tonight and the M's completely bit it with RISP, as our pitching was terrible. That said, I'll take a win any way I can get it. And, man, CQ continues to amaze...

The '05 Sox were easily one of the most dominant teams over the past 30 years. Outside of the '98 Yankees and '84 Tigers, they match up well against the competition, with only the '99 Yankees being on the same tier (IMO). It was nice enough that we finally got a winner, but the fact that they dominated makes me even more proud.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 17, 2008 -> 10:22 PM) Agreed...it doesn't make sense to pay $13 million to a DH. When we were receiving that $22 something million subsidy from the Phillies, it was much more manageable from an economics standpoint. I've heard that there was a gentlemen's agreement between Gillick and Kenny where the Phillies would pay half of Thome's option if the Sox picked it up. I can't confirm that's true, though. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Thome would be a great fit on a number of teams, but he's a "more of the same" type of guy on the Sox. We desperately need a legitimate leadoff hitter with some base-stealing capability. I'd trade a year of Thome for a year of somebody like Figgins (or Carl Crawford or Curtis Granderson) in a second. And considering that Figgins can play 3B and all three OF positions, that's makes him even more useful.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 17, 2008 -> 08:54 PM) why on earth would you move Thome? Why on Earth would you rather have a $13 million 38.5-year-old injury-prone DH instead of a solid leadoff hitter who can hit for average, steal 40 bases a season, and play 3B (among several other positions). Jesus, we already have Dye, Quentin and Konerko in the middle of the lineup. Do we really need another slugger? And you DO realize that we're going to need a third basemen next season, right? And that we're talking about actual Major League Baseball here, where defense and manufacturing runs matters? This isn't a fantasy team. I'm happy as hell that Thome's still productive and healthy. All the more reason to deal him in the off-season, when he'll still have trade value. Look at how Frank's numbers have fallen off the table over the past couple of years. Do you want Thome having a Frank-like season next year and sucking up $13 million of our payroll? Call me crazy, but I'd rather go with the player in the prime of his career who addresses not one, but TWO of this team's needs.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Aug 17, 2008 -> 05:32 PM) My ideal (and somewhat realistic, IMO) situation would be for the Sox to acquire Figgins (not quite sure for what yet though), and make him the leadoff hitter. Isn't Figgins only under team control for one more season? That would knock his trade value down to a pretty manageable level. If he would agree to go to LA, I'd love to see Kenny deal Thome and cash for Figgins. That would allow Paulie to move to DH and give us a legitimate leadoff hitter. That said, I don't see JT agreeing, so it's probably a pipe dream.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 17, 2008 -> 10:41 AM) Even if Shapiro said that he wouldn't agree to a deal, I would have claimed Byrd anyways using the old "if I can't have him, no one can" philosophy Agreed. I would've done the same thing.

Nice to see that CQ isn't showing any lingering effects from getting plunked on five consecutive days.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 17, 2008 -> 10:38 AM) I disagree as I fully expected a sweep of Kansas City (and was right in expecting it) As bad as teams like KC and SEA are, they're not Little League squads. Despite their crappy records, they have ample talent and they tend to finish the season with winning percentages of .400 or higher. Therefore, expecting a sweep is just silly. They happen and they're a nice bonus, but being pissed at the Sox for not sweeping is just ridiculous.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 12:45 PM) I still don't understand how the Sox didn't end up with Byrd. I just don't get why there wasn't a little bit more interest. Possibly his PED use? Kenny tends to avoid those players (although we did have Canseco on our squad for a little while several seasons ago). I'm wondering if Shapiro told Kenny and Bill Smith off the record that he wouldn't agree to a deal with a divisional opponent off the record beforehand.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 07:48 PM) The A's are not good...to talk about not getting swept and being happy to have won 2-1 is pathetic and just sad. Expecting the Sox to sweep a series is pathetic and just sad.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 08:32 AM) Kind of the same thing we did with Crede (Herb Perry in 2000/01)...although Crede had more of a track record (at least two All-Star teams and maybe a league MVP) in the minors than Fields. Of course, as a college player, Josh was expected to be closer than a HS player, but Josh's time as QB at OSU took time away from his baseball development. I don't think we need to sign someone for two years though...I would rather go on a year-by-year basis at the position until things are clarified. If the Sox are actually trying to compete next season, they need a veteran to back up Fields. And good luck getting a starter-quality veteran to sign a one-year deal. When Crede wasn't hitting early on in his career, he was at least contributing by playing solid defense. Josh wasn't contributing anything of value this season. That doesn't mean that you give up on the guy, but he has to show that he can hit ML pitching again before Kenny tosses him the keys to 3B. If Kenny can't land somebody like Beltre or Blake this winter, I want him to re-sign Uribe to a two-year deal to pseudo-platoon with Fields at 3B and relieve whoever is at SS and 2B next season (in sort of a super-utility role). And I disagree that Anderson was mistreated. BA had his head way up his ass in 2006 and got himself into Ozzie's doghouse. Ozzie doesn't put up with big-ego rookies, nor should he be expected to. He's since matured and is doing the things that he should've been doing all along. Despite the fact that he's still not really hitting, he's still getting significant playing time in CF.

QUOTE (knightni @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 09:43 AM) All I can say is that I thank God my first name wasn't Jason at the time...

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 08:43 AM) It just seems when we had Dotel/Thornton, then Linebrink, then Jenks, everything just seemed to click. That may have to do with the fact that our bullpen had a lot more depth with Linebrink and Logan both available and pitching well. Then again, I don't see any signs of over-use on the part of Dotel, so who knows. With Linebrink out and Thornton not throwing well at all, Ozzie pretty much has to stick with Dotel now. So I don't blame him in that regard. And given how well Dotel's pitched overall this season, one could argue that he's earned it. That said, I just don't think that Dotel has the raw stuff to be a reliable setup man. He doesn't throw particularly hard, he doesn't have a great "out" pitch, and his command is average. A guy like that is just fine in middle relief, I'm happy that we have him, and I'm really happy that he's done so well overall this year. But this bullpen really needs a healthy Linebrink back to help hold leads and take pressure off of the other guys.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 02:22 AM) Dotel 10 2/3 IP, 6 ER=5.06 ERA (suffering from a move from the 7th to 8th inning) I don't think that's the problem. Dotel is a former closer who has several years experience in other bullpen roles. I think that it has more to do with the fact that Dotel has been an average/mediocre pitcher since undergoing Tommy John surgery a few years ago. His numbers over the past couple of years aren't nearly as good as what he's put up overall this season. That's not to say that Dotel can't shake these disastrous outings and finish with a very strong season, but one shouldn't be surprised that he's not exactly lights-out all of the time. And there's little evidence that moving from middle relief to setup man is responsible for it. Hasn't he been having back problems?

QUOTE (knightni @ Aug 14, 2008 -> 12:04 PM) For me Garland will forever be the example of what needs to happen to win a World Series. It isn’t always the big name heroes, but average men achieving greatness. Something everyone has in them. People find inspiration in many things, no doubt this is an inspirational story. QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Aug 14, 2008 -> 12:11 PM) Still, sticking with a guy and watching him thrive... is the most rewarding experience for a serious baseball fan. Good bio and good points. Jon is a perfect example of how patience with young players can sometimes pay massive dividends... and it's very fulfilling to watch Jon was never really one of my favorites and he'll probably never have an '05-like season again, but I can't thank him enough for that season. We might not have even won the division in '05 without Jon lighting it up early in the season and giving us that huge lead. I really wish that Kenny and Ozzie somehow could've magically found room in the rotation for one more year of him.