caulfield12

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Sep 10, 2010 -> 05:37 AM) Speaking of Bobby Jenks and frightening discoveries: Jenks 52.2 IP 54 hits 26 ER 61 K/18 BB 4.44 ERA 1.367 WHIP Linebrink 48 IP 46 hits 24 ER 45 K/13 BB 4.50 ERA 1.229 WHIP And I think Linebrink is more maligned here...especially by those who still love Bobby. But how many really important or high-leverage/pressure situations has Linebrink been in this year? Maybe 3 or 4? You could take DJ Carrasco's stats from 2 years ago and probably compare them favorably too, but it wouldn't mean very much in the overall scheme of things.

First of all, there's no way that KW should trade Pierre unless we have ANOTHER option for leadoff, and Mitchell's probably 18 months away...and, at this point, we're far from certain if he can be an ideal leadoff hitter. Maybe. V-Mart, Beltre, Crawford, etc., dream on. The problem with letting Konerko go is that then you're relying on a LaRoche, Carlos Pena (the 1B version of Carlos Quentin, albeit a much better defender), Overbay, etc., even at their highest upsides Pena is the only one who approaches Konerko's output this season. As for trading for Choo, if you offered Quentin, Danks2, Flowers and Morel, that's not even a certainty to get it done. As far as Manny Ramirez goes, I'd like to see him show some XB pop before I even thought about bringing him back...there's a 95% chance baseball will never again see "classic Manny" again, because of age and being off the drugs. The only place we can trade from is our position of strength, but that comes with a very questionable assumption Peavy will be the same pitcher he was before. If we don't resign Garcia, send Sale to the minors and trade any of Danks/Floyd/Jackson, it's going to be an incredibly risky move...unless Peavy can prove in ST he's ready to go. The only way you can trade Thornton is if you keep Sale in the pen, and it seems starting in AAA is his destination...so, with no Threets, you basically have to keep Matty. It's scary to think what our offense is going to be like without Konerko AND Quentin, and with a new catcher (granted, AJ didn't light up the OPS numbers this year)....that would leave the core of our offense as Rios (hopefully he can repeat an 800 OPS at least), Beckham and Alexei. That's very scary. Viciedo, in particular, will have to produce in that scenario. As for Konerko to the Twins, they do have other options, like Cuddyer, with Valencia seemingly ensconced at 3B, and you have to create playing time for Kubel/Young/Thome. Keep in mind, they have some talented outfielders like Hicks and Revere, so Cuddyer is likely to stick at 1B for the future if for some reason Morneau couldn't ever come back (which would be not unlike the Puckett glaucoma situation). With the Twins likely to be paying Capps at least what Jenks is getting this year, plus Nathan's salary, they're unlikely to be spending $10+ million on another player not already on their roster. They're certainly not going to non-tender Capps after trading Ramos for him and without being certain of what they have in Nathan until the very end of spring training at the earliest.

It shouldn't be that puzzling, we're just not that good....it's kind of funny, we might end up close to 90 wins (still) and yet the feel all season long with this team versus the 2006 team was a completely different one, wasn't it? Of course, that team was coming off the World Series title, a "mini-dynasty" seemed at least possible, and that offense just destroyed other teams in the first half. We've been favored by an NL schedule this year (with the exception of the Braves, and that was at home...in ATL, the Braves are very tough) and the fact that we could beat up on the Mariners (8-2). And the Cubs have had much better teams over the last 10 years as well, obviously. Other than that, we've been very average against the rest of baseball. We've got some very good starters, some very TALENTED relievers and Konerko, with offensive outbursts from Rios and Quentin occasionally. That's an oversimplification, but not too far off. Which makes it all the scarier that we have at least a 50% chance of losing our best offensive player, after losing Dye and Thome and not replacing either very adequately.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 9, 2010 -> 11:46 PM) Not sure if anyone does, if someone does, it's probably Greg, but check this out..... Sox record when Mark Teahen plays: 32-31. Sox record when he's benched or out: 50-27. I copied this from someone else, I didn't get these numbers myself, but if this is true..... Just......wow. How can we be 24 games over .500 (82-58)? Has to be something wrong with that stat, because last time I checked, we were only 14 games over. What I do find interesting is there's more "negative threads" related to position or everyday players than pitchers...I don't recall so many discussions of Linebrink, because he can be moved to the back of the bullpen, whereas Teahen is impossible to hide unless he's DHing, in which case his low 700's OPS is still impossible to hide. But if you look at MacDougal, Linebrink, even Contreras after 2007...I guess it's human nature to notice a player you see more often, the same can also be said with Kotsay, D. Wise, Erstad, Mackowiak, Royce Clayton, Mark Johnson, etc.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 9, 2010 -> 12:28 AM) It's another example where Kenny exhibits defense is the least of priorities when it comes to players. I never understood this acquisition at all. I guess he was one of those guys who use to hurt the Sox. Well he's still doing it. Note to Kenny: No more players from losing organizations especially the Royals. I disagree. Alexei Ramirez was signed with the idea he had the tools to play almost anywhere on the field defensively, 2B/CF/SS. Jordan Danks, Mitchell, Morel....then you have the signings or trades for the likes of Pierre, Rios, Vizquel, Andruw Jones, all those moves shored up what was once one of the worst defenses (and slowest) in the AL. Now Viciedo and Manny Ramirez are examples to the contrary, along with Teahen. So at best, he's been inconsistent. Then again, if the you follow the Mariners model and have the worst offense in the AL, that's not going to get you very far, either.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:54 PM) Well....at least Greinke is dominating the Twins. Rays/Red Sox game is tied at 5 in the 5th. Forget chasing down the Rays. We'll be lucky to finish ahead of the Red Sox record.

Wilson Betemit, 916 OPS .300, 10, 30 RBI's Too bad he didn't put up those numbers for us, but he might be NOT worse than Teahen defensively, which is saying quite a bit.

QUOTE (chisoxt @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:52 PM) I thought about this same thing too. It would be like Jerry to dick over Rick Hahn and hand the job to Tony. Jerry likes to think 'outside the box' on his hires, and as you mentioned, he would love to rehire his buddy La Russa in some capacity.. Also, I thouht that if Ozzie goes, could Dave Duncan step in as manager?? Cooper and Duncan together? That's not going to happen. If TLR came in with Duncan, Cooper would definitely be gone too. I don't see them co-existing. As Fathom has noted, he's shown some interest in the White Sox managing job himself over the years when probed on the question.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:48 PM) Was Teahen's second error on a play that would have been a double play? As someone mentioned earlier, it's really no shock the Sox went on a good run when he got hurt. I don't know how we managed to overcome the loss of his amazing power, contact ability, and defense. Also, I'm really frustrated by Ozzie playing guys who don't match-up well against the pitcher. Andruw Jones vs Bonderman's slider is a recipe for disaster. If anything, play him tomorrow against Porcello's sinker. If he used a smaller bat, he would undoubtedly put up MVP numbers. But Buddy Bell insists on the large bat, so Teahen won't change.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:46 PM) After all of the drama between Williams and Ozzie this season, along with the fact that all-time Reinsdorf favorite Tony LaRussa will be looking for a job this off-season AND is interested in trying his hand at being a GM, I would not be surprised to see KW bumped upstairs in order to accommodate LaRussa. That is my bold prediction! Bring back Royce Clayton, any Alomar, Lofton and D'Angelo Jimenez please. Actually, do we really have a lot of faith that JR is going to spend $3 million per year on a GM, because that's what LaRussa's market price is...

Josh Fields update (just for amusement in this sorry game) 6/15 (.400) 1 HR, 1 RBI, 5 K's

Can we have Josh Fields back please? What's the market for the worst 3B in all of baseball (well, maybe better than Viciedo, although Dayan at least has the youth argument on his side there) with a low 700's OPS? I mean, Teahen's in the prime of his career and he's 0.20 points of OPS ahead of a 43 year old Omar Vizquel. Just egregiously bad. If he could defend, you can live with it, assuming there's no Kotsay in the line-up.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:39 PM) Especially without Cabrera. And Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen, etc.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:36 PM) Kenny needs to do a better job of building a roster. We basically played a man down on offense all year long because he listened to the whims of a man who is pretending we are in the NL. Ozzie proofing the lineup is the key for any executive who is above him. Role players especially lefty marginal players become keys in our lineup. Oddly imagine if we took the money we spent on Manny, added Kotsay and Teahan. We might of had a real DH. It's obviously a problem when the manager has more say than the GM, if that's actually to be believed (which I'm not 100% convinced KW would sacrifice a season with this kind of pitching to make a point to JR and Ozzie but who knows). Look at the issue with TLR and Rasmus/Pujols for another organization with similar "power structure" issues. Seems LaRussa really talks up Jocketty in the papers and uses any chance he can to either remain silent on Mozeliak or diss him...you would think the GM's were more important in the NL Central race than the players and teams playing on the field.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:33 PM) Why is Manny not playing today? Sore hand after being hit yesterday???? Ramirez is playing, he's just hitting 5th instead of 3rd, where he's getting about as much protection from Mark Teahen as the A-Team gives to...forget it. Basically zero.

And now Konerko's dinged up with the ouchy back, I bet his homer totals the final 3-4 weeks are going to suffer quite a bit. Still, his overall numbers are going to be awesome compared to expectations coming into this season.

Andruw Jones=814 OPS Alex Rios=811 OPS Obviously Rios is the better player, but this is one reason that there are other valuable stats to look at, rather than just OPS or SLG.

Well, it's not like our offense has exactly shown up against Cy Bonderman. Harrelson's former favorite crush. At least with our starting rotation already logjammed, KW can't sign him as a FA this winter.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 06:22 PM) huh? Baldwin was a decent pitcher for the White Sox. He was a prototypical “keeps his team in the game” pitcher, a guy who, while not dominant, does well enough to give his team a good chance of winning the game most times around. He usually stayed roughly around the league average for earned runs allowed. His best season was in 2000, when he won 14 games and lost 7, with an earned run average of 4.65, a little better than league average that season. He made the All Star Team in 2000, as the White Sox made the playoffs. Baldwin was going to be a free agent after the 2001 season, and in 2001, the White Sox had an off year after making the playoffs in 2000. So they decided to trade Baldwin at the trade deadline in 2001 to a team (the Los Angeles Dodgers) who had a better chance of making the playoffs in exchange for a few low level prospects, rather than lose Baldwin as a free agent after the season and get nothing in return for him. The prospects were nothing too notable: Jeff Barry, Gary Majewski and Onan Masaoka. Majewski, actually, was drafted by the White Sox and sent to the Dodgers earlier in 2001, so they were just getting him back. Barry had played in the big leagues for a little bit in the late 90s, mostly for the Rockies… Here’s the kicker, though. The White Sox did not MEAN to acquire Barry!!!! No, the White Sox meant to acquire young Dodger minor league pitcher Jonathan Berry!!! The White Sox even issues a press release saying it was Berry that they had received, while it was not. White Sox general manager Kenny Williams noted at the time: There was a misunderstanding on reports. "We were looking at a report on the pitcher and we didn’t have one on the guy we got. We’ll honor the deal." Luckily for the White Sox, while Barry never made the major leagues for the White Sox, Berry never made the majors, either. The best player in the deal turned out, most likely, to be Majewski, who the White Sox traded to the (then) Montreal Expos in 2004 along with pitcher Jon Rauch in exchange for Carl Everett, who helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series. Amusingly enough, Majewski was involved in ANOTHER trade snafu of sorts when he was traded from the Washington Nationals (that’s who the Montreal Expos became) to the Cincinnati Reds in 2006. At the time, Majewski was a 26-year-old reliever having a strong season after following two strong years as a reliever. So the Reds thought they were getting the tough relief pitcher than their bullpen needed.

Raburn was totally lost in the shuffle the first half of the season. Now he's become the most dangerous hitter in their line-up after Cabrera...actually much hotter than Miguel the last 4-6 weeks. Boesch has really done a 2nd half fade job, not quite as bad as Chris Shelton but I wouldn't call him a sure thing for 2011.

QUOTE (11and1 @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 07:14 PM) Do it now. Teahen plays, we lose. It never f***ing fails. Two more years of this loser? KW's Worst. Deal. Ever. 1. Todd Ritchie for Wells/Fogg/Lowe 2. Any Swisher deal 3. Ray Durham/draft picks for Jon Adkins 4. acquiring the wrong Berry/Barry from the Dodgers because KW spelled the name wrong on the list sent to MLB, I think that was the one where we received the unforgettable Onan Masaoka from LA 5. Billy Koch trade, although we got Cotts out of it...Koch REALLY sucked for us, big time, but he was a "fireballer" after Foulke, lol

QUOTE (CWSOX45 @ Sep 8, 2010 -> 07:10 PM) I don't often criticize moves by KW, but what on earth were they thinking on this one? He doesn't pass the eye test at 3B, and the UZR backs that up. Teahen is not a ML 3B. Plain and simple. Buddy Bell made the recommendation based on his time working with Teahen previously. Supposedly, Teahen would be a better hitter when offered more protection in the line-up. Supposedly, Buddy Bell was going to revolutionize our minor league system. Still waiting on that one.

And think how good KW did signing A. Jones, Putz, Vizquel and Santos. How likely is that to repeat itself? Of course, NOT SIGNING Thome might have undone half the good those other four moves made.

And Danks at 70 pitches after 4 IP ensures that the bullpen will be entering this one early as well. I'm definitely not in favor of giving him anything resembling Lester or Sabathia money until he proves he can pitch through situations like this...on the surface, he's got a good ERA, but he just hasn't pitched well enough on a consistent basis when we've needed him to step up and be the stopper in the 2nd half. We can blame Teahen for some of this, but he shouldn't have given up 4 runs there.

And away we go...the dreaded crooked number. Is Harrelson announcing? How is he taking this putrid play the last two days?