caulfield12

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 23, 2013 -> 10:51 AM) Yes. Totally different injuries. And I'm defining "good" here with Danks as being "under a 4.00 ERA" at least. So, if I had to bet...I would say it's more likely that Martinez puts up a 750-775 OPS than Danks being a sub 4.00 ERA pitcher in 2013. Could be wrong on both counts, that's possible, too. Not to mention the fact that pitchers who miss a full year from pitching....there's just no way they're going to be able to shake off all that rust and get their control back the first 2-3 months pitching, like a hitter gets his timing back. I always thought of Martinez as "a born hitter," and I do think it's easier for a hitter than a pitcher to get back to normal. Granted, Martinez is quite a bit older....so you never know, as lots of hitters (see Konerko) tend to suddenly lose bat speed in their mid to late 30's.

Well, one thing's for sure, if Danks gets lit up...some will definitely question him because of the Marlins' line-up being mostly AAAA fodder. Conversely, if he pitches a gem, he'll be likewise doubted...what will happen when he faces a real line-up, like in the AL East? Kind of a no-win situation, in many ways.

Do we have a guy with a funky delivery like Ehren Wasserman/Chad Bradford/Takatsu we could try? Probably not. Someone that throws slow enough to throw off hitters who are used to all gas coming from the bullpen...Remenowsky?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/marlins-white...20242--mlb.html Would like some more inspiring words than Paulie's....sigh. Guess he's not feeling all that confident these days. No Jose Fernandez. A rookie making his fourth career start (hasn't won yet) against us...well, that usually doesn't go very well for the Sox. Then Nolasco and Sanabia, the spit/slobber ball guy.

There's no way those are natural...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 23, 2013 -> 02:56 PM) For whom exactly? Doctor Impossible

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ May 23, 2013 -> 03:01 PM) He never reminded me of Norberto Martin or D'Angelo Jimenez (still playing for Newark Bears allegedly) or Tony Graffanino. What about Grebeck, Pablo Ozuna or Eduardo Escobar? Still think of him as Gaffe-anino because of errors he made for the Sox against the Cubs and a big one in the 2005 Division series.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 23, 2013 -> 01:27 PM) Didn't someone else just write a similar article about the Sox lack of injuries? i think it was fangraphs, attempting to use "extraordinary" health as one of the outliers causing consistent pre-season underestimations of the White Sox eventual record

Don't see athletic trainers in the headlines very much. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/white-sox-tra...-142008464.html

Nolan Ryan would be a better comparison...for Mo. Although at the end, Nolan wasn't one of the top 3 starting pitchers in baseball...like Rivera is as a closer. Or Julio Franco playing and hitting well into his mid 40's. Would like to think it wasn't due to PED's.

QUOTE (balfanman @ May 23, 2013 -> 07:59 AM) Where's our El Duke? Crain, so far this year. DUQUE.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 23, 2013 -> 07:57 AM) Versus saying "call up whomever"? Are we ready for the return of Deuente Heath? Zach Stewart? Jeff Gray? Tony Pena Jr? Jhan Marinez? It is a triple A roster full of has-beens and never will be's. Most of the real talent is in Birmingham and Winston-Salem as far as relief arms. They probably are giving SOME consideration to Purcey and Moskos, simply because the asking price for quality left-handed relievers can be pretty prohibitive.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 23, 2013 -> 07:52 AM) The guys who aren't up here are worse. That's why they aren't here. Then try someone like Daniel Webb and just stick him at the back end of the pen (like Nathan Jones to start last year) and see if we can catch lightning in a bottle and work his way into meaningful situations and gain the trust of the coaching staff. The odds are pretty high it won't work and he would have to go back down to the minors...but those odds are probably better than seeing all the Jhan Marinezes, Purceys or Moskoses of the minor league system shuffle back and forth.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 23, 2013 -> 07:30 AM) I thought Victor Martinez was guaranteed to start putting up .900+ OPS numbers immediately upon return? Nobody said that...just that it would take some time for him to come back at his age and when he got it going again offensively, they would be even more of a force to be reckoned with. Not unlike the rust it's going to take John Danks to shake off. He probably won't be the same pitcher he was until 2014...if we're lucky.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 23, 2013 -> 07:33 AM) While on this subject, despite his .215 average, at USCF, the guy who gets the biggest ovations and it's not even close, is Konerko. And what does that tell you? That Alex Rios, while the best player on the team after Sale, doesn't have a huge following because of lingering doubts and anger dating back to the 2009 and 2011 seasons. That Gordon Beckham never became the franchise cornerstone he was touted to be when he was drafted. That Jake Peavy, while he has his fans and a big name and salary, was injured so often and has never been the Cy Young winning pitcher we remember from SD, so there's always a lingering sense of disappointment, even though he's worked his butt off to get back to where he is... Dunn...we know that story. Danks...same thing. Nobody wants to see him end up like a noose around the neck of the Sox payroll, but ALMOST everyone is concerned whether he can return to being the same pitcher he was before the surgery. And that AJ/Buerhle are gone and nobody has emerged to replace them as fan favorites. For now, the only position player with the POTENTIAL to do that and be around five years from now is Viciedo. As we keep saying, this team is lacking both an identity and a younger superstar. Sale is close, but you need a position player to build a franchise around because White Sox fans are so used to offensive fireworks at their home stadium...Carlos Quentin was the closest, but he was not the kind of player who was easy to love, either. You respected and feared him if you were the opponent...but he was always a bit too remote or distant for fans to embrace 100% except for 2008 when he was so good you couldn't help but marvel for 5 months.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 23, 2013 -> 07:19 AM) New Coke would be the closest example, as it actually replaced the former. The only problem is that lasted about six months before they brought back the original. The bottom line is that this thread is silly. No business model exists where you can dump your entire product line and still expect customers to show up before you have your next great product. Any thread that tries to tell you differently is just wrong. The problem is NOBODY is advocating dumping an entire product line. The core product is Chris Sale...he has to be successful for the franchise to win anything in the next five years. Around that, you trim away the products that aren't getting a successful ROI (think Hostess going bankrupt and selling off individual brands)...and keep the best remaining ones (Viciedo, Quintana, Santiago) to build around. You leverage other assets (Ramirez/Peavy/Crain) to clear payroll space and bring young blood in to revitalize and re-energize. It's not like the White Sox would be closing their stadium for 3-5 years and disappearing from the face of the earth. The final member of the last product line (Konerko, following AJ and Buehrle) is becoming obsolete and needs to be replaced.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 23, 2013 -> 07:19 AM) New Coke would be the closest example, as it actually replaced the former. The only problem is that lasted about six months before they brought back the original. The bottom line is that this thread is silly. No business model exists where you can dump your entire product line and still expect customers to show up before you have your next great product. Any thread that tries to tell you differently is just wrong. The problem is NOBODY is advocating dumping an entire product line.New Coke would be the closest example, as it actually replaced the former. The only problem is that lasted about six months before they brought back the original. This isn't letting Robin Ventura go in the prime of his career, or the White Flag trade. Do you honestly think if Paul Konerko played out the season as a .220 hitter with 15 homers and 55 RBI's that ANY fans would not renew their season tickets next year because he wasn't coming back again? Nobody is clamoring for a return of Mark Buehrle or AJ Pierzynski. They just want a clear direction and plan they can believe in and get behind. In the end, the core product is Chris Sale...he has to be successful for the franchise to win anything in the next five years. Around that, you trim away the products that aren't getting a successful ROI (think Hostess going bankrupt and selling off individual brands)...and keep the best remaining ones (Viciedo, Quintana, Santiago) to build around. You leverage other assets (Ramirez/Peavy/Crain) to clear payroll space and bring young blood in to revitalize and re-energize. It's not like the White Sox would be closing their stadium for 3-5 years and disappearing from the face of the earth. The final member of the last product line (Konerko, following AJ and Buehrle) is becoming obsolete and needs to be replaced.

I was shocked after we made it through the 7th with Omogrosso that Jones wasn't there to start the 8th. That was the most logical move. If RV trusts Omogrosso more than Jones, we might as well send him down to Charlotte where he can pitch regularly in the 8th inning with a lead and get reacquainted with the idea of successfully setting up games for Reed to close out. He's definitely not an ideal "long man" candidate...unless they send him to the very end of the bullpen and tell him to start throwing every pitch he used as a starter. Not sure how well that would work, as he's now programmed to think like a two-pitch pitcher and has ditched the curveball and change.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 23, 2013 -> 06:28 AM) No it wouldn't. Ford never dropped the F line of trucks during their worst years. Apple never ditched the Mac. Toyota never traded the Camary. Fine, then New Coke or Clear Pepsi. You said they never dropped this line or that product. In your analogy, does that mean we keep Paul Konerko's ghost around forever, too? Adapt or die. Tropicana no longer promotes bikini contests or girls with dark/exotic looking tans lathered up with oil, instead concentrating on skin care and skin protection and marketing a product line to women in their 30's, 40's and 50's. Travel agents who don't offer value-added services have disappeared due to competition from the internet. The best we've come up with this year is "The Will To Win" and the false argument we should align with those who have outdated ways of thinking about running a franchise instead of siding with the latest statistical analysis and screening programs to identify both collegiate players as well as minor leaguers from other organizations. (It doesn't matter what they're doing...it matters more what they're perceived to be doing.) For a long time, White Sox marketing consisted largely of hoping they would draw big crowds for fireworks nights. They need to revamp whatever they're doing because it's no longer working. We're losing "market share" year after year since 2006.

VS BOSTON RED SOX (HOME GAMES) AUG 24-25-26, 2007 (14.5 GB) 30,581--37,639--38,874--36,745 2008 (Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon at end of season, tied or leading division) 38,621--39,243--39,008--32,634 2009 (FRI-MON, September, 7 GB) 28,839--33,239--32,134--22,511 2010 (Sept, 10 GB) 19,750--16,982--32,084 2011 (July, Fri-Sat-Sun) 27,513--33,919--28,278 2012 (April, Thur-Sun) 20,266--20,414--20,057--22,811

QUOTE (gatnom @ May 23, 2013 -> 12:18 AM) Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but the fact that you answered my question in 4 letters made me laugh. I must truly be crazy. TWTTBC.

To make room for Danks on the 25-man roster, the Sox optioned left-hander Donnie Veal to Triple-A Charlotte. But the biggest decision may occur this weekend and affect Santiago because Dylan Axelrod is scheduled to start Sunday against the Marlins. "I'll be like a Swiss Army Knife,'' quipped Santiago, mentioning the comparison that manager Robin Ventura gave him earlier this year. "I'll be ready for any role." Santiago could be dispatched to the bullpen since Matt Thornton now is the lone left-hander, but Ventura said a decision would be made this weekend. Santiago labored during a 29-pitch first inning in which he allowed a two-run single to David Ortiz on a one-handed swing. "I think that was the best slider I threw this season," Santiago said. Unfortunately for Santiago, Clay Buchholz outpitched him, tossing seven innings of five-hit ball to improve to 7-0 with a 1.73 ERA. Santiago left the Sox with the comfort of knowing they could insert him into the rotation again in the event of an injury or if a starter struggles over an extended period. Since joining the rotation after Gavin Floyd was shut down for the season because of an elbow injury, Santiago has posted a 2.30 ERA in five starts. Gonzales/chicagotribune.com/sports

QUOTE (gatnom @ May 22, 2013 -> 10:17 PM) Am I crazy if I liked Iron Man 3 a lot more than The Avengers? A bit.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ May 22, 2013 -> 11:10 PM) Maybe they are horrible. It seems the busts in the system are the multi sport players. They seem to get athletes but not baseball players. Some flaws can't be fixed at the professional level. Drafting and developing may be the two biggest problems in this organization. You have to point a finger the JR since they draft the agent instead of the player. Better players will get the better agents. The same group of people are repeating the same mistakes. Things need to be gutted at the top. Josh Fields and Joe Borchard immediately come to mind, and RHP Brian West was a football player at LSU, I can't remember if Brian Anderson was just a baseball player...he also fits the toolsy/athletic mold without a refined technical approach. Mitchell over Trout (the Yankees are the only other team who were on Trout, because he grew up in their backyard)...Keenyn Walker was an All-State football player at Judge Memorial High School in Utah, another example. Trayce Thompson's father and brothers, NBA family. Crossing fingers on Barnum and Hawkins for the moment. Then we have all those "weird" draft picks like Royce Ring and Aaron Poreda, where nearly everyone had them pegged as relievers from the get-go...like drafting a punter or kicker in the 1st three rounds of the NFL draft. Finally, the "limited upside" college pitcher selections of Broadway (relatively high) and McCulloch.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 22, 2013 -> 10:10 PM) You mean the overreaction standings? I'm slow sometimes. You might have to explain better for me to get it. I can't believe anybody with talent to make the major leagues would release the ball as he does. Like Keith Foulke. I mean it's absurd to whip the arm around like that. I can see why he is so wild. Can anybody watch a tape of Nate and seriously tell me that's a good way to approach the mechanics of pitching/releasing. It worked for them...if you completely change his mechanics, you could end up with a guy throwing 90-95 and completely out of sorts with his control and movement and arm slot. I can't imagine the Sox would do that until it became a last-ditch, career-saving intervention. They're not at that point, yet. With Foulke, he almost tucked it behind him (sort of like Sutcliffe) and the ball got on the batter faster than they were expecting off the change..."sneaky fast." Darn. No Jose Fernandez for the Marlins. He pitched last night and will miss us by one game. Was looking forward to seeing him pitch. Koehler, Nolasco and Sanabia (the guy who doctored/slobbered all over the ball).