witesoxfan

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 10, 2007 -> 01:33 AM) silent j, eh? its like jello havy

I understand what Pratt is getting at here, and it's not drafting and scouting, because the team has put up an average of 88 wins, a .544 winning percentage in this decade, and never a season below .500. However, this team has only 2 playoff appearances to back it up. The Sox bring a culture of winning, for sure, but not a culture of postseason births. The absolute only reason I will disagree with what Pratt is saying is 2005, because I can think of about 23 teams that wish they could have that, and one in particular that's been in the playoffs 6 times this decade and they don't have anything to show for it. Luck, magic, skill, playing well, a brilliantly put together team - I don't really care how you dice it or explain it; the Sox won a World Series, and that's the envy of 80% of the league, and it defines the Sox as one of the elite teams of this decade thus far. However, with perhaps better managing - say 2003 when Manuel had Neal Cotts start in Yankee Stadium for like his 3rd career start ever over Buehrle, and there's always Ozzie last year with Podsednik remaining in the leadoff spot and Mackowiak in CF half the team from June 1 on - or development - Brian Anderson in 2006, with no need to say more - the Sox may have 2 more playoff appearances. Those are areas the Sox need to work on. KW wants this franchise to become a dynasty, but every dynasty has 3 qualities: coaching, scouting, and development. The Sox scouting department, though mediocre with amateur talent up to this point, has been very good at the high minor and major league levels. The coaching and development are the two major problems right now, as neither are good at all, especially the development. If those two areas improve over the next five years to the point where the Sox are among the best in the league in all 3 - and with as much income that's coming in, it damn well should be - then the Sox won't have to worry about having sustained success, because they'll have it.

and these are the types of things Ozzie says that still make me love him. He may be one of the worst in game managers in the league, but he will never stop being funny.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ May 9, 2007 -> 10:58 PM) do you have to know how to play guitar to enjoy guitar hero? Not at all.

QUOTE(CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ May 9, 2007 -> 11:31 PM) Is the 1st half over already ? I could have sworn there was 3/4 of the season left. sweet, kill me over a technicality. I think it's quite obvious what I meant.

Phillips gets his ass handed to him on a plate. 5.1, 10 H, 5 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR and Wiki does work, 2 jacks and 5 ribs.

QUOTE(bmags @ May 9, 2007 -> 08:15 PM) following a team with high expectations is much tougher than following a rebuilding one. I really don't get as upset with the bears when they are 4-12 as when they are superbowl good, and should win. This is pretty much the best way to sum up the entire debate. Expectations are everything, and I think that's regardless of age or not. What is different between the two is that, while I don't feel last year was necessarily bad, it wasn't as good as it could have been and I was left very disappointed. The team faltered horribly in the second half, and with just 5 more wins in the second half would have been in the playoffs. That left a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm seeing pretty much that exact same product on the field right now. That's the main problem I've had with this team over the past 4 and a half months of baseball. However, if the Sox were in a complete rebuilding mode and finished around .500 in this division, I would be ecstatic about the future of the organization. The problem is that with a $95-100 million payroll, there are high expectations, and those expectations haven't been met. The team is starting to look better day by day, and all we can really hope for is that this team takes off in the second half.

QUOTE(RME JICO @ May 9, 2007 -> 09:44 PM) I don't know if it was just me, but his tempo seemed faster tonight compared to his previous outings. way way way faster. Almost faster than Buehrle, if that's possible.

kid looked outstanding tonight. However, from what I've been hearing, the CSN gun had him at 92-94...? The FSN North gun had him at like 89-92 all night. It's really quite meaningless, because if he keeps throwing like taht, that extra 2 MPH won't mean really mean anything

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ May 9, 2007 -> 08:02 PM) Keep him away from Walker. He is making contact and is hitting it where its pitched. Unlike the usual prospect IE Molina. Who gets pitched away, and looks stupid trying to pull the outside pitch. nah, Molina just straight up sucks ass

Danks is just flying right now, and it looks like he's rushing his delivery a bit.

he should stop making those catches, really.

http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?autocom=chat http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?autocom=chat http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?autocom=chat http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?autocom=chat http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?autocom=chat http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?autocom=chat http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?autocom=chat worked alst night

nice inning guys, keep that up all damn game and end this one by the 4th

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ May 9, 2007 -> 01:29 PM) I don't. I know, I just don't like the guy. He can play baseball for the Sox as long as he wants to so long as he keeps producing. Some people don't like Barry Bonds; I don't like Darin Erstad.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ May 9, 2007 -> 11:37 AM) Where'd the Erstad updates in people's sigs go? I still want him fired

QUOTE(joeynach @ May 9, 2007 -> 11:00 AM) Yeah and whats up with Sisco and thornton supposed fireballers coming in the game and throwing 91 mph. I thought these were effortless 95 mph guys. They both came in and were throwin 91-92 occasionally touching 93. Thornton I know last year was 94-96 and could touch 97 easily. Sisco I remember being 94-95 with KC and then I seem both come in and light it up at 91, wtf. It's the CSN gun. Aardsma, MacDougal, Thornton, and Sisco were all in the 93-96 range last night on the Twins feed, Vazquez and Bonser were in the 90-93 range, Joe Nathan was hitting 95 all night, Rincon about 94, and I saw Masset hit 96.

QUOTE(JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ May 9, 2007 -> 12:32 PM) with the way the offense is going right now and with the twins pen it sure did seem like it we prolly coulda played another 5 innings and not scored a run You mean Nathan leaving fat pitches over the plate and hanging breaking balls left and right? Yeah, it's sure hard to hit that.

QUOTE(sox-r-us @ May 9, 2007 -> 01:24 AM) "I'm never going to walk the go-ahead run," Guillen said. "I don't care if it's Babe Ruth at the plate, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds. They can call me anything they want. Behind [Hunter] isn't Ozzie Guillen hitting. It's [Michael] Cuddyer. We have to respect that. [Hunter] has a lot of speed and Cuddyer can hit the ball out of the park or into the gap and can score [Hunter]. He got the hit, good for him. The only thing he can do is tie it, and he did." What if he hits a homer? God I love Ozzie's logic. No, it's your fault for not f***ing walking Morneau.

I like the 5 good and 20 below average with a Twins jersey on more. Or the left handed dummy. It doesn't make logistic sense, but it's been proven true over and over and over again.

Richmond 4, Charlotte 3 Nunez fooked up Fields 1-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB Anderson 0-3, 1 BB Owens 14th SB of the year Jacksonville 4, Birmingham 1 Russell hit around - 5.1 IP 8 H 4 R(3 ER) 2 BB 1 K; JAG is apparently mortal Getz 2-4 Salem 6, Winston-Salem 2 McCulloch 6.0 IP 9 H 6 R (3 ER) 0 BB 2 K Cunningham 0-4 1 K Kannapolis 5, Greenvile 4 Carter 2-4, HR, 2 K Gomes 2-4 and a 2B Texeira W, 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2K and Shelby played CF again

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ May 8, 2007 -> 02:46 AM) I think its because these guys are being babied in the minors, than get to the majors and arm isnt ready for it. a torn tendon in his finger? That sounds more freakish than anything else.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 8, 2007 -> 11:49 PM) Jason also plans to have the top 25 out by Opening Day, 2007. gonna be December before the main page is back

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ May 9, 2007 -> 12:28 AM) I would say yes, except the Twins have owned us every year from 2001-2007, with the lone exception of 2005. Especially in their house...we don't have to face Santana and we still very easily will be swept out of there. And Minnesota always has a way of winning the big games in August and September. So the way I look at Minnesota is as a team that's so fundamentally solid, they're not going to pull a midsummer fade like the Indians. They have four starting pitchers in the minors who will end up shuting out the White Sox in Garza, Baker, Slowey and Perkins. Hunter's in a salary drive, and Cuddyer, Morneau and Mauer are always dangerous in the middle of that line-up. And they have the best bullpen in the league again. They're going to win 85-88 games and finish ahead of the Sox. Cleveland was pythagorean 89-73, but they ended up at 78-84 due to their abysmal pen. I'd be surprised if Baker is better than mediocre if he comes up this year, and Perkins is in the Twins bullpen right now. The only starting he's going to be doing is spot starting. They only have Garza and Slowey this year, and they'll both be good, but they have to get them in the rotation first. And I'm really not sure their bullpen is the best in the league. Right now, perhaps, but I really think the Indians will wise up and will get rid of Borowski while putting Cabrera or Betancourt in the closer's role. And if that happens, and their rotation actually stays healthy, you're looking at a bullpen of something like Betancourt, Cabrera, Hernandez, Fultz, Mujica, Mastny, and Carmona (or take two of three from Mujica, Mastny, and Carmona). If not, Borowski will get demoted to the long man job soon enough and the pen should be pretty damn good up and down. The only two mediocre pitchers in that pen are really Hernandez and Borowski or perhaps Mujica if Borowski is DFAed/traded. Minnesota, plain and simply, has more potential problems than that, as I really don't like Dennys Reyes (one good year in his entire career just doesn't do it for me), Matt Guerrier allows baserunners at a pretty damn high clip, Jesse Crain is anybody's guess, Joe Nathan has looked pretty s***ty at times, and Rincon's peripherals have gotten worse 2 years in a row. We'll see what happens, but Cleveland really looks like they have a pen that will take over the role of game's best pen this year. QUOTE(caulfield12 @ May 9, 2007 -> 12:39 AM) 2004, I'll give you the injuries to Magglio and Thomas. 2003, yes, they played well in the second half...but they finished losing 10 of 18 and 5 of those 6 losses were to the Twins (1-5 in the games that counted). We did go from 45-49 at the break to 12 games over, but we choked. 2002, they traded half of their veterans...but the only time they played well, it was in the first six weeks of the season when Lofton was really hot. I think they were 22-14 in May and then they treaded water for the rest of the season. 2000, we only played 5 games over .500 in the 2nd half, after starting out 55-32. 2005, we were only 8 games over .500 after going out 57-29. 2003 wasn't the second half, it was September when they didn't play well. There's a huge difference. In 2000 they backed into the division, but they got lucky as it was. Cleveland had 13 different guys start games and 32 different pitchers enter a game for them. If not for that, they very easily could have won the division. And for the record, that .553 mark the Sox put up in the second half of 2005 would have netted them about 89-90 wins over the course of a 162 game season. There's no way you're convincing me they sucked. They had a horrendous August and that is it.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 9, 2007 -> 12:03 AM) I just thought that was a nice piece of hitting by Hunter. I agree with this. It wasn't even a mistake, otherwise it would have been hit very hard. Hunter hit it hard, sure, but not into the seats. If anything, blame MacDougal for allowing 3 baserunners and not getting a single out.