WCSox

QUOTE(SoxFan77 @ Jul 25, 2007 -> 09:03 AM) Funny how the Cards play in the NLC.. with such power houses and Pit and Cinny.. I see us as the Pitt and Cinny of the ALC right now Funny how the Cards still managed to upset a vastly-superior Mets team in the NLCS. And funny how they flat-out embarrassed an even better Tigers team in the WS. Funny how the '06 Colts (worst rushing defense in the league, no Edgerrin James or Corey Simon) flipped the switch on defense, beat their nemesis in a miracle comeback, and won it all in February. Funny how the '05 Steelers (7-5 going into December, barely got a Wild Card berth) took down three "better" AFC teams on the road and ended up winning it all. Newsflash: You don't always win with your best team. And if you expect to lose, you might as well put your tail between your legs and purchase a bleacher ticket at Wrigley - because that's exactly what you're going to get.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 25, 2007 -> 08:57 AM) All we need is a couple of veteran free agents, and a better offense, and a leadoff hitter, and a shortstop, and an outfield... Funny how the Cardinals won it all with Suppan/Weaver/Reyes in their rotation after their big free agent signing (Mulder) went down with an injury, an over-the-hill Jim Edmonds, a broken-down Scott Rolen, and David Eckstein as their playoff MVP. I'd say that the Sox will be much better on paper next year than the Cardinals were last year.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 25, 2007 -> 08:53 AM) I'm sorry, but we're not going to compete next year. All it's going to take is a couple veteran middle relievers. Seriously, how can you say that with a rotation of Mark, Jon, Javy, and Danks?

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 25, 2007 -> 08:37 AM) With the right deals, it'd be fine. No, we wouldn't. If the Sox were going to completely rebuild next year, I might agree. But I don't see any evidence of that. Next year is probably their last chance to compete before having to start all over again. I'd be seriously pissed if they decided to hold a fire sale right now. We'll have plenty of freed-up money with Dye, Tad, Crede, and Pods gone next year. And then even more with Garland and Thome gone after '08. I've been hearing that for the past five years and am still waiting for it to happen.

QUOTE(GoSox05 @ Jul 24, 2007 -> 07:36 AM) I dont know why the Sox are so opposed to trading Garland. Most likely because the Sox have the starting pitching to be competitive next year. Why not wait and see how the team is doing next June before throwing in the towel?

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 25, 2007 -> 08:21 AM) And it's not a question of "Dye or Konerko." It should be Dye + oneofThomeorKonerko. Yeah, it would be brilliant to have only one proficient hitter on our squad next season. Sounds like lots of people in LA are going to be disappointed. Paulie isn't going anywhere, nor should he.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jul 24, 2007 -> 04:23 PM) Basically put, I still rank him among the 5-7 best GM's in the game. Maybe. Kenny's a wheeler-dealer and I think that his strength worked well with this team and it's weak/overrated farm system when he took the job. He's made a few well-documented bad deals, but the vast majority of his trades/FA signings have been very good and culminated in the Sox winning it all. Should Kenny be with the Sox for the long-term? Maybe not, as scouting and player development aren't his strengths. But he was definitely the right guy at the right time.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jul 24, 2007 -> 01:05 PM) Josh's defense has actually been a pleasant surprise as I think there is only a small drop off from Crede. Also Josh appears to have more power to all fields and seems to be developing at a faster rate. I still think that Josh is a significant drop-off defensively from Crede. But I completely agree with your second point. QUOTE(BearSox @ Jul 24, 2007 -> 02:11 PM) Crede will get 5 million next year no matter what. You don't throw 5 million at an injury prone player and risk him getting injured again when you already have possibly a better option available at a fraction of the price. +1 I hope that they don't offer arbitration to Joe next year. I hate to say that, but the Sox need to move on.

QUOTE(29andPoplar @ Jul 24, 2007 -> 02:22 PM) - ultra competitive - has a short fuse - takes losing extremely hard and sometimes blows off steam in ways that cause hard feelings (verbally) Sounds a lot like Bill Polian. I've seen him throw stuff across his skybox at the RCA Dome.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 24, 2007 -> 01:50 PM) IMO, if we can find a way to fix the bullpen(which as brutal as it is, can be done) then we can at least be competitive and I believe we can contend. +1 With good starting pitching, you always have a chance. If Kenny can bring in a couple veteran middle relievers, we'll be in good shape with Mark, Jon, Javy, and Danks in our rotation.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 02:17 PM) keep drinking the KW kool aid. I'm Kool-Aid-free here. KW isn't half the GM that he thinks he is, but he's about 10 times what you'll admit that he is. As was said a few posts ago, KW certainly is "opportunistic." If you want to criticize the current farm system and his role in that during his tenure as Scouting Director, I completely agree. But if you want to blow off his success as "luck", go right ahead. I know better.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 12:21 PM) Before you hurt Kenny by patting him on the back Oh, forgive me for not participating in the childish, knee-jerk piling-on act. Why would you compare a starting pitcher's numbers to those of a guy who worked exclusively out of the 'pen? Oh, right, because that's the only way that you can make this deal look negative. Would you not say that McCarthy is "floundering" this year? Finding a GM stupid enough to take Freddy and the $10 million he was owed was enormous. Way to avoid giving Kenny any credit whatsoever! Yeah, the contributions from Contreras, Garcia, Jenks, and AJ were all "luck." Good one! Nobody ever said that Kenny was some sort of "genius", so I don't understand where the hyperbole is coming from. Yep, all luck again!

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 06:44 AM) I should add: I'm not declaring something stupid like "every dog has its day." I'm saying: "Just because your team won, doesn't mean you're a good GM." If your organization goes to hell thereafter, and was less-than exemplary before, that's a truer measure, IMO. The Sox were in hell long before Kenny was hired.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 09:35 PM) I guess what I'm saying is: even bad GMs get lucky and win a title once or twice. (Probably once.) It's interesting that even a good GM like Billy Beane has yet to win a pennant, much less a championship. Considering that KW was able to unload a washed-up Freddy and his $10 million tag AND dump a floundering McCarthy for Danks PLUS additional prospects just this off-season, I'd say that he's still a halfway decent GM.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 01:43 PM) But then again, at some point, maybe you do have to give it a shot. Guy throwing up a 90 mph fastball and a big breaking forkball could be pretty good out of the pen. Not sure if you want a guy who has lead the league in wild pitches in middle relief, especially if he inherits runners. That might get as ugly as AJ catching Haeger.

Since I don't see the Sox offering a multi-year deal at 3/24 or more, I would hope that the Sox offer arbitration to Dye. In the unlikely event that he accepts it, that would be a good low-risk stop-gap. If not, I seriously hope that KW can sign a halfway decent veteran FA.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 18, 2007 -> 09:03 AM) KW gets some responsibility for it because its his roster, sure. But to say this "all falls on KW" is to suffer from long term memory loss. +1 Hey, KW haters, does Kenny also take the blame for Jermaine Dye hitting .225? This just isn't their year. With the money that KW saves from JD, Tad, and Crede's contracts, let's hope that he can get some decent veteran middle relief this winter.

QUOTE(kageman129 @ Jul 14, 2007 -> 07:43 AM) Screw having him own the club. Get rid of Walker's ass and hire Belle as hitting coach. Right, because Joey's a real people person who would do a fantastic job of mentoring and encouraging our young hitters.

QUOTE(jasonxctf @ Jul 13, 2007 -> 10:52 AM) interesting stat... in 2002, Joe Crede made an error in 15% of the games he played with the Sox. This dropped to 9% in 2003, 8% in 2004, 7% in 2005 and 6% in 2006. in 2007, Josh Fields has made an error in 9% of the games he played with the Sox. But after watching just a handfull of games with Josh at 3B, it's obvious that he doesn't have Crede's glove, range, or arm. Not that errors aren't important, but they're just part of the equation.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 12, 2007 -> 08:09 AM) That said, Fields looks far better at the plate now than Crede has for most of his career. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts, though. But I do like his power and ability to hit to the opposite field. Fields is serviceable at 3B, but I don't think that he'll ever be more than mediocre there. If a better defensive option comes along somewhere down the line, I wouldn't mind moving Fields to LF. Crede was a defensive bad-ass, even with a bad back. With him and Ventura, we've been spoiled defensively at the hot corner.

Interesting second article, although the "they got lucky" line has always gotten on my nerves. Yeah, no s***, Sherlock - mediocre players need to have career years in most cases for a team to win a championship. That's a constant in almost every sport.

QUOTE(maggliopipe @ Jul 10, 2007 -> 02:04 PM) If I'm Gillick and I'm trading for somebody, how do I NOT make it a condition of the trade that I get to administer physicals on the guys coming my way? Why would he want to potentially dick himself like that and lay his neck under the guillotine? Clearly I'm just not hip to MLB trade negotiations (since Garcia wasn't inspected) but it's shocking to say the least that administration of physicals isn't the rule in trades. DING, DING, DING!

Thanks for proving me wrong, Mark.

By all means, do what you guys have to do. I'm thankful that a handfull of people are still willing to do this for free! If you can save the active user accounts, great. If not, no big deal.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 9, 2007 -> 09:16 AM) No way he'd ever get support from either party. He actually accomplishes things. +1 This indeed is P.R. B.S., but it's coming on the heels of the Buehrle extension, a couple of stellar outings from Javy, and some overall improved play. It's probably not just to generate excitement/ticket sales, but to also keep momentum going their way on the diamond. In the unlikely event that many, many things go their way from here on out, they DO have the talent to nab a Wild Card berth.