caulfield12

QUOTE (The Mighty Mite @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 07:18 PM) Beckham has exacerbated us since his nice rookie year of 2009, it's not like we would be trading a Nellie Fox or Ryne Sandberg. How does one go about accomplishing that, haha?

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 07:10 PM) Even Jose Paniagua. And Wil Cordero. And Albert Belle. And Jose Canseco.

Who was the former major league player who was deaf...or 75% deaf, Curtis Pride?

Tom Gordon/Foulke/Takatsu/Jenks Jones Webb/Cleto God knows what to do with Lindstrom/Belisario/Downs/Veal (all four of them can't be THIS bad, can they?) Petricka

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 06:44 PM) I would slaughter a newborn fox to see his bat be good enough for him to make it As long as it's not a newborn panda.

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 06:00 PM) Not me, it was the right move. And I like Avi. Cleto can't be the closer. His command is entirely too inconsistent. Hope Webb gets a chance 100%. The irony is that if that trade was reversed and we now had a rotation of Sale/Quintana/Peavy/Danks/Johnson...we would quite possibly be one reliable closer away from having a very competitive team in 2014 (leading back to the Jimenez/Santana/Garza discussion, unfortunately). Long term, it was definitely the best move...and there's also a good chance over the next month the offensive fireworks will cool off and we'll more realistically assess this team as still being at least 2-4 players short of true playoff contention.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:57 PM) Yeah, but outside of Abreu and Dunn, does anybody believe any of them can actually finish a season above an 800 OPS? This team is going to have an inevitable offensive slump, and if the pitching doesn't get better it will lead to a pretty bad losing streak. Eaton has a chance. Viciedo, if he can get his OBP up enough. DeAza's done it in the past. The chances of Ramirez, Flowers and Gillaspie all doing it are slim and none, but you never know with younger players like Flowers/Gillaspie. Likely, no. Impossible, of course not. Just like nobody would have predicted Dunn and Swisher would be so bad with the Sox, based on their entire body of work.

Despite giving up only one earned run in 9 innings, we're last in the AL in ERA at 5.48. That said, almost every regular other than Semien and DeAza is around or above an 800 OPS. It's a fun, exciting but exasperating team to watch. You know they're going to be scrambling all season to figure out what to do at the back end of the bullpen. It's a nice problem to have...in the sense that we didn't even think having a reliable closer would have mattered all that much a couple of weeks ago. Now we're only 1/2 game back of the Tigers, and it's important enough to care about. That's something...baseball matters again, a young team winning games and building their confidence and picking each other up (Garcia injury, bullpen and starting issues galore) matters, too. HOPEFULLY, Webb is the answer...or Cleto. It should be Webb eventually, because Cleto's control is just too spotty and unpredictable to be able to rely on him, but those two have definitely pitched the best. I have no clue what's going to happen with Downs and Veal. They look close to hopeless now. And yes, I do realize we were 26-26 or whatever at the end of May in 2013. But this team has a much more hopeful/positive/upbeat feeling. It's a young team, not one weighed down by so many veterans going through the motions and moping about their business.

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:36 PM) Ya but Beltre is DL, and Pedroia could be as well. Well see. Need to beat some good teams The Royals were picked by some to get to the World Series...and just got swept by the Twins, who the White Sox should have swept if the White Sox had an actual closer. A lot of times, it's when you play those teams. The Red Sox and Rangers have been scuffling a bit, and Detroit has come back to earth as well over the last week after their hot start.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:35 PM) There's room for a fist pump or the arm raise but hanging around in the batter's box to watch your home run sail 10 feet over the fence? I don't know, a division foe might take exception to that. Good, they should be motivated. That's what baseball is all about, competition. And it's not like football or hockey, where that kind of emotion is often/usually productive anyway. We were the main reason they made the playoffs last season. They should be upset they've already lost more games agains the Sox than they did in 19 games all last year.

QUOTE (mmmmmbeeer @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:33 PM) It was a walk-off....surely the unwritten rules don't expect a stoic trot to first base after hitting a game winning home run. Let's not forget the antics (and words) of Chris Perez over the years.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:30 PM) Yeah! Hey Hahn---you have a decent team, and there's league parity. Fix the pen! Please don't jinx the Sox by giving us the Death March schedule for the next 3-4 weeks, haha. Playing the Red Sox, Rangers and Tigers will tell us a lot. Especially about the bullpen. Sink or swim. Out of the frying plan and into the fire.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:30 PM) Wow. Just wow! Haven't seen an Alexei walk off home run in forever! On a 96 MPH fastball. Haven't seen that for a while.

QUOTE (beautox @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:28 PM) team has f***ing heart and f*** matt lindstrom for his BSW Quintana has been absolutely screwed by bad luck and no offensive support. Used to be Danks wearing it, then Sale in 2013....Quintana as well the last couple of seasons.

Thank god for that. Team really needed it badly. Shades of 2008. Farmer called it. Alexei's back. Game turned on a dime there, Abreu/Lindstrom/DeAza all bailed out. 3-1 against CLE, after 2-17 all last year. Snow tomorrow. Off day to go skiing. Or work with the defense...interesting to see if Ventura lets them enjoy the day or calls them in to try to correct some of the problems they've been having.

DeAza is killing them these days. Yikes. You HAVE TO GET THE RUNNER TO 3rd. Jesus.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:20 PM) I don't buy any of this. Fine, they can do whatever they want to. But I guarantee if Webb falls on his face, and never becomes the dominant reliever everyone projected him to be...it will be (used as an excuse) because the White Sox pushed him into the closer's role too quickly. We've been hearing for years and years about how the White Sox have rushed their prospects too quickly.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:21 PM) Paulie was possibly the worst defensive first baseman in the majors the last few years Yes, but he always makes the routine plays and the scoops in the dirt. No range, sure...but he would have made the plays that Abreu has messed up.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:18 PM) Why does this happen to the Sox year after year? It wasn't Reed last year blowing a ton of games. He was around the low 80's (%) in save conversions. Lindstrom hasn't even come close to getting a single save. The problem is that this kind of pattern sets in (like it did starting out recent seasons with Thornton or Santiago), it's hard to get the confidence of the team back...when they just start expecting the bullpen will blow almost every single lead the offense fights for.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:16 PM) Or Gillaspie. There aren't many good options. That forces Leury Garcia into the line-up, but you'd probably rather do that than take Abreu out of the line-up. That would put three guys out of their best defensive positions (Semien 2nd, Gillapsie 3rd, Garcia SS).

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:14 PM) If Webb isn't used in the 7th or 8th he needs to be closing. The problem is you need to let him grow into the role naturally...it's a progression. Forcing Webb there right now probably isn't the right move yet. They'll try Cleto or Belisario first. I would go with Cleto, simply because there's nothing to lose. He fails over a two week period, then you've bought Webb some more time. Of course. Horrible defense gets the White Sox into a hole again. Demoralizing.

QUOTE (bmags @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 05:12 PM) Just unbelievable. Not really. They're going to have to start using Konerko as a defensive replacement for Abreu with late leads, just like they do with Danks for Viciedo. Which sucks, because you're taking your best bat away. Don't want to let Kipnis beat you, so you have to get Swisher out somehow.

The ball Gomes hit was actually a slider that might have been out of the strike zone...it's not like it was a terrible pitch. Interesting they're not bunting. And we officially have no closer. Lindstrom has the stuff, but not the confidence to close out games. Semien's hit two game winning homers and had both of them taken away now, each time by Lindstrom.

Well, that was unfortunate. Cleto should have had that guy. Can't let Swisher beat you...that would suck.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) 1-1 thru 6...................2 out hits for Sox few and far between. They've actually done a pretty good job of that so far this season....Conor, Ramirez, etc. Much better than 2013. Of course, that's a pretty low bar.