WCSox

QUOTE (Hawkfan @ May 6, 2008 -> 07:54 AM) were going to need to up the offensiveness in our slumpbusters Or we can bring up the fact that very few baseball players are faithful to their wives, or a myriad of other problems in MLB's culture. This is peanuts in comparison.

QUOTE (YASNY @ May 6, 2008 -> 07:41 AM) Agreed. Pablo was a decent bench player at point. I think his time has passed. Unfortunately, I agree. He's been one of my favorites, but I don't see what he brings to the table at this point.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 6, 2008 -> 07:44 AM) Better than f***ing a fat chick, although since they didnt break out of the slump, you know what one of them has to do. Perhaps Carol Slezak and her feminist cohorts are jealous?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 6, 2008 -> 07:39 AM) Its a baseball team for s*** sakes. While I agree with others that having sex dolls in the locker room is embarrassing, childish, and somewhat insensitive to certain people, the above statement pretty much nails it. What in the hell do you people expect from a f'n baseball team? Keep in mind that this culture has been up to its neck in rampant hazing, alcoholism, amphetamine use, steroid use, and marital infidelity for decades. I'd be surprised if players DIDN'T do this kind of crap in the clubhouse.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 5, 2008 -> 12:32 PM) In this day and age of political correctness, how many representatives of organizations talk like that in public? Coaches and managers of sports teams in Chicago. Chicago fans tend to like mavericks who throw political correctness to the side and say exactly what's on their mind. Just look at how Ditka was revered. QUOTE (knightni @ May 5, 2008 -> 02:34 PM) I am bothered by the fact that instead of fixing the problems, the Sox are allowing the manager to belittle the fan base. The same fan base that helps writes their checks. Ozzie's appeared to be ripping the Chicago media a lot more than the Sox season ticket holder in that column.

QUOTE (Sox It To Em @ May 5, 2008 -> 08:52 AM) Yes, but in '05 JG had an ERA almost a full run better than '06, so he "deserved" the 18 wins (and although our offense sucked, we had a fantastic bullpen). Even when Garland's ERA ballooned the following year, he still won 18 games because it coincided with the offense improving immensely. The lights-out bullpen that Garland had in '05 certainly helped as well.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 5, 2008 -> 07:39 AM) Its pretty obvious the White Sox oranganization feels they deserve a break from any criticism since they won in 2005. I wonder when they think that protection runs out...I don't understand bringing the Cubs into it. If I were in Ozzie's situation, I'd probably be miffed as well that the media is kissing the Cubs' collective butt for also being in second place (in a weaker division, to boot) after they got embarrassed in the playoff last season. That said, I agree that Ozzie needs to shut up. He'd be better served motivating his players behind closed doors than doing it through the media.

QUOTE (knightni @ May 5, 2008 -> 06:53 AM) I think that the offensive part of it to me is that Ozzie feels it necessary to criticize the fans at all for what is essentially the team's problem. If consumers say to Coke, "You guys really need to improve the quality of your product or I will buy from Pepsi." Certainly Coke would make changes if enough people felt that way and stopped buying their product. The White Sox are a business and we are the consumers who keep them in business. If Ozzie can't handle constructive criticism, then he is the one who is too sensitive, not me. Unfortunately, changing the chemical composition of Coke is a lot easier than forcing a bunch of players to hit .300 against major league pitching. It read to me like Ozzie was lashing out at the Chicago media more than the fans. While I don't think that either is a particularly smart thing to do, it's a better option than lashing out at his own players in public (hopefully he's overturned a couple of tables in the clubhouse already). And he's also dead-on correct that the Cubs get a free pass for their long history of sucking and biting it down the stretch in the handfull of years that they actually manage to play decent baseball. I don't fault him for all for pointing that out, especially considering what happened three years ago. Whether this was a calculated motivational move or Ozzie is just nuts, I hope that this rant lights a fire under his team's collective ass.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2008 -> 11:22 AM) No point in trading OC now....his value won't be nearly high enough to turn down the two draft picks when he goes elsewhere. Hopefully he stays an A. Good point.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2008 -> 11:20 AM) Great game for Contreras...maybe we can get some good value for him at the deadline. If we're still playing Corpseball at the deadline, we should try getting good value for Crede, Dye, Cabrera, and Thome as well. One way or the other, this team will be in need of a significant overhaul this winter.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2008 -> 11:16 AM) No, I really think he's not a winning baseball player. He's won two pennants. Thome is in the twilight of his career and I can understand the frustration. But let's not get carried away here.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 3, 2008 -> 08:47 PM) I'm very glad you bring this up, because Don Cooper has lived off of his reputation for the 2005 season. Not saying he's not a good pitching coach, but there are quite a few better than him. He seems middle of the pack to me. Cooper's success hasn't exactly been limited to 2005. Look at how Danks and Floyd have developed. He also got a good season out of Thornton in '06, got a very good year out of Javy last season, and has turned Jenks into a stud (despite declining velocity). While I agree that he's not Leo Mazzone or Dave Duncan, I'd say that he's probably a little better than average. As for Walker, I agree that this mess isn't all his fault. But while he may be a competent hitting coach, what really matters is how players respond to his instruction. If he's not getting that much out of this crew, it's probably time to look at other options. It's probably also time to get rid of Dye or Thome, who are both past their prime and it's beginning to show.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ May 2, 2008 -> 09:18 AM) But on PAPER the 2006 team was better than 2005. Oops. I wouldn't necessarily say that. Given that many of the 2005 team's difference-makers were good-but-not-great and mediocre pitchers that had career years (Politte, Hermanson, Garland), it's not surprising that some of them either came back down to Earth or suffered injuries. It's also not surprising that vets like Contreras, Garcia, and Buehrle wore down with the previous year's heavy use (and not to mention several 200+ innings seasons prior to that). The 2006 offense also out-scored the 2005 offense by 127 runs and the AL Central was a hell of a lot more competitive in 2006 than it was in the previous year.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 30, 2008 -> 02:17 PM) I really wish people would stop comparing the 2007 lineup to the 2008 lineup. They are totally different because there's actually a bit of developed talent in the 2008 lineup. And there are also the same aging, injury-prone sluggers in the middle of the lineup. Agreed that Swisher, Quentin, Cabrera, and a healthy Crede will most likely mean that the '08 Sox will not resemble the '07 Sox offensively. That said, JD has fallen off tremendously since '06, Thome is in the twilight of his career, and Paulie is heading into the down-slope of his career. This lineup is good, but nobody's going to confuse them with the '99 Indians.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ May 1, 2008 -> 11:25 AM) The hits will come. The hits will most definitely come. I hope so. That's what people were saying at this time last year.

QUOTE (almagest @ May 2, 2008 -> 06:57 AM) I'd really like to see Dye switched over to DH against tough lefties, with Thome coming out, or Quentin switched out against lefties (he's not hitting them much this year), and have Anderson start in CF on those days. Also wouldn't mind Swisher switched (that's fun to say) over to 1B to give Paulie rest on occasion. Ideally, I'd like to see Anderson in there 2-3 times a week, and also brought in late in games as a defensive replacement, possibly getting an AB or two. As long as we're tweaking the roster, I'd also like to see Alexei sent down to AAA for regular playing time, maybe bring up Getz (though his numbers are nothing special right now), and have Getz, Ozuna, and Uribe fight it out for time at 2B, with Uribe and Ozuna able to fill in at SS/3B if necessary. Jerry Owens can come up in September or if an OF gets hurt. As long as Anderson continues to develop, I agree. And if he puts up a halfway decent season while playing 2-3 days a week, either Dye or Thome needs to be moved in the off-season. Quentin should be starting in RF next year and Swisher should be moved to LF. Kudos to JD for his effort (and his arm), but he looks like he's going to kill himself every time he tries to run down a fly ball. I don't see how Alexi fits into this team, either. The positions that he can play are just way too crowded right now.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Apr 30, 2008 -> 08:26 PM) He cant play outfield, That experiment is over. That's a pretty bold statement, given that he never played there in the minors and his only meaningful experience in LF was in 21 games last season. Let him get some experience there in the minors and/or in winter ball before throwing the possibility out the window.

QUOTE (scenario @ May 1, 2008 -> 06:57 AM) I'd put the odds of seeing Fields at 2B as only slightly better than winning the Lotto. No kidding. There's a huge difference between 3B and 2B. If Fields is brought up for anything other than a Crede injury, he's going to play one of the corner OF positions.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 03:22 PM) I thought that they would just suspend this game until the end of the year to see if it mattered to the standings or not. I know they've done it before and I assumed this would be a good situation for that. Yeah, that's what would've happened. My problem with that is that teams that have to re-play games tend to be the teams that are in contention in September. And adding an extra game to that team's schedule going into the playoffs puts them at a disadvantage.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Apr 28, 2008 -> 05:56 PM) It's a new rule they put in last year. And it's a horrible rule. I'd rather that they just called it a tie. The MLB season is already way too long. Why add a 163rd game and put more wear and tear on these guys?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 03:06 PM) I completely disagree, especially having seen Brian this year. Given that Anderson's career (and current) OBP is still well below .300, he has absolutely not shown more than Owens offensively. While he has more upside than Owens, he has yet to tap that potential and is in the neighborhood of a Uribe-like automatic out.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 03:42 PM) Brian looks like a different player to me. More patient, better eye, and shorter swing. Compared to '06, yeah. I'd like to see Ozzie give him more at-bats. Uribe can grab some bench so that we don't have automatic outs in both the 8th and 9th spots in the order.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 01:54 PM) If you can't hit a lick of power, you should be a 4th OF or in the minor leagues. Henceforth, he is known as Jerry Owens. If you can't make contact with ML pitching, you should be a 4th OF or in the minor leagues. Henceforth, he is known as Brian Anderson. I don't see how Anderson is an upgrade over Owens. Not that Owens is a definite ML starter at this point (or even deserving of a roster spot), but he's closer than Anderson right now, IMO. I'm glad that Ozzie is giving Anderson at-bats right now and I hope that he morphs from a strikeout machine into an .850 OPS guy down the road. His recent series was encouraging, so we'll see what happens. QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 01:50 PM) I think you are just angry over his failed bunt on Monday. No, I'm angry at Ozzie for calling that play with somebody who struggles to make contact with the ball. That's a play that you implement with Ozuna or somebody else who knows how to bunt. Not Anderson.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 12:24 PM) Add to it that he's a completely one-dimensional player, and he just doesn't have much use to the Sox. No, a one-dimensional player is Brian Anderson. Defense and jack squat after that. At least Owens can make contact with the ball. Anderson is sporting about a 1:3 BB:K ratio.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 12:13 PM) So instead of being capable of driving himself in every once in a while he's relying 100% on the guys behind him to knock him in. Also, instead of getting himself to second or third via the 2B or 3B he's forcing the guys behind him to take 1-3 pitches just so he can get to 2B. Since when is a high OPS guy like Swisher the prototypical leadoff hitter? I'd rather knock him back a spot to drive in a guy who has a good chance of getting on base and in scoring position. And since when is the second guy in the order take 1-3 pitches before the leadoff hitter is able to steal second a horrendous negative? Leadoff hitters are supposed to get on base for the high SLG hitters to drive in. Whether they get into scoring position via doubles or a combination of singles and stolen bases is irrelevant, as the end result is essentially the same. Being able to distract the opposing pitcher with a base-stealing threat is also an intangible benefit.