Pants Rowland

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jul 1, 2009 -> 05:07 PM) Not me ,it's quality not quantity that counts and one helluva OBP. Don't tell me what you hit...tell me when you hit 'em.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 1, 2009 -> 03:27 PM) Scott Sullivan also comes to mind. DJ Carrasco didn't come directly from the Royals, but he spent most of his career there. Same with Gobble. Dotel, etc. Teahen? He's not much more than a career 700-725 OPS type of player, and his defense is very shaky at 3B...but he doesn't hit for enough power to hold down 3B or RF. Trading him to the White Sox, they would ask for a "premium" return. Perhaps if it was a one or two year "band aid" and we'd given up on Josh Fields entirely, in which case you'd be putting Getz on the bench, moving Beckham to 2B, or moving Ramirez into CF with Getz at 2B and Gordon at SS. If KW had done something logical in the offseason, it would have been to go out there and get Casey Blake. As far as the OP goes, trading your best offensive player for what? Someone that can actually play CF on an everyday basis? Beckham and Ramirez have to be considered average to below average at their positions now, Getz average or a bit above, Konerko average (range made up for by scooping so many balls out of the dirt, but he can make some bad defensive plays, too)...the only one in the outfield better than average is Anderson, although lots of metrics had/have Quentin as average/above average for LF, especially this season, where he looked like he had adjusted a bit. The only player on the roster that can really play D is Nix, along with Brian. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on both of them being capable of producing enough offense to be starters on a consistent basis. The thought was to improve the defense on the left side of the infield, keep Pods in LF, keep BA's glove in CF and possibly upgrade your offense a bit. As of this moment there are two average to below average defenders on the left side. Putting Pods in CF when Quentin returns will only make the defense worse. I doubt the offensive improvement will be able to compensate for worse defense, especially when facing tougher starting pitching that typically shuts down even the best lineups. The reason I brought up Quentin is if he is healthy and performing on par with 2008, you might be able to give up Dye's bat in the lineup, although without TCQ it should not be considered. So, assuming Quentin is healthy, you can keep Pods in LF, where he is less of a liability, put a plus defender BA in CF and Quentin can fill in adequately for the loss of Dye. Meanwhile, if you can somehow turn Dye into a decent hitting 3B with a good glove (maybe Teahan isn't the best option overall, but you get the idea), you can shift Beckham to 2B and have a nice alternative in Getz on the bench. I think even with BA as a regular bat in the lineup, Quentin, Beckham and whoever you get for Dye could compensate for the loss of Dye even with BA's light bat in there. That would simultaneously give you an improvement on defense, not hurt your lineup much, if at all, and also cut payroll a bit. The alternative, as some suggested, is to get a legit CF. I like this idea a little less because I believe the left side of the infield is hampering the team's ability to move to the next level far more than the weak bats of BA or Wise. I know it brings a flashback of 2006, but I believe if BA can play above average defense in CF, we can live with him hitting .230 or so.

Watching this team and the potential emergence of Beckham made me consider the biggest needs this team has to put it in the driver's position for the division and the long term success of the team. In addition to every team always wanting to upgrade the starting pitching, I thought of ways to improve the total runs given up (ie unearned) without sacrificing offense or the bullpen. It appears the best trading chip the Sox have is Dye but his offense is way too valuable to a fragile lineup to ship him out right now. However, if TCQ comes back strong and shows (2-4 weeks of no pain and solid play) that he is back for the long haul, would it make sense to ship Dye for some good prospects? The thought is you move TCQ to RF, leave pods in LF, and put BA in CF with Wise on the bench. Then move Beckham to 2B where his defense won't be as much of a liability, have Getz be the first backup in the infield, and turn those prospects from the Dye trade into a decent hitting, good glove 3B? Someone mentioned Mark Teahan in a thread the other day. I doubt either the Sox or KC would be eager to help the other in the short or long term, but for the right prospects, that might be a deal worth making for both sides. I am sure there are some other candidates that also might make sense but I am too lazy to look them up right now. I will back away from the keyboard and prepare to be flamed for this outrageous idea now.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jun 30, 2009 -> 10:04 PM) Jim Parque's rain shorten complete game at Wrigley is still my favorite. I am partial to Melido Perez's complete game no-hitter versus the Yankees in 1990. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/13/sports/b...ut-not-his.html

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 29, 2009 -> 04:02 PM) only a minor league team. I love the Cougars! (kittens are nice, too.)

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 28, 2009 -> 12:57 AM) Nice shot in the balls to the Cubs by the Cards. Cards should stay in the race for a bit, but ultimately, the Cubs and the Brewers are the better teams. We’ll see how far Dave Duncan can take them. I do not know. That Cubs team looks very flawed from what I have seen of them. Not sure they really have the edge this year.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 26, 2009 -> 04:54 PM) I'm from the KW school where you can trade and still try to compete. I absolutely, positively would get rid of Contreras the second a decent offer came in. Ditto. That had to be the most impressive looking 5-run (3 HR) outings I have seen out of a Sox pitcher since Javy Vazquez.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 26, 2009 -> 10:41 AM) Think about it, SS is Alexei's natural spot and he's been playing quite poorly over there. However, 2B is not his natural position, and he played great over there... I'm starting to think while SS is his "natural" spot, he's at his best either at 2B or in the OF. I seem to recall hearing that whole natural spot thing was fallacy. I think Cubano or someone did the homework and showed he barely sniffed SS in Cuba and played far more in the outfield than anything else. I may be mistaken, though.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jun 19, 2009 -> 03:53 PM) Do people really think other teams don't see the same damn thing? Nobody is going to give up much for him and we'd probably have to eat some of his remaining salary anyway. Pointless. Relax. I did not say dump him. I said listen to offers. I have seen many silly trades made at the trade deadline in the past so you never know what some dumb/desperate GM might pony up to everyone's surprise. In this economic climate it is far less likely, but if Jose keeps up the dominance and the Sox are still wasting efforts a la yesterday, then you might be able to get something of value for the future, even if it is just payroll flexibility.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jun 19, 2009 -> 02:15 PM) giving up on the season? Not at all. Just have seen too much up and down from Jose over the years that I think it makes sense to trade him for the right offer if it comes along.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jun 19, 2009 -> 12:59 PM) If Count dominates today you really have to start thinking about things. Thinking about alot of different "options" that you have. If he dominates, I'd start listening to offers.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 18, 2009 -> 04:39 PM) Only cause it's against the Cubs I think. The losses this year have affected me less than any year since 2005. I understand. Baby steps. Wait until you have a kid or three. The games start becoming background noise.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 18, 2009 -> 04:23 PM) my night is completely ruined because of this. I've been there too many times. Typically it is against Minnesota or worse, losing a night's sleep after watching the Sox blow one late in Oakland. They're my favorite team but they are still a bunch of strangers form other parts of the country and very likely don't give a damn about you. It's not worth ruining your night. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Repeat if necessary.

QUOTE (whitesoxmanager @ Jun 18, 2009 -> 02:56 PM) why is it that teams require a rivalry to play hard? i wish that all mlb clubs had this intensity throughout the entire year. i think that this is the biggest single difference in sports from 20 yrs ago to today. You dadgum right!

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jun 18, 2009 -> 02:34 PM) Sweet f***ing call blue What happened?

QUOTE (smalls2598 @ Jun 18, 2009 -> 02:08 PM) BA stole 2 bases on April 13th. Since then....... 0 for 6 I think it is frequently a forced situation called by the dugout with 2 outs and possibly a 2 strike count on the batter. It seems that is where he gets thrown out most often.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 10:44 PM) Would Nutter show up at a peanut-free game? Ba Da Bump! My oldest son has the really bad allergy to peanuts and yes it is very serious. The worst thing is explaining the severity to people. Few buy into it without thinking you are an overreactive parent. It took a bad reaction to halloween candy before my parents even accepted it was a real serious thing.

QUOTE (RME JICO @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 07:10 PM) Top 10 HR Hitters from 1987 - 2009: Barry Bonds - 746 Ken Griffey Jr. - 617 Sammy Sosa - 609 Mark McGwire - 580 Rafael Palmeiro - 566 Alex Rodriguez - 562 Jim Thome - 553 Manny Ramirez - 533 Frank Thomas - 521 Gary Sheffield - 506 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4266870 So the only ones that are clean (never really linked to anyone) all played for the Sox (Junior, Thome, and Thomas). So, you are not counting Sosa's years with the Sox but you will count Griffey's half season?

QUOTE (quade36 @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 05:00 PM) Looks like their brokerage couldn't sell all the tickets. There are a lot available at cubs.com or chisox.com. My wife already bought me tickets so if anyone else wants to go, it sounded like there was a nice crowd representation there for us. You ain't kiddin'. Out of curiosity, I checked best available and $100 seats 8 rows back near third base came up. How does that happen?!

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 04:40 PM) This series isn't what it used to be. Good. I hated what it used to be. Way too much importance placed on 6 regular season games. With that said...GO WHITE SOX!!! PISS ON THE CUBS!!!

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 03:28 PM) Not too mention the scads of dirty looks I got from all the Astros fans sitting there in shock after getting swept. Yeah, that's not so fun. We got that a lot from angry drunk twentysomething males at the park as well.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 10:13 AM) I would, but only for one reason...I was living in Texas at the time and didn't get the full effect of the moment. I'll always remember being in Pluckers for game 4 and when that last out was made...I was the only one cheering. I would love to do it over, but be in Chicago. Funny you say that. I flew down to Houston to see game 4 in person and still regret not staying in Chicago to see the celebration with friends and family. It was fun being there, but once out the park, the city was dead.

QUOTE (mreye @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 06:33 PM) I like this one better anyway. Thanks for posting that again. I have seen it before and it always gets me choked up. Here is a ridiculous question. If you had the chance to erase 2005 just to have the ability to experience that first championship again, would you do it? I know it is silly, but watching those highlights made me remember how special that season was. There was so much uncertainty, especially that last month of the regular season coupled with the history of disappointment that no one could have expected those last 3 weeks to play out like they did. The euphoria and disbelief of winning the pennant and then the series was so unbelievable. It was also probably the last time I would ever dedicate so much time to a White Sox season. Nothing else in baseball can top the elation of that title. In some ways the aftermath was a letdown knowing that even if they win several more championships in our lifetime, none will be as special as the first. I would love to be able to go back, knowing nothing, and experience it all over again.

QUOTE (Cali @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 06:47 PM) it would be awesome if the game was delayed for 2 hours cause I'd be home from work by then (hopefully) It's always about you, isn't it?

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 05:24 PM) Is it sad that I can tell you the starting lineup of the 1983 Sox and the 1984 Cubs? No. What's sad is the number of members on this site who were not old enough to remember those seasons or even born yet. So old, so old.