scenario

I think Kenny shot himself in the foot on outfielder opportunities by being so public about wanting Hunter and then not getting it done. All of a sudden we were in a jam and everybody else (including Fukudome and Rowand) had to be looking at it like they're the consolation prize not the guy we really wanted. Meanwhile, the Cubs targeted Fukudome as their first choice and ponied up to get him. Ditto for the Giants and Rowand. Another thing I don't understand is that we were willing to offer 32-year old Hunter 5 years but only willing to offer 30-year old Rowand 4 years. But Kenny said he couldn't offer Aaron 5-years because "we didn't have the resources"??? What am I missing here?

I heard on the SCORE tonight that the Sox did offer Crede arbitration. I haven't seen a press release on it yet, but I'm sure that the report said it was offered.

QUOTE(DonnyDevito @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 05:08 PM) pass me some of that danks! i don't think the sox have the pitching to compete with the Indians, Yankees, ect. for the Wild Card as the Tigers, Red Sox, and Angels will win their respected divisions. The Indians??? Outside of CC and Carmona, who are you afraid of in their rotation? Westbrook? Paul Byrd? Cliff Lee (who got demoted to AAA this year)? Jeremy Sowers (ditto - and throws a fastball that couldn't break glass)? Their bullpen was crap in 2006... as bad as ours in '07. But they added Roberto Hernandez (beeep) and Joe Borowski... and a couple of guys had career years... and THAT is what we're supposed to be afraid of? Please. I think their pitching will return to Earth next year.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Dec 11, 2007 -> 07:22 PM) Who moves to 1B in Charlotte? Schnurstein? Nah, I think they'll want to see how Micah hits in Birmingham before jumping him up a level. I wonder if Collaro might be an option to move to 1B. Hmmm...

Why would it be a bad PR move?? Would ticket sales go down? Would people write fewer stories about the Sox or give us less attention in the media? Would it undo all the goodwill that KW and Ozzie have been building? Besides, we've got alot of 'boyscouts' on our team. I don't think adding Bonds would taint the public image of our club that badly. People didn't hate the Giants because he played in San Francisco. They may not like the player, but it's unlikely to carry over to the team. And as VanceLaw said... winning is great PR.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 10, 2007 -> 02:09 PM) Gavin's curve is good one out of ten times; most of the time he doesn't throw it right and forget about him ever throwing a curve from the stretch. He has no consistent command of any of his pitches. I don't agree. He had an excellent season in Charlotte and made significant improvements as the season went along. Check out his game log. The huge improvement in K/BB clearly demonstrates improved command and confidence. And in his last 6 starts with the Sox, his command and his curveball were very impressive both from the windup and the stretch. (His curveball was downright nasty.) 3.40 ERA in those starts? 5 quality starts in 6 outings?? Will that carry over into next year? Who knows? But let's hope so.

I saw an interview with Danks recently where he said he's watched every one of his '07 outings on tape during the offseason, several times over, dissecting what he did... evaluating what pitches he threw in situations, etc. It quoted his father as saying John has spent most of his offseason so far fixated in front of the TV analyzing every aspect of his performances... and learning. I found that very interesting. I think he's going to come back next year a much more experienced and 'mature' player in terms of handling MLB hitters, specific situations, and controlling the things that got him into trouble.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 10:57 PM) The funny thing is in all of this, did the Sox not know about BA's poor attitude to apply himself when they traded Chris Young and Aaron Rowand in that 1 off-season. I don't think they did because he had never really struggled before. The 'problems' that cropped up were in response to his 2006 struggles. And the hole in his swing really didn't get exposed until he started facing major league pitching.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 10:14 PM) IMO, the only way there isn't a trial is if Bonds reaches a plea deal. Which I think he's too arrogant to do. No way Bonds cops a plea. He doesn't have to. Unless the government can get a credible witness (the two they have will get torn up in court), the odds of this case going to trial is very small. As long as Bonds former trainer (Greg Anderson) refuses to testify... the Feds case is weak. When a good judge reviews the case, it is likely to get thrown out. The Feds are hoping they can put enough pressure on both Bonds and Anderson to get one of them to crack. But if they both maintain their silence... Barry will likely walk.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 10:08 PM) IFF...he stays healthy and doesn't wind up in jail He's NOT going to jail before the end of the 2008 season... if he goes at all. His trial isn't even likely to begin until after the 2008 season... even if there is a trial... which there may not be.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 09:35 PM) Jack Cust at $500k >>>>> Barry Bonds at $5,000,000 or $10,000,000, whatever he's asking for, if you're playing moneyball, baby. Beane is counting on lots of San Fran fans driving across the bridge to see Barry rather than going to watch the pathetic Giants. And it might work.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 02:58 PM) That would be stupid, as there hasn't been anyone who's suggested the Sox are the frontrunners for him. Yeah... And what does that have to do with how people will react? Besides the Sox have been talked about as one of the contenders for his services for months... with everybody from Bryan Smith at BP suggesting we were the team most likely to sign him... to Ken Rosenthal suggesting we were one of the top contenders several times. And the Trib had articles suggesting the Sox showing interest in him long before the Cubs did. So... you don't think people here will react negatively if the Cubs sign him, eh? Hmmm... we'll see.

Per Foxsports.com today... - updated about 2:40pm "Fukudome's decision on whether to join the Cubs, Padres or an unidentified third finalist might come as soon as late Friday night or early Saturday, sources say. The Rangers, White Sox and Giants are among the other teams that have shown interest." I can just imagine the level of angst on the board if he signs with the Cubs.

I think his agent was smart in his comments about approaching the job like a professional, not going out at night, etc. The perception is already out there that he is a partier. That cat is already out of the bag. The PR spin of "he's taking it seriously" etc., will cause teams to give him another look, when they may have discounted him. Including the WhiteSox.

The two people the Feds are hanging their case on currently, Bonds' ex-business partner and his ex-girlfriend are not considered strong witnesses. If they can't get Bonds' former trainer to flip and become a prosecution witness, this case may never even go to trial. And even if it does, the trial will be held in San Francisco. My prediction... Barry walks.

A's the hot pick to sign Bonds (12-07) 04:00 PST Nashville -- Oakland is considered the hot pick to sign the free-agent outfielder despite his legal troubles and the potential public-relations issues that accompany him. "There is no doubt in my mind that Oakland will sign Bonds," one major-league executive said Thursday as the winter meetings wound down. "I'd be shocked if it didn't happen." Two other teams also have expressed interest in Bonds, an industry source said. Bonds is most likely a fit for an American League club, so that he could serve as a designated hitter. The A's, though, apparently have told Bonds that if he signs with them, he would appear in left field with some frequency. The home run king would be splitting DH duties with Jack Cust. "I'm speaking with American League clubs as well as National League clubs," Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris (not Scott Boras), said Thursday.

From a Trib story tonight... "Meanwhile, Sox prospect Brian Anderson appears unlikely to play winter ball in Mexico. Agent Terry Bross, who works with Clifton, said Anderson is close to being in the best shape of his life since recovering from a left wrist injury. "Mexico isn't really out of the question," Bross said. "But we want to make sure everything is right. He just started facing live pitching. In Mexico you're going to face pitchers with tough breaking balls. "For the first time, Brian is approaching this like a professional. He works out twice a day and doesn't go out at night. He's working with a top professional trainer and with a nutritionist. He's very focused." Interesting 'confession' by an agent.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 05:48 PM) So just imagining that we did sign him. Do we start him at 2B instead of Richar and have Owens lead-off, or do we give him the CF job and let someone such as Cabrera lead-off instead? I'd vote for CF and let Cabrera leadoff. I like the power potential Ramirez and Richar have. Plus, with a little lineup juggling, Owens could still end up getting 300 at-bats anyway. (Figuring 1100 at bats between two full-time outfielders: I could see Quentin, Owens, and Ramirez each getting quite a bit of playing time. Ramirez might also get at-bats backing up in the infield.) What I like about the possibility of Ramirez is it sounds like he could also backup up Cabrera at shortstop... which frees us up to move Uribe if we can find a taker.

QUOTE(MurcieOne @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 04:56 PM) I hear that Fidel Castro is available for middle relief.... Nah, I'm not sold on Cuban pitchers.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 01:21 PM) so, I'm going to expound upon this; do you hate him because he cheated and he broke the record, or just because he cheated? I do just want to clear this up, and I'm not trying to start anything; the only reason I'm really asking is because if you hate Bonds because he cheated, then you also hate Robert Valido, Alex Sanchez, Jorge Piedra, and many others. If you do, that's perfectly fine and I have no beef with it at all. GREAT point. The 'hate' for Bonds among most fans is way beyond logic IMO. Yes, he is a jerk. (So are alot of other people.) Yes, he did take steroids and lie about it (so have ALOT of other people). Somehow though with Barry, the combination of those two issues seems to have escalated into irrational hatred and public enemy status.

As I did searches, I kept finding information saying that Cleveland is showing quite an interest in him. That's all we need. One more player we want ending up on a division rival.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 03:22 PM) Interesting... Any idea the dollar amount or years he is looking for? I've poked around on the Internet and haven't seen any numbers suggested yet. I did find this note from Mark Gonzalez about him back in September though. Probably was posted a couple of months ago. But I'll add it here anyway. Cuban crusher available By Mark Gonzales, 9/22/07. MINNEAPOLIS -- White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras gave an encouraging scouting report on Alexei Ramirez, 26, one of Cuba's top hitters who left recently to seek residency in the Dominican Republic. Ramirez is expected to play in the majors quickly. "He's got power and speed," Contreras said earlier this week. "He's fast in center field." Ramirez also can play shortstop and second base. Contreras and Ramirez are represented by agent Jaime Torres, whom general manager Kenny Williams said he hasn't spoken to recently. Ramirez went to the Dominican because his wife is a citizen of the country, according to published reports. Ramirez led the Cuban League with 20 home runs in addition to a .335 batting average.

I saw a Spanish speaking video of him on YouTube, hitting a homerun. He has that thin wiry Soriano type look about him.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 02:38 PM) Does he actually play CF, or is that just speculation/wishful thinking? Here's a quote from a September ESPN story about him coming over from Cuba... Ramirez, who turns 26 on Sept. 22, played second base for Cuba at the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro but is primarily a shortstop and centerfielder. Another quote from the same article... Ramirez, according to his agent (Jaime Torres), is comparable to Contreras as far as being "major league-ready" immediately after leaving Cuba. "Right out of spring training, Ramirez will make a major league club," Torres said.

I'm just imaging the fun the media might have with Bonds playing at "the Cell". I guess that would make Konerko, Thome, etc., his Cell mates.