Dick Allen

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.

Today is Faust fest, a celebration of one of the best White Sox performers for 40 years. The NY Times has an article about her, of course, our big mouthed manager had something classless to say: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/18/sports/b...18organist.html

There is no way Carlton Fisk is going to be hired to manage the White Sox. For one thing, he's been away way too long, and second but most important, JR doesn't like the guy. Publicly, he'll say the right things about him, but if you really wanted his true opinion, it wouldn't be pretty. And for those who think that really matters very little, look at Larry Himes. He built JR a 94 win team and set them up for years with the smallest payroll in baseball every year he was a GM, only to be shown the door when his contract expired because JR thought he was a miserable person. He thinks about as highly of Fisk as he does Himes.

QUOTE (balfanman @ Sep 18, 2010 -> 07:41 AM) This is what bothers me. Someone else wondered about the teams mental makeup. Over the Guillen years, the Sox fold in big situations much more often then they overachieve. I'm not necessarily an Ozzie basher, but isn't motivation supposed to be one of his strong points as a manager? It sure seems to me that when the pressure is on, this team folds like a house of cards more often than not. Maybe handling pressure is somehow taught in the Twins organization and that is why their youngsters come up big so often when called upon. If the Sox played .500 vs. Minnesota, they would be 1 game out right now.

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Sep 18, 2010 -> 03:51 AM) The guy has been on the team TWO f***ing weeks. Are you s***ting me??? Yeah, stats DON'T tell the whole story. What tells a bigger story is how he actually looks at the plate, which has been better than anyone on the team. Your own logic goes against you here. How about the amount of opportunities his teammates have set up for him to drive in runs? Or pick HIM up? None of those are on the stats either, yet you're willing to throw all that out because you clearly want to place the blame on Manny because of what he;s getting paid, and that's ridiculous. That isn't Manny's fault. You're being biased and... well, apparently I'm not allowed to say "ignorant," so... you're being... oh, can't say "uneducated," either. Hmmm... you are being... well, let's just say you aren't looking at the whole picture. You're s***ting on the fact he can actually hit and look good doing it just to single him out for his failures, probably because you're angry he didn't single-handedly win us the division and now need to vent your frustrations and who better then to take them out on, right? And all on a guy who's been here two f***ing weeks. What a joke. When they are paying you what they are paying Manny for 4 weeks, 2 weeks of no production is extremely significant. Normally, I'd agree with you it would be ridiculous, but in this case, ridiculous is saying the 2 weeks is a joke. You only are going to pay him that kind of money for a month if you believe he's going to contribute immediately if not sooner. I don't want to pin all the losses on Manny, that wouldn't be fair or correct, but in the first game of a series the Sox needed to sweep, he came up to the plate with RISP 3 times and struck out all 3 times, and the Sox went on to get blown out. He has been and no matter what he does the rest of the season, will be, a total waste of money. All the ticket sales he was supposed to generate were a mirage. I don't see any Manny jerseys (I still see a few Griffey jerseys), not one Manny wig. He gets booed when he comes to the plate. It may be 2 weeks, but it hasn't gone according to plan.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 17, 2010 -> 11:41 PM) His "shell" has put up about an .850 OPS since he got caught on birth pills or w/e it was. In case you were wondering, only Konerko has a higher OPS than that. But yeah, he sucks, retire, and taking 7 of our other starters with you into retirement I guess. What was Thome's OPS last year when he should not have been brought back under any circumstance? Claiming Manny was a waste the second the claim was awarded, and it still is now.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 18, 2010 -> 12:28 AM) On Sept 4th, against Buchholz, he got a hit with Konerko on 2nd, in the 4th inning, and the Sox were down 0-1. Konerko, being Konerko, was not able to score on the single. Blame Manny for not hitting the ball softer? 2 hits in 2.5 weeks with runners in scoring position. Yeah, Manny's worth $4 million a month. He fanned 3 times with runners in scoring position in one game, why defend him?

I wouldn't mind if they changed both, but that's not going to happen. I would be shocked if KW left or was given a new title. I think he loves what he does and is staying. I think Ozzie has to decide if he wants to fight with KW another year. He's not getting canned. He does love to be wanted and has a need to hear it. It will be interesting to see if teams with openings ask to speak with Ozzie. If the Sox say sure, does that mean Ozzie will feel he isn't wanted? If it does, then he'll go I believe, and I think the Sox will let other teams speak to him.

If I'm KW, I'm dangling Alex Rios this winter. Maybe someone will bite and pay for the 2010 total numbers and his talent. .259 avg .301 OBP and an OPS under .700 the second half.

There are more and more rumors Ozzie could be leaving.

QUOTE (sin city sox fan @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 12:16 AM) A 7 game deficit will be tough enough to overcome....if the Twins lead in the division goes to 9 games, I fear are chances are over. Lets hope Buehrle can get the job done in the series finale. The final run must start tomorrow! :gosox1: :gosox1: :gosox1: :gosox1: Don't be so pessimistic. Even if they lose, they will only be 9 back with 16 to play, and 10 of those 16 are at home.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 11:38 PM) That lesson being....Don't try to improve the team by adding an elite hitter, even if it means breaking the bank? Or maybe next time just lay down and let the Twins have the division instead of improving the team to try and fight for the playoffs? Not sure what lesson he is going to learn here..... No, the lesson being you can't neglect a huge part of your team, the DH is a position, for 130 games under the assumption you will just pick up somebody and they will come in and mash. $4 million is way too much for Manny. He's a shell of his former self. I would also bet that the reality is KW isn't a big fan of having to bend the rules based on how many homers you have hit in your career. BTW, Manny hasn't been an elite hitter since he came back from his suspension. Maybe its just coincidence, but his slugging pct and batting average are identical for the White Sox, he's here for a month, and halfway through is still looking for an RBI. Kotsay has hit .333 his last 20 games, so the reality is Manny wasn't even an upgrade.

QUOTE (J.Reedfan8 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 11:31 PM) I agree. It's not like this team is old anyways, just the bench. Most of the guys will still be in their prime (Rios, Peavy, Alexei will be 30 next year, Jackson and Floyd 28, Danks 26, Beckham, 24 till September) etc.. Exactly. You know what you are going to get out of those guys. There's no question, the roster is going to have to be tweaked, maybe a lot to convince people they can beat Minnesota, but to go into full rebuilding mode now, with the talent on hand and the condition of the divison is ridiculous. Its too bad they will more than likely be "stretched" for cash again, because one way to instantly upgrade your roster is the willingness to take on some money.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 11:25 PM) Great post. I never thought of that. Yeah, he could be another guy sticking it to us next year if he is reborn as well. I really wouldn't care. I would just assume he's back juicing. The guy is a White Sox for 4 weeks total. For the first 2 he has no extra base hits and no RBI. The team virtually loses any playoff chance. I won't shed a tear when the Manny Ramirez era ends. I look forward to it, and hope KW learns a lesson from it all.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 10:46 PM) They are in job preservation mode. Get to 90 wins and call this season a success. Normally I'd agree with this statement, but White Sox fans and the public in general really has never bought in to the 2010 White Sox. They are going to have some selling to do this offseason.