Dick Allen

From the White Sox perspective, why would they give Ozzie an extension now when they control him for 2 seasons? I think KW did the smart thing as stayed above it all and quoted JR as being on his side. Obviously this is a childish fued that needs to stop one way or another. Telling Ozzie to go make a deal with another team and the Sox will discuss compensation with that team is the way I would go. Pinella netted the Mariners Randy Winn. The Marlins are always looking to dump some youngster about to get paid closer to what they are worth. Its a match made in heaven. I wonder if Oney does Ozzie's prep work for him. One day Ozzie is talking about a team that dropped 6 games in the standings in a week as a team that doesn't quit and how proud he is. The next, he's looking for an extension. If he didn't like his last extension, again, I wonder why he signed it.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 03:30 PM) Schiphol (Amsterdam) is a major airport for overseas flights, which means you will have multiple airlines flying there from ORD or other airports stateside, and that means cheaper fares usually. I've never flown KLM, but Northwest used to fly there direct from Chicago, and I'd bet AA or UAL does too - all three of those would be fine to fly on. Just find the cheapest fare. KLM and Northwest sharecode, so it would be the same flight. I've flown to Amsterdam a few times always on KLM. They fly 747s over and are usually early. Also they don't use the US airlines policy on serving alcohol during the flight. You can suck back as many as you'd like, comp. The best bet is to use Orbitz. See what's cheapest and book through the airline website. If you don't mind making stops, yahoo travel can get you a deal as well.

Ozzie is making this a public showdown. If he really wants to stay here, I think he's making a huge mistake. As people say its a lot easier to can a manager than the players, its also easier to can a manager than a GM if you consider yours competent which I believe JR does. Hahn can't get the GM job while Ozzie is managing because Oney called Hahn names and believes you need to play the game professionally (I suppose like he did) to know the game and have the Guillen family's respect. I'm sure that's not Oney's original thought. He got it from his dad. There's enough that has gone down where one of them probably has to go. I'm betting JR sticks with KW. He knows Ozzie will probably land in Florida with a longer committment and raise. He can probably have LaRussa back. Duncan comes with LaRussa, Cooper heads to Miami.

If Jerry Manuel were managing, this collapse would have been all his fault. Its pretty much been disgusting how the Sox have played they last 14 games.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 07:36 PM) He'll be back. He's not getting that big of a raise. They didn't want to give DJ Carrasco $1 million for the same role. Of course, they had alternatives.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 07:36 PM) 2 times in 7 years which is better than any pre-Ozzie span in the past 90 years. Other than Jerry Manuel, he also had the easiest time to make the playoffs as 4 teams instead of 2 make them now. Gene Lamont won a division in 1993 played for the AL Championship and lost. In 1994 a lot of people thought that team was WS bound. I would think they would have waltzed into the playoffs at least. He was fired 28 games into the next season for Terry Bevington. A move that should get Ron Schueler permanently banned from US Cellular Field.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Sep 20, 2010 -> 04:18 PM) One of Danks or Gavin are gonna be packaged this off season I think... DH...I'd really hate spending that kind of money for somebody like Dunn. It's gonna be a wild off season I think... I think its a mistake to trade young pitching, its the fastest way back to the top of the division,but I agree they would probably at least explore what they could get for one of these guys. That may be all out the window with Floyd's injury.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 07:16 PM) Is it true there's an article in which Ozzie said that having Manny hurt this team due to not being able to have a flexible lineup? Yes.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 02:02 PM) Oney recently tweeted that the following article was "interesting." Take that as you will. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/20...htm?csp=usat.me As much as JR really likes Ozzie, I'm sure if Ozzie left, he would consider not having to hear about Oney everyday a blessing. For a while I really didn't care if he left or stayed, but I really would want him to go now. If he even twists, he really doesn't want to be here, so fine, hit the road. The White Sox will live on. Ozzie, contrary to Oney's beliefs, doesn't have a patent on championships. I just think Ozzie is like a child needing people to say "don't leave, please don't leave" so he threatens to do just that occassionally. Call his bluff, see what happens.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 06:39 PM) Buddy Bell managed some of the worst teams of all time. No one could have won s*** with the Tigers team that he inherited, same thing with the Royals teams he got. He was brought in to work with the kids and try to grow them into big leaguers at the major league level. Using his winning percentage is a terrible barometer of how good of a manager he is, or was. But in almost every case, the teams he managed were better record wise before he got there and after he left, they certainly didn't improve when he was under control. I'm in a wait and see approach with him. He has an awfully good post playing days reputation for a guy with very little in terms of results. We'll see how these recent draft picks turn out. As a manager, I wouldn't be too thrilled if he ever got the job, of course Joe Torre was fired 3 times before he became a baseball genius with the Yankees.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 12:28 PM) That's picking and choosing a game or two. I just picked 3 innings at random before I even saw the numbers, and copied them out. You are picking for the sake of picking here. From your long reliever, garbage time guy and spot starter, you are generally happy with anything under an ERA of 5, just want someone to eat innings and not be a disaster. He's far exceeded those expectations. I think the point he's making is there probably were games he would have gone at least 3 if he was more effective. He's hasn't been as good as your numbers, if he were, he'd get a different role this year, but he's been pretty good, far more valuable than what his numbers are.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 09:50 AM) Well, if nothing else, it seems the team has found a long man / spot starter for 2011 in Tony Pena. That was kind of a surprise find. He's arb eligible. Chances are he won't be back.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 05:31 PM) Hitting coach replacement = Frank Thomas? It wouldn't shock me. It would shock me. I really don't think Ozzie, if he stays, really likes him that much, and if LaRussa came back, if Walker wasn't here, McGwire is probably the guy isn't he? I think he'll come back.

Maybe the can get Rudy from the Cubs. He took a bunch of lousy hitters and made them HOFers.......wait. If Walker doesn't come back, there will not be any significant offense improvement unless better offensive players are brought in. If he leaves, I think it will also signal the end of Paulie in Chicago. That's his guy.

This season is just about a blueprint of 2009 for Floyd. Pretty bad the first couple months, then unhittable for almost 2 months, then starts struggling again, then injured and probably won't finish the season. Hopefully this is something minor, but at the very least you would think the Sox will probably shut him down or give him very limited appearances for the rest of the season.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 21, 2010 -> 12:31 AM) I don't think he's to blame. This has been one of the saddest seasons ever. WTF was that 25-5 all about?? What a sad sack team. We are 11 out. Blowout city. Anyone who gives him credit for the hot streaks, really should give him blame for the cold ones. The team really wasn't that good this year, and played a man short most of the season except when they played NL teams. The record indicates it. They are now 4 below .500 vs. the AL. Ozzie wasn't great, but he wasn't terrible. You can blame him for the DH situation, but KW is his boss and should have corrected it, or at least tried to correct the mistake when it was obvious it was a mistake. Now Ozzie is crying about how Manny hamstrings him. Please, no excuses.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Sep 20, 2010 -> 11:29 PM) NO! Rick is ours...he is ours precious. Don't worry. Hahn won't get that job, not because of competency, but because he's not a big name. The Mets will sign a big name GM, book it.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Sep 20, 2010 -> 06:55 PM) It takes a lot longer to have your timing down than 3 weeks. That's why there is ST. IIRC, he had a leg injury. If he still has it, it can affect his timing too. I'd be willing to give him an incentive laden deal. He can still clearly hit offspeed stuff. He clearly still has a great eye. It's a matter of, "is he losing batspeed, or is the injury still affecting him?" When Manny WAS Manny, he didn't need 3 weeks and there is no way KW would have claimed him if he thought Manny needed anything longer than a week.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Sep 20, 2010 -> 11:09 AM) I don't think Manny is done yet. He just have to get his timing back. You could tell he was pressing at the plate. I'm not saying that I'd want to definitely have him back next year (I don't think it would bother me all that much), but I believe that wherever he goes, he will mash again... as long as he can stay healthy. Fastballs are blowing him away. His bat is slow. Maybe its technical, maybe its a lack of juice and age. There are some here that think the Sox may want to give Manny a contract for next season, according to Gonzales, there is no chance. He's been with the Sox for 3 weeks and still doesn't have his "timing". I'm thinking he's not the MVP type hitter he used to be. Since the Sox were 7-0 on that trip, the have gone 2-10. Manny is 6-34 with 11 k's. 1 homer 1 rbi 1 extra base hit.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 19, 2010 -> 09:28 AM) It was huge in the fact that we didn't get to use our biggest trade chip (Hudson) for what had been our biggest weakness all year long (DH). We had to fill a hole that we already had filled. They had Hudson until close to the deadline. He wasn't fetching Dunn or any of the other hitters at the July deadline.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 19, 2010 -> 08:59 AM) Jake Peavy would save hi, that is if he could lift his arm up. I don't think his loss was that huge this year as Jackson stepped in for him. Even Harrell had a win. It would be huge IMO if he can't come back 100%. I do know next year if Morneau can play, Minnesota will be the prohibitive favorites in the AL Central, no matter what KW does this offseason. But it seems to me when you are heavily favored, unless you're the Yankees, or Boston or Philadelphia, and can throw $150 million + at your problems, you usually dissappoint. Detroit is going to have money to burn I would imagine. I don't think they would be keeping Leyland around if they planned to go on the cheap. They might not sign anyone huge due to the fact they are Detroit, but I'm sure they will try. The Sox have to hope Peavy comes back sharp, Danks grows, Floyd figures out why he's not so good in April, May and September, Buehrle continues to be Buerhle, Jackson throws strikes and Sale can handle a larger role. If all that happens but one, they are in good shape. If 2 or more fail, good seats for next to nothing will be available on stubhub.

There's a reason the Sox moved Viciedo off 3B this year. He may make an appearance occassionally over there, but he will never be considered a regular there. He's probably a DH although I have heard many with the White Sox think he will eventually be a LF or RF. I just hope he can hit like Carlos Lee. That's who I compare him to. El Caballo was a 3B at one time, doesn't take many walks, can hit it a mile and weight is always a concern.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 18, 2010 -> 06:59 PM) Yeah, we went 7-0 with Manny to start, and then now we are like 2-9 or something. I didn't see people saying we were 7-0 because of him, so why are people saying we are 2-9 because of him? He hasn't been on the team long enough to have that big of an impact. It was a bad acquisition in the end, but not because of anything he has done or hasn't done. Its $4 million the Sox could have spent on things to improve the roster in the future that will not be available. When, this winter, KW cries about being "stretched" financially, remember he found $4 million to piss away on a longshot. I don't think Manny had anything to do with the wins and probably not anything to do with at least most of the losses. Maybe in the first Minnesota game if he would have done anything the game might have gone down differently but maybe not. If you are paying someone what Manny is being paid, they should have an effect on winning and losing. Manny is not doing anything, and while maybe the losing isn't his fault, shows he isn't doing what was expected. So it was a bad acquisition based on the fact he didn't improve the team. Maybe its too much to ask one player, for one month, especially coming off an injury, but it certainly did not take a genius to see how this was going to go, and there were plenty of people ripping anyone who said he wasn't a difference maker.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Sep 18, 2010 -> 11:26 AM) I will argue this. Manny has given Konerko protection in the lineup. He's been our second most competent hitter over the past 2 weeks. His approach is the 2nd greatest behind Konerko. He has taken walks when the opposition has given them to him. He has gone the opposite way when that's what he's been given. He's struck out, for the most part, at swinging at pitches in his zone. As Ozzie said, you're expecting way too much of Manny. He was never going to be a saviour. In baseball, there is no such thing. Amazing pitchers can only pitch once out of every 5 games. Amazing hitters need other amazing hitters for protection and to drive them in or to give them RBI opportunities. Last, but not least, remember that Manny was injured for a good chunk of the season. He has to get him timing down on those inside pitches. I'm not excusing him from anything, but I'm not going to blindly place the blame on him because he hasn't gone on a Dodger streak yet. He has been the 2nd least of our problems. 2nd most competent hitter the last 2 weeks? LOL. Manny has 1 hit with RISP in a White Sox uniform. He has fanned a few times, popped up to SS. Grounded out to SS with 0 out not advancing the runner. Great approach. He's a shell of his roided out self.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 08:14 PM) Maybe she should wear a business outfit. I work with women in sales every day of the week and I know the difference between looking like a bar patron vs looking like a professional. She looks like she is at a bar looking for a man, and was treated as such. If a guy went into a women's locker room dressed in a speedo or in a tight outfit, of course he would be hit on (if they werent lesbians), because that is how you portray yourself. Good try though. You still goggling that private plane case? Are you saying if these women you work with wore something they would wear to a club on Saturday night to work, it would be appropriate and your company would have no problem if you or other guys you worked with were to hit on them or make off the cuff remarks? I understand this woman isn't exactly the best example of a professional reporter. She was the one that was asking the Bears during the Super Bowl media day if they would marry her, but still, whether you are an idiot football player or some CEO with 20 advanced degrees, when you are at your place of employment, there are standards you have maintain.