witesoxfan

I know Lowell has a bad contract and all, and I know they need an upgrade in their rotation...but why? Lowell's having a pretty solid year all-around, and he's making the Monster into his beech. I guess I'm just unsure as to why they'd do it. I guess as a Sox fan, I don't know much about the Red Sox. Why would the Red Sox do that? Is their rotation really that bad? Actually, I think I just kind of figured it out. Youk moves to 3B, Shealy to 1B, and given pitcher to rotation. Just gotta hope the transition from 1B to 3B doesn't mess with Youk offensively

Yeah, I think the Sox need to do something about it. Pull your heads out of your f'n a's and start playing good baseball. KW's done more than he needed to put this team in a position to win the division. If it fails, you can NOT blame KW. Of course, this past series was a hell of a good start(just a shame it ended the way it did). Hopefully they can keep it up against KC.

I would say delete this from the face of the earth and never let Flash see it. He is going to go on about a 1500 word rant about how everyone else in the AL Central is developing a ton of great players within while KW is busy taking safe picks and trading them away...lol "Q: Do you target groundball pitchers or strikeout pitchers? What do you look for in a pitcher? A: We want to develop power pitchers in this organization. You’ve got to develop them because the only teams that can afford them on the free-agent market are the Yankees and the Red Sox or a team like the Blue Jays who just happened to have a lot of money to spend that year. As a general rule 90 percent of baseball can’t afford them, if not more. So you have to develop them. Other than that, you just blend in. The matchups are what it’s all about in this game. You look at this division and some of the left-handed hitting talent, it’s important to have some left-handed pitchers. Ultimately, you want guys who can command their fastball and have a quality secondary pitch and control that. But it’s important that we concentrate on developing power pitchers." "Q: The Braves instituted a working agreement with a team in Japan. Do you see making an arrangement like that with the Royals? A: We’ll see. It’s not on the front burner. I love the international aspect of our game. I think it’s important that the Royals are very visible and very competitive internationally. We’ve got to clean up some things more on the immediate front. We’ve got to get our program going in Latin America and establish our presence there and then expand out to the eastern part of the world. All while making sure that we’re very successful with the draft and taking care of the players that we have in the system through our development programs." Definately a good read, and definately scary when you think about how much of this stuff he has planned out. This division could be, like, really, really, really good within the next 5 years. Hell, the Sox could put out teams like the 01-04 teams and lose 90-100 games

He also sticks his tongue out a lot.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Jul 27, 2006 -> 12:29 AM) I'm thinking if we don't here anything new/significant tomorrow, this ain't happening. I wouldn't say that. Bowden has 4 days to hear some offers. I'm sure KW has one on the table, and if someone tops it, KW tips his cap and lets Soriano go. There's still a long time until the deadline. spiff will start hitting the fans soon enough.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 06:54 PM) I think I forgot everything I once knew about football. What has baseball done to me? Dude, I couldn't name you half the starters on the Bills right now. That's more or less because they suck, but still

QUOTE(ChiSox9 @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 10:46 AM) He was a third baseman in minor league ball. Played 5 games for the Sox at 1st in 1999 and was a normal outfielder ever since. He has 6 years of OF service under his belt whereas Soriano was just moved to LF this season. I think if a team is looking to get a solid LF with proven experience then CLee would be the way to go. Not saying that I want the Sox to get him, but be it that he is the solid OF, in turn i believe he would decrease SOriano's trade value. You would be correct. Most teams that are interested in Soriano are most likely viewing him as a middle of the order hitter, not a leadoff hitter, so CLee coming onto the market should decrease the value of Soriano. I gotta crazy hunch Soriano is gonna be a member of the Sox before not awful long. I don't think any team will bite on the top prospect, and the Sox offer, whatever it may be, should be enough. Whether they resign him or not is a completely different story, but we'll see how that goes. I'm more interested to see if Detroit does make a move. I'd be a little surprised actually...they have opened up a huge cushion in the past two weeks, and I have to imagine any move may actually work against them...they've gotten themselves where they are because of themselves, so why should they need a little extra help? Maybe I'm just used to watching the psychiatric Sox playing, and I think that's how every team is. BTW...you should post more. You seem like you know your stuff.

Hope for a sweep Twins sweep(and we can actually take care of business), and we gain ground in the Central. Tigers sweep, and we gain ground in the Wild Card. At this point, I don't care who wins. I just want a sweep. The winner of the first game dictates who I cheer for in the next 2 games.

QUOTE(Soxpranos @ Jul 26, 2006 -> 04:57 PM) Still a few pieces away... mainly on the Offensive line and Defense. Cant wait till November 5th when the Phins come to town. Still a few pieces away? Man, I'm a Bills fan, and they aren't anything away from being a friggin damn good team. They were 6-0 to end the year last year. The only thing they lacked was a real good QB, and if Mularkey(AGHJPWIOEJRA!@%!@^ASGAA#ASDF@) can keep Culpepper's head on straight, they are gonna win 12 games and the division

But it's perfectly fine when any other manager in baseball does it. Guess the f what, it was his team, let him pick who he wants to pick. The AL won, I don't care how ugly it was, the AL won...that's all that matters. Not attacking the messenger red, thanks for posting...people just piss me off.

QUOTE(S720 @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 11:33 PM) When the Sox were in the same situation with the Cleveland Indians right behind their tail, you probably had the same whining reaction. If this is Ozzie's job to redirect his team, let him do it, and stop your fishing whining. Except that was a completely different scenario. Last year, there were really only 6 teams in the AL with a chance to make the playoffs, and the Sox had a pretty sizable lead over everyone as well as the best rotation in the majors. At it's very worst, the Sox were like 3-4 games up on a playoff spot. This year, there are 6 teams between the AL East and Central that have a chance at making the playoffs, with only 3 being able to make it out of that group. Of those 6, the Sox seem to have, by far, the worst pitching of all of them right now(I have no stats backing me up, but that's about what it seems like). Comparing this year to last year is comparing apples to oranges. That being said, one can only hope all this friggin trade speculation ends very shortly after the deadline, and that KW gets all the moves he needs to make done before the 31st. If the team has to deal with more rumors come August, it's going to be more struggles. I'd imagine it's hard to play period not knowing how secure your job is and not knowing what your team will look like 2 days from now. Minnesota's part of no trade rumors, and they're playing well. I wonder if a sense of security is part of the reason. BTW, Wanne...that's about the last thing I want to see at 10 to 4.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 03:00 PM) 1) That's my problem. We wouldn't really have a solid leadoff option. Ideally I'd like to see our leadoff guy over a .370 OBP. If I had to pick someone off the roster, I'd say Iguchi, but he doesn't thrill me either. 2) I posted the stats a while ago, he wasn't exactly bad in the 3 and 5 spots in Texas, even with weaker protection than he had in New York. He posted a .838 OPS in the 5 hole in 2005, which just above his career average. He actually struggled more in the leadoff spot in Texas. This year is a significant statistical outlier in his entire career. He's never been over .880 even when he was leading off for the Yankees. He's walking a lot more while still showing good power. I'd chalk this up to a Beltran/Beltre like contract year upswing than anything having to do with his spot in the lineup. Pretty much agreed on all points. I kinda figured we were seeing eye to eye, just had to clear it up. I'm just not sure this is the type of move that makes a whole lot of sense a year from now. I'd be thrilled to have Soriano in the lineup, but long term, that's probably going to cost $15 mill a year. Is Soriano really worth $15 million a year to this club, especially when you have Buehrle's contract coming up after the '07 season(assuming his option is picked up after this year)? With the additional attendance revenue, along with one or two of the starters gone within the next 5 months, we may have enough, but that would create holes elsewhere, such as the rotation(if two were dealt). So long as Sweeney and McCarthy are not dealt, I'll be fine. I'm just not sure it's possible without doing so. If Bowden would bite on Podsednik, Fields, and Broadway, I don't know how you can turn him down. Hell, if you have to throw Haeger in there too, by all means, do it. I just invision Sweeney taking over the 1B/OF role next year, getting quite a bit of playing time, and then taking over for Dye in 08. Unless of course KW thinks JD will be able to maintain this current pace for a couple years, in which case Sweeney is expendable. I dunno...this whole trading business just keeps flying over my head, and I am confused...lol

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 02:35 PM) And Soriano's career OBP is .325. I'd call that a passable on base guy compared to a lower on base guy. This is the first year Soriano has gotten on base at a decent clip. Plus, Pods doesn't have the ability to hit for power and drive in runs like Soriano, so he almost has to lead off or hit 8 or 9. As a hitter, I'd say he's an upgrade. However, I don't really want him leading off because it's a waste of his best assets. I've said that several times. I have two questions zoom. First, if the Sox were to acquire Soriano, who should the leadoff hitter be? I agree that, theoretically, Soriano's production would be better for the offense if he were hitting lower in the order, but I see no one else on the team who could leadoff. Iguchi perhaps, but that's about it. Secondly, Soriano has never proven that he can be a very reliable bat lower in the order. He's still been very solid, with OPS's between .800-.850 or so, but nowhere near the .955 he's put up this year. If the Sox were to acquire him, would he be able to maintain his .955 OPS in the middle of the order rather than the top?

QUOTE(rudylaw @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 12:35 PM) Next years apprentace will be for the teams manager. "Alright, so to determine this year's winner, you are going to have to make a complete ass out of yourself to prove that you can handle the media scrutiny. And, go" “You can tell your uncle stuff that you could not tell your dad. That is kind of the role of an uncle. I feel very much like a father sometimes but sometimes I feel like a teammate.” “They found every hole. We helped them with a couple of errors, and we weren't doing it offensively.” “They police themselves, but they don't police themselves the way we used to police ourselves.” "Well being a manager is sort of like being a father. I was always held to be responsible because I was the oldest of five. No matter what happened in my family I was always in charge and always at fault. Being a manger is like being a father where your dad is the ultimate last word and disciplinarian. " "WINNAR"

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 02:09 PM) Pablo hasn't gotten a hit in like 3 weeks and he can't play the field. I hope that is not "the reserve in the AL." If he still has legs, he still has use "He has bayou speed" /hawk

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 02:04 PM) Depending on whether or not Pods stays here in the event of a Soriano acquisition, I think it might have to be Pablo... Or else a trade of Mackowiak. I think we need Gload to backup first base. Pablo isn't going anywhere. He might be the reserve in the AL.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 01:58 PM) We keep talking about LF with Soriano, but he can also be used to give Iguchi a rest. Just have him play at 2nd, and have Pods out in LF when you want to give Iguchi a rest. He adds a lot more flexibility to the lineup. I don't know about that. I figure if Cintron, Ozuna, and Mackowiak can't handle that, then we're screwed. QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 02:00 PM) Except of course we'd need a roster spot to put him into, which would presumably involve dropping Gload, which gives us less flexibility in terms of actually having a backup for our 1st baseman Mackowiak was brought in to be a utility player. It takes away from flexibility, sure, but we still have a backup 1Bman on the roster. First and foremost, if the Sox were to acquire Soriano, they'd have to find room in the lineup. I figure that would involve Podsednik being moved, but I have no idea where to.

The Tigers would have to go 22-41 from here on out to not win 90 games, and subsequently would have to go 32-31 to not win 100 games. If Leyland doesn't win it, I'd spiff in my hat.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 01:46 PM) So can Soriano. Pods = a career .346 OBP, not exactly a high on base guy. Soriano is not that big of a difference at a career .325 OBP. I am just not understanding why Zoom thinks we are replacing this supposedly HIGH ON BASE GUY with a LOW ON BASE GUY. They are pretty similar with all of the other stats going Soriano's way. Plus he has busted his tail to learn how to play left field. Pods still has trouble playing LF and he is a career outfielder. Soriano is a huge upgrade. You're not going to find disagreement with me there He'd be a perfect fit for USCF. Much smaller area to cover, so his mediocre defense(if it is mediocre...I haven't been able to watch Soriano in LF at all this year) is hidden by Anderson and the smaller field, plus his quick wrists would allow for quite a few flyballs turning into homers.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 01:25 PM) I'm really not convinced that you can say we developed Cotts or Jenks. They came from other organizations that developed them. Even Garland to an extent. I'd consider Cotts a White Sox development - he was pitching in high-A for the Athletics when he was traded. He then pitched marvelously in AA for a little over half a year, was called up, and hasn't really seen the minors since then. Jenks was a complete reclamation project by the White Sox. Give credit to the Angels for drafting the kid, but that's about all you can give them credit for. They let him go, the Sox picked him up, put him in the pen, and the rest is history. Garland was traded by the Cubs to the Sox as an 18 year old in A-ball. If that isn't the Sox own development, I don't know what is. QUOTE(southsideirish @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 01:29 PM) Since when is Pods a high OBP guy? You are confusing to talk to. Maybe this is me butting in on the wrong conversation, but a .351 OBP last year, and a .349 OBP this year isn't high, but it's adequate. His baserunning and defense leave something to be desired, but he can get on base.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 07:45 AM) He could absolutely, but he'll need to show next season an increased K rate in AAA I would imagine. What do you think is fair value for Lumsden BTW Rowand, if you had to pick an available player that would fit the need of this team instead of MacDougall? I would have taken Flash over MacDougal, but that would have involved the Sox giving Garcia(which would have been awwwwwesome), Vazquez(equally awwwwwwsome), Fields(not so cool), or Sweeney(definately not so cool). So for the price, I'm fine. I think we gave up a bit too much...Lumsden alone should have been plenty to get MacDougal, but why was it necessary to give up Cortes? Just seems unnecessary to give up more talent than you have to.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jul 24, 2006 -> 04:42 PM) It's orange and blue, dammit. If you don't know colors by hex code then dammit, what good are you? Honestly now, c'mon

I'm gonna laugh if Soriano doesn't get moved at all.

QUOTE(Hanger @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 12:26 PM) Interesting thought here, how about acquiring C. Lee just to flip him for Soriano. The Brewers have all but said they don't think they can afford to resign him....Interesting... Probably far from happening, but a 3 teamer including Sox, Nats, Brewers, could make for some very interesting rosters. Bowden's looking to move Soriano because he's a free agent after the year. Thus, he'd have no interest in Carlos Lee, because he's a free agent after this year.

QUOTE(Hanger @ Jul 25, 2006 -> 12:22 PM) I agree with the Sweeney comments-but at this point, with Crede playing on a 1 year deal, and using agent Scott Boras we might end up missing Fields depending what happens in the offseason. Sox might be better off holding onto Fields well into the offseason, until they can get Crede on a longterm contract if they so desire. Crede's not a free agent until after 2008.