Dick Allen

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 2, 2009 -> 12:25 PM) I don't think this team will struggle to score runs in total. There's just too much power 2-8 for that to happen unless a lot of guys get hurt. I think this team could push 240+ home runs easily. I do think this team will be inconsistent in scoring runs, and we'll see a lot of games where we run up the score with 5 or so long balls and then other games where the only run(s) we put up are whatever Quentin knocks in on his home run in the 8th inning that day. I think inconsistency is correct. They will score 10 or 11 runs one day and get 1 or 2 the next few. Older guys, home run guys and a very inconsistent leadoff man with a rookie batting second will only add to that. Getz will be good, but he is a rookie and at times is going to struggle.

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Apr 2, 2009 -> 09:55 AM) What makes you think they can't admit their mistake. I think Kenny has been trying to get somebody in here since the middle of camp, but they are strapped for cash and there aren't many options out there. I seriously doubt they want Wise leading off. There just aren't any real easy alternatives. I think he knwos he messed up by not trying ahrder for a Crisp or Taveras, but there isn't much we can do about it now. There were plenty of cheap options available this offseason. Ozzie laughed off Wise as a leadoff hitter last year. KW said nobody available was better than Owens, which includes Crisp. Do you really believe that? I think he's stuck on the "we do things differently from others and nobody understands us, but that's OK all we do is win" mentality. He is full of false modesty and strokes his own ego every chance he gets. Did he ever take responsibility for the trainwreck in 2007? Darin Erstad leading off? No. He cried no one could have seen everyone having a bad year. They aren't strapped for cash. They lost 2 sponsors. Motorola said their sponsorship would cost 10 people their jobs. Say that's 250k x 10. $2.5 million. They will make more than that back on the increase in ticket price. They also had 3 bonus gates last year. I don't know who is sponsoring the fundamentals area, but someone probably is. LG is now a club level sponsor. Season ticket sales are up. They actually are anticipating increased attendance this season. Of course they will have to play well. They have a ton of money coming off the books next year. Thome, Contreras, Dye, and Dotel to name a few, about $40 million. They sent Wise through waivers last summer, and he made it through just like Owens. Nobody else wants these guys and they make no money. That fact that they are sticking with Wise leading off and playing CF in game 1 shows me they can't admit their mistake. If anything, put Getz there.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 2, 2009 -> 09:20 AM) IMO, Pods is not better than Wise at all. At least there's still hope of a competent defensive person playing the position right now. Wise is not competent defensively, that's the other rub on this whole situation.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 2, 2009 -> 09:07 AM) This is such a ridiculously bad idea. He had a hard enough time playing LF. It is ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as the current situation. I've disliked Pods as much as anyone, and probably longer than everyone here, but Dewayne Wise? Look at his baseball card.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 2, 2009 -> 07:46 AM) This organization is run by fools. It doesn't matter if Wise walked more often than Alexei, one is probably going to hit around .240-.250 this year and the other around .300. So even despite his awful walk rate Alexei will almost undoubtedly finish with a much higher OBP. Yes putting bad hitters at the top of your lineup maximizes your scoring opportunities, that makes a lot of f***ing sense. I wouldn't say fools. I think they are ego-maniacs not willing to admit error. Its absolutely ridiculous a $100 million payroll team has a 31 year old weak fielding leadoff hitter with a career .254 OBP, but the 2 "geniuses" can't admit their mistake.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 1, 2009 -> 05:47 PM) If he could stay moderately healthy and hit like he has in the minors, sure. I have no idea if either of those would be possible. His 42 homers were impressive last season until you realize they were in Albuquerque and that he struck out 168 times in 127 games. Konerko hit 37 homers for the same team as a 21 year old and struck out over 100 times less.

Can't he refuse assignment and go play in AAA for someone else? It is ironic that both CF/leadoff guys were waived while making minimum or close and both cleared waivers. Probably more pathetic than ironic.

QUOTE (bschmaranz @ Apr 1, 2009 -> 11:34 AM) Rockies are releasing Scotty Pods. Eh? eh? eh? I loathed Pods, but he definitely is a better player than Wise, even as a CF. I think the Sox should go for it and give him a short leash. As soon as his first sports hernia injury occurs put him on the DL and then waive him when he comes off.

What a difference a few months make. Rosenbloom reminds us of Ozzie's quotes last season regarding the leadoff spot: Yeah, Wise and Anderson. Or, as manager Ozzie Guillen said sarcastically and mockingly last year when asked about his center-field-slash-leadoff options: “Wise? Hello? Brian?’’

I have been on alert for April Fool's jokes, so I knew right away, but Wise to Owens isn't necessarily a downgrade.

QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 09:40 PM) I think too many people are putting the White Sox defense under the microscope way too much. Chill out. I'm more than willing to cheer for Wise as the lead-off hitter, and I think he's the type of hitter we need. People need to stop expecting the Sox to get some Gold Glove caliber guy in Center Field. People may argue that Brian Anderson has a Gold Glove caliber glove, but I rather sacrifice defense for the offensive tools of Wise. Also, I think our lineup is more than capable of compensating for our defense. C'mon. We got God, Dye, Thome, Alexei, and we should have a bounce-back year from Konerko, a big year from Fields, and another speedster in Getz. That's 7 guys right there, throw in the consistent production from AJ and the extra speed element from Wise, then I think we have the makings of a fun team to watch. Be optimistic, everyone, and stop being a bunch of bellyaching wet blankets. Offensive tools of Wise. He's a career .214 hitter with a career .254 OBP. The Sox would have been better off re-signing Juan Uribe and had him lead off.

The Broncos are now saying they will try to trade Cutler. I'm sure the Bears are interested, but probably won't get him. I think others are better positioned to get him, and I'm sure if he goes somewhere in a deal Angelo can't match, Angelo will still get fired on by most of the faithful.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 06:19 PM) How good can the pitching be if the defense is bad ? ERA's and WHIPS increase from plays not made that aren't errors. Floyd's ERA was pretty good last year but he gave up a ton of unearned runs often once that 3rd out wasn't caught. Its not only the unearned runs, with Quentin, Wise and Dye in the OF, there will be a lot of balls that a lot of teams make plays on that will be hits against the White Sox. If they really aren't going to add payroll and are serious about Wise and guys like Corky Miller, we all have to hope Anderson hits. Putting him in CF helps this team in so many ways. Hopefully, Ozzie won't be so stubborn as to lead him off against the tough left handers.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 06:10 PM) That's fine. But the gist of what I said was basically you can't spit on every guy that's out there then in the end say anybody's grandmother would be a better choice than Wise. I wanted Willy Taveras. And I'm sure we all know how that went around here (kennyprospects and caufield can surely back me up here). I was totally against Willy Taveras, but had I known KW was serious about Wise in CF and leading off, Willy would have become one of my favorite players.

KW is on record saying no one who was available was better than what the Sox had in-house. That means since Jerry Owens is waived, no one available was better than Dewayne Wise. Dewayne will have ample opportunity to show everyone how much smarter KW is than everyone else.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 01:37 PM) Give me a break. The Sox were very nearly the worst team in the AL in terms of OBP in the #1 and #2 lineup spots last year (3rd to last), borderline wasting the very best full-time #3 hitter in the league. Not only did he fail to upgrade these two spots but as it stands right now it looks like he managed to downgrade. Get creative, find someone, anyone that can get on base at a decent clip and maybe run a little to hit in at the top of the lineup, no excuses. Hell, he removed 2 players from the 2007 ballclub in Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher that are better top of the order hitters than what we have now. It doesn't take much to upgrade from Dewayne Wise, believe it or not these players do exist. I think he envisioned Jerry Owens or even more so Brent Lillibridge as his 2009 opening day leadoff hitters, unfortunately for him both proved this March that they're not major league quality hitters. When you say things like this just 2 weeks ago then turn around and hand the job to a player who's nearly the complete opposite of what you've described you deserve as much criticism as the fans can muster. I love the pompous KW quote you have there. Pods brings a .350 OBP. That's funny he did it one year before KW acquired him (in 2003) and in 2005 it was .351, the only other time in his career he had a .350 or above OBP in the major leagues. His career minor league OBP was .344. KW loves to secretly pat himself on the back while trying to sound humble every chance he gets.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 11:35 AM) I don't understand why it is so difficult to believe that he can regain his form. Why is it assumed that he will stay awful now that he has been awful, but not that he can pitch well when he did in fact pitch well for a while a few years ago? The logic makes little sense to me... Its not a question of if he will fall apart, but when. He could hold up for most of the year, he has before. This guy has been very good before. At the All Star break in 2003 he had 24 saves and a low 2's ERA, and was a legit all star. He fell apart in the second half and had only 3 saves. He also was great with the White Sox in 2006. Maybe he's like Cliff Politte in 2005 this year. He has as much abilility as anyone, and as long as he can throw strikes, he is a big part of the bullpen.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 09:53 AM) Something must have happened behind the scenes or with Sheffield and Leyland. Either way, I think it shows that Detroit is almost basically committed to rebuilding. As for where Sheffield will end up, he'd actually make sense for a team like Seattle, but then they just signed Griffey Jr. I'm worried the Indians could sign him actually. They need power hitters, and their corner OF's aren't exactly top notch. He's off the clear and the cream, has a bum shoulder and is old. I would love for the Indians to sign him. He is subtraction by addition.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 09:31 AM) Interesting. I wonder what the whole story is there, because I don't see the Tigers in a postion to just eat $14,000,000. They had to pay it regardless. Maybe they want to keep the jerk from polluting their other players, and considering he isn't hitting this spring, he's always hurt and he's 40, he's probably done anyway. Some team will probably grab him, but stuck on 499 would be justice.

Wow, eating the cash and Gammons was marveling at how he was looking, how he would make a tremendous comeback. Ending at 499 couldn't happen to a more deserving asshole.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 09:21 AM) naw i'm pretty sure that was David Wells that started that game. It was and he was gone before the end of the first inning. The White Sox eventually won that game, but when anyone gets to land some shots at Colon's body, facts shouldn't stand in the way.

This makes Darin Erstad look like a good move. Simply horrible. Maybe a miracle happens and Wise is useful. If not, I hope they figure it out quickly.

Wise put up a season in 2008 very similar to the one he put up in 2004 when he was 26. It gets him a starting job now and a shot at leading off. When he did it when he was 26, he spent the entire next season in the minor leagues. Good for him. Bad for us.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 03:09 PM) Yeah if only he could suck more. I want to see our players fail. I don't see what's wrong with wanting a guy to suck when the games don't mean anything but the results could influence decisions when the games do matter. The bottom line is the less we see of Dewayne Wise leading off the better. How long do you think he would have to go sucking at the top of the order when the games count for him to be moved down or out? I'm thinking a decent amount of time, and considering the White Sox had zero room for error last year, and the division seems to be more competitive, they don't have much time for experimenting IMO.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 02:55 PM) I'm no Swisher fan, but he was really not that bad of a defender... I'm not sure where people get this from. He was adequate. Not a plus, but not a liability either. There's a reason the Sox said he wasn't a CF anymore. There's also a reason he is behind Gardner and Cabrera in CF in NY. RAZR ratings aside, he is a bad CF. Not Mackowiak bad, but bad nonetheless.