Dick Allen

AJP vs. LHP,Fields, Wise, Beckham playing his first game, Nix. Those are your 5-9 hitters in today's game. It should surprise no one they had trouble scoring.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 04:28 PM) And thats Kenny's fault because? A loss is a loss to me, but what is Kenny's fault is his preaching about speed and OBP and then building a roster that really doesn't fit that. I really thought they would be in first place at the end of this homestand. They still might, but 3 out of 4 lost to Oakland at home is demoralizing.

QUOTE (TitoMB345 @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 03:16 PM) 28.57% of our losses have been via the shutout.. EPIC. Would it have made it a lot better if the score was 7-1 today?

Beckham is #15, just like a certain 1972 AL MVP

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 12:09 PM) Yeah, it just works the other way. If you do this in two games: Win 10-2 Lose 2-1 Your run differential is +7, or +3.5 per game. That would result in a really good final record, according to pythag. But in reality, if you do the above two games over and over, you are just a .500 team, thus UNDERperforming the expectations of pythag. If on the other hand, you do this: Win 2-1 Lose 10-2 You are -3.5 per game, and pythag will say you should be a crappy team. But if you do this as a pattern you will be at .500, and BEAT expectations. So in conclusion, if your theory is that the way the Sox play makes them look like overperformers, then it is because we are doing the latter example, not the former. won 17-3, lost 20-1 -5 run differential but 1-1. I think it really hard to judge a manager by how he does vs. that theory because every game is different. I really wonder what the total game differential would be if you took the team that the supposed top manager had and replaced him with who is perceived to be the worst. It probably wouldn't be all that much if anything. You're pretty much as good as your players. Most of the guys at the top of the list have managed some bad teams with bad results. Give Ozzie Guillen Erstad leading off with Andy Gonzalez in the line-up and a gas can for a bullpen, he'll lose 90 games. Give him legit players and a lights out bullpen he can win it all. The same goes with everyone on the list really. Obviously everyone will have guys they prefer. I'm not an Ozzie guy, but Tony LaRussa managing the Sox isn't going to make them win 100 games. The results would probably be about the same. One thing Ozzie does better than most is protect his bullpen.

Corky is going to be in AAA at best no matter what happens. Maybe he thinks Castro is an injury waiting to happen so he accepts assignment. I would imagine his agent has called every team to see who is interested and they can look at their catching situation. It more than likely 2009 is the Corkmeister's last season as a player, and chances are he's had his last major league at bat.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 07:09 AM) Was there any reason given for pulling Anderson from the game yesterday? I think he was either hurt or sick. When he was standing on second he hunched over for a while.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 11:02 PM) That's temporary, pending our FA signing of either Holliday or Bay. I would love the Sox to sign Holliday. If Olney is correct and he's "only" going to get 3 years at $10-12 million, the Sox money is just as good as anyone else's. Its just with Boras there would be so many other things like out-clauses that could make it a moot point.

I'm pretty convinced every major offensive player on Birmingham except for Danks could match or beat his current product if they played for Charlotte.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 10:55 PM) Reds passed him up for Yonder. Many will always remember that unless Yonder becomes a stud. The Phillies past up Frank Thomas for Jeff Jackson a kid out of Simeon who Larry Himes and Al Goldis really wanted.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 10:52 PM) "we developed" is a very loose term here. He was pretty much a finished product coming out of college and raked since he's joined our organization. He's played, what, 65 games in our system? He did make a change in his swing in the Arizona Fall League. If that was on his own or someone from the White Sox idea, I have no clue, but after he made the adjustment scouts who were lukewarm on him, and there were several, all changed to can't miss.

The Sox called up Beckham, therefore according to Ozzie, they are in trouble.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 10:43 PM) Josh Fields only lost his job because Gordon Beckham was hitting .500+ at AAA. Hopefully Josh does what he needs to do, keeps working, doesn't get the full Anderson, and next year he's right back at 3b with Beckham up the middle somewhere. As I said earlier, Josh could have done more to keep his job, but he really lost his job because Betemit really could only DH and they aren't going to call up Beckham to not play every day and Getz and Nix are the types of guys they don't have much of in the order. Fields is the odd man out even though he's been doing better, and I thought tonight looked especially improved. Konerko isn't going to get a lot of time off. Josh will be in the majority of the time IMO when Beckham plays 2B and he may DH against certain LHP.

I think it would have been ideal for Beckham to spend this year in the minors at Birmingham and maybe get a September call-up, but he's earned this promotion and its really only about 90 days ahead of schedule, so even if he struggles a bit initially, he should be OK in the long run.

The only strange thing was it really was Betemit's inability to field at all that pretty much cost Josh Fields his every day job, although Josh could have done more to keep it, but they aren't going to call up Beckham to ride pine.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 10:32 PM) What did you call? That Beckham would replace Betemit? Or am I missing something? Yes in the game thread, but I must admit I had some info.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 10:30 PM) poor kid. i do feel bad for him. He actually looked really good tonight defensively and offensively until his last at bat and I'm obviously not a big fan.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 09:50 PM) ozzie will try to play him every day, will start him off hitting from 7 down in the lineup. He will move him around and play him at 3rd, 2nd, SS. It sounds like he's taking Betemit's place. Not to pat myself on the back, but I called it, I predicted it, I knew it all the time.......

A guy in Boston, Nick Carfardo, of the Boston Globe, ranked the managers. Now remember he had scouts, front office guys, coaches and players helping him so they obviously know more than anyone of us and this has to be gospel. Hey, at least Ozzie is an upgrade from Jerry Manuel. In March 2008, with the help of scouts, front office people, players, and coaches, this reporter rated the managers 1-30. Here's a revised list, with previous rank in parentheses. 1. Tony La Russa, Cardinals: One of the best player evaluators, he amazingly keeps his team in the race and always maximizes performance. His body of work and current success put him in the top spot (4). 2. Terry Francona, Red Sox: Two championships in five years, and in contention again. Scores high with communication (3). 3. Jim Leyland, Tigers: Made a lot of roster changes after a disappointing '08, but he has the Tigers performing at a high level (1). 4. Bobby Cox, Braves: Probably the most respected manager in the game by his players. A fundamentally sound skipper (2). 5. Joe Torre, Dodgers: Tough times with the Manny Ramírez situation, but he can still take adversity and turn it into a positive (5). 6. Mike Scioscia, Angels: Survived a massive list of injuries to his pitching staff, and free agent losses like Mark Teixeira and Frankie Rodriguez. His teams are always well-prepared (6). 7. Charlie Manuel, Phillies: Easy does it, but he does it. Somehow wins with an average pitching staff. Great teacher of hitting (12). 8. Joe Maddon, Rays: State-of-the-art manager. Smart, innovative, and one of the great communicators (21). 9. Lou Piniella, Cubs: Facing adversity with injuries and underperforming key players. Hasn't changed his style; master motivator (10). 10. Dusty Baker, Reds: Experienced motivator whom players adore. Has the ability to minimize tough situations, as he did for many years managing Barry Bonds in San Francisco (11). 11. Bruce Bochy, Giants: Gets a lot of respect for his in-game maneuvers, knowledge of the game, and general demeanor (7). 12. Ron Gardenhire, Twins: Has a system that emphasizes fundamentals and personal responsibility. Players seem to flourish in the environment he creates (13). 13. Ken Macha, Brewers: Had a solid performance with the A's and has the Brewers near the top in NL Central with a subpar pitching staff (NA). 14. Cito Gaston, Blue Jays: Yep, the Jays are fading, but the two-time World Series winner has done a terrific job through the injuries and a thin roster (NA). 15. Joe Girardi, Yankees: The guy with the highest payroll always has the most to prove. Our panel was impressed with how he took a bad early situation and has regrouped (19). 16. Ozzie Guillen, White Sox: Emotional leader has had to deal with a diverse roster of young and old. Had the high of a championship in 2005, the in-between of last season's early playoff exit, and so far a challenging season with underachieving pitching staff (14). 17. Ron Washington, Rangers: Has advanced from his early days, when he was overwhelmed. An improving roster and farm system helps, and he does a good job juggling lineups and keeping players fresh (28). 18. Jerry Manuel, Mets: Runs the team with a nice, steady hand, but he'll always be judged by whether the Mets make the playoffs, and last year that didn't happen. Not the best tactician in the game or with his bullpen (NA). 19. Trey Hillman, Royals: Like Washington, he has an emerging roster and can teach young players. Has transformed the Royals from hapless to hopeful (29). 20.Eric Wedge, Indians: Tough going since winning Manager of the Year in '07. GM Mark Shapiro has taken responsibility for most of the downturn, but Wedge bears some blame (8). 21. Bud Black, Padres: To have this team around .500 after the misery of '08, and with a challenging roster, Black deserves credit for keeping it together (17). 22. Fredi Gonzalez, Marlins: Loves the teaching aspect, but the rap is he doesn't manage the game well. Works well with younger players (27). 23. John Russell, Pirates: Got his rookie season out of the way and is now considered far more savvy in his second season. Younger players are progressing and the Pirates seem less pathetic (30). 24. Dave Trembley, Orioles: Good communicator and motivator. The recall of catcher Matt Wieters "might make him smarter" according to one American League GM (26). 25. Bob Geren, A's: Poor Geren got a new offense, but injuries have decimated this team again. Hard to judge him when the A's constantly change direction (25). 26. Cecil Cooper, Astros: Has the rap, true or not, that he throws players under the bus in the media and never fully has their trust. On the positive side, he emphasizes discipline (24). 27. Manny Acta, Nationals: Trying to juggle a young rotation, a poor bullpen, and a good lineup in a poor environment (18). 28. Don Wakamatsu, Mariners: Has done a good job changing the culture and making players accountable. Solid during a game, but the sample size is small (NA). 29. A.J. Hinch, Diamondbacks: Former farm director was a controversial selection to replace Bob Melvin because he's never managed. The hope is his knowledge of the young players will lead to success (NA). 30. Jim Tracy, Rockies: A 562-572 record with the Dodgers and Pirates isn't stellar, but he is a good, solid manager who can run a game. Replaced the fired Clint Hurdle, who went 18-28 and had lost the team (NA).

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 04:29 PM) The difference is that you don't take a kid who is still learning the professional game and give him too many things to worry about. At the minor league level there is little to no pressure and he is expected to learn once he is here everything will be increased. By the way he is averaging 1 error per game played at 3B in AAA. If he is expected to play the position well, maybe the Sox should let him learn the position before he is brought to the show. Josh Fields didn't learn how to field in the minors. I read here countless times how Robin Ventura couldn't field in the minors, and even Joe Crede. So they didn't learn in the minors.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 02:58 PM) Betemit has 0 options left and would have to be released in that case. Not sure I'd complain. But jerking around Beckham and moving him from position to position when he's just learning to hit big league pitching...poor idea. He's been playing all the positions in the minors. What's the difference? If he can catch the ball and hit better than what's in Chicago, its time to move him up. He's coming up in September anyway.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 02:56 PM) DEWAYNE WISE KILLS RIGHT HANDERS. 4-27 this year Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB ROE BAbip tOPS+ vs RHP as LH 184 461 428 92 18 8 13 43 17 1 21 82 .215 .256 .386 .641 165 8 3 7 2 2 9 Career. Yeah, .215 avg. .256 OBP .386 slugging pct. .641 OPS lifetime vs. RHP. He absolutely kills them.

Maybe Beckham comes up for Betemit and rotates between 2B, 3B, and SS. He probably could also play 1B.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 02:11 PM) He'd play more if he could stop a baseball with something other than his wrist. That hasn't stopped a lot of guys from playing. He is brutal with the glove, but he couldn't always have been this bad.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 01:53 PM) That is the thing that is killing me about Betamit, he isn't hitting either! At least if he was generating runs, you could justify his existence on our roster. With Nix around to play 3B, I'd rather see Lillibridge around than Betemit. Yup, I said it. At least Brent can stop a baseball with a glove. He'd hit if he played more. Its not easy when you are getting 19 AB a month.