Gregory Pratt

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 10:08 PM) Yeah, and that guy built a World Series championship baseball team. Sorry I give him the benefit of the doubt, before anyone else here. You know, I've always had a softspot for Kenny Williams but I can hardly stand the man since 2006, and the decline of our relationship has accelerated with this season. As many know, I have serious issues with Sox ownership, management and development, and they've worsened over time. The more I think about it, in fact, the more I begin to subscribe to the idea that KW "lucked" into 2005 more than anything. Iguchi was definitely a stroke of luck: he overpriced himself so everyone said "Go away" because a) he was asking for too much money and b.) they had Kaz on their mind, so when he fell into our laps, it was luck (or maybe fate), because they had only seen him on video and only signed him so that Willie Harris didn't have to play second base. Then there's the general flukiness of the season (specifically: bullpen), which isn't to call the team a fluke or the season, but there's something incredibly lucky when most of your relievers have career years. See, some GMs assemble consistently great teams, or great-for-a-few-years teams, but not KW's 2005 White Sox. They could never repeat, IMO, what they did that year with that offense and that bullpen, and it shows with the fates of most of those relievers and the team now. Besides that, though, there's the fact that Kenny has now, by my count, gambled on three awful pitchers: Masset, Adkins and Floyd, seeing in them what absolutely nobody else sees in baseball (warning: hyperbole precedes, I know -- but hyperbole is based in truth). There's his arrogant, increasingly irritating demeanor and attitude. There's his, and the organization's, refusal to give a no-trade clauses, which leads me to believe that there are going to be serious issues signing any serious free agent in the future, if we were even willing to shell out the money and years to someone who didn't "grow up" in the "White Sox family." And there are a million other things about him that are off to me. I've said it before: if I trusted Reinsdorf to hire a competent replacement, I'd be in favor of scrapping KW, but with our luck -- we'd wind up with Darrin Jackson! I guess what I'm saying is: even bad GMs get lucky and win a title once or twice. (Probably once.)

It's got to at least have all the letters.

House members + Senators = lovers of their districts and state, first and foremost. And sure, they're polygamist creatures, but they eat breakfast with the same people they have sex with and wake up with and very often have lunch with, too. You're as wrong as can be if you think they don't "give a s***" about their districts/states except for six months before an election.

You know, I think it'd be so funny if we kept Dye because he'd come cheaper. Like Podsednik. Doubt it, but that'd be pretty funny, in a terrible sort of way.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 08:09 PM) Bookmarked.

Willie Harris did something in the clubhouse?

That is very good.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 07:25 PM) Two totally different animals, though. I hate your sig... Haha, my man Sleepy

Haeger will be fine. Floyd, won't.

Nick Masset, ugh.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6068 Other than that, there's the fact that only one man believes in Gavin Floyd's future as a major league stud or even average pitcher, and that man's the same one who loved Jon Adkins, too.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 05:59 PM) I'm sure he would want Floyd to succeed, but if he's like me he probably thinks that isn't likely. It would be best to see him stink up the joint the rest of this year than to count on him next season after a decent year in AAA and have him screw up when the team has a clean slate. You know me so well. As to IL + Little League: first, I'm clearly hyperbolizing; second, Haeger's numbers are very different, and he's always been exceptional for a knuckleballer; third, yes, his numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, because of the league, but there's far more reason to hope for Haeger than there is for Floyd. Far more reason.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 03:58 PM) We've had this discussion repeatedly, but I'll still fire out that I think Gavin Floyd is going to be a good to very good pitcher someday. His fastball has reportedly regained some of the life it lost in the last year or two, making him about the only guy in our organization other than Buehrle who hasn't lost velocity this year. He's been getting that curve ball over lately also, which has accounted for why he's been so good at AAA. But it seems he does have at least one issue in that at the last couple stops he's come to, his learning curve at each stop has been fairly slow. So his numbers at AA weren't great his first season there, he struggled when the Phils called him up from AA, and he never got the chance to adapt to AAA until this season because he kept starting the season in Philly. He'll probably take his lumps when he comes up. But I'd rather he take his lumps in the big leagues for 2 months and then be over them after this season than have him need to do so next season at the beginning. Floyd's consistently 92-94, usually in the 92-93 range, as referred to me by BHAM and a few sources that aren't on this board. He's been getting that curve ball over lately also, which has accounted for why he's been so good" No. IL = little league = why. I do agree that I hope he comes up this year, Contreras is dealt and Floyd runs himself out of town in favor of HAEGER.

Well I didn't make the thread.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 12:38 AM) Actually, the Braves made an adjustment with Harris' stance, and ever since he has dominated... why can't our coaches/management ever make adjustments in things that are obviously not working? I don't care how many adjustments the Braves have made. Soon, the league will adjust to him and he'll fall back to Earth. He is not a .300 hitter.

Sure, that sounds right.

I don't see a reason to in this thread. This is, after all, a clearly labelled thread.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 11:47 PM) And even with his terrible struggles, I don't know how anyone can declare that a 24 year old is a AAAA player at best. It's not worth debating, because we both know where it's going seeing as how it's already been there before. I've always said: give the kid his chances. I look forward to seeing Gavin Floyd pitch at the Major League level, preferably not at a time when we're contending, which is now, because I know what the results will be. Still, I'd like to see them. I know I'm not the only one who believes that Floyd is a terrible pitcher.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 10:17 PM) What I meant by that quote is that everything I ever thought about the game of baseball was slapped in the face by how Ozzie Guillen managed the 8th inning. If that's what a good manager does, then I don't know anything. That was really, really, really bad, yes, I agree. -- Oh, and I wasn't talking about Floyd as a mental midget exclusively. Yes, that is something that I think is valid when it comes to him -- the Phillie organization appears to, and the reporters there who used to cover him certainly think so, as does at least one Chicago beat writer (from a Philly article when we went to Philadelphia this year) -- but his stuff isn't as good as it once was, his control isn't exemplary in any sense, and he's become a AAAA player at best.

Ozzie's just not throwing him under the bus. That's all.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 04:33 PM) Oh yeah, no doubt. I agree 100%. You're still the man.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 04:10 PM) Yeah hopefully uribe wont be back next year. Anderson got shredded for a better approach to the plate than Mr. I admit I swing for the fences on every AB. Anderson got shredded for other reasons.

Hall is a bad defensive catcher. He's not as good offensively as some people believe. But right now, he needs to be recovering from surgery. Instead? He's not playing much, wasting a roster spot and sucking terribly when he does play. Get him to a doctor, f***ing hell.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 21, 2007 -> 01:03 PM) After what I saw in the 8th inning last night, I can't answer questions like that anymore. Then you need to re-evaluate yourself as a judge of baseball players. Jose Contreras at 1000 > Gavin Floyd in high school. You and I both know there are a lot of things holding Floyd back and he'll never be good. Contreras, bad though he's been this year and will likely be for the rest of his career, is better and gives us a better chance to win a ballgame. The only reason to take Floyd over Contreras is $$$

I was being incredibly sarcastic. He isn't "coming into his own."