Dick Allen

Sale should close. He had no business being in yesterday's afternoon game as he pitched 2 innings the night before. That was a pitiful decision by Ozzie and Cooper. They aren't going to listen to Peavy always tell them he is ready, but he will listen to a kid not a year out of college with about 30 career innings under his belt? Thornton in the 8th, Sale in the 9th will eventually bring the Sox victory. Also, has anyone else ever noticed when Ozzie tries to stick up for his players vs. fan boos or taunts, usually within 48 hours he's throwing someone under the bus? He certainly did yesterday at his press conference. The good news is the Sox are 1 game out of first place, and if they could catch a flyball with the consistency of a pony league team, they would be in first place. As long as Thornton's struggles aren't permanent, they should be OK.

Would Kobe have been fined 100k if he called the guy a cocksucker? I really doubt the gay community cares Kobe called someone what he called him.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 07:21 AM) Because it's generally felt around the NBA that teams with scoring first point guard's don't necessarily win in the NBA. Of course a lot of that depends on the talent surrounding him and how they are coached (and obviously Rose doesn't have to worry about those 2 points). However I'd also say in recent times, you find a lot more scoring first point guards in the NBA nowadays (which is probably why guys like CP3 are so valuable and held in such high esteem). Especially when there are so many selfish "me first" players in the NBA today. I'm not disputing that Rose isn't the best PG in the League this season. I'm just saying if Chris Paul had the same athletic ability as what Rose did (which he probably did 3-4 years ago), if I was building a team, I'd probably go with Paul. As it was felt teams with the league leading scorer couldn't win either. MJ proved them wrong 6 times, and most likely it would have been more. Rose will prove them wrong as well. Funny thing is when Rose was drafted, the knock against him was not taking it himself more often and FT shooting which was barely 70%. He's only going to get better.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Apr 13, 2011 -> 03:55 AM) Pretty much a pass first PG with an excellent A:TO ratio. For instance, Paul averages 10 ASS's and 2.5 TO's a game in his career, so that's a 4:1 A:TO ratio, while Rose has 7.8 ASS's this season and 3.5 TO's a game (so that'd be about a 2.25 to 1 ratio). I have no doubt that Rose is the best scoring point guard in the NBA, but Paul is better at the other aspects of point guard play. Why does a point guard have to be "pass first"? Is there some book that proclaims this? If Chris Paul or any other point guard considered "pass first" had Derek Rose's physical tools, I highly doubt they would be considered "pass first". Rose isn't bad at dishing the ball, but when he gets to the rim, there's no reason for him not to put it in. I guess its just like Jordan's first few years when it was pretty obvious to some he was probably the best player they will ever see. Others found fault in everything he did. Rose is the best PG in the game hands down. NO would take Rose for Paul straight up, even if their contracts were exactly the same, in about half a second. Every team in the NBA would take Rose in a swap of point guards in half a second.

Ozzie is upset with the fans for getting on Pierre and now Rios for dropping balls. The White Sox have officially dropped 5 fly balls so far this year, with another couple questionable. Maybe Ozzie is just trying to protect his players, although he throws them under a bus occassionally, but if people are charged a lot of money to watch a game and guys are paid as much as those two, I think its more than reasonable to expect them to make plays high school kids make routinely.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 12, 2011 -> 07:28 AM) On the Billy Koch gun? Its the same gun that had him at 97-98 in the middle of summer. He's throwing hard enough, he's not locating.

Put Thornton back into the 8th. He was the best in the league at that. I realize his stats closing prior to this year were impressive. I realize his defense hasn't helped him at all, but IMO its one thing to be a "spot" or temporary closer, and another to wake up every day realizing you are the closer for the White Sox. Thornton has been blowing people away for years. Whether he's too tight or something else, that isn't happening right now. I don't think I have ever seen more dropped fly balls in 2 seasons combined as I have seen the first two weeks of the season. I don't think I've even seen it in Little League.

At least knock him down. Hit him if the bases are empty and there are a couple out. Its time the White Sox sent a message to all of baseball, don't f*** with us.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Apr 9, 2011 -> 04:06 PM) I'll drop the whole questioning of fandom (and I've never claimed to be a die-hard Bulls' fan anyways) and how many games you have to watch to have your opinion matter points because that's not going to go anywhere constructive. However, the "stats lying to you" part is another story. How exactly are they lying? Does he not take 4.8 threes a game? Does he not miss two thirds of them? Exactly what part of that is incorrect? Your main point seemed to be that it helped the rest of his game because "people had to respect his shot". That may be somewhat true, and there's no question that having a solid jumper gives him a more rounded offensive game. Again, I never said he should stop shooting 3's all together at any point as you claimed twice. However, he wasn't exactly struggling to get to the basket last year when he took less than a 3-pointer a game. After a slow start to last year due to injury, he averaged 22 PPG after November while shooting a much better percentage than he is this season. It's not like taking 5 threes a game is the reason he gets to the basket, he gets to the basket because he's really f***ing athletic. He was able to attack the rim consistently and effectively long before he could hit the three (he could already hit mid-range jumpers pretty well last year). It certainly doesn't hurt that he can make an open 3 now. However, it's still a poor choice of shot for him. He doesn't have to take 5 threes a game to be able to get to the rim as he proved last year. He's at his best when he's attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line (something he's done WAY more effectively this season and a far more impactful improvement IMO). Much like with guys like Lebron, Wade and Westbrook, you'd much rather have them shooting jumpers than killing you with penetration. This isn't really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things given what the Bulls are doing. You live with it it given everything else he does for team. However, you decided to turn it into one by taking multiple shots at me on the board for some reason. Isn't making 33 percent of your 3s the equivalent to making 50 percent inside the arc? I really don't see the problem. Taking an occassional 3 instead of attacking the rim is going to help him physically over the course of a season, and does get the defender a little closer to him to blow by when he chooses, of course he's not going to go to the line and score with no attempt being charged, but you're really nitpicking.

QUOTE (jeffro2525 @ Apr 9, 2011 -> 06:52 PM) No need to wake Tampa up at this point. At 1-7 they don't need a reason to get sparked tomorrow. If giving them 5 runs in the 9th last night for the win isn't going to "wake them up", teaching Felipe Lopez a lesson isn't either.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 9, 2011 -> 05:19 PM) Lilly actually did some nice things last year. I don't think your statement above is exactly correct. Linebrink was an embarrassment. Pena and Ohman at times are embarrassments too. Linebrink, Pena and Ohman each did some nice things last year. Lillibridge hit like a pitcher when he got to play when Beckham went down.

Maybe not drill him, but a dusting is in order.

QUOTE (WinorDie88 @ Apr 9, 2011 -> 06:12 PM) Yeah he did. I absolutely agree with you. It's total bs on Lopez's part. To be clear though, my comment about AJ was more referring to a thread a few days ago on here where someone posted a report from an insider that hardly anyone in our clubhouse liked AJ. It really baffles me on why that is. I watch him play the game and give interviews with the utmost courtesy and respect. This whole bad rep thing AJ has is starting to annoy me. If AJ was as despised as advertised, the Sox wouldn't have brought him back. He's not everyone's cup of tea, but there are plenty of White Sox who have his back.

QUOTE (T R U @ Apr 9, 2011 -> 01:20 PM) The flaw in the logic of he would never have even made it to the majors is that there have been plenty of people who have taken steroids, got caught, and still were either never good in the majors or never made it.. Steroids aren't a magic drug that turn you into an all star BS. We will never know if he would have made it to the majors or not. Maybe he was clean for a while. Again, we will never know. What we do know is what Manny was willing to risk to take steroids because of what it could do to his performance. He gambled and lost.

Jose Canseco said he, (JC) would have been a minor leaguer if not for the juice. He almost hit 500 homers, and was an MVP. Manny may have been HOF worthy without the juice, but we don't know, and considering he supposedly tested postive in 2003 when they had the initial tests without penalty, he tested positive at least 3 times. He's a cheat and a fraud who couldn't bust his ass on the field when Boston was paying him $20 million a year. Watching him explode when he got to LA, people focused on that and "Mannywood", not the jackass who was well taken care of but jaked his way out of Boston. He then jaked his way out of LA, and was a bust you could see coming for over 2000 miles with the White Sox. Why the Rays would give him $2 million is beyond me, but they are off the hook as the idiot cheated yet again. Instead of facing it like a man, he took the easy way out. Again. You would have to think he's cheated all along. Anything he's ever accomplished in the major leagues is tainted whether some want to admit it or not.

QUOTE (T R U @ Apr 9, 2011 -> 03:57 AM) Does anyone else love when a bunch of nobodies try to say that someone in the MLB is "terrible" at baseball.. Seriously J4L, STFU, Brent Lillibridge would look like Albert Pujols compared to you.. Theres nothing wrong with having a player who can play up to 6 positions on the field and has solid speed to be the 25th man on your roster.. He is what he is, a guy who is gonna pinch run late or be a defensive replacement in the OF late in the game.. At least we can count on him to not walk after a ball he misplayed or to just have it bounce off his glove completely.. At least he is busting his ass, at least he can get a bunt down, at least he can be trusted to catch a routine pop fly.. Do I wish we had a bench that was full of .300 hitters? You bet your tits.. but no one does.. If you have ever criticized a professional player's performance, you are being hypocritical. Its all relative. Compared to other MLB players currently and in the past, Brent Lillibridge has been "terrible at baseball". There is no denying it. Perhaps the reason Milledge was DFA was because he was "terrible at baseball' the first couple games of the season.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 8, 2011 -> 10:19 PM) We need to go closer by committee. Period. Santos, Matt, Crain, Sale. I hate lefty closers (and yes I know there has been a good one or two). That doesn't work. You need to pick one guy so everyone knows their role, but I'd move away from Thornton. He was awesome and comforable working the 8th. He's been hittable his 3 appearances this season. Pick someone else for the 9th. If they can't get it done, try someone else, but the experiments need to be short.

His defense let him down without question, but put Thornton back into the 8th inning.

I wonder how the Miami writer is spinning his Rose is overrated and can't get good players to play with him even though the Bulls will be the #1 seed in the East.

QUOTE (TitoMB @ Apr 5, 2011 -> 10:51 PM) So, who wants to justify Ozzie not putting Thornton in there? Anyone? I will. The one advantage the visiting team has when a game goes extra innings is they can use their closer to close. The home team cannot. That's what he was waiting for. If he burned him up and Pena had to close and blew it, the argument would be why was Pena closing. After a loss, you could blame Ozzie a lot of ways. Why make Thornton the closer when he locked down the 8th inning? If he pitched the 8th tonight, perhaps the Sox win. I'm no Ozzie apologist, but I don't think he did anything wrong with his pitching choices tonight.

Sale screwed this game up and gave Lillibridge the chance to be a goat. What is scary, but its still really early, the Sox are playing the bottom feeders and have given up at least 7 runs in 3 of 4 games.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Apr 5, 2011 -> 10:38 PM) Vazquez trade along w/ Flowers and I believe Jon Gilmore. Although Vazquez had one good year in ATL, its turning into a garbage for garbage trade.

For all those that love Brent Lillibridge's "versitility". You're right, he's versitile. You'd be hard pressed to come up with another player in MLB history that is bad in as many areas as this minor leaguer. Get him off the roster and call up a pitcher.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Apr 3, 2011 -> 02:03 PM) Because he is a six inning pitcher. Today is the prime example of why he is not an ace. He is a really good pitcher but not worth a contract of that magnitude. Sabatthia and Halladay each went 6 innings their first start. Danks was 26th in baseball in IP last year which included playoffs in which he did not participate.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 3, 2011 -> 02:41 PM) The Heat have "Worked out" Eddy Curry and could sign him for the playoffs. Curry was going to be a train wreck from the get go. Fat and lazy in high school doesn't translate without some discipline in college. He actually dropped a ton of weight with the Bulls and was playing pretty well, although pound for pound, he's one of the worst rebounders in NBA history. That didn't last, and now he's a guy who's going to be in serious trouble. He couldn't pay his bills when he was making $11 million a year. What's going to happen in the next couple? I'm glad he doesn't owe me any money.