CSF

They traded him to Atlanta for 2 minor leaguers. Knowing their track record with trading prospects, watch Cruz now become a star with the Braves.

The best offseason is the one after you've won the World Series. The Sox haven't had a good offseason yet.

**crickets chirping**

Sox' Thomas looking for repeat of 2000 March 24, 2004 BY DOUG PADILLA Staff Reporter TUCSON, Ariz. -- You can see it in Frank Thomas' eyes. The White Sox' career home-run leader wants to say the team will own the American League Central this season. The two-time MVP wants to say the Sox will dispense a little revenge on the Minnesota Twins. The guy who never has been to a World Series wants to say the Sox finally will get over the hump. The problem is that the last three seasons still are fresh in his mind. Thomas was injured most of 2001, his inconsistency mirrored the team's in '02 and he endured the flame-out last season when the Twins ran off with the division in the final month. But shouldn't a team with marquee players such as Esteban Loaiza, Thomas, Mark Buehrle, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee be expected to run off with the weakest division in baseball? ''It's too early to say stuff like that,'' Thomas said with a grin that suggested he rather would have delivered a bold prediction. ''This team is very talented. We lost a few players, but I think we replaced them with quality big-league players. I think we're going to get along a lot better. I think we're going to do a lot of little things this year that we didn't do last year.'' Given more time to talk about the subject, Thomas starts to walk that fine line between bold prediction and confidence in the players around him. ''This is a very talented club,'' he said. ''I'm not intimidated by any team that's in the division or in the league, basically. We have a very solid team here. We have [a solid] core of veterans and a core of young talent. I feel we can play with anybody.'' It's as bold as Thomas will dare to get -- and perhaps with reason. He had to go back to 2000 to remember what it felt like to be playing on a team in complete control. The Sox burst from the gate, setting a major-league record for runs scored in April with 181. By July, Thomas became the Sox' career RBI leader, breaking Luke Appling's 50-year-old record and doing it in nearly 1,000 fewer games than Appling needed. On Sept. 20 of that year, the Sox broke the team record for runs scored. Four days later, they clinched the division and their first playoff berth since 1993. ''It's just one of those things right now where we have to stay focused on what we're doing here and get something started early and ride it,'' Thomas said. ''I look back at 2000, when we just jumped out of the box and stayed there. That's our goal this year, to start out right and keep everybody healthy and play like we're capable of playing.'' In Thomas' view, if the Sox play like they are capable of playing, it won't necessarily translate to 90 or 100 victories, just one more than anybody else in the division. ''We're going to be very competitive,'' Thomas said. ''I'm not going to put a number on victories or whatever, but this team is going to be very successful. I just think the offense will do better, and pitching will keep us in enough ballgames that we can start our way to victory.'' That also might be the popular sentiment through the clubhouse and front office. But outside the Sox' family, there don't seem to be many believers. The Sox have been predicted to finish as low as fourth in the American League Central this season. ''I like it,'' Thomas said. ''Nothing wrong with being an underdog. I think most teams play better when they're an underdog. That's fine. No expectations this year. This is the year we come out and be ourselves.'' Jose Valentin cautions that the division isn't going to be the laughingstock that some are predicting. ''In our division, anybody can beat anybody, including Detroit. They have a way better team than last year,'' Valentin said. ''We have to go out there and take advantage of teams that aren't playing well. That's been our problem. We always play well against good teams, but the teams we're supposed to beat, they have our number.'' As the group of Thomas, Ordonez, Lee, Paul Konerko and Valentin enters its fifth season together, the Sox would seem to have stability on their side. ''We've always done well with this group of guys,'' Thomas said. ''We haven't done what we're capable of doing yet. I think still the sky's the limit with this team because with all the hitting we have, we haven't put it all together. ''I think one year we did, in 2000, and people were aware of how good we are. This year, we're going to try to put it together once again. I think starting the year with [hitting coach] Greg Walker is going to help, too. Guys know what to expect from Walk, and they enjoyed working with him last year.''

:headbang :headbang :headbang Brilliant! Simply Brilliant!!!

Really, no big surprise here.

I always felt bad for Howard Sudberry. First he was stuck behind another former clueless schmo in Johnnie Morris. Then, he had to take another backseat when Cory McPherrin took over. After McPherrin left for Fox, it looked like he might get a shot........until they brought Tim Weigel in. After Weigel, Adamle settled in. And now they cut him loose. He should've gotten out sooner and tried to get a lead gig elsewhere.

Adamle was alright? Are you kidding? The man stumbled and stammered through names, gave almost 0 coverage time to the Sox and is yet another in the long line of Cubbie apologists. The man was horrible on NBC5, and he was just as bad on CBS2. I do agree with you on Darrian Chapman. He was taken waaaay before his time. :headshake

From today's Sun-Times in Robert Feder's column: Malone is actually pretty solid on ESPNews and doesn't sound nearly as clueless as the guy doing the sports for Channel 2 at this time. It's too bad Howard Sudberry wasn't able to stick around for it.

Falcons sign Dez White By George Henry The Associated Press March 23, 2004, 4:07 PM CST The Atlanta Falcons added depth at receiver Tuesday when former Bear Dez White signed a two-year, $2 million contract. White, 23, visited the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals and spoke briefly with Kansas City, but he was swayed by a stop he made last week at the Falcons' complex. After watching film with new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, White found the right fit. "That's what really excited me," said White, whose deal included a $600,000 signing bonus. "Just watching how the system leaves it up to the receivers to go out and win one-on-one matchups and go up and get the ball -- that's what I like to do." White started 31 of 45 games for the Bears, who drafted him in the third round of 2000. In three years at Georgia Tech, White tied the school record for career touchdowns with 14 and finished second in receiving yards with 1,833. He led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 19.6 yards per catch in his final season as a junior. The Falcons, coming off a miserable 5-11 season in which star quarterback Michael Vick missed 12 starts, believe White will back up leading receivers Peerless Price and Brian Finneran. Atlanta quarterbacks need considerable help after finishing last in NFL quarterback rating (58.7), last in completion percentage (50) and tied for last in percentage of passes intercepted (4.6). "Everybody is excited about what the offense is capable of," White said. "Everybody is just excited to see what's going to happen this year." White's speed could help the Falcons improve in several categories. Atlanta receivers averaged 164.4 yards, second-worst in the league, and they were last in the NFC in catching only 31 passes that covered at least 20 yards. The Falcons have no players remaining from their 2000 draft. Guard Travis Claridge, a second-round selection, ended contract talks with Atlanta two weeks ago. Linebacker Mark Simoneau, a third-round pick, was traded last year to Philadelphia. Offensive tackle Michael Thompson, cornerback Anthony Midget and receiver Mareno Philyaw are out of the NFL. Cornerback Darrick Vaughn played last year as a return specialist in Houston. Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press

According to Bruce Levine, in a move initiated by Frank Thomas to improve the lineup, he offered to flip-flop with Mags in the lineup to Ozzie today. Mags batted 2-4 in the 3rd hole, Frank 1-3 in the cleanup slot. That could be a great thing. With Mags, you get more speed in the lineup, and Frank should see much better pitches at bat. And Frank suggested it. Clubhouse cancer, my ass!

From Bigleaguers.com Crede focuses on team not personal goals Quietly and effectively, Joe Crede goes about his job as third baseman for the Chicago White Sox. In his first full season in the majors last year, he made just 14 errors, finishing fourth among American League third basemen in fielding with a .964 percentage. He also overcame early-season struggles at the plate. Crede was batting .236 at the end of April, but erupted in August with a .353 average to go along with seven home runs and 18 RBI. With 228 major-league games now to his credit -- 151 last season -- more will be expected from the former fifth-round draft pick, but he won't sweat it. It's not his way. "I'm not a guy who likes to set personal goals," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I hate to set myself up. The only thing I am doing is going out there and doing whatever it takes to help out the team. If you go out there and do that, I'm sure you're going to leave yourself in a good position at the end of the season." Always committed to hard work, Crede became a father for the first time in the offseason and the added responsibility might be just what the Jefferson City, Mo., resident needed. "Yeah, I think so," Crede said. "I think it can help some guys. I know some guys who take [on-field struggles] home and will just dig themselves an even deeper hole when they do that. That's something you have to forget about. A new day is a new start and you have to forget about yesterday." "He's even-keel all the time whether he has a good game or a bad game," agrees teammate Aaron Rowand said. "It doesn't matter, he's the same. I've lived with him a couple of times over the years and you know, I think that's one of the things that makes him so good."

Notice how Frank didn't need a full page headline to announce he was taking some of his teammates to dinner. Couldn't say the same for this individual

Here's the side article: Slugger worked for his HRs At 6-5, 275, Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas is a former college tight end and one of major league baseball's most physically imposing players. But sometimes he has felt like a victim of playing by the rules. Thomas was a rookie call-up in 1990 when Cecil Fielder hit 51 home runs for the Detroit Tigers. It was the only time in Thomas' first five seasons that a player in either league was able to reach the 50-homer plateau. Last year, Thomas slammed 42 homers to mark the fifth time in his 14-year career that he hit 40-plus homers. But he never has hit 50. Meanwhile, other sluggers have accomplished the 50-homer feat 17 times in the nine seasons since Thomas' all-around offensive dominance earned him his second of consecutive American League MVP Awards in 1994. The accelerated power pace has caused Thomas to wonder if players using steroids could be a factor. He suspected there might be a problem even before 5%-7% of players tested positive in anonymous surveying last year. "I don't have any direct knowledge, but I just know what I put into a season year in and year out in the weight room," Thomas said in an interview before Commissioner Bud Selig's gag order was imposed on the topic of steroid use. "I know I push myself to the limit, and I'm as strong as they come. But guys have been just blowing by my home run performance in the last six or seven years. I really thought the bar was 44 or 45 (homers). But you saw guys just start to blow by it. I thought, 'Hey, they might be outworking me in the weight room.' But now things are coming out. Maybe some of my thoughts were right." Thomas wants to see where he stands on a level playing field and welcomes mandatory drug testing, which MLB is implementing this season for the first time. "I've never wanted to be outspoken on the subject because what people do for their families is their business," he says. "But now with mandatory testing, you will be held accountable, and that's the way sports should be. Fortunately, I've been accustomed to dealing with testing since college because at Auburn, they tested for football. It's an embarrassing situation when guys get caught. For the guys in that situation now, there's going to be a lot of embarrassment." Chuck Johnson

I put this also with the premise if the team is competetive throughout the entire year. I know if the Sox are losing, by the ASB, Mags is as good as gone (as will be a couple of other players), but mainly, with Reed just about ready, Borchard status in the air, and the possible emergence of Sweeney & Anderson, do you think Mags will be offered a long-term contract at the end of the year?

This is Takatsu's 1st spring facing MLB hitters, so to think he was gonna come in and adjust to these hitters right away is probably unfair to him. He got hit hard in ST, and may take some lumps during the season, but once he gets adjusted to them, I think we'll all be happy with the results.

I didn't know Rosenhaus was Kearse's agent as well? That would explain the Bears losing out on him. The Bears were considered the frontrunner to land Kearse after the 'Skins backed out. Then Philly came out of nowhere to land him. Typical Rosenhaus move. Pit team vs. team without them knowing, and may the higher offer wins.

:banghead Now I'm getting worried!!!! It must be an odorless, colorless, airborne Cubbie plague sickness. It's costing me brain cells!!!! HELP!!!!!! It's a bad fever I'm getting, and the only prescription that'll work is............. More Sox wins. (Though a little cowbell wouldn't hurt either )

Their original names were the Highlanders (honor system in full effect), but never mind that one.......SuperSteve's is much more fitting.

Ncorgbl is posting on the whitesox.com MB.

No, I'm a White Sox fan, which doesn't make me an idiot, but instead; a wise and intelligent sage.

Yeah, and Honel, Wing, Meaux, Diaz, Sweeney, Anderson, Reed won't be worth a damn. Yep, we're headed for purgatory hell!

The word of the day is injuries. Considering how they never take that into account, one (or 2) injuries to that "vaunted" staff suddenly throws that "team of destiny" into quite a tailspin. They don't think it's possible? Ask the 2001 White Sox.

Both Gammons and Reynolds said the Cubs would be in the World Series. Considering they're wrong just about every year leaves me with a nice and warm fuzzy feeling. 6 months until the East Coast boys look like idiots.......again.

The last time the Sox opened at home was in 1990, the final year for Old Comiskey. I was at that game. 2-1 over the Brewers!!!