Dick Allen

If the Sox fired Walker last Thursday and started hitting like they have been, people here would have said its proof positive that he was the problem. Now that they have begun to hit, maybe he isn't.

QUOTE(iamshack @ May 23, 2007 -> 01:21 AM) I'd sign him just to face Frank. Why do you think KW signed Nelson last season? He wanted Frank to look like a fool in his USCF debut. It didn't quite work out.

I wonder if Hawk understands he's doing Marriotti and the Sun Times a favor talking about his columns almost daily now.

Erstad at this stage is probably average at best, but he does get big hits. I like the way he plays and for what they are paying him, it was a fine signing. The guy has driven in 5 less runs with one of the most pathetic offenses in baseball than the great Pods did in his HOF season of 2005. I know, RBI are not indicative of what type of hitting you are doing, or so I've been told on this board, but when Pods was the greatest leadoff hitter of all time he was 0-7 with the bases loaded with 1 RBI on a walk. Pretty clutch. I do know that I admire the fashion in which Erstad plays and probably would have been fanatical about him when he was an elite player.

The offense seems to be making a comeback. Greg Walker will be able to go out in public again soon.

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ May 21, 2007 -> 10:17 PM) Supposedly he had one at 99 in the Cubs' series. Since our gun is slow, I'm guessing he's around 95-97 now. He was 94 on the Urinal gun. He may be a little looser today

QUOTE(chisoxfan79 @ May 21, 2007 -> 10:17 PM) Well I think it is safe to say we have no bullpen for tomorrow with Mac and Jenks throwing too many pitches Masset unavailable till Friday and Sisco, Aardsma and Logan ineffective right now I wonder if thats good or bad.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ May 21, 2007 -> 10:11 PM) DJ is an idiot, you don't make the 1st out at 3rd down 3 when it's not 100% you will make third base. I thought that was kind of odd. Why don't they use that freezing stuff on injuries anymore? I wonder if AJ was just playing around with those throws.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ May 21, 2007 -> 10:10 PM) Is it me, or was Crosby bulkier last year? Jenks appears to have regained any of the "bulk" he may have lost.

Jenks has the lowest ERA on the Sox, followed by the 5 starters, followed by the rest of the bullpen. That's kind of weird.

This bullpen makes laughers nailbiters

QUOTE(RockRaines @ May 21, 2007 -> 07:10 PM) Im pretty sure the Everett comment was a joke. Brad lidge perhaps? Everett is playing for some independent team, and supposedly the Sox have been looking at him. I heard he's as large as ever right now.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ May 21, 2007 -> 02:14 PM) I think Carl Everett or another bat is on the way. That or they are going to call up Brett Printz to replace someone in the bullpen. I should point out that Printz was pretty highly thought of a few years back and from what I've heard he's been flashing some good stuff down in Charlotte. I think Printz is the guy. Everett can really only DH now and with Thome back he really would be a waste of a roster spot. At this stage, he probably would be one with Thome out. Chances are Printz won't be any better than what they currently have, but its worth a shot. The bullpen needs a good shaking and/or waking up.

QUOTE(shaneomacfan @ May 20, 2007 -> 10:06 PM) ^^^^ At least that's what I was told. I wanted to avoid back surgery at all costs, so cortisone shots were the next best option. Those didn't work for me and aren't guaranteed to help everyone else, obviously in Crede's case. And even if they work for a while, doesn't it decrease the likeliness of it working if you had to get more, and don't they limit the number of shots you can take? There's still a long way to go this season.

QUOTE(diegotony06 @ May 20, 2007 -> 09:56 PM) I have had 3 lower back surgeries. 2 of them were fusions. I have had nothing but problems since having surgery. My advice would be do everything you can to avoid it. Once you have surgery on your back you are never the same. Some people have good results, but even they will tell you, your back is never the same once they cut you. As for complications, my last surgery has left me with no feeling in my right leg, and no strength whatsoever, and I suffer from chronic pain in both legs and also in my back still. My case is more extreme than many others, so don't take my problems that I have had, and assume someone else would have the same results. I'm just letting you know the problems you can have. Hope I helped. I have heard that, and sorry to hear about the complications. I know Scottie Pippen recovered nicely from back surgery, but I really don't know if his problem was a disc problem or not. There was someone else on the White Sox at least last year that had the same surgery Crede was considering, and they didn't have issues. There are so many things going on with your back, I can see how surgery even if it seems minor, which I have no idea if this is or not, could cause other problems.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 20, 2007 -> 09:46 PM) His ERA is still near 6. Even if McCarthy is good, it's going to work out to be a very bad trade for them considering what they gave up. When your best case senario is the trade only turns out very bad, it's a bit of an issue for the GM. Maybe if Danks and Masset are the stars you apparently feel they already are. Danks has been good, but you mentioned McCarthy and flyballs. You do realize Danks has a higher homerun rate than McCarthy even with McCarthy's bloated ERA? You mentioned McCarthy's bb/k ratio. You do realize its much better than Masset's even after Nick's fine performance today? Danks and Masset both have decent potential as does McCarthy. Someone may get hurt. Someone may become bad. Someone may have a Matt Clement and get hit in the head and not be any good anymore. It will be fun to see how it turns out after a year, 2 years etc.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 20, 2007 -> 09:44 PM) The potential of losing out on his big payday if things don't go according to plan. \ Missing several days, getting cortisone shots and hiting .200 also will hurt the big payday chances. I was asking more on the line of why he just wouldn't do it. Maybe there is danger involved.

I think the big guys have definitely been showing signs of coming alive the past several days. I think I have that in another thread. Getting Thome back in the line-up will be great. I love that he walked today. Usually when he walks, he also hits.

This is going to be a problem as long as he plays baseball. Is there anyone here that could add some insight as to whether or not this would be an ongoing issue had he elected to have the surgery in the offseason, and what kind of complications go along with that surgery that would make him elect not to have it?

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 20, 2007 -> 09:21 PM) Well it's went from an all time bad deal to just a horrible trade for Texas with the recent turn of events. Still 2 k's and 2 walks though, his ratio there is not good enough to be consistently good for long stretches between that (25/21 for the year) and all the fly balls he gives up. Still way too early to judge. I wouldn't write off McCarthy. He struggled mightily, but has come around, even if his bb/k ratio isn't the greatest right now. His past history suggests that should improve and the guy is now 4-4 for a team 10 games under .500. I really don't think thats a bad thing.

Dumb Cub fan line of the day: After JD's homer, a line shot into the teeth of the wind, the dope next to me decked out in Cub gear referred to it as a "cheap" homerun.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ May 20, 2007 -> 06:43 PM) BMac today: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER 3-0 2.31 ERA in May. Seems he's corrected his problems.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ May 20, 2007 -> 10:58 AM) All right baby, mmhmm we've got our excuse for the poor offensive showing, should the expected occur. The over/under for the Sox today is probably less than 2.

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ May 20, 2007 -> 10:47 AM) This series has been as fugly as Dick Allen's avatar. Rosie is hot. I do know one thing, a win today and my doom and gloom feeling about the rest of the season will be OVA.

QUOTE(beck72 @ May 20, 2007 -> 08:09 AM) The 2006 Post ASB sox and the 2007 sox are not having the same problems. For Rogers and us to say they are the same sub .500 team and not much better isn't right. Both had/ have bullpen issues. Yet the sox did pretty well trying to get a better group in without signing guys to ridiculous contracts [MacDougal has to be included as well, as he was added in the 2nd half; And of the free agents, who really would have been better than what the sox have?]. I also expect the bullpen to come around, as they have good stuff with some success. Right now, they are hitting a very rough patch. I have more faith in the sox pen coming around. At least they aren't old, hurt or have weak stuff, like most pens around the league. The 2006 offense still hit well, not as well as in the 1st half. And the 2007 starters are doing very well, which was the biggest reason for the drop off in the 2nd half. If the sox are close around the trade deadline, I'd expect KW to make a splash to improve the team [the sox have some depth that most teams won't part with]. Just get to the playoffs and a team can win. I could see Ichiro brought in to help win now, and as a trial run for 2008. Few other teams will be willing and able to go after Ichiro. The sox are one of them. I think they are having the same problems. The offense the second half last year wasn't producing many runs and the pitching was horrid. The starters have been much better this year, but the bullpen doesn't appear to have improved and the offense has been anemic. They said they were going to play more "smallball" but really don't have the players to play that way. Pods is one guy, but he's been hurt for a year and a half, and signing him and relying on him to be a big part of your offense is as laughable as the Cubs waiting on Wood and Prior all of these years. Erstad wasn't a bad signing. He was cheap, but the guy isn't an everyday leadoff man at this point. He really isn't even an everyday player. KW needs to show everyone he is the baseball genius he thinks he is and fix the problems on the fly. It will be very difficult.