Harry Chappas

The thing about cost over-runs is they will occur in infrastrucure that the city can use prior to and after the games. The third airport and transportation upgrades for instance. The Olympic village will be sold before it is even built. The reasoning for additional hotel space as well. The only thing that may be built that is kind of worthless is the aquatic center. My feeling is that the city sprawl will be to the aquatic center area by 2016 thus putting that facility in a high rent district, same as the stadium. This entire situation is long range. US Cellular field will be 25 years old at this time about the same age the HHH dome currently....... When does the Bears lease run out? The park district losses money on the Bears. Think someone bright would build a domed stadium for the SB and FF. The option to convert to baseball for a couple of months would be intriging as well. Think about the ability to move the game depending on the temperature at any time. The state owns US Cell correct, as they do the McPier crap, the city owns Solider Field. See where I am going. Am I incorrect in the estimation that the Super Bowl adds $1B to the local economy. The USOC wants the games of 2016 in the US and the IOC does as well. The stadium falling apart cost New York the games, the USOC will not let that happen again. The thinking of the Chicago folks on their idea of a stadium worked on the USOC. The USOC now takes a more active role and can call the shots. Should there be a privately or pubically financied dome stadium, it would be quite a coup by the folks of Chicago. It need not be retractable as there are plenty of open air stadiums. Attach it to McCormick place and you have the locale needed in regard to the athletes as well as US Cell and Solider Field.......

Not justifying the weatehr because it is BS to do so but I think it is easier to get up for the playoffs then a game on April 17th. The amazing thing was there is a decent crowd out there 3 years ago you could hear yourself think out there on days like these.

Millwood's line will be about the same as Tejeda's, as will Padilla's. If Buerhle and Vazquez don't step up it will be a long series. Glad ot see Garland gave up last night. I guess I wasn't the only one.

Dice K's OBP is .355 when he pitches out of the stretch and .235 when he is in the wind up. Pitchers are now pulled after throwing 100 pitches on a regular basis and most bullpens blow. These are the reasons you make pitchers work as the more pitches they throw the sooner they are out of a game. This is what both the Red Sox and Yankees do and Oakland used to, very well. The things that the Sox have never done is foul off good pitches to extend the count. Take good strikes early in the count. Recognize ball four is coming. They are all in the 16" softball mode which is not going to win. The theory of Greg Walker and the White Sox is this. The stroke used by a player is what worked to get them to majors so they do not change it, they only work to keep it consistent. This bothers me in that the pitchers that these hitters faced in AA and AAA were not MLB pitchers so how can the same swing be applied across the board. The fire sale may not be far off for Dye and Crede (Angels could use both). Also the Darin Erstad pulled hamstring can not be far off.

QUOTE(chisox72 @ Apr 17, 2007 -> 08:09 PM) I just got done saying the same thing to my wife. This is f***ing awful, almost laughable at this point, because you can predict the escalating levels of s***tiness with each at bat. Its disgusting to watch.... To think, I skipped House for this....thank god for TIVO. House was pretty good. I refuse to watch this team until they hit. I have not seen a game except three I was forced to attend. Oh and I have to go Thursday. I am sick of hearing about hte f***ing cold. The other f***ing teams are cold to. I missed the foot of f***ing snow in Oakland and the ton of off days. I am growing to hate Joe Crede.

Here comes the DP PK. Thome on base all four times did I hear that right...

If Joe Crede is not producing by the end of April send him down and bring up Fields. At least Fields can run. I am not joking, not nearly as much as this team. bring back Rownad so AJ and Crede can feel all warm and fuzzy.

The leftie rightie thing is simply insane with Guillen. Erstad has not hit anyone why not give Ozuna a shot there and put Erstad at 9. He must have pitchers of Guillen or something becasue out side of the first couple of days he has only hurt the team. Gaudin was suppossed to get lit up by lefties, how'd that work-out.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Apr 17, 2007 -> 07:57 AM) Danks giving some quality bulletin board material if he pitches at Texas this year: If he thinks Rangers fans are fair weathered he is in for a big surprise here.

Buy vacant land south of 43rd street all the way out to Kankakee. Jesse Jr. can go all out for this third airport. Daley can go after his cross-town highway now. That major transportation project connecting all forms of public transportation can also be worked in. What is the negative out come of the Olympics coming to town....traffic is bad for two weeks? This is a huge deal and economic boom for the city's union labor as the housing market tanks. Also think about how much funding will go into the police, fire and other public entites t oimprove the infrastructure. All of this is a bad thing. Sure there will be waste involoved but no greater than the schooling systems currently in place. A great Olympics can benefit Chicago for the next 50 years and change the city flag, adding one more star. I really think they chould build an indoor stadium to be used for late season football, and early/late season baseball by both tthe cubs and Sox, Final Fours and the Superbowl. Hell, shot for a BCS game.

The freezing cold 55/42/43 estimated game time temps should benefit the team that has played in these conditions right...... The excuse will be the Sox are completely frozen by the sub-arctic air and they are more worse for the wear as oppossed to the Rangers who have not yet frozen up and are therefore simply chilled. Check out our lines against Millwood and Padilla the last couple of years. If we tip the ole cap in game one getting swept is really possible. Funny how Josh Barfield and Andy Marte can homer in the cold but Crede, AJ and Erstad can get a pass for being beyond inept. Imagine the excuses if the Sox lost three home dates to neutral site and didn't play for four days. They would get a pass for being no-hit for he next week due to the time off and chilly weather.

You know the thing about Jackie Robinson was he was the first black player but Larry Doby came on only 12 days later. Am I wrong on the dates here? I always thought that Jackie Robinson was the only black player for a year or two......

I was watching the NESN coverage until the B of 9. Was that Steve Phillips that he and Dice K squaring off regularly over he next 10 years. How many times do their team play a season, maybe 9. Chances of facing each other a season maybe 3. I hate Steve Phillips.

I wish radar guns were only for use by scouts.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:16 PM) Can't we give some folks a little more than 7 games to determine how they're going to perform for the whole season? I take the last two years in consideration of their ability as hitters.

Joe Crede and Iguchi need to be flipped in the line-up or Crede needs to sit against lefties. Also why can't they work a f***ing count.

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 01:30 PM) ROB MACKOWIAK SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN HITTING IN THAT SITUATION! The defense to this is that defensively Mack is stronger than Dye. The ideal situation if you are not going to use Anderson is Dye in right and move Mack to left in the 9th although Dye is no great shakes out there either. Your defense is weaker if you remove Mack for Dye in a late game. Also there were no outs. Uribe needs to pick up Mack. The way Dye is hitting I am not certain that move is all that much better with the defense in mind. Why is Mack not used at all other than the outfield. I thought he could play every position.

Aj hits Kennedy at at .350 clip (17 AB's) Iguchi and Anderson are 0-7 Pods hits him .250

Morale of the story tonight. Do not trust pretty girls. Looks like another winner.

Ozzie needs a bench coach that can assist in strategy. He has never choose to have one for some reason. The really odd thing is the leftie/rightie thing. He lives and dies with it sometimes and ignores it at other times. I love how this has turned into a fire Ozzie thread. At least driving home in the snow I can listen to a meaningful game.

QUOTE(Mr. Showtime @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 11:45 AM) Common now this is not realistic at all. He'd get 2 at bats with this offense then be pinch hit for. Replaced for defensive purposes after the fifth in 1-0 game getting one at-bat. Erstad is a grinder who will run through a wall for no apparent reason.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 11:10 AM) Yeah, I got your point. And I got it last night when Fathom and Kalapse said the same thing. Once again, I am not arguing that that is not the correct strategy in that situation. I'm arguing that Ozzie manages a team of human beings here and it's not quite as simple as a lot of people try to make it. If you've ever managed people before, you know that there can be extraordinary benefits which come out of keeping your employees happy. I simply think Ozzie is trying to build Scottie's confidence up, and reward him for his solid play. The difference in the team Podsednik makes when he is playing well and he is confident is so huge as opposed to when he is struggling and beating himself down. I know the vast majority of people will disagree (and most have already), but I'll take the once in a blue-moon blunder in the field by Scottie if he is stepping to the plate with confidence 600 times a season. I believe the manager has to put his players in the best position to succeed. Guillen did not do that and failed at managing. If Jenks strikes out the side is Podsednik any more confident today, no. If Jenks forces him to make a play is he any more confident, no that is his job. If he is asked to save a game by doing something he is incapable of is he any more confident...........What is his confidence at right now. If the ball hit the top of the wall, no big deal. If the ball hit him in the head, well he can't be feeling to good. If Ozzie wanted to help his confidience, he should have pulled him. It was a no brainer choice. What about Anderson's confidence? How happy do you think he is? If your talking about Ozzie managing people, he is a wind sock.

The game last night drew more fans that it would've in Cleveland. I wonder if it would have drawn that many for a Brewer game...... Over 18K the entire two levels were full.

Stepped away and got into the first time. Don't jump every time and you will do it. Drag the end one's out without jumping anything and you're fine.

The Sox have actually hit Kennedy well especially Konerko. I just hope the line-up is not 8 righties and Thome. I'd like to see Pods in left and Ozuna at third with AJ catching. Pitching match-ups for Cleveland look manageable.