Dick Allen

QUOTE (RME JICO @ May 5, 2009 -> 06:10 AM) Would we be seeing any of these players if Getz, Anderson, Thome, Fields, and Dye didn't miss any time? Those 5 with Quentin, Konerko, AJ, and Ramirez make up a pretty decent lineup. Getz missed how much time? The manager doesn't want him to play against LHP because he's 4 for 8. Get Lillibridge in there against them. He's 1 for 12. Fields has missed 1 game because of injury. Dye two games. Thome and Anderson are a couple of the most useless players to wear White Sox uniforms according to the consensus of this site.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2009 -> 05:20 AM) This is beginning to feel like the late 80's and late 90's. We're in a transition year. It would have been much better if they kept season tickets at the same prices, admitted they were going to cut payroll (using the downturn or Tucson as excuses, lack of revenues from ST ticket sales, etc.) and been MORE honest with the fans about the realistic goal being to compete in 2010-12. Now there's the danger that we have a season somewhat like 2007, except not quite that bad, because nobody will run away with the division and we'll sort of be in the race for most of the season...but we'll lose a lot of the walk-up crowd that only comes out when we have good teams. Those casual Sox fans that don't show up until mid-to-late May won't come out and spend their hard-earned dollars on this. Having lived in KC for 10 years, it's nice to see the fans finally coming out to support their team on a Monday night and really getting into it. Of course, it helps to have the best pitcher in baseball, but I can't remember going into a Royals game in my lifetime (well, since the mid 80's) where you felt there was about a 5-10% to win the game, especially without Dye. Almost 22,000 sounds like a disappointment, but not when you look at their average Monday night attendance in April/May over the last decade. Royals fans are a lot like White Sox fans. They simply refuse to turn out for bad or average baseball, but they'll start filling that park in May and June if the Royals continue to be in or near first place. With Hochevar tearing up AAA now, they have a legit chance to compete when they add him to their rotation again. As far as checking the ego at the door with KW goes, I think it all depends on Flowers with that trade (and, of course, we never know how Gilmore and Rodriguez will turn out 3-5 years from now). If he can catch in the big leagues with that type of power and plate discipline (above the level of Victor Martinez at least), then the trade will be a huge success, but certainly not in 2009. It's hard to name more than a couple of catchers in baseball who give you that type of offense. I don't mind any of KW's trades this offseason. Not the Swisher trade. Not the Vazquez trade. I agree the prizes for those trades were salary relief with Swisher (and get back to me in a couple months to re-examine his numbers) and Tyler Flowers for Vazquez. What I do mind is playing a guy obviously in over his head hoping he shows something so you can say you saw something no one else did. KW has hit the jackpot a couple of times. He needs to realize it is the exception and not the rule. Then Ozzie talks to the kid and says he could make $15 million in his career or if he continues to play like he's playing, wind up in Korea? If he is playing so bad, why was he continuing to leadoff? How many times does Brent Lillibridge have to swing and miss a hit and run attempt before you pull the plug on that particular play? Isn't there the slightest chance that everyone else was right about Lillibridge and KW was wrong? This team still has a shot though. Thats the good news. No one has beaten Greinke this year so we shouldn't be shocked or upset at last night's defeat. But upgrading the roster, even if it means taking on payroll, should be a priority.

QUOTE (Frankensteiner @ May 4, 2009 -> 08:36 PM) I am not holding my breath on them spending money next off-season. As far as KW, I understand not having money to really improve the team, but some of these roster decisions were again made to stroke his ego and I'm sure the smug bastard is hoping for another "I told you so" opportunity at the end of the season. Whatever. I agree with this 100%. There's really no other explanation for a guy like Brent Lillibridge being on the major league roster. He talked him up when he acquired him saying he's been after him for a couple of years. He didn't hit in the majors last year. He didn't hit in the minors last year. He didn't hit in spring training, and he hasn't hit so far this season. Its not like he's a 20 or 21 year old kid. Then to make him even worse, you put him in CF where he is on a good day average defensively. Check the ego at the door and get baseball players. There is no reason this team should have been 2nd in all of baseball in slashing payroll after last season. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Too bad that hasn't held true for White Sox ticketholders, the people who pay more per game than fans of any team other than the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Cubs, yet this year.

There are traditions and there are White Sox traditions

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2009 -> 06:13 PM) Nix missed that slider by a foot. Playing him against a RHP when you have Betemit on the bench is just so freaking dumb. Betemit is 1-2 against Greinke. Against Davis, he's 3-5 with 2 homers. He'll most likely ride pine tomorrow night. He didn't face him the first time.

QUOTE (knightni @ May 4, 2009 -> 06:04 PM) According to what I was told, he hasn't had a ball hit to him yet. Nix had a play, Paulie made a miraculous scoop to save him an error. It would have been an error last night.

QUOTE (chisox2334 @ May 4, 2009 -> 05:51 PM) hit and run with lilli hitting dear god I don't know how many times he has to swing and miss on a hit and run attempt for Ozzie to scrap asking him to do it. Try a bunt. He's a minor leaguer. Pods in RF is another bad idea. KW SPEND SOME MONEY

Is it me or does Hawk indeed start calling players by their last name more when they are struggling and by their first name or nickname when they are going well?

I see BA more of a porn actor.

QUOTE (wilmot825 @ May 4, 2009 -> 12:24 PM) Stacey King has the best nicknames for people....like Scalawhatever his name is, Stacey referred to him as "Jackie Moon" the whole series. Too Funny Last year when Phil Jackson was sporting a moustache and soul patch, Stacey called him Col. Sanders.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 4, 2009 -> 01:09 PM) Is it just me, or have people completely crossed the line with their cell phones? I know it's been this way for awhile, but I remember a time when taking a call or looking at s*** on your cell while you were at family functions, a party, dinner, etc was considered bad manners. I've got so many friends and family members who sit there staring at their cell phones while in a group... be they texting, or surfing the Web, or posting on f***ing Facebook. It's really out of hand. I've made a conscious effort to look at my phone less... but you almost feel less popular if you aren't texting every one of your friends every f***ing detail of your night and where you'll be... it's unbelievably annoying. Anyway, share your stories in this thread of cell phone rudeness and annoyance. I was just thinking about this on the way up the elevator this morning. There were 6 people with me all staring at their cellphones.

Getz 2b Nix 3b Quentin lf Thome DH Konerko 1b Pierzynski c Ramirez ss Podsednik rf Lillibridge cf

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 4, 2009 -> 12:31 PM) Okay, I'll ask this question. Can the argument possibly be made that we (2009 White Sox) are better or even with that 2006 Cardinals' team? Right now it really doesn't matter. The Cardinals were awfully bad for a long while that season. The White Sox swept them. They trounced them twice then won 1-0 with one hit, a Thome homer. But they played great in October. Its not inconceivable a lot of these guys can get hot at the same time. Home field in the WS would be huge because Thome is such a huge part of the White Sox offense. If he's hot, and Dye and Quentin and Konerko are hot and Buerhle and Danks and one of the 3 of Floyd, Colon or Contreras are throwing well and the bullpen is healthy, this team can beat a lot of baseball teams. Its unlikely everyone is clicking at the same time, but stranger things have happened. I really doubt anyone is going to run away from the rest of the division and if White Sox playoff tickets become available, I will buy them.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 4, 2009 -> 12:19 PM) 2003 Marlins, 91-71 1997 Marlins, 92-70 1990 Reds, 91-71 1987 Twins, 85-77 2001 Diamondbacks, 92-70 Those were the teams, that, looking back over the last 20-30 years, along with the '06 Cardinals, seem the most "anomalous." However, they all won 90+ games, with one exception, the Twins, who had a simply incredible homefield advantage. The D-Backs had amazing starting pitching, the Reds had a lockdown bullpen, and both those Marlins teams were incredibly talented. The only comparison and hope for the White Sox is the example of the Cardinals, but we certainly don't have a player as singularly good as Pujols. Pujols hit .200 in the 2006 WS with 2 RBI. He drove in one run in the 2006 NLCS.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ May 4, 2009 -> 12:03 PM) The 1987 Minnesota Twins and 2006 St. Louis Cardinals are two examples out of the last 30 or so years of seemingly bad teams getting in that won it all, and probably the ONLY two teams among many. You asked "how many WC have won the world series?" How does this apply? The WC team could have the second best record in the league. The worst division winner cannot - and that's the scenario we are looking at here. Can you please tell me how the wild card will be coming out of the central this season? How about this instead - since 1995, how many times has the worst division winner in either respective league won the world series? How many times has a team that has won less than 90 games won the world series? I'll bet it's less than 10%. You're saying that banking on that 5-10% or so statistical historical chance we would have to win the World Series is a mindset we should have year after year after year....are you serious? I'd ask you if you treat similar statistical chances in the same way? Just so I have this straight- in this same paragraph you assume that if we lose game 3 of the first round of the 2005 divisional playoffs while up 2-0, we probably don't win the series whatsoever. That is what you're saying, right? probably. Is this like saying if we win the division with 83 wins this season, we probably win the world series? If the White Sox win 75 games this year and win their division they have a chance to win the WS. If they win 85 games and come in third they have a zero percent chance of winning. I would take the winning the division. BTW the pct. of WC winners and not so good team winners of the WS is ALOT higher than the pct. of White Sox winners even after being awful for many years, so I'm taking the Lloyd Christmas approach "So you're saying there's a chance." As for 2005, I mentioned the ball rolling through Grafinino's legs. That was game 2. Iguchi homered next for the White Sox lead and their final runs of the night. If the ball doesn't roll through his legs, once again, a much longer shot than a WC team or the playoff team with the worst record winning the WS, the series is 1-1 And if El Duque isn't around to save the day game 3, there's a very reasonable chance the Sox would be down 2-1. Who knows what happens after that, but the odds would be against them and even if they came back the pitching rotation could be screwed up for the next round. I'm not saying that is what the Sox should shoot for year after year. I've bashed them for the first time ever this year in regards to going cheap. Their roster is far from what I had hoped it would be, far from the aggressiveness the GM always chirps about. But they aren't going to spend money so we just must try to enjoy what we have to look at, and thank our lucky stars the AL Central is pretty weak. Come October, I'd rather be the first place team in the AL central than the 3rd place team in the AL east, and that team or even the 4th place team probably is better.

I think they are great together. I love it when they tease each other, plus Stacey is becoming a pretty informative analyst, and he worked a "he gone" into a playoff broadcast. Neil needs a few more Kabooms but for some reason Tom Dore never worked for me, and I consider Neil an upgrade.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ May 4, 2009 -> 11:35 AM) No, it's time we were realistic about what this team is capable of. I suppose if you feel division titles are some sort of accomplishment, then this season probably has some meaning for you. As all the rosters currently stand, any team making out of the Central probably gets utterly smoked in the postseason. I don't see the point of division titles, personally, but whatever floats your boat. Maybe I just remember the 1987 Minnesota Twins and the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals. I will never get sick of the White Sox making the postseason where anything can happen. Who knows, if Quentin doesn't get hurt and the White Sox are able to align their rotation correctly in the playoffs, what happens last season. You don't have to lead everyday like the 2005 White Sox. If the ball doesn't go through Graffinino's legs in 2005 and El Duque is left off the playoff roster like KW wanted and most of Soxtalk wanted as well, the White Sox probably don't make it out of the first round then. Anything can happen, any team can get hot. I don't think this team is good enough to win, but if they get there its not like the NBA where only a couple teams have a realistic shot. Look at how many wildcard teams have won it all. If the WS title is the only thing that floats your boat, 1 in 92 years must make you very ornery. I know a quick exit sucks, but at least you have a shot. There is nothing to indicate the White Sox are on the verge of a long run of winning WS. There is a lot of luck involved.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 4, 2009 -> 07:30 AM) Ozzie's thought process was probably something like... give Konerko a little more rest, and keep Betemit from getting rusty. Problem is, Konerko is just a better 1B on defense (and he is better than he is often given credit for as well). What I don't understand is why does Ozzie consider DHing someone giving him a rest, but then needs to rest Thome who only DH's?

QUOTE (MO2005 @ May 4, 2009 -> 07:42 AM) I just don't get why so many people are acting surprised about this team right now. We all know this team will NOT compete this year and really this season is for us to see what the kids can do. If we wanted to win then Kenny would of pulled some triggers on some deals this offseason and Ozzie wouldn't be so damn inconsistent with his lineup selection. Did anyone catch the Ozzie interview yesterday with John Miller during the game. The hilarious piece of that whole interview was when John mentioned to Ozzie that this team just relies on the long ball. Ozzie's response was we have more speed this year..Are you kidding me..yes more speed, but Ozzie one small problem...What good is it when they can't get on base! I agree. 1.5 games out with only 138 left to play. Its time to pull the plug and think about 2010.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 4, 2009 -> 10:38 AM) Didn't they say the same thing about Gavin in Philly? They were the opposite. Supposedly Gavin takes advice from everybody and his mind is filled with too many things. Bailey, if he gets knocked around just tries throwing harder.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ May 4, 2009 -> 10:03 AM) Since reverting to his old delivery, Bailey has gone 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA, and struck out 18 in his second to last game. I’m not saying, I’m just saying. Still a Dye guy. One of the big knocks on Bailey is that he isn't very coachable. He's a talent, that's for sure.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ May 4, 2009 -> 09:54 AM) The Reds rotation is deeper than the White Sox. He couldn't beat out Micah Owings. If he were a White Sox, people would be calling for him to pull a Rick Ankiel at this stage.

QUOTE (RME JICO @ May 4, 2009 -> 08:53 AM) He has a 4.61 ERA in AAA. Doesn't look too promising. Obviously, if he couldn't make the Reds, chances are he wouldn't have made the White Sox. The big change is that Abreu would most likely be in RF. He had been having a decent year offensively last time I check, stealing a lot of bases.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 4, 2009 -> 07:43 AM) 4.37 if Contreras had an ERA of around 5.50, and SIXTH in the AL. However, even at 6th in the AL, we have one of the worst offenses (currently) in baseball. Yes, that will turn around and come back to at least league-average (barring any more injuries, or Quentin/Thome/Dye/Konerko missing extended time), but that won't be good enough. Assuming (a big one) that Contreras had 3 quality starts in a row, then you're also going to expect Buerhle and Colon to continue pitching so well? That Colon won't miss a start for most of the season? It looks like Floyd will be inconsistent and around .500, and that Danks is starting to press a little bit because of the lack of offensive support. It will be VERY interesting to see how this team responds psychologically to the challenge of facing Greinke and Davies (Sox killer since 08) on the road. KC's back in first place by 1/2 game, along with the Tigers. Will we get any clutch hits or continue to struggle? The offense should get better. Getz should calm the leadoff discussion. Anorexei should start hitting. Thome will do better. They won't be the 1927 Yankees, but should be good enough. Its all going to come down to pitching. I hope Linebrink and Dotel can hold up all season, because the reinforcements don't appear too promising at least to help this year.

Obviously pitching is the key to winning. If Contreras had an ERA of 5.50 vs. what it is now, how would the ERA rank? I expect him to be better. I think everyone knows if Floyd's ERA hovers around 5 the White Sox are in trouble. Its still way too early, but if Corky Miller is batting 6th, chances are the offense isn't going to put too many runs on the board. The fact that they are .500 is encouraging. If they can stay there they will have a chance. If not, its drop the payroll even more, raise ticket prices even more and flashback to 1999.