JUGGERNAUT

I've got no problem whatsoever of the White Sox adding Graff to the bench. Timo is gone. There is no reason to carry that light-weight again. That million can be put to better use paying Crede's, Garland's, & AJ's arbit price. Or better yet making a 3 yr offer to AJ. How can a team say they are so deep at OF to where they can trade Rowand & then keep Timo on this team?

Hopefully there is still time for the O's to step in & convince him to go to Baltimore. They certainly have a need with Sosa & Palmeiro out the door. I don't want to have to watch Thomas help the A's beat us in the post season next year.

Kenny & Ozzie are saying all the right things. I feel they talked about a reduced role with his agent but Frank isn't happy with that. Hopefully he has no hard feelings. I'm sure the White Sox let it be known to him & his agent they would love to keep him but can't offer him a starting role. Frank's never been a bench player & when he knows he can start for a contender there's no way he would accept that role. I hope it's the O's. I would love to read about him beating up on Bos & Ny. I pray it's not the ALC. I can't bear that.

Kenny has never proven to be one who will sit still so you can never rule out the possibility of Thomas coming back. I think the team, gm, & Oz are saying all the right things to keep the door open. I'm sure they spoke to his agent & discussed a bench role for the Big Hurt. But Frank isn't a bench player. That's the best the White Sox can offer him. It will be very hard to see him playing for someone else. It won't be in the NL so I'm hoping it's for Baltimore. That will minimize the time we have to face him & he can help beat up on the Yanks for us. So long as he's not in the ALC race I can bear this.

Boston is now rumored to be shopping Renteria. I see a Cub - BoSox trade all over this. Pierre, Renteria, Lee, Aramirez (sp?), new LF, new RF, Barrett, Cedeno, pitcher. It looks pretty good actually.

The Marlins have proven to be very adept at trading for young pitchers. Something tells me at least 1 #1 will emerge from the 4 arms they picked up. As for Pierre, With Lee hitting 2 spots behind him I expect great things.

I've written about this in the other thread. The BCS computer rankings are flawed. After MSU beat ND they jumped in the rankings. ND's SOS should have benefited from that. All teams SOS should benefit by both the strength of that team & their conference in the week after the game is played. The main reason is because of injuries. ND has no influence over what happens to MSU's season after they play them. ND's evaluation should not be influenced by MSU beyond the week they play them. That applies to all teams & all conferences. SOS should be a cumulative value calculated after each week of play & added to the next week. The travesty of this years major bowl selections is the same as it was before: an undeserving team like FSU wins it's conference & gets the automatic bid. When FSU won tonight the ACC should have been declared ineligible. As much as Oregon might lament in being left out what about Auburn? They lost to 24th ranked GT 1st week of the season & then 3rd ranked LSU 7th week of the season. They have since beaten 13th ranked UGA & 14th ranked ALA. So they played one of the toughest schedules in the toughest conference & yet UGA goes to the Sugar Bowl ahead of them. Why? Because they play in the same division as LSU & LSU beat them by 3 pts in week 7. Again if SOS was made cumulative & losses were weighted so that later ones are more costly than early ones Auburn would be going to a BCS bowl.

The big flaw in the BCS rankings themselves is that the computers do not freeze time when performing their calculations. A team like ND has no control over what MSU does the rest of it's season. It has no control over injuries that can occur to teams they play either. SOS should be based on the ranking of the team at the time you play them. So every week a SOS figure should be calculated for that week independant of any other week. The BCS rnaking should be based on the sum of those SOS figures. With ND being an indie SOS of schedule should be based on 1) The opponent's ranking 2) The opponent's conference ranking So at the time the Irish played MSU their SOS figure should have benefited from both MSU's ranking & the Big 10's ranking for that week. The BCS should also weight the losses. ND losing in OT to then 17th ranked MSU in the 3rd week should cost them less than tOSU losing to then 4th ranked PSU in the 5th week & that loss should cost tOSU less than Ala losing to 9th ranked Auburn in their last game of the seasion. Right now the BCS rankings are still relying on the Coaches Poll & the Harris Poll to weight the losses for them. I think that's a mistake.

The deep flaw has nothing to do with ND & everything to do with conference champions getting automatic bids. That defies the BCS itself. I understand the BCS was only intended to match #1 & #2. Beyond that the same injustice that has forever existed in Div-1A remains. The top bowls remain loyal to their conferences. But if that's the case they have no right to call themselves a BCS bowl. When the rankings come out every week there should be a line separating 1 & 2 from the rest to remind people the other spots don't matter. There should only be 1 BCS bowl game & the rest of the bowls should lose their designation as BCS games. Their payouts should be decided by the deals they can muster with the networks. When VT loses in the ACC championship game (seems to be a regular event these days) an undeserving team earns any automatic bid. That's the travesty. FSU has represented that travesty twice now. The ACC should have lost it's eligibility when the conference champion is not ranked in the top 15. Period. As for the Sugar Bowl the Mountaineers ended 10-1 losing only to VT & beating ranked Louisville. It's hard to deny a 10-1 team & you can make an argument they are just as deserving as most of the 9-2 teams. But as a general rule, if a non-top 15 team wins a conference championship that has a bowl affiliation that should eliminate that conference from that bowl's eligibility. The FSU win tonight should have guaranteed Oregon a spot in one of the 4 major bowls.

1. Still you can't deny Thome has not been in this sit before. There's still a risk. 2. I know that can happen. I think that's what happen to Belle. But before it gets that bad in will definitely reduce his quality of play. 3. You left out PH/DH. It's his role as a PH that intrigues me the most. If you are correct in stating he won't be healthy then why would any other team take the chance? Shouldn't the White Sox offer him a reasonable deal now that will allow him to rehab at Charlotte to drive ticket sales down there? Won't other teams try to do the same? It seems to me for his years of production offering him a $1M base + incentives with the possibility he might be able to play a PH/DH role in the 2nd half is a smart move. I'm still envisioning Pierre in CF & Ozzie using him at lead-off when he rests Pods. That's a perfect scenario to use Thomas as a PH late in the game & then replace Pierre with Pods.

From what I've read there are two reasons why Iguchi is being moved out of the #2 spot: 1) His speed was not as advertised. Like Castillo of the Marlins he lost the zip. Neither of these guys are 30 SB guys any more. 2) Ozzie knows he took the bat out of Iguchi's hand many times last season. He's confident that if Iguchi is allowed to be a hitter in those ab's he's going to be produce better numbers. There's all this talk about Pierre & Pods becoming FA but so what? What's the most you are likely to pay for slap hitters who can steal 50+ SB a year? You do not have to pay for power or rbi's from these guys. The #2 guy will still be curbed by the priority of moving Pods into SP. On the flip-side if Pierre does find a power stroke at the Cell then wouldn't a guy with that speed & that power be worth keeping for the White Sox? I think so.

FA is dictated by how much other talent is out there. That includes the trade pool. I'm not going to call Kong a victim this year but there was talk he might be in line for a Maggs like deal. (70-75) mil. But the Florida firesale & the Manny trade talk both diminished interest & stretched out the time table. So it became clear if Kong wanted the 70-75 deal he was going to have to wait until the Manny issue was resolved. His stomach had turned enough over the past month & he decided as long as the White Sox made a fair market offer he was going to stay. That offer was determined based on what was out there in rumors & what both the O's & Angels offered. I do not think there are any guarantees at all for Jon G to get even as much as Ryan & Weaver if he should repeat his 2005 season. The talent pool for SP after 2006 will be huge. Especially when you figure what is expected to be added from the trade pool. Even if Jon G were to win 20 games he is still doing it from 4th in the rotation. That will have an impact on what his agent can get him.

I think it is way too early to be singing the swan song. Thome gave Shapiro first crack to trade for him & Shapiro turned down the offer. The consensus around the league was that teams needed to see him in action in ST before making a decision. So no matter how we fans want to spin it Thome is a rehabing player coming off major surgery. That is not a sure thing. As for Kong he did not receive a clean bill of health either. A degenerative hip disorder is a significant risk. I would say no less significant than Crede's back disorder. The general consensus with Thomas is that he came back to soon. So we can assume I think that he is going to take more time for the bone to heal this time around. That suggests to me the earliest he would be able to play for any team is after the all-star break. Adding a healthy Thomas to the bench for the 2nd half would act like a mid-season trade. He might just be the best PH option in the game today when you consider his OBP. With the White Sox expected to add even more speed you can envision how Ozzie could use Thomas in the 2nd half. Consider 2005: Kong 575 AB's, Jurrasic 490 AB's, Thomas 105 AB's. That's not including the post season. If it's the same disorder that Ditka had then it would not be wise for the White Sox NOT to expect 575 AB's & another post-season out of Kong. It would be wise to trim that down to 450 AB. With respect to Thome he had 193AB's last year. Now I certainly don't want to rain on the White Sox off-season parade but this is the first time in his career he is coming back from a major injury & rehab. It would be wise as well to expect no more than 450 AB from him as well. Which means there is another 200AB available for Thomas. Aug has been this team's achilles heal for the past 5 yrs. Something always happens that tightens the screws on the White Sox. For Cleveland Aug has been the time to smell the roses. For two years in a row they have been amongst the best performers in Aug. So having Thomas as insurance for the 2nd half is a smart move for the White Sox to make. As long as KW doesn't say anything to offend Frank I think it's in the cards.

Ozzie stated Thome-Kong-Dye with Thome playing some 1B & Kong at DH probably once a week.

Well I haven't given up hope yet. Shapiro passed on Thome because he wasn't convinced that he could play a full season. He felt the risk was too great to move Hafner from DH. Cleveland was Thome's first choice. So there is concern there. I think the White Sox will try to retain Thomas as insurance against a Thome injury. I don't know if this is a role Thomas is willing to play. That would mean Thomas would start the season in AAA & with a successful rehab would become a PH bench player for the White Sox. Thomas would essentially be trading a chance to get to 500 HR's for the chance of being able to "play" in a World Series (assuming the White Sox get there again). For what he's accomplished to date I think a major hit in a WS game would carry greater weight than 500 HR in terms of solidifying his place in the HOF. I won't give up hope until he signs with another team.

http://casdra.com/win_shares/ws_all.php Aaron Rowand 24 Juan Pierre 23 That's taking into consideration both hitting & fielding.

I haven't seen enough of his play to judge his defense. He seemed a major plus in the championship run out there in 2003. Here's what the ESPN scouts say: His defense remains a huge plus at spacious Pro Player Stadium. His range allowed the Marlins to get by with Miguel Cabrera and Jeff Conine flanking him for the first four months. Pierre's arm probably precludes him from Gold Glove consideration, but he never gives up on balls in the gap and makes his share of highlight catches. His resemblance to a young Mickey Rivers remains eerie. No one is a better judge in the White Sox organization right now when it comes to his defense than Ozzie because he's seen him play day to day. Ozzie has said nothing but good things when it comes to Juan's defense & that goes back to 2003.

That's as strong a 3-4-5 as there is. A projected 110 HR's !!! Add in 20 from Crede, 20 from Iguchi, 18 from AJ, 16 from Uribe = 184 HR's !!! Pierre won't hit HR's but something needs to be said about his 48T's in 3411AB's.

For sake of argument let's imagine #1 Pods, #2 Pierre. The best #3 is the guy who has the best RON #'s: Kong (.279A, .352O, .475S, .827 OPS) Thom(.278A, .412O, .537S, .950 OPS) JDye (.270A, .339O, .446S, .785 OPS) Again look at career #'s when it comes to the Cell. If Thome has a strong ST he should be the #3.

I think it would be best to ignore Pierre's 2005 Marlins numbers. One thing we've learned since the Cell became one of the best hitter's parks in the majors is that nearly everybody that comes here hits better. There were a lot of ??? about Pods coming off a lack luster 2004 & he experienced borderline all-star caliber numbers. So it's best for established guys to look at their career numbers when they come to the White Sox. Juan Pierre: (v L: 808AB, 307A, 352O, 347S; v R:2603, 304A, 355O, 384S) You have to believe Ozzie had him in mind when he made that annoucement. He said he wants to both take the pressure off Pods (another SB threat) & give Iguchi more opportunities to hit (#6). With the Marlins in firesale mode this seems like a sure bet.

I agree. Either Dye-Kong-Thome or Kong-Thome-Dye. Thome either it's in the air or a line-drive somewhere.

Safeco's CF is huge! Much more ground to cover than the Cell. I don't think that would be a factor. Seattle will make more money with a competitve team than it will with Ichiro on a loser. The White Sox can give them a package with El Duque, & young talent that can help fill out their rotation & OFers that are ready to start. I'm not saying it will happen but the cards KW has to deal with & the expected revenue of the team make it well within the realm of capability. I'm still guessing it will be Pierre filling that hole primarily because he & Ozzie were close on that championship 2003 Marlin's team.

Ozzie never said he wanted a NEW lead-off hitter. He said he wanted a new #2 hitter. They shipped Rowand because Ozzie was convinced Iguchi can produce better numbers than him at #6. That's why the deal was built around Rowand. If you believe they had to spend Rowand to get Thome you've not been listening. Shapiro was convinced that Thome was too much of an injury risk to unseat Hafner at DH. That would have forced Hafner into the field & one of their other solid bats would have been spent in getting Thome. So it really was Chicago or bust for the Phils. SB talent is the hardest thing to predict from ml to ML. So you can bet they are going to trade for a proven SB threat to fill that spot. Odds are it will be Juan Pierre.

I just had a vision .. a dream really. Is our new CFer going to be Ichiro? Think about. The White Sox have never been at a stronger position to trade then now. Ichiro has already expressed misgivings about Seattle. He is not bigger than the Seattle M's. Figuratively speaking the park is bigger than Ichiro. I'm just throwing that out there because I really think the sky is the limit right now for filling that hole. The gate revenue has picked up, the luxury boxes are sold out, the new Comcast deal is expected to deliver their best broadcast revenue to date, & inventory can't keep up with demand on merchandise. All of it speaks volumes of a mid-revenue team in big-revenue market about to make that leap forward.

This further solidifies it's Ozzie's team. Consider the chronology of events: Before the paper had been picked up off the streets in the S Loop Ozzie announces he wants a new #2 hitter. Now he certainly is advocating a trade of his team MVP Iguchi so that clearly was a signal he wants Iguchi moving to #6 in the lineup. Well AJP, Uribe, & Crede aren't going any where so that was a clear indication Rowand's the odd man out in the lineup. So the trade for Thome free's up #6 for Iguchi & replaces the Everett+Thomas combo in the middle (3-5). Ozzie wanted Kong all along & when you consider that the Mets decision to sign Pedro last yr amounted to a jump of $20M in revenue (see the Yahoo front page article) keeping Kong was a no-brainer. The decision not only keeps you strong but sells the team & the gate. So now the White Sox have a hole at #2. With the talent the White Sox have to deal with .. anything is possible to fill that hole. SB talent is the hardest thing to predict in the ML's because of the difference in talent level. Smarter more experienced pitchers & strong arm catchers make a world of difference. So this is talent you are more apt to trade for then develop yourself. Basically look over the top SB leaders in 2005 & start mashing trade scenarios.