caulfield12

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 25, 2013 -> 07:05 PM) Wow, you're kidding, a 40% chance of showers? My god, we need to build a domed stadium in 24 hours! LOL...DJ said he has a "bad feeling" about tmrw. So your prediction is clear and sunny skies...for the record? No rain delays, guaranteed?

More bad weather predicted for tmrw. 40% chance of showers throughout the afternoon.

Johnson had runners on 1st and 2nd with just one out in the 7th and escaped without giving up a run. Geez, not sure who is more of a disaster, Walker or Mitchell. Walker's down in the 180's, 0/3 with a K and 5 LOB. Semien has cooled off, too. And somehow, Trayce Thompson always manages to put up decent RBI numbers despite his low BA.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 25, 2013 -> 06:47 PM) Haha How many times have we heard "he's the best teammate, the hardest worker, he's always the first player to the stadium, most respected, etc." Such a cliche.

Dunn on a 1/21 tear. Sigh. So much for his renaissance. 23,705.

We love throwing anyone out on the base-paths, even a 37 year old Juan Pierre.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 25, 2013 -> 06:38 PM) Cards are running out of pitchers. Garcia's out for the year, Westbrook's out, and now Gast left today's game with shoulder tightness. They'll probably call up Wacha now. Wonder if a year from now we're going to be kicking ourselves for not trading them Peavy/Crain/Ramirez in a mega-deal. Even for the Cardinals, that's a LOT of (future) salary to take on (other than Crain). But Peavy/Crain....

Alexei warning track power...until June/July/August. Hard to believe Rios' hitting streak is longer than Joe Mauer's career high, which I'm pretty sure is just 14 or 16.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 25, 2013 -> 06:28 PM) Damn Gordo for having a setback It's part of a conspiracy to play as many close games as possible...if we can get confident winning enough 1 and 2 run games and not blowing opponents out with occasional offensive bursts followed by malaise, it would be closer to the 2005/2008 (minus Quentin) teams.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/pr...a85b1f5ac2.html This is EXACTLY what the White Sox need... "In a simplistic way when we graduate players to the major leagues we're in essence putting a stamp on them that they're ready," general manager John Mozeliak said. "George Kissell or some of the other coaches would take the time to explain why you're doing it. It wasn't just the X's and O's of where to stand and just do it ... it always came with a reason. Sometimes those reasons are open for debate. When you look at the evolution of this (manual) you couldn't whip something up today, put a (cover) on it, and say, 'OK, this is it.' This is something that took decades to form. And it's still changing." Matheny described how they trimmed some bunt defense from last year's version. Ongoing editing is how the Cardinal Way becomes a "living" monument. His chapter on catching is dedicated to Ricketts. His goal was to recall and recapture as much as he remembered from his former coach. A few days before his argument with the ump, Shildt took his catchers aside and read with them the chapter, which dissects the position, from exercises to drills to selflessness. Matheny lists 16 characteristics that a Cardinals catcher must have. They range from a "high baseball IQ" and "good communicator," to "exceptional flexibility in the lower ½ muscles" and "capable of taking blame even when it is unjustified." These traits are non-negotiable, he said. "There's a list of them that I believe are not just important, but critical," Matheny said. "They have to be there or it's going to hurt the team, it's going to hurt your career, and you might as well go somewhere else to another position or another organization if those aren't a part of who you are." That is the overriding sense of the manual. It does have the standard baseball drills in it. A reader can see how Kissell breaks down the infield positions into the 11 different plays a third baseman will see, the 13 a shortstop has to handle, the 12 for second base and so on. But there are also lessons that transcend the field. There are suggestions for the man as well as the Cardinal when it comes to "all things that go into how you're defined," Mozeliak said. * * *

QUOTE (Baron @ May 25, 2013 -> 06:27 PM) Getting my first smart phone tomorrow. Any suggestions? Seems the best are the Iphone 5, Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. Most of my Chinese students prefer I-phone 4S to 5. Samsung has a bigger screen, but I've already known a couple of people who have dropped it a short distance and it broke...so not quite as resilient. HTC has the Quad Core tech, and is an increasingly-popular option here.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 25, 2013 -> 06:04 PM) Well, Dunn's hot streak was fun while it lasted. Now 0 for his last 14 with 8 strikeouts. At least he has to sit next Wed and Thurs. 1 for his last 20 with 11 K's. The one hit (homer) was the bomb in the first inning against Lester.

Well...another three base-runners and no runs scored inning. I love Paulie...but I'll be happy when we finally move on from the Dye/AJ/Thome/Dunn/Crede plodding middle of the line-up guys.

QUOTE (Baron @ May 25, 2013 -> 05:37 PM) The Marlins are so freakin terrible. They have a lot more talent, though, than the Astros, IMO. And they'll supplement it, in all likelihood, with a Mike Stanton mega-trade at some point.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 25, 2013 -> 05:22 PM) It was European soccer And all the Fox games started at 6 today I don't care if Messi, David Villa and Xavi are taking on an all-star team with Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo, it shouldn't rank higher than baseball. Peavy gets out of a difficult situation with the double play and a K. Bottom of the 2nd. Ozuna continuing to look dangerous.

http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2013/05/k...tle-things.html LONG, but excellent, overview of all the Royals' problems, both this season and historically. Poor Chris Getz is one of the targets, justifiably...he's not a legit lead-off hitter and not a starter for a good team. about 1/4th of the article...and this part is just as relevant to the 2013 Chicago White Sox KC and the little things OK, well, I know what comes next. If you have been around the Kansas City Royals for any extended period of time, you do too. The Royals have lost 14 of their last 18 games. But more, much more, 11 of those 14 losses are by two runs or less. Oh yeah, we know what comes next. Lots and lots and lots of talk about … the little things. Get ready for it. There will be closed door meetings. There will be public proclamations. There will be quotes galore. People from the Royals organization will be lining up to tell us how they’ve got to start doing the little things, they can’t keep messing up the little things, they must concentrate on the little things. Those little things will become an obsession, at least for a little while. At some point manager Ned Yost will say he will not put up with players who don’t do the little things. General manager Dayton Moore will say that the team can’t panic, that it’s simply about getting those little things right. Team leaders will emerge to publicly challenge teammates to do those little things. In a way, I agree with the Royals. Unfortunately, we have very different views of what little things actually matter most. The Royals -- and, really, almost every baseball team -- think of the little things as getting the bunt down, moving runners over, getting them home from third, hitting the cutoff man, getting the sure out and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I believe these are all good things for a team to do, important in their own way. I tend to think of them like I think of the little twisty air blower above your seat on an airplane. It matters. If the plane is hot, that thing feels like an important device. But, you know, even when it’s hot, that little twisty blower doesn’t really power the plane. The Royals are always terrible at close games. Always. They have won just 44% of their one- and two-run games since the 1994 strike, by far the worst percentage in the American League.* They have also lost by far the most blowout games of any team since 1994, but let’s focus on one problem at a time. I believe those close games DO often come down to little things, but I just happen to think those little things have little to do with bunting, productive outs or saving/gaining the extra base. *The Yankees have won 57% of their one- and two-run games sine 1995, by far the best percentage in the AL, which could lead to a long post about about mystique and aura and more hosannas for Mariano. But not right now.

http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2013/05/k...tle-things.html LONG, but excellent, overview of all the Royals' problems, both this season and historically. Poor Chris Getz is one of the targets, justifiably...he's not a legit lead-off hitter and not a starter for a good team. about 1/4th of the article...and this part is just as relevant to the 2013 Chicago White Sox KC and the little things OK, well, I know what comes next. If you have been around the Kansas City Royals for any extended period of time, you do too. The Royals have lost 14 of their last 18 games. But more, much more, 11 of those 14 losses are by two runs or less. Oh yeah, we know what comes next. Lots and lots and lots of talk about … the little things. Get ready for it. There will be closed door meetings. There will be public proclamations. There will be quotes galore. People from the Royals organization will be lining up to tell us how they’ve got to start doing the little things, they can’t keep messing up the little things, they must concentrate on the little things. Those little things will become an obsession, at least for a little while. At some point manager Ned Yost will say he will not put up with players who don’t do the little things. General manager Dayton Moore will say that the team can’t panic, that it’s simply about getting those little things right. Team leaders will emerge to publicly challenge teammates to do those little things. In a way, I agree with the Royals. Unfortunately, we have very different views of what little things actually matter most. The Royals -- and, really, almost every baseball team -- think of the little things as getting the bunt down, moving runners over, getting them home from third, hitting the cutoff man, getting the sure out and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I believe these are all good things for a team to do, important in their own way. I tend to think of them like I think of the little twisty air blower above your seat on an airplane. It matters. If the plane is hot, that thing feels like an important device. But, you know, even when it’s hot, that little twisty blower doesn’t really power the plane. The Royals are always terrible at close games. Always. They have won just 44% of their one- and two-run games since the 1994 strike, by far the worst percentage in the American League.* They have also lost by far the most blowout games of any team since 1994, but let’s focus on one problem at a time. I believe those close games DO often come down to little things, but I just happen to think those little things have little to do with bunting, productive outs or saving/gaining the extra base. *The Yankees have won 57% of their one- and two-run games sine 1995, by far the best percentage in the AL, which could lead to a long post about about mystique and aura and more hosannas for Mariano. But not right now.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 25, 2013 -> 05:11 PM) Bumped for soccer today. The U.S. National Team? The White Sox really rate behind the MLS?

Saturday’s loss was faith-testing grim. The Angels trotted out right-hander Billy Buckner, a one-time Royals’ draftee who hasn’t pitched in the majors in nearly three years. And he worked five scoreless innings. The LA bullpen, which entered the day with a better ERA than just two other American League units, then completed the shutout with four clean innings. And it all looked easy. “Offensively, we’re just not getting it done,” manager Ned Yost said. “We just need to break out of the funk were in and get some hits. It’s a combination of everything, but we’ve got to find a way to get it done.” The Royals’ attack right now...Tennyson once wrote about “the quiet sense of something lost.” Well, yeah. Bingo. A lot of quiet, and a lot of lost. (That’s right, we’re channeling Tennyson. Gives you an idea, doesn’t it?) Some specifics: The Royals have scored three runs or fewer on six occasions while going 1-8 over the last nine days. That streak includes three one-run losses at Oakland, two losses in three games at Houston (which is tough to do). And now three straight home losses to the Angels who, when this series opened Thursday night, had the worst record in the American League but for those aforementioned Astros. Tennyson is perfect. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/25/42562...l#storylink=cpy And it doesn't get any easier after Sunday, 7 games at St. Louis and Texas

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 25, 2013 -> 05:06 PM) Looks like we got out f Anaheim just in time. Still 9 1/2 games behind the Rangers (have made up only 2 1/2), but they're at least getting back into a competitive position for the two wild cards, just like last season...nevertheless, with that payroll, they've still missed the playoffs 3 years in a row. Meanwhile, Royals' fans and Greg are getting ready to jump off the ledge.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ May 25, 2013 -> 04:59 PM) Detroit and Cleveland both lost today so we need to win this one. Too bad this game is on FOX for whatever stupid reason so I have to wait to watch the replay on MLBTV later A 6 p.m. game on FOX? Really? I thought hey always had national control of the 12-6 p.m. Saturday afternoon window, but that was the extent of it.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?s...mp;ymd=20130525 Dominican outfielder sighting at Kanny...Juan Ramirez. Michael Johnson has been on fire, 1/1 so far and all the way up to .336. Micah also well over .300. Olacio on the hill, trying to get his ERA below 6.

Dunn 0 for his last 14. Sanchez cleared waivers and is going to Charlotte.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ May 25, 2013 -> 01:35 PM) Imagine Santiago as a setup guy. Not just pitching one inning but possibly more, the 6th and 7th or the 7th and 8th. It's incredibly valuable to the Sox pen . I still have hope the Sox can compete this year. If it doesn't happen every one will get their wish to see Santiago starting. It's going to take a few months to determine . He doesn't have to start now just as Sale didn't have to start then. If you don't understand what the Sox are trying to do after I have repeatedly clarified it I don't know what else I can do. It's all about maxing Ax's value now . Might not work out . Ax might crap the bed , but with Floyd hurt and Danks just returning we have a few months to see what Ax and Danks can do to increase their value. Increase Danks' value for what? Nobody will trade for him until he proves he's 100% healthy and can pitch effectively with 2-3 MPH less juice on his fastball. It's going to take all of 2013 for him to re-establish that value...and if you have a $65 million veteran pitcher on a long-term contract, he's never going to end up in the bullpen (even if you could make the legitimate argument Santiago/Axelrod starting would give the White Sox a better chance to win THIS year). Axelrod wasn't ever a Top 10 prospect, or, if he was, it was probably 10th. I'll put it this way...scouts all around baseball are more likely to view him more like Phil Humber than someone they'd give up an attractive package to acquire. What are the odds that he keeps up this level of performance the entire season? There will be no value for him if they don't trade him before his weaknesses are fully exposed and other teams see him 2-3 times and figure him out.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 25, 2013 -> 01:42 PM) Have you seen the interview with Ozzie before this Miami series? He's humbled and says he'd work cheap. You Royals fans are too patient. You need something to shake things up. Royals had a chance to sign Sosa back in the day; coulda signed Thome. Coulda signed anybody. But you plod along hoping and hoping. Yes you beat the Sox like a drum and probably will again the next time we play. The problem was never the Royals' offense. It was always pitching. When they had Dye, Damon, Carlos Beltran, Randa, Carlos Febles, Mike Sweeney and decent production out of the catcher's spot over a decade ago, they were still struggling to be much over .500. Royals now on a 4-15 run, including a whopping 7 consecutive losses at home...have gone from 7 games under .500 to 4 games under in the span of 3 weeks.