WCSox

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 15, 2008 -> 04:06 AM) Those numbers are pretty close, yet Uribe, by far the better defensive player, and probably Soxtalk's most hated White Sox, is a worthless piece of crap, but Richar is going to be great. I'm not arguing whether Uribe was bad last year or not, he was, so were a lot of guys. What I'm arguing is that while Richar may have a chance to be good, right now, considering defense, he's not even better than Juan Uribe at his worst. QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 15, 2008 -> 06:14 AM) Richar is currently hurt and unable to play. Discipline and Richar should not be used in the same sentence as he was told to get his visa early but he ignored it and was the only White Sox late to spring training. Most would say its not a big deal, but say it was Uribe who was late. The reaction on this board would have been a lot different. Guys who hit .230 with a .289 OBP shouldn't be given a job. Uribe won his in spring training, and I really doubt he will continue to hit .170. Good posts. I wasn't even going to bring up Richar's apparent lack of maturity (one of the problems that Anderson had, BTW). If Juan is still hitting under .200 at the end of June, then by all means give Richar a shot. But until then, he's far from having earned the starting 2B position simply because "Uribe sucks." Juan is actually really good at something (defense). I haven't seen evidence of Richar being good at anything.

Suspended for arguing the f'n strike zone?! GMAFB.

QUOTE (max power @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 09:00 PM) When did he bat since his first full season? Sorry, I meant to say "during", not "after."

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 06:01 PM) What's assinine is you thinking Uribe has nothing to do with the DPs, and thinking substituting anyone for him would get you the same results. Richar got on base at a .289 clip last year. What makes him a lock to do much better? Because Brian Anderson improved significantly during his first full season of at-bats. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 06:18 PM) Certainly nothing makes him a lock to do so. But the odds are, when you take a kid who started off very raw at each level and give them time to learn the level, they tend to get better. Richar showed all the things that would make us think he can get better, took half as many walks in 180 at bats as Uribe took in 500+, and improved with the bat from month to month. Well, let's not get carried away here. Richar still only took 16 walks in 187 ABs (and struck out 33 times). Because he doesn't take a significant amount of walks and hasn't shown that he can hit for average, I don't realistically see him doing much better than a .250 BA and a .320 OBP this year. While that may be slightly better than .230/.285 that Uribe put up last year, it doesn't make him an every-day ML hitter. Hitters usually take time to develop. Crede absolutely tore up the minors and was projected to be the second coming of Mike Schmidt. Yet he hovered around 20 HRs and a .300 OBP for his first three full seasons in the bigs. And I don't see anybody projecting Richar to be the next Robbie Alomar. Can't say that I'd object, especially if Uribe is still hitting around the Mendoza Line in late June.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 03:10 PM) so what someone hit in their first taste of MLB action is the only thing that person can do in his next season? Wow, that makes sense. so what someone hit in their last season of MLB action is the only thing that person can do in his next season? Wow, that makes sense. You do realize that Uribe actually had a couple of solid, full seasons at the ML level, right? I like Richar and think that he'll be a fine 2B... and that he'll eventually be a better hitter than Uribe. But I don't see any evidence that he's a better option at the plate right now. And Uribe is clearly a better defensive player. So much so that he beat out Ramirez and Ozuna.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 01:59 PM) No defense can make up for someone who can barely hit .200 with an OBP of less then .300. That's about what Richar hit in the majors last year, so I'm not sure what your point is. Why do you suppose that Ozzie penciled in Uribe at 2B over Ramirez and Ozuna? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he values better-than-average defense at 2B?

QUOTE (BearSox @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 01:07 PM) That may be true, but 2B is the least important. And, Richar is better then average. Good defense at 2B is very important. Almost as important as 3B and a hell of a lot more important than 1B, LF, or RF. LOL at you drinking the Cabrera Kool-Aid. What did you expect him to say about Richar? "Meh, he's OK"? That's your biased opinion. His numbers indicate that he's not much of an improvement over Uribe at all. If offense is so much more important than defense at 2B, why do so few of the league's better hitters play 2B? And why did Ozzie start Uribe there over Ramirez and Ozuna? No, we'd be stupid to yank superior defense for a guy who hit just as poorly at the ML level last year. While I agree that Richar has more upside than Uribe and that he should be starting next season when Uribe is gone, there's no evidence that he's a better player RIGHT NOW. We're trying to win right now, not develop players. And on top of that, the superior offense that Richar may or may not bring to the table this year means a lot less when Crede and Cabrera are slugging it out for the title of "7th best hitter on the team." This team's lineup is a lumber company (Swish, Cabrera, Thome, Paulie, JD, AJ, Crede) and they also have the option of bringing in Fields, if needed. Given that, defense from the #9 hitting 2B is more important than the potential for moderate improvement over Uribe's numbers.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 12:01 PM) agreed. Plus, it's not like 2B is some crucial defensive position like SS. ALL positions in the middle of the field (SS, 2B, CF, C) are important defensively. Are you kidding me? Cabrera didn't know crap about Richar's capabilities at the time. He most likely said that to be a good "team player", as most people thought that Richar was going to be the starting 2B at the time. But we're trying to win NOW, and Uribe is clearly better defensively than Richar. And while that shouldn't keep Richar from getting some time at 2B when he's healthy, completely handing over the starting gig at 2B to a player that is inferior defensively and may or may not be better at the plate isn't something that you want to do right now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 12:47 PM) I find it difficult to understand why this team as constructed would want to consider a 13 man pitching staff, especially since it's already carrying a long reliever. They probably wouldn't, unless Jose, Floyd, and Masset (all out of options) fell apart and Kenny didn't want to unload any of them. It would take a pretty extreme set of events for that to happen.

QUOTE (the People's Champ @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 11:35 AM) Sorry I misunderstood your post at first read. who replaces Ramirez then, is the question? Good question, as it depends on a number of factors. If everybody is healthy and the starting pitching is hanging in there, I agree that Owens would be the best candidate. If Thome or Dye are trying to play through nagging injuries, Fields would probably be the best option. If the 'pen is struggling and Ozzie/KW decide that they don't want to use an option, Wassermann might be the guy.

QUOTE (the People's Champ @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 11:24 AM) No, the question was, if Richar AND RAMIREZ (who is still on the active roster) are both sent down who would take his place. If Pablo is already on the roster he cant fill another spot, now can he? But if he's already on the roster, he CAN come in and steal a base while pinch-running, can't he? In other words, whoever replaces Ramirez/Richar doesn't necessarily need to have Owens' skill set with Ozuna already on the active roster.

QUOTE (the People's Champ @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 11:45 AM) It would have to be Owens right? I mean as station to station as we are right now we need someone who can come in and pinch run in a late inning situation. Perhaps steal a base. You mean like Pablo Ozuna, who is already on our bench?

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 09:40 AM) Do you cringe every time he turns a double play? So far we don't need his bat but we always need his glove . +1 As bad as Uribe is at the plate, Ramirez hasn't shown much with the stick yet, so I see no compelling reason to insert him into the lineup. And they're not even close defensively. I'd be fine with Richar and Uribe splitting time at 2B. But I want Juan out there in critical situations.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 10:09 AM) Here's the way I look at it: 2 potential benches. 1. Anderson, Richar/Uribe, Hall, Ozuna 2. Anderson, Ramirez, Hall, Ozuna. The 2nd of those is a little more flexible in terms of the Of since Alexei is a better CF than Ozuna. But we already have 1 backup CF on the roster in Anderson, I'm not sure why we need 2 guys who can play those positions. Ozuna can play OF in a pinch, so he can cover that slot if everything goes wrong for a day. The big benefit of the first one of those as opposed to the 2nd is that it gives us a left handed bat off the bench, whereas the 2nd one gives us an all righty bench. I can certainly envision circumstances where this could be useful late in a game as an option. I like your first option better and think that Ramirez should be the odd man out. He's versatile and has good upside from what I've heard, but couldn't beat out Quentin in LF, isn't as good defensively as Anderson in CF, and is a downgrade defensively to Uribe at 2B (and likely Richar as well). I like him over the long run, but there doesn't seem to be a place for him right now. And I definitely agree that Ozuna should be kept around. Given our lineup of aging sluggers, we need as much speed as possible.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 14, 2008 -> 08:19 AM) The way the article reads, it seems as if they are likely to keep Jerry in AAA for a while. With Quentin established in LF, Ramirez dying for playing time and Anderson seen as more ideal as the 4th OF, it sounds as if Mr. Owens is not going to be brought up in a hurry. Are people mostly happy about this? I pretty much have to agree - I think its best to leave the squad as is, with the exception of 2B where Richar or Ramirez need more playing time. I'm fine with keeping Owens in AAA. He has the capability to steal 50+ bases a season and can play CF competently. Given that, he has a legitimate chance of starting next season and needs the at-bats. He won't develop as a hitter while riding the pine in Chicago. I'm also fine with demoting Alexi Ramirez to the minors to bring up Richar as a bench player. I like Richar to get work at 2B, as it looks like he's our future there. But I strongly prefer Uribe out there defensively.

Despite Uribe's well-documented problems with the stick, I really like him at 2B and would be fine with him staying there for the rest of the season.

QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Apr 11, 2008 -> 01:58 PM) Not a rain outs but... Several years back my company goes to an evening affair versus the Yankees. Weather stinks all night with at least one long delay. A few of us stick around and finally, the bottom of the ninth comes. Rivera is on to hold a one run lead for the yankees. Carlos Lee comes up and I say "how about you greet your countryman with a solo shot" next pitch, tie game. Sox get a runner in scoring position and Jose Valentin fists one the opposite way down the LF line to drive in the winning run. That was 2000, no? I remember watching that game on TV.

Opening Day 2003 was delayed by a thunder/sleet storm and quite a few people left, with the wife and I being two of them. We watched the game from the comfort of Goose Island with friends, which was nice. Since the Sox had a policy back then of giving out free tickets to a game of choice when your game was significantly rain-delayed, I inquired to a friend of a friend in the front office and she hooked us up for a game in May.

QUOTE (robinventura23 @ Apr 11, 2008 -> 09:23 AM) It was April, 2000. It bonded that team together, IMO. I remember Maggs and Bill Simas both going nuts in that brawl. Also, it made me and probably every other Sox fan hate Robert Fick. Not to mention Todd Jones and Phil Garner.

It's too bad that he had to write the second book, as it's clearly just for money and publicity. His first book came off as very believable.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Apr 9, 2008 -> 08:48 PM) The 2008 Tigers are likely not on the 2005 Sox' level regardless of said skids, so that point is probably moot. If they ever start hitting, they could be the 2000 Sox. But if they even get to the playoffs, their pitching (especially their bullpen) will keep them from advancing.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 11, 2008 -> 07:11 AM) haha the best ryan fight was the one with the robin ventura headlock...classic IIRC, there's a poster of that famous picture at the Ballpark at Arlington. Or so an ex-colleague of mine said. I'd say that we got the last laugh in 2005.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Apr 10, 2008 -> 12:39 PM) I see Crede in pin stripes I don't see A-Rod or Jeter playing anywhere other than the left side of the infield. Methinks that Joe ends up in LA.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Apr 10, 2008 -> 01:07 PM) I hope they just skip Contreras' start and go with Floyd tomorrow. Their web site has Floyd pitching tomorrow. Jose not pitching is fine with me as well.

That sucks. I was really looking forward to watching my first Sox telecast of the year.