Pants Rowland

QUOTE(StatManDu @ Apr 2, 2008 -> 12:17 PM) THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 2ND For more see, www.whitesoxalmanac.com WELCOME WHITE SOX! Moe Berg played for the White Sox from 1926 to 1930. He later gained notoriety as a premier OSS spy who gathered high-level intelligence information on Nazi Germany’s top scientists during World War II. Ever read the book about him called The Catcher was a Spy? Good stuff.

QUOTE(J-MAN @ Apr 2, 2008 -> 09:44 AM) God - haven't any of you seen the Shawshank Redemption? Oh yeah. Great scene.

Whoever mentioned Bang the Drum Slowly, thanks. That was a real tearjerker with a phenomenal cast. DeNiro was just a pup in that one. I think that with Eight Men Out and Bull Durham are my all time favorites with honorable mention to Pride of the Yankees and The Natural, although I do not like it nearly as much now as it was when I watched it as a kid. On the Bull Durham note, although I typically think Costner's poor acting ruins a lot of films, Crash Davis is one of my all-time favorite characters in both book and film. Right up there with Willy Loman and Hamlet. I think the following line embodies the journeyman minor leaguer outlook on life best: Bat Boy: "Get a hit, Crash" Crash: "Shut up"

QUOTE(Y2HH @ Apr 1, 2008 -> 09:25 AM) Whats with this community? Why all the sudden Crede hatred and the thinking that Fields is the next coming of God?! Sorry to break it to you guys, but Crede > Fields. This is no different than the endless BA, BMAC and countless other never-beens this community latches onto like a bunch of girls fawning over Hannah Montana. Give it a rest. Oh, and for the record, I like Fields, but I think Crede is better at this stage. I still miss Snopek.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 04:24 PM) Garcia was a great trade though, many of us were kinda upset, whoops! I liked getting Freddy but thought KW gave up too much, in particular Olivo. For some reason, Ozzie did not care for Olivo and to be honest, his career really never blossomed the way I thought it would.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 04:05 PM) I still think Fogg and Wells for Ritchie was beyond idiotic. I agree. No matter how it turned out in hindsight, those were two very promising prospects at the time. Wells was a top draft pick and Fogg looked great when he first came up. Ritchie was nothing more than a slightly above average innings eater in the NL. There is no doubt in my mind you could have used Wells and Fogg to obtain a more known and accomplished commodity than Todd Ritchie.

QUOTE(knightni @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 01:53 PM) The Chicago White Sox received: * Keith Foulke, right handed pitcher - quality closer * Bob Howry, right handed pitcher - good reliever * Lorenzo Barcelo, right handed pitcher - very good til he hurt his arm * Ken Vining, left handed pitcher - meh * Mike Caruso, shortstop - was good for a few years * Brian Manning - meh The San Francisco Giants received: * Wilson Alvarez, left handed pitcher - never did much after the trade * Danny Darwin, right handed pitcher - old * Roberto Hernández, right handed pitcher - Foulke was as successful It's not that bad in hindsight. Thank you. It is a rare occassion when someone actually looks at that trade with SF (and no, I will not call it by its common name) and objectively opines on its merits. I will go even further to say I agree with at least the idea of a trade at that time, even if you do not like what they got in return. If I recall correctly, Darwin was going to be gone for certain, Alvarez was getting fat and was unlikely to be resigned. Hernandez was the prize of the deal and had been running his mouth a lot burning bridges. The White Sox manager at the time was Terry Bevington who was a complete imbecile. The Indians were clearly the most talented team in the division and had been playing way down to the Sox' level. The Sox were really average and no matter how many games back they were, it was obvious Cleveland was going to turn it on soon enough and run away with things. That was not a good Sox team and the prospects for 1998 and 1999 were even worse with a bone dry minor league system at the time. Several top prospects fizzled and the pitching staff from the early 90s had disintegrated. I agree that Reinsdorf should never have publicly stated that the Sox weren't going to catch Cleveland, but he was 100% right. I think there should be a SoxTalk rule never to use the f***ing phrase W**** F*** Trade again. It was abused in the media and it is even defined in freaking Wickipedia. There is no reason it should have this type of life span.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 12:44 PM) he is 83rd all time in being caught stealing at 108. Yeah, but a few of those were on the hidden ball trick. On one of the 2005 DVD's there is an extra from TWIB showing how he got duped twice in one season.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 12:33 PM) I agree with you on all points but his base stealing ability. Now stats may prove me wrong, but it seemed he was thrown out quite a bit. Well he did steal quite a few... Career SB - 169 (mostly before his injuries and stole 36 in 1989) But was thrown out quite a few times as well... Career CS - 108 (61% success, ugh!) At least he has stayed consistent over the years.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 12:15 PM) And at one time, Walker was a pretty good hitter. Walk was a very promising young prospect. He had good power and played a decent 1B. The seizure he suffered was what ended his career, not his ability. He was never the same after that and was out of baseball before long. On the Ozzie front, he was a very smart player, in particular in the field. He was always a clown, but he had a knack for getting under the skin of the opposition. He never made an effort to strengthen his body so he was always a slap hitter. When he tore up his knee in a collision with Raines, the strength program he went on the rehabilitate gave him a little more power. Unfortunately, his range was gone and he no longer had the speed which was very much a part of his game. I recall him being among the lead leaders in steals on a few occassion and also was known for hitting a triple every now and then. He was also the best split finger fastball hitter I have seen. He knew nothing about strikes and balls as he swung at everything. He would not walk or strike out much at all. but he also had a knack for spoiling pitches and going and getting pitches down in the zone. His obp was abysmal but people did not focus on that at the time. He made three all-star teams and was the ROY in 1985. He also was a mentor to Robin Ventura and helped him develop into a solid 3B. As a Venezuelan, he adored the Sox for all the inroads they made in his country and wanted to stay with the team forever.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 11:59 AM) If we're plugging Owens in to the leadoff spot on this team as it looks for the next few years...then the key stat I'm looking at for him is OBP. In his best seasons, 1-dog put up OBP's of around .360-.370, although a lot of that was in his batting average. But if Owens could avoid losing a step due to this injury, and give me OBP's in that range, I'd be more than content with his performace in his role. I might not be happy about him getting playing time in front of Anderson or Quentin...but that's another story. His obp with the Sox was fairly pedestrian (.320 or so) with one outlying year (1993) at .354+ and a decent 1995 at .341. It wasn't until he went to the Mets that his obp reached .360-.370. He was 24 in 1987 when he first reached the show and it took him several years to develop. I doubt anyone has that type of patience for JO.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 11:42 AM) Ugh. Me too! Good thing were are still so good looking.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 11:28 AM) 25 doubles? I'd want that to be 35 doubles with 10 triples at the very least before I'd consider him a decent player or even potentially a starter. Jerry Owens screams 4th outfielder; that's fine and dandy, but when he's starting, it's a pain in the ass because then he's getting in the way of more talented players. I know he was a few years younger at the start of his career, but he sounds like an early career version of Lance Johnson (http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/johnsla03.shtml). Lots of speed, no arm, needs work in CF, punch and judy hitter, no power, lots of singles, high amount of triples, not as many doubles as you would like. I think he could be as good, if not a better player than old One Dog.

QUOTE(daa84 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 11:12 AM) dang this post makes me feel old..."that time period" ....it doenst seem like that was a different time period than it is now, but looking back that was 14 years ago...i suppose it was a bit differnt The fact that your knowledge of the 1994 team is based on second hand accounts from your dad and older brother makes me feel old since I was in college at the time and could probably name most of the roster.

QUOTE(Brian @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 06:13 PM) But ESPN has said in the past that the Yanks were gonna go to the series, not us. I remember seeing that article where they talk about the Expos and Yankees meeting in the 1994 WS that never happened. I took exception and wrote a letter to the "journalist". His response was something to the effect of, "oh yeah, the White Sox were good, but the Yankees had a better record when the stoppage occured." Whatever, maybe we were biased, but the 1994 White Sox team was the best White Sox team I ever watched. They had starting pitching, relief pitching, infield defense, outfield defense, obp, speed, veteran leadership, playoff experience, you name it. Julio Franco solidified that lineup and Frank was a monster. The closest things to weak links were Ron Karkovice's hitting (his D was still pretty solid) and a lackluster manager in Gene Lamont. The 1994 Yankees were not the wonders they became in the later half of the decade. In fact, the only team in the AL that I could see giving the Sox a battle that year was Cleveland and it would not have been until the ALCS. I think they were a game back and playing great ball with all the up and coming talent they had. They were the likely WC team but the Sox showed on several meetings that they had the upper hand primarily due to pitching and experience. I do not know if they could have beaten a equally beastly Expos team, but I would have loved to see it all play out. 2005 was magical and awesome and if the cosmos allowed them to face the 1994 squad, maybe their magic and starting pitching would carry them to victory. However, to me the 1994 squad was the best. They were all business and stacked in every way.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 08:42 AM) I think you hit the nail on the head here. I think Anderson is going to be the 4th OF so they want to make Swisher as comfortable as possible by playing him everyday. Because Anderson is going to be the fill in, they want him playing all of the positions. I think they envision Swisher as the CF with either Owens or Quinten in LF, so why keep jerking around Swisher based on who is the sub of the day? Keep him comfortable since he is your #1 guy out there. Let him learn the position and the field as much as possible. As much as Ozzie frustrates me at times, there is a lot to be said for this strategy. Besides, am I oversimplifying to think that shading BA toward CF and Swish toward RF would minimize the difference between swapping their positions? I know the winds will be different, but they should be able to cover comparable ground, shouldn't they?

QUOTE(iamshack @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 02:56 PM) Or maybe he wasn't exactly who he said he was... Do you know something you are not telling us?

QUOTE(Reddy @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 06:13 PM) god i'm just really pissed and i'm gonna vent. I suppose now is a bad time to let you know Edwards dropped out of the race?

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 05:50 PM) You'd think so, but KW has shown over his time as GM, he'd rather trade those prospects for guys who can instantly at the major league level (with the acquisition of Swisher for instance). So if that is the case, at least the extra picks would give him more ammunition to deal two years down the line.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 05:38 PM) Well Dick, give Fields those extra 140AB's, he hits over 30HR's. Uribe's in what his 5th - 6th season, this was Fields' 1st. There's quite a difference b/w the 2 (it also shows how terrible, Juan Uribe's OBP is). I know Josh did it over a longer period of time than some (but not all) of these guys but names that come to mind include... Ron Kittle Rob Deer Billy Joe Robideaux Pete Incaviglia Steve Balboni Matt Stairs Russell Branyan Chris Shelton Go ahead and beat me up now, but first year numbers do not necessarily guarantee a hall of fame or even sometime all-star career. I think Josh was ripe to have his numbers dip considerably this year. He has been around the league a bit and his weaknesses were exposed. That does not mean he will not work to adjust and overcome them, but no one should have been counting on 30+ HR from him this year just by projecting last years totals over a full season. I think Josh will be a good major leaguer but also believe the Sox have no choice right now with Crede. You do not want to trade him for peanuts. If that is the case, I would rather get the draft picks. If the Sox disappoint this year, they are going to need as many prospects as possible to rebuild over the coming years.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 05:20 PM) Below 0? Yes, He would effectively have to pay some team to let him play. In all seriousness, right now he is a mystery who could still get a decent extension from the Sox but not much interest from the rest of the league considering his back and agent. However, if the Sox run him out there every day and he fails to produce, his value would be even worse than it is now, if that is believable. I am surprised Boras and the Sox have not talked about a 2-3 year deal that would keep Crede in Chicago at reasonable money in the short term and allow him to test the market when he hits his peak FA year of 31 years old.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 05:15 PM) Joe Crede has no intention on re-signing with the White Sox. KW has said so much. I doubt JC reups with the Sox, but KW says a lot of random shizzit with hidden intentions. For all we know, Joe is not ready to go full speed and KW is forcing his hand on an extension. If Joe fails to impress, his market value could go down considerably. Otherwise, if he looks good, his trade value goes up and KW gains certainty he could not resign him. All this is very doubtful speculation, but I do not trust anything KW says on record.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 05:07 PM) So that's how he convinced the brass to keep him on the roster. What did he do?

QUOTE(iamshack @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 04:32 PM) Well, additionally, OD 06', I believe Brian got his first hit of the season on a sharply hit line drive to left off of CC...(not positive though if it was before CC got yanked that game though). He was awesome that day. We all forgot Rowand for a brief moment and thought BA was the real deal. Then the rest of the season happened.

QUOTE(knightni @ Mar 23, 2008 -> 11:48 AM) Perhaps not everyone is right all the time. Whatever happened to Bureau, anyway? Did he catch a lot of heat from his employer for posting here?