ILMOU

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jun 14, 2009 -> 02:18 PM) i would Well, it's definitely sensationalistic journalism. I mean, Beckham has sat what? ONE day since he's been up? The point is he IS getting consistent AB's, he's starting to hit, and his "handling" is completely a non-issue. Makes me wonder how little it took to get so many here believing how badly BA was"mishandled" in '06.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 12, 2009 -> 10:26 PM) Maybe we just have to realize that Fields and Anderson just aren't that good and move on instead of holding on to Ozzie mistreatment as a defense for their struggles. For the sake of the Soxtalk I sure hope this happens.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jun 14, 2009 -> 02:43 AM) need a win before we get swept by the flubs (yes, i expect another another sweep/sweep scenario) The Cubs offense is even more anemic than ours lately. They couldn't sweep the Mudhens. We'll win 2 of 3 from the Flubs after winning today.

QUOTE (joejoedairy @ Jun 13, 2009 -> 04:54 PM) Way to go Jose! Castro! Bacon! come back soon quentin! Time to watch Jared Mitchell in the College World Series.

QUOTE (joejoedairy @ Jun 13, 2009 -> 04:49 PM) good win, lets get the series tomorrow! Time to watch Jared Mitchell in the College World Series. Interesting that this event and our beloved use the same CWS abbreviation. Didn't Bacon play in it last year?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 11, 2009 -> 03:07 PM) A lot of people are talking about Thompson and saying he has more upside than our #1 pick. Given his arm and athleticism, I'm guessing he projects as the RF of the future.

I heard some good news on WSCR regarding the Sox' chances of signing the exciting outfield draft pick. Mully and Hanley interviewed his dad Mychal Thompson, who said junior is ready to start his pro career NOW. He said they're already talking with the Sox, and something should be finalized soon. Also says Trayce'll fill out to 225lb in the next few years. http://www.670thescore.com/topic/play_wind...audioId=3798156 He starts talking about Trayce about halfway through the interview. I think this Thompson kid might be the pick of the draft for the Sox. Time will tell.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jun 7, 2009 -> 09:00 AM) Seems like a good lineup. The Sunday lineups look better with Castro vs.the Corkaroo, and it's good to keep Josh hitting while he's going well. The only thing I can't understand is why BA would bat anywhere but ninth in any lineup. I'd switch he and Beckham, but otherwise I like it.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Jun 7, 2009 -> 10:43 AM) No reason to write off Getz. I don't ever think he'll be an All-Star but he can definitely help a Major League team by playing a good 2B and hitting for a high average and drawing a few walks. He doesn't K much and has speed, so he can fill a role. When guys like Jose Lopez are starters you know a guy like Chris Getz can make it somewhere. Absolutely. He's still getting his feet wet, and I'm not going to pass judgement at this point. I pretty much agree with everyone who disagrees with VAfan.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jun 6, 2009 -> 08:02 PM) VAfan, two words: SAMPLE SIZE you're using 39 games to completely write a guy off. well done. This.

QUOTE (VAfan @ Jun 5, 2009 -> 04:37 PM) So don't tell me Jordan Danks is the answer in CF. He may be, but I expect it will be 3 years, AT LEAST, before he's producing at a major league level, and more like 4 years before he's able to do what McLouth did last year and is doing this year. FYI, Buddy Bell just said last night that Jordan Danks is Major League ready NOW. I'll take a bet on your 3 year prediction.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 06:11 PM) Buddy Bell was just interviewed and said he thinks Danks is major league ready. I imagine things might move rather quickly for the kid if we don't have our situation CF figured out by the All Star Break. WOW! That's awesome to hear. The future is turning into the present rather quickly.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 02:22 PM) On pace for 24 or 25 for the year! WOW What's the record for shutouts in a season? We must be threatening it, at least among AL teams in the DH era.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 11:17 AM) I don’t like moving Alexei out of the 2-hole. He’s been extremely productive there, especially with his speed and improved walk-rate this season. Once Quentin comes back, I think you got to keep riding Pods in the leadoff spot (and unfortunately in CF) until he gets injured or unproductive. At that point, you hope that Beckham or Getz has shown enough to hit one of them at leadoff and put BA in CF. As for Q himself, I’d hit him 6th until he gets his s*** together and then move him back to 3rd in the lineup. I really like the idea of the high-OBP of a healthy Quentin (if even possible this season) and Thome in front of Dye, Konerko and AJ. I don't disagree, but I'm expecting Pods to get injured, or otherwise have a dramatic drop-off. By all means, ride that horse until this happens. I'm expecting that by the ASB (37 games from now) things will be different. Q will be back to form, etc. The big unknown for me is Getz. I also really like Lexi in the 2 hole, BTW, and had been calling for it all year, but I don't see Ozzie with two righties OR two lefties at the top of the order. Beckham could give us a Granderson/Rollins-like dynamic at the top of the order as an XBH machine.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 11:09 AM) Yeah, it just works the other way. If you do this in two games: Win 10-2 Lose 2-1 Your run differential is +7, or +3.5 per game. That would result in a really good final record, according to pythag. But in reality, if you do the above two games over and over, you are just a .500 team, thus UNDERperforming the expectations of pythag. If on the other hand, you do this: Win 2-1 Lose 10-2 You are -3.5 per game, and pythag will say you should be a crappy team. But if you do this as a pattern you will be at .500, and BEAT expectations. So in conclusion, if your theory is that the way the Sox play makes them look like overperformers, then it is because we are doing the latter example, not the former. I'm not going to get into this whole hornets nest with you guys on the Pythag thing, but a think a huge amount of this depends on the relative crappiness of middle relief, an area that many or most teams skimp on. When a team is down, say 5-2 in the sixth inning, and they need to replace the starter, it's not going to be with their best bullpen guy. A 5-2 deficit frequently becomes a 10-2 deficit in a blink of an eye. This is one of the big things that can skew Pythag, making you look worse than you really are, in a game you're probably going to lose anyway. It should even out over 162 games, as you should beat up on the other team's middle relief in the opposite situation. However, if you have a good back end of the bullpen (protecting small leads) coupled with super-crappy middle relief (this is not uncommon), then the Pythag numbers can be deceptive, especially if you have more of a small-ball offense (team designed to win games 4-2) as we did in '05.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 10:50 AM) I disagree, he MAY hit 2nd, but our future leadoff guy is probably Danks2 I'm with you Rock. I should have qualified it by saying "until JorDanks arrives". The lineup I'd like to see post ASB: 1. Beckham 3B 2. Getz (a lot to prove still, granted, but a good handler of the bat, and you just KNOW Ozzie will love bunting GB over to 3rd after those leadoff doubles, to get that 1-0 lead. Needs to get steady AB's soon, so we know what we have, or don't have) 3. Q 4. JD 5. Thome 6. Paulie 7. Missile 8. AJP 9. BA (His potentially good OBP will help the lineup turnover, while his terrible situational hitting will do the least damage here) I've ALMOST given up on Fields, but I can see him as backing up 3B and 1B, as well as occasional DH against lefties - though Thome's been hitting LHP better of late. I think he's trade fodder, not that anything good will be sent our way for him. His chances of becoming a valuable piece in a trade are nearly gone.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 10:42 AM) Your arguement is negated by the fact that's he starting Dewayne Freaking Wise over him. Hey man, I don't like Wise on this team as anything but a 5th OF, pinch runner, if even that. I'm just stating that BA fails miserably at the one thing that Ozzie cares about most. Not saying Wise is any better.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 10:10 AM) i don't think we expect him to be. but pedroia-like isn't completely out of the question in a year or so I've said it before, but I think Gordon Beckham IS Dustin Pedroia with a little less speed, and a little more power. The mental makeup seems very similar. GB is a doubles machine, and before too long, should be our leadoff hitter. I'm expecting Pods to either get hurt or fall off dramatically, BTW.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 07:53 PM) i mean, he literally said that the only reason he plays wise is because he likes him, wants him to play, and wants him to get at bats. absolutely NO baseball-related reason. lol. It surprises me that so many smart fans on this board can't understand why BA has been, and possibly remains in Ozzie's doghouse. To me, the answer is obvious - Situational Hitting. We all know that Ozzie is not the "numbers guy" that so many of us geeks are, and would like him to be. We also know that if there's one thing that frosts Ozzie's ass, it's bad situational hitting. BA, to this point in his career, has been a TERRIBLE situational hitter. When we need a sac fly, he hits a DP ground ball, when we need to advance a runner he strikes out. Ozzie's not looking at his OBP, at least as much as we would like him to. But a player who fails so much in situational hitting will never be his darling.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 09:07 PM) Getz hasn't hit any better than Fields. He hasn't had the AB's this year, or in his career yet to pass judgement like we have with Fields, IMO. He's also playing a position that doesn't require the offensive prowess, power especially, that's expected of a 3B. Personally, I've lost no confidence in Getz, and I want to see him nearly every day, when healthy. At least for now. Gordon should be playing 3B primarily this year, and he should switch to 2B eventually, '10 or '11, if Viciedo proves he can be adequate with the glove at 3B.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 01:05 PM) And the crap goes on, insults, call outs, prayers. I am excited to watch this thread sink to the bottom when the teams wins tonight. Nothing seems to make the natives more restless than a discussion centered on BA. He really doesn't deserve this much attention.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 12:38 PM) Getz plays when he is healthy. The guy has already broken his finger and sprained his ankle and it is barely June Yeah, he seems to be injury prone right now. Perhaps you didn't see the following from today's Trib: Personnel matters: Second baseman Chris Getz probably won't return to the starting lineup until Thursday. Getz showed improvement from a right ankle bruise but won't play Wednesday night because Oakland is starting left-hander Josh Outman.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 11:47 AM) Oakland's pitcher has a perfect name for a pitcher. I was thinking the same thing. Of course, it's a terrible name for a hitter - perhaps he was told that an early age and focused accordingly.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 12:21 PM) And in the first half, the Sox dominated the AL with BA not hitting. Also in 2006 during July and August, BA hit .300. That's something that has long been forgotten. That meant Darin Erstad had to lead off in 2007. There is no question BA wasn't quite ready in 2006, but there is equally no question BA has had a much shorter leash than anyone else since. Brent Lillibridge led off after Ozzie started popping off about him playing in Korea. I should also say that BA's so-called improvement during '06 is vastly overrated. He was getting far fewer AB's by August, and he'd given up any semblance of power merely trying to make contact. He's doing the same thing this year, so this talk of 15-20 HR, 75-80 RBI is a pipe dream. That said, he should be playing everyday, or nearly every day on THIS team, and it pisses me off that he isn't. Now is the time to get him the AB's he needs, I agree. I just want him getting on base in the 9 hole, and playing stellar D. When JorDanks arrives, BA can be a quality 4th OF, and defensive replacement for one of the corners. I'm equally pissed that Chris Getz is not getting a fair shake currently, being needlessly platooned.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jun 3, 2009 -> 12:06 PM) you mean how he was handed the starting job in spring and by June still couldn't hit his weight? Thank you. I also hate the way BA is being handled NOW, and I'm up for giving him one more shot of sustained, mostly every day AB's. However, I'm completely f***ing SICK of hearing how BA was "mishandled" in '06. He was given a very lengthy and legit shot, and completely blew chunks. We were able to deal with it while the rest of the team hit like the '27 Yankees, but that was unsustainable.