JUGGERNAUT

More intangibles. Frank remains one of the best cost vs performance players among vets in the game today. Koney is not even in the top 30 in that category. Frank has demonstrated a willingness to accept less $ to stay with the ChiSox. Twice. Once at the start of his last contract & again when it came time to renew. BAL was offering more $'s vs the remaining value of the contract. That clearly demonstrates that Thomas is willing to cut the ChiSox a discount to remain with the team. It means something to him to possibly be the last HOFer to have the honor of saying he played with 1 team his whole career. It may never happen again. How do you think JR would feel on the day Thomas becomes a HOFer when Thomas says how proud he was to finish to have devoted his years to the ChiSox? Some things are more important than $. This is one of them.

In terms of the de-facto standard (OPS) a healthy Thomas will have a better year than Koney in 2006. More importantly a healthy Thomas will have a more consistent OPS month to month than Koney. You can ignore the numbers only so far in your love for Koney. Plus there are the intangibles. Koney can't play DH. Have you even looked at his #'s as a DH? He's horrible. It's not easy to be a highly productive DH in this league yr after yr. If Koney had suffered Frank's injuries he's probably done. We saw how quickly his numbers dropped with minor injuries. Frank has proven the ability to come back & post big numbers time & again. The Sox will have cheaper & more effective options available to fill 1B. The last thing you want is to give up one of the best DH's the game has ever seen when you play in the AL. The bottom line is this. The best eye on the team is Frank. That's clearly obvious in his OBP year after year. No one on the team or in the organization is any where close to Frank in that regards. Moneyball dictates you retain Frank.

Did you really think a GOP controlled Congress was not going to reign in spending in the next decade? We're competing in a no-holds barred global economy where the child labor that was used during the industrial revolution looks miniscule by today's standards. You can't have it both ways. You can't embrace a capitalistic system that strengthens inequality amongst the masses & then desire a social system that strengthens equality. The two are diametrically opposed. The US is facing a s***-storm of problems just to keep afloat in the global economy two decades from now. One of which is the antiquated tax system. If you look at the nations running trade surpluses right now few of them have income tax systems & nearly all of them have national sales taxes. This places the US at a severe disadvantage because of the on-demand delivery of tax revenue these other nations are benefiting from. For ex, let's take a small example of a US retailer manufacturing a clock radio line in Asia for the US market. Any sale that is encurred whether it be to obtain materials or in the process of production & distribution is taxed. This replaces the need for corporate & individual income taxes. That tax revenue is then used to subsidize state sponsored projects that further the economic growth of the nation. That cyclical relationship occurs in day time vs annual time. This is one of the reasons new support is growing in the GOP ranks to replace the income tax system with a new sales based tax systems both at the state & federal levels. This is an interesting facet because it is hard for big business in America to argue against this in light of the global economy to retain their current advantages with the income tax system. Keep in mind there would be few right offs in a sales based system. More important foreign corps could no longer avoid paying taxes altogether. The number of foreign corps that register to do business in the US & just avoid paying taxes altogether before defaulting into dissolution is alarming. It's so easy to do. My advice to the socialists in America who still care about the lives of everyday Americans is to concentrate on fixing Made in America first to increase tax revenue the right way & then look at what social problems you can spend $ on in the future.

http://www.yahoo.com/_ylh=X3oDMTEwdnZjMjFh...gtY3Nz/s/233120 Buffett is saying this boys & girls. Maybe you'll listen to what he says. Highlights: - US could become a "sharecropper's society" where debt to foreigners rises to about $11 trillion by 2015. This would result in a debt payment to foreigners of about $550 billion annually by 2015 resulting in less investment & lower living standards. - Greenspan believes weaker dollar makes U.S. goods more competitive. This ignores the fact that China & other asian nations operate on fixed currencies & as the world takes notice other developing nations might consider that route. What can we do? Prioritize US manufactured goods & services over foreigners. New regulation could make this happen. On-line any site selling goods & services would have to include a Made in America search function & prioritize US manufacturers in searches whereever possible. In-store it would mean retailers would not only have to guarantee US manufacturers shelf space but they would have to prioritize it so that it was the most accessible or first noticeable choice. If there was a clock radio out there that was made in America Walmart would have to find space for it & put it first. It's not a big deal but it could make a substantial difference. If nothing else it would give Americans the ability to easily obtain that which is still Made in America. The American people would then have a real say in their future.

That sucks. They better letter him give his deposition in Tucson or this will feed into yet another White Sox conspiracy. This time by Congress. Giambi should have to appear if for no other reason then to tell every highschooler stay away from performance enhancing drugs. It's senseless why he's not appeaing. The Boss must have made some kind of deal. Maybe donated to campaigns or something. Do they fear Thomas' return to ChiSox that much?

Field 07: Fields at 3B, Uribe/? at SS, Igs/? at 2B, Gload/? 1B, AJP at C, ARow at CF, Pods/Sweeney at LF, Anderson/Sweeney at RF The ? represent an upgrade over the player at the position. Rowand offers too much in speed, glove, & bat to lose him. So if Pods is worth keeping around (arbit yr for him) then Sweeney/Anderson will vie for the remaining OF spot. The other might be used as the 4th OF on the bench or as trade bait. The best part of 07 is that the rotation is signed sealed & delivered. Mark, Freddy, Vazquez, BMC, Hernandez/? Hernandez will be two yrs older but he's not a fastball pitcher so he might still be very effective as a 5th. If not Hernandez then an upgrade. Possibly Barnett. Again they should have at least 40M to spend on the rotation so they should be able to get the best 5th starter in the ALC. Assuming Thomas at DH this team is capable of 220HR.

I posted every yr of his career. See above. 99-01 R 284/340/465/805 02-04 R 263/323/440/763 #4 hitter w a career avg of about 780OPS on the road. Better than avg but not worth the 45M/5 yr deal he's likely to get elsewhere.

http://baseball.espn.go.com/mlbhist/teams/...Type=2&type=reg Away http://baseball.espn.go.com/mlbhist/teams/...Type=2&type=reg Home Moneyball: 2000 343OBP on road, 369OBP at home vs 2004 321OBP on road, 344OBP at home

KW has to think of 06, & 07 when he makes moves for 05. Do I think this team would have a better shot at winning the division & a WS with a rotation of Mark, Freddy, Vazquez, Hernandez, BMC? You bet. Do I think the Cell has been a hitter's park for the past 5 yrs? You bet. The data is simply to overwhelming to ignore. 2000-2004: losses at home (30-35), avg 33. 2001-2004: losses on road (44-47), avg 45. 2000 32. Is it just weakness in pitching & D? Again look at the team road stats. 2000 R 1.51WHIP 4.66ERA 2001 R 1.39WHIP 4.63ERA 2002 R 1.41WHIP 4.85ERA 2003 R 1.36WHIP 4.43ERA 2004 R 1.41WHIP 4.73ERA Now take a look at the team road offense: 2000 R 279/343/441/784 2001 R 265/325/443/768 2002 R 257/325/414/739 2003 R 263/328/421/750 2004 R 260/321/424/745 2000 is substantially better than the rest but more important it exceeds what the opponents did against the Sox. It's the only time that happened in the past 5 yrs.

I think if we have learned anything over KW's tenure it's that he will trade anybody if he thinks he can improve the team. It all comes down to what KW thinks we'll need to get past the Twins in the 2nd 1/2. If he thinks Vazquez at the cost of Koney will do more good than harm he'll do that trade. Jason, this team has not had a better than 500 road record since 2000. It's senseless to ignore that fact & how it has done in the Sox the past 4 yrs. I took another look at Koney's road stats & they are better than his 04 #'s but again if your #4 hitter only puts up a 750OPS #'s on the road your team's at a disadvantage. Putting that aside do you think Koney is going to sign for anything less than 5 yrs & if you were KW would you sign him to that? Again we can't ignore the $ Glaus, Beltre, & Drew got this off-season. I think it would be a mistake to commit 40M/5 yr to Koney.

It seems fitting since there are Koney fans weighing in to post his complete R stats here: 02-04 R 263/323/440/763 99-01 R 284/340/465/805 He's not a bum on the road, but he's a far cry from the Koney that hits @ the Cell. Definitely better than Crede on the road. 01 R 266/333/461/794 00 R 305/367/500/867 99 R 264/323/429/752 04 R 239/301/407/708 03 R 223/286/384/670 02 R 318/374/516/890 01 R 266/333/461/794 00 R 305/367/500/867 99 R 264/323/429/752 98 R 203/260/319/579 - 138 AB

He's throwing a ton of strikes (so to speak). His ability to throw strikes vs say that of Garland is the difference betw night & day. That more than anything else convinces me that he should be in the rotation & makes either Garland or Contreras expendable. Neither Jon or Jose have consistently thrown strikes in their time up in the MLs. I expect either Jon or Jose to be traded before the break & BMC in the rotation. If he's pitching this well in ST he's going to be lights out for Charlotte & with Jon or Jose expected to have at least 4-5 poor starts by then BMC will be impossible to ignore.

Carl's got some nice road numbers over the years as well. 04 R 296/355/472/827 vs Thomas 04 R 274/432/460/892 03 R 288/370/491/861 vs Thomas 03 R 249/377/457/834 02 R 247/303/366/669 vs Thomas 02 R 240/351/355/706 Not as big a drop-off on the road at least.

I have found yet another reason to optimistic for 2005. Dye's road stats. 99 R 282/326/489/815 - 309 AB 00 R 301/381/551/932 - 296 AB 01 R 303/361/484/845 - 287 AB 02 R 274/361/464/825 - 252 AB 03 R 136/242/184/426 - 103 AB 04 R 247/301/437/738 - 279 AB Career 272/334/463/797 - 3818 AB He was traded to Oak in 01. The ALW ERA has been significantly lower than the ALC. He should be more than capable of putting up his 2002 #'s with the Sox on the Road. If he does that he's earned his pay. Home wise we have his Cell #'s: 99 Cell 385/407/500/907 00 Cell 273/346/773/1.119 01 Cell 240/296/480/776 That's about 100 AB. He's had only 8 AB's since.

This team has avg'd 33L at Home the past 5 yrs & 45L on the road the past 4 yrs. They won it in 2000 because they were road warriors. What does that tell you? Just about any decent ballplayer can hit at the Cell. AJP & Pods are road warriors. You can look up their away stats to see that. They are significant upgrades at leadoff & #7 in that respect. I challenge any pessimist to refute that. All of this "will they catch up to Shingo" talk is pure BS. There is nothing in last yr's stats to suggest any of that happening. Shingo doesn't just thow frisbees. He throws them for strikes. On the other side of the page Marte showed slight weakness vs RH last yr & still dominates LH. Cooper has him taking a much more aggressive stance this year & is pushing him to go inside on them. If he can nail that inside corner pitch on the RH's I expect him to return to his 03 form. Vizcaino & Hermanson represent huge upgrades over last yr's pen. Between Marky B, Freddy G, El Duque, & Jose C, & Jon G the Sox expect to have only 50 poor starts. That's a major improvement over the 2004 rotation. The other 112 starts are expected to be quality or winnable.

For the obviously intellectually inferior who weighed in with their usual dumbarse comments I suggest you look up the word stat in the dictionary. It represents an indisputable fact. Now for those who have more gray matter between their ears it's clear that the biggest weakness on this team the past 4 yrs has been performance on the road. It was more important for the Sox to shakeup the team in that regards & I think the additions of AJP & Pods address that. Dye doesn't help with the road that much but you at least can say he's approached an MVP like season before so there is that hope. Signing Dye for 11M/2yr makes him easily tradeable if he should falter or Sweeney or Anderson prove to be a better option. Please explain to me why after 6 yrs I should suddenly believe Koney is going to become a road warrior? Did it ever occur to you that his numbers are greatly inflated by the Cell & that his performance from month to month is more a function of road trips in that month then anything else? The best thing to do with Koney is trade him for an arm better than that of Garland & Contreras. Vazquez fits that bill. As fo BMC the optimism is because of his control. When you demonstrate that kind of control you are way ahead of the pack. It's not likely he'll lose that.

The latest I've read is that the earliest return is a month away. That's the most optimistic. Realistically speaking we are probably looking at mid May. Not that far off from Ozzie's initial prediction of June.

Joe is going to Charlotte no matter what he does this ST. He has not proven with his bat or his glove that he is ready for the MLs. Time's running out Joe. This is really his last chance. A strong ST & a strong AAA 1/2 would put Joe near the top to be called up if someone is traded or injured. I think Joe realizes this. His family might have even convinced him that with Dye being injury prone that he really needs to beat out Timo this ST. If he can do that then he could be the top name to replace Dye when/if he goes down.

As most of us predicted with the strong rotation the Sox will break with 11 arms & 14 bats. That leaves both Cotts & Walker the odd men out & Adkins likely to fill that final spot. It's true Marte will be the only lefty in the pen but Vizcaino is almost as effective vs LH bats as Marte is. It's like having two lefties. There's still time for Cotts to beat Adkins out for that final spot though. I think that's what Oz would like to see the most.

Most of the lawyer speak is to protect Giambi & Palmiero's arses. They don't want to distinguish Thomas' innocence from that of Palmy's so that's why they made the statement they did. The last I read on the congressional hearings on steriod abuse in MLB is that they are trying to arrange for depositions in Tucson for some players. I'd imagine a similar thing is being arranged in Florida as well.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-cubs-headlines - Harris has better range than Igs - Igs made errors in the A's game that cost the Sox the game - Igs is struggling with inside fastballs - Harris' 4 hits are scattered over his 19 abs going 1 for 3 vs Cubs - Igs 5 hits were all in the 1st wk in ST & he's struggled since I'm still a big fan of Igs but I thought Ozzie was a little zealous at penciling him in as the #2. I always felt Igs needed to hit near the end of the lineup to get better adjusted to MLB pitching. It's common sense that the guys hitting 7-9 in the lineup will on avg face fewer ab's vs starters than the top 6. That should help Igs somewhat. If I were the GM I would tell Igs he might want to try check swinging for hits on the inside fastballs. With his speed he might be able to steal a hit & in doing so force the pitchers to go away from that spot more often. It seems right now they smell blood & are just daring him to hit that pitch. I can't believe no one's pitched inside to him before so I'm thinking he could be struggling with the dry air of AZ as well. I doubt he's faced any weather conditions like that in his career to date. Once he figures it out I think that's going to help him challenge pitchers a lot more effectively.

Playing for a contender usually is enough to change a player's mind. As I have done in this thread KW can easily sell Vazquez on the future potential of the White Sox. Koney fans are ignoring his road numbers. They are awful. He hit 239 on the road last year & his career #'s are not much better. Add to that the fact he is clearly a 1-dim player & it makes no sense to commit 8-9M/yr over 4 yrs to Koney. Based on the off-season deals it makes no sense for Koney to accept anything less than a 4-5yr deal. I agree out of loyalty to Koney the Sox should at least offer him a 3yr deal. Even if they overpay a little on it. http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cws Comparisons to BMC as a RH Marky B or Greg Maddux with more zip. That kind of stuff makes you want to dream because control pitchers like these guys are often more durable than the power guys (Wood, Prior). Likewise they refer to Tracey & Honel as being not too far behind either. I'm really optimistic by what I'm hearing from Marte. I think he's poised to dominate RH's again (if he keeps from beaning them ) He's certainly taken Cooper's advice to heart.

Vazquez is predicated on the belief that AZ is not going to be in contention in the West & that the trade that was talked so much about with Koney as the centerpiece will resurface in Jun.

It's ok to dream as a fan of the Pale Hose right? Well I was just thinking what this team could look like in 06. Rotation 06: Buehrle, Garcia, Hernandez, Vazquez, BMC Rotation 07: Buerhle, Garcia, Vazquez, BMC, Honel Both rotations could be ranked as the best in the AL both years. The 07 Rotation will cost no more than 35M which will leave 45M for the field & the pen. I fully expect the Sox to have a mid-80's payroll in 07 coming off one of two divisional crowns. Field 07: Fields at 3B, Uribe at SS, Igs at 2B, Gload/? 1B, AJP at C, ARow at CF, Sweeney at LF, Anderson at RF Pen 07: Shingo, Marte, Hermanson, Vizcaino, + 3 more Wow! We could be favored to win the Series in 2007!

You're IQ as a function of the White Sox winning % on the R in comparison to the rest of Sox fans I've got another prediction. The 87-75 gm split between 1/2's tells me KW will be trying to deal before the break. Don't be surprised if that trade (Vazquez to the Sox) doesn't go down when AZ is in town in Jun. That would add Vazquez to the Sox arsenal for the all important R series vs Oak to close. That would give the Sox 5 Vazquez starts to close out the 1/2 (2 on the Road).