Dick Allen

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 05:49 PM) I know there are a lot of Hawk haters, but hearing him call that Thome bomb made me smile. I was watching this weekend when Dye hit one, and Hawks call is nice. It made me laugh because he makes it sound like game 7 of a WS when its a spring training game in the middle of March.

Thome hits them in bunches. I would hope he would stop hitting them now for about 11 days.

Nick Masset didn't exactly dazzle today, did he?

QUOTE(iamshack @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 05:35 PM) Yep. Are these irrevoccable waivers, because if they are, they will not be able to trade him. Either some team will claim him or he will be a FA.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 05:05 PM) It's pointless to keep going round and round, but you realize the only reason "your guy" Joe is still here is because the Sox can't find anyone to give them anything of value for him. If any GM was foolish enough to trade away a quality player for Joe, he would be long gone. Just something to think about. And the only reason "your guy" Josh is here is because Dombrowski was willing to give up Maybin and take Dontrelle Willis. Mark Buerhle was quoted the other day as saying he wants Crede playing 3rd. I'm sure most if not the entire pitching staff feels the same. While we hear how terrible Crede is, what besides hitting a few homers, has Josh Fields proven? Lets face it, there are question marks for both players.

If this means Ramirez is going to get a lot of time at 2B, why is he in CF today? This is all very weird. Uribe is a very popular guy on the team. It could have some sort of effect on the team if they think he got screwed.

I have been advocating Fields as a centerpiece for a Roberts deal. Even if Crede walks at the end of the year, you still have Ramirez who could probably play 3rd if you re-sign Cabrera. With Roberts leading off, the Sox line-up becomes as good as its ever been.

The Tribune said he was waived according to a scout.

I think Boras has been humbled a little bit. See ARod and Lohse.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 11:26 AM) Who is Adam Dunne? He's not showing up on baseball reference. Dunn gets on a lot more. Joe Crede in 2002 hit homers at about the same rate as Fields did last year, and hit .280 or so. I have the feeling once Joe is gone, its only a matter of time the get rid of Fields threads will pop up. He really is one of 2 or 3 versions of the White Sox back up QB.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 05:46 PM) Like I said, you need to have the bullpen constructed correctly. You really can't do it with a 6 man pen, you probably need a long man because you can't count on those guys for multi-inning performances in an extra inning game, you can't do it if you're trying to bury a guy who's struggling. The way the White Sox bullpen is constructed, it could be real dangerous because just about all of their middle relief guys average about an inning or less an appearance. (Linebrink, Dotel, MacDougal). You don't want Jenks to go more than an inning. Masset and Ohka are the 2 long guy candidates I guess, and if Wassermann and Logan are both on the team with the other 4 guys, the long man is going to have some pressure on him to eat some innings especially when you only have 2 guys in the rotation you really can count on to give you 6+ innings.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 05:32 PM) IMO, there's nothing wrong at all with having a true ROOGY and a true LOOGY if your bullpen is constructed correctly. You've got Ortiz and Ramirez coming up in the 8th inning, you put in Logan for Ortiz, you put in Wasserman for Manny and Lowell, and then Jenks ends the game in the 9th. But you have to have enough other pitchers performing solid roles in the 7th inning and before for those guys to be used correctly to get through the roughest spot, since you're limited on roster spots for the pen. You might be able to get away with it in the AL, but there are going to be times a couple of guys in the bullpen aren't available and if you only have these specialists available, things could get ugly.

I think there will be a trade or 2 before the season starts.

QUOTE(SoxFan562004 @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 12:44 PM) I think he passed up a 3/30m with the Phils and ended up signing a 1/3.5m with the Cards. That's a lot of guaranteed money he passed on. He ultimately made the decision though If he looked at his career numbers and was offered that contract, you're right, he's the fool for not signing it before the Phillies change their minds.

If the Sox were to trade Fields and lose Crede, if they re-signed Cabrera maybe Ramirez could play 3rd.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Mar 17, 2008 -> 11:05 PM) How is it hard to fathom that we are looking to get rid of Crede when he is represented by a man that the GM refuses to deal with, avoids his players like the plague and has his assistant GM deal with on year to year contracts. He is coming off an injury, and is going to provide no compensation as a type A or B free agent. We have someone waiting in the wings to take over, and his name is Josh. You dont need more players waiting in the wings, when you have a number 1 draft pick you feel high about ready to take over. Kenny has stated over and over that if Crede is on the team, Josh will be at AAA. Why is that, thats because they play the same position. If they really were going to approach moving him around dont you think for a second that Josh would be getting playing time at other positions. Maybe he would of played some winter league ball in that position. I have a hard time believing that they would have them both playing 3rd base and then with a week or so left, switcheroo on Josh to say X position. They should have tried him at 2B last year. He probably would be a better 2B than LF, they could have seen if he would be at least adequate, but it is too late now.

From Gammons: • From another scout on the White Sox: "They're a much more energetic team than they were. Orlando Cabrera brings a lot of energy, so does Nick Swisher, and the Cuban second baseman, Alexei Ramirez, is the damndest player in Arizona. His energy is incredible. He's a wild man, all over the field, swings at everything, but he could be pretty good and a lot of fun to watch. John Danks has thrown the ball well, but they still have to decide whether or not to trade Joe Crede or Paul Konkerko. They have time for that."

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 17, 2008 -> 05:01 PM) So Colon got rocked today but he definitely had some zip on his fastball. He'll be interesting to keep an eye on. He got crushed, but struck out 2 in 2/3 of an inning, touching 96. I heard he will start the season in the minors and can become a free agent if he's not recalled by May 2.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Mar 17, 2008 -> 03:29 PM) From the Sun-Times: [/b] I know, I know -- "Spring Training ERAs don't mean anything!" but... He's talking about how he has his mechanics figured out, and Hawk was talking about what happens when his mechanics get out of whack and they were out of whack yesterday according to Hawk.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 16, 2008 -> 06:29 PM) Considering Konerko hit 40 in 2004, I don't think it was that shocking that he hit 40 in 05 also. The one thing that might be different with Crede and all of the other examples you cite is that Scott Boras was involved in none of them. No, my point was since the White Sox let him become a free agent and he did hit 40 homers and had a big year, not many people would have thought there was any chance of him being back, and most likely if the Sox didn't win the title, he would not have been back. A lot of players have been getting rid of Boras lately, and Joe may step in like ARod and take over at some point. Its a risk, especially considering the SS is also a FA to be, but might be worth it. It only will be if the rotation is at least half as good as KW has it cracked up to be. If pitching won't be a problem, like he said several months ago, and he's right, acquiring Roberts without cutting into the line-up makes this team a lot better.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 16, 2008 -> 06:20 PM) Hearing about Colon's velocity, I too am annoyed that the Sox didn't end up signing him on a minor league deal. Worst situation is that Danks starts the season off in AAA. If Floyd doesn't start well, he could be released, and then you call up Danks, if Colon has shown that he can pitch ok. Uribe wasn't very good defensively last season. RZR of below .900, and Orlando Cabrera had something around .975 IIRC. Quite a difference. Just showed how lazy Juan was last season I guess. Richar he is beating out because Richar hasn't been healthy with his back and the visa issues, while Ramirez was always going to start in AAA because of his rustiness defensively. Just seems like Uribe may win 2nd base by default. He's hitting .333 this spring, and he has a slight different approach. As far as Colon, they made him an offer, I just wonder what it was because Boston's offer seemed more than reasonable. If he can't get the job done, he's not going to make much and if he makes 30 starts he gets $7 million, which is $5 million less than Garland. If he's healthy enough to make 30 starts, his numbers should be equal to or better than Garland's.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 16, 2008 -> 06:17 PM) Well there's really not much point of trading Fields unless you could re-sign Crede to a long - term deal (and that itself would be very risky). And Joe and Bora$$ have shown that they won't be doing that. Stranger things have happened. Who would have thought Buerhle and Dye would be back? Who would have thought in April 2005 if told Konerko would have a big year and hit 40 homers that he would be back? I think its something you can worry about later. If Floyd and Danks and Contreras and the bullpen are as good as KW is advertising, this would be a move to make the White Sox a world champion.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 16, 2008 -> 06:09 PM) Well there have been a lot of bad starters on world championship teams before. Just look at Julio Lugo from last season. Hitting for power is Uribe's only asset at the plate. He's certainly not good at making contact and not striking out. He'll be one of the worst 2nd baseman offensively if he starts this season IMHO. His numbers have been decreasing steadily since 2004. I'd say Floyd has earned a chance based on his last 6 starts, considering that the Sox didn't go out and sign a Kyle Lohse type of starter for $7-8M. You could argue he's got more of a right than Danks to pitch in the rotation based on how both guys ending up pitching at the end of the season. And you're right you shouldn't just look at numbers in September, way too small of a sample size to use, but at least you want a guy to finish off the season strong, and that's what Floyd did. It is shocking to me that Danks and Floyd were handed 2 spots in the rotation. I thought for sure they would sign a Colon or Benson or someone, not that they are a lock to be any better but to provide some competition. Back to Uribe, he's been a very good defensive player as well most of his White Sox career, and if he starts he had to beat out Richar and Ramirez.

I'd be shocked if the Sox could get Roberts for guys with potential but pretty weak major league stats. Roberts is one of the few reasons fans will go watch the Orioles now, and they aren't going to be very good for a while. Trade him for Anderson, Richar, Uribe and whatever, Oriole fans aren't going to be happy even if it probably in the long run is a decent deal for the Orioles. I think if the Sox want Roberts they would have to include Fields in a package, which I wouldn't oppose.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Mar 16, 2008 -> 05:28 PM) I love the amazing irony in the fact that you think Floyd sucks and use stats to bone up your argument. Yet according to you the tub of goo that plays 2nd is a talented guy, who is just motivation and heart away from a 30 homer season. And you think that guy will shine this year, not based on declining peripherals and stats but on the fact that he is a FA after this year. Floyd may suck, in fact any of the young players may suck. But at this point, we need to see what we have. I would rather give these kids the benefit of the doubt and to give them an honest opportunity. If they suck or dont work out, they are cheap enough to get rid of. I mean you preach the patience of sticking with an overpaid overweight not so good 2nd baseman that we had to trade our best chip to get his replacement. And for those quoting Keith Law, this is the same Keith Law who stated the Fields needs to work on hitting the curveball because he can hit the fastball already. That doesnt pass the smell test as Fields can hit the breaking pitch, but had problems with fastballs above the belt. He watched one game, and wrote an article based on that. I like the fact that we are going into this season with Floyd and Danks. I only hope we can see Ramirez at 2nd soon, and some of the other younger players. Juan Uribe was the starting SS for a world championship team. He has had some success in the majors and is among the leaders in homers and rbi at that position in all of baseball since 2005. All the other numbers suck, I'll give you that, and they might suck again this year. All of Gavin Floyd's numbers suck, but he is gushed at so much it makes me sick. Listening when KW and Hawk and DJ were talking yesterday, you would be amazed if anyone were to ever reach base against him . I've never posted Uribe would have a 30 homer season, I've just said he's capable. Giving Floyd a rotation spot based on his September is foolish. They have mentioned his 2 gems against Detroit last year, emphasizing Detroit's "tough" line-up. When Floyd faced Detroit's full line-up he got lit up. When he was basically facing a split squad line-up he shut them down. There is really no back-up plan. At least Uribe has to earn his role.