chosk8

Heard this as well. No details as of yet.

Agreed, I'd like to see Olivo get the majority of the work. Do you think Sandy can help Buehrle at all? I know he's had good starts with not a whole lot of run support. Also, Mark's guy was Nardi and I wonder if Coop has messed with Mark's approach. I think the change of sides of the rubber was his own idea rather than Coop's. Any thoughts?

White Sox - Activated coach Sandy Alomar Jr. from the 15-day disabled list; designated catcher Josh Paul for assignment. Too bad for Josh, I thought he was playing pretty well. Maybe Sandy's bat will have a little something in it though.

A "franchise player" is the guy you build your team around. It's a generic term, but that's what it means. Like saying "he's the type of guy you build your franchise around", hence the term.

I thought JM made the move for Marte, then Alou countered with Aurilia to hit for Bernard?

Actually in hind sight, maybe JM should have pulled Colon for Marte to turn Durham around to the right side where he is a weaker hitter. Who knows, this team just continually finds different way to lose games. Last night was gut-wrenching.

Aurilia was PH for Marvin Bernard, a lefty. JM called for Marte for the lefty, lefty mach-up. Alou countered that move with Aurilia. JM made the right move at the time. Also, leaving Colon in was the right move, however not having someone up in the bullpen at the beginning of the inning wasn't. Marte should have been ready from the get-go of the ninth to face Bonds. Hell with the complete game, you have to play to win. Not scoring runs after the 3rd inning was the biggest problem.

Draft update: The White Sox have agreed to terms with 17 of their 50 selections from the First-Year Player Draft, including six of the Top 10. Third-rounder Clinton King (OF, Southern Mississippi), fourth-rounder Robert Valido (SS, Coral Park High School, Fla.), sixth-rounder Chris Kelly (LF, Pepperdine), seventh-rounder James Casey (RHP, Azle H.S., Texas), eighth-rounder John Russ (RHP, Frank Phillips Junior College) and ninth-rounder David Cook (CF, Miami of Ohio) all signed on Wednesday. Duane Shaffer, the team's senior director of player personnel, said negotiations with first-round pick Brian Anderson and his agent, Terry Bross, are progressing. A decision could be closer by Thursday morning. "I've had a couple of talks with his agent, and he's going to call me back in the morning," Shaffer said. "I will know a lot more in the morning about how far along we are. "We always like to get our top guys signed and out playing. The quicker we get them playing, the faster they have chances to move and improve. But we can't get them playing until we get them here." Shaffer said Anderson would be assigned to Great Falls, the White Sox Advanced Rookie League affiliate in Montana.

10th round FRASER DIZARD COMMENT: Solid, athletic build. Evenly proportioned. Body similar to Randy Wolf. Fluid, easy arm action and delivery. Occasional life with lefty bore movement. Solid, average fastball, mostly 89-90 mph. Occasional sharp, late, downer curveball. Confidence in abilities. Crafty, can find hitters' weaknesses.

5th Round Matt Nachreiner, rhp School: Round Rock HS. Class: Sr. Hometown: Cedar Park, Texas. B-T: R-R. Ht.:: 6-2. Wt.: 175. Birthdate:: Nov. 17, 1984. College Commitment: U. of Arizona. Scouting Report: The No. 2 pitcher behind projected first-round pick John Danks at Round Rock High, Nachreiner easily has first-five-rounds stuff. The life on his 91-94 mph sinker and his slider draw comparisons to Mike MacDougal, and Nachreiner has better command. But he also has chronically bad knees. When he was a freshman, the cartilage in his knees was degenerating so much that doctors told him he wouldn't be able to play baseball much longer. Nachreiner refused to accept that diagnosis and had surgery that has allowed him to continue his career. Multiple clubs aren't willing to take the medical risk with him because they're uncertain how long he'll hold up.

"he didn't hit well this spring. He's also a slightly below average runner" he should fit right in with this bunch

4th round Robert Valido, ss School: Coral Park HS. Class: Sr. Hometown: Coral Park, Fla. B-T: R-R. Ht.:: 6-1. Wt.: 175. Birthdate:: May 16, 1985. College Commitment: Florida International U. Scouting Report: Valido is part of a rich Coral Park shortstop tradition that also includes Ronnie Belliard and 2000's No. 3 overall pick, Luis Montanez. His defensive skills (strong arm, smooth actions, reliable hands) enabled him to hold off Sean Rodriguez, who transferred to Braddock High, and Guillermo Martinez, a South Alabama signee. Valido is the best defensive shortstop in Florida, though not quite in the same class as Robert Andino, a Marlins second-round pick out of a Miami high school last year. Offensively, Valido can't match Rodriguez' ceiling and he didn't hit well this spring. He's also a slightly below average runner, though that didn't limit him in the field. A team that believes Valido will produce at the plate could pop him as early as the second round.

Clint King COMMENT: Strong, durable body. Build similar to Brad Fullmer. Slightly crouched stance. Strength in swing for future average power. Ball jumps off bat, power to opposite field. Powerful strides. Pop in bat.

Omar Quintanilla, ss School: U. of Texas. Class: Jr. Hometown: El Paso, Texas. B-T: L-R. Ht.: 5-9. Wt.: 185. Birthdate: Previously Drafted: Never drafted. Scouting Report: Quintanilla doesn’t do anything spectacularly, but he's a solid all-around player with exceptional hand-eye coordination. His strong suit is his ability to hit for average and being lefthanded only helps his cause. He makes contact, draws walks and provides the occasional stolen base and extra-base hit. While Quintanilla has played mostly shortstop and third base at Texas, his size (5-foot-9 and 185 pounds) and range will fit better at second base as a pro. Then again, he's bigger and has more arm strength than David Eckstein. At worst, Quintanilla should be a super utility player, and he's generating third- to fifth-round interest.

Oakland just selected Omar Quintanilla as the 3rd pick in the ROUND 1 SUPPLEMENTAL. Beane got Williams again.

Baseball America's breakdown... Brian Anderson, of School: U. of Arizona. Class: Jr. Hometown: Tucson. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 195. Birthdate: Mar. 11, 1982. Previously Drafted: Never drafted. Scouting Report: Anderson improved his draft worth as much as any player in the country. He was hardly on the radar at the start of the year after an injury-plagued 2002 season but now finds himself in the first round, possibly as high as the 15th pick. His numbers tell the whole story. A .275 hitter with five homers and six stolen bases in 2002, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder jumped his average more than 100 points while tripling his home run and stolen base totals. He was the best everyday performer in the Pacific-10 Conference. Anderson worked closely with Wildcats coach Andy Lopez to revamp his swing and entire approach to hitting. The result has been better rhythm and better bat speed. All other parts of his game have come together as well. He's a solid center fielder with above average arm strength. Though he did not pitch this year after leading the Wildcats with four saves a year ago, his fastball was clocked as high as 94 mph. With his improved showing offensively this year, his performance has finally matched his considerable tools.

BRIAN ANDERSON U ARIZONA CF COMMENT: Five-tool palyer with Major League body. Quality bat potential. Feel for wood with light tower power. Agresssive in all areas of game with plus instincts. Plus arm, plus range.

If I'm not mistaken, mlb.com has free live audio and video streams of the draft today. I checked the site this morning cause I was pissed about that too, but it looks like it's free today for the draft.