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SpringfieldFan

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Posts posted by SpringfieldFan

  1. Hey folks, with everyone looking at whether Albert Pujols can win the triple crown this year, do you realize that Esteban Loaiza in firmly in the running to win his own triple crown of sorts - a "pitcher's" triple crown? As I look at the stats this monday morning, Esteban is tied for the lead in wins (19), is third in ERA (trailing by only 0.12), and is third in strikeouts (trailing Pedro 178 to 176).

     

    Has anyone ever heard of a pitcher leading all three of these categories in a season? I honestly cannot remember it ever happening. It must be even rarer than a hitter's triple crown, since you never even hear of one for pitching.

     

    Do it, Esteban, and snag the Cy Young while you are at it!!

  2. In witnessing the events of Wednesday where Minnesota came back to win in the 9th, and the Sox gave one away in the 9th, the nature of the two teams is once again illustrated. The Twins win via small ball and by coming up big in close games. The Sox are poor at small ball and seem to lose the close ballgames. However, unlike the Twins, they can win with a powerful offense and long balls (i.e. "bigball").

     

    Normally I would be pessimistic at the fact the Sox cannot win when the bats are quiet, but have just learned to accept the fact that the Sox simply approach it another way - by relying on pounding the opposition, which has landed them in this tie for first.

     

    Now, my question - do they have a good shot at going all the way by using this method? Maybe this is the best way since the WS winner will have to be playing at their best anyway, and we have seen that the Sox at their best are incredibly strong.

     

    What do you all think? Do we have good reason to hope?

  3. We are getting respect all over the media.  Gammons called us "a very scary team" and also selected Loaiza as the most valueable pitcher in baseball.

    Wednesday night on BBTN I distinctly heard him say "the White Sox could be dangerous in the post season - very dangerous."

     

    ominous

  4. Teams with nothing to lose can be very scary opponents to face.  This kind of thing occurs in all sports.

    This is good though, considering the remaining schedules of the Sox as compared to Minnesota and KC, isn't it?

  5. Well I don't think u can really count Everett.  He hit 18 of his hr's with Texas.  But yeah.  We've had no problems hitting hr's the last 45 gms or so...

    Yes, that is very true. Of course if you toss his 18 hrs with texas, then you have to include the 7 dingers Jimenez had while still with us, etc. In any case I am just looking at the talent on the team NOW, and Carl's 18 hrs with Texas are a testament to that talent, and what we can hopefully expect from him down the stretch.

  6. What ever happened to bat day? I fondly remember hot Saturday nights at old comiskey where drunk fans disgruntled over a losing team would be brandishing 30" authentic wood bats - and in some cases "using" them...

     

    Ahh for the good old days.

  7. Amen. f*** "Caribbean Night". f*** "Elvis Night". f*** "Rat Pack Night". And, most of all.....

     

    f*** WILLY WONKA'S KIDS DAYS!!!!!  :fyou

    I'll agree with you on the rest, but I think kid's day is cool.

    Dog day rocks too.

  8. Hey, what a coincidence. Sunday will be my first trip up there to a game this year, and we are bringing my 16 month old.

     

    So, Sunday is the day the kids can go on the field? No kidding! I hadn't even known and we had just picked that day because it fit our schedule best. You better darn well believe I will get my daughter out there to run around! This is waaay cool!!!

  9. Just what is it about him that has made him so dominating in AA? I mean sheesh, he struck out a guy and a half per inning down there! He doesn't throw 100 mph and he doesn't have a curve ball with a 2 foot break on it. He is, as Hawk says, "crafty" and "sneaky", but in my mind that describes guys more like Buehrle or Maddux, not a guy whom you consider a strikeout or overpowering pitcher. What is his secret weapon that has made him able to dominate and toy with the guys in AA (and those 6 Rangers last night)??

  10. One observation: we better be careful promising Cotts will do really well considering that every time Garland has a rough outing, we are so quick to point out how young he is and how poor outings from time to time can only be expected... :headbang

  11. Well, I think these optimism threads have helped me out alot. I could have wallowed in a stupor of self pity but I think I can hold my head up a little more now with some reason to feel good things are in store.

     

    Maybe we need just need some peer to peer therapy from time to time. Maybe with a little graphic like this:

  12. Springfield...look at our 1-2-3 combo.  Then look at Seattle's 1-2-3 combo.

     

    You want a reason for optimism....that's it right there.  Colon, Buehrle, and Loaiza owns Meche, Moyer, and Piniero.  Our offense is just as dangerous as their's is too when we're clicking.

    Okay, I'll give you credit. That's not a bad point, not bad at all....

     

    That helps. :)

  13. Best reason for optimisim...

     

    Atleast prior to the Angels series the White Sox had the best record after the All-Star break.

     

    Every team loses a series, its not like the Angels blasted em. It was a few games that the White Sox could have easily won.

     

    They are 2 games back with 40 left, by the end of Saturday they could be tied for first place.

     

    The real question is...

     

    Why all the pessimism?

     

    SB

    You are absolutely correct, I don't disagree. However, your assertion is in the context of our divisional race. I am looking at our chances of playing in the World Series.

     

    I want good reasons to have confidence that we can, for example, beat Seattle at Safeco to advance to the ALCS.

     

    The best reason I have heard so far is that "anything can happen in the playoffs". It is not a lot to go on, especially given the Sox history out west, but it will have to be enough, I suppose.

  14. CWSox (and Forkit)

     

    I tip my hat to your level headed thinking, optimism, and the way you can enjoy the race. You have done well in making the case of why to be excited for the rest of the season. I really want to share your optimism, honestly, but for all the wisdom of what you have said, a couple of things do still nag at me. First, you accurately mention how well they have played and the guts they have shown to get back in the race. I agree that it has been quite an accomplishment, but in my mind it is not a precedent for success the rest of the way. I say that because for all the Sox have shown us these last few weeks, it has not included passing the tests they will have to pass in the future: winning out west and winning against contenders on the road. That is what will face them squarely down the stretch and especially in the playoffs. I can enjoy being in a race, and cheer and root enthusiastically, but those nagging doubts in the back of my head remain. I guess we just have to take it one game at a time, having faith they will accomplish things that may surprise us as these weeks play out.

     

    Thanks for the "chin-up", folks ;)

  15. Hey, I need a little reassurance right now, so hopefully you all can set me straight. What kind of hope should I realistically be keeping for this season? I grant that they are firmly in this race right now at 2 game back (hell, as long as they are within 4 when the last week rolls around they are still in it).

     

    However, I won't beat around the bush about it: I want the Sox in the World Series. Period. Now, what kind of evidence can I be looking at to assure me they at least have a reasonable chance at getting there. Even given their recent surge, there are still unresolved issues. So far they still cannot win out west. They also haven't shown they can create victories when the bats have off nights. Finally, they still haven't proven they can win on the road against quality opponents (except for KC, if you call them quality). Now, they still have difficult trips to make to the homes of some of the best the league has to offer, and if they manage to get the division title, it may very well mean a trip to Seattle or Oakland soon after that.

     

    Given all this, I could really use some specific concrete reasons to be optimistic and believe that these handicaps will simply go away or at least not stand in their way. Can anyone give me any?

     

    LT

  16. I just thought I would check sportsline's rankings to see how our guys are faring. Such rankings are worth slightly less then a grain of salt, but what I saw was surprising, both good and bad. First the bad: The Sox team itself ranked only around 17th in MLB, behind the Cubs! The Sox rotation only ranked 11th! Also, Olivo is nowhere near the top among catchers. I guess this is all because these compilations look at the complete numbers, not just recent trends.

     

    Now the good surprises, which are regarding the individual players: Mags is the #3 right fielder, which is good news in itself but the icing on the cake is that BEHIND him at #4 is none other than...Corky. Frank Thomas is the #1 DH, even ahead of Edgar! He has *always* been top 3, but he is numero uno right now. And finally, guess who else is #1 in his position? Would you believe its Esteban Loaiza?!! He is right there at the top, in front of Pedro, Randy, Mulder, Halliday - all of them! The "experts" may not think he is for real, but the computers sure do.

     

    Well the game isn't played on paper or computers, but the fun thing about this is that it is saying that the best right fielder and pitcher in Chicago play for Sox, not the Cubs. Who would have thunk?

  17. Hey, is anyone listening to the B & B show on the score? They are discussing Hawk Harrelson and one of them ( I am not sure which) is doing his hawkism impressions. It is absolutely hilarious! What makes it so funny is that the impressions are dead-on: he's gownnn...mercy!...YES!...stay fair... etc. etc. etc. In fact, he sounds more like Hawk than Hawk himself, right down to the tone in his voice.

     

    I think these two are kind of corny usually, but they are growing on me - especially as they continue calling Sosa out for the samME his is.

     

    Othersise, I dunno where I'm going with this thread but I just had to remark about my laugh for the afternoon. :lol:

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