Dick Allen

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 02:34 PM) I can see why they gave him the shot - he has some talent, he's out of options... but ultimately, if they decide the team needs a long reliever / sixth starter type guy, probably better to just bring up Haeger or Broadway anyway. Despite the overall lack of talent in the minor league system, the Charlotte team will have a few decent starting pitchers on it. One or two of them are likely to become something good. I think KW would rather keep those guys in Charlotte to begin with. Maybe Ohka or maybe scouring the waiver wire.

Losing Masset wouldn't be a huge loss. He's basically being handed a job he has yet to earn and he still can't do anything with it.

QUOTE(ptatc @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 02:24 PM) Since Swisher's main quality for getting on base is walking and he doesn't run real well, there will be a lot of double plays from those three. Other than the 30-40 times out of 600 they hit the ball out of the park. Not if "Cabrera does his job.

79

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 09:41 AM) Yet some people are read to annoint Dotel as our bullpen's saviour. Dotel has always been brutal in spring training though.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 09:35 AM) The better solution to that may have been to keep Masset and Wassermann, and send MacDougal down to AAA or trade him (if that was possible). MacDougal hasn't given up a run in over 3 weeks.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 10:14 PM) I think a reasonable idea about why none of these folks appeared in the first book is that the first book was him actually telling the stories he knew and the next few books are him trying to cash in more based on being proven right on the first one. I don't think he's capable of that elaborate of a plan. This guy is a plate head. I bought his first book, but he'll never get another dime from me. He hasn't played MLB since 2001. Its time for him to go away.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:25 PM) I just watched a clip of an interview of Canseco on ESPNews, and he said that when he watched Clemens before Congress, he thought that Clemens looked honest and sincere. Was he watching the same press conference I was watching? In Peter Gammons column a month or so ago, he reported the first draft of Canseco's book had a little piece about Clemens at the now infamous party they claim he didn't attend. That got taken out of the book. I wonder how big of a check the Rocket had to write for that. I still wonder why he wouldn't have had something on ARod in his first book. He's the biggest name in the game. Maybe he was still trying to get something from him.

QUOTE(almagest @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 07:51 PM) He's gone from nasty early on to awful lately and it's starting to worry me. Dotel has been horrible in spring training every year since 2003. His ERA combined is 6.80.

QUOTE(scenario @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:47 PM) Do you know what strikes me as funny? A month ago nobody would have been surprised if Ozzie chose Swisher to play CF. In fact, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. KW and Ozzie have been saying it since they acquired him. And a month ago, 99% of posters would have volunteered to drive Brian to the airport to ship his *** out of town. But Brian had a good month in spring training and all of a sudden, Swisher in CF is a horrible idea; and Brian not being handed CF is a travesty. Interesting. I understand Anderson not being handed a regular job even though they handed him one in 2006 under tougher circumstances when he showed less than he has this spring. I just don't understand when he's in the game why he would be in LF and Swisher in CF. That makes zero sense.

If Ozuna starts at 2b on opening day and Quentin plays LF, the 3 hottest hitters in spring training, Uribe, Anderson and Ramirez all will be riding pine. That's pretty strange, but not as strange as seeing Nick Swisher in CF and BA in LF on occassion. That's just ridiculous. I am glad Swisher is leading off though. The more guys on base for Thome and Konerko and Dye, the better.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 05:49 PM) I am confused now with the MLB game day stats. The first time around it showed McDougal giving up 4 runs and now it's Dotel? It looks like MacDougal had a good outing now and Dotel roughed up again.

QUOTE(maggsmaggs @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 05:39 PM) Simple as this: MacDougal, Hall and Crede should not be on the opening day roster but the Sox feel the need to keep them. They will lose us games, Hall especially with no bat and no arm. Mac comes in and always gives us baserunners and runs and Crede pops up in the infield more than anyone else. I'm just looking at the box score, but only 1 of the runs off MacDougal today was earned. Errors by Hall, Cabrera and Konerko. Hall was arguably in the top 2 or 3 for worst player in the major leagues last year, and apparently has only regressed.

Some of these spring averages are starting to get real ugly. Hopefully they are just saving their hits for when the season starts. Chi White Sox AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Ozuna, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .321 Cabrera, SS 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 .203 Thome, DH 4 2 2 4 0 0 0 .263 Konerko, 1B 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .294 Swisher, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250 Dye, RF 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .188 Pierzynski, C 3 1 1 1 0 0 2 .245 Hall, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .071 Crede, 3B 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .189 Ramirez, CF 3 1 1 4 0 0 0 .344

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 05:31 PM) Hall still playing pretty badly, and MacDougal should still be demoted to allow for Wassermann and Masset to be in the pen. Speaking of playing badly this spring, Orlando Cabrera has been awful, I heard on the telecast the other day that he's waiting for opening day to turn it on. I don't think its that easy.

btw, if anyone still needs opening day tickets, they just became available on ticketmaster.

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 02:07 PM) Actually, I was quite high on the White Sox going into 2005 because of their pitching staff and the addition of a true leadoff hitter and a catcher who could actually hit. Do you remember before 05 when we had 5th starter woes? What do you think of 3rd, 4th, AND 5th starter woes? Garland was worse in 2004 than he was in 2003. El Duque was the 5th starter who had pitched very little the previous couple of years. Contreras was a guy 95% of this board hated, even wanted traded halfway through the 2005 season as part of a package for AJ Burnett. That would have been disasterous. People can cry that Fields is in AAA, but he was hitting .229 with a .284 OBP halfway through Sept. last year, before he beat up the KC Royals in a battle for last place. I fail to see how a couple of months at AAA will ruin his career. Ramirez has played in Cuba which is compared to high A ball. Sure he's looked good in spring training, but there's no way to project what he will do when the games count. People on this board ripped the Cubs for Fukudome, saying the level of play in Japan isn't up to snuff. Its considered a higher level than the Cuban league. The guy probably has never played in a game where it wasn't at least 60 degrees. Uribe has had success in the major leagues, but hasn't come close to his potential. Maybe fighting for a job and playing for a contract will help him put together a full season. If he plays like he did his first year with the Sox, he's far and away the better player for 2008. I don't think the Sox will win their diviion or make the playoffs, and I don't think the reason will be Crede and Uribe.

QUOTE(Princess Dye @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:44 AM) A true long reliever is more important than a true leadoff hitter? I doubt that's your intended point, but it kinda comes off that way. The three guys you mention aren't stealing any bases. Now, Owens... if he can have even a .350 OBP, he's going to have a way better chance of taking second regularly than any of those guys. He doesnt have to have an amazing OBP to make us significantly better than a three inning reliever would. Also keep in mind that moving Cabrera and Swisher up to leadoff takes them out of what they do best as well. Personally, I would much rather have Swisher lead off than bat 6th. Why not have the high OBP guy bat before the guys who drive in the runs than after them? I don't care if he doesn't steal, he can hit himself to second or homer much more often than Owens will. Maybe if Owens was a premiere guy it could be an issue, but September and spring training aside, he's been below mediocre. The long man in the White Sox bullpen is going to be more important than usual if this team is any good this season due to the fact that the rotation isn't filled with innings eaters and the bullpen is stocked with 1 inning guys. 2 or 3 short outings by the starters in a 6 or 7 game stretch can really tax the bullpen if there is no one who can go 3 or 4 inning in it. I don't want Masset on the team, but if Wasserman can't give you those innings, the Sox are pretty much stuck with him.

QUOTE(Princess Dye @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:14 AM) yr argument for keeping Masset is that no one else around fills his role. Who fills Owens' role as leadoff hitter? again, you could slot someone in. But to me it's a bigger detriment to slot someone else in here. Swisher vs. LHP is a .348 OBP last yr, he hit .250.... career #s lower i'm confident Owens will get a long look when healthy to provide something better than that vs. righties. even if the other young OFs start strong. You have options for a leadoff hitter. Swisher, Cabrera, Ozuna vs. LHP. You need someone in the bullpen that can go 3 or 4 innings even if it isn't a very effective 3 or 4 innings, especially with the back end of the current rotation.

"My groin isn't where we want it to be," Owens said before undergoing tests. Don't we all have this problem.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 08:33 PM) I mean I worry as well, what if Uribe puts up .270 with 30HR's this season? Do the Sox re-sign him to a big contract? Because I think he would pack it in ALA Beltre, because he hasn't performed any other season when his contract hasn't been on the line. I'm Uribe's biggest fan, but I would never give him a huge contract. If he has a big year, if your out of it, trade him at the deadline, if your in it, thank him very much for his efforts for $4.5 million at the end of the year and be done with it. Too many people are worried about guys leaving and getting nothing in return. You do get the player's performance that last year of his contract. I would guess most playoff teams have a couple of key performers playing on the last year of a contract, or at least were playing on the last year coming into that season.

Fields got hot the last 2 weeks of the season. On Sept. 14 he was hitting .229 with a .283 OBP. He could use a little seasoning in AAA.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 06:20 PM) Does that sound like something he might need surgery to correct or is that re-hab-able? Its basically a groin strain. No surgery.

Its really too bad the Sox don't have the prospects to get McFail to bite on a Brian Roberts deal. He would be a perfect fit for this team.

By Mark Gonzales - 5:56 p.m. TUCSON, Ariz. -- White Sox center fielder Jerry Owens will start the regular season on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Monday, after an MRI Tuesday revealed a slight tear in his right adductor muscle. The rest of the blog said he aggravated it running out the triple on Sunday. He did seem gimpy after that. One less toy for Ozzie.