Dick Allen

He'll be Dirty Thirty one more night and Griffey will wear 17 tonight. The big switch will be tomorrow. Maybe Nick is hedging his bets waiting to see if Jr. can stay healthy.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Aug 1, 2008 -> 01:41 PM) Let the Griffey era begin. Which will last about two months. Hopefully, 3 months, but I would think the over/under is less than 2, especially if he plays CF regularly.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Aug 1, 2008 -> 02:14 PM) just not awesome for the authentic $200 Swisher #30 Jersey I purchased in May I'm sure he will be back to 30 next season as long as he's still a White Sox unless he goes on a tear and believes the number switch helped him.

In other news, it looks like Dirty Thirty is no more. He has given 30 to Griffey and will wear #1, which not so coincidentally is his position in many posters' hearts.

Griffey will go 4-4 with at least 2 grand slams. Vazquez will get lit up, but Griffey will make a game saving catch deep in CF with 2 out in the 9th running up the wall and then throwing the ball into the fountains with joy, and a White Sox victory.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Aug 1, 2008 -> 06:49 AM) You'd be right. Swisher is pretty awful with 2 strikes on him. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=5937 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=3747 What is really unbelievable is his numbers after a first pitch strike. .168 avg. .225 slugging pct. If you throw a first pitch strike, and I believe he's only put 13 first pitches into play this season, he basically hits like a run of the mill NL pitcher.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 08:04 PM) It was already pretty low. Even if Fields does have a long career(which I suppose could be in question) he is going to have a ton of games with 3+ K's. It's just the hitter he is. 9 strikeouts in 20 AB. His strikeout rate continues to climb. There's something about football players playing baseball. A couple have worked out, but most of them never seem to reach the potential projected.

The Sox already blew a 4 run lead this series. They need to cinch it up and hunker down.

KW must not think CF is a defensive position which is odd considering his pursuit of Torii Hunter. Everett, Mackowiak, Swisher, now a 38 year old Griffey. That's not too much leather. Swisher is a below average CF, but at this stage he is a much better defensive CF than Griffey. I'm a big proponent of excellent up the middle defense.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 03:48 PM) My favorite Sox to ever wear #17.... Carlos May was born May 17, 1948. The back of his White Sox uniform read "May 17." Just a little trivia... He also hit a home run opening day one year, but failed to touch homeplate. He got credit for a triple and was called out.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 02:41 PM) I think it's presumptive to say that Thome will have nary an injury the rest of this year. And I prefer Griffey to Konerko for his replacement if that were to happen. You very easily raise the POSSIBILITY that Richar might turn into a decent pro, but you dont even acknowledge the MORE than possibility that Thome will have aches and pains throughout the rest of this year and may have to sit a bit. With superstar-mentality guys, you have to factor in that they're not going to go all out for a middling team. My hunch is that's the case with Griffey. When motivated, and looking for a ring, I wouldnt be surprised to see an upward spike in production. I'm as scared as anyone about him being in CF. I think in the end, however, they'll have a role for him that isnt that. I would think Griffey has greater odds of being injured than any other White Sox.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 03:32 PM) Were richar or masset going to make a difference this year? Nope, none at all. If Griff goes on an insane run and helps us win, then great. If he doesn't, we didn't lose anything important to the team and it makes no difference. Or if he doesn't perform and balls that should be caught drop in CF, he could ultimately cost the White Sox. I wish they had a better plan than Griffey in CF.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 03:18 PM) Why wouldn't it be? You put a future HOF in your lineup with some pop for pieces that weren't going to be here anyway? I don't know why everyone's crying about this. It gives us more options then we had at a very minimal price. Putting him in CF is a huge mistake. I'm not crying about it, I just don't see why all the giddiness.

QUOTE (JFields27 @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 10:49 AM) Wise will have to clear waivers though, and you have to take in the possibility of someone taking him since hes a good player just off the bench. I think he already cleared this season when they sent him down. I don't think he has to go through again.

QUOTE (heirdog @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 11:11 AM) You can be a White Sox fan and call out a player that has underperformed...especially given his contract and stature as team captain. I don't think you are any more of White Sox fan because you defend Paul Konerko...if anything you are less of a fan for not fixing what is broken and Konerko is broken right now. Please don't question my fandom. Its an argument you will lose. I'm saying Griffey isn't very good anymore. If he's playing CF think Carl Everett in 2003 and Rob Mackowiak in 2006, maybe slightly better.

QUOTE (almagest @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 10:09 AM) What is Konerko doing, again? Alomar also posted a .253 .330 .340 line with us in 2003, which is right in your boy Uribe's territory. By your logic, any struggling player posting a nice month will immediately be awful the next month. Might want to be careful with blanket statements like that. When did I say that? So if Alomar which I used as an example of a veteran who was supposed to be revitalized put up Uribe numbers, you are making my point for me.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 10:02 AM) Are you a fan of the White Sox or just of Paul Konerko? I'm a fan of the White Sox. I want them to acquire good players. Griffey is no better than what was already here IMO. Its 2008 not 1996. I really am not a big Konerko fan, I just have been astounded by all the crap he gets from people who claim to be White Sox fans.

QUOTE (almagest @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 09:59 AM) Griffey had an OPS above .900 for the month of July. He's on a sustained hitting streak. There's a good chance going to a contender might revitalize him further. He's a first ballot hall-of-famer. Konerko isn't doing ANYTHING, and hasn't for the whole season. Our pitching isn't lights-out as it was at the start of the year, so we could use more offense. Richar and Masset aren't very good, and probably won't contribute anything worthwhile in Cincinnati, either. We don't pay anything, and Griffey probably brings back two type-B picks at the end of the year. I don't see much worth complaining about with this move, just wondering where Griffey will play. Revitalized like Robby Alomar? Swisher had a nice OPS in June, it didn't mean squat in July.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 10:56 AM) and so the sox fans are incorrect about konerko but then the reds fans are correct about Griffey? Konerko is 6 years younger and doesn't have the injury history. He's also in a little better condition.

QUOTE (letsgoarow @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 10:48 AM) Wow... I dont know what else to say. We gave up some s*** heads for a guy who has been great the last month. and its KEN GRIFFEY JR. Maybe KW should see if Rollie Fingers and Tom Seaver feel like pitching. They were pretty good once. What's funny is about the same percentage of Reds fans feel the exact same way about Griffey as the majority of the board feels about Konerko.

QUOTE (heirdog @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 10:44 AM) Hard to get hot, when you're riding pine. Hopefully has a few good BP sessions. I am just worried that the mentally fragile Konerko will hang his head even more and this will make him completely useless...he's close right now but for what he has done for this organization, we owe him a mulligan for this season. Just not at the cost of the penant so sit for a majority of this year (be a solid bench producer) and get things right next year. Mentally fragile Konerko has had some of the biggest ABs in White Sox history.

Griffey is hitting .245 with 15 homers. Last year Konerko hit .259 with 31 homers and everyone was saying how much he sucked. Its going to be ugly seeing Griffey's pot belly giggling as he's chasing balls in the gaps. I give him 2 weeks before he's on the DL. As one of the comments in the Tribune stated: 1995 called and said great trade. The only way this is any good is if KW has a corresponding move.

QUOTE (DBAH0 @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 10:38 AM) Bad philosophy to have then. Konerko has his 10/5 rights doesn't he, so he'll only approve a trade to a West Coast team I would imagine, somewhere close to his home in Scottsdale. A team like the Giants who would only have to pay Konerko say 6/7M for a couple of season and trade an insignificant minor leaguer for him, might well take the chance and hope he rebounds. And he would want to go to SF why? Konerko is going nowhere, just hope he gets hot.

QUOTE (DBAH0 @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 09:31 AM) Ok wow. 3 years ago this place was going nuts for us NOT getting Ken Griffey Jr. And now we have him. Right now, KW should be on the phone, doing what he can to trade Paul Konerko. Maybe the D-Backs would be desperate enough to make a move with them missing out on Teixeira, and somehow hoping they can fix his swing (because right now you'd get him for nothing). Maybe the Giants who are always desperate for bats. Swisher should move to 1B, Konerko should hit only against lefties (DH for Thome against them) and play some 1B still, while Griffey moves into CF. Richar I still have hope for, and Masset came on a bit as well this season, but with Griffey you're getting a "name" player, who will help put more butts in seats so there'll be other benefits for the move. Konerko can't be traded. The White Sox don't pay contracts when they ship people off. Konerko has no trade rights and no team will assume the contract.

Supposedly the Cardinals are offering Kyle Lohse for a reliever and a bat. Maybe KW has something going there. I don't like Lohse..