caulfield12

Now the next debate will be about benching/platooning Lillibridge or Fukudome with DeAza and/or Lillibridge. No matter what, we can never seem to have a season in Chicago where the youth can play everyday without the pressure of always competing for a playoff spot, lol. That's a good thing, but its cost us so much in development, too. That hair-trigger with impatience cuts both ways, especially the Hudson/Holmberg trade.

34 or 35 consecutive saves now for Joe Nathan in his lifetime against Tiggers. That suicide squeeze actually went off Gonzalez's body, so it should have been ruled foul. Got away with one. Rangers and Hamilton are just too good right now....but Fielder almost walked off that game the last ab with a high fly down the RF line.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 11:45 AM) AJ, Konerko and KW get no credit??? I meant for Humber's acquisition and unexpected success for the Sox, not our season as a whole so far.

Colon was great last time out, and Villone pitched really well, but the Oakland offense is like Seattle's with the exception of Cespedes in the middle who's a threat to hit it out every at-bat.

AJ saying "I love ya, brother!" That was cool. This team really does seem to be getting along with each other better...the chemistry is a lot better. I know, winning makes chemistry, rather than chemistry results from winning, but they're co-correlated, lol.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 08:50 AM) The only similarity is the two teams conducting the deal. Santos was not dealt after finishing out the previous season on and off the DL. Sirotka(and pretty much the entire 2000 Sox staff) ended that season on fumes with all of them taking turns on the DL. And let's not forget, Wells wasn't exactly a steal, both teams received damaged goods, and neither team got a return from either pitcher. If Santos ends up hurt this season, I would attribute it to bad luck, not the Sox passing off an injured pitcher. Yeah, we got something like $4-4.5 million back in insurance payments on that contract for Wells. Wonder what the Blue Jays actually got back...and whether they had insured Sirotka against injury when he was acquired? Guess we'll never know.

QUOTE (mumbles3k @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 02:30 AM) The original MAJOR LEAGUE was so bad, I never bothered with the sequels. I'll have to check that out. That and MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING are now at the top of my list. But I haven't seen a lot of these. Really? Maybe the off-the-field stuff with Berenger and Russo was too much, but it still has to rate as one of the Top 10 baseball movies of all-time. The sequel/s, not so much.

Or another former Piranha...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 08:10 AM) I prefer to think of them as great lessons for not reacting like a menstral 16 year old who just got dumped by her boyfriend on prom night everytime the Sox make a move. Sounds like a few unnamed members of the Chicago print media.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 05:38 AM) There was nothing to like about Humber at the time. For f***'s sake, he's still the 5th starter after he put up a 3.75 ERA over 160 last year. I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way. He is a good pitcher. You aren't drafted 3rd overall without having a clue. I just didn't think he had anything left. I was obviously wrong then. 've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again. Don't care. Still awesome. Now, if you'd like, I'm sure I can find a team to dig up a few other posts. I realize its all in good fun, but, being an administrator and all on the site, maybe you should take the high ground in situations like this and let others do the digging. It's kind of like, yeah, KW (more specifically, Hahn and Cooper) were very right on a player/pitcher because they saw him a couple of times pitching first-hand for the Royals against us late in 2011 and they took a flyer on him. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes, in this case, we might as well be making fun of the Twins, Royals and A's for all giving up on him...especially Beane and Dayton Moore, who can always use pitching, but Billy Smith (again) looks stupid. The same thing could probably be said if you mentioned the reaction when we picked up Gil Heredia and Esteban Loaiza before the 2003 season. Or Silverio, Gomes and Orlando, etc. Mitch Mustain, the ex Arkansas/USC QB. Did anyone in those threads predict he was going to amount to something? We had at this same debate over and over again about Rios, Dunn and Peavy when they were acquired. I guess it's probably easier for the last five years of KW's tenure to just predict that every single acquisition's going to be a disaster. Lillibridge and DeAza, for example. Did anyone predict 3 weeks ago that Kip Wells was going to return to the White Sox rotation this season? Are they idiots for having done so, or was that thread just filled with cynicism and scoffing? Same thing with Stewart and Molina...for all those betting against KW getting an impact pitcher, is KW going to send out letter congratulating us for being right when neither of them makes it (just an example)...or for posters being upset when Holmberg, Hudson, Gonzalez or Chris Young were traded? I remember fighting with numerous posters and admins for years about Brian Anderson being a bust. Does that mean I should go and dig up those posts? Kind of silly, because we've all been wrong more often than we've been right. If you take a controversial or lightning rod position to spark discussion like J4L often does with his player evaluations, you're always going to be wrong just as wrong as major league teams are often quite wrong drafting in the first round. It's not an exact science, nor will it ever be (see Moneyball). Or maybe there's an even more nuanced situation, like Yoenis Cespedes, where you not only have to consider talent/projectability/video displays against unreal competition, but also our budgetary restraints and those consequences. For right now, every team in the majors looks pretty silly for not having gone stronger after Cespedes. That doesn't mean someone should now spend $30-40 million on Soler, either. Any time a team gives a $100+ million dollar contract, it's easy to say "they're being crazy and responsible," that won't work out. Does that mean we're smarter than Epstein/Bill James/Cherington for being against the signing(s) of Dice-K, JD Drew, Lackey, Beckett or Carl Crawford? We all have our biases, too. I've always loved Cuban players, does that mean I'm wrong about Viciedo because he's been something of a bust so far this season? Well, time will tell on that one, just like Molina, Mitchell, doesn't matter what propect you're talking about. It reminds me of all those acquisitions like Hermanson, Politte, Cotts, Dye, AJ, Pods, Vizcaino, El Duque and Iguchi, Takatsu...none of us could predict that someone KW had only seen on video would make such a big difference to our team in 2005 and 2006, any more than that same person could have predicted similar players like Kaz Matsui or Nishioka last year with the Twins would be such big busts, respectively. And then there are the situations like Takatsu when you can be both right and wrong about a player. Good signing, low risk/high reward, but it won't work over the long-term. Like Fukudome, maybe. If any of us were so great at doing player evaluations, probably we'd all be working for major league teams by now, right?

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 02:07 AM) I really wish that Marvel could repurchase the rights to Spider-Man, X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Daredevil. Imagine a Civil War movie. THAT would be great. Except please, no connection to JOHN CARTER. That $200 million writeoff forced Ross, the Disney studio head, to lose his job.

Hope this plays out better than the Sirotka/David Wells deal and Santos isn't out for a significant period of time. At least he actually reported to the Blue Jays in shape (unlike Pineda) and pitched for the first 2-3 weeks, and demonstrated the same velocity and stuff he had last season with the Sox.

Maybe it's the idea of team/teammates, not throwing people under the bus, no drama...without all the outside distractions, there's more of an ability to focus on the game and less time for theatrics and off-field drama. We're only making headlines this year for baseball-related reasons, and that's nice to see.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 02:56 AM) Robin is doing a nice job, but he is mismanaging de Aza and Lillibridge. He has only given Brent 10 at bats, and 7 of those have been against RHP. Lillibridge demonstrated his ability to hit LHP last season, and he should be given all of de Aza's playing time against lefties. I love de Aza, but he looks lost when facing lefties. This situation just screams for a platoon. Let them share CF and leadoff. I keep saying it, but it's frustrating to watch this situation develop. It's so obvious, that it's a "no-brainer." Coming into yesterday's game, DeAza was 29th in the AL in OPS.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 01:59 AM) I think he profiles a lot like Huddy. Time will tell. If you take away 4-5 MPH from his fastball, sure.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 01:33 AM) I enjoy not being part of Knight's compilation up there. Enjoyed the comp to DJ Carrasco and J4L's hyperbole the most. Oops, now we have Marquez and Lance Broadway. Kyle McCulloch can't be far behind, or Royce Ring/Aaron Poreda.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny-kn...s-to-hope-it-is Ken Rosenthal, foxsports.com To fully understand the disintegration of the Sox’s pitching staff, go back to the latter stages of the Epstein era, when the Sox awarded long-term deals to Matsuzaka and fellow right-handers John Lackey and Josh Beckett. More than $250 million worth of pitchers, including Matsuzaka’s posting fee, boiled down to two Tommy John surgeries and one bucket of Popeye's Fried Chicken to go. Matsuzaka’s contract ends after this season; the Beckett and Lackey deals run through 2014. Those signings, plus the $142 million addition of Crawford, left the Sox with little financial flexibility last offseason. Their payroll is the third-highest in the majors. And now the dominos are starting to fall. The Sox shouldn’t be faulted for failing to match the Phillies’ excessive $50 million offer for closer Jonathan Papelbon. But they can be faulted for failing to find adequate replacements for both Papelbon and Bard, knowing they intended to make Bard a starter. Cherington gambled in trading for Bailey, who frequently is injured, and right-hander Mark Melancon, who had achieved success only in the NL. By contrast, the Rangers shifted Neftali Feliz into their rotation after making three moves in 2011 — trading for Mike Adams, shifting Alexi Ogando to a setup role, signing free-agent closer Joe Nathan — to ensure that their bullpen would be sufficiently covered. Teams prefer to use young, affordable pitchers as starters to maximize their long-term value. But the Red Sox, like the Rangers a year ago, might need to address short-term needs first. The Rangers wanted to make Feliz a starter last season, but kept him as their closer when they lacked better options. Take a look at baseball's most epic pennant race swoons and surges. At the moment, the Sox need two of Bard and two of Doubront. And while the team’s owners are quite smart, they have yet to invent cloning. Call it a crisis. Call it, as Valentine did, “a psychological situation.” Just understand that it’s not a new condition for an organization that, after last September’s collapse, suffered a nervous breakdown.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7840488 Humber's game, analysis from Sutcliffe and Aaron Boone http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7841218/...erfect-surprise Jim Caple, ESPN commentary “I'm not Justin Verlander,” Humber said last year, and by then it was obvious that he had changed some things on the field to give himself a more realistic chance to be successful. “Stop trying to throw high fastballs right by major-league hitters in obvious spots in the count. Your 93-94 isn't good enough. Nail down your command, avoiding baserunners whenever possible. Develop and count on the secondary and tertiary pitches. Hit the corners of the zone, but make sure they're strikes. Trust your fielders and don't think you have to blow every one away.” from Matt Spiegel story at DailyHerald.com http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2012042...orts/704219738/ Rozner Wow. When the White Sox wrapped up their season-opening seven-game homestand Thursday, the big story was the wayward kid that ran into the outfield. Two days later, you've got Adam Dunn slugging like he once did ... and Philip Humber. He might be the Sox' No. 5 starter, but Humber pitched like an ace in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field. Humber pitched a perfect game for the White Sox - the 21st in major-league history. It was a dominant effort, obviously, and the Mariners never really came close to getting a hit. Humber sealed the perfecto when pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan offered at a 3-2 pitch and was called out on strikes. The pitch skipped past catcher A.J. Pierzynski, but he recovered the ball and threw Ryan out at first base. "I knew as long as A.J. didn't trip over himself, he just needed to play catch with Paulie (first baseman Paul Konerko)," the soft-spoken Humber told reporters. Humber pitched the third perfect game in White Sox history. Mark Buehrle pitched one against Tampa Bay on July 23, 2009, and Charles Robertson was perfect against Detroit on April 30, 1922. Scot Gregor/dailyherald.com Scott Miller, cbssportsline.com http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/1874310...all-immortality

The Ben Davis/Curt Schilling incident always gets raised in this conversation.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 09:47 PM) Also never been one from Brazil... Hint Rienzo! Because Orlando and Anderson Faster than Bo Jackson to 1B But Couldn't Actually Hit the Ball Gomes worked so well, lol.

Not sure where Ozzie Guillen gets any credit here...the Humber signing and development seems to be 95% about Hahn and Don Cooper.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/pro...P=jose-quintana To my knowledge, there's never been a major leaguer born in Chile.

It all happened pretty quickly, and it's all kind of confusing right now," Valentine said. Teixeira added more breathing room for the Yankees in the eighth, rapping a two-run ground-rule double down the right-field line. Russell Martin also belted a two-run double as part of the Yankees' outburst. "A team like that, you can't leave pitches over the middle," Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "You can't make any mistakes, really." mlb.com Not only that, Fenway, but you have the VERY uncomfortable situation of Francona broadcasting the Sunday Night game with a national audience...after he got more cheers than anyone Friday afternoon for the anniversary ceremony.

QUOTE (mumbles3k @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 08:25 PM) Thanks guys. I've edited the first post to include the new entries. Keep 'em coming! I've also added one of my own, THE PRiNCESS BRIDE, which features Sox memorabilia in Fred Savage's room. As far as Sox movies that never got made, the most notable one that I'm aware of is VEECK AS IN WRECK, starring Bill Murray. The film was written by a TV guy named Ted Mann, who worked on DEADWOOD, NYPD BLUE and MILLENNIUM. It was set to be directed by John McNaughton, a really good Chicago director who helmed, amongst other things, HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, NORMAL LIFE, and WILD THINGS. Alas, it was determined that foreign markets don't care about Bill Veeck. And so, it remains unproduced. We had to read that book in my graudate sports administration program's marketing class. Got to meet his son Mike at the Minor League baseball winter meetings in El Paso in the mid 90's, he was running the Ft. Myers Miracle I think but was about to move to the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/cowley/1205...perfection.html The full story actually has some decent quotes I haven't seen anywhere else, yet. No baseball team has been kicked around in the last year for how not to run an organization than the South Siders. So the fact that in the mess of contracts gone bad and “rebuilding’’ by not really “rebuilding,’’ there’s a story like Humber’s. (Mostly by you, Joe!) Humble, hungry and handed a fist full of keeping things in perspective because of the early obstacles thrown in his path. “I worked hard at my craft and I wanted that work to pay off so I would be validated,’’ Humber said. “That was my identity as a baseball player. And I evaluated myself by my stat line. If it wasn’t good, I didn’t feel so good. It took me a long time to figure out that it’s not about me or us. Whatever we’re doing, we should do it to glorify God.’’ Yeah, he played the religion card, but when you throw perfection, it’s allowed. So where do the Sox go from here? Well, in the wake of both the no-hitter and the perfect game Buehrle threw, the team seemed to sink after each. Today’s headlines and excitement doesn’t guarantee anything tomorrow. What the Sox do take from this is a starting staff that has some serious swagger, not only because of what Humber did, but how Peavy and Chris Sale are pitching. Will that lead to another on-field celebration this season? One that’s closer to October? Unlikely. Then again, that’s already one more “dog pile’’ than anyone would have expected.