caulfield12

DJ Carrasco might be the most logical person to start, but they should PROBABLY first go to Richard or Broadway, because it only makes sense to try pitchers who theoretically could be here the next 2-3 years. We need to replace Jose and probably Colon after this season, so at least two starters are needed. Torres, Van Benschoten, Egbert, Marquez (right now, for sure) and Whisler just don't profile as big league pitchers, but they simply won't bring up Poreda and Beckham and start their arbitration clocks in what could be a lost season. My choice for one spot start would be Omogrosso (he pitched last night for BIRM) and then working long-term to build up the arm strength of Richard and/or Broadway to give one or the other 4-5 consecutive starts to show what they can do.

I don't think they're confident enough in Poreda's control, and they're also concerned he too will become a one-pitch pitcher if he gets behind in counts...in which case Aaron will get hammered. There are no good solutions...but I think, unfortunately, another Broadway start is more likely than anything. Richard's arm isn't stretched out. Trying Omogrosso wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, he's predominantly as FB pitcher, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for his confidence if he got totally bombed...and his ultimate destination has always been perceived to be the bullpen.

Sorry to see Jose's White Sox career possibly ending this way. Courageous comeback, and maybe he can get a feel for the forkball in the pen, but Jose has never profiled as someone who could successfully come into a short-relief situation. At best, he's a replacement for Broadway and can eat innings in blowouts at this point. Well, no matter what, he was the best pitcher from August 05 through May, 06 in all of baseball. Something to behold. 17 consecutive victories that will never be forgotten.

Bottom line, Nix only really profiles as an offensive "plus" at 2B or SS long-term, but what to do with CF has just as many possible "mehhhhh" options as the future Cy Youngs lining up to replace Jose if he implodes tonight...

.261 .332 .415 747 OPS Those are his CAREER minor league averages over 8 seasons. Throw in 10-15 stolen bases, that's a bottom 3rd major league CFer in terms of numbers. Now if Brian Anderson could hit .260 with a 330 OBP, that would be great, but Nix has no experience in CF, and just because he made a "good" play in RF doesn't mean he has the ability to just start playing CF with the White Sox. If they're really sold on Getz/Beckham/Ramirez up the middle, then fine, but it's just as logical to think that Josh Fields might need a replacement. Of course, Nix at 3B is going to be below average offensively, and he won't give you the stolen base totals that Figgins does, nor will he give you a high OBP.

It's fine to bench Ramirez, but why reward Lillibridge by playing him so much when he's obviously not ready for big league pitching, nor has he played the position enough recently to be at least an "average" ML CFer. Ramirez in a slump is still 10X more dangerous as a hitter than Lillibridge, and probably just as good or even better defensively. Pods against LHP is still a .229 hitter with a 600+ OPS hitter...Lillibridge isn't even close to that, and he hasn't shown much ability to steal bases, either.

Quentin is the player right now who easily has the power to hit the ball out of the park to all fields and he's pull-happy. In the last two or three weeks, how many balls has he driven to RCF?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ag9t...o&type=lgns Jeff Passan article with some good one-liners on Manny, calling for zero tolerance policy (assumption is that this couldn't be enacted until a new CB agreement is negotiated in 2011.)

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbac...7melvin-CR.html Now we've got Wakamatsu and Hinch with White Sox ties, although obviously we can be more proud of Don. Everyone was so upset about losing AJ, and he turned out to be one of the bigger busts (among many) in White Sox draft history, along with Bobby Seay.

I understand the thinking behind that, but he still needs as much time as possible to work on his defense at SS. Then again, they're piling up so many crooked numbers, you have to balance that with being respectful to your competition and not piling on. And, as long as they rotate with Flowers and Allen and it's not always Beckham being pulled, that's fine. But Shelby and Viciedo really need to get 500-550 AB's this season.

Yes, Quentin stands right on top of the plate, and we've lost Getz and Dye for stretches because of bean balls. I think these comments are also another pointed barb at both Floyd and Contreras, who have always seemed to be "nice" guys who were hesitant to really come inside against opposing pitchers. Part of it's intimidation, taking care of your own...the Tigers (Perry) must have thrown 4 head-high inside fastballs. Greinke does it all the time, although with a lot more control, but it's about "bonding" your offense and pitching staff together as well. It shouldn't be one of those Sean Tracey/Jon Garland scenes...but if we show the hitters that we have their backs, it's like "assured mutual destruction" or "nuclear deterrence." You have to do it. The other team will stop doing it, knowing they might get kicked out or end up having to fight a team with the likes of Quentin (nobody would want to fight THAT guy, trust me), Dye, Thome, AJ, Jenks, etc., we've got some big and tighly-wound guys on our team. Not to mention if you get a warning blanket thrown over a game, it prevents a pitcher like Greinke or Perry from resorting to those tactics unless they want to get run out of the game, and Zach's too important to their team to sacrifice himself or get suspended. As mentioned above, you're going to remember if it Matt Thornton hits you in the back or kidney like Pujoles the other day.

Don't think we're going to sweep one of the hottest teams in baseball...especially with Jose on the bump. Then again, he's DUE to have at least ONE good outing this season, but against Texas, with that unforgiving line-up? The Angels are the type of team that traditionally has been difficult for the Royals, but, they're not the Angels and the Royals are a different team than they've ever been, because even the 2003 Royals that were leading the division by 7 at the ASB in 2003 sensed it was all going to fall apart that year and that the whole thing was held together by duct tape, baling wire and Jose Lima Glue.

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-sports/...ut_14_hits.html Nothing in the game story in the BIRM News about it.

I wonder if they would consider giving Omogrosso a spot start if Contreras gets shelled tomorrow? They said they won't bring up Poreda, Ozzie has been hesistant about Richard too....so that leaves Van Benschoten, Torres and Broadway, I guess. Maybe Whisler, but I can't imagine him unless it's a team that is LH dominant. Wouldn't Omogrosso be the starter of the AA/AAA staffs with the best raw stuff who it wouldn't be a complete disaster if he got rocked in one outing?

I felt like I was suspended in a languid "twilight zone" between the movies Less than Zero, Dazed and Confused, Requiem for a Dream and Pi reading that post.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 05:20 PM) Who's a bigger name than Manny? I'm thinking only Pujols, Jeter, Griffey Jr., Ichiro and Feldman. Feldman or Haim??? What next, Nicole Eggert?

Benito Santiago: Driving on the Wrong Path Benito Santiago is lighting up the presses today with his connection to a cocaine conspiracy in Kansas City, Mo. Click here for the details. Basically, a car he owned was seized as part of this investigation, and it's not known to what extent Santiago was involved. True, he's innocent till proven guilty, but it just makes you wonder what happens to guys like him in professional sports who just can't control themselves after they're done playing... or even when they are playing. DWIs, domestic violence, drug charges, gambling. The list goes on. Seems like something should be done by the teams or the leagues to help these guys transition into a new phase in their lives rather than go off into troubled waters. I said (to Fathom) that he "didn't look well." Somehow that got transmitted into "didn't play well." We were talking about the topic of players who didn't perform well or who peaked in their mid 30's. Then, because I mentioned a previous message (about Alomar, which is a different situation and lawsuit, but another player who just disappeared in his mid 30's), it got twisted into something else. I have no idea what was wrong with Santiago, apparently besides using steroids and possibly drugs, he just didn't look very well physically, but that was just my impression.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 7, 2009 -> 04:42 PM) Ya and I think its pretty f***ing assine to make a comment about him having a life threatening disease based upon his appearance. The guy looked no different at 40 (except older) than he did at 20. He was one ugly SOB though. I just said he didn't look physically well...didn't mean to intimate something more insidious. Stanozolol Winstrol, Winthrop, Stromba Medical Use: Prescribed for hereditary angioedema, which causes episodes of swelling of the face, extremities, genitals, bowel wall, and throat. Performance-Enhancing Use: It builds strength and muscle mass with minimal bulk development. Preferred by pitchers who typically want stregth but not bulk. Side-Effects: Less damaging to ligaments than most anabolic steroids. Liver damage, acne, sterility, baldness, enlarged prostate, gynocomastia (development of breast tissue in males), virilization (development of male characteristics in women) Admitted or Implicated Players: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, Benito Santiago, Paxton Crawford, Ivan Rodriguez*, Juan Gonzalez*

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 7, 2009 -> 04:21 PM) Santiago was a freaking stud. The guy was in his early 40's and could still throw a laser from home to 2nd from his knees. What the hell are you talking about? He could never hit that well but man did he have some skills during his career. I meant he didn't look physically well...not commenting on how he played. We were talking about Alomar and AIDS/HIV.

Break up the Royals, 18-11 now. If they replace Ponson with Hochevar, they could be really dangerous, despite that so-so line-up offensively.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:57 PM) JimH, is that you? Nope, my screen name there was "caulfield12" too

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:53 PM) Don't forget the fabled "divorce." Wasn't that Dave Martinez (former White Sox RF not implicated yet in the scandal) who snagged Sandberg's wife?

Yeah, looking back at Sandberg's numbers, he held on pretty well into his late 30's. He had two pretty lost seasons (due to injuries), but he did hit in the mid 20's for homers when he was 36, and only 12 when he was 37. That was his final season. I guess the "prime" for a career was moved from 27-30 back by at least five years (or more) by the Steroids Era. What a mess! Another question that came into my mind. You have JC Romero and Juan Rincon, two former Twins, involved in this scandal. It just made me think about Santana and Liriano. I'll just have to give both those guys the benefit of the doubt, and it's hard to say how much the fall-off is velocity for Liriano (and the torque on his slider) was due to injuries versus any possible P.E. drugs.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:42 PM) Seems like it's BS, as there was a picture of him taken the week after that came out in which he looked perfectly healthy. The player who really didn't look well the last couple of years of his career was another former Padre, Benito Santiago. I guess there are some questions surrounding how quickly and completely Alomar went from one of the best players (and fielders) in baseball history to "just hanging on." Ryne Sandberg also faded quickly in his 30's.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:36 PM) please don't dismiss the first 100 years of baseball. there were many great defensive shortstops. what are your opinions on marty marion, mark belanger, honus wagner? Look how long it took for Bill Mazeroski...Frank White would be a similar player, although most would give an advantage to playing GG defense at SS over a second-baseman.