Dick Allen

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ May 25, 2006 -> 08:37 AM) How do we know what he is throwing right now? The comcast speed gun is broken, last night Haren was averaging 84 MPH and Buehrle was averaging around 77 MPH. Somehow I dont think those are right. Comcast just cannot do anything right The gun at the park had Jenks' fastball between 94-98. The gun also had one of Buerhle's fastballs at 90 so TWIW.

QUOTE(Chisoxrd5 @ May 25, 2006 -> 08:31 AM) In San Diego the Ushers hold signs during play at the top of the rows basically stating "We kindly ask all fans to stand on the concourse until a stoppage in play". They will stop you if you try to walk down. The Sox could definitely re-educate the current fanbase by introducing this little rule. I definitely enjoyed the fact that the Padres did this. It would be pretty easy. Just have the ushers hold a chain across the entrance of the aisle. Let people out, but don't let them in until its appropriate. This is how its done in the lower infield boxes at Yankee Stadium.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ May 25, 2006 -> 08:25 AM) I went to a game at the Metrodome last year. The ushers would not let you down to your seat from the concession area during an at bat. It also is the one thing the Blackhawks do right. They way they have been going, I'm sure they'll change this policy soon as well.

The wave sucks, but they have been trying the wave at Sox games for as long as I can remember, even when there were very few in the seats. Unless its a WS game or something similar, if you are constantly drawing 35k, there's going to be a fair share of people who will not be paying any attention to the game. I sure I'm not the only long-time season ticketholder who appreciates everything the increased attendance means to the team, but does miss the conveniences that came with the smaller crowds.

QUOTE(Texsox @ May 24, 2006 -> 05:19 PM) draft blunders are a dime a dozen in all sports and especially in baseball are meaningless. That's true. In 1983 the Sox selected Joel Davis. Roger Clemens went 19th to Boston. The 1985 draft was a good one the top 6 players picked were BJ Surhoff, Will Clark, Bobby Witt, Barry Larkin, Kurt Brown, Barry Bonds. Unfortunately the Sox picked the 1 out of the 6 that was a total bust.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ May 24, 2006 -> 04:44 PM) So given that a lot of folks were already juicing in the mid to late 80's, and there were steroids that were known to make people stronger without turning them into post-99-Bonds style monsters, like the stuff Palmeiro was on for so long, is there some reason I should assume that he didn't ever try the stuff until 98? I suppose there isn't. Just like there really isn't anything stopping anyone from saying Frank has juiced. I believe Frank didn't, and Bonds really didn't get very big until after Sosa and McGwire went nuts. Its going to be how a lot of homerun hitters from the last 20 years are viewed. Unfortunately because so many were guilty, even the innocent will have some doubt.

QUOTE(ptatc @ May 24, 2006 -> 04:42 PM) I won this once I was off 1 number once. It was the same day I was off 1 number on a trip around the world. I've never bought another raffle ticket to anything again.

Thome's in the line-up, so I'm sure, if he really was even hurt its obviously something the Sox weren't concerned with. The Sox and Ozzie are usually over cautious with injuries, so I'm 100% certain Thome is fine.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ May 24, 2006 -> 04:24 PM) Pre-steroid Bonds is not one of the 15 best players of all time. In his prime before injuries started getting to him, Thomas was one of the 15 best hitters of all time. Not a whole lot of guys combined power, average, and on base percentage as well as Frank did. MVP in 1990,1992,1993 all pre-steriod. That's more MVPs than Frank. He had 7 or 8 gold gloves. Prior to 1998 which is near or around when he started juicing, the guy was top 5 in MVP voting 7 times. He only struck out as many as 100 times his rookie year. Over 500 career steals, the majority coming before he was juiced. Easily one of the top 15 pre-steroid, ignore the steroids and he may be the greatest player ever. Frank had a 7 year stretch when he was very dominant offensively. There is no comparision between the players overall, however.

The bottom line is even if drafting Barry Bonds would have meant Frank Thomas wasn't to be a White Sox, and by the way, when Philadelphia drafted Simeon High School's Jeff Jackson, it meant the Sox had to go to plan B and draft Frank, so what. Even without steriods, Bonds is easily one of the top 10-15 players who has ever played. Frank Thomas is not.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ May 24, 2006 -> 03:04 PM) First off, the park argument is irrelevant because Frank's best years came in the old park. The old park was only open during Frank's rookie year. He was called up in August. So he basically had a month and a half to 2 months of home games at old Comiskey in his career, and he was pretty impressive. Bonds played several years in Candlestick which has the reputation of being a hitter's graveyard. In fact, ask any player who has played there who the real homerun king is, and they will all tell you its Willie Mays. If Frank played as many games in Candlestick as Bonds did, Frank's numbers would not be as impressive as they are.

Why is his nickname Pods when the d in is last name is silent?

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ May 24, 2006 -> 09:52 AM) The problem is that if we had drafted Bonds, there's a fairly good chance that we wouldn't have been able to draft the Big Hurt. Frank was the best hitter in baseball in the early-to-mid 90's and was obviously the centerpiece to two solid teams. Bonds didn't really pass him up until Frank started having injury problems, and by then Bonds might have been gone in FA anyways. You may want to look at that again. Bonds stats in Frank's 2 MVP seasons were very similar to Frank's, except he stole a few bases, and was a gold glove outfielder, and put up his numbers playing home games at Candlestick Park, not the hitter haven USCF is. Bonds performance the couple of years before Frank was drafted probably wasn't good enough to push the Sox down the draft very much, if at all. Its extremely possible they could have had both, and as great as Frank was, Bonds was a superior player to him his entire career.

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ May 24, 2006 -> 01:23 PM) Take this advice from someone who had season tickets in the UD for 12 years. Don't eat. Save your money and buy more BEER!!! Or save your money and buy a beer belly. www.thebeerbelly.com. Holds 80 oz. Will pay for itself after a couple of games.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ May 24, 2006 -> 01:11 PM) Did anyone just hear George Offman completely take something Frank Thomas said out of context? He took one very small soundbite from his interview with Boers and Berstein yesterday where he explained exactly why he was upset at the end of last year, a statement that he only made because he was asked directly by B&B. I heard that entire interview yesterday and found absolutely nothing wrong with anything he said, yet that son of a b**** Offman does it again, taking Frank out of context and once again trys to make him look like a tool. Offman ends the segment with, "let if go Frank, let if go." George Offman is the most unproffesional SOB in this city, how many times is he going to do this before he's dealt with? It's odd how the media really is out to get Frank. Offman was taken off the baseball beat by the Score for misinformation. So he's back to being an update man, evidently providing more misinformation.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ May 24, 2006 -> 01:01 PM) I'm in the process of heading in during early July and looking up tickets there are pretty much no lowers for some of the games in the Bmore series and obviously Boston is sold out. There are tons of people selling tickets at the park for less than face. Good seats. If you go to gate 5 and head to the ticket windows there, non pro scalpers are looking to unload extras. You will land a good deal. QUOTE(WCSox @ May 24, 2006 -> 12:29 PM) Do they still have the policy where you can exchange tickets from games that are either cancelled or severely delayed due to rain/cold for another game later in the season? I imagine they might not now because of the higher attendance. I took advantage of it for the '03 home opener and another game back in '98 where there was only like a one-hour rain delay and temperatures in the 50's. The people in the ticket office were always incredibly cool about it. I think because of record ticket sales, if a game is postponed, the make-up date is the only one the ticket for the postponement is good for. The bad weather free tickets aren't happening this year.

I stil think sec. 557 row 20 seat 14 is still a tough ticket to sell when the Sox take on certain teams. I really doubt they will sell out the rest of the way, but at least lack of attendance isn't an issue anymore.

Ozuna was up in a situation were if he gets a hit, the Sox win. If Perez executes the bunt perfectly, the Cubs are still trailing and will need at least another hit, if not 2 to tie the game. As I stated in another thread, I was at the game, and Macha was warning Swisher, who usually plays the OF but was at 1B which made Ozuna's idea even better, about the possibility of a bunt. Swisher just nodded, but didn't move in or anything, and really had no chance to throw Pablo, who is turning into one of the best bench hitters in all of baseball, out.

QUOTE(NYSox35 @ May 23, 2006 -> 03:50 PM) I am roughly 6'6 215...so he sounds fine to me. Granted I'm not ripped or huge, but it's a decent weight (like a 2 guard in my case or a SF in his). He looked thin to me. Its just that he always seemed so imposing to me especially on TV. Standing next to him, I'm 6'5", he wasn't so imposing.

I still don't see where Hawk Harrelson was that bad. LaRussa I think is overrated. He did win a WS but look at the teams he's managed. Hawk got Bonilla in the rule 5, traded him for DeLeon, who eventually was traded for Lance Johnson. He also traded Scott Bradley for Ivan Calderon, who was a huge part of a fun 1990 team, and who was eventually turned into Tim Raines. That 1986 team was doomed from the start. Seaver was crying to get back on the east coast. Hawk did trade Britt Burns to NY, who wound up with a bad hip and never pitched in another regular season game. Bob James was a great closer in 1985 but ate his way to being horrible in 1986 and done after 1987. Hawk was criticized for firing a bunch of scouts but these same scouts one year earlier recommended drafting Kurt Brown when Barry Bonds was available. Moving Fisk to LF was crazy, but the mistake was admitted and Fisk moved back behind the plate.

I saw Nelson this afternoon walking down Walton. He seems a lot bigger on television, although he is tall. He's a pretty skinny drink of water.

QUOTE(KevHead0881 @ May 23, 2006 -> 10:27 AM) Would "debating" have been a been a better word? Just seemed like a "who does Jerry like more" thing going on. Whatever. I not arguing or debating, just throwing out what I know and what I think. I haven't found any of the responses to my posts arguing them or debating them either.

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2006 -> 10:20 AM) IMO, Kenny is GM cause there was a locked door for a minority and Jerry opened it. FWIW, Ken's kids are never in Jerry's box. Franks have been up there several times this year already. KW has his own box on the other side of the real small one. There's probably a different dynamic in each relationship with JR, and my theory could be completely wrong, but JR has had both of their backs probably more than any other player, except for maybe Ozzie. You may be right about why KW is GM, but he probably wouldn't have ever been in position to be hired if JR hadn't hired him right away when his playing career was over. Does anyone remember back in the early 90's when KW was a studio analyst a few games?

QUOTE(Steff @ May 23, 2006 -> 10:09 AM) Kenny was the original JR boy...? Jerry and Frank have been super close since Frank came to the Sox. Franks kids call Jerry papa. That was long before Kenny was around. 1982 KW became JR's personal responsibility when the White Sox drafted him. I think he was a 3rd round pick. JR went out to Oakland to meet with his father which is pretty unusual for a 3rd round pick. He assured his father he would take care of him. When KW was done playing, JR had a job waiting for him, and has taken care of him since. KW obviously worked his way to where he is, but I really doubt he would be a GM if JR never flew out to Oakland.

QUOTE(retro1983hat @ May 23, 2006 -> 09:57 AM) I just don't understand why KW has to show who has the bigger dick whenever he is interviewed about Frank. Why did he have to say, "the fans don't know what I know." Like if we did, we wouldn't cheer him. Last night was about Frank, not KW. Shove your ego away for one day KW, jeez. With the Ozzie-Ryan Dempster-Rich Hill battle to this, we sound like a bunch of 2-year-olds. I think its a sibling rivalry sort of thing. KW was the original JR boy. JR flying out to meet his father, telling his father he would take care of him. Frank comes along, JR gets close with Frank, becomes a sort of second father to Frank, until Frank's father dies, then becomes Frank's father-like figure. They both are probably wrong in their relationship or lack of relationship. Since I'm not involved, in a sick way I find humor in it, although the worst thing that ever came out was KW talking about the loan JR gave Frank. Popping that off was the most classless move anyone in the White Sox organization has made in a long, long time IMO.