IlliniBob72

The problem isn't Greg Walker. This team has always had problems with GIDPs, so a few months with Walker isn't going to cure it. I feel the problem, other than the obvious no hitting, is Jerry Manuel. I turn on the game last night and see Valentin up. Next up was Sandy. I couldn't believe it. This guy never has the same lineup! What in hell is Valentin doing in the 8 spot?? Why move Maggs from clean up? Pick a lineup and stick with it! After sweeping the Twins the bats go a little silent, but still bounce back in the last game of the Rays series, and this guy is pushing the panic button and completely overhauling the lineup. He needs to go in a bad way.

I wouldn't put much stock in what happened with the Mets. That team is a black hole that sucks the life out of baseball players.

I'm sorry, but I gotta call "bulls***" on this. 2000 was a playoff year, and 2001 and 2003 were started with big expectations, and 2002 less so. My memory could be off, but weren't the Sox in first place from like May 1 to the wire in 2000? Maybe when you refer to a not great start in 2000, you mean that they lost the first 2 games in Texas, but otherwise, I beg to differ. And your point about Sox fans waiting for the inevitable in 2000...all I can say is "wow". You paint the Sox fan as very pessimistic. Not even a trip to the playoffs can get them excited about their team. I suppose if the lost in the WS you'd they that their doubts came to fruition in the Series! My God, in this case, JR ought to give up...there's no way in hell to get the Sox fans excited about their team. I would love to see JR throw barrels full of money at free agents, but I can't be angry at him when he doesn't when his ballpark is more than half empty most of the time. He tied up one of the best players in Sox history for the rest of his career (whether it was wise is a matter for discussion). He's gone out and got players like Albert Belle, Colon, David Wells, Charles Johnson. Again, whether they were wise baseball moves is another matter, but they commanded huge coin and he got them. Robin Ventura left because he grossly overestimated his value on the open market. The Sox's original offer to him was more than fair. And they've worked to keep their young core together and signed. You can't give him lemons and expect wine.

"Pinth hit"?? Oh no!! Paulie has developed a lisp to go along with his inability to hit!!

I think we have to face facts. The Sox aren't playing very well this year. Would they be leading off SportsCenter if they were leading the league? I'm not sure, but I thought they got plenty of attention in 2000. I couldn't turn on Mike&Mike without hearing Gammons tell me the Sox were for real. If the Sox aren't getting a lot of respect or coverage now, it's because they aren't contenders and not because of any bias, IMHO.

I think a deafening silence would be more fitting. I'd love to hear crickets after they announce his name.

haha I was going to add that DJ is very dry and has zero chemistry with Hawk in the broadcast booth.

You can also point to Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblauch, but their problems were throwing. Sometimes a guy gets it into his head that he can't throw and voila! He can't throw. The same problem in hitting is very rare.

People have many different reasons to dislike players. Frank Thomas has arguably had a HOF career, yet people don't like him because of his yap. PK was an All-Star last year and has typically been a .285-25-90 player, yet people have no problem accepting the fact that he blows this year and should be gone. Why is MB immune to this phenomenon? Certainly he's said things off the field and performed poorly enough on the field to merit some enmity. I don't know if it's just because some people have gone entirely too far, but let MB take some of the written beatings he so richly deserves. He's no less deserving than others.

Wow, that was quite a rant there. I assume you're talking about Larry Doby. My goodness, that was like 30 years ago!!! Since blacks in sports management wasn't too common or fought for, it doesn't surprise me that Mr. Jackson was silent. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts he'd be a little more outspoken this time. The Alabama football hiring gives credence to that. Finally, if anyone is tired of seeing Jesse Jackson's name brought up all the time, the one to complain to is Jesse Jackson. That's his goal, to get his name mentioned and to become a threat to people who hire someone other than an African-American. That's his thing, and God bless him for it.

I wonder if JR is at all concerned about any possible fallout for firing a minority manager. Jesse Jackson would probably be waiting for him at his front door.

Just a question...where is Great Falls??

Obviously you and I have different definitions of "piece of s***" contracts. Three different contract offers at three different times? Sounds like a negotiation to me. The only one that matters is the last one. Either way, believe me, he'd be the highest paid 2-10 pitcher in the league right now had he taken it. As for his playing "footsie" with the Cardinals, if you have no problem with his comments about his desire to play in St. Louis, bully for you, but I and many other Sox fans do have a problem with it. I bet many Sox players wish to be on a better team right now, but unlike MB, they're smart enough to keep those thoughts to themselves. No matter why MB decided to turn down the very generous Sox contract offer, whether it be to go to St. Louis when he can or to just test free agency, it's beginning to look like the worst business decision since Curtis Enis let that holy roller agent negotiate his contract with the Bears. Finally, as for getting my facts straight, they seem pretty straight to me. Fact: MB is 2-10 with an ERA over 5.00. Fact: He has made comments about playing in St. Louis in the future two straight off-seasons. Fact: He turned down a multiyear, multi-million dollar contract from the Sox because it would extend into his free-agency, according to his agent, which by the way, as you accurately pointed out, is not me. Fact: He's got a face the size of the moon. OK, maybe that last one is opinion. So, given these facts, I've put 2 and 2 together and deduced that he wants to maintain his free agency so he can go to St. Louis. Being a message board and not a newspaper, I'm allowed to speculate and criticize. Anyway, all you've countered with is opinion about the contract offer, speculation about which Sox players want to stick around, and fortune telling pertaining to Mags' future. Oh, I also forgot the insults.

I read Eight Men Out many years ago, but I thought for sure that it told how Jackson in a magazine interview admitted to making sure he couldn't get to some balls in the field so that they'd lose. I think that right there is enough to damn him. I don't buy the argument that he hit so well or didn't make any errors. Getting a bases empty single with two outs will help the batting average, but won't do too much to win a game. Same for hitting a home run in the eighth inning of an 8-1 game. A few key plays are the ones that win and lose ballgames...those are the ones that are fixed.

This may be unpopular, but Shoeless Joe Jackson should not be on the list. Replace him with Wayne Nordhagen or Ralph Garr, I don't care, but he shouldn't be included. Let "Field of Dreams" or "Eight Men Out" try to rewrite history, but Jackson helped throw the World Series. He admitted as much when he said that he didn't try as hard as he could have to make plays in the field because it would have helped the Sox win. The Eight Men Out book made this perfectly clear...why the movie portrayed him as an unknowing rube who never participated in the fix is beyond me.

How, pray tell, is it not true. If you can point out the part of it that is inaccurate, with decent reasoning, fine. But unless I hear something other than "you are way off base", as far as I know, it's completely true.

I don't care what he's done in his last 4 starts. The issue is that he's been playing footsie with the Cardinals for the last few seasons and he got exposed as not joking around when he turned down the latest very generous Sox contract offer. If you're going to let everyone know that you'll be on the first plane out of town when given the opportunity, you'd better be one hell of a pitcher or you're going to get the Boobirds. Sorry precious Mark, but a 2-10 record from a guy who wants huge bucks in a city other than Chicago is going to catch flak. You've made your bed, now lie in it, donkey.

haha You know, if that concern has been raised, I haven't heard it. Has anyone voiced concern that AL fans would vote the last guy on the NL ballot into the game? It would be kind of funny to see Eric Young walk up to the plate in the All-Star game.

Well, it sounds like the idea is universally hated, with good reason. For years I've felt that the NHL, NBA, and NFL all-star games were lacking because the players weren't wearing their teams' uniforms. Now the MLB takes one of the greatest things about their all-star game away and replaces it with what helps ruin other sports' games. Terrible decision.

The 1977 Sox. The first team I remember following, being 4 or 5 years old. I worshiped Eric Soderholm because we shared a birthday. I cried when he was traded a year or two later.

I can't wait to see Clemens strike Sammy out 3 or 4 times this weekend. The only thing that could make it better is if Sammy does his gay hop after hitting a warning track fly out.

Took the family to our first Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis low A) game a few weeks ago. It was absolutely great. Stadium is a year old, sat in the lawn along the 3rd base line, food, games, fireworks after, parked for free. Doing it again Father's Day weekend. Now if only the Sox would get their A ball team in the Midwest League again. I understand wanting all the farm clubs close together in the SE, but I think Sox fans would like to see the prospects play in Moline, Peoria, South Bend, even Beloit. Could help fans follow the players from prospects to the bigs.

Let's pretend for one second that Sosa had only one corked bat out of 77. Wouldn't that make it that much more difficult to accidentally use it in a game? If he had 10, then the accident story may be plausible. Otherwise, it's a 1 in 77 chance that he picks up the corked bat by accident. Not only are those chances bad, but then the one and only time he "accidentally" uses it in a game, the bad shatters all over the infield. He's guilty as sin. The fact that Cub fans gave him a standing O yesterday only serves to sicken and amuse me at the same time.

Wow, that's really saying a lot when the Sox possible starting second baseman next year is the 32nd best prospect in the organization. Not in all of baseball, mind you, but the White Sox organization. Confidence is low for next season already!!

Wow! One of the best 1-4 pitchers in the league? That's quite a statement there. Even if it were halfway close to true, it doesn't matter and it won't matter until the Sox master the other two thirds of the equation...hit the ball, catch the ball. They can do neither.