WCSox

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 15, 2006 -> 04:19 PM) The Sox and Twins have not traded with eachother since 1986 just because the Pirates are f***ing stupid doesn't mean a half way decent team like the Twins would do things the same way. You will not be seeing torii traded to any team within the division. Even if the Twins weren't in our division, there's no way that KW would trade for a CF. Not when Torii wouldn't provide much of a defensive improvement, has a very mediocre OBP, would cost us millions, and would prevent us from dealing with our REAL problem: the bullpen.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ May 13, 2006 -> 06:06 PM) Carlos Silva(8.23 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, .355 BAA) Egads, what happened to this guy? I thought that he had turned a corner last year.

QUOTE(G&T @ May 15, 2006 -> 11:22 AM) Even when Mariotti is right I don't have any respect for him. He doesn't think anything until everyone else says it first. ^^^ I didn't realize that the Trib Co. owes a billion in back taxes. What's the deal with that?

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ May 15, 2006 -> 02:18 PM) Logan not the best choice in a tight game?!?!?! HOW DARE YOU!!! Dont you realize that Boone Logan is the Chuck Norris of the White Sox?!??!!? He's going to find out who you are and where you live and when he does........he's gonna knock you into next week, then travel through time to next week and knock you back into this week. Don't talk s*** about Boone Logan!!!

Yep, with Hermanson's future still up in the air, Nelson still an unknown, and Thornton and Logan not being the best choices in a tight game, we're counting on Cotts and Politte to step up big-time.

QUOTE(Reddy @ May 15, 2006 -> 01:22 PM) come on man, it can be argued that pedro is one of the best pitchers EVER - not just of his time. Sure, I agree that he's one of the greatest of all time. But I'm not sure that he's "the most dominant pitcher of his generation", considering that Clemens, Johnson, and Maddux are part of that group. No way. He doesn't have the 97 mph fastball that he did before the injury in '01. But he's still one of the smartest pitchers in baseball and can get hitters out, even without dominant stuff. Since I call Buehrle an "ace" as well, neither do I.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ May 15, 2006 -> 11:34 AM) There was Rowand thread that turned into this topic a few days ago. This is what I said in that thread. There are some many things wrong with Torri Hunter coming to the Sox. 1.He plays for the Twins. There is strike #1, and why everything else is moot, but I'll go on just for the sake of being bored in class. If we were to nab Hunter, it would be at the cost of getting rid of whats left of a semi weak system as it is(I would think Fields and another pitcher would be involved, maybe just to start the deal out) Im not sure I want those players coming back to haunt me in 09. 2. Torri is very overrated with the strick. While he will outproduce Anderson at the plate, I really dont think there is that big of a drop off when it comes to D. Torii has a few steps on Anderson, but not enough for it to be a concern. 3. If the Twins keep playing like they are, Torii is going to be on the radar screens of ALOT of teams, and I dont think Kenny needs to get into a bidding war for something he doesnt need. I like Torii Hunter ALOT, and would enjoy seeing him on the Sox, but with the makeup of the team right now, it's just not a fit. ^^^ The prospects that it'll cost us should be spent on a relief pitcher.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 15, 2006 -> 12:48 PM) Also just to preface everything I posted (even though it's after the fact) I am probably one of the biggest pedro fans you'll find, grew up watching him dominate every great hitter of the 90's and fell in love with the way he played the game. No problem with that. But I think it's safe to say that, in the eyes of many, Pedro wasn't a "lock" for Cooperstown as early as two years ago. That said, I think that he deserves to get in and hope that he does.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 15, 2006 -> 12:39 PM) I constantly hear people mentioning him in the same light as Randy Johnson and other old s***ty pitchers, a lot of people think he's mediocre simply because they don't bother to watch him pitch or even check his numbers, I mean a WHIP in the .80's isn't all that good is it? is it? It'd be great if he did it over the course of a full season. Like I said, Pedro's looked like a different pitcher since the '04 WS. His numbers are obviously going to be better in the NL, so let's see what he does this year. If he can repeat last season, I'll jump on the "Pedro's back" bandwagon.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ May 15, 2006 -> 12:38 PM) OMG, you're really going out on a limb with this statement. OMG, you're so brilliant.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 15, 2006 -> 11:50 AM) Well, seeing how he's the most dominant pitcher of his time Um, not really. Pedro was "the most dominant pitcher of his time" for about four years and was never the same after the injury. Randy Johnson had a phenominal stretch from '97-'02 and has five Cy Youngs. Maddux was a bad-ass in from '92-'98 and has four Cy Youngs under his belt. Clemens had a few different dominant periods ('86-'92 in Boston, '97 and '98 in Toronto, and '03 and '04 in Houston) and has a whopping SEVEN Cy Youngs. All three have rings and the latter two are members of the 300-win club, which Pedro won't touch. Pedro was probably the best pictcher in baseball history from '97-'00, but some of his peers had dominant stretches as well, along with better numbers over the long-term. So I don't think that he'd necessarily be a first-ballot lock for Cooperstown if he blew out his shoulder tomorrow. Possibly, but not definitely. That said, Pedro's '97-'01 numbers, three Cy Youngs, 200 wins, and helping the BoSox get their first ring in 86 years will get him in.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 15, 2006 -> 11:28 AM) Actually Pedro still is Cy Young material, I'm not sure why people don't think he is anymore, he's 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA and a .86 WHIP! (sick). I think that a strong argument can be made for that. I thought that Pedro's days as a #1 were over after he blew the lead in Game 7 of the '03 ALCS. But he came back strong in the '04 WS and had a terrific '05. And he's doing very well so far this year (although he's in the NL again and the majority of the hitters are not familiar with his stuff). I'm not sure that he's on Santana's level at this point, but if he can put up two more really good years, I think that he'll get into Cooperstown.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 15, 2006 -> 10:44 AM) 1. Johan Santana 2. Roy Halladay 3. Jose Contreras 4. Pedro Martinez 5. Chris Carpenter 6. Roy Oswalt Potential to be an ace: 1. Rich Harden 2. Carlos Zambrano 3. Mark Prior 4. Javier Vazquez (needs to be more consistent) 5. Jake Peavy 6. Scott Kazmir 7. Jeremy Bonderman 8. Josh Beckett 9. Felix Hernandez I generally agree, although Oswalt and Jose are both borderline top tier, IMO. We're at an interesting time in MLB where the "old guard" of studs (Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro, Maddux) have lost a degree of dominance due to age/injuries. We're in a "changing of the guard" situation and are waiting for some of the new potential studs (Oswalt, Carpenter, Halladay, etc.) to do it over a long period of time. IMO, Santana is the only guy that I'd put in that top tier without question. Anyway, I'd rank Buehrle right there with Pedro and Zambrano. Great stuff and dominant at times, but not quite Cy Young material (or not anymore, in Pedro's case). Of course, all three are good enough to be a #1 on most teams.

QUOTE(whitesox1976 @ May 15, 2006 -> 10:05 AM) I'd love to see him break the single season record, although I think teams will start walking him and that will reduce the total to around 45 or so. ^^^

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 15, 2006 -> 08:42 AM) The gun had him at 98-99 consistantly Yes, I forgot to mention that. That's great news as well.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ May 14, 2006 -> 10:49 PM) Just more proof. Mark Buehrle is not an ace. I guess that depends on how one defines "ace." He's not in the same tier as Santana, but he's still one of the best starters in the league. Whether he was tipping his pitches in the first or flustered by the errors, he calmed down, made the necessary adjustments, and shut down the Twinkies afterwards. That's what a veteran pitche, and day I say an "ace", does. It was also nice to see Bobby locating that hook again last night.

QUOTE(DABearSoX @ May 13, 2006 -> 03:04 PM) Wow, you don't get WGN on your Comcast...thats sorta BS cause every where else I know gets it. I live in Colorado and WGN is channel 52 for me. IIRC, people I know in MA and CT don't get it through Comcast, either.

QUOTE(G&T @ May 14, 2006 -> 12:00 AM) Many teams will take that contract just for a guy who can take the ball every 5 days. Those teams will also trade away Contreras and money for Estaban Loaiza and fail to get to the WS. QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ May 14, 2006 -> 01:53 AM) Or maybe we can still support Jon through his rough patch and hope he gets on track soon? My bad. This is Soxtalk we're talking about. Nah, I've already supported Garland though the 2002-2004 "rough patch." It's time for him to perform.

QUOTE(Felix @ May 13, 2006 -> 02:34 PM) Well, I watch it full-screen on my 19" monitor. Its not as big as my TV, but its not making me squint my eyes. Isn't it grainy when maximized? I did a one-month trial of it two years ago and that's what I remember. Maybe it's changed since. My computer at home is a laptop with a 14" screen, so it's not really an option for me.

I'm sure that MLB.TV is fine for computers, but I want to watch the game on the full-size TV that's in front of my new couch. I don't want to watch it in a tiny Windows Media Player window on the computer in my guest room.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ May 13, 2006 -> 02:18 PM) I have no urge to see JG traded. I just want him to stop costing us games. Considering that McCarthy is more than capable of starting right now and that all of our starters are making big money, one of them will most likely be gone next year. I used to think that Garcia would be the odd man out, but it'll probably be Garland if he continues to pitch this way.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ May 13, 2006 -> 01:58 PM) A ton of people here get furious with Ozzie when he loses games with the "Sunday lineup", giving the regulars too much rest, we can't sacrifice a single game, etc. Well if Garland is turning into a terrible loss every other time out, maybe we ought to give the kid a shot. Ozzie should stick with him at least until the break. Also consider that trading Garland may affect the team's ability to re-sign Buehrle.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ May 13, 2006 -> 01:21 PM) My point was on the Buerhle thing was that we've seen Mark go through stages before where he has struggled and given up a lot of hits, and that's what's happening to JG now. Yes, and my point was that Mark has historically gotten himself out of those stages very quickly, so few people bother to worry about him. Outside of 2003 (14-14/4.14), he's been one of the elite pitchers in the league since '01. On the other hand, Garland's history (excluding last year) was nothing BUT inconsistent and mediocre pitching. Considering that Garland was a mediocre starter for three straight years prior to '05, I don't see why he's necessarily going to stay on his '05 pace. As you pointed out, his age and arm strength suggest that he may. Coop may have also been a major factor in his development, which would also support your point. But some pitchers are just all over the place in terms of year-to-year consistency. Jose Lima was bad when he came up with the Tigers, had two brilliant years in Houston, reverted back to an awful pitcher and was traded back to the Tigers where he continued to suck, had a few good starts in KC before tanking the rest of the '03 season, had a decent year with Dodgers in '04, and was horrible again in KC last year. Of course, that's an extreme example, but I still think that Kenny took a bit of a gamble by re-signing Garland. Only time will tell...

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ May 13, 2006 -> 01:03 PM) Jon was a very consistent pitcher for us last season, his "breakout" year if you will. He's going to have times in his career where he'll be inconsistent, I think we all know that. His main problem is that he's not throwing enough first pitch strikes, and is falling behind in the count. If Coop can get him on workin on fixing that, I think he can get back to some sort of resemblence to the form he put up last season. I wouldn't call giving up 10ER in 4 starts being consistent, that's a nice little stretch there for Jon. If we're complaining about pitchers, what about Mark Buehrle who's given up 27 hits in his last 3 starts? That comparison doesn't make sense to me. Unlike Garland, Buehrle has had only one "mediocre" season as a full-time starter. Buehrle has been one of the better pitchers in the league for several seasons. On the other hand, Garland has yet to show that last year wasn't a fluke. He still has a lot to prove. I'm confident that Jon can snap out of this and pitch more like the guy that we saw last year. But, as Milkman pointed out earlier, 2005 may have been more of a "career year" than a "breakout year" for Garland. The jury's still out on that one. And while fans may have been more forgiving back in 2003 when Jon was stuck at the back of the rotation and being paid signficantly less, his $29 million contract has raised expectations substantially.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ May 13, 2006 -> 12:52 PM) MLBTV is a viable option instead. Youll get the home feed from wherever they're playing but at least all games are televised. Its cheaper than the extra innings package also. Yes, but the feed is also very choppy at times and I want to watch games on the 27" in my livingroom. Extra Innings is more expensive, but I still get about 20 games/month. I just can't believe that Comcast out here doesn't even give you the option of adding WGN to your package. It's ridiculous.