caulfield12

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 12, 2009 -> 12:05 PM) To me the most interesting part was when he talked about how guys, no matter how cocky they are, have doubts as to whether they belong when they are called up. That alone tells me that you as the manager need to make them feel as welcomed as possible. And I have on good record that Ozzie didn't always do a good job of that (*cough*Brandon McCarthy*cough*). However, I had hoped he had improved and I'm going to have to hope he has and if he hasn't I'm confident that Kenny would than make the right decision and find a manager that works better with young players. I can also point to pitchers that Ozzie has done a great job handling (Richard, Danks, Floyd, Garland) I think Ozzie, like any manager, prefers to have young players that are really ready for the big leagues and can justify their place in the line-up. Let's go back to last season, he benched Uribe in the early part of the season (the same guy who had been a starter for 4 seasons and was a major part of a championship in 05) for a rookie in Alexei Ramirez...we can't just say he's biased towards Latin players, because of the four examples above. Sure, there's Sean Tracey as well, but Ozzie has had problems/issues with veterans like Ordonez, Lee, O-Cabrera, Marte, Swisher, etc. Seemingly he has had a sterling record with Griffey, Thome, AJ, Crede, Dye, Konerko, Buehrle, Jenks, etc. It's always going to be a "chemistry" issue when the team isn't talented and is losing. How can anyone say that Ozzie has done anything but an excellent job with Clayton Richard, for example? Thornton, although he wasn't young, was "young" in terms of experience and success at the MLB level. They seemingly made the right decision with Contreras, for example...maybe they trusted him too much in allowing him to start the season when he wasn't ready, but nobody was clamoring here for Marquez or Poreda at the beginning of the season, either. He played Wasserman, Owens, Fields and Andy Gonzalez in 2007 when there was no other choice...what has our team really produced since Ventura/Thomas in terms of position players? Durham/Ordonez/Lee and then Crede/Rowand over a span of about 20 years. Ozzie has good reason to be skeptical about any rookie coming up and contributing, especially one rushed more than Thomas and Ventura. Can any manager realistically expect to get more out of the likes of the Sean Tracey's and Lance Broadway's of the world?

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 12, 2009 -> 08:04 PM) It was to premature to take him out. Let him try and finish the inning at the very least. Ozzie likes to take his pitchers out before they have an opportunity to lose, and I freaking hate that idea. You should let the pitchers have the opportunity to win. And that, in combo with our god awful defensive positioning with the pitcher at bat, is gonna cost us the game, most likely. Well, what does it tell you that we're advocating leaving Clayton Richard, basically a rookie paid minimum wage, over using Octavio Dotel, a veteran pitcher who is paid $6.5 million a season to get those types of outs??? Clayton is pitching on 3 days' rest and if the bullpen can't hold a two run lead, we don't deserve to win anyway. Not to mention the fact that our offense mustering an amazing output of 2 runs against Jeff Suppan isn't going to win more than 10-20% of the games with an offense (albeit sleeping/dormant) like the Brewers have.

Clutch two-out hitting. Wow, that's what it looks like?? Gordon's not striking out very much, but his contact just hasn't been very solid in terms of producing line drives like in ST or in the minors. Wow, a Fields pop-up? There's a surprise.

QUOTE (mmmmmbeeer @ Jun 12, 2009 -> 07:56 PM) My question is why was Pods playing so deep with Suppan at bat? 1) Because Pods is afraid to go back on balls 2) Because Alexei has the most range into the outfield and down the foul line of any SS in the American League Still very stupid....how many times will Suppan drive a ball to LF over Pods' head? 1% of the time? You have to play the percentages and "dare" him to beat you. And the ghosts of 2007 are approaching even closer...the only question is what players will remain on the team at the end of the season and how will Ozzie's and KW's sanity hold up with another season like they promised they would NEVER go through again?

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 12, 2009 -> 07:50 PM) 102 for Richard. Still would have let him finish the inning. Did not seem to be tiring. Well, so much for the win for Clayton. Seems like bad things are always due to happen when you start out the inning with that kind of an error. Ozzie always prefers to take the starters out without an opportunity to get a loss, but the "bad" Dotel has returned. The funny thing is he has a great K/IP ratio, he actually was tied for bullpen pitchers in strikeouts with Howell last year, but you feel the same way you do when Jenks is out there in pressure situations...as good as our bullpen is, Linebrink and Thornton have plenty of bad moments, too. But the bullpen is the last area of our team to worry about, I suppose.

QUOTE (G&T @ Jun 12, 2009 -> 07:49 PM) Over 100 Not to mention the "mental stress" on Clayton having to field two balls on the infield. That probably counts for another 8-10 pitches right there.

Great fielding there Pods. I'm still not sure he's an asset without any defensive ability or the ability to steal a base.

Ramirez now credited with a hit on that slow roller to Hardy. Maybe he can give it to Gordon to raise his average to .110-.120?

Brian Anderson now hitting under .140 over the last week or so...not exactly making a strong case for keeping CF when/if Quentin returns. Getz robbed there, Pods robbed to end the last inning, really feels like we should be up 3-0 or 4-0 right now. Hopefully Beckham can get on track, because we don't have many hitters we can count on right now.

Don't think Ozzie will dare to go much longer with Clayton pitching on 3 days' rest, and the fact he was around 100 pitches last time out. Interesting to see who he might go to in the 6th...Poreda? Carrasco probably would be the call. Seems a bit early for Dotel or Thornton.

What did Ramirez do now that was a "mental" mistake? As much as Alexei gets picked on, it seems Pods and Anderson make just as many, if not more, mental mistakes. We're certainly not the brightest of teams in terms of "baseball IQ." And then we have Fields, who is one of the more "sensitive" players in recent White Sox history. This team needs a psychologist more than Greg Walker. And then there's Clayton, who you still worry whenever a ball is hit anywhere near him...will he field it cleanly or throw it down the RF line. But you have to say this for Richard, he's been about as good/surprising SO FAR in 2009 (compared to the low expectations of many) as Danks was last year.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 12, 2009 -> 06:13 PM) Frankly, this lineup looks an awful lot like a normal NL lineup for 80% of the teams in that league. With Brian Anderson hitting 5th? What teams are these, besides the Nationals and Padres? At least those teams have Gonzalez and Dunn/Guzman...we have Dye and that's about it.

How many times has Pods been picked off this year? 5? 6? He might be the worst baserunner we have...and his best way to steal has been to get picked off and have the 1B hit him on his way to second. It will be a minor miracle if we win one game this series with the line-up we're putting out there.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 11, 2009 -> 08:19 PM) Nice win, but... I've mentioned this before, but I'm getting pretty sick and tired of watching Alexei out there. I've been one of his biggest fans and backers the past 2 years, but this s*** is getting old. Since there's not much hope for the rest of the season, IMO, there's no point in not letting Alexei go out there everyday and try and prove something, but I'm getting to the point where I don't think he's good enough to be an everyday player. I would not be upset at all to see Beckham getting a lot of time at SS. Alexei can still be a very valuable utility guy who can play all 3 OF spots as well 2B, 3B, and SS with average or better D. However, I don't think Alexei can be counted on as an everyday player. He tries to hit home runs every AB, and he just doesn't seem to have much baseball IQ (he's a natural player, but he's a bonehead). After Thome/Dye/Konerko (especially with Paulie on the shelf and AJ struggling), Alexei's the one player on the roster who has the ability to carry and spark this team offensively with Carlos out. We saw it last year. Alexei's OPS is probably about the same or a little bit higher than Orlando Cabrera's last year...and he's got one of the best "bargain" contracts in the game. What other player in the line-up has shown the ability to have that kind of an offensive impact? Pods is hitting well, but he's not scaring anyone on the basepaths, but White Sox fans. Beckham isn't ready yet and he's starting to press. Fields (based on 2007 only) is the other player who COULD have this affect on the offensive production...Anderson, Nix and Getz are simply complementary players who wouldn't be starting on MOST serious World Series contenders. You can have a player or two like that in the line-up, but not 3-4.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 08:41 PM) Absolutely dreadful by AJP tonight. If you're not going to play Castro against Willis, why even have him on the team? Of course, that 700 OPS from Castro wouldn't hurt with our line-up. I wonder how much of it has to do with Buehrle being really comfortable with AJ? However, Mark's the kind of guy that doesn't really need an experienced catcher or one he's familiar with... The White Sox have to be last in the majors with RISP, correct?

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 01:05 PM) Type A distinction doesn't matter for those players because they're not getting arb at their salaries. Also, some of our veterans are very good and would be worth some very good young players, although I think in any deal we're far more likely to end up with projects who need a change of scenery and/or prospects who are 2+ years away. I could actually see Kenny both buying and selling. He did that in 2007 where he traded Iguchi & Mackowiak but also extended AJ, Buehrle, and Dye. Plus Kenny showed in 2004 that even during a bad season where the playoffs were unlikely, he'd still make a big addition to bolster the next season's team. He tried to acquire Carlos Delgado after we were basically out of it and he did pick up Contreras then. Overall I agree that it's unlikely we'll be moving the veterans right this minute. Not to mention that we traded for Freddy Garcia and subsequently signed him to an extension in 2004. That and the Contreras move were two huge keys that came before the momentous 2004/05 offseason. Dick Allen, Seriously, if you were the GM, what you do? Obviously, this team is a healthy Carlos Quentin, short above average production from 2B/3B/CF (Ramirez I think we can count on now for the rest of the season) and one starting pitcher short. You're telling me you would turn around and trade some of our core youngsters (Allen, Poreda, Flowers) for a 5-15% shot at winning this year. KW isn't or can't going to trade Viciedo, Beckham and Jordan Danks...and the next valuable players down the list are PROBABLY Josh Fields and/or John Shelby III. Do you really think the fanbase would be aggrieved if we were 10 games out at the end of July and KW traded Dotel or Dye to make this team better positioned for 2010? Now I'll grant you, trading Konerko or Jenks would send a few more shock waves, but KW isn't going to sit still. Would it really be better to TRY to compete with this fatally-flawed team in 2009 or wouldn't we much better off trying to have really good or great teams down the line? Yes, we definitely need to wait another four more weeks, but this 12 game homestand was the time to go 8-4 or 9-3 and get back to .500. What better opportunity were we going to have with two sub .500, last place teams at home and then a chance against the first place team in the division? What tells any of the fans that this team can compete besides blind optimism/hope/faith?

QUOTE (Jimbo's Drinker @ Jun 8, 2009 -> 09:24 PM) Trade Fields, takes pressure off Becks. Gordon Beckham might be putting pressure on himself, but it has nothing to do with Josh Fields. OTOH, Beckham's promotion has gotten into Josh's head. First Joe Crede, now Beckham...he feels "victimized" by the organization and wants to use that as an excuse for not holding the position. 3B hit for power OR field. Do one or the other Josh, doing NEITHER doesn't guarantee you a position in ANY organization, not even Washington.

But then what happens if Gordon really struggles and has to go back down to the minors? Betemit is gone. Do we just play Nix there? Viciedo is far from ready.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 8, 2009 -> 09:16 PM) He hasn't really tried to pull anything yet. He's not swinging and missing, which is very promising. He's just in between a little bit, but he'll be fine. There's just a huge difference between the swings and hand speed of a Ramirez/Beckham versus Anderson/Fields. Alexei's swing got too big, but he has the hand speed to compensate. Josh and Brian do not...and Wise might as well go home. Nix, of the other hitters, has the type of swing it SEEMS could be productive or dangerous. If you followed him in the minors or ST, you'll know his natural swing is between the 2B and the bag, right up the RCF alley/gap. He'll be a doubles machine and give you 16-24 homers per season playing 81 games at USCF.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 8, 2009 -> 08:56 PM) Completely false. You are saying his lack of feel for his pitches was mental and not the huge layoff from rehabbing a career threatening injury? Seriously, sometimes I wonder where people get this stuff. I especially like the use of a statistic there pointing at something you have looked at subjectively. You're discounting the fact that he doesn't have a 95-97 MPH fastball to work with anymore. That will give any pitcher a lot of confidence, just like when Bartolo was dominant....you could see it with Bonderman in the low 90's/high 80's instead of mid 90's. Yes, a large part of it was/is mechanical when you come back from that kind of injury. You lose your consistent release point...and then when you jump around from different arm angles, it becomes that much more difficult to get a feel. Jose just has to be more precise with location and not pitch from behind in the count. Easier said than done. Ahead in the count, dominant with the forkball as a strikeout pitch, as long as it's close to the zone and the hitters don't lay off it. One of the things Jose hasn't done well since 2006 was knock hitters off the plate. When he misses inside, it's almost always center cut/inner half of the plate, not as much movement (backing up a bit). And he can't throw 90% fastballs from the side either. When he throws that slurve out and away, slicing across the other side of the plate on RH hitters, he's MUCH more effective because that gives them almost another pitch to think about, when he's basically a two and sometimes one pitch pitcher.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 8, 2009 -> 07:51 PM) Or maybe the guy is such a f***ing gamer he hurried back from what many of us thought was a career ending injury so he could play for this team again which led to a small mechanical flaw and a lack of feel pitches. Or maybe he just doesnt have balls like alot of the people on here say about Floyd....at least when he is losing. No, he just gets a little bit afraid of contact and starts nibbling...but I wouldn't say it's a lack of balls. Like most pitchers, it's 90% confidence in his stuff. He needed to prove to himself that he could go out and win a key game and be a "stopper" again. He's just not as good since 2007 at battling like John usually does without his best stuff, and Mark almost always does...keeping the club in the game the 60-70% of the time he's not feeling great out there. Ramirez at his high water mark, .261 and 662 OPS now.

QUOTE (That funky motion @ Jun 8, 2009 -> 07:46 PM) I was watching game 5 vs the Halos, on MLB the other day. I forgot how good the count was and was just glued to the TV. Maybe getting sent down woke him up. Well, I thought the situation was that he went to Ozzie and asked to start in AAA to work on his control and conditioning (not to mention his forkball) rather than going to the bullpen in Chicago. There were always concerns from Ozzie and KW whether he could ever be effectively pitching out of the bullpen, although he did do it for a few games a couple of seasons ago, then went back into the rotation again for the remainder of the season. Wow, the Tigers are 1 for 21 today. Pretty good time for Jose to break out a decent game. Managed to lower his ERA to 6.69 in one game.

Well, if Ventura can survive it (0 for 41, Gordon only has 29 more to go), I think Beckham can too...although I would be genuinely surprised if Beckham ended up having a better career in Chicago than Robin. So I guess the next question is what happens with Jose and Bartolo? Do we move Colon to the bullpen? Seems pretty logical...KW can shop him to an NL team, but not sure if he could get much of anything back in return. Probably like one of the many Sandy Alomar trades, a fringe pitcher ala Emenencio Pacheco.

Shades of the 2005 post-season. MVP of the White Sox the past 4 weeks, never would have thunk it. At least among the position players. And Jose has usually pitched at least decently against the Tigers over his career, so I think we have a 50/50 shot to win.

Guess the Anderson defenders will never know now what would have happened had he not had the oblique strain and Pods been added to the roster down in TB. Looks like he has returned to mean at a 632 OPS, behind Fields and Ramirez.