witesoxfan

I do remember him hitting a damn missle off of Redman yesterday, and right away, I thought it was a hit. That s*** hung up there like I didn't believe. If he ever figures s*** out in the majors, he will hit some pop-fly homers that end up going 400+ feet. He definately can hit the s*** out of the ball.

Happy BDay to one of the brightest around. Then again, anyone who appreciates the value of Jose Valentin is bright!

Should be in first by 1.5 games. This was a winnable game today that should have been won, not one of those winnable games where it could have gone either way.

I agree. I'm not giving up on him by any means, but, atleast batting RH, he looked quite overmatched. With that long swing of his, he needs to work on timing his swing, knowing what pitchers throw, knowing when they throw it, and how hard they throw it. Either that or shorten it up considerably more.

I've noticed that...a lot. There are two rules for a pitcher right after your offense scores you runs...#1 - don't let the other team score a run(s) the next half inning...and #2 - DON'T BREAK RULE #1! I hate this s*** from Loaiza.

That's not KW. He looks familiar, but that is definately not KW.

Nice work guys. This will be an awesome column(pats self on back )!

The Twins won 85 games in 1987...they won the World Series. The Yankees won 87 games in 2000...they won the World Series. The Mariners won 116 games in 2001...they didn't GET to the World Series. That same year, Oakland won 102 games...they didn't get out of the ALDS. Your W-L record means s*** so long as you make the playoffs. You get to the playoffs, and you start over at 0-0 again. Period.

If he stays in Arizona or is traded to an NL team(other then the Cubs), it's fine by me. I either want him on the Sox, or to remain in the NL.

He's struggled with his control. That's been his main problem. IIRC, he was in A-ball with us last year, so that means he was in AA this year...he was defiantely rushed to the majors, but his .216 BAA is very solid, and he has an excellent K/9 of around 12.5, though his WHIP is 1.38(again, due to his lack of control...he will struggle with control...as he gets older, that will improve). He's a young pitcher...he will have a few blow-ups, much like his blowup against Boston, where he gave up 3 ER in 2/3 of an inning. Take that ONE outing out, and his ERA is 3.38. ERA alone is not a good determining factor for relievers...one bad outing can make your ERA look very, very s***ty. I will tell you this, I wouldn't mind having him over here over Mike Jackson right now...he has a very live arm, and is very talented. He could be a top setup man for Texas in a couple years. Oh yeah... rolleyeyes.gif

Where's the option where we thought we gave up too much but still like the trade?

I like the move...maybe light's a fire under Carl's ass. Sometimes players get motivated and get hot when they go from a last place team to a first place team, and start to play over their heads...ala Aramis Ramirez/Randall Simon/Kenny Lofton of last year(along with Everett and Alomar with us last year). That's what I hope Carl does for us. However, I am happy we kept Rauch as long as we did...he pitched what I think is the game of the year earlier against the Indians...5 IP, 1 run allowed...that helped us get going and get out of our funk. Thanks to Rauch for that.

Frankie Francisco is only in the majors pitching well for the Rangers right now. rolleyeyes.gif

It will take a hell of a lot more to get Vince then a couple 2nd round picks. Toronto does not have to give him up. Period.

That is kind of an obvious statement. I think you meant not every star, not ever great player has those qualities...and I do agree, to an extent. I think there's a saying in all sports...there are good players and great players...the good players put up the numbers, the great players make the players around them better. Shaq, KG, Duncan...they all have that ability. It really is yet to be seen if Kobe does...the only time he was without Shaq for a period of time, they were well below .500.

I don't think he's saying that, I think he's saying it would cost too much to get Vince Carter to Chicago and the cost would not be worth the end product.

Apparently, Jon was never thought of that highly by the Cubs organization if he was traded for Matt Karchner, even if Karchner did have a decent half-season for us. These are good points though...not that it will change my mind. We have a chance to have the best 1-2-3 in the majors by losing a decent bat and a decent starter along with prospects, and people have a problem with that? I still don't get it. Maybe it's just me. To me, Jon Garland does not = Ben Sheets. Hell, Jon Garland doesn't even = Kip Wells(of last year, that is)

Miles has no range defensively at 2B, and he has no speed. Uribe's worked out just fine. Miles was sucking ass in April and May, and Uribe was not. That was exactly when we needed Uribe the most. If not for Uribe's help in April and May, we may not be where we are right now. He helped spark this team. I'm glad KW made the trade. It has worked out for us, and it has worked out for the Rockies.

He also has plus stuff. A very good fastball(usually around 93-96, being able to touch 97 and 98 when he's really firing), and a huge 12-6 breaking ball. You got those two things, along with a mediocre offspeed pitch, and you are set to be a good pitcher. Jon has a mediocre fastball(94-95 on a good day), a mediocre sinker, a mediocre offspeed pitch, and a mediocre breaking ball, along with mediocre location. Take that into account along with the fact that he lacks the focus and demeanor to be a big time pitcher, and you have yourself a mediocre pitcher. He is still young, but that does not mean as much as one would like to think. He is, afterall, in his 3rd full year of starting, and his 4th year in the bigs(along with a callup in 2000 that is). He has experience, and is practically a veteran. A general rule of thumb for judging a pitcher is not his age but rather by the first 400 innings he throws in the majors...IOW, usually the roughest parts of a pitcher's career are the first 2 seasons he starts, and then he's supposed to figure it out. That has not happened with Jon. If Garland and Rowand(along with prospects) for Johnson and maybe more(maybe not) came up, you gotta make the deal. Period.

Those two could really break out if they came here!

I agree with you 100%. Just imagine where Minnesota would be without KG.

I think everyone would. Afterall, they'd only be in first place by about 5 games.

Hitting a grand slam and a 2-run homer usually help.

That's the smart move!!! If you think about it, KW practically has to. He's already given up a young stud catcher and our #1 prospect for a pitcher who lost 14 games and had an ERA of 4.50 last year(he IS much improved this year though, and is showing signs of old). You can't stop now...you have to go for it all. As of right now, for this franchise, there is no tomorrow(tomorrow being next year...we have no idea what's going to happen next year) This may offend some of our minor league gurus here, but right now, with the attitude Williams should have, the farm system should be used for trade bait...the entire thing. If KW does this correctly, our farm system should be terrible next year, with maybe 1 or 2 bright spots in high A-ball and above.