Dick Allen

QUOTE (Jimbo's Drinker @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 05:31 PM) the ss like triple clutched there, i was like dude throw the stupid ball. Kind of like Cleveland's SS last night.

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 05:30 PM) ur not kiddin are u? twinstalk.com now is calling Mourneau a worthless piece of crap that doesn't care about winning if it exists.

QUOTE (letsgoarow @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 05:28 PM) 3-0 f*** If he walks him on 4 pitches, KW will bid high for Bale in the offseason.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 05:24 PM) he's awful, but since he is left handed he is coming in....ugh So he's their Horacio Ramirez since they hoodwinked KW into actually giving up anything for him.

I think Carassco would have gotten the call before Nick last night and when he gave up the grand slam the Indians then had 9 runs. Masset had his moments, but I don't think he would have made a difference in any outcome.

He died Friday. An all-time great. He also gave back as much as any actor with his charitable work. A role model for everyone.

Its always best to make the playoffs. Who says if the Sox win their next 3 or 4 games to get there they won't go on a roll? Something in the bullpen is going to have to click quickly. They blow a 5 run lead Thursday and score 8 on Friday and lose. Winning those and we all would have been going over playoff match-ups right now.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 07:49 AM) I would give KW two more years. Guillen's on a much shorter rope. If the team starts off like the Indians or Tigers, I think you have to try someone new (assuming that Konerko, Dye, Thome and AJ are all back next season)...and that Cabrera and Swisher are gone. Then the injuries and clubhouse aren't going to be excuses anymore. I think Ozzie is signed through 2012. Unless he says something totally obnoxious that gives JR and KW no choice or unless he quits, he will be here at least until then.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 06:40 AM) The Twins, with contracts for the likes of Lamb, Monroe, Everett and Livan Hernandez, were actually more "wasteful" than the White Sox in this regard. Not to mention that it was a much higher percentage of their overall payroll than the White Sox, significantly higher. What's getting Bill Smith off the hook for only adding Guardado is the minor league depth that Ryan left him with....Buscher, Tolbert, Span, Mijares, Breslow (picked up from the Indians for nothing), etc. MacDougal was clearly a "miss," but we have insurance on Contreras' contract (about $6.5 million if he were to miss all of 2009), Linebrink hopefully will be back to normal and Swisher will either provide us something different in return or we'll see if he can rebound (like KW did with Vazquez). The contracts for Dotel and Linebrink are a concern, but it seems that spending any money in the FA market on short relievers is just like playing Russian Roulette or craps. The odds of success are better with proven veterans (although this theory didn't work so well for Baltimore, or with teams that gambled on Gagne)...than what we did the last two seasons in our bullpen, which was essentially loading up with former first round draft picks and guys with talented arms and hope that Cooper could salvage their careers magically. KW just needs to be creative...either Dye or Konerko should move to DH (my preference would be Dye), Swisher to 1B (where you hope for a rebound) and then you try Anderson or go the FA route (or get a SS/2B/3B back from a Konerko deal.) The problem is that we have at least three significant issues: 3B, 2B/SS (I'm assuming Ramirez will end up at short), and CF, where Swisher is playing out of position. Our best bargaining chips are Poreda and Fields, yet they both are depth in positions where we need the most help (5th starter/3B) going into next season. I think it might be too expensive a luxury to carry Uribe at $4-5 million a season to be the back-up, and Uribe and Anderson are players I'm not sure you wisely or logically build around, even though they are still much younger than your core in Konerko, Dye, Thome and AJ. You play Swisher at 1B, you have a little below major league average production, very solid defense...it's all predicated on getting a Pods-like (not Jerry Owens) player for CF. Getting Figgins, Hudson, Furcal, etc., isn't going to be cheap, either in terms of salary or talent surrendered. KW has to go out and find someone (like Alex Rios) coming off a down year, but still young, that the club is willing to part with for the right price...a player that doesn't fit on the depth chart due to injuries or one season of non-performance, but major league ready (like Quentin). Maybe we should look at Japan again, it worked for awhile with both Takatsu and Iguchi. Maybe KW will really roll the dice on Ichiro or A-Rod, although both these names seem more like fantasy discussion based on our minor league systems, rather than reality. Abreu's name has been mentioned, and he would be fine, if the price was right and we could move Konerko and put Swisher at 1B and find a better CFer. Then there's always the strange and curious case of Brian Anderson. Are you sure about the Contreras insurance? I read somewhere there wasn't any. I know the Mets have none on Billy Wagner. Figgins is a guy who supposedly is not well liked in the Angel clubhouse, and seems to be constantly injured. Furcal has a back problem. With what went down with Crede, I don't see JR shelling out a huge commitment to him. Hudson is a guy the Sox have admired for years, but he wants 8 figures. I find it hard to believe he's worth that. There's just nothing obvious out there, plus with the Yankees and Mets moving into new moneymakers and the Yankees also shedding $84 million in payroll, if you go the free agent route, you may have to be looking at plan D or E. It will be an interesting offseason. I do know KW will get a real leadoff hitter. There's a lot more to like here than there was last year. Floyd actually looks legitimate and Danks rebounded from a horrible 2nd half to be dominating at times. Quentin and Beckham add to the mix although I will always be concerned with Quentin's health considering the amount of times he gets hit by a pitch.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 27, 2008 -> 01:58 AM) Dotel may be the most overpaid player in baseball history. Yeah. He makes it look like Barry Zito plays for the minimum. Even though Jaime Navarro got more than Dotel, he was worth probably triple what Dotel is getting. Mike Hampton, Carl Pavano are a couple more that have been bargains compared to Dotel. I'm sure Seattle wouldn't trade Carlos Silva straight up for Dotel unless the Sox ate most of Dotel's money. Richie Sexson getting $13 million to sit at home is a far better deal than Dotel's. Do I really need to go on?

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 11:52 PM) Fact: This is a terrible baseball team. Just horrible. .5 games out of a playoff spot with 3 to play. Fire everyone.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 09:38 PM) We already have Carlos Gomez on this team, except he is a few years older and his name is actually Jerry Owens. Would you trade a Jerry Owens for a Bobby Jenks? I don't know what "world of potential" everyone is talking about by the way... he hit a pretty average .278 BA and an okay .336 in the minors. Didn't blow anybody away there. Dewayne Wise's numbers are just a couple shades below that. Jerry Owens couldn't hold Carlos Gomez's jock.

My advice to KW would be to fix the bullpen. Again. Dotel and Linebrink was a good start. Thornton could go either way next year. Jenks at the end. Make sure everyone else can throw a strike whenever they want. Its really getting ridiculous watching relievers try to pitch.

QUOTE (Friend of Nordhagen @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 11:42 PM) This has never made much sense to me, with the White Sox or any other team in a small ballpark. If the park is small, doesn't it make just as much sense to build a team with, along with a few thumpers, some speed and line-drive guys. I mean, if it's really a small park, won't they hit their fair share of home runs with that approach anyway -- AND ALSO have the diversity to be a good team on the road? The smaller the field, the more shallow outfielders play. While a non power guy may hit a few more homers in a bandbox, he'll probably lose a lot more hits.

QUOTE (Friend of Nordhagen @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 11:32 PM) I'm not a big Cabrera fan (I think his fundamental abilities, including defense, were greatly oversold), but Cowley isn't credible on this. He's clearly upset because Cabrera doesn't talk to him after the games -- typical writer move -- this guy doesn't talk to us in the press, so he's a bad guy. While I agree Cowley has an axe to grind and some of his OC crap is probably BS, the only people happier than OC when he leaves town will be most of the White Sox organization. He has made a couple pals, but for the most part he has not been well received.

As pissed off as most of us are, and as much as you want to rip guys like Konerko and Thome and Dye etc. for fading down the stretch, what has killed the Sox the last 2 games for sure and the first game in Minnesota has been the pitching. When you score 6 with a 16 game winner on the mound, you should win. When you score 8 against Cleveland you should win. The Sox get those games, they would only have to win 1 more.One thing offensively I think I've never seen before, a lead off walk in the 9th and the game is over 2 pitches later.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 05:01 PM) Sure, but he also isn't patient at the plate, strikes out a lot for a guy without power, and hasn't shown an ability to drive the ball. He also hasn't shown the ability to consistently put the ball in play and for a guy who apparently will rely entirely on athleticism that is important. He has a lot of potential but he has a lot to improve on before he even becomes a respectable major league hitter. He's 22 years old with a ton of ability. Chances are he will get better. Just with his speed, he'll always be a threat.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 03:57 PM) Not at Soxtalk, but perhaps at WSI. I saw somebody penciling in Podsednik for next year's team. Look how popular Owens, Fields, and Wassermann were on this board last year playing meaningless games and none with the potential of Gomez. He would be very popular. He has a lot of flaws, but he has a lot of ability and is very young. I don't think he's Rickey Henderson II like Hawk does, but he has a chance to be outstanding.

If Carlos Gomez was a White Sox , he would be very popular on this board.

QUOTE (shipps @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 01:43 PM) Reinsdorf doesnt fire GM's they pretty much have a lifetime contract until they decide to leave. Except for Larry Himes who set him up a lot better than any other GM JR had.

QUOTE (Sox It To Em @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 01:36 PM) Sore neck, but he's rumored to still start if the game decides the division. It would seem he wouldn't be 100%.

The Twins and White Sox are tied in the loss column. The White Sox have not lost to the Indians at USCF in 2008. Freddy Garcia will be pitching for Detroit on Monday, if that is necessary. Cliff Lee, if he pitches Sunday, will not be 100%. Its far too early for a funeral.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Sep 26, 2008 -> 11:41 AM) I wish our organization agreed. But they'd rather have slow, washed up guys with questionable desire. And yeah, before the holier than thou's bombard me with "hey, the veterans on this team have rings too", save it. We played deadball late in 2006 and now we've done it again late in 2008. The veterans on this team are fat and happy with the ring they got in 2005, and that's a f***ing shame. I give OC credit, he has a ring too and he still gives a s*** at least. Just because a guy who can't wait to leave, goes on a radio talk show and questions his teammates' ways of going about their business, doesn't mean he's the only one who gives a s***. Just because a guy goes 0-4 doesn't mean he doesn't care. In fact, the White Sox slobbering of all things Twins and Metrodome probably has affected guys who have been around longer than OC. They have been convinced they cannot win there by the entire organization's defeatist attitude about that place. Anytime there's a small hint of trouble, its "here we go again". Its an attitude in serious need of adjustment. '

While OC made what I believe to be some valid points, one being they should win some games before they start, there are a couple problems with his comments in my mind. Players prepare themselves for games differently. Some must focus for hours, some play cards, some joke around. Everyone who is on a major league roster, even if they suck, are excellent baseball players and have gone about their business most likely the same way for many years and its obviously been successful. Why, if you're a leader, do you call out your teammates on a sports radio show? Why not face to face? I know some will say how do I know he hasn't done that. Reading Ozzie's comments, its rather obvious he has not. And, if you're such a leader and you don't like how your team goes about their business, why is it you don't say anything until the end of September? OC is a whiner. Ozzie doesn't like him because OC thinks Scoscia is a better manager than Ozzie. Of course every baseball person not named Hawk thinks exactly the same thing. OC perhaps had valid points, but his timing and venue of his remarks were terrible. I'm sure the Sox spin will be 24 guys + 1 guy. After building him up all season, they will say he's addition by subtraction. I hope they are right.

I'm counting Monday against Freddy and the ready-to-go-home Tigers as a W, so essentially there is a tie in the AL Central. The Sox really blew it the past few days, and I blame the organization's defeatist attitude about the Metrodome. As soon as something goes wrong, it now is engrained in every White Sox mind that they cannot win there, and that is a horrible thing. It needs to stop. I'm hoping the Twins have a little letdown and the White Sox continue to pound the Tribe as they have at home this season. There's still hope.