JUGGERNAUT

Once again the best columns on our beloved team are being written by the East Coast media. It sure would be nice to have good columnists in this city. http://www.newsday.com/sports/printedition...ny-sports-print A nice pc about El Duque & Contra. http://www.newsday.com/sports/printedition...ny-sports-print A terrific pc about the history of our beloved Sox. Not just on the field but in the media. Lindberg: "The White Sox are a footnote. They're anecdotal. If anybody pays attention at all on the East Coast, they remember the shorts they wore one day in 1977." Dramatic fall: 1919 & the 30 yrs that followed. Dramatic rise: 1959, 1983, 1993, 2000. Last home post season win: 1959 WS gm 1 11-0 over Dodgers. Overall: pretty good, but not good enough. Most memorable recent year: 1983. Gm 4 of the ALCS. Do or die for Sox. ex-model Tito Landrun hits a HR. The Sox had 24 gm winner LaMarr Hoyt ready to pitch gm 5 if they could win gm 4. The ex-model did in the Sox in a year they won the AL West by 20 gms. Recent times: WSox have finished 2nd in last 10 yrs. They have 14 winning seasons with a .511 win% over the last 25 yrs. The loveable losers on the N Side have only 8 with a .477 win% in that time. Lindberg: "The more the Cubs lose, the more fans love them." Donaghue: "The Wrigley Field neighborhood now has "400,000 people with disposable income within walking distance." ---------------------------------------------------------------- I didn't know that some investors tried to open up bars near the Cell. That was an eye-opener. Wrigley: party-ville, Cell: A place to see the Chicago White Sox play. If you won't allow bars outside then build them inside. Price will be determined by demand after you take that first step. Now that they've decided to open the parking lots at 6 am for loop workers to make use of the next step is to open the park earlier & have a few interesting spots for people to meet & share a pint or two.

But we've dealt quite a few prospects over the years to net nothing better than 2nd place. I didn't say Contra for Huff straight up. His age doesn't matter as much as his mileage. He doesn't have any where near the mileage on his arm that El Duque has. If Contra has less than 5L before the break with this offense he's sure to have a solid ERA. Contra has always been pegged as a guy that when it clicks for him he could be a dominant pitcher. There's certainly enough there to build a trade around w/out spending a top prospect in the pkg. Do we need Huff? Too early to say. We really need to see how the team plays the rest of the 1/2 with Thomas coming on in late Jun. If there are signs of the middle of the rotation clicking with Thomas than I'd say no. We can always offer Koney arbit & at least get a comp pick from the team signing him. But if they continue to struggle than the answer's yes. A greater need at that time though might be Shingo. It might be worth creating a pkg around Shingo to get a quality reliever like Dotel. But let's see if Shingo can turn it around first. Maybe he'll start brushing some hitters back to regain that inside corner again.

Not at the cost of Joe Crede (.294A. .355O, .450S, .804OPS). Just look at that OBP. We've been waiting for this for years & now it's finally emerged & for once early in the season. He's tied with Everett for 2nd in TB (49). I'm enjoying watching Joe play. Have you watched him in the field? When it comes to anything hit in front of him he is w/out question the best 3B in the league. His weakness has always been to his left & right & he looks even better this year in that regards as well. Is there a better 3B for turning the DP? He's making 400K in this his 6th year. Boras can't escape that fact either. Do we need Dotel? Pitches 1-15: Politte (26AB, .182O, .192S, .077A) D. Hermanson (45AB, .255O .289S. .222A) Luis Vizcaino (39AB, .268O .333S, .231A) S. Takatsu (25AB, .321O .720S .240A) Damaso Marte (31AB, .410O .355S .258A) Neal Cotts (24AB, .393O .417S .292A) Pitches 16-30: Neal Cotts (12AB, .143O, .000S, .000A) D. Hermanson (9AB, .200O, .222S, .111A) Cliff Politte (16AB, .235O .250S, .188A) Damaso Marte (20AB, .360O, .400S. .200A) S. Takatsu (10AB, .364O .900S, .300A) Luis Vizcaino (18AB, .455O .389S, .333A) Dotel 1-15: (27AB, .333O, .222S, .111A) 16-30: (15AB, .412O, .733S, .333A) Who is Dotel going to replace? Cotts? Neal is pitching much better of late. His era is better than 1/2 R lower than Dotel's. Certainly not Politte, or Hermy. Which leave Marte, Shingo, & Vizc. Marte's numbers are off his career avg's but he still has a 1.93ERA which means he's getting the outs when he needs them. Vizc is solid for 1 inning of work. Ozzie needs to stop using him more than that. You can make a strong argument to replace Shingo w Dotel but are you using Shingo in the trade to get Dotel? If so then maybe you can put together a pkg around Shingo to get Dotel. That would make sense. Maybe Beane would bite.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/deluca/cst-spt-deluca12.htm Forecast: The pitching is too good and too deep to think the Sox will stray too far from first place even late into the season. Neyer: Reading is fundamental. You might learn something if you try it.

The O's, the Rangers, the Cubs, & the Angels stand in the way of the White Sox & that record. If the WSox are able to extend that record to 48 games against those starters even Neyer would have to upgrade them from a 40% chance to make the playoffs to a 40% chance of winning the World Series.

In 1998 the NYY's set a ML record by leading in 48 straight games in Jul-Aug. I hope & pray the White Sox can break that record at the start. If that happens all eyes & all praise will be on the WSox. There will be no flying under the radar then. You break the record of a team the Boss was quoted as saying "the best Yankee team ever" & the world will take notice. But you don't have to wait for that day. Other columnists are taking note of the dominance of this team. Don't bother following the local papers because their allegiance to the Cubs tempers their coverage of the White Sox. But the columns written in the cities of the teams we play definitely see the White Sox flying high.

Thomas was quoted as saying he doesn't expect to be playing first base. So that rules out the early games in Jun. There's no need to rush him then.

TB has plenty of cheap young arms. Just look at their organization. They need some vets to grow with & Contra might be a good fit. Spending say $5M for a vet like Contra for 1 yr is not a big deal. The Nationals have done such deals for vets for the past 3 yrs. Would it be enough for Huff? Probably not. You will have to add some ml talent to the mix. Someone mid-tier. One of the things that always surprises me about some WSox fans is just what they think it will take to trade a player. Have they learned nothing from the trades Beane makes for Oakland? What did Beane pay to get Dye in his prime? What did Beane get for Hudson & Mulder? What did Philly get for Rolen? Big names are traded for less than what you expect all the time. It's just a matter of what a team thinks it needs to help it win. TB simply has to make a decision of what will help them win more games in 2006 at less money: adding Contra or signing Huff. As for closers switching leagues you're ignoring the fact that the OPS of the 7-9 hitters in the AL averages nearly 200 OPS better than the 7-9 hitters in the NL. It's not just about the pitcher. I'm not saying Wagner would have trouble. Hermy seems to be doing just fine though he did have experience in Boston. Wagner's a fine closer but I'm not if he's that much better than what we have for the much higher price we would have to pay.

I'm not sure what you mean by being added to the 40 before being called up in Sept. That's simply not true. Sept is a free-pass month. The significance of the 40 man roster ends when the 25 man roster becomes the 40 man roster. What I'm not sure about is whether it counts towards ML service time if it's more than 20 days. If it does then that would be a reason not to bring him up in Sept. But based on what the WSox have in the past I think it's a given Anderson will be with them in Sept.

If Crede puts up career numbers they will get a 3 yr deal done. He's just coming into arbitration & Boras is very limited there. It's after arbitration where he's likely gone. I don't see the need to trade for Dotel when Hermy is getting the job done.

I've never heard the silver & black, white & black of the White Sox being called ugly before. In fact I've heard those uniforms & the lettering & the hats being praised many times over. Not just by baseball fans but even those who make music videos were the Sox apparel routinely finds it's way into the scene. As for a 40% chance, please. That's ridiculous. Yes the White Sox have the Twins to deal with but they do own a 4-1 season series lead vs them. They have the record to prove they can beat the rest of the ALC by a good margin in the W-L dept. As for the other 3 get real. Halladay is clearly back & Batista has rejuvenated the Blue Jays. They certainly look like a better than .500 club this year. Then you have the Red Sox & Yankees. It's w/out question one of the toughest divisions in baseball & that means they'll be knocking each other off. It's simple mathematics. With it being essentially a two-team rest in a 5 team division the White Sox & Twins have better odds at winning the wild card than a team from the ALE. I won't go out on a limb & say the White Sox will win the division because the Twinkees are playing just as good right now. But I will say I believe that both of these teams have just as good a chance to make the post season as any other team in the AL.

There's been some confusion on the record they broke & the record they are chasing. The record they broke applies only to the start of the season. The former record holders, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers led in their first 25 games. The White Sox have shattered that record by leading in their first 34 games. The 1998 NY Yankees during a stretch from July to Aug set a ML record by leading in 48 straight games. That's the record the White Sox are now chasing. If they were to break that at the start of the season that could stand the test of time.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/...2/world_series/ That 1998 NYY team was a marvel as well: - no true heroic-superstar (Ruth, Rose, Jackson) - no player a lock for the HOF - no pitcher likely to win Cy Young - no slugger with more than 28 HR's - no All Stars Team accomplishments: - 125 wins (best ever) - .714 wining % (ties 1927 NYYs) - 1st place in April (17-6) record - first team ever to clinch playoff spot in Aug - set ML record by leading in 48 straight games - 11-2 record in post season, 114 wins in regular season (2 shy of 1906 Cubs (regular season record holders)) - Led by D Wells, D Cone, & El Duque - They trailed CLE 2-1 when El Duque rescued them in gm 4. They never lost again. 2005 White Sox: - .735 wining % - 1st place in April (17-7) record - set ML record by leading in ALL of it's games (34) so far - Led by M Buehrle, F Garcia, & El Duque

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-mik...la-sports-front It does pain me to say that our best press is coming from outside of Chicago & that does shock me when you consider that we do have Sox fans in the media like Rogers. Why are they afraid to put this team in a historical reference like these other writers? The 1998 Yankees hold the ML record by leading in 48 straight games in a season. The White Sox are just 15 games away from break that record. Of the 7 teams to hold a stretch of at least 33 straight leads not one finished with less than 93 wins. That 1998 Yankee team went on to win 114 games & sweep the Padres in the World Series 4-0. If you include the post season that team went on to post 125W-50L (new ML record). I think the Sox need to include the 34 straight leads to start the season record in their win or die trying ads. Whenever a team can claim something no other team in ML history can claim it's worth noting in a big way.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/basebal...sports-baseball However, the biggest testament to their dominance is that the White Sox have led in ALL 34 games this season. WSox SP: leads AL in wins, ERA, IP, BAA (.235), shutouts, & quality starts. Koney 9 HR's, Pods 17 SB's. This is a record that seemed weird at first but is really beginning to speak volumes as the season plays out. What it means is that the WSox have been in a position to win all 34 games. Can this last to the break? If it did it might be a record that stands the test of time. This is trully a remarkable season & even with the crusty Twinkees keeping the pressure on I hope all White Sox fans take the time to enjoy it. Even the pessimists. Even if you believe there are holes in the dam ready to burst don't ignore the significance of this record. It's a big deal. We are so quick to find the holes & want to plug them up but maybe there is something more to be said about team chemistry. If gaining the lead in every game was just a matter of plugging holes than this record would have fallen during the advent of FA. It's clearly not the case. The traveling all-star team from the Bronx couldn't break this record even in their glory years. The Ruth led Yankees couldn't even establish the record. There have been so many great teams in the past & when I stop & think that the 2005 White Sox have done something they never did I'm in awe. Enjoy the season. Be careful with your desire to fix holes. Sometimes patches work better.

There's another month & 1/2 before the break for these guys to turn it around. But if they are still struggling by the break be rest assured the Sox will be opening to dealing any of them with the exception of AJ. As for CFers playing RF it's been done often in the majors. Just look at the Mets. You put the best hitting defensive talents in your OF. CFers are made to play all OF positions. You can't say the same for corner OFers. As for Huff, I disagree. With Gload being injured the need for a LH hitting 1B has risen. He's struggling now which means you would pay less to get him. It might be as simple as Contra + cash. That's assuming BMac is ready to join the rotation.

He does not cost the White Sox $8.5M. The NYY's contributed cash that reduces his salary by a mil in each of his remaining yr's on the contract. Some cash even went to reduce his rate in 2004 as well. The trade was made before the emergence of BMac. Now it makes Contra less valuable to the White Sox. Rather than count his wins I think teams will look at his loses. If he's got less than 5L by the break contending teams are going to want him. If that's the case the White Sox should be able to get good trade value for him. I wouldn't mind seeing the White Sox trade Contra for Huff near the deadline. This would assume then that Koney will walk. Tampa might be interested if the Sox throw in a mil or two towards Contra's 2006 salary. Getting his cost down to about $5M for the Rays. Huff would take Gload's spot on the bench & take over when Koney leaves.

No way! Anderson is the heir-apparent in RF. Period. I am not mortgaging the future for Wagner who has never pitched in the AL. Especially when Hermanson is emerging as the dominant closer right now. I think you need to put that in perspective. He finished with the Giants as their closer converting 17 out of 20 save opps in 2004 mostly in one 1/2 of baseball. Now he's yet to surrender an earned run. We are 1/2 way thru the 1st half almost & he has yet to surrender an earned run. I want the following everyday players in 2006: Pods, Iguchi, Thomas, <HR hitting 1B>, Crede, Rowand, Anderson, AJ, Uribe. That's a lineup that could lead the AL in offense. I leave Koney's spot open because it's going to come down to $. If he's willing to sign a contract similar to his last one then keep him. But if he's looking for Drew like money then offer him arbitration & let him walk. Don't let him walk w/out offering him arbitration. He should put up enough HR's to qualify for Type A. If it seems he's most likely to walk by the deadline then make the trade for Huff. He's struggling now which weakens his value some but a HR hitting LH 1B is a commodity that would greatly help the White Sox in the years to come. He can be signed to a contract for less than Koney's last one.

I think the praise driven comments by the great & powerful Oz were a result of Williams talking to him. You have to draw a line between being open & honest to a fault & offending people. It did not help the organization when Ozzie spoke ill of Olivo & it did not help the organization when Ozzie sounded like Scarface in response to Magglio calling him his enemy. These new comments seem to reflect a better understanding of that. Don't expect a reveral in behavior though. The White Sox media is not like the Marlins. Their are guys & gals in this town just waiting to pounce on a sound bite to put this team down. Kotek boy is definitely White Sox public enemy #1 when it comes to that. These are engrained Cub fans who work in the media. So they will not only look for such bites but they will likewise provoke them. However; they have bosses to & the White Sox are the best sports story in town right now. One that their bosses all want to ride deep into Oct. That tends to curb the vulture's behavior as well. We are all going to forget about this when Thomas makes his triumphant return & starts pounding in the runs. Teams won't be able to walk him like in the past with Pods & Iguchi-sama on base ahead of him. I've got a feeling that Thomas is going to be making a lot of headlines for the White Sox this year & Ozzie will be at no loss for words to praise him.

If they are healthy members of the White Sox org on Sep 1 when the roster expands to 40 Sweeney, Anderson, BMac, Burke are sure to be playing with the White Sox. But there are bigger issues here. Do you bring up Anderson & BMac early to get them big league experience? Yes it moves them closer to arbit years but isn't it a better situation to bring them up & get them experience on a winning club rather than start them fresh in a new year that could turn out to be a losing club? Particularly when it comes to Anderson, both Reed, & Miles have proven to be capable MLers. Better than capable. It's a testament to the strength of the White Sox ml system when it comes to position players. That increases the odds that Anderson will be able to outperform Dye in the 2nd half. As a vet Dye can veto any trade but I don't think he would. Of the two he's the more tradeable player because of his defensive skills in RF. He's got to know this with Anderson lighting it up in Charlotte. So either he really picks it up to where it's best to keep him or he's sure to expect to be traded. There are several teams that would take a chance on him in the NL.

This hurts that crews chances of being picked for post season games. That's where they earn big bonus money. It won't hurt the White Sox because they risk messing up that opportunity for 2006 if their names come up again like this. If I'm not mistaken in the new contract with the umps league evaluations play a much bigger role now in terms of money & post season action. They evaluate them both on calling the strike zone & questionable calls.

Frank has a minor setback after running on the turf in Tampa. He's expecting to join Charlotte next week & be playing with the White Sox after their NL play ends. He stated he will be playing with pain. It's dropped down to a level of between 6-7 after the cortizone shot & shockwave treatments. He says that's manageable to be able to hit & run the bases but he does not expect to play any 1B. Dye & Everett are both struggling at the plate now. In Everett's case it's mostly due to nagging injuries but that has always been the risk you take when playing him. In any case it's making the decision much easier. Thomas' 2002 OPS of 855 trounces what Everett & Dye are doing this year. You play Thomas as often as you can without risking further down time.

I guess the detractors were right. Burke just doesn't have much worth outside the White Sox. He cleared waivers & accepted his assignment to Charlotte. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Art...Sports/Baseball Zaun was released in time to watch Monday's 6-1 victory over the Royals from the dugout. He figures to miss 12 games.

How quickly we forget that most of the A's teams these past 4 yrs have struggled early. If you look at their winning % April, & May have always been their dog months. But when they get on a roll in June they stay on it & ride it into Oct. I think we should wait until the 1/2 is over before we proclaim Beane's latest team a success or failure.

I think it was nice of the White Sox to give him as much time off as he needed. It's time his daughter needed & it was nice for Wille to be there for her day in & day out like that. But now it's back to baseball. I hope he is learning something by watching Crawford this series. I hope he's learning that you can do a lot for you team with infield hits.