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QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 08:15 PM) You're not going to find anyone better than what we already have out there. Unless you want to give up Josh Fields and possibly another prospect or two for crap, this is what our rotation is going to look like. It's KW's job to find better pitchers than the ones he's assembled. If he wants to win another World Series, he will. QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 10:22 PM) Just choose the hottest 2 of those 3 at the end of the year to start in the playoffs... Holy f***, do some of you really think assembling the perfect team is even feasible??? THIS IS A CHAMPIONSHIP-CALIBER TEAM AS IS!!! Kenny will bolster it as much as possible within reason for the stretch run before the deadline. Let's just get to the playoffs, best record in baseball or not, and see what happens. I have plenty of faith in this team.... Assembling a perfect team isn't feasible, but there's a HUGE gap between perfection and the 2006 White Sox. KW can find and trade for better starting pitching while drunk.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 08:57 PM) I just dont understand it. There are very valid concerns with this team( I was basically ripping out my hair at the game today). However, early and mid September of 05 should have all told us that a GREAT baseball season can have its ups and downs, and just ride it out, and enjoy it rather than continually question this club. I have seen members on this board actually say that they didnt enjoy 05 as much because they over analyzed and overreacted to things in 05. Just enjoy the ride. I did 05, and dont regret a second. Those who live and die with the Sox based on the highs and lows of the team experience greater highs than those who are consistent in their naive joy. Therefore, those who were most vocal and worried about the state of their team also were the fans who enjoyed the playoff run most.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 08:52 PM) you are horrible. Face it, just a horrible fan.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 06:04 PM) The best team doesn't always win, and neither do the best players. Our starting pitching was solid, but our offense and bullpen were considered to be major question marks. Apparently we're using revisionist history, because just about every expert and a lot of people on here were writing us off, both before and after we started to lose our division lead. If that were the case, we wouldn't have gotten by Boston's monster of an offense, or beaten Clemens, Pettitte and Oswalt. It's all about how they're playing at that time on that day. First off, they don't make up 3/5 of the team. Second, You could ask the same question about a lot of teams. Are Matt Clement, David Wells, and Jon Lester 3/5 of a championship rotation? What about Chien Min Wang, Jarrett Wright, an aging Randy Johnson, and god knows who as 4/5 of a rotation? Steve Trachsel, Alain Soler, and Brian Bannister? This isn't uniquely our problem. A lot of contenders are short on pitching. In fact, Detroit is probably the only one that isn't, and that's assuming all of these guys can keep it up. Even they have Todd Jones as a closer. The difference is that we actually have guys with talent that have done it before, unlike the other teams. You're saying the Sox shouldn't upgrade their bad starting pitching because other contending teams also have bad starting pitching. Since the objective is to be better than other teams and not "just as good," that's reason enough to upgrade.

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 05:32 PM) I'm not saying it is the objective Then what is your objective?

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 05:45 PM) Since when do you have to lead the league in every category to win it all? Even assuming our pitching stays this bad, which it probably won't, we've got the #1 offense in the league. That's enough to get you through the regular season, and the playoffs is a crap shoot. The f*** it is. The best team in baseball won the World Series last season and did so in a dominating manner. They didn't get "hot at the right time," they played to their ability and beat teams that were inferior to them. QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 05:47 PM) You can find weak links on EVERY team. Besides, two of the three were part of a champion last year that had a much weaker offense. What do you see in Freddy Garcia, Javier Vazquez and Jon Garland that makes you think they're 3/5 of a 2006 Championship caliber team? Perhaps you missed the "2006" part of the question, so here is the question again, now partly bolded.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 05:36 PM) Do you really think all of them will finish the year with ERA's that high? That would put all of them well over their career averages. That seems pretty damn unlikely. f*** career averages. Answer me this: What do you see in Freddy Garcia, Javier Vazquez and Jon Garland that makes you think they're 3/5 of a 2006 Championship caliber team?

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 05:28 PM) People said the same thing about our offense last year. You can't make generalizations based on half a season. Our pitching is still better than most teams, even with the rough stretch we are going through. Give it a rest, we've got the second best record in baseball. I'd hate to see what this site would look like if we were around .500. AND MOST TEAMS DON'T WIN THE WORLD SERIES EVERY YEAR. THAT COMPARISON IS FAULTY.

The similiarities are many. Both teams could hit, with plenty of pop throughout the lineup. Both had a couple stud starting pitchers: Colon/Buehrle in 2003 and Contreras/Buehrle in 2006. Both teams were one of the best teams in baseball. The 2003 team ultimately couldn't even make the playoffs, failing to beat the first-place Twins late in the season when it mattered most. Hopefully the 2006 Sox won't face the same story when playing Detroit.

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 05:04 PM) There, I said it. Which is not the objective of playing. Championship or nothing.

Those who defend the Sox's pitching staff need to ask themselves if they believe this team's pitching is Championship caliber. Once they realize the honest answer is "no," they'll then understand why those who criticize the pitching are complaining. We're not in a rebuilding year. We've already traded away prospects like Young, and we're not far from assembling a Championship caliber team, so KW might as well finish his f***ing plan.

QUOTE(Wolverine31 @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 04:27 PM) What do all the Sox fans who were crying about the fact that you percieved that the Tigers couldn't beat good teams have to say now that you have put in 2 pretty bad efforts against the Red Sox? Maybe your starting pitching will really hurt you against good teams? We can't say s*** now. Our starting pitching is horrible. Playoff caliber, sure, Championship caliber, no way. Not only is Freddy Garcia a bad pitcher, but he shows up teammates who fail defensively. Yet I read a stat in today's game that 24 of 25 potential base stealers successfully stole off him. He's inefficient with his pitches, can't hold a runner, has lost velocity on his fastball, and often allows first or second-inning runs, putting his team in a hole. Javier Vazquez is just as bad of a pitcher and teammate as Freddy G. Tiger fans, Vazquez watched his catcher get intentionally drilled on first pitches in consecutive at bats, yet never threw so much as a brushback pitch to the opposing team. He stayed outside all game and wouldn't even throw inside. I do not want to go to the playoffs with these two self-interested, incompentent, downright bad pitchers. QUOTE(Wolverine31 @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 04:27 PM) About the last post, I think you just concentrate on making the playoffs any way possible whether it may be by winning the Wild Card or the division. But I think that poster pointed out the September 1st date because if I remember correctly we have a pretty tough schedule in August and a much easier September. If we can hold on to the division lead through August, I think we have a great shot at holding on the rest of the year because of how we've beaten up on the bad teams all season. That's exactly how I see it.

I wasn't worried about the Tigers until maybe 1-2 weeks ago. Once Maroth went down, I was expecting the team to play noticeably worse. The Tigers have kept winning as if nothing happened. I'm certainly not yielding the division, but if the Sox aren't leading the division by September 1, the team needs to concede the division and concentrate on the WC.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 10:23 PM) I have. You move on too. Thanks. No, you didn't move on, because after he declined to continue the discussion, you again responded.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 10:16 PM) Boo hoo, go cry to your whiny chat room buddies. They will all sympathize with you and you can all go whine together. LOL. You asked him if he wanted to continue talking through PM and he declined. Move on.

Politte will dominate tonight.

QUOTE(maggsmaggs @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 10:06 PM) We are losing and playing bad, but guys we are all Sox fans and "message board friends." Just everyone stop the snooty comments and we can all just come down. It's one game and our emotions should not get out of hand because of one poorly played game. STFU

QUOTE(soxunited @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 09:59 PM) One thing I have noticed with how Ozzie has handled his SP's this season is that he expects them to go very far into the ballgame. He seems determined to get them the win, even if they are faltering at the mound. I don't know if that has anything to do with how they are performing, but it seems like he has overworked his starters in quite a few games when a move to the bullpen would have been a better choice. 100% ACCURATE. I can't believe a Boston fan has seen enough Sox games to notice this. And Ozzie does this despite having a solid long-man in the bullpen, Brandon McCarthy who started last season and is a good pitcher.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jul 7, 2006 -> 09:54 PM) His zone has been as inconsistent as a woman on PMS and it doesn't help that Mark had several little b**** hits off him.

Politte did look good in the 8th. He had some improved velocity on his fastball (I saw 93 once) with some rise too.

I was hoping an umpire would've gone out to the mound to check Javy's balls, but then I realized Javy doesn't have any.

Way to f***ing dominate, Bobby Jenks. The man recorded 5 outs in PRESSURE SITUATIONS. Technically only 4 outs, but I'm saying 5 because AJP was too scared of a baserunner to catch a ball, failing to record what should have been the first out of the ninth. Welcome back Mr. Garland.

Why is Contreras still pitching? It's the 7th inning, he's got a 12-run lead, and he's thrown over 90 pitches. Give the staff some rest when possible because this team's season doesn't end in September.

Frank Thomas and the Oakland A's take a 1-0 lead in the first against Justin Verlander and the Tigers. Edit: Jay Payton singled in Mark Kotsay.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Jul 3, 2006 -> 05:37 PM) So do you know JD better than JD himself? No, I believe JD's participation in the homerun derby is not worth the risk of throwing off his swing during one of the best season's of his career during a pennant race. The risk is not exclusive to JD, but to all MLB players who participate in the derby, thus I do not need to know JD better than he knows himself.