StrangeSox

CNN and MSNBC are still reporting "at least" 22 dead. Let's hope they're right and Fox is wrong.

Speechless..

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 11:26 AM) How about hits? Is it harder for them to get hits? Well, you can get into "getting the #2 out builds confidence in the pitcher etc.", but I'm not going to make excuses for them. They aren't hitting well at all. Neither is Erstad. Stop making excuses for him.

QUOTE(max power @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 06:00 AM) Being two games out at the break wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Being under .500 would be.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 11:23 AM) The #2 hitter shouldnt be the huge RBI machine that our vaunted middle of the order is supposed to be. Otherwise I would have included the 7 and 8 hitter. No, but its harder for the 3, 4, 5 to get RBI's if the 2 is always getting outs.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 11:21 AM) Yeah, cause ozzie is the devil, blah blah blah. Devil, no. Questionable manager who makes exceedingly stupid moves sometimes? Yes.

QUOTE(AWhiteSoxinNJ @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 10:39 AM) All i've seen from Brian Anderson has not been impressive. At the plate, no. But what about in the field? Why do people often forget entirely about defense?

QUOTE(quickman @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 10:15 AM) Who the hell cares about Brian Andersen. He is nothing, he will not get us to the playoffs nor might he be anything other than what he is. I know people like him because he is young, a surfer dude, who acts kool, but the guy is a non entity. Really who cares. Move on he is a fringe player. KW cleared out CF to get BA into the MLB (enough acronyms for ya?). He traded Rowand and a top prospect in Young. Now we have an old dude who can't hit and plays above-average defense, but has injury problems and can't be around for too long. We've also got a young guy who struggled at the plate last year but showed improvement and plays excellent defense. What's your answer to the CF problem?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 10:11 AM) I also think that we are wussing out because we can't fight in a "REAL WAR, OMG!!!". The policies set by the Bushies have been listening to the libs (I know, what an oxymoron) trying to not inflict too much damage so they could try to keep them "on board" longer - which they weren't in the first place, so why bother? Now, we're seeing the results. That's entirely on Bush, not the Democrats he was trying to keep on board. Republicans had control of the federal government for 6 years. He could do as he pleased and they couldn't stop him. Plenty of military advisors told him that his plan was not going to work and that he needed many more troops, but, as he usually does with differing opinions, he blew them off. Also, this administration sold this war as flowers and sunshine coming out of Iraqi assholes to the American people. It was going to be a cake-walk, we'd be greeted as liberators with chocolates and hugs and kisses. We'd depose Saddam and happiness and democracy would reign in Iraq. I'm beginning to think that they really believed this.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 10:03 AM) Anderson wants more at-bats and doesn't want to play winter ball, per the Suntimes. It's impressive that a guy with a something like a .600 career OPS doesn't think he needs to get some at-bats in the winter to get better. And he thinks his .143 batting average deserves some more major league at-bats this season. I think it would be best for all if Anderson found his way to a new organization as soon as possible. Are you seriously talking about a batting average after 7 AB's? And "career" numbers after one season of being platooned in the majors? A season in which he improved over the course of? I understand his point here. He did everything they asked of him in the off season. He went to Venezuela and got sick as a dog. He still played as much as he could and he performed well in spring training. Then he sits on the bench, getting 7 AB's over the course of 12 games. I'd be pissed too. Still, he should have kept his mouth shut. Its time that this organization and Brian Anderson part ways. They're just hurting each other's chances of success right now.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Apr 16, 2007 -> 09:22 AM) But we did... and so now, the next best thing is to "get the hell out" (at any cost). WOOT! LOL. This administration screws up just about every facet of the occupation and its somehow liberals' faults?

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 08:39 PM) f***ing right on QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 08:50 AM) Powerball Lotto.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 09:23 PM) Personally, I'm not willing to rule it out. It's Ozzie's job to get these guys to focus on their jobs, shut out all other things, and act like they have some actual balls. For most of Spring Training, it seemed like they didn't do that. Then Ozzie started screaming, and suddenly things changed. Correlation doesn't equal causation, but it sure as Hell didn't hurt. Now we just need Ozzie to start taking a few bats to some of our hitters. Managers can definitely have an affect. I just think that RR was being a bit hypocritical by giving Ozzie all or most of the credit for turning the staff around (after two games) but saying the lack of hitting is all on the players and that the managers can't do squat.

Isn't most medical research done here, too?

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 07:55 PM) He's talking velocity. Fair enough, but I love the results. Yep, can't complain about the results. His velocity is just not as high as KW originally said. Unless he was hinting at Jenks' big drop-off in velocity.

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 07:47 PM) Oh if I had the time to name every player that was once a top 100 prospect and didnt amount to jack-squat. Doesn't matter. Top 100 is "blue chip," is it not?

QUOTE(Wealz @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 07:41 PM) Truth be told, Anderson was never a blue chip prospect. He's 25 and has been awful at the plate in 400 career AB's. He'd be worth starting in CF if the Sox rebuilding in the hopes that he'd turn into a useful player by the time he's 27. He was a top 100 prospect at one point. QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 07:44 PM) I agree with RockRaines here, he needs to go to AAA. There he can prove himself as a hitter again and then contribute to the Sox. Getting consistent AB's in AAA is better than wasting away on the bench, but he needs to play and prove himself against major league pitching.

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 07:37 PM) Thank you, that is exactly how I feel. Anderson showed that what, he can hit at best .250 for half a year? I'm not trying to say that he wont be a good player, but he needs to prove it. Yes, he should be in the minors to do that, but he does not deserve to be out on the field unless he is subbing defensively for Pods. alert the presses, a rookie struggled at the plate and improved over the year. How the f*** can he prove it if he's never given playing time?

QUOTE(Wealz @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 06:59 PM) He may very well improve over what he did in 2006, but that still wouldn't necessarily make him an acceptable answer in center. A decent batting average and great defense from a young player isn't an acceptable answer?

ATHFCMFFT was everything I expected and wanted it to be.

This team is so good.

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 15, 2007 -> 12:18 PM) It's going to be a disappointing year for everyone if we don't figure out a way to hit Santana, Sabathia, and every other tough lefty we face. Fixed.

QUOTE(Wedge @ Apr 14, 2007 -> 04:17 PM) I'm thinking the mystery has to do with the cable that Sayid found which lead him to Danielle's place. That was the sonar communication line Locke tried using from that satellite bunker, wasn't it?

Anderson is going to struggle at the plate this year, no doubt. If Erstad was hitting better than BA in 2006, I wouldn't mind him being out there as this offense needs all of the help it can get. But at this point, BA can produce just as well as Erstad isn't and play better defense to boot.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 14, 2007 -> 06:09 PM) And dont forget that each and every swing the players take are directly influenced by the manager. You seemed to think that the improvement in pitching was due to Ozzie yelling at them.