iamshack

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 02:40 PM) Cooper clearly stresses throwing with less velocity in order to gain more control and hopefully relieve stress on your elbow. Masset, Contreras, and Aardsma have all mentioned this in the past few years. Oh, I know we can get a glimpse of the "philosophy" and concepts the coaches teach. One thing that frustrates me about our hitters is that they do not seem to approach at bats with a specific purpose in mind. For instance, we constantly roll over into double plays when we need to go the other way with the ball. Or during AJs at bat yesterday in the 6th or 7th inning, Kotsay walks on 4 pitches, Quentin draws a 2-1 count then gets plunked in the rear-end. What does AJ do? Swings first pitch and grounds into a double play instead of taking a pitch or two. Then Alexei draws a 4-pitch walk. I mean, come on, go up there knowing what the plan is and execute it. And yet, we seem to just swing freely at everything in every situation. But I honestly don't know enough about what it is to pitch or hit in the major leagues to know whether there is a plan that is trying to be executed and the players are just failing, or if these things are being worked on and the players are just not showing progrss...I just don't know. So it's difficult to criticize.

I simply don't think many here (if any of us at all) have the knowledge to really have an opinion on whether our coaches are teaching the mechanics the way they should or not. Criticize the managerial style and strategy of Ozzie all you want. But I think we get into really muddy waters when we start going after the pitching and hitting coaches. Especoally considering we get absolutely no exposure to the teaching and side work that occurs on a daily basis.

I just don't find Jillian's face to be very attractive. Her body is nice, but not that nice.

QUOTE (girlslikebaseballtoo#26 @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 01:42 PM) I need a link ..I would like to check it out ..I'm curious!! LOL I think the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet is Jennifer Aniston ..Megan Fox is hot, but she needs to mature. Check in the SLAM forum....it's in there on page 1 or 2 somewhere... SouthsideDon's 100 Hottest Women

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 12:35 PM) The Cooper shine has completely worn off. As you said, his philosophy of throwing a little slower in order to gain control has been shown to not work for everyone. He's going to take a lot of heat if we continue to have a bottom 5 starting rotation that makes a gazillion dollars a year. As he should.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 12:25 PM) That's better than I thought he's done, but Gomes has demolished lefties this season. Also, why couldn't Gomes/Jones split the 4th OF and DH position? They could, but it's not really Kotsay you're looking to replace, it's Vizquel/Nix. Someone needs to be able to play 1b to backup Pauly....although I guess Teahan could do that too..

QUOTE (girlslikebaseballtoo#26 @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 12:09 PM) What? I was just sayin' ...if i was a guy, I would want my woman to have some meat on her ..not be a fatty, but give me something to hold on to!! I would feel like i was humping a man if I was with her. Yeah, real shy...this one...

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 11:50 AM) It doesn't make sense to me to have a righty/lefty platoon where the righty hitter doesn't excel against LHP. He's posted an OPS of .955 against LHP this season.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 11:40 AM) I'll take Gomes over Jones any day Reasonable minds can disagree.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 12:37 PM) I decided to watch the game. Hope springs eternal Glutton for punishment, just like the rest of us.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 12:35 PM) But at least when he's on a hot streak, he can do a ton of damage. That's unlike some people on our team...aka Omar Vizquel! Andruw Jones is filling the same role and Gomes would have.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 10:43 AM) But I believe he was given easy incentives to reach. Love J. Gomes, fantastic energy player with some good skills. He's always extremely streaky though.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 11:03 AM) I totally disagree with this. Ozzie and KW went out and got these players...they were two of the first signees in all of baseball this offseason. KW didn't wait until the last month of the offseason to sign these guys like what happens with a lot of washed-up veterans. Guys like J. Gomes are making about 300k more than Kotsay or Vizquel is. Gomes is making less than Vizquel, actually. And he makes roughtly half of what Kotsay does.

QUOTE (3E8 @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 09:35 AM) <!--quoteo(post=2166404:date=Jun 5, 2010 -> 10:19 AM:name=iamshack)-->QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 10:19 AM) <!--quotec-->I spend more time on Soxtalk than I do away from Soxtalk. That's frightening pathetic. Gee, thanks.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 10:16 AM) I will probably watch on WGN tonite even though I had an offer to go to the movies and see Robin Hood. What do folks suggest? Go out and contribute to your local economy. This team doesn't deserve anyone going out of their way to watch them right now. Why make yourself miserable?

I spend more time on Soxtalk than I do away from Soxtalk. That's frightening.

Just ordered my US Home Jozy Altidore #17 jersey! Hopefully it gets here in time for Saturday!

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 10:07 AM) Everything you say about Rios, you can say about Jake Peavy. He has performed very well more often than not. He's a 2 time all star, and a Cy Young award winner. He has all the tools and stills to be a fantastic player and is in the prime of his career. Why can't he shake himself out of his extended funk and get his career back on track? Its only been 8 or 9 bad starts, if that. Oh you're absolutely right - I agree. And believe me, I sure hope he does. Heck, Barry Zito has done it. For Pete's sake, Carlos Silva has done it! I pray that Jake does too! I just have more confidence in position players performing more to career norms than SPs.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 10:02 AM) And I'm still waiting for the first Fire Don Cooper thread. Garcia has been better than anyone could have expected. Danks has been about what could be expected. Floyd's struggles in April and May are nothing new. Buehrle struggling perhaps is something new but he's had a lot of stretches like this during his career. Peavy is really the only one anyone should be shocked with. Its obvious he wasn't going to be able to continue the dominance he had at the end of last year, but he has been pretty bad. KW also didn't do any favors for the pitching staff refusing to upgrade the defense significantly. If Andruw Jones is healthy enough to play, he should be in the OF for either Pierre or Quentin every one of his starts. He's not an everyday player, but he's significantly better defensively than either. I think the Sox actually caught a break, no pun intended with Teahen getting hurt. It will improve the defense. There aren't many teams in the history of the game with great pitching and poor defense. Mediocre pitching becomes good pitching with good defense. Excellent pitching becomes mediocre pitching with bad defense. Not to blame the entire struggle of the pitching staff on the defense, you can't line guys up 10 rows in the bleachers. This team is stuck in between. They want to build around pitching but lack the defensive prowess. They want to build the offense around speed, but lack the on base ability across the board. Personally, I don't think KW was sold on this plan, and I think Ozzie got a little more of JR's ear due to last season. I know for a fact JR was pissed how it turned out. Freddy is pitching exactly as I expected and went on record several times saying. Danks has underperformed his statistics, if you ask me, but hey, I give him credit. And you're right, he is about where most expected him to be after yesterday's mediocre start. Mark has sucked royally. Gavin has sucked for longer than is to be expected. I agree, he is traditionally a slow-starter, but he is about 3-4 starts overdue here. Jake has been bad in all but about 3 starts. And not just mediocre, but bad. Given that he was only 85% or so last year, I really expected him to pitch well this year. I'm shocked at his poor performance. As for our defense, it has been subpar, I admit that. But our OF defense is actually pretty strong. Contrary to your belief, Juan has actually been very good in LF. Rios has been outstanding in center, and Jones has made almost every play. Carlos is below-average, and should be DHing more than he plays the field, but apparently Andruw is not healthy enough at this point in his career to be getting more starts in the field. Teahan and Alexei have been the main culprits in the infield, but let's face it...our SP are giving up a lot of hits, especially Mark. Gavin has been the victim of the big inning, and Jake seems to struggle to get through the first inning on the right foot. The defense has not done the SP a lot of favors, I agree with that. But it's a combination of failures...bad pitching combined with poor defense = lots of runs. Add that to an inconsistent (but improving) offense and you're never going to win many games in a row. The SP should be picking up the defense though, IMO, not the other way around. The strength of this Club is supposed to be Mark/Gavin/Jake/John...and with the exception of John, they simply are not holding their weight. I blame them. Not Ozzie. Not Kenny. Not Jerry.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 08:49 AM) Rios has been great, but he's signed for a long time. If he can keep it up, I was very wrong, he's a bargain. On the other hand, if he doesn't who knows. He could be the offensive equivalent to Javy Vazquez for all we know. But even his biggest admirers didn't see him doing this well, same with Konerko. But the fact is he has performed very well much more often than not. He is a two-time All-Star and should make it three-time this year. He has all the tools, all the skills, to be a fantastic player for the next 3-4 years, while he is in the prime of his career. The biggest challenge for him was to shake himself out of his extended funk and put in the work (which was another alleged problem of his) to get his career back on track. I think the odds of him performing up to and exceeding the terms of his contract are very good. He is the least of my worries. What really worries me is Jake's contract.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 09:25 AM) He was given the team he wanted. Oh I agree with you there....I do place some blame on Ozzie...but come on...this team isn't failing because of the players he wanted...how can you have watched this pitching staff and honestly believe that? Steve Stone said it perfectly last night...when your starting pitching is putting up an ERA north of 5.20, it is nearly impossible to go on an extended winning streak. I don't care who Ozzie would have wanted, unless he would have said "Trade Mark, Gavin and Jake and get me Fister, Silva, and bring that Ely kid up," there is simply no way he could have anticipated the starting pitching being this damn bad.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 09:24 AM) I stick up for Greg Walker more than any other poster on any board in existence. All you have to do is look at the Cubs under Rudy Jaramillo everyone's guru and notice the Cubs have scored fewer runs than the White Sox to realize the players are what makes the difference. I'm blaming KW, JR and OG because they are responsible for this awful roster. Its awful. I don't blame them for Peavy, I still think its KW's greatest trade, and I think eventually he'll come around. I also think Beckham will be just fine. It may take a while, but he'll be back. Pierre, Teahen, Kotsay, Jones, you don't win with those guys in your line up at this stage of their careers. Buehrle is going to have some struggles every year. It should be no shock. Danks has been down recently but overall he's about what you could have figured. Garcia has been about as good as you could expect. Its well documented how I don't like Gavin Floyd, but he struggled up to this point last year about as much as he did this year and no one seemed to blink an eye. That said, I will agree even the most pessimistic wouldn't have thought the starting pitching would be this bad, I believe last in the AL in ERA, but there were more than a few posters who realized the offense was short even if Quentin was hitting and Beckham was hitting. But, KW didn't do his pitching staff any favors with Teahen at 3B, and even though he makes some spectacular plays, and baseball IQ-challenged SS in Alexei Ramirez. Quentin RF despite a nice catch the other night isn't exactly head and shoulders above Dye defensively. Hawk and Stone were praising Pierre's defense last night, I can't remember if it was before or after Hawk saying how Ron Kittle made himself a good defensive LF, and then Juan lets a foul ball drop. Pierre though has had his moments when he's made some nice plays. He's better than Pods in LF, but I don't know why he'd play LF and Jones DH. I noticed there is no mention of Alex Rios in your post. DA, we're all frustrated....and there is LOTS of blame to go around...perhaps Kenny should have told Ozzie to shut his mouth and signed Johnny Damon or Nick Johnson or something. But apart from some other blockbuster move, I can't see ANYTHING KW could have done to have prevented this suckitude. Bottom line is, if you're veteran starting pitching sucks, you're going to suck. There is nothing else to it. Say best case we would have kept Gordon at 3rd, signed Kelly Johnson to play second, signed Johnny Damon to play left...I mean, would we really be in much different of a position than we are now? I just don't see it...maybe we are 3-4 games better? I blame the players and I blame Ozzie a bit for meddling in the roster decisions... I dunno, maybe I will always just be a Kenny apologist...I love his aggressive nature and I generally see eye-to-eye with him. But I like this roster. This roster is good enough to win. The core players we were counting on just aren't performing worth a damn.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 09:08 AM) Ozzie's made a mockery of baseball strategy this year. A few wins may not mean much this year, but in the long term we can’t have a guy make decisions like he does in charge of this ball club. 2005 was fantastic, wouldn’t trade it for all the world, remove that from the picture you have a manager who turns on players at the drop of the hat, nearly destroyed his clubhouse in 2008, seemingly lost complete control of it to the veterans in 2009, has one of the slowest hooks in the game, and runs his team out of the inning routinely. That’s not how a major league manager should operate. I think a lot of the moves you're criticizing is a result of the players not performing. When the players suck, he's forced to try all sorts of things to ferret out some level of success. The different lineups, trying to let his pitchers work out of their funks, trying ill-fated hit and runs, etc....these are a result of him trying to make something happen. When the players perform well, you don't have to do a whole lot as a baseball manager.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 08:51 AM) The facts are that if Ozzie had been running this team in a semi-competent fashion we could probably have a few more wins than we do have the moment. The lineups have been atrocious from spring on, the man has no idea how to manage the pitching staff this year, and the clubhouse clearly doesn’t buy what he’s selling anymore. IF he hadn't been put in charge of most of the personnel decisions this offseason, we could be competing in this division instead of floundering it. Instead, we took a great pitching staff coming into the year, and surrounded it with a bunch of guys whom you had to squint hard through the nostalgia to see any sort of positive impact coming into the year. Ozzie has demanded his share of responsibility for this mess by both his actions and his words, and I see no need to not give him his fair share. I agree that some of the blame should be placed on Ozzie, because the roster was tweaked with his wants/desires in mind. But come on, the entire pitching staff sucks outside of Matt Thornton. What is he supposed to do? The guy can't win no matter what moves he makes lately. These players just can't get out of their own way. They flat-out suck.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 5, 2010 -> 08:54 AM) I'm no fan of Ozzie, but a few more wins really doesn't make a difference except for draft spot. Managerial moves or non-moves can't make up for a roster full of crap or under-performing players. See, this IS NOT a roster full of crap. This IS a roster full of under-performing players. Which, IMO, is exactly where the blame lies - on our players. Not on the manager or the FO. Now does that mean that the manager or the FO should ignore the fact that the players are underperforming and do nothing? Of course not. That is where they come into play. But they can't pitch, field or hit the ball for these guys.