29thandPoplar

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 7, 2007 -> 10:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> FWIW, I'm not a fan of Ely's at all! Let's just say I know someone who played with him on the field for a long time, and I never heard one positive about the kid. Like many athletes who were good in HS and go to a school with lots of hot babes he has a very healthy opinion of himself. No different from many many guys who will get picked today. The trick is getting into the right org. and fulfilling potential.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 7, 2007 -> 02:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ok...what speed did we have? We still had a 1b, 3b, rf, c, and dh with no speed. Our ss isn't very fast, and our cf and 2nd baseman were slightly above average at best. You get your speed at 2B and SS and prob. CF. Not so much guys who steal 40 bases although 1-2 of those would be nice. Smart baserunners with at least average to above average wheels. With a good eye at the plate. It isn't rocket science, identify these guys and draft them or get them elsewhere. When have the Sox drafted guys like that, how about never. And it wont be today either because middle IF and CF crop is quite shallow. The SS they worked out might help but I think he is an overdraft at 25. Yet the Sox are good at overdrafting. This guy Matt Long they thought was close to the majors and he is scuffling in Kanny.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jun 7, 2007 -> 06:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> OK, I want to see where Greg Walker has ever publicly preached to pull the ball and try to hit home runs. He doesn't as you correctly surmise. He did say this lineup has lots of HR hitters and that is their swing. Actually from having heard Walker comment many many times on the back fields in late Feb. and early March in Tucson, he preaches go up the middle, stay on the pitch, head down on the ball, have good at bats, etc. Basically all the stuff hitting coaches say, all the way from Little League to Tom Emanski to Rudy the Great in Texas to whomever. There is a possibility the hitters have tuned him out, that is always possible. There are certain dum dums he will never get through to like Uribe as Uribe gets frustrated easily and starts hacking like a wild man. Some of these players are just not that good. Some had career years and fans got excited. I doubt Dye ever again hits like he did last year. Crede will show these same problems until he gets the back fixed. Konerko needs to relax and thats the same story for how many years now. Thome is Thome and you get what you get. Iguchi is caught in between on everything and I think the contract thing is bugging him. I do think Walker has failed with Pierzynski somewhat but try dealing with Pierzynski one on one. They gave Brian Anderson more freedom with his swing than he earned and that was a mistake too as they should have rebuilt him in the minors. Either way a lot of this is simply excuses and they are not getting the job done. Lets get an interview with one of the org. instructional guys as it appears many on this site have connections. Sox personnel are very approachable, lets find out what a hitting coach does. What do you do every day, how does it work. Lets let people learn here, not that this is Baseball for Dummies but it would be interesting. Certainly better than the daily spleen venting. Who has a connection? Anyone? QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jun 7, 2007 -> 09:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> He hasn't and I guarantee he doesn't preach that. I've said a lot that I believe no matter if he's gone or he stays we'll be going through the same crap next season but I honestly don't think it can hurt right now to make a change there. Sometimes a shake up like that could wake the team up a bit. Yes a shakeup is in order, at whatever level. Swapping out Aardsma and MacDougal for Bukvich and Prinz is not what I had in mind. I would have done the Dye Abreu thing but what do I know. I like those guys with a great eye who get on base a lot. We don't have guys like that. Look at what this kid Gaithright did in KC last night. He disrupted the whole game. That is a kid they told to go to Omaha with the idea of what your job is, it is to get on base and be a pain the rear. Not that a Gaithright is the be all end all but he is energy and wow do the Sox need that.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 7, 2007 -> 02:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wouldn't surprise me if the Sox entertained the idea of drafting Chicagoland prospect John Ely, a pitcher for Miami of Ohio with their 2nd pick. Me neither, they have been watching him for a while. Also on that same note they took Long from Miami last yr.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Jun 6, 2007 -> 05:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> If the Sox feel the best player available on the board at #25 is a Boras client, they should take him. All the other 29 teams have to deal with him too. And he doesn't always hold out -- IIRC the Cubs made a Boras pick two years ago (Pawalek, perhaps?) and he was signed immediately after the draft. The Sox have two picks in the top 100 -- money shouldn't be an issue AT ALL here. I agree with you. I just dont think it will happen. Maybe this 8/15 deadline will change the landscape, who knows.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jun 6, 2007 -> 03:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> He's also a college senior. His leverage is minimal and with the new signing rules he would have to sign before August 15 or somewhere around there. I wouldn't be worried about him this time around. Yes yours is a good point but there is a reason these players sign with Boras, it is to get top dollar. having watched Boras like we all have, that means waiting until the last possible minute which keeps a developing player off the field all summer. In theory I agree with you as a college sr. he should be easier to sign although I'm not sure if he may have eligibility left. Either way the Boras camp always brings a fly to the ointment no matter what. The other poster is right too, as he seems to rep lots of good players. Lots of them turn out to be busts though, like any agents talent. And teams have paid through the nose for a bust. In a perfect world you pick the best player per your scouts and to heck with the agent but its not always like that. The other kid that BP has them taking, the HS pitcher, the Sox have seen him for sure as he went to HS in Scottsdale, he throws strikes and lots of them.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jun 6, 2007 -> 02:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, I haven't followed the prep guys this year, but none of the college guys likely to be around at 25 thrill me. If Schmidt of Arkansas fell to us as has been suggested I'd be for taking him, but I'm rooting for a LaPorta pick. That would be ideal in my mind. High impact polished bat. He has question marks, but he can rake. I'm guessing "no" on Laporta, he is advised by Boras.

Crede and his camp thought he could play and play well without the surgery. Now my guess is he gets the surgery after they nurse him along the next 3-4 months with a stint or two on the DL which gives Fields a taste. Crede then gets this done after the season, hopefully for his sake proves he can play in 2008, guess what, just in time to be a FA for '09.

QUOTE(knightni @ Jun 5, 2007 -> 03:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'd almost bet that MacDougal is overcompensating in his motion to avoid injuries. He has an injury history because of his violent motion. He's probably trying to change things in his mechanics to stay healthy but it's throwing his accuracy off. Dan Plesac on Sports Night made a very astute comment yesterday on MacDougal. He said "this is the guy whose hat was always falling off when he pitched in KC". They they showed a video of him pitching for the White Sox and Plesac said "he still moves his head violently when he throws, where the head goes the body follows" and then he said he knows the White Sox have been working on this with him but it hasn't sunk in. My sense is the White Sox are frustrated with MacDougal because for whatever reason its not sinking in. Either way MacDougal fixes it or he will be a walk an inning guy forever and that is bad for a set up guy.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 5, 2007 -> 11:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I understand the Spring Training part....it's during Winter Ball that he should have played out there. I know there was the whole mess with the coaches, but we should have found him a better situation then. Doesn't matter really ... they wanted him to settle in at 3B. Williams said in todays paper it would be unfair to Fields to move him around and to my knowledge they scrapped the LF idea at least for now. Bottom line they wanted him to focus on his swing and strike zone judgement. Williams thinks he is not ready yet, but soon. There is no reason to shift this guy when he can be the guy at 3B for 8-10 yrs.

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ Jun 5, 2007 -> 10:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You're kidding yourself if you think KW doesn't have a board with the FA classes of 09 and 10 on his board and his selected targets. He has to know that it's possible Fields, Anderson, Owens and Sweeney might all fail, so there has to be some type of back-up plan in place (whether you want to call it Plan B, Plan C or Plan D). Of course he does and its in pencil. That's because the scenario you present will change a thousand times between now and then.

Whats that old Styx song, Too Much Time on My Hands. The scenario you present can and likely will change a thousand times between now and then.

QUOTE(quickman @ Jun 4, 2007 -> 07:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not having Rowand on the team last year was not the reason we didn't win 6 more games to get into the playoffs. The argument really doesn't hold. I like Rowand despite his many double play ground balls. He was deemed expendible because they thought Andersen was ready to play MLB ball. In fact if Andersen would have contributed a bit more like lets say hit 250 or 260 the bulk of the time then aaron rowand would not be a discussion point. Since they seriously miscalculated there own talent this continues to become an issue. last years team on paper was much better than 2005 on paper. Jim Thome is far better than aaron Rowand will ever be. This years team is totally different than the last two. In fact I really don't enjoy watching this years bunch at all. Adding rowand to this mix will be stop gap only because this years team has a major bullpen problem. Without bullpen help, it really doesn't matter if Rowand comes or if Owens is playing or for that matter Terrero. Rowand jsut brings romanticism to an already defeated and deflated team. Yes pretty darn true all the way around. Williams on the pregame saying not much is available but I bet he will know who will be and when. He has been calling around.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 4, 2007 -> 04:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's a freaking joke that we didn't get him playing time in LF during the offseason and then in Spring Training. I was down there for a while, here's why, its because they wanted him to focus on his swing, get him more comfortable at 3B because they were/are concerned with Crede's back. They felt asking Fields to learn another position was a bit much. Agree or not, that was the reason. And now it appears he is responding with the bat. They worked with him about learning the strike zone better too and his walk totals are up.

http://whitesox.mlb.com/news/press_release...sp&c_id=cws They moved Ozuna to the 60 day DL and that cleared the last roster spot. So with the additions of Prinz and Bukvich the 40 man is at 40.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Jun 4, 2007 -> 10:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> All I can say is I am glad that we Soxtalk posters aren't the GM. There will be changes starting tday and they are needed in the relief corp, but then all of sudden half our team is gone to second division also rans for players with their own problems. I have listened to some interest in Chicago Sun-Times reports of Dye for Abreu and then McDougal or Logan or Thornton (plus a minor league player) for Rowand. You trade from your supposed strengths to fill perceived needs. But, who wants McDougal with an era over 7? Plus if e is hurt maybe time in the minors or on the DL might be better and we keep talent. MacDougal had the groin tweak and that may be part of this, but my sense is the issue is deeper. They may be frustrated with him because they have been on him to trust his stuff more and it appears he does not heed the advice of the coaches. His ball moves a ton. However he nibbles all the time. Not good. That leads to walks and its the walks that frustrate the youknowwhat out of Guillen and Cooper. The Toronto debacle was the last straw and of course Mac is a vet and is not thrilled about going to AAA, so I tend to believe that they are seeing what they can get for him. I would bet the Brewers would be interested.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Jun 4, 2007 -> 08:30 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I like having one of the most aggressive GMs in baseball. I like that he always wants to win. I like that we always seem to have a good product on the field and always seem to have a realistic chance to win. It has been that way under his watch.His worst season as GM was in 2002 at 81-81. He has never had a losing season as GM with the White Sox in 5 years. That says a lot. I appreciate the job he has done and respect it. I have faith in him to do his job and get the correct players in here in order to win this year and the years following. I would be shocked if he didn't make any moves to try and better this team immediately. southsideirish: May I say in the short time I've been here you are one of my favorite posters. I tend to agree with your views but its not just that aspect. You tend to present a balanced viewpoint and it is obvious you have been a fan that has seen the ups and downs. Living down in the neighborhood, sometimes we hear things. Some of it is nonsense and yes there is a fair amount of bar chatter which turns out to be shall we say embellishment. But I quoted that part of your post for a reason. There are guys who are in and around the neighborhood who work for the team and have their ear to the ground, no they are not in the GM room so it is unfair of me to say they "know" something. Generally though the group that works there is pretty close knit, Reinsdorf likes to have a "family" atmosphere. Those people do have a sense of whats going on and things get said, things get passed along. Anyway I do know this, Williams right now is boiling. He is prob. as pissed as he has ever been and he has been quiet because he doesnt want to say the wrong things to the media, thats how pissed off he is. Talk about a competitive guy. I have been fortunate enough to spend a bit of time around him here and there over the last few years and he chooses his words carefully in public but he tries to be as direct and honest as possible. What this means is its my somewhat educated guess this bullpen shakeup is the first change, and not the last. Well duh I think fans know that. The SunTimes article today on JD and Abreu was interesting. Lets face it the Sox were hoping Sweeney would be ready to go for '08 and he may be but they have their doubts as they feel he was overmatched at the plate. He may need more time. Whoever the ST writer was who wrote that story, he quoted a Sox source saying that rumor has some legs. One thing you can bet, Guillen does not care if a guy is from Venezuela or Mars or Pluto but he wants guys who can get on base. Sox have been woefully weak in that dept. Among other shortcomings.

I did not hear Rongey but if a player has an option left I do not know why he'd have to clear waivers. The White Sox could simply exercise the option and it is valid for the entire 2007 season. Unless I'm missing something here.

The WSI guy was 100% on one of the most recent Charlotte personnel moves. If its true and I believe it is then another move needs to be made before tomorrow nights game. They need to get somebody off the 40 man. QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jun 3, 2007 -> 09:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> According to Charlotte's roster, he's still on the 40 man. Yes, who knows, it could be somebody else they outright. Or trade, or whatever.

Remember the 40 man roster implications, the team has 39 on the 40 at the moment. If they buy Tomas Perez' contract they will of course be at 40 which would prevent them from adding pitchers who are throwing pretty well at the moment like Prinz or Bukvich and have some ML experience. If they added Perez and wanted to add a Prinz or a Bukvich they need to outright someone. All this assumes a trade isn't brewing and personnel moves are moving people up/down. All the pitchers they have on the 40 man, relievers anyways, are having the same control problems as Aardsma and the other underachievers. Carlos V. has been walking guys, Reynoso walks guys and they have not much else down there. Especially with the Yankees coming in they may lean toward experience, ie at least Prinz and Bukvich have some. We will wait and see but a move is expected for tomorrow. A note on Craig Wilson, another 3 striekouts today, he whiffs like crazy.

Anderson has been DH'ing a bit because his shoulde is sore so I doubt he gets called up. But in the state things are in right now, nothing would surprise me.

Sometime tomorrow I believe you will see Bret Prinz's contract bought from Charlotte and added to the 40 man roster, with Aardsma being optioned to Charlotte. At this time I do not think they will give up on MacDougal (trade) but I would not be shocked to see him DL'd retroactive to a few days ago. If this happens all it means is shuffling the deck until Williams and Hahn can pull off a trade. Someone will pay for the debacle of this road trip and Aardsma appears to be the guy.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 3, 2007 -> 11:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Gavin Floyd is awful. By the way, since when have teams only been able to make roster moves when they're at home? I keep hearing about how all of these changes are going to happen tomorrow. I sense it's the logistical issues of them being in Canada and possibly them wanting to make sure the replacement arm is fresh and ready to pitch. It will be interesting to see who doesn't pitch for Charlotte today.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jun 2, 2007 -> 02:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> However, when things are going this bad, it's up to the GM and Manager to do something about it. As many have said, a good idea would be to get better players. If Prinz or Bukvich are healthy, Aardsma will be sent down.