witesoxfan

I hope we do do it.....Carlos is an unnecessary hitter for the team right now....he's right handed, he's never hit more than 30 homers(when he has supposedly been the next Manny Ramirez or something like that), he's terribly defensively, he has no arm, he's a dumbass on the basepaths, and he has done some questionable things in the clubhouse in the past(though it wasn't necessarily wrong). I would take Ponson, and however much he makes, put him on waivers if he isn't good enough to make the team, and if he isn't claimed, then we send him down to AAA...if he is....yippee. We'd also have to get a few prospects in the deal(like a stud in their system) along with a couple sleeper-types(ie Neal Cotts from Oakland). We then would have atleast one more lefty bat in the lineup, one more roster spot, better defense, and better team baserunning....and possibly more as well. I don't care if Carlos would put up a .310 35 120 season in Baltimore.....we would be better as a team by just getting rid of him.

Not if their bullpen sucks. In 01, their starting pitching was awesome, but their bullpen sucked....and they won 85 games. In 02, their starting pitching was mediocre, at best, but their bullpen had an incredible year...and they won 94 games. For the record...they were a better offensive team in 01, and their defense really didn't change all that much. Their bullpen had more to do with their success than their starting pitching did....for all I care, they can get that ace....as long as their bullpen suffers....and I believe it will

All I'm saying is that without Buehrle....we are not where we are today. Buehrle is the savior of this team...and should have been given MVP of the White Sox two straight years. Manuel was a big part of the success of 2001....he really did help unite that team and keep them going. It just seems that he kind of lost control of the team during 2002....they weren't motivated to play....they just played like s*** most of the time. But I credit a lot of their success from August and September to the young guys coming up and getting some fire built up in the veterans....and Valentin being back at SS. The Sox were 31-16 last year with Jose at SS....that means that the Sox were 15 games under .500 with anyone else at SS. That drops a huge hint, IMHO....that Valentin at SS was also a key to success. I may be giving too much credit to Buehrle....but I don't think Manuel deserves as much credit as you are giving him. He does deserve credit for putting Jose back at SS....so I guess I can give him that. I guess he is a manger we can win with....he has proven it before.

Isn't Torborg the one who has trouble handling pitching staffs?

He's still unproven as a starter, maybe he won't be all that great... Have you seen his stuff? It's frickin filthy....he may not be great...but I figure he'll probably win between 12-15 games with an ERA under 4.00. Baggs....they may be...but it won't be as bad as our year. Man....nothing can compare to that year....for them to have a year like we had in 01....they'd have to lose Hunter, Reed, Fiore, Hawkins, Milton(for the entire year), and their best pitching prospect(whoever the hell that is)....something tells me that won't happen. Anyway we can win the division though.....I'm all for it.

On one play, in one game, yes. I was there... I saw it. I also saw that Lou's team didn't advance to the series in any year he was there, and that last season they missed the playoffs and he was gone. I also think that JM held the team together in 2001 and 2002 when it could have fallen apart and if JM hadn't of done that, we wouldn't be looking at good things in 2003. Calm and steady is the better way to manage young ballplayers than bombast. In my opinion... cw....I don't think you are giving enough credit to Buehrle....because if Buehrle doesn't pitch magnificent these past two years....we don't have much of anything. No Colon, no Koch, probably no Konerko, Lee, Valentin, Thomas....etc. Manuel may have helped hold the team together...but without Buehrle....not even Manuel could have held the team together, and he would either be unemployed right now or would have some stupid coaching job...like bench coach or something. If we don't make the postseason this year....I gotta think Manuel will be gone.

Ritchie might lose 20 this year, even if he does go on the DL. When you are a crappy pitcher and you are pitching for a crappy team....you will not get good results.

link I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing....their starting rotation is now better....but what about their bullpen? It loses some depth and if a guy in the pen goes down, they are in deep s***.....as it is, the most they will have are Romero, Guardado, Hawkins, Fiore, Fetters and mystery man #6....if one of them goes down....their biggest strength from last year, aside from defense, goes to the s***ter. I have said I don't want to win the division with them being injured....but the more I think about it....any way we can get it is fine with me. I'm not wishing injury on them....but just wishing and hoping and knowing we will win the division.

Not to a completely healthy player who is able to strongly contribute. I think Alomar is a much better option than Paul so why would the Sox want him on the DL if he can play a couple of times a week? In the Ritchie deal, I don't have firsthand knowledge of it. Perhaps the union didn't say anything because they were trying to protect him. I guess certain situations could gain the blessing of both the player and the union, but I would think they would be rare. No, I don't understand why we would put Alomar on the DL if he was completely healthy. I was just stating that the phantom DL does exist, and you only have to go back to last season to realize that. I assume when a player is closing in on 20 losses or something like that....the union may allow it, for personal pride. Tanyon Sturtze is lucky as hell....he lost 18 games last year....and I know he kicked the s*** out of us one time too.

Rex....you have never seen the phantom DL? Try last year....I don't care what anyone said about Ritchie's shoulder....I think that was probably a case of the phanton DL. Put him on the DL, with a "shoulder" injury, to avoid him losing 20 games. KW's pride interfered with that one.

No they don't.....I assume it is like a team rule....kind of like some teams not being able to listen to music after games....say maybe after losses they can't. Something like that. You can make up your own team rules....the Sox clubhouse spies last year didn't have to be approved by the player's union....and that is the kind of thing the Brewers are doing. To get these banned from baseball as a whole would have to have approval of the player's union.

But I don't like Manuel's style of managing....dumbassing around....channeling Ghandi....pulling pitchers at the wrong time, not managing by the book. If we could get Tom Kelly....even if he did ruin the Twins chances in 2001.....I would love it. He only got ejected like 5 times in his entire career...but was always out there defending his players. He just didn't yell his ass off, like Piniella or Showalter...etc. I would take Piniella over Manuel....Piniella has proven time and time again that he is a great manager. He has taken his teams to the postseason several times....while Manuel has had, correct me if I'm wrong here, 2 seasons of +.500 baseball...with 4 right around the .500 mark. It is crazy as hell to find out that he is one of only two managers in the AL to have had the same job for two centuries. He is on the hot seat this year...and if this team gets off to a rough start....Manuel may get a rough boot up his ass and get the can. All I could do was hope that Wally Backman came up....he's seen many of the players on the big league roster in the minors and knows what to do with them....so long as we didn't hire Bruce Kimm. They need to get off to a great start.....and I believe they can and will. People are underestimating them, talent wise.....they better realize we aren't here to bulls***. We are here to kick some ass.

He's awesome!!!

I fully agree baggs....if we trade Lee....and use Borchard in CF(because if he feels he's ready....he should be up)....we can then use Daubach in LF....have a lineup of Jimenez, Valentin, Thomas, Maggs, Borchard, Konerko, Daubach, Crede, Olivo/Alomar.....that lineup would drive opposing managers crazy....having 2 awesome righties in a row, then a switch hitter with equal power from both sides, then a righty, then a lefty, then two more righties.....makes your head spin. And when it comes to Borchard....what in the hell do you do? Bring in a lefty to face him, Konerko and Daubach, or do you bring in a lefty to face Borchard, then a righty to face Konerko, then another lefty to face Daubach....do you bring a righty in to face Borchard and Konerko, and then a lefty against Daubach....etc. We wouldn't have the problem we had in 2000, I can tell you that. Also...if we traded Lee....we could get some sweet s*** right now...maybe a good starting pitching prospect....or some more catching(it would be damn nice to get some catching too....I don't want to have to depend on Jamie Burke as the backup when Sandy goes down and if someone were to claim Paul off waivers at the end of ST if we went that way). I just don't know where the hell we'd move him....the only team that comes to mind right away is Pittsburgh....they could use him in LF. Unless some team wants to try to convert him into a firstbaseman(and that would be crazy as hell)....in that case, a few more teams open up....maybe Cinci being one of them...Atlanta being another. If we do deal Lee though....I would be happy....but I feel we will deal him at the deadline....I don't know why we wouldn't. He's the guy we need the least amount....so why we are keeping him is beyond my understanding.

Baggs.....I feel sorry for any team that picks up Rob Johnson. He truly sucks and is the biggest pussy in the NFL....he'd be better suited for professional ping pong or something like that....but he'd still probably get hurt if he got hit by the ball. Run away from the table crying. Last year Jon Gruden said that Johnson kind of reminded him of Rich Gannon....but there's a big difference. Gannon is good.....Johnson blows.

Umm, maybe I missing the point but isnt Israel our ally? Why would they nuke us just because some terrorist nuked them? And the war against China, like I said, wont happen because China doesnt have foreign military strength like we do and theyd have to cross the Pacific to get here. Everywhere on the planet you will find American military bases and ships and the like but you wont find China with any of that. And I do believe China has a bigger military but does that mean they have a better military? Not at all. First of all, we have foreign military. We can mobilize pretty quick against any country in the world, but can China? No, they cant. And I believe China has mandatory service for most people. So yeah, we could get bigger than them by telling everyone to get off the sofa and go fight but do you really think that giving some lab geek a gun is gonna help us? No. We train our men and women to fight and they know how to fight. Not to mention we have planes and bombs and ships and subs. Just because they have a larger military doesnt mean they have a better military... China is a communist country, right? Cuba is a communist country, right? You don't think Cuba could give us trouble for a time period long enough to get China across the Pacific? Cuba is only like 90 miles away or so....if China were to contact Cuba and get some nuclear weapons there....we'd be in deep s***. It'd be Cold War 2. The only thing that really scares me about going to war is nuclear warfare...that scares the s*** out of me. Japan was devastated after two atom bombs....and if some crazy ass country just decided to come nuke the s*** out of us....we'd be dicked.

There's some good conversations going on here....it is just fun to read. I remember in some older Baseball Digests that there are some things where they'll give a situation and you have to guess the answer...kind of like that show you were talking about Killa....if I find one, I'll post most of the story....they can kill time and are real fun.

oh come on, is he still around? I'm pretty sure he is

I take it that was the first time you've ever seen Sweet Lou I've seen him do that a lot....the Bobby Knight of baseball. A hell of a coach...but he does it in an ugly way. Then again, in baseball....a lot of great managers seemed like assholes.

HAPPY f***IN BIRTHDAY!!! We should get some cake for how many birthdays we celebrate around here

Guess Klayton did get us back No he didn't.....he'll be busy losing 100+ games while we're busy trying to win a division.

It says at the bottom that Buehrle's agent and the Sox are trying to work something out....and if not, he will be renewed for $430,000....that's better than taking $15,000 away from him. If they were nice...they'd give $20,000 back this year.

The Brewers will suck....regardless of whether or not they use supplements. Because of the Brewers, Cubs fans have hope...that they won't finish last. In other words....the Brewers are terrible and will be worse this year than they were last year. They replaced mediocre players with s***ty players....any team that does that will get worse. Don't be surprised if they lose 110 games this year.

Daubach should make the big league club and Rios should be put on waivers at the end of ST...if someone takes him....that's fine and dandy. If someone trades for him....that's fine and dandy. If no one takes him and he has to play minor league ball....that's fine and dandy too. I just personally don't believe Rios will make the team....but that's just what I believe.

welcome to the board! I agree Daubach should make the team. I agree that Sandy is here to mentor Miguel and will go on the DL as often as needed. My question: who then is the back up catcher when Miguel starts and Sandy is on the DL? I can't see JP clearing waivers once let alone back and forth - so... ????????? cw...Jamie Burke.....the minor league free agent that was with the Angels last year. If someone picks Paul up....we have more options. And then there is the ageless Mark Dalesandro!