Pants Rowland

QUOTE(VAfan @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 04:54 PM) Maybe we ought to reacquire El Duque in the offseason? Everyone says we have to dump Jose. But he's undumpable unless he can find his pitching form again. Yet, if he finds his pitching form, then he could be a bargain at $10 million/year. And he would likely help us more in that case than any player(s) we might get in return, since no other team is going to trust him enough to give us anything back. They only have to look at what happened to Freddie Garcia this year to discount our once-good starters as damaged goods. I suppose the answer if Jose reemerges as quickly as he disintegrated is to keep him and trade Garland, then hope we can develop a replacement for Jose when his contract runs out. But, is there ANY chance Jose can find his form again? Anyone rate that higher than 10%? Has there been any player whose performance has coincided so closely with the Sox' prospects over the last few years? He turns into a horse the second half of 2005 and tops the rotation that leads us to World Series victory. He starts where he left off the first half of 2006, keeping the Sox on pace with the Tigers. Then he goes in the crapper the second half of 2006, sinking any chance of repeating. He begins 2007 just as bad, keeping us well under .500 and ballooning our staff ERA. He's resurrected himself before. I wonder if he can't do it again. I think the chances of Jose being traded are far greater than those of the Sox bringing back El Duque to babysit him and resurrect his stellar form from late 2005. However, I was watching the Cubs and Mets wondering how the loss of El Duque may have impacted Jose mentally. I also noticed some nice young talent on the Mets and thought about a trade that might be possible with the right minor leaguers included. Say the White Sox are forced to keep Jose next year and it is obvious that his problem is neither his age nor health but rather between the ears. They need to get him back on track, right? Do you think the Mets would be willing to part with El Duque and Jose Reyes is the Sox offered Garland, Uribe, and Gio Gonzalez? Garland would be an excellent younger upgrade over El Duque for the Mets. Uribe would be a downgrade for the Mets but could still step right into the starting SS role and probably fit well into the bottom of their lineup. Gonzalez would offer some insurance to the Mets with the possible departure of Garland after the season. Meanwhile, the Sox reunite Jose with his long lost friend and hopefully help him turn it around in his melon and upgrade at shortstop and increase team speed. This is all contingent on two big "if's". The first of course is whether the Mets would double over laughing at anyone thinking they could pry Reyes away. The second is the development of Gavin Floyd. If Floyd shows he can compete effectively even remotely like he did the other day, it seems to make sense for the Sox. Unless Garland offers a hometown discount, the Sox will be hard pressed to extend him past next season. Further, a rotation with three lefties may be a little much. They are already committed to Buehrle so it is obvious they will have to choose between Danks and Gio before long. Gio's prospect stock is soaring right now and you never know how these guys will turn out in the show. Danks seems to have the makeup to be a major leaguer already. With all that said, I would much rather trade Jose and extend JG with the money saved. Reyes would like nice at short, though.

QUOTE(Felix @ Aug 5, 2007 -> 03:14 PM) *Great* news. I don't care if it doesn't change anything for the rest of the year, it feels damn good to see a sweep against a team that claims to be one of the best in the majors. Maybe I haven't seen a "healthy" Tiger team yet, but they have not been too impressive in the games I have seen this year. Nice job by the White Sox this weekend. I love to see them make the teams ahead of them earn the division. Let's go get those Injuns!

QUOTE(frankie5angels @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 03:35 PM) I really don't know what this Org. is gonna do. I have a feeling Dye will be back and I can see us making a run at Rowand. Hunter is gonna be out of our price range as is Jones. I can see us bringing back Pods if Owens goes into the tank the rest of the season. I'm not sold on Owens at all, but I also want no part of Pods anymore. KW has his work cut out for him this offseason. Depending on how Richar does the rest of the year, he may have to get a 2nd baseman and SS. I want Uribe outta here. Slightly off topic but, I luuuuuuv your signature. I have one for the old-schoolers..."Wimpy, you're awesome". Thanks for the laugh.

QUOTE(BaseballNick @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 03:16 PM) Since we're not likely to spend the money necessary to acquire Hunter and Fukodome, we're probably looking at something like Owens, Rowand, and Dye. Why do so many people think Aaron Rowand will not cash in significantly this offseason? He is beloved in Chicago and Philly by both fans and teammates. His numbers this year have been outstanding. He is getting a fat paycheck unless he decides to give a hometown discount to the Phils or Sox. I know he loves Chicago and Ozzie, but there has to be a tipping point with respect to salary.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 03:01 PM) Good idea, but I can only see the 1st one. The 2nd one is blocked, and the 3rd one I get a "No longer available" error. 2nd one worked okay for me. I think mlb stopped the third one. They are pretty good about that.

QUOTE(frankie5angels @ Aug 1, 2007 -> 01:31 PM) "show me a 20 game loser. and I'll show you a good pitcher" ROTFLMAO. Spot on!

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 03:04 PM) 3:00 Almost...ESPN ticker just hit zeros.

QUOTE(Yossarian @ Jul 30, 2007 -> 11:02 AM) I seem to rarely agree with fielding assessments here. I agree that Podsednik has turned into a butcher in LF. His first three seasons, he was actually somewhat above average, and I think the stats will bear me out. I don't know what happened to him, now too many catchable fly balls are an adventure. Carlos Lee actually fielded very well for the Sox in 02 and 04. All the other years have been sub par, which leads me to believe for Lee it's lack of concentration as much as anything. It is tough to concentrate on fielding when you are always thinking about your next at bat.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 30, 2007 -> 11:16 AM) It's called being an accumulator, much like Raffy Palmeiro. He put up an incredibly unimpressive line for his career; .276/.340/.447/.787 but the guy had 11,551 ABs in 3,001 games. If you put up a high .700/low .800 OPS over that many games you're going to accumulate some rather impressive numbers but he never really dominated the league. You take a look at someone like Chipper Jones who's going to put up very similar HR, 2B and RBI numbers along with WAY more stolen bases but a whole lot less hits since Chipper has already drawn as many walks in his career as Ripken did except in half the games. Chipper's career line also shows just how dominant he was unlike Ripken .306/.403/.544/.947. So in the end Chipper will probably have better career numbers than Cal in about 2/3 of the ABs but will never receive anywhere near the same accolades as Ripken, which is really a shame. Nicely put. I always have trouble articulating why I was unimpressed with Ripken. I have been beaten up in the past for saying that without the streak, Ripken is not a HOF player. That might be a bit of a stretch since he also was a very good SS, but I grew very tired of the Ripken worship over the years. In the days of the balanced schedule, plenty of Sox fans got to watch Cal's career. He was never a player who struck fear in me with the game on the line. With that said, he is a gentleman and played the game the right way for a long time. I will not protest his induction. I am sure he is relieved. ;-)

QUOTE(beautox @ Jul 29, 2007 -> 11:55 AM) Tom Kelly? Out of all the names mentioned, this is one I would support.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jul 27, 2007 -> 05:19 PM) Just got a call from my old man, and he brought up an interesting point. He said when he heard what we got back, that in the back of his mind, maybe this was sort of a "make-up" deal by Williams? I think now it sort of looks like the Sox might have passed off damaged goods with Philly in the Garcia deal, and even if Kenny isn't responsible for that, maybe a deal like this, helping a team out in need, for maybe not the most value that he could have got for Gooch, but clearing things up with Philly, to open up things down the road. Could be very, very far from the truth, but kinda interesting. Like returning Bonilla to the Pirates?

QUOTE(michelangelosmonkey @ Jul 27, 2007 -> 11:14 AM) Nate Robertson is old and smelly. Well stated. Brevity is the soul of wit.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Jul 25, 2007 -> 11:18 PM) same here. I was watching with my brother and there was no randy johnson, and I was like wtf, and it made me drop everything and go look it up. More great work by the white sox research staff. Where is StatManDu when you need him?

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Jul 13, 2007 -> 09:11 AM) Not true. If that player in return brings in more $$$ in revenue from ads and marketing, merchandise sales, increased ticket sales and any revenue from potential championships he helps attain then they are worth that much. Not saying ARod is, but MJ probably was. Great post. I think that was the major justification for the posting fee the Red Sox paid for Matsuzaka.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 12, 2007 -> 07:00 AM) One of Hawk's greatest lines was when someone shattered his bat hitting a foul ball. "He'll have to get himself a new piece of ash". Drysdale was crying. I heard the quote was even more over the top, something like "It is so hard to find a good piece of ash nowadays."

QUOTE(JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Jul 13, 2007 -> 07:54 AM) Erstad graduated in 1992 from Jamestown (N.D.) High School Erstad was a kicker and punter on the school football team, logging a school-record 50-yard field goal. Erstad also played hockey (36 goals and 24 assists in 26 games) and participated in track and field (winning state titles in 110 and 300-meter hurdles). Erstand played American Legion baseball (Jamestown had no high school baseball team), and hit .492 with 18 home runs and 86 RBI for the Jamestown Eagles in 1992. Erstad also was 10-2 with a 2.18 ERA as a pitcher, and was named AP North Dakota Athlete of the Year in 1992 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darin_Erstad i'd say he's a pretty good athlete... I would think the competitve sports biography of the majority of major league baseball players would look pretty similar. i.e Three plus sports in H.S., excelled in at least two of them. Recruited by many Division I schools to play one or two sports. Maybe picked one sport to focus on before college started or tried to do two and eventually chose which sport they loved best. Typically really good golfers, etc.

http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://sport...212&srvc=sz Anyone still think the White Sox are going to go after A-Rod? NY would have to pick up an awful lot of that salary (say 75%) for it to work in this budget. "After the New York Yankees on Wednesday indicated they would break from tradition and negotiate during the season with Alex Rodriguez on a contract extension, his agent moved in quickly to define what it would take to keep the superstar third baseman playing in New York. And that would be unprecedented millions per season. In a telephone interview with the New York Post, Scott Boras said Rodriguez assuredly will become Major League Baseball's first $30 million-a-year player. However, Boras said he will not take up the Yankees' offer to negotiate before the season ends. "We are not going to be negotiating during the season," Boras said. Boras insisted he could see no way that strategy will change, saying "This is Alex's decision. This has been his policy, and I fully expect this to continue to be his policy." MLB sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that the Yankees were willing to negotiate with Rodriguez -- under the condition that he agrees not to opt out of his current contract after this season and that he agrees to tack on any extension to that deal, which expires after the 2010 season. Even if his client doesn't go the opt-out route, Boras told the Post that there are existing stipulations in the current deal that all but guarantee Rodriguez would earn a minimum of $32 million in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. "The way the provision operates, he either gets that or he can become a free agent after any of those seasons again," Boras told the newspaper. Approximately one-third of the remaining $81 million of the current contract is being paid by the Texas Rangers, which was part of the trade that brought Rodriguez to New York. Though the Yankees are underperforming so far this season, it's not Rodriguez's fault. He led the major leagues at the All-Star break with 30 home runs and 86 RBIs and has a .317 average."

QUOTE(klaus kinski @ Jul 12, 2007 -> 09:33 AM) The ex Sox wasnt the only reason I DIDNT watch-thats bad enuf. I just couldnt endue a Barry Bonds love fest- I think the Ex-Sox should be a feather in the cap of the organization. I do not see it as a negative. These are all guys developed by the organization. This is an organization that has been severely maligned over player development by the vast majority of posters on this site this year. Each of the all-stars in question were moved for strategic reasons and the results (with the exception of Rowand) have been pretty good. Would you have paid Magglio after the surgery/Boras debacle? Would you rather have had Magglio and his hernia in RF in 2005 or Jermaine Dye? Do you really think Carlos Lee and his lack of defense merit the contract the Astros gave him? Would he have signed for less money to stay with the Sox? I do not think so. The only guy I wish the Sox still had was Rowand and that is only because I did not think it was a good trade overall, no matter what Thome's OBP is. The fact is, it is an honor to have all these players that came through our system do well in the majors. This is not like the old Expos who were the farm team for all the big budget teams.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 12, 2007 -> 10:09 AM) Fields is not in the same ballpark as Crede defensively. Crede, even with the back problems, has been a top 5 defensive 3B for a few years now. Fields is somewhere a little below average. With time, he can probably be average or better, but will never be near Joe's level. That said, Fields looks far better at the plate now than Crede has for most of his career. In addition to needing work (probably winter ball in addition to constant dedication), I think Fields could be helped tremendously by Uribe. I remember the dramatic dropoff in defensive play by Caruso from his rookie season when Ventura was there anchoring the infield at 3B and the following season when Ventura left. I assume there is something of a language barrier, but Fields needs to hound Uribe for advice on positioning with each hitter that comes to the plate. More importantly, Uribe is the leader of the infield and needs to show it by mentoring Fields. Fields seems to be hurt a lot by not being in proper position before the play rather than his actions during the play.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 9, 2007 -> 09:58 AM) Wow. I bet there are some Rockies fans that are pretty upset with their team right now. My dad always says familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe the Rockies players know too much about the ineptitude of their grounds crew to further enable them by lending a helping hand.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Jul 9, 2007 -> 11:28 AM) It's nice to see a league not bow down to the self-proclaimed WWL. Overall, I agree. If only they could impose such a policy toward exit pollers during the presidential elections.

Anyone notice this? http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...tesox-headlines I am not sure MLB should take such a hard stance, but on the other hand, who is going to cry for ESPN?

FYI, the record for comined runs score in an AL game is 36 (Boston 22 v. Philidelphia 14 - 6/29/1950)

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Jul 6, 2007 -> 04:18 PM) Look at it this way, at least the White Sox won a couple of innings: 2nd - Sox killed the Twins 3-1 5th - Sox nipped the Twins 3-2 6th - Sox owned the Twins 1-0 (a one inning shutout) Well the good news is, with the Sox winning the battle of the ninth inning, this game is a split decision and can go to the judges scorecards. If there was ever a town that could fix a vote, it is Chicago, especially on the south side.

Any idea what is the record of runs scored by one team in a nine inning game in the modern era? How about two teams combined?