Clarkdog

Notice George Offman in his personalized Score Windbreaker. The other media guys must beat him up in the parking lot after practices with a jacket like that.

QUOTE(Steff @ Nov 10, 2005 -> 03:21 PM) Joe did an amazing job.. I'm not taking anything away from him at all. But I'd be a lot more hesitant to let him go if A. he was more consistant, and B. Boras wasn't his agent. No doubt they had a great time... but memories don't pay the bills. I agree, Steff. I never thought about dealing Crede this offseason. I was pretty sure it would be Rowand. But Crede is an interesting option. Given the post season he had, his value has never been higher. You could get a lot of quailty for him if you packaged him in a trade with someone like Marte. They are grooming Fields for 3B, and Uribe can play the position until he is ready. In this scenario, and in combination with Ozzies comments, I could see the Sox get in the Furcal game. Also, IMHO Furcal would never accept playing out of position to play with the Yankees. He would be asking to be skewered by the NY press the minute he makes a critical outfield error while being payed a hefty contract from King George. It's the Cubs and the Mets right now. And if the above were the case, potentially the White Sox.

You're table is ready. Enjoy.

QUOTE(Iguana @ Oct 27, 2005 -> 02:55 PM) WE? you talk as if your a Sox fan. Certainly doesnt seem like it in this post. If you actually watched them this year, you would know they were one of the BEST TEAMS in the last 25 years. In the last 25 years? Try in baseball history. Only 2 teams have accomplished what the Sox did last night. They won their division, which was statistically the best in the AL, wire-to-wire. And then completed a sweep in the World Series. The only teams that can boast that: - 1990 Cincinnatti Reds - 1927 New York Yankees That's right, the '27 Yankees: Murderer's Row. Widely regarded as the greatest team in the history of baseball. Put it in perspective, and you really see how special this team really is. I still can't believe it.

Anyone who wants to really understand what happened with "The Call" last night should read this piece. The mistake was not Edding's - he made a judgement call - that is what umpires do. His mechanics may have sucked and created more confusion, but he believed the ball hit the ground. The mistake belongs to Paul. He knows that on a borderline pitch in the dirt like that - you tag the runner. Whether you picked it clean or not. He's probably known it since he put on shin guards. He had every opportunity to tag AJ, or throw down to Erstad if he wanted to be sure of the out. It's just easier to blame Edding for making a bad call. Nice job Ryno.

QUOTE(chisox72 @ Oct 12, 2005 -> 04:38 AM) Bottom line, they need to execute better, which I think they all understand after tonight... There are 7 to play and we weren't going to win them all... So true. It's a seven game series, and your not going to win them all. The upside of this loss, is that the White Sox know why they got beat. They simply didn't execute. In this series the team the executes best will win. It's not like they played a perfect game and then lost a heartbreaker on a walk-off homer. They didn't. They had plenty of opportunties and didn't get it done. I feel like this team always rebounds after it realizes that they weren't playing their game well. Beside, I would still rather be in the Sox position with my starting pitching in good shape and rested than the Angels whose rotation is a bit of a mess. There will be more opportunities, the Sox just need to play smart. They didn't play smart last night.

Hey Steff - Work in Oakbook Terrace. We're headed to Sal's Pizza and Sports Pub in Lombard at the corner of 22nd and Finley. Champps was kind of a zoo last time I was there, so I'm pursuing an alternative. Enjoy the game! Go Go Sox!

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 27, 2005 -> 02:53 PM) I can guarantee you that KW had no intention of trading Rowand for the length of his deal heading into this season. Sorry, I may not have been clear. I certainly don't believe that KW signed Rowand simply so he could trade him in 2005. But the length and size of his contract give KW some flexibility to move him in 2006 or 2007 if he wanted to and get something of value in return.

QUOTE(Randar68 @ Sep 26, 2005 -> 02:45 PM) I'm nit sure how many times I have to call this plan: A ) Stupid B ) Asinine C ) ludicrous before people stop saying it. YOU DON'T BRING UP PRIZED PROSPECTS AND SIT THEM. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR CF'ER IS A .750 OPS PLAYER WITH INFERIOR DEFENSE TO THE PROSPECT! Sheesh. Guys, if anyone is going to be the 4th OF'er next year, it's Rowand. Get over it between now and April 1st next year... PLEASE! I agree. I think KW's plan is to trade Rowand in the offseason and let Anderson take his place. Rowand was signed to a very reasonable three year deal that would make him attractive in trade package. Remember KW's big board - he said that both Anderson and Sweeney are on it well into the future, the real question is - is Rowand?

Ask the Atlanta Braves about the importance of winning the division and how it realtes to post season success. Just get there, anything can happen in October.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Sep 21, 2005 -> 04:54 AM) While this may be true... Indians garland? Hardly. Elarton is 0-1 with a 6.94 vs. the Sox - the Sox hit .347 with 3 HR against him this season. Garland is 2-0 with 2.84 vs. the Indians - the Indians hit .346 with 1 HR against him this season. I'd call this a tossup with Elarton's recent good pitching combined with Garland's last strong outing and the fact that he tends to keep the ball down to protect against the HR - I don't see a a multi-HR game for either team. This will be about who can pitch better and deliver the timely hit.

Lest anyone forget this team has won 90 games. Only Steinbrenner would fire someone with that type of success - a likley because they failed to get the 27th WS ring. Cashman - probably gone. KW - no way in hell. If a collapse occurs you simply can't replace the GM immediately. KW had a plan. Bring in a new GM and you'll get a new plan. To put that plan into effect and begin to see results will take at least three seasons. The White Sox will not have that long to kiss and make up with an already dwindling and infuriated fan base. So who pays for a collapse? Reinsdorf and the ownership. Now I noted in another post how the White Sox organization has never had the mindset of a winner. But if this collapse happens (I still think it won't) then they will need to take a crash course or get out of the business completely. A collapse will bring about a fifth season of underachieving capped by the greatest exhibition of underachieving in the history of baseball. If they miss in 2005, then the ownership needs to look at 2006 and beyond as an investment in the future of the franchise. They will need to open up wallets and pay to bring in and develop players to win a World Series regardless of how the bottom line may project out to the end of the season. The fan base held up their end of the bargain in 2005 - they should reach 2.3 million fans come the end of the season. Best attendance figures since 1993. How were we rewarded in '93? With a strike whose primary champion was Jerry Reinsdorf. The fans will have NO goodwill left for this ownership group if the Sox fail to make the postseason in 2005. Reinsdorf and the ownership will have to make good to us. Whatever it takes to fill the holes in the 2005 team that will bring victory in 2006. Signing Konerko to an extension, bringing in bullpen reinforcements, buildling bench depth, aquiring Manny Ramirez, etc. They will have to do this until they either win the World Series or are forced to sell because they can no longer afford it. To me - it is that serious for them. I doubt they see it that way, but if they "die trying" in 2005 and then trot the same club without seeking to significantly improve it in the offseason - it spells doom for attendance in 2006.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Sep 20, 2005 -> 07:40 PM) There's one thing that I'm afraid of and angry about when it comes to baseball. I don't want to end up being one of those elderly people that say, "I just want to see the Sox win a WS before I die." I'd rather them do it sooner than later, and take that stress off of me. I try not to think about that. I count on the law of averages to assure that doesn't happen.

QUOTE(CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Sep 20, 2005 -> 06:28 PM) Quite possibly the post of the year unfortunately. Good job. Thanks. For the record, in no way am I on the ledge - I am a believer in this team and these players. They are my guys and I will support them until the last out. I take a lot of pride in being a supporter of this team as I'm sure all of you do as well. It can be frustrating and exhilarating and it certainly isn't popular. And I think that is what makes us unique. But I resigned myself to the fact along time ago that the Chicago White Sox will never have a great winning tradition. They are the ultimate underdog. But I think that is what makes me a fan - the possibility and hope that they will change that tradition someday.

I have been a Sox fan for 30 years (I couldn't actually believe it when I did the math). Here is my take of the White Sox in the 30 years I've know them. This organization has never had the mindset of a winner. Ever. It is run like a business first, as it should - but winning has never been factored into the business equation and it should - and for successful teams it does. The byproduct of that is that no one in this organization really knows anything about winning. Winners focus on winning. This organization tends to lose that focus at critical times. Winners don't start a fire sale when the team is 3.5 out in July. You should be a buyer, and fill the holes for a pennant push. Winners don't encite a labor action when thier team is steaming toward the postseason. You figure out a way to come to an agreement. Bill Melton said something a few days ago that got me thinking. He said that in all his years of watching the Sox (beginning in his playing days) he has only seen one team deliver a consistent winning effort across an entire season - that was 1993. That says something about an organization and what it really knows about winning. Sure the White Sox have had spotty success in my 30 years - 1983, 1993, 2000, and this season. But there has been more consistency in the Sox being mediocre, then there has in them being a winner. The Sox have never had a period where they really considered a consistent winning organization - like the Braves, the Indians of the late 90's, the A's of the early part of this decade. Putting together a string like that develops the knowledge of what a winning baseball organization is. The Sox have always been also-rans. Good enough to finish near or above .500 but never good enough to capture the prize consistently. If the Sox have a curse - that is it. I appreciate Kenny Williams' fire and passion, and Ozzie Guillen's energy and enthusiam. But if this season goes by the wayside and the Sox fail to make the playoffs (which I don't think is possible) then you really need to look squarely at the two of them and question what they really know about running and managing a consistent winning baseball team. Anyone can run and manage a losing team. But it takes skill to win over the long haul. Look at the Braves John Shurholtz and Bobby Cox - those guys know what it takes and how to win. Does this organization really get it? Time will tell. But if what is past is prologue - then I'm betting against it. But such is the lot of a Chicago White Sox fan.

It was said last night. If the Sox played thier game - they would be okay, and that it would all come down to pitching. The Sox did play their game - and they were in a position to win it. But their pitching was not as good as Cleveland's when it counted. The Sox walked six hitters last night. Three of the walks came around to score. That, Travis Hafner and Aaron Boone was the difference. You cannot walk that many men to a team hitting as well as Cleveland and expect to hold them down everytime. There is no doubt in my mind these are the two best teams in the AL right now given the way they played last night. They were competing at a level I haven't seen anywhere else in the AL. The Sox have a lot of reasons to feel good about the game despite the loss - they could have lied down. They didn't. They battled and simply came up a little short. Today, they need to get out in front of Cleveland early. Force the action on them without any free passes and don't let Travis Hafner beat you. The Sox did not pitch him well last night and he killed them. I'll take my chances with Aaron Boone. Good pitching beats the Indians. The Sox have the pitching to beat these guys, they just need to execute. They didn't last night. Look at it this way, if Pauly gets on top of the hanger that Wickman threw last night we're all celebrating a White Sox winner. He didn't - but we were in a position to win that game on the last pitch. All you can aske is to be in the game. If the Sox are in the game - they have typically found a way to win it. Better pitching and they do.

Food for thought.... This series is going to be a lot of fun. I would have preferred the Sox having an easier time in locking up a post-season spot - but they have yet to play a meaningful game this season because they got off to such a hot start. This will test their mettle and we'll find out if they are in fact a playoff/championship calibur team. Going into this series with a tight win and a series victory is a good thing. To me the Sox only need to remember a few things and forget everything the media is spewing: - The Sox lead the division (and the Wild Card technically), the pressure is not on them to keep pace - just to play like the division leader. To hear the media tell it, you would think it is Sox that are chasing the Indians. - The Sox have won 90 games and have the best record in the AL, you don't accomplish this by being a lousy team. The media paints the Sox as if they are a 72 win team pretending to be a 90 game winner. They have won 90 - there is no pretending. - The Sox own the Indians. 10 -3 this season. Even though they are playing better of late, 13 games will certainly tell you enough about what your opponents strengths and weaknesses are. - Matchup Point #1: The Sox need to pitch the Indians as they have in the past (Garcia 2-0 1.71; Buehrle 2-0 2.11; Garland 2-0 2.84). Against Sox pitching, the Indians have only two regulars hitting over .260 - Crisp and Sizemore. - Matchup Point #2: The Indians pitching against the Sox is not even close. Milwood has the only repectable number with a 1.29 ERA but an 0-2 record. No other starter has an ERA under 4.50. The Sox have three players that hit over .300 against the Indians - Podsednik, Konerko, Rowand, and Everett hits close to .280. - Matchup Point #3: Bullpen - Indians Bullpen: ONLY Betancourt and Tadano have ERAs UNDER 3 vs. the Sox. Sox Bullpen: ONLY Vizcaino has an ERA OVER 3 vs. the Indians. The Indians will hit lousy pitching - but they are vulnerable against good pitching. The pitching is what will decide this series. The only thing the Sox should be thinking is this: Play your game - play the game that got you here and you will be fine.

Fact or Fiction: A White Sox starting pitcher will win 20 games this season. Fiction: But at least three of the five starters will with more than 15. Fact or Fiction: Willie Harris will be on the White Sox opening day roster. Fact: Willie will be on the roster. But he will be trade bait come July. Fact or Fiction: Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez will toss more than 140 innings this season. Fact: In fact, El Duque is my bet for Comeback Player of the Year. Fact or Fiction: Shingo Takatsu will record more than 30 saves this season. Fiction: I think Ozzie is going to pick Shingo's spots, I think he, Marte and Hermanson will all collect saves this year. Fact or Fiction: Scott Podsednik will set a career high in both batting average and OBP this season. Fiction: But he will produce somewhere between his 2003 and 2004 numbers, which is good enough to kick start the offense Fact or Fiction: Frank Thomas will play in more than 120 games this season. Fact: Frank will be in the lineup by May. He's playing for a contract. Fact or Fiction: Carl Everett will get more than 350 at-bats this season. Fact: I can see him playing in Right instead of Dye when the matchup is right Fact or Fiction: A White Sox starter other than Mark Buehrle or Freddy Garcia will throw a complete game shutout this season. Fact: Garland will do it. And finally....Fact or Fiction: The White Sox will win the American League Central in 2005. Fact: I think this team is being grossly underrated in the press. I think the mainstream media is taking a wait and see approach.

Offense: Podsednik and Iguchi must be a strong 1 -2 in the order, getting on base, moving runners over, etc. The rest will take care of itself if those guys can provide baserunners/speed consistently at the top of the order. Pitching: Garland. If he can be a 15 game winner from the #5 spot in the rotation it could turn this team from a 83 win team to a 93 win team very easily.

Here is what I like about the moves made thus far. The added bullpen depth and a rotation that has merit and few question marks. I would say the only concerns I would see with the rotation are keeping El Duque healthy, and Contreras just pitching and not thinking. There is no question both these guys have serious stuff. This is a far cry from last season where we were resting our hope on Scott Schoenweis as #4 (a one time failed starter turned middle reliever repurposed into a starter again) and Danny Wright as #5 (a pitcher better suited for the bullpen than as a starter). To me the offseason has been a success for that reason alone. We have given our pitching staff more certainty than it has seen in several seasons. But the cost of that was offense. With the departure of Maggs and Lee, we're not going to be lighting up he scoreboards the way we have been accustomed. But we will also not be as much of a feast of famine ballclub either. We will be on a bit of a run scoring diet, but I think we'll see a more consistent scoring attack night in and night out. I for one would take my chances with this pitching staff and an offense that can average 4-5 runs per night, than last year's pitching and a offense that could score 10 runs one night, and only 1 the next. In addition, the plus is that come June/July if the Sox are in it, you know KW will make a move, and provided the pitching is holding up, he'll be looking for a bat. And it's far easier to find a bat without overpaying in July, than it is to find an arm. The key to the Sox getting off right is Podsednik. If he can be .290AVG/.350OBP/.400SLG with Rowand or Uribe hitting behind him (I'd prefer Rowand), this could be an exciting season indeed. I really feel like we're going to get one of either Iguchi or Pierzynski. I my mind that leaves only one truly glaring hole for this team. Sure there are other questions: Can Crede live up to promise? Can Uribe be more consistent? But we are not the Yankees. We have to live within our means. I think there is alot of value with this team and I am optimisitic going into 2005. Happy New Year!

The most telling sentence in Stern's reply is this: I can't say that I disagree. It's clear that the organization is fundamentaly against the current trend of baseball economics. Don't get me wrong, a player like Carlos Beltran would be great to have on any team. But is he worth 7 years at 16 - 18MM per year? To tie up almost 25% of your payroll into one player for the next 7 years with no guarantees? I predict the Sox will be the hawks once again when the new CBA is negotiatied in 2007 (?). It would be interesting to see just how many players the Sox have under contract for the 2007 season.

I thought I was the only person in the world that used "go pound sand in your ass". Nice to see it is alive and well. Agreed. The D-Backs are insane with these demands. Ship Garland, Sweeney and a PTBNL. That's it. RJ is old and expensive and the Sox are taking on all the risk. B-Mac can step in (maybe as early as September) to fill Garland's spot if needed. With Posednik, Rowand, and Dye you've got a good defensive outfield through 2006. Hopefully Borchard can learn to hit a curveball by 2006, that would make us forget about Sweeney and his potential.

The Cubs are stuck with Sosa in 2005. No one will want any part of the contract unless the Cubs eat at least $15M of it. Remember if he is traded the club option year for 2006 is picked up - that's another $18M on top of the $17M he'll make in 2005. You have to be a real piece of Samsonite to want any part of that. A-Rod' s deal is ridiculous but he still had trade value because he is in his prime. Sammy is on the slippery slope toward the end of his career.

I posted this on another thread.... Here's my take. If the Sox can play good solid baseball in August combined with the fairly reliable starting pitching we have been getting, they should be able to win 19 games. If the Sox can deliver 19 wins, and the Twins play at or just slightly better than .500 in August - the Sox could be a game out of first or possibly a game in front come September 1. This thing is not over, but if the Sox lay an egg in August (regardless of injuries to Hurt or Maggs) - KW should blow this thing up in the offseason.

Here's my take. If the Sox can play good solid baseball in August combined with the fairly reliable starting pitching we have been getting, they should be able tp win 19 games. If the Sox can deliver 19 wins, and the Twins play at or just slightly better than .500 in August - the Sox could be a game out of first or possibly a game in front come September 1. This thing is not over, but if the Sox lay an egg in August (regardless of injuries to Hurt or Maggs) - KW should blow this thing up in the offseason.