JUGGERNAUT

If the SOX have any hope of winning a WS they must find a way to score against Vazquez, Mussina, & Brown. It's really as simple as that. The rest of the season doesn't mean much if you can't score off these 3. Division crowns are nice, but they are quickly forgotten.

I missed the YNOT. Why close it so early when it covers the whole series?

E-LO pitched great, but this game ball goes to Koch. Not only did he close a 1 run game (something the SOX have been struggling to do for 3 yrs now), but he did it with POWER! Range of speeds: 88-98 Most speeds: 95 That's the Koch of old. If he ever develops a curve or change look out! But until then we just have to get used to a fast ball pitcher who throws more strikes than balls & has success getting hitters to swing at less than hittable pitches. He looked so good today, I'm dreaming of him doing against the NY All-Stars! Kudos go to: E-LO ( loved his performance to quiet the skeptics) M Olivo - impact player today Frank Thomas - wore Mays out to where the others could nail him Maggs - both with the glove & the bat The 4 of them gave Billy the chance to earn his first save of the year (and a 1 RUN save at that!).

Well, technically Jackson let the 3rd run score. It was inherited, but still counts.

THE KOCH OF OLD HAS ARRIVED !!! TOP SPEED today: 98 MPH !!!! MAJORITY OF PITCHES: 92-96 MPH !! Range of speeds 88-98 !!! People get used to what makes Koch, Koch! He basically just throws fast balls. Some for strikes, & some for balls. But what it usually sets up is hitters swing at non-hittable pitches either just on the corners or out of the zone. When you are pitching with high heat, you can get people out that way. If you only have low heat, you need a curve or change. I'm pretty damn impressed in the Koch-meister today! If this guy ever does develop a curve or changeup he'll be filthy! :cheers :cheers KC <-

So this game will likely come down to Koch

Did Paully lose some weight? He's got Mays worried. SOX 2, KC 1 top 4th, 1 out, ron, 1 Olivo crushed a 2 run homer to give the SOX the lead in the 1st. WAY TO GO MIGUEL! HOLY CRAP, if HE LIVES UP TO HIS POTENTIAL WORLD SERIES BABY!

Thinking positive, we had dug a pretty big hole last year by June & yet somehow had ourselves in 1st place with a 2 game lead by Sept. The turnover was built on the strength of mostly E-LO & Buerhle & a some timely hitting. The hole was dug mostly from Buerhle, Colon, poor bull pen, poor fielding, & Koney. What we now know is that the number one weakness on this team appears to be the closer position. However; we do have an experienced closer in Koch & experienced setup guy in Marte. The goal here as I see it is to find reliable arms in the bull pen during the time we play the NY All-Stars. Politte did fine until the 9th. Koch did ok. Marte did horrible. We still have yet to see Jackson, Adkins, Cotts, Tats, & Wunsch. Let's wait until they all fail repeatedly before throwing in the towel. -> OZ, for starting Politte in the 9th.

I like the idea of building a future starter on this team by grooming him in the closer position. Especially with a 4 run lead in the 9th. Cotts is only in the bull pen right now because Schow has more yrs of experience in the majors. It's a not a decision based on talent but rather experience. We don't have a closer & with a 4 run lead it's not a save situation unless someone gets on. Cotts is too green in the majors to really look at any stats, but he did dominate in the minors & had a pretty good spring.

La Russa all the way. I wasn't born in the eras of the better managers.

I became a SOX fan shortly after birth in the Veeck era so I think that makes my choice obvious. Charles Comiskey was a BIG FAT A-HOLE in my opinion.

I'd like to share your optimism but I can't. Looking at Koch's numbers, where do you find hope? 2K1: 4.50 era, opp (265 a, 743 ops, 666 vs LH, 829 vs RH) There was hope 'cause of his 666 vs LH. 2K2: 3.27 era, opp (214 a, 617 ops, 570 vs RH, 675 vs LH) How can any one fault Kenny for the trade based on these numbers? Grant it there were rumors Kenny should have checked out near the end, but these numbers show little weakness. 2K3: 5.77 era, opp (281 a, 865 ops, 851 vs RH, 878 vs LH) That's a line of no hope. He did a little better in the Spring, but that just probably places him in the middle of the pack as a closer in the league. Still a far stretch from the good part of the pack. Koch needs devine intervention to return to his 2K2 form.

I still think he opened the 9th wrong, but after that .. Playing the %'s: Stairs vs RH : 934 OPS Stairs vs LH : 667 OPS Stairs vs Koch : 1 for 3, 667 OPS Lopez (750 vs RH, 725 vs LH) Koch vs Stairs, 1 out, ron, 1, 2 ... hmmm .. playing the %'s I bring in a lefty.

I felt better when I could blame Ozzie, but now ... Playing the %'s: Stairs vs RH : 934 OPS Stairs vs LH : 667 OPS Stairs vs Koch : 1 for 3, 667 OPS Lopez (750 vs RH, 725 vs LH) With 1 out, ron, 1,2 swamping Koch for Marte was playing the %'s. I can't really blame Ozzie any more. Crap. Now I have to say, Marte just blew it. Say it ain't so?

Playing the %'s: Stairs vs RH : 934 OPS Stairs vs LH : 667 OPS Stairs vs Koch : 1 for 3, 667 OPS Lopez (750 vs RH, 725 vs LH) I still thinking leading the inning off with a Politte was a mistake, but in a 1 out, ron, 1,2 situation Ozzie's decision to go to Marte is not really a poor one.

Seriously, if this bullpen doesn't get a whole lot better real fast this season could be tanked before May. We've got KC & the NY All-Stars back to back for the next 2 weeks. There's no room for this BP to breathe & if it can't earn a save or hold a lead in that time the confidence on this team will be shot beyond repair. Ozzie may not have played the %'s well Monday (espec when Stairs has a 667 OPS vs lifetime against Koch, & Lopez has never faced Koch), but the fact remains 3 guys who had fair to decent ST #'s failed to hold a 4 run lead. Given the North Side celebration going on this year being a SOX fan is recipe for a summer of sorrows. When you lack the talent, resort to prayer!

This was a perfect statement to illustrate Horrning's ND statement. The academically elite schools are at a disadvantage when recruiting the ELITE black athlete. Paul H forgot to mention the word elite. E Okafor is a fluke so don't mention his 3.8 GPA as a Finance major. The kid is graduating in 3 yrs because he took advancement placement tests for college credits. Take a look at the rest of U CONN. Or better yet look at where these schools rank in academic admissions. Ga Tech ranks in the top 50. Univ of Conn isn't even in the top 200. The avg SAT scores for Ga Tech (V=640,M=700). The avg SAT scores for Univ of Conn (V=400, M=400) That's a huge DISPARITY! Notre Dame ranks ahead of Ga Tech in academic admissions (#34). That's why Carson Palmer didn't get into his first choice ND. So where's it going to end? Either ND & other athletically elite schools accept prop 48 & dumb down their standards to recruit the ELITE black/white athlete or their hopes of winning a national championship dwindle to that of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays or Montreal Expos. Because you know the NCAA will never RAISE the standards.

This is about second guessing! It's about managing a F'g MLB team! Your job as a mgr is to manage your bullpen, rotation, & lineup so that the ODDS are in your favor to win the game! Opening the F'g 9th with Politte where the KC lineup has a 1000+ OPS vs is F"g stupid. You got away with an inning & 2/3rds based on his strong ST performance. With a 7-3 lead it's a reasonable gamble in the 7th & 8th innings. But not in the 9th because now guys have seen him more than once! Every F'g MGR knows this! This aint' F"g PONY League! Opening the F'g 9th with Koch or Marte is an equally bad decision. The KC lineup had equal success against both in past yrs (843-44 OPS vs). These are the last guys you want facing that particular lineup. He should have opened the 9th with Neil Cotts. He's groomed to be a starter & a solid Lefty after a right hander is a nice mix. From Cotts he could have gone to Jackson, Adkins, or Takatsu. Both Jackson & Adkins have past success against this KC lineup (450-509 OPS vs). And they've never seen Takatsu. That's what a MANAGER is supposed to do. MANAGING a game so that the %'s work in his favor. Ozzie didn't do that on Monday. That's why this LOSS is pinned on his SHOULDERs. If he had played the %'s & they still lose then the LOSS is pinned on the players. That's the way it works.

I'm getting mad with these useless NL vs AL debates. Kip Wells was crap in the AL. Now he's a decent pitcher in the NL. Why is that so? Maybe it has to do with the fact that 7-9 hitters in the AL have an avg OPS of 200 F'g POINTS HIGHER IN THE AL! That's right. Look it the F up! It's not just the pitcher in the lineup. It's the tail end of the lineup. It's 3 much easier outs in the NL than the AL. So stop F'g comparing NL performance to AL! They are worlds apart.

Hopefully Ozzie learned something today ... POLITTE IS NOT A F'G CLOSER! Sometimes it's not the score of the game that dictates who should start the 9th. Sometimes it's the lineup you're about to face that should dictate that. STATS ARE NOT FOR DECORATION! KC vs Koch : 844 OPS KC vs Marte: 843 OPS KC vs Politt: 1042 OPS KC vs Adkins: 449 OPS KC vs Jackson: 509 OPS (55 AB's!) KC vs Cotts: N/A KC vs Takatsu: N/A Now here's my F'g point! KC has past success against Koch, Marte, & Politte. When I say KC I mean their CURRENT F'g LINEUP! You were able to get thru 1 IP with Politte. Good job. It was risky but he had such a good ST that it was worth the call. Don't F'g BRING him back for another IP! You've got a veteran that has been very successful against that lineup in Jackson. Yes he's a year off, but so what! You've got 2 guys that KC has NEVER faced. & You've got Adkins that's done a good job (albeit facing only 12 batters on KC in his lifetime). What Ozzie should have done: Cotts to start the 9th. The guy is pegged as a starter any ways! Cotts lets 2 ON, bring in Takatsu. See what he can do with a 4 RUN LEAD! Takatsu gives up a run or two bring in Adkins. Adkins gets pegged then go to Marte. PLAY THE F'G %'s WHEN YOU ARE FACING A LINEUP AS LETHAL AS KC'S! This loss is being pegged on Ozzie. I'm sorry but that's the reality of this debacle.

WGN take the F'g men off the bases already! It's about time. Ah crap! WTF! I HATE THIS ROYALS TEAM! Double play opp. C'mon Marte!

I am glad that Marte is coming on, but we had a chance to get thru this game w/out giving KC a look at his stuff. Now we've lost that edge. On the other hand, if Marte gets out of this .. big confidence booster. And we've got him locked in for 3/5 yrs. YES! But then again, it's 3-1 count. Oh SHEIIIIIIT ... 7-7.

OG F'd up. He's carrying 12 pitchers on the team & waits until Politte puts 2 men on w nobody out. Now it's 7-4 0 outs, ron, 2,3 & Koch pitching. :headshake He should have started the 9th with Cotts.

Ozzie is not Manuel. He will leave Mark in there until Mark shows obvious signs of needing to be taken out. From what I've read on his philosophy he prefers to let starters work out of trouble. So far Mark's done that pretty good. I don't think Ozzie's a PC watcher like Manuel either. I think the biggest risk with OG is that he will let the starters go to long. Lee & Koney have to take advantage of Thomas walks. That's the key to this whole season. I think Maggs, Thomas, Lee, Koney is the best middle in the AL. I think it's the highest combo of OPS in the bigs.

KC has a tough lineup. Let's not get carried away. This game is far from over. Don't let up now. C'mon Mark!