witesoxfan

If the Twins get Liriano into the rotation, they are probably my most feared team...the Twins, offensively, are going to be probably right around where the Sox were last year, perhaps a little better, but that rotation would be disgusting. Santana-Radke-Silva-Baker-Liriano...where's the weakspot? Probably Radke, and he is good for an ERA around 4.00 and 12-15 wins every given year, and he is a friggin money pitcher. The Sox rotation is one of the few that could be better than that, but hell, even they may not be better if that rotation pitches like it can. Their defense is still solid too, so I fear the hell out of them. I'll say that I figure both Cleveland and Minnesota are equal threats to the Sox...it will be a three horse race all year long, and I figure the healthiest team will probably wind up winning the division. If past history indicates what happens this year, I see the Sox winning the division with Cleveland finishing in 2nd and Minnesota 3rd.

QUOTE(Cuck the Fubs @ Apr 18, 2006 -> 09:38 AM) Jeff Cirillo led off the 9th w/ a HR. And Cameron would've had a 5th had he not been robbed I seem to recall Cameron doing the robbing, taking a homer away from Maggs. I do not recall Cameron being robbed. I also remember Rauch came in at some point too it seems and was destroyed. I also recall Cameron getting a double in his last AB.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Apr 18, 2006 -> 11:16 AM) Man, take it easy with the Cubs. I can't remember a post of yours where you didn't mention them in some way. You hate the Cubs, yes. We all do. It's like it runs your life. Seriously I dont see much of a reason to hate the Cubs anymore. The Sox got the championship first, the Sox stole Chicago back, the Sox have the better park, and the Sox are THE talk of Chicago, especially with Thome killing the ball. What more could you want? I'm not saying you have to like the Cubs, because I sure as hell don't, but holy hell, the Cubs are not kings*** in Chicago anymore.

QUOTE(TheBlackSox8 @ Apr 16, 2006 -> 03:25 PM) i sat here and watched that game cuz the sox were in delay.....he is a machine. i just shook my head and laughed....utterly ridiculous Best.sig.evar.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Apr 16, 2006 -> 02:22 AM) And Beane's shown he's not gun shy to pull the trigger in that type of situation with Mulder and Hudson. I would disagree quite a bit regarding that. He's never really shown the ability to firesale midseason. In the offseason, sure...but you'd have to offer a hell of a package to get him even thinking about trading Zito at the moment or in the future.

QUOTE(WinningUgly85 @ Apr 15, 2006 -> 10:37 PM) It just shows that I am human and that I make mistakes. As we all saw when you thought the Cubs were gonna win the World Series.

QUOTE(Soxfest @ Apr 15, 2006 -> 07:48 PM) As a Bills fans I am not real excited Very well understood. Gonna be a longass year in Buffalo next year.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Apr 15, 2006 -> 11:42 PM) There would have also been no Cal. 10-2 with a rubber arm I was going to make some comment about Jose, but I can't. Cal was too awesome.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Apr 15, 2006 -> 10:24 PM) Usually I agree with that. But top-flight prospects for half-a-season? Giving up the future for VERY short-term results? In Oakland's case with Zito, I just wouldn't want to give up the future for three months of work. Four if you happen to be in the playoffs, but still. 1) Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, and John Halama got Houston into the playoffs one year indirectly. RJ then bolted for Arizona. You take the playoff birth over the specs every time with 1 exception, that being if your in the Cleveland Indians state as of 2004, where you are in a growing/maturing mode, where the players getting experience is more important long term than getting to the playoffs. 2) Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, and Mike Morse netted the Sox a 2nd place finish in 2004, and the World Series clinching starter in 2005. Sometimes you can resign those guys...sometimes you can't. Sometimes it's worth the roll of the dice, sometimes it's not. If I think I'm a stud starter away from winning the whole thing, I'm selling my future for a winner...if I think I can resign him, etc... Regardless, both Thomas and Oakland are notoriously slow starters. I want to see what both look like in July...I think I have a pretty good idea of what I will see right now already.

Jamie Navarro. Without Jamie Navarro, there is no Jose Valentin. With no Jose Valentin, who am I to love?

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Apr 14, 2006 -> 06:30 PM) How do you figure they had to pull an episode making fun of the Christian faith and I dont know why so many of you are eager to "trash" the muslim faith. They "trash" scientology, they "trash" Christianity...why wouldn't they "trash" Islam?

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 11:01 PM) No offense Wite, but Buffalo could seriously have the worst record in the NFL next season. Tom Donahue looks like a godly GM compared to some of the moves Marv Levy has made. None taken. I just have absolutely no idea WTF is going on with them. I'm pretty happy I'm a White Sox fan atleast.

QUOTE(T R U @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 06:26 PM) ^^^ And for everyone who doesnt know, he is a Bills fan The Dolphins sig is for miami being better than them last year.. we had a sig bet I hate you I will only make that bet next year if I can take Buffalo.

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 02:36 PM) The only thing I said is that his K/9 is low enough to believe he's gonna get rocked every once in a while. What happened last year in terms of ERA and WHIP is a total fluke. Sorry if that offends some of you. Nowhere in this thread am I saying I am ready to ship Garland out. He's a fine fourth/fifth starter and will probably go 16-13 with a 4.2-4.4 ERA. We have plenty of offense to bail him out most of the time. That's happened throughout his career, and that happened last year even - how will that stop him from being a very good pitcher? As bad as sinkerballers with low K/9's can be, they can also be on the exact opposite end of that spectrum, and be very good for stretches of time if they get right. I also don't see how you can't say the exact same thing about Buehrle...1 K/9 is a rather large difference, but it's not half a point difference in ERA or more. Obviously we saw that last year, but why can't you see it this year either? So much more of it spotting pitches well, mixing it up well, and having your fielders make the plays behind you. I see no reason he can't have a very solid year, without considering he's a #4 starter. I would personally take 16-13 4.30 ERA...nothing wrong with that out of a #4...but I think he can put up even better than that too, something around 15-18 wins with a sub 3.75 ERA. He did it last year, so he suddenly can't do it this year?

Josh Reed isn't much of a 3rd receiver. I think it's pretty much set in stone that Buffalo is gonna friggin suck next year.

Throw 6 receivers into the fire and hope 3 survive. Meh, atleast they're not using first round picks 3 years in a row on receivers.

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ Apr 13, 2006 -> 01:01 PM) Garland's lack of K's suggest that he's not nearly as good of a pitcher as his ERA and WHIP suggested last season. Simply put, a lot of balls get put into play when he pitches. What's the difference between 5.3 K/9 and 4.9 K/9, aside from 0.4? One of course is the face of the franchise, and one is being shipped out by White Sox fans already. I'm just glad KW jumped to conclusions like this last year when he replaced Jermaine Dye after a bad April and he replaced Joe Crede after a bad May.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 05:50 PM) Ummm. Thome + 400+foot homers = a happy Clubhouse, I'm sure. Umm sarcasm

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 03:32 PM) How much? In a year like this, we don't have time for that. Herein lies the problem. Agreed very much. We need a leadoff hitter than we can depend on for a .350 OBP at the very least...if Pods can't do it, he needs to be replaced. He was wonderful for the Sox in the early part of last year getting on base and causing all kinds of havoc, and he probably hit the biggest homer in Sox history, but that doesn't mean he can't be replaced. One does have to give him some time to see if he can regain his ability...but you don't have all season. You have about a month, and if he can't get in game shape, then he's no better than a 4th OFer.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 02:42 PM) ...I'd also like to take this opportunity to say I truly believe we will be hearing Javier Vazquez's name in the race for the Cy Young come season's end. You heard it here first. You may have said it first, but I was preaching all off-season about how much I loved Vazquez, after having looked him over a bit. There's a reason KW liked him so much, and hopefully the Sox will be reaping the rewards. Hopefully we will all be able to feed VAFan a little crow at the end of the season(all in good fun of course, VA ) As for the relievers - Cotts has started every year out cold. Every year. This is no different. His K's are fine, his control is fine...he's just giving up hits. Once he settles in a little bit, those hits will come down and he will be the dominant reliever he was last year. Politte's a different story, and I think is a perfect example of why it is hard to count on relievers from year to year. David Weathers was part of a trade that sent Richard Hidaldo to the Mets - he was then released in September of that year by Houston due to ineffectiveness. He's now closing games for Cincinatti. It's also a reason you must have depth in a bullpen, because guys can be streaky and inconsistent from year to year. EDIT: should add that it doesn't mean Politte can't rebound and become an effective reliever. It just means I'm less sure of him bouncing back than I am of Cotts.

QUOTE(Tannerfan @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 03:04 PM) I saw Frank bat twice against NY on TV last week. In the first at bat he swung hard and and hopped around on his right foot, doing everything he could to keep his weight off of the left ankle. In the second AB he slammed a double off the wall in left field, that gave the A's the win but he limped into second base in obvious pain. I'm afraid he is not long for this season. Thomas has made atleast a slight mechanical flaw in his swing this year - I noticed it opening night. In his past, he has always leaned on his back foot, like all players do, and then transfer that weight forward through the swing - but Thomas did this so much that he always very clearly ended up standing on his left foot only. Now his right foot remains grounded throughout the swing, as far as I could tell.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 01:42 PM) I think Thome + MVP = Pipe Dream. It's very real as a possibility if he plays First Base, but I think it was well-established last year that the Voters aren't willing to vote in a DH. All the power to him, I'd be thrilled like everyone else if he got it. But I doubt it very much. ARod had better numbers than Ortiz. One argument you can make is ironically Thomas in 2000. He finished 2nd in the MVP balloting to Giambi, who played 1B in 120+ games that year. Those two were so friggin similar in 2000 it's amazing.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Apr 9, 2006 -> 07:35 PM) It's a marathon, not a sprint. Neither the Tigers nor Indians project to have the starting pitching to last down the stretch. The starting pitching is bound to come around, and then, I expect this to be a much happier place. If we're worried this early, it's about two, nay, one thing. Scott Podsednik. I would say Paul Konerko, but, he looks to have found his swing and has been having some quality at-bats. If Scott Podsednik doesn't come around in the next few series, he's headed to the DL and, before you know it, our "Ozzie-ball," speedy ballclub has no speed at all. Addy, you should know that the Sox essentially won the division last year in April. If not for the Sox amazingly hot start, there isn't a chance in hell they win 99 games, the AL Central, or the World Series. While it is a marathon, that doesn't mean the division can't be won or lost based on 1 month. If you really do want to look at it somewhat objectively, and not base all logic off of cliches, you would probably rather struggle a little bit early in the season rather than during August and September when most of the games have much more importance. Again though, with the same thought process, those games in August and September mean absolutely nothing without atleast respectable months in April and May. I think the key is to get the offense going, and to figure s*** out in the pen. Considering that the bullpen has already lost the Sox 2 games(which would put them at 4-2 instead of 2-4), and that most of the Sox hitters have looked absolutely terrible at the plate, I think it's pretty safe to say something needs to be fixed. Now obviously I'm not talking about a trade this early in the season, or even a callup, but those coaches need to figure out wtf is going wrong. That should all come in due time though.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Apr 5, 2006 -> 11:43 PM) Oh I caught it... It wasn't halfway out of his mouth, and I was telling him to STFU. :uhoh LOL He got done saying it, and then I kind of realized what he just said, and I realized who was at the plate and I was just kind of like "Ohhh s***."

Hey, did anyone catch DJ talking about how hitters were going to put good swings on the ball against Logan all year long, only to foul them back or pop them up and wonder how they hell they did that? And then how the next pitch landed 900 feet away? I kind of thought that was funny myslf.