Dick Allen

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 12, 2006 -> 09:47 PM) Even on a team starved for offense, you can sometimes only have so many players you use as platoon guys. He may blow, but the question is, does he blow when compared with Pablo Ozuna (post-injury), who has been running as sort of our left field platoon player? So you want to use him as a platoon player but the Astros don't and would rather pay most of his salary to have him play somewhere else? He's a strikeout machine that has been in the NL his entire career and who has an OBP this year lower than Pablo's batting average. Pablo isn't going anywhere, the only guy who would is Gload and Konerko said Gload is the best hitter on the team. He must find Ozzie to be a real dumbass if he gets the fewest ABs on the team. Wilson has been complaining about his situation and would be a malcontent playing strickly against LHP, plus with a month and a half to go in the season probably doesn't have much time to adjust to the AL. I don't see where he's an upgrade at all, unless a time machine someone gives us the 2000-2001 Preston Wilson.

The Astros are starved for offense. If they let him go and he's not hitting against NL pitching in that bandbox, put a fork in him. Preston Wilson blows.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Aug 12, 2006 -> 08:58 PM) Yea, I see what you mean. I'm of the opinion actually, if we play .667 the rest of the way, we could just catch Detroit, because I think they're about a .500 team the rest of the way, which still gives them the mid 90s in win total, if I remember right (too lazy to look at the standings). If the Tigers play .500 they will win 99. If the Sox play .667, they will win 100. The bottom line for the Sox if they want to catch Detroit is they are going to have to pummell them head to head.

Ozzie must read this board. He took Buerhle out when usually he would leave him in for another 20 or so pitches or 4 more runs, whichever came first, and he used Mack as a defensive replacement in the 9th.

Fat Freddy fashions himself as a big-game pitcher. Hopefully he'll show us all that he really is even with 86 MPH gas.

We need Crede to keep hitting DP balls to third. It seems to be working nicely this week.

QUOTE(mwjd299 @ Aug 12, 2006 -> 03:49 PM) The Fox Announcers gave the "Player of the Game" to Kenny Rogers because all of Sox runs were unearned. That may be true, But the error by Carlos Guillen only extended the inning. Rogers gave up both key 2 out hits by Uribe and Anderson to tie the game. Whose fault was that? Anderson's average with runners in scoring position is only .146. That is a poor job of pitching by Rogers and he deserved the loss. Uribe had a small problem with the relay to PK but was not charged with an error because an out was recorded on the play. So one could say that the runs off Buerhle were unearned, but not officially. The funny thing is, all the runs Buerhle gave up shouldn't have scored either. Uribe took forever on the DP attempt, and didn't react very well on the leadoff single that inning. I thought Buerhle's outing was encouraging although I was displeased he once again didn't pick up the defense.

Fans bitterness at Magglio rejecting the Sox contract offer always confused me. There is no way the Sox win the WS last year if he signed it, and Dye is going to get paid in 3 years what Magglio makes in 1, and has been more productive.

I don't know how anyone could possibly project Fields to hit .260 with 20 homers next year. He does have impressive numbers at Charlotte, but strikes out a ton, and there will be a learning curve for him. Hopefully he does better than Anderson has this season, but I wouldn't count on too much more in 2007.

You would think Detroit has to go in the tank for a little while. It would be nice if the time is now with a couple of series against them pretty close together, and with a 4 game series with KC coming up. It also looks like Minnesota's crazy run may be coming to an end. The Sox could really do some damage if they got on a serious roll right now.

Amazing how much better you feel about the Sox when they get decent pitching. Hopefully they can go on a roll here for a couple of weeks.

Jose isn't going to need any help tonight.

QUOTE(SoxFanForever @ Aug 11, 2006 -> 09:34 PM) Grossman is in mid-season form. How so? Is he on crutches?

Dan Pasqua was on the Club level last night. He is absolutely HUGE. I think his chest and shoulders are bigger than Barry Bonds. Maybe he's into bodybuilding. My buddy went up and started talking to him, like he was an old friend. It was pretty funny, because you could tell Pasqua was trying to figure out where he supposedly knew him from.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 11, 2006 -> 09:12 AM) Last night marked the White Sox 15 straight sell out of US Cellular Field, and 35th sell out of the 2006 season. The Sox have all 3 games with the Tigers sold out already, meaning we are looking at having at least 18 straight sellouts on the Southside, as the push for 3 million fans continues Half price Monday should be a sellout, and when I tried to exchange some season tickets for Tuesday's game, I was told that was sold out. I still think they are going to fall just short of 3 million, but its nice to know that attendance, or lack of, is not a huge story in Chicago anymore. Hopefully the Sox win the WS again and its not an issue, but if by chance they don't, or if they don't make the playoffs, it will be interesting to see the season ticket renewel rate. If its really high, it very easily could mean an end to small crowds for a long time, even if the team doesn't perform well.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Aug 11, 2006 -> 08:58 AM) Not to mention the psyche of the tigers. If we take 2-3 or sweep we'll be 8-4 or 9-3 and they'll start feeling that they just can't seem to beat the World Champs. If we can get them to the point where they start pressing and stop cruising...I like our chances. The Sox beat the Tigers the first 5 times they played this season. The Tigers have won 3 of the last 4 head to head meetings. Considering their record, I would have a hard time believing the Tigers will ever feel they "just can't seem to beat" anyone this year. I do think they have to go in the tank for at least a little stretch still, but anything short of a White Sox sweep will put no pressure at all on them. In fact, if the White Sox took 2 out of 3, they would gain 1 game, but knock 3 off the schedule. I think the division is a longshot at best, but the WC has won the WS a lot lately. If somehow the pitching rounds back into form.......................

I think its catching them at the right time, although the Yankees had their top 3 pitchers going and were very lucky the Sox didn't sweep them. Of course they swept the Sox in NY. Boston is really hurting without Varitek and Mirabelli, and Papplebon has imploded recently. They should be stablizing soon. If the Sox can get through the next road trip in good shape, they should be in outstanding position. Minnesota is a scary team. Hopefully they choose to be extra cautious with Liriano, and sit him for a long while.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 03:44 PM) Nope. His first name is Joe. No offense, but you don't know what a bad rep is until you get my guy.

QUOTE(Beltin @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 03:36 PM) The White Sox had Konerko, Thomas, Ordonez, and Lee all in a row from 2000-2004 and could not win a title. I am not disputing the impact Thome has had on the lineup from Iguchi to Crede/Pierzynski. I also agree that Anderson is/will be a better center fielder than Rowand. I am talking about balance. I will take a little less defense out of Rowand coupled with his bat in the 7 or 8 hole versus Anderson's defense coupled with his big looping swing and .205 average. Konerko can not DH once in a while because the choices for a backup at 1st base are Gload, Mackowiak and Thome. Gload is a pariah on this board 99% of the time, Mackowiak has played only a handful of games at first, and Thome is too fragile and valuable to risk injury in the field. The Sox have no legitimate backup defense in the outfield no matter how good Mack and Pablo are when they are on a hot streak. The 2005 White Sox won the title not because of monster production in the middle of the lineup. The did it through pitching, defense, and teamwork. Thome can hit 60 home runs and have 185 RBI but he can be streaky, strikes out a lot, and most importantly can not play defense. If you can eliminate the need for Gload, you can save a lot of the runs that Mackowiak surrendered with his rotten glove in the 7-9 innings this year. Anderson could still be on this team in Mackowiak's current roll of part time starter. You pick your spots and allow the regulars to rest while Anderson can develop against some of the less stingy arms in the league. Meanwhile, he can always come in late to help preserve a lead. It is all hindsight, but as much as the starting pitchers and Ozzie deserve some blame for the team struggles, so does the defense for not backing them up. Just remember, the Yankees line-up is stacked and has not won a world series since the days of Brosius, O'Neil, Williams, and Martinez. The White Sox may be unbalanced as far as having Anderson and Uribe at the bottom of the order, but they still lead the league in runs scored. The problem is the pitching. The Sox have gone 5-26 in games in which they have scored 3 or fewer runs. While a good record in that situation is nearly impossible, only 5 wins is the alarming part. They also have lost 11 games in which they have scored 6 or more runs. Brian Anderson and Juan Uribe, although they have been less than stellar at the plate, are not the reason the White Sox are miles behind Detroit and now in 3rd place in the Central. The blame goes to the pitchers. Buerhle, Garcia, Garland for a while, Vazquez, Politte. If these guys gave you what the White Sox had projected for them, Detroit would be looking up at the White Sox right now. No question about it. You can have the greatest offense in the world, but if your pitching is poor, you may have a decent record, but you won't be hoisting any trophies in October. KW will learn something from this season, no matter what happens, and I think you will see him aggressively improve his pitching staff this winter. Its not going to be sign 8 minor league free agents and hope one works out again.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 03:20 PM) Our ticket rep is alright. Nothing wrong. But nothing great, either - never heard from the guy, except the blanket emails about game time changes. And he doesn't return out emails, more often than not. Actually, he's not very good. Is it cool to name names in this thread? Not sure if that is a good idea. I'm guessing he shares a first name with a off color comedian with the last name of Rock.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 03:13 PM) His away splits are atrocious. 1 HR and 7 RBIs AVG/OBP/OPS 204/292/588 And thats with him getting 3 RBI on the last roadtrip. He and Carlos Zambrano were tied in road homers and RBI until last roadtrip. Zambrano only needed 16 ABs though.

QUOTE(Beltin @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 02:54 PM) Thanks. I forgot that Philly picked up a good chunk of Thome's contract. I think Thome's overall numbers are going to be more impressive than Overbay at the end of the season. However, I have watched Overbay in the past and seen how he has improved each year. His power numbers are decent. He plays a pretty good first base. He is also left handed but makes contact more consistently than Thome. To me he seems more of a pure hitter than big Jim. He also seems to spread his productivity out very nicely over the course of the season. Without going overboard, he has impressed me in the past and from what I have seen in limited games against the Sox, has done very well in his first AL season. Let's throw out Thome versus Overbay comparisons, though. My bigger point was not whether one was better than the other. I was thinking more about residuals and team balance. Thome's presence improves the lineup from 2 through 7 considerably. He is also a great character guy to have in the clubhouse. Finally, individually he is a monster at the plate. On the down side, his presence in the lineup has thrown the balance way off at the bottom of the order. Anderson's inexperience has not only hurt his spot in the lineup, but it probably has also taken it's toll on the quality pitches seen by Uribe and Podsednik. Further, too many boppers in a White Sox lineup has turned the bottom half of the order into a bunch of spectators and mimics. They are either waiting for the big guys to knock one to the concourse, or are trying to join the party and swinging for the fences themselves. Now, if you have an Overbay, you trade a fair amount in slugging percentage (versus Thome) for more singles and doubles. However, he is still lefthanded and you also add versatility by having a guy that can play first base to give Paulie a bit of a rest. Meanwhile, I do not know about Overbay's character but Rowand's is unquestioned. You keep the three stooges together and let them take Anderson under their wing. Chemistry may be overrated, but Rowand personified the 2005 White Sox in many ways, even if he was not a superstar. Finally, by keeping Rowand and picking up Overbay, you can free up a valuable roster spot as Ross Glaod is no longer needed. You can still acquire Mackowiak and Cintron but then find a speedy defensive replacement outfielder that is a little more reliable for a pinch hit situation than Willie Harris was in 2005. So effectively, you trade Gload for Overbay rather than Rowand for Thome and may never have to use Ozuna in LF. You also probably do not have to give up nearly as much talent on the prospect side. In return you have a more versatile team with less offensive pop but a lot more balance and far better outfield defense. Despite his shortcomings, I would still take Rowand's offensive numbers over Anderson, especially considering BA's strikeout totals. I also like the idea of BA being a late inning replacement for Podsednik. Guillen may frustrate us with his decisions sometimes but he has had a knack in the past for setting guys up to succeed. He has not had that luxury with Anderson this year. As a result, not only has the bottom of the order been brutal but so has the defense at times. A late inning rally when the Sox are down a run or two results in a Mackowiak pinch hit situation rather than taking your chances with Rowand had he not been traded. Now, Mack may or may not get the hit and then you are stuck with him in center field for 2 or 3 innings. Meanwhile, any time your outfield needs a rest you have Mackowiak in center or Ozuna in left rather than Anderson being the backup. The result has been a lot of balls finding holes rather than Rowand's or Anderson's glove. If you have a Brian Anderson available, you would have a very solid late-inning outfield defense with BA in left, A-Row in center and JD in right. That is solid from both a range/read standpoint but also improves the White Sox chances at throwing a runner out at home every once in a while. I can not remember one outfield assist this year. I know the ultimate argument will be that the 2006 White Sox are struggling because their pitching has been inconsistent to poor. I agree with that to a point. However, good pitching is very much bolstered by good defense. That is not just measurable in routine plays but also highlights. If errors give a team 4 outs an inning, then highlight plays give them 2 outs. That eases stress on the pitching staff and frustrates the opponent to the point of pressing. That ends my argument of how Lyle Overbay could have saved the Sox this season. If only KW had called me. While the defense has been poorer this year than last, Rowand is not an upgrade defensively from Anderson, and Overbay would not play first base enough to make a difference. You don't improve the defense with acquiring Overbay and retaining Rowand, in fact it even goes down a bit. Offensively, maybe at the bottom of your order you get a little improvement, but not enough to offset the huge loss of not having Thome in the lineup. Thome obviously has more homers than Overbay. In fact he has more than Overbay and Rowand combined. He also gets on base a ton more than either do. Thome's contribution to the White Sox can also be seen in Jermaine Dye's numbers, and maybe even Crede's and AJs. He alone changed this team from a very average offensive team with power, to a powerhouse line-up, and perhaps the best offense in baseball even when they have a CF who hasn't hit sour apples, and a lead-off man that has looked lost for a good portion of the season.

QUOTE(Beltin @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 01:16 PM) Gonna add something stupid that I will get beat up for.... Last offseason when everyone got all excited about picking up Jim Thome, I thought, "Wasn't Lyle Overbay available?" Thome kicked ass early in the season but from July on he has been frustrating to watch. He also can not play any position other than DH. What's my point? Toronto got Overbay for a song. Look at his numbers right now (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4598). He is not a monster like Thome, but his strikout totals are far fewer. He is also way cheaper and would not have cost us the players we gave up to get Thome, particularly Mr. Rowand. I have heard how poor a hitter Rowand was and how he misjudged fly balls sometimes. But if you could have kept Rowand in center, had Overbay and Konerko to share first base and DH duties, thus eliminating the need for Ross Gload and then either had Brian Anderson available to be the 4th outfielder or had the extra money for a quality reserve outfielder, would you do it? Many will say no. Just remember, Kenny's success is usually when he does not go for the big name trade. Last year's success was built on the backs of guys like Iguchi, Dye, Contreras, and Pierzynski. Without those guys this year would be a disaster, too. I wish Kenny would look at the champions of the past and see that too many slugging superstars does not equate to a title. It worked in Boston but their lineup was still far more balanced that what the White Sox have now. Rather than pushing Sox toward more versatility iwth extra speed and defense, he took a big gamble that the addition of Thome would make up for the loss of Rowand and the risk of a rookie center fielder. His OPS has been over 1.000 every month except June when it was in the high .800s. If you read this board, you would think he's in a slump but his OPS this month is OVER 1.400. He's hitting .300 has an OBP of .420 and is still on pace to hit around 50 homers which would be a White Sox team record. How in the hell can anyone not be estatic with Jim Thome's performance this season? Frankly, if he keeps it up, it will be one of the greatest offensive performances in team history. If Jim Thome is a problem, the White Sox should have about 5 total losses this year.

Daryl Boston dove into the LF line stands and made a sensational catch several years ago. It was one of the greatest catches of all time, and the only reason it wouldn't make it is if they don't have footage of it. For a little humor, they should show the ball that bounced off Ron LeFlore's head that knocked him silly and went for a 4 base error.

Vazquez will make a lot of amends with me if he pitches well tonight. Another mediocre start by him in a big game, and I think it will be pretty obvious what he really is. Mussina has had a good year, but he can be had, and the White Sox do have a nice offense. This is a big game, the Sox don't want to fall to 1-3 on the homestand with the Tigers coming in. A win here, and a nice weekend could be the beginning of a nice streak. Prove me wrong Javy and step up and shut the Yankees down.