Friend of Nordhagen

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jun 3, 2007 -> 10:56 PM) Do a search and see if you can find me praising Shapiro about his bullpen. He doesn't have $100 million to spend on the roster though. The funny thing is the board was laughing about the Indians bullpen while posting how dominant the White Sox is, what are their stats? It appears you are one of those guys who thinks KW can do no wrong. That's fine. I disagree with you, and think winning the title has gone to his head. I'm not sure if it went to his head, but Williams has always had a little case of the "I'm smarters" -- I suppose you need some of that as a GM, but it overtook him this offseason. His strong, and publicly expressed, contempt for the price of pitching -- particularly starting pitching -- made him do something with very bad consequences: he ditched experienced starters for minor league starters, as opposed to for position players or bullpen help. THAT was the aspect of sacrificing this year for future years that seemed pretty obvious at the time. If you're going to jettison Garcia and McCarthy, but not use those guys to bring back an outfielder to replace Podsednik or Anderson, or a veteral bullpen guy -- then you're putting your chips on projects like Sisco, Aardsma and Erstad. True enough he got Danks, but he did that for years 2008 through 2012, not 2007. And now those decisions are coming home to roost.

Chock full of thorough analyses and discussion of pitchers with tools and position players with gusto! Guaranteed to result in 4th place finishes! On sale through this exciting, one-time offer!

QUOTE(fathom @ May 30, 2007 -> 07:42 PM) Should have traded Haeger during the offseason, as teams were actually interested in him. Nah, my money's on Haeger getting back on track. Knuckleballers can go through some awful stretches. Wakefield has had some brutal years, but he's a valuable guy.

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ May 30, 2007 -> 04:47 PM) For the record, this thread has one of the best titles I have ever seen. Thanks. Looks like I really started something here.

QUOTE(29thandPoplar @ May 30, 2007 -> 03:40 PM) How about that rolling breaking ball he hit off of Garland? That wasn't a fastball. Bill Melton was on the postgame and he said it ticks him off because other teams know how to get hunter out. Basically you pitch him in on his hands and then he will chase offspeed stuff down and away. Let's face it this was a total team loss. Good point by Melton. I can't remember the last time that we pitched Hunter inside.

We have a bullpen of hard throwers, not pitchers. These so-called "power arms" would be, most importantly, locked up for years on first contracts. But many, many people on this site noted that several of these guys had problems getting the ball over the plate. And guess what? They can't. But they are locked up for years at reasonable rates. We have a roster -- and minor league system, apparently -- that rewards guys who swing hard, strike out a lot, and look great in a uniform. But they don't seem to play the game with intelligence or heart. We have little to no offense from LF and SS this year. Last year, we had little to no offense from LF and SS. No improvements were made, other than a heavy investment in wishful thinking about guys turning it around. This one's on the general manager, for hedging this season -- and sacrificing mightily -- for the promise of payroll predictability and undefined, uncertain and unlikely tomorrows. The next time he wants to go on a rant about wanting to see better performance, he should start with himself.

QUOTE(Stan Bahnsen @ May 30, 2007 -> 12:14 PM) Hi folks, new to the board. You nailed it on Vazquez, Nordy! The guy just doesn't know how to win consistently, and his hanging offspeed pitches and wheelhouse fastballs are thrown in the worst situations. A Sox team that won 90 games last year went 13-18 in games Javy started. The year before, he posted a losing record, 11-14 and 4.42 ERA in one of the worst and lightest hitting divisions in recent memory, the 2005 NL West. This guy has been living off his reputation as much as any pitcher in baseball. His ability to hold a one or two run lead in the middle to late innings is virtually noinexistent. He pitches well when given a huge lead, but who doesn't. He seldom closes the door after being given a lead. There's a reason he's 102-108. The best thing about the guy is his durability. I could go on and on, but I'll just get angrier about the trade. CYoung is just the type of dynamic multi-tool right-handed young outfielder the Sox need now and going forward. I also dreaded this trade the day it happened. It's the only one I've REALLY hated in the later KW era. After he took off the training wheels, I've been a big fan of KW generally. The trades where all players turned out to be crap really don't matter. Now, Nordy, I'm also worried that Javy's re-signing will lead to the deparature of Buehrle and/or Garland as the dominoes fall. We'll see how the season turn out, but instead of riding the Javy express to a 3rd straight disappointment in '08, KW needs to trade his ass this offseason, and re-sign Mark and Jon (Vazquez can't be traded until the offseason according to his contract, I believe). Will KW let his ego get in the way of common sense and keep our wagon hitched to this loser for the rest of his contract? Stan Bahnsen, huh? That's some old-school, red-pinstripe, Wilbur Wood-Jim Kaat-Claude Osteen stuff there. Welcome to the board -- and welcome to agreeing with me! You mention durability with Vazquez. For Williams, I think that was the key to re-signing him. He makes his starts. But so did Jaime Navarro. He made a lot of starts. (Not too many finishes, though.) That was just a senseless trade -- made with the intention of protecting our starters, who had been extended in 2005. THAT part made sense. But they had McCarthy to take the 5th spot -- and still would've had El Duque as a swing guy, pitching lighter innings, during the year. Even then, it still might've been a good move, if it weren't Young involved (one of our few minor leaguers who seemed to have plate discipline, not to mention speed) or Vazquez coming back. The man's track record screamed: "Hello, I'm Javy. I'm mediocre. And I'm paid nearly $10 million a year." Pretty ill-advised all the way around. My guess is that, if an opportunity were to come along, Williams would move him. But given what he received for Garcia, I'm not holding my breath for a big return.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ May 29, 2007 -> 06:36 PM) Young has been fantastic this year -- a .278/.317/.470 line in about 150 at-bats including 17 extra basehits already, that would rank second on the Sox -- and figures to only get better. Six years of, at worst, a Mike Cameron type player or four years of a league average pitcher making $10 million annually? I'll take the former. It'll never be a terrible trade because Vazquez as a league average innings eater holds value, but man, this organization will -- actually, already is -- regret(ing) the day it traded Chris Young. Couldn't agree more. Our outfield -- RIGHT NOW -- needs a young player who can hit, run and field. THAT player is in Arizona, and he's named Chris Young. He'll get better, too. In his place is the guy who has been rewarded for mediocrity. IF -- and it's a big IF -- the signing of that turd to an $11 million deal prevents us from signing guys who actually have ACHIEVED things for this team -- and are critical to its makeup (Buehrle, Garland) -- the trade becomes even worse. And just so I'm totally clear about my position: I don't think Vazquez has underachieved. I think this is who he is, and has been, for about 6 years now. His stuff isn't excellent. The view to the contrary is a myth. Here's why: if you continue to hang off-speed pitches -- that is, throw curveballs that don't curve and sliders that don't slide -- you're not underachieving. Your stuff just isn't that consistently good. That's the guy I see. I get angry just thinking about that trade. I did the day it happened. And I do right now.

The next time Kenny Williams starts blasting his team in the media, maybe he should start with himself. To say that he fell down on the job . . . oh, my.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ May 28, 2007 -> 03:27 PM) The bullpen combined makes less than 1/3 of what Vazquez gets. Going cheap on the bullpen is stupid. Justin Speier would have been a far more valuable player for the White Sox than Pods. I hate Javier Vazquez. I just think it's important to point that out.

QUOTE(Brian @ May 28, 2007 -> 03:20 PM) Wait til the Twins get a real ball park. I never enjoy something quite as much as when the Twins blow up in the playoffs. The reason is simple: a team that doesn't play in a baseball stadium doesn't deserve to win the most important games in baseball. Whatever that piece of garbage is, it ain't that. It serves their organization, fan base, and Punto/Tyner slap-down-at-the-ball-3rd-graders right. They deserve to win nothing. I'm glad they've won NOTHING in the playoffs in 15 years. I wish it were longer. I wish they hadn't beaten the Cardinals in '87 and the Braves in '91. I wish that Harmon Killebrew would have to play centerfield for them -- today. There. I feel much better. Of course, if they want to give us Santana, Morneau, Mauer, Hunter, Cuddyer, Punto, Castillo and Nathan -- well, I'd be alright with that, too.

QUOTE(GoSox05 @ May 18, 2007 -> 04:01 PM) making Demster look like Rivera You mean FunnyMan Ryan Dempster, right? Cuz that's what our lovely Chicago media would have you believe. Dude's like the John Salley of baseball -- not really funny, but he's an athlete and he makes lousy jokes, so he's HILARIOUS.

QUOTE(Brian @ May 18, 2007 -> 03:52 PM) Ask Cub fans about yesterday. Happy that we can get them back on the right track.

QUOTE(chisoxfan79 @ May 18, 2007 -> 03:50 PM) I am so pissed off I just yelled at my Paperboy for riding his bike through my grass That's fairly pissed.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ May 18, 2007 -> 03:45 PM) Dempster is warming, so there is hope That's funny man Ryan Dempster to you. That guy is a real jokester. God Bless the Cubs and their funny guys.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ May 18, 2007 -> 03:39 PM) Look at my sig the day after the last regular season game. !!!!!!!!!

DJ is just babbling right now. Making little to no sense. Hawk encourages him.

QUOTE(fathom @ May 16, 2007 -> 10:01 PM) This is the best offensive team Hawk has seen to be in this big of a slump? He must have a different perception of our current talent level than I do. And last year's team had more talent than any team Hawk had ever been around. Poor Hawk.

Sure wish that Damon was out there in center. We'd have moved up runners a couple of times tonight.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ May 16, 2007 -> 09:41 PM) The commercial makes no sense. They show a guy with an OBP sub 300. At least Pods could claim injury last year when he was sub 300 OBP. Grinderstad is healthy I guess. You're on to something here. They should do one with Pods, but have those little arrows point to different parts of his groin: "Pulled left abductor" -- "Strained right abductor" -- "Hernia" Then flash to: "Groin on 'em on. Groin 'em over. Groin 'em in. Sox." This would be a good ad.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 16, 2007 -> 09:39 PM) Aren't the Sox pretty much the worst team in baseball at Getting 'em on, Getting 'em over and Getting 'em in? Sometimes irony -- is pretty ironic.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 16, 2007 -> 09:37 PM) Why is Joe Crede so slow? He appears to be fairly athletic, why does he move at such a slow pace when putting one leg in front of the other? Crede's alpha gets in the way of his beta. He's working on it.

2 on, no out. No one advances. Sox offense baby, it's magic!

QUOTE(vandy125 @ May 16, 2007 -> 09:23 PM) Every mistake Erstad makes right now is magnified for some reason. Didn't he also save at least 2 runs earlier in the game with a nice catch at the wall? I LIKE Erstad. Speaking for myself, I'm just tired of Hawk's Erstad-related blather. And the fact that Williams made no other acquisitions to shore up the 3 spots in the order that flat-out blew last year.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 16, 2007 -> 09:20 PM) So, that drops his OBP below .300 as well, right? That's the grindiest 30% YOU'll ever see.