witesoxfan

I love rotoworld's line. I'm as big of a Beane fan as there is around here, but this is the straight truth. It's sort of like he just resigned Rich Harden, except he's paying him more than Rich Harden is actually going to get.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 10:17 PM) Not with benchwarmers. No, the Angels have, and the average OPS Angels DH's put up in the past decade was like .750.

QUOTE (CryptviLL @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 08:33 PM) Agreed. Going to be fun seeing lineups everyday. Some like think putting fishhooks through their nipples is fun. Just want to throw that out there.

QUOTE (CryptviLL @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 08:32 PM) I still say just let it be, give Ozzie his chance. Jones is not a bad hitter. I think he will surprise people this year - I could see him outproducing what Thome would have done. Kotsay is a good compliment to him at DH. Letting hte DH give our hitters rest days as well as being in the lineup is awesome. I am eager to see how it works. I still hate that line of thought.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 07:05 PM) I really think you guys are forgetting the competition this year. This is not a good division. This is not the East. If it were, the Sox might be in trouble. The Twins are a good team. They have the best lineup in the Central and adding Thome would only strengthen that. They have a ton of capable starting pitchers, and I'm sure that 4 of Blackburn, Slowey, Baker, Duensing, Pavano, Perkins, Liriano, Swarzak, Manship, and any other young starters they have in the minors can put up good seasons (which would mean they just need one decent starter out of the others). Their bullpen is likely to be very good again as well, as they have Rauch returning to go along with Nathan, Guerrier, Mijares, and seeing Crain put up a good season wouldn't surprise me either, and the Sox got really lucky the Twins gave up on Breslow as quickly as they did last year. It's not the East, you're correct there, but I think the Sox are only the 2nd most talented team in the division. I'm not writing them off, but I'm not pleased with how this offseason went.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 08:03 PM) Kenny better have Votto/Gonzalez/Fielder under wraps. Not this late in the offseason he won't.

Perfect. They better have something else up their sleeve, and I strongly doubt they do.

QUOTE (b-Rye @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 05:46 PM) JD's first half was great and helped the team win a ton of games in 09... 2008 he was the only one besides Quentin to not get in a bad slump, and helped the team win many games. 2005-2007 speak for themselves when it comes to JD. The real problem with the lineup was the hitters last year. Thome was the most consistent and on base the most, despite having a lot of strikeouts. If Konerko pulls the same crap again, Quentin don't hit like 08, Beckham slumps, Rios don't figure it out, AJ's offense declines, Pierre don't get on base, Teahen is "average".... Adrian Gonzalez couldn't save the offense. Thome would be nice, but PK has probably been the most inconsistent and frustrating the past few years, and he will still be hitting 3rd. Don't forget the hate these guys will get if they fail in 2010: Rios, Teahen, Pierre, Jones, Quentin. Jermaine Dye was not a good hitter in 2007 for most of the year. He saved his numbers that year with a great August and September. Paul Konerko was not a good hitter for most of 2008, but he was productive in 2009. As has been pointed out ad nauseum on here, it wasn't good production out of the 1B spot, but it was production none the less. I would be fine with an .840 OPS out of Konerko. You also threw out a lot of "what ifs" in that part of it anyways. I also strongly doubt Konerko hits 3rd but more likely 5th or 6th without Thome right now. With the hypothetical Thome signing (with others filling in that role quite a bit..) Pierre - LF Ramirez - SS Beckham - 2B Quentin - RF Thome - DH Konerko - 1B Pierzynski - C Rios - CF Teahen - 3B still a pretty sad lineup. I don't know that Ramirez is going to hit 2nd, and he is probably better suited for 7th or 8th, but it's hypothetical and a rough draft, and it's still not very pretty. Putting Kotsay/Jones as the DH makes it look even worse.

I had a dream last night that I was apart of a South Park episode, and that a fountain of youth had been found, and it was in like one of the coldest spots ever. After much exploration in like -30 temperatures and advice from others, we found a spot where there was a warm water pond over like a stretch of rugged terrain with no roads to it at all. I saw several people find it and then jump in, and before I jumped in, I realized that by jumping in, you actually did go back to your youth, but you had to have true visions and thoughts before actually getting in, otherwise you would disintegrate like the dude in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But, even if you did have true visions and thoughts, instead of like getting younger or more vitalized, you turned into a character from Sesame Street. So I said f*** it and jumped in and turned into the Cookie Monster, and started hanging out with some other dudes who turned into Grover and Big Bird.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 04:11 PM) I also think you get yourself in trouble when you start talking about "this one position isn't going to make or break us." At some point, something ultimately does make or break you, and I have to admit, adding a competent DH could be the difference between having an above-average offense or an average to below-average offense. And just so Mr. Rongey doesn't misinterpret me here, I do agree with him regarding the lineup needing to step-up as a whole, but should not everything go as we hope, I think a lot of things could fall on that middle of the order again, and acquiring Thome goes a long way towards solidifying it. Absolutely agree on this, as you and I have pretty much through this entire ordeal. If Rios, Q, Beckham, Ramirez, or whoever don't perform, this team won't do much with or without Thome. Adding Thome makes this offense a much safer bet though and makes a team with a strong right handed pitcher much more approachable with 2-3 guys (Pierzynski, Teahen, and maybe Kotsay) who can hit righties well but with just so-so power, along with a guy in Thome who can hit the absolute s*** out of said pitcher too. If anything, Thome's acquisition makes this team much more flexible, though I guess flexibility doesn't make versatility.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 03:55 PM) I don't think the odds are that heavily in favor of the DH sucking. I think there is a good chance, but I don't think it's that strong. I also think there's a pretty good chance that the DH isn't necessarily good, but that it's good enough. I also believe it's a mistake to put this much weight on the designated hitter. The Sox will not win, or lose, the division just because of it. While a real, good hitter would make the lineup better, it's going to be up to the lineup as a whole to get it done this year. The DH appears to be a weakness, but it's probably not going to be the one thing that makes or breaks them. That's too much emphasis to place on one guy in the lineup. I actually think it's entirely possible for the DH to win or lose the division. In 2008, if the White Sox had Mark Kotsay DHing instead of Jim Thome, does that team win the division? (and I'm not even talking about game 163 here either. I'm simply talking about whether they'd be in that position in the first place) I think Thome can add as many as 2-3 wins to the team just by himself. That can win or lose a division very easily.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 03:54 PM) That's what Chone Figgins did. That's a rotation I can get behind.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 07:36 AM) I love hearing about his bat speed, however I'm not so confident our system has shown the ability to make more compact swings. And I'd thought what we'd heard about his being out of shape was overblown, but now, I read again that he was. I don't know how the hell a professional athlete can be overweight, for the majority o f the day they are doing physical activity, and have a workout regimen. Not that it matters much, but Beckham has one of the most compact swings I have seen come up in a long time. I say it doesn't matter much because it looks very similar to the swing he had at Georgia, but one can hope that the Sox minor league coaches can help Viciedo out.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 10:36 AM) Wow, thats a way different story then presented in the first article. Disclaimer: Don't look at page 2 unless you enjoy seeing gruesome pictues... It looks like he hit him with a baseball bat

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 10:20 PM) On the other hand, the Vikings turned the ball over 5 times and lost the game, making them the inferior team. I really don't think you can credit the Saints defense for all of the fumbles. Most of the time, it was just Minnesota playing sloppy football. The Saints may depend on turnovers to win games, but they got lucky today. I think Minnesota is a far superior team.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 07:09 PM) You definitely can be hard-headed. But you're certainly not, or shouldn't be, on anybody's hate list. Now Witesoxfan? Yes, I loathe/despise that guy. awwww

I do not smoke pole.

Jesus, if I actually did that, the roomies would be more than a bit concerned for me. OH HEY WHATS BLAKE DOING IN HIS ROOM, OH NOTHING, JUST TALKING TO HIMSELF WHILE HES DRUNK AGAIN. NEVER GIVE HIM BOOZE AGAIN. s***, after a night like this, I need to stay away from booze. I probably wont, because I like getting drunk and talking about the White Sox, but even attempting to maintain some type of relationship while you get drunk is not a good thing. And if you aren't a smooth talker (which equals me), you may as well learn how to climb a f***ing mountain, because that's what it's going to take when you dig yourself a hole that f***ing huge. MY BAD. Anyways, I like ranting or rambling - rambling is probably the better term - about any topic. I got on Jim Thome for obvious reasons - because he's Darin Erstad's better looking, stronger 3rd cousin who can actually hit a f***ing home run, whereas Darin Erstad not only f***ing sucks, but is from North Dakota (and if that doesn't make you suck itself, you have to be either really good or so bad that North Dakota makes you look good BUT you can say you're from North Dakota to talk more s*** about it which makes you look better).

I got 100% on the Jeopardy tryout. Said I was too smart. I got 100% on the Millionaire tryout. Said I was too smart. I got 100% on the 5th grader tryout. Obviously. I got 100% on the Lets Make a Deal tryout. I don't have a funny punchline, so picture a chicken wearing a pair of sunglasses and a bra.

QUOTE (3E8 @ Jan 23, 2010 -> 08:42 PM) I like that Brazilian stroganoff doesn't appear to have mushrooms You know what needs mushrooms? A f***ing dungeons and dragons party.

cuz i like talking and typing

or free if you agree with everything I say (within reason) on this and other sites

$20 an hour?

yeah like signing Thome matters. Bill Smith, and not only that, but Terry Ryan and the rest of the Twins front office knows that by threatening to sign Thome, the Sox are going to be forced to sign Thome. Meanwhile, Smith and the Twins front office is in negotiations with Branyan's agent and he's going to end up in the opening day lineup for the Twins at DH. It doesn't mean that signing Thome doesn't matter...Thome is awesome. I f***ing love thome. He's my fav. It just means the Twins are finding a similar type of hitter at the same relative price. The only reason I want Thome, is because he's been in the playoffs. Not only that, but he is arguably the only reason a team he played on was the reason that team was in the playoffs. It had nothing to do with my #2 boyhood idol Ken Griffey Jr (ken griffey motherf***ing junior) throwing Michael Cuddyer out at home on a potential sacrifice fly. And has nothing to do with John F Danks pitching so well that the batting champion, Joe Mauer (who was about 99.9% guaranteed to win the batting title at that point) was f***ing BUNTING in the 8th inning because he - he being Joe Mauer, who, remember, is the best hitter since Tony mfing Gwynn (who was the best since [older person naming someone...let's say Carew because Rose was never that good but was just always good and played long enough to establish his "goodness"]) - and it was all because of Jim Thome. I mean, if you really think about it, the 2008 White Sox didn't win anything without Timo Perez scoring his legendary game winning run against the Florida Marlins in 2004, and they didn't win s*** without his 3-run single either. I feel as though I'm offending someone, and it's not Willie Harris. Willie is a f***ing stud, a stallion, and probably a top 17 outfielder in the league (if anybody would ever f***ing give him a shot!). When I think of the 2005 White Sox, I don't think of Willie Harris. I think of f***ing Chris mfing Widger. You have to be pretty influential to be named after a deity, and before we had our "TCQ," who is supposedly Jesus/Moses/Mohammed/whateverothersavior, we had Widger, who replaced the Christian God. It no longer became "oh my God" but instead "oh my Widger." To end this on an instant and sudden note - because I could write here all night if someone really wanted me to (and paid me the correct amount of money) - the end of this story ends with the city of Chicago, because they decided to house 2 teams. One of those two teams has at one point housed the greatest player in MLB history in their house during the World Series, and the other team is the White Sox.

Thoughts... I seem to remember Hudson being one of the streakiest hitters in baseball. Not sure if that's a guy you want on the bench. If it comes to spending money on a free agent, it has to be worthwhile. Spending money on a player that might not be better than a Kotsay/Jones platoon is scary. Williams leaving the decision to Ozzie is eerily similar to Angelo doing whatever it was to put Lovie out to dry. It seems like a job saving tactic. If Ozzie/Lovie fails, the GM is fine. If they succeed, the GM is a genius. The White Sox have been below .500 with a $100 million payroll in 2 of the last 3 years, and they LUCKED into a playoff birth in 2008, even if it was mostly circumstantial, as the 2008 White Sox were easily the best team in the AL Central. Injuries do and did happen that year and they Sox choked away a chance to clinch the division outright in Minnesota when they got swept. They also proceeded that with two losses against the Indians when the Twins were losing too. I won't discredit anything that team accomplished from game 161 on out, because they played their ass off and got beaten by a vastly superior Tampa Bay team, but that division should have been locked up far before the Twins ever had a chance at winning it. Thank God for Jim Thome. Speaking of Thome...nevermind, I've said my part on Thome. Thome needs to be a White Sox. Honestly, it would be worth $3 million to sign Thome and put him on the 60-day DL immediately, just to keep him away from the Twins.