WCSox

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Jul 20, 2008 -> 01:23 PM) Agreed. "Clutch Crede" is no more and his bad defense isn't going to be worth 8-11 million per like he's probably going to ask for. I'd say that $11 million per year is going to be on the lower side of what he'll be offered. QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 20, 2008 -> 04:30 PM) Anybody who knows baseball knows he's a great defender, and his D this year has been a fluke. You sure about that? I find it a little more than coincidental that a defensive bad-ass, still in the prime of his career, suddenly commits a ton of throwing errors right after undergoing back surgery. It's possible that Joe will be able to make the necessary adjustment and play Gold Glove-caliber defense for the next 4-5 years, but I don't expect Kenny to pay $50+ million to find out. QUOTE (Texsox @ Jul 21, 2008 -> 06:07 AM) Fields will be, at worst, an adequate replacement for Crede. At best, he will be an improvement. I doubt that he'll be an improvement defensively. As a hitter, it's certainly possible. For starters, it looks like he has better power. Joe was also supposed to be the next Mike Schmidt. As good of a clutch hitter as he's been, I'd say that he fell a bit short of that. I'd love for Kenny and Boras to find a way to keep Joe in Chicago for a few more years at a reasonable price, but we all know that's not going to happen. Being a Boras client, Joe wants as much money as he can get. I wish him all of the luck in the world, but I'm happy that Kenny knows better than to over-pay for a player with a bad back on the downside of his career.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 20, 2008 -> 01:15 PM) This pitching staff has hit the wall, and we face some terrific offense for the next few weeks. Yep, starting with Texas tonight. Dotel is beginning to remind me of Javy. Despite his numbers, I just don't trust him. QUOTE (tommy @ Jul 20, 2008 -> 01:13 PM) I'm starting to think the sooner Twins overtake us, the sooner Kenny will make some moves, which clearly are NEEDED in the long run. The non-waiver trading deadline is in 10 days and we're still in first place. I don't see Kenny conceding the division and holding a firesale between now and then.

QUOTE (Frankensteiner @ Jul 20, 2008 -> 02:05 PM) Whatever limited trade chips we have should be going towards obtaining another starter. If we can't get a starter then Street is more appealing but the rotation is in worse shape than our bullpen. If you're worried about Linebrink and his arm fatigue issues, then Jose Contreras should have you traumatized. +1 The Sox aren't going to dump Jenks, Linebrink, or Dotel, so why in God's name would they want Street? At the very least, Kenny should offer Jose to a contender at half price for a pitching prospect this winter. He probably won't get another Floyd in return, but it'll be a step in the right direction.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Jul 20, 2008 -> 09:37 PM) agreed. a vet who can help us now and stay on board for a few seasons. Which veteran 3B would the Sox trade for? Because there's going to be slim pickins' in the FA pool this winter. Unless there's another Alexei Ramirez or Tad Iguchi-type player available overseas, the Sox are going to have to stick to their guns and hope that Fields is healthy next year and at least as productive as he was last season. Plus, I don't think that you want to trade a player who currently has lower value because he's been battling injuries and hitting .250 in AAA.

QUOTE (BlackBetsy @ Jul 19, 2008 -> 02:26 PM) To save $9 million and rebuild the team with prospects and ML-ready players. He's making what, $13-$14 million per year for a .780 OPS? That's fairly well overpaid. Why would the Mariners want to eat half of Beltre's salary when the Twins will be willing to take on all of it when push comes to shove? They're desperate for a 3B and another power bat in the lineup. And even if Beltre had more than a reasonable $18 million remaining on his deal, MIN isn't exactly strapped financially with Santana and Hunter off the books.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 19, 2008 -> 01:38 PM) Somebody's going to pay Joe a lot of money next year. As long as it's not us, that would be great.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 01:40 PM) The baseball world took notice of Crede's impending exit from Chicago. ''He's probably the most underrated player in the league,'' Minnesota Twins All-Star closer Joe Nathan said. ''One of those guys who is Gold Glove-caliber defensively. It seems like he is making unbelievable plays, especially against us. Offensively, he kills us. You feel like you make a great pitch to the guy, and he's standing on second base. He fits in perfectly with their lineup. ''That's why I was surprised to see they were talking about getting rid of him. We were like, 'We'll take him if you guys don't want him.''' Reason number 1,421 why most pro athletes would never make it as a GM. [metsandangelsfans]Santana and Hunter are really good. We'll take them if you guys don't want them."[/metsandangelsfans]

Wow, I go on vacation to a place with limited Internet access and I'm completely out of the loop. Sorry to hear about that, but he was clearly the odd man out in my mind. Thanks for '05, Pablo, and good luck in the future.

QUOTE (BlackBetsy @ Jul 19, 2008 -> 06:48 AM) That's the key point. Seattle would do fairly well in the deal if they threw in $9 million of the $18 million or so owed to Beltre Why would they do that? It's not like Beltre is way overpaid or that there is an over-abundance of Gold Glove-caliber third basemen with 25-40 HR power.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 18, 2008 -> 06:21 AM) I don't think even the Mariners would be that desperate to trade their super star. Their fan base is one reason and his talent the second and one doesn't necessarily take precedence over the other. Agreed that there's a snowball's chance in hell of Ichiro being traded any time soon. Not when they just signed him to a huge contract and when he's the only one selling merchandise and putting butts in the seats. If the Mariners want to shed payroll this year, they'll deal Beltre, Washburn, or Bedard.

Sucks to see crappy situational hitting rear its ugly head again. That said, it was really nice to see Javy bounce back with an excellent outing.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 02:04 PM) JP Ricciardi thinks that Juan Uribe doesnt really like baseball How does that clown Ricciardi still have a job?

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 02:37 PM) That was because it was temporary and on the air. Maybe Hawk has mellowed with age but the behind the scenes issues with Paciorek has always lead me to believe he could not have another strong personality in the booth with him for an extended period of time. And they were a very good pair together. I haven't heard of Farmer (also an egomaniac) and Stone having problems, and they've been together for half a season.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 05:55 AM) That's not great news for this next series. It's a hell of a lot better than a torn rotator cuff or a torn elbow ligament. Seriously, missing a week or so of Jenks in early July is far from terrible news, especially given how durable he's been over the past 2 1/2 years. This isn't a bad idea. Dotel doesn't have the stuff to be a closer anymore, but he probably still has the mental makeup. He's a good candidate for a stopgap closer.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 10:08 AM) in summary, you guys don't realize what you have. Anybody whose had the misfortune of watching a Mariners telecast realizes that Hawk and DJ aren't exactly the bottom of the barrel.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 09:45 AM) I've said it a million times, if Rooney stayed and was on the air with Stone, our heads would explode from greatness. And that's why he no longer works for the Cubs.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 09:36 AM) Exactly, he was terrible, that was my point. Farmer needs someone else who can smooth him out and keep him on task, otherwise he will continue to ignore the pbp and talk about his old playing days, and random high school stories. My edited message mentions that Singleton ASKED to be let out of his contract. He wasn't fired or asked to leave because of a lack of talent on his part (although they could've justifiably done so). Farmer's always been a story-telling guy. Some people like that and some people don't. Given that baseball games typically move at a snail's pace, I don't find it particularly distracting. Singleton didn't add anything of substance to the broadcast, which is why he sucked. Stoney is a walking baseball encyclopedia who would even enhance the commentary of HOF broadcasters.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 08:35 AM) Singelton didnt have the talent to carry Farmer, which is why he is gone. More likely that he's gone because ESPN offered him more money and that he wasn't that good in the booth to begin with. IIRC, Singleton was the one who asked to be released from his contract, not the other way around.

QUOTE (jackie hayes @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 08:27 AM) Disagree. I'm a huge Farmer fan. No way is he weaker than Singleton, nor Hawk, for that matter. I'll be supremely pissed if they ever get rid of him. Farmer fan here as well. Yes, he's arrogant and his monotone voice and golf stories used to annoy me when he was in Rooney's shadow, but I think that he's really stepped up over the past couple of years. He's still best off as a color guy, but can hold his own doing play-by-play. IMO, Farmer has eclipsed a declining Hawk as the Voice of the White Sox. QUOTE (JoeCredeYes @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 08:20 AM) I think most everybody agrees that Stone is the best of all the Sox broadcasters, he needs to stay here if it's possible Whether he's on radio or TV, I agree. Stoney is awesome.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 06:48 AM) I never felt like Hawk and DJ really liked each other.They can say that they do,but you could just tell they get on each others nerves. Didn't they get into a big argument on the air back in 2000? They do OK together, but I'm scratching my head at these posts that say they have great chemistry. I don't see it. Hawk and Wimpy are a much better example of good chemistry. Agreed with the poster who said that Hawk is more of a color guy at this point. I don't necessarily want him to retire because he's been the one constant voice of the Sox throughout most of my life. And he did work very well with Stoney last year, so maybe it wouldn't be too bad. I'd love to see the Sox pry Milo Hamilton away from the Astros and team him up with Farmer on the radio. Not sure how many good years he has left and it's a pipe dream anyway, but it would be really nice for a while.

QUOTE (G&T @ Jul 3, 2008 -> 04:12 AM) Actually, watching Singleton on BBTN makes me wonder what the hell was going on in that booth. I'm curious to see what would happen in DJ left and was paired with a real PBP guy. Not all analysts are good broadcasters. I like Kruk a lot, but wouldn't want to listen to him do color commentary for 162 games.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 2, 2008 -> 09:48 PM) Jenks felt a twinge in his back that caused him to not get full extension on Sunday night. He says it's not a big deal. That's great news. Thanks.

Seems like a nice enough guy, but never really developed any chemistry with Hawk. I'd almost rather Stoney stayed paired with Farmer. They're quite good together, despite Farmer still being somewhat away from his strength at play-by-play.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 2, 2008 -> 09:43 PM) It's obvious Jenks is hurt Not sure about that, but it'd be nice to know if Ozzie shared any info regarding this in the post-game press conference.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jul 2, 2008 -> 11:51 AM) Longoria and Crede have near IDENTICAL stats. .268 avg/15 hr/47 rbi/42 r/5 sb/.343 obp/.521 slg - Longoria .268 avg/15 hr/47 rbi/35 r/0 sb/.344 obp/.498 slg - Crede Wow. Longoria has been better defensively than Crede this year, so I'd probably give him the nod.