scenario

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 12:31 PM) Hopefully he is stronger. He would wear down last year and be brutal for a few games, but would get a day off and be fine. I would like to see what he could do with 30 more pounds on him. He could be a 35-40 homer guy. He's still a stick and I would imagine is going to need days off, but there's no reason to believe he won't respond to those like he did last year. The story is that he was a workout warrior over the offseason to build both strength and stamina for playing SS this year. I remember several writers commenting at the beginning of camp how surprised and impressed they were with his improved strength and conditioning.

QUOTE (ObamaKnowsBest @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 11:13 AM) So is it safe to assume that these numbers and alll the homeruns have come as a righty? As a lefty you mean? Yes. Look at his career splits... As a left-handed hitter - .269/.339/.460... a .799 OPS. Not great but okay. As a right-handed hitter - .232/.276/.360... a .636 OPS. Yikes. This spring? I'm not sure, but I think all of his homeruns were hit left-handed. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this. Bottom line... he has no business switch-hitting because he SUCKS as a right-handed hitter.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 11:02 AM) It's really sad that we'll likely have to wait until then. Given the way the CF's are hitting, it's possible that it could be by April 6th.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 10:56 AM) Top Tier organizations would call it a need. Well... look at Minnesota. Denard Span has had a horrendous spring. So, it looks like they're going with Carlos Gomez (.254 BA; .298 OBP) in CF and Alexi Casilla (career .261 BA; .310 OBP) as leadoff.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 10:36 AM) Look for Getz to start more in the second spot. Good. All set to slide into the leadoff spot if and when the other options puke out.

Betemit can really help our team, as long as he never has to bat right-handed. Left-handed? Very good. Right-handed? Brutal.

From the Plain Dealer today... 1. Cliff Lee 2. Fausto Carmona 3. Carl Pavano 4. Scott Lewis 5. Anthony Reyes Pavano as #3? A pitcher with 24 big league innings at #4? And the inconsistent and injury prone Reyes at #5? A little perspective... Clayton Richard has 2X as many innings in the major leagues as Lewis. And this is the team 'experts' are picking to win our division?

Lillibridge 8, Getz 4, Q 7, Dye 9, Thome DH, PK 3, AJ C, Ram 6, Fields 5. Colon and Contreras pitch. Broadcast link

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 25, 2009 -> 10:06 AM) Just another example of lazy writing by one of the biggest hacks in this city. It's like he doesn't take his job seriously. I think Cowley takes his job seriously. The problem IMO is the Sun Times sports editorial approach... to create controversy. Sure it draws readers, but I'm sick of every sports story in Chicago going the Oliver Stone style conspiracy route.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Mar 24, 2009 -> 06:07 PM) There's a man, with a certain name, that would be a great Plan D...(see below) After one of Wise/Owens is gone at the end of spring training.... David Cook will be Plan 'C'.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Mar 24, 2009 -> 08:53 PM) I want him to continue having a very good spring....in the hope that he will be a stud for us again...why would we not want him to perform for us? Speaking just for myself... I wouldn't want him to perform for us, because I don't trust him as far as I can spit. He's got a million dollar arm, a ten cent head, and gawdawful mechanics with body parts moving all over the place making his results frustratingly inconsistent. IMO, trade his keister for a Happy Meal to the first team that offers to pick up his salary.

I want MacDougal to continue having a very good spring... in the hope that some team will step up and take him off of our hands.

Just saw this note from Mark Gonzalez on the Trib site... Colon to pitch Wednesday vs. Oakland for White Sox PHOENIX -- The White Sox switched plans and will now start Bartolo Colon on Wednesday against Oakland instead of in a minor league game. "Now it's time to go to the next step with him and get the adrenaline going," pitching coach Don Cooper said. Jose Contreras will follow Colon.

Wow. Hafner living up to his name.... he's half as big as he used to be.

Needs another pickoff.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 24, 2009 -> 03:16 PM) Anyone have a Gameday link by chance? Can't find it, and frankly don't know how you guys have BEEN finding them, since its not on the scoreboard. In the offseason, the trick is that you have to locate them manually, using the calendar on the http://www.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/ site. After you navigate to the correct date, you can find the links. Here is the link for today's game http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?g...chamlb_clemlb_1

Whichever catcher we bring north (Miller or Lucy) requires an addition to the 40-man roster. So, it will be interesting to see who is removed to create an opening.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 23, 2009 -> 03:26 PM) Didn't OAK take him the Rule V last year and release him as well? Same guy Rule V'd twice? You're thinking of Fernando Hernandez.

A few old Chris Getz facts... Selected as pre-season third team All-American for 2005 by Baseball America ... projected by Baseball America as Big Ten Player of the Year and All-Big Ten 2B selection for 2005 …ranked as second best prospect in Big Ten in 2005 by Baseball America ... During the 2005 season, ranked 3rd in the Big Ten in batting average (.386), 2nd in hits (88), and 2nd in stolen bases (29). Named 2005 NCAA Division I District V Player of the Year as selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association ... named All-Big Ten First Team 2B for second straight season ... named to all-tournament team at Big Ten Championship for second straight year as he hit .533 (8-for-15) with three doubles ... hit .567 (17-for-30) in two Big Ten Tournaments with four 3-hit games and seven-game hit streak ... named winner of the Bill Freehan Award as the top offensive player on the 2005 UM baseball team. Career Starts 169 (2B-159, SS-9, DH-1)... has 67 career multi-hit games (27 3-hit games, three 4-hit games) ... has 51 multi-hit games at U-M (23 3-hit games, two 4-hit games) ... has hits in 85 of last 100 games ... has hits in 53 of 62 Big Ten games in career. In 2005, had 29 steals out of 34 attempts; second-best UM season total with record held by Jim Durham (38, 1987) ... has 49 career stolen bases including five as a freshman at Wake Forest has 44 SBs at Michigan in last two years to tie for fifth place on all-time UM list with Barry Larkin and Mike Watters (both with 44, 1983-85) Listed four times by Baseball America on Big Ten 'best tools' list for 2005 including: best pure hitter, best strike-zone discipline, best base runner and best defensive second baseman ... has outstanding arm as shown earlier in career as shortstop and as closer on the mound (reportedly threw in low 90's as a pitcher)

Here's a link to Getz's player page at Michigan. Some interesting facts about his college career in there. One of the most striking... the percentage of games where he got at least one hit. For example, he got 1 or more hits in 85 of his last 100 college games. That caught my attention because he's had a few long hitting streaks in the minors too. Just seems like he has a knack for getting on base consistently without slumps. Gotta like that.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 22, 2009 -> 05:04 PM) I just wonder what has Lillibridge done last year and this spring to justify a roster spot? He hasn't done squat, but... He's the only healthy reserve player we have who can backup at SS.

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Mar 22, 2009 -> 04:18 PM) Richard just does not seem to be able to make it through a lineup multiple times. First time through he's great, but he can't do much after that. Keep in mind that the starters are working on refining specific pitches, not pulling out all the stops to get a guy out.

From his next blog post... PHOENIX _ "And the trade is…catcher Chris Stewart to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. How is that for a blockbuster?"

I like Birmingham's roster better.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 22, 2009 -> 11:23 AM) Greg Maddux won 133 games for the Cubs, which is 11 more than Mark Buerhle has won for the White Sox, and a Cy Young. He's also a first ballot HOFer. The Cubs are totally justified retiring his number. The question to me would be why it even was available to him in the first place? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yes! The 'other' #31... Ferguson Jenkins... Started more games than any pitcher in Cubs history He's their all-time strikeout leader He's 5th in wins (and most of the other players on the wins list are from a long long time ago) He's 4th all-time in shutouts (ditto on the list of players he's behind... like Mordecai Brown, Hippo Vaughn, etc.) And he's been inducted into the baseball HOF ('91). He is one of the best pitchers I have ever seen in Chicago... an absolute workhorse. I think the way the Cubs organization treated Fergie for so long illustrates how clueless their organization has been for most of the last 40 years.