witesoxfan

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 30, 2008 -> 12:28 PM) No, they won't hit that bad all season. I also think AJ and CQ will drop a little (under .300 for sure). Uribe may finish the season under .200. He is god awful at the plate. Just by the viture of not playing scrubs like Andy Gonzalez, this team will be better than 2007. But there is absolutely no guarantee that Thome, Konerko, Cabrera, and Swisher will suddenly turn it on and hit their career avg.'s for the rest of the year. I just got really, really sick of hearing that last year. I agree with that much. I still think they'll improve dramatically though.

I hear this Carlos Quentin kid is good.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 30, 2008 -> 05:33 AM) Again, 2007 says hello. And the second half of 2006. And a lot of 2005. There is no guarantee that they will just start mashing the ball. And while 25 games may sound like a small sample size, its about 15% of a season. You seriously think Thome, Konerko, Cabrera, and Swisher will all finish in the .220s? Or that there's a possibility of it? Or that Uribe's going to hit .160 all season? I don't care how bad people think they might be over the course of a season, they won't be this bad, and I'd bet my life savings. Even .240 I could see, but not a collective .220. No way.

I like what Broadway's turned himself into. He's got a shot at being a solid 3-4 starter.

I once heard of a guy who had to go to the hospital as a result of smoking marijuana. Turns out the dude ate an entire pound of cheese and it was hemorrhaging his stomach.

I want to see how the Twins play when they don't have fans blowing in from the outfield.

Tony Pena Sr stopped being manager of the Royals early in the 2005 season. Tony Pena Jr was acquired last year.

QUOTE (KipWellsFan @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 07:56 PM) I've never understood why Owens doesn't get a little more credit around here. Hitting 270 with 32 stolen bases in limited appearance in the American league last year isn't bad, and he's doing well at Triple A so far this year. I've said why 5000 times. Just look around.

Dye so good

QUOTE (Soxpranos @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 06:18 PM) And still cant bunt, he cost us that Saturday game at Wrigley last year as well when he couldn't get a bunt down with 2 on and nobody out. He's in the AL, so he shouldn't know how to bunt (and before anyone eats my face, that's meant facetiously...he should know how to bunt, but it shouldn't by any stretch of the imagination be a priority. I'd rather have him have the ability to hit a flyball to deep left field rather than bunt with 1 out in the inning and a man on 3rd)

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 04:15 PM) i agree that BA probably has a higher ceiling. But they've both had about 3/4 a year worth of playing time at the ML level and,to me, Owens has shown more. Plus, Owens showed improvement when he got his second chance. Anderson still looks pretty much like the same guy as when he first came up. He's a bit better but still looks overmatched most of the time while Owens looked way overmatched then ,i thought, looked respectable and could continue to develop into a solid contributor. I completely disagree, especially having seen Brian this year.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 02:40 PM) Since when is a high OPS guy like Swisher the prototypical leadoff hitter? I'd rather knock him back a spot to drive in a guy who has a good chance of getting on base and in scoring position. And since when is the second guy in the order take 1-3 pitches before the leadoff hitter is able to steal second a horrendous negative? Leadoff hitters are supposed to get on base for the high SLG hitters to drive in. Whether they get into scoring position via doubles or a combination of singles and stolen bases is irrelevant, as the end result is essentially the same. Being able to distract the opposing pitcher with a base-stealing threat is also an intangible benefit. When did I ever say a high OPS guy is a prototypical leadoff hitter? I'm not advocating Thome as the next leadoff man, but that seems to be what you think I'm saying by that. I also find stolen bases, while valuable in certain regards, should not be put into the lineup over a superior player. Within the next year and a half, there will be no room at all for Jerry Owens on the roster, barring two injuries (which would include Thome, Dye, Swisher, Anderson, and Quentin); by that time, he'll be like 29 and probably off the roster because of young players coming up and a lack of options. The only way Owens would make the roster is if Anderson were moved, and I'd absolutely hate to see Anderson moved to make room for Owens. I'm really done with this debate...the perfect leadoff hitter for this club would be Brian Roberts. He's not Manny Ramirez or Barry Bonds or Jim Thome or some other dude who's led the league in OPS. I'm not advocating that. I'm saying you shouldn't be a leadoff hitter simply because you can get on base. If you can't hit a lick of power, you should be a 4th OF or in the minor leagues. Henceforth, he is known as Jerry Owens.

QUOTE (djcollie03 @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 12:34 PM) I thought the same thing this weekend - up until the Cubs series last year we looked really good. I'm confident that this team will shake out of it but, I'd like to see more consistency on the offensive side of the ball. I like the patience that Swisher and Cabrera bring to the team but, when you look at the overall batting averages - it's not pretty. Outside of the homeruns we're not doing a great job of manufacturing runs. Hopefully the big boppers will heat up and we'll continue to stay ahead of the pack. I never thought we looked good last year. Not with Erstad as the starting CF.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 12:43 PM) I realize that you hate Owens, but your OPS argument is silly. OPS isn't terribly important for a base-stealing leadoff-hitter. OBP is a lot more important for somebody with his skill set. And Owens got on enough to amass 32 steals in just 356 ABs last year. IMO, he needs to get that OBP up close to .350 to hit in the leadoff spot, but it's not like he's that far away. And speaking of OPS, Anderson is about .637. Not very good for a guy who is supposed to be the next Torii Hunter. I like that Ozzie is giving him more at-bats now, but he needs to start getting on base. OPS isn't the most important stat for a leadoff hitter - that doesn't mean it's irrelevant. The example I always love to use is Luis Castillo...career .294 hitter, career .368 OBP. You'd assume he'd be a fantastic leadoff hitter, but the truth is because his OPS was so mediocre throughout his career (and partly due to weak Florida lineups), he only scored 100 runs one time; it just so happened to be the year he also the year he had the highest OPS of his career. OPS, seemingly more than anything else, has a direct correlation to runs scored. If Owens is busy putting up .675-.700 OPS's but stealing 50 bases and getting on at a .350 clip, the Sox still won't score many runs because he'll be caught stealing a few times and that will negate a few of the times he was on base. Add to it that he's a completely one-dimensional player, and he just doesn't have much use to the Sox. I also don't quite understand the shot at Anderson. Hunter put up about a .680 OPS in his first 500 PAs, and he was essentially given the CF job because of how bad the Twins were at that time. Anderson has had to fight and scrap for every bit of playing time he's had outside of April and May of 2006. I think he's going to be just fine at the plate.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 12:34 PM) red gatorade _ five o clock + work = giggles no f***ing way

what the f***'s a newspaper?

QUOTE (The Beast @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 11:07 AM) Finally, someone had to say it. QFT, solid post. Actually, I think everyone here realizes that. It's a person's right to disagree with why, and it's a person's right to get involved. I don't feel that strongly about it because I feel I can do it and get away with it. If I get caught, it's only my fault. I also feel that in certain circumstances - most circumstances - the drinking age being 18 would be a hindrance to society. Most "adults" at 18-20 are still teenagers at heart and like to break s***, be rebellious, and be uncivilized - not being ready for adulthood has that effect. I also think drinking underage and going crazy as an 18-20 year old is, in a way, better because if you do get caught, you will be punished and you'll understand the consequences of acting like a dumbass (public intoxication is illegal too, but it's not nearly as severe as getting a MIP or an underage). Furthermore, letting the drinking age be 18 opens up the possibility of getting 14-15 year olds into the habit too because kids at that age do talk to 18 year olds, just as I talk to 23 year olds. So, I'll take my chances, understand my rights, privileges, and laws, and continue drinking underage. Is it really that big of a deal?

QUOTE (knightni @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 11:01 AM) The Hurricanes program is overrated. Just a bunch of borderline NFL prospects who skip class and only go there for the nice weather. College athletes skip classes all the time.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 12:13 PM) Brian also has over 2700 fewer career ABs than Uribe (Brian only has 442 career ABs.) Juan is the proven commodity at this point while Brian is the 26 year old former first round pick with the potential to be a Torii Hunter type player if it someday clicks for him. If Brian ever fulfills his potential he'll without a doubt be a more valuable baseball player than Owens (in my opinion at least) it's just a matter of getting his ABs and making the most of the opportunity. He played well over the final 3 games of the Baltimore series, hopefully he can build on that. That may be your opinion, but it's a fact too, unless Owens somehow develops power AND starts hitting .330. QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 12:40 PM) I understand he may not be the best player in the world but considering he hit .284 in Charlotte before his callup, .267 on the year for Chicago, .278 post-ASB, and .340 in september, i wouldnt exactly call that abysmal. Jerry Owens had the worst OPS out of any player on the White Sox roster last year with 300 ABs or more, and the only player with 200 PAs or more that was worse than him was Andy Gonzalez. I don't care that he was a rookie. He has limited upside - probably a .700 OPS - and he had the highest batting average out of any of the s***ty players the Sox had last year. Hell, Owens had the 3rd highest average on the team and he was still that bad. He seriously has to hit like .320-.340 to be a good hitter, because if he hit .300 he would still have probably have an OPS around .700, and without 50-60 stolen bases, that's just not that valuable. The White Sox have absolutely no use for Jerry Owens when they have 4 outfielders on the MLB roster who are much, much more talented then him and a 5th who can play outfield too who has more talent. I don't want to go ahead and say that Jerry Owens will not be in the White Sox organization by the end of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised in the least.

He also has limited major league experience; he may or may not be progressing, but from my eyes, it appears he is. Regardless, it's hard to determine when he only has 487 career PAs. 3473 career PAs...that's almost 3000 more than Anderson. There is justification as to why Anderson has more leash than Uribe.

QUOTE (RME JICO @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 11:06 AM) That is true, but that is the type of pitcher the Sox could not afford to have in the rotation. More than likely he will come around, but it is amazing how bad ex-Sox pitchers struggle once they leave the team. I agree, and I think Garland is one of the few pitchers in the league who actually benefits from pitching in a smaller park. Anaheim's so spacious that some balls that are normally caught fall in now. I could easily see Garland putting up a 4.50-4.75 ERA this season and not be surprised in the least. That has its value, but it's not worthy of a monster deal down the road.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 10:22 AM) He's also a 27 year old in his 3rd year at Birmingham. This is what he's supposed to do. Well exactly. And even worse is that he has a .595 OPS against RHP. If anything, he's an absolute strict platoon player because he obviously can't hit RHP. He doesn't walk either, so quite frankly, he's not much more than minor league fodder.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 11:21 AM) There is certainly judgement involved, and being reasonable. They can't police everyone and everything anyway. But if I'm 18 and have a drink (which I did plenty of times at that age), while I might be pissed off if I get caught, I know full well that I took that chance. I broke the law. I don't get pissed at the cops for doing their job. Oh absolutely, I'd be more pissed at myself then anything else; people generally don't like to verbally abuse themselves in public, so they'll do it on policemen. I just wanted to see if my original thoughts were actually true.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 10:29 AM) Whether the law is fair or not, its still an active law. How many of the underage drinkers would openly drink in public in front of uniformed police officers. The answer is only the truly stupid, or truly drunk would do that. Well under those security shirts, those are off duty cops. If they ignore kids getting liquored up, and something happens with those kids doing something stupid, or worse off someone gets hurt via the actions of a drunk underage kid and they can prove that the security gave a wink and a blind eye to open alcohol and underage drinking those cops, the whitesox, and the security company are screwed. You know how sue happy this country is. So now I'm curious...if an officer knows a person is say, 20 years old, and has had 4-5 beers or so - feeling good, but not sloshed - and they are acting civilized and what have you...would he potentially say something like "Don't open another beer and you're fine"? Obviously, 0 underage drinking at the game is ideal, but I imagine it would be inefficient and costly to attempt to arrest every underage drinker. I understand the liability issue of it all, but it just seems to me that in some cases it's a judgment call.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Apr 29, 2008 -> 05:12 AM) In my opinion,Owens can do alot more for this team than Brian Anderson can. He can lead off when someone needs a day off, he can steal a base, he can BUNT,and he can hit for a higher average. Anderson brings a better arm and more power. If Owens wouldn't have gotten hurt he would've made the 25 man roster. I don't see what Anderson has done, and why all the sudden admiration for him,to keep Owens down and himself up. The Sox may just be waiting for Owens to show he's going to be 100% for the long haul. You don't want to call him up and then he gets dinged again right away. Brian Anderson is also a much, much better defensive player...like gold glove caliber defensively. Pablo Ozuna can hit for average, steal a base, leadoff, and bunt too. Jerry Owens really doesn't do anything for this team at all. I hope the only time Owens is called up is in the event of an injury to an outfielder, and even then he should be riding the pine.