Pastime

I still nominate this as the WORST commercial - the ESPN commercial where the two young people (guy and girl - one's a Buckeye fan, one's a Wolverine fan) are kissing and talking sweet talk to each other. Disgusting, sickening, and terrible. Someone shoot them both and get it over with.

Congratulations to Ben Affleck. He just got his life back. J-Hoe. LMAO!!

Our 5th starter spot killed us last year. How many wins came from our 5th starters? 2 or 3? Ouch. I gotta believe that Rauch, Cotts, or whomever can at least win 7-10 games. As long as Danny Wrong isn't in the mix, I feel a little better.

Yas, A childhood friend of mine, is a pitcher in the Pirates organization. He could always bring it. I faced him in high school 12 times and I swear to God that I never saw the ball. It was a white blur. I whiffed every time. Anyhow, he had the Tommy John surgery 2 years ago, and he's just now getting back to his previous form. I've asked him why it takes so long, and he doesn't know either. For some reason, that's just the timetable for pitchers. With modern medicine, maybe that will speed up. But for now, it takes about 2 years. (On a side note, 3 months ago we were goofing off at the local Babe Ruth ballfield, and he pitched to me. I missed the first 20-25 or so pitches - badly, but then timed one just right and launched it about 500 feet into someone's front bay window. Oops. At least I finally hit something off his ass.)

Person looked pretty bad with Boston last year - he looked the same way Flash Gordon looked with the Cubs. Why? Neither had completely healed from surgery. I wish he was a "fast healer" who could win us 14 games, but I'm not betting even a quarter on it. Sadly.

Yas, Person intrigues me as well, but history (Kerry Wood, Jon Lieber, etc) says that it takes a pitcher 2 full years to recover from the surgery Person had. I know it's been - how long? - about a year and a half? The point being that he's not completely ready or healthy. Maybe by midseason or so, but I wouldn't count on him making the team out of spring training - or making the team at all. Not at this point.

I agree. Kenny, Ozzie and Frank are asses. Hell, I'll do you one better. They are complete assholes. However, this is the hand that has been dealt to us Sox fans. We have to go to the table with it and hope for the best. It is pretty pathetic when all 3 parties involved have to use the media - leeches who just love sucking this stuff in - to get their points across. It seems to me that not only are Guillen, Thomas, and Williams a trio of complete assholes, they are also "pussies" to boot. Instead of using the media, girls, try meeting each other face to face.

We wouldn't have to be so worried about our starting rotation if Jon Garland would finally plant some testacle seeds in his underpants and grow a pair. If we could count on him winning 15-17 games, it would be a wonderful surprise and luxury, but we can't rely or count on him. At least I can't. Maybe you can, but not me. This is it for him - he either breaks out and trusts his God-given talent and ability, or he will just become another journeyman who we all look at 15 years from now and say, "It's too bad he never lived up to his potential." So far, he's in the "million-dollar arm, ten-cent brain" category. At least in my humble opinion.

Our bullpen (on paper) looks promising and pretty solid. However, I fear wearing out their arms early in the season (thereby making them less effective) by quite possibly having to have them pitch in a lot of games from the 4th or 5th inning on. And with Garland and Schoenweiss as two of the 5 starters, and the other one being who knows who, our bullpen strength could be neutralized by overuse. We don't have any real "innings eaters" in the starting rotation, and like I hinted to, I can easily see Garland and/or Schoenweiss getting bombed early in games a couple times a month. All I ask for is just ONE MORE STARTING PITCHER. Just one more. (Maybe I should preface that by saying a "proven" and "decent" starting pitcher - otherwise we'll end up with Tanyon Sturtze or some other loser like that).

As long as you don't ask Kenny to pick up anything flavored with "berry," you should be okay.

If Razor Shines doesn't get a commercial deal with "Gillette," then someone is missing the boat.

I don't mind the honesty, I just hope that it doesn't cause Frank Thomas to come to Spring Training with a chip on his shoulder. Yes, Frank can be thin-skinned a lot of the time, but with guys like him, you just want to leave them alone and stew in their own juices. Basically, just leave him be, let him hit his HR's to help the team, and then say "Whew!" when he leaves for the offseason. Thomas being pissed off is a distraction that this team DOESN'T need - especially with some young guys joining the mix. I can see a fistfight breaking out between Ozzie and Frank - maybe as early as the 1st week of Spring Training. I bulls*** you not. This is getting ugly. Or should I say UGLIER.

Rex, Living in or near Birmingham, you've obviously spent your fair share of time at Barons games. Was Backman a "fiery guy" and a master motivator, or was he just a person who's a natural-born "prick"? In other words, is his surliness an act or his real personality? I'll take your opinion with a higher regard than I will the opinions of some of these media types in Chicago who wouldn't know who Wally Backman was if they shared a taxi with him.

"Are you mad at Frank Thomas for not returning Ozzie Guillen's phone calls?" "No, I'm mad at him for not returning my phone calls." At first, I thought maybe Kenny was trying to be funny - and maybe he was. Either way, did he really need to open a can of worms by saying that? Frank Thomas potentially coming to Spring Training pissed off and surly - oh joy. I really wish people would keep more stuff in-house instead of sounding off in the media. Oh well - so continues another chapter in the never-ending saga of "Days Of Our Sox."

Oh please. It's been cold here in the Midwest for 400,000 years. Even before great geologcial and geographical changes back then, our winters were STILL cold - but consistent. It used to be 30-40 in the coldest days way back then before the face of the Midwest was changed. So it's not so bad. You want cold? I spent 2 weeks in the Arctic Circle during the winter of 1998. That was a place where it was -50 for a HIGH. I did my research, cursed the cold, and b****ed my ass off. Either way, I learned what it was like to be REALLY cold. After that experience - Hell, 15 degrees in Chicago is a f*cking heat wave compared to that!!!!

I like the Pepsi commercial where the unattractive girl (dork and dweeb) is in her hot dog suit and she's trying to give out coupons. She is laughed at and mocked - deservedly - and then after taking a ton of laughter and mocking, she stares across the street and there's an equally unattractive guy (dork and dweeb) dressed in a Pepsi suit. She walks across the street and then they walk down the street into the horizon hand in hand - and falling in love. Oh please.

Unlike the White Sox, they Cubs have money to spend. If they REALLY wanted to, they could spend 120 million on their payroll and still turn a profit. The Tribune Company made something like 420 million in profits last year (it's in some magazine I read, but I'm tired and lazy, and not looking it up). So, they have a luxury we don't have. And yet in the last 25 years, they've won as many divisions as we have. That's not a compliment, it's an indictment on the owners of Chicago baseball. Two teams, and only 6 division titles in 25 years? Pathetic. Both ownership groups should not only be ashamed, but should go **ck themselves for this inexcusable abysmal record. For Shame!

I still take the "wait and see" approach to ANY trade involving the White Sox. It saves you undue stress and uncertainty, and keeps you calm and steady. And for the record - it's spelled COPPOCK. Can't you other fellow geezers get anything right?

Ryan Dempster stunk a lot before surgery, and he's going to stink a lot afterwards. By the way, from what I've heard on the Cubs radio station (yuck), this guy won't even pitch until July - if at all. Maybe not until 2005. As desperate as I am as a Sox fan, not even I would have signed Ryan Dumpster (appropriately re-named). He's garbage.

LMAO!! If he falls that far, then God help him!

That's just f*cking mean!! He will really work his biceps sticking dollar bills in the strippers panties.

I don't drink anymore - my drinking almost cost me my marriage and my career. However, I love LaBatt's Blue more than any other beer. And I'm not insulting Canada at all - I love that place. I would live in Banff tomorrow if given the opportunity. I was stunned last summer - I went to a McDonald's of all places (in Vancouver) and there was a huge line. I pulled out an American $20 and the cashier took me first over the other 15 people in line. I'm sure I made some friends that day!! Prince Rupert might rain 320 days out of the year, but I love it. Victoria ROCKS. Banff RULES. Calgary was COOL. I love your country, and have the $500 tea set to prove it. The inside passage of BC? It's HEAVEN ON EARTH. I want my ashes spread there when I die.

What's sad is that Frank Thomas might be someone we hear about in 15-20 years in some expose about a former "millionaire athlete" who was irresponsible with his money, blew it, and now lives in a cardboard box. I've seen it before, I just don't wish it for Frank. But it could happen. Some guys don't think about their lives after their sports careers - they just live in "today" and spend their money if they've got it. The smart athletes accept the fact that they are blessed and that it can end at any point - they are the ones who invest and store the money away like a packrat. The dumb ones blow their money and end up on the streets, with their former glory as their only happy memories.

Yes we are. So what? I'm going up to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in June - I will truly enjoy spending an AMERICAN $20 for a meal that's $37 in CANADIAN CURRENCY. There's some more American arrogance for you - you gotta love that. I know I do! But seriously, if the Mets want Maggs, then I would make damn sure they pay through their rich obnoxious noses. I would try to take them for all they are worth. You want Maggs? Then ante up and let's see what you're willing to give up, my friend.

Frank is not easily found - he's trying to earn extra bucks by being a clown in the Cirque De Soliel. Either that or he's sitting in a gutter somewhere sipping hooch. 5 million just doesn't get you as much bang for your buck nowadays.