mmmmmbeeer

It makes me sick to see a team with Nick freaking Punto in its starting lineup one game away from a WS win.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Oct 22, 2011 -> 10:48 AM) Who replaces Peavy? If Peavy pitches reasonably well this season and manages to stay reasonably healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see him come back on a ridiculously cheap 1 or 2 yr deal. He's a competitor and seems to be a pretty stand-up guy. My guess is that he feels as embarrassed about getting paid what he's been paid by the Sox as we are angry. Kind of like folks think Dunn would retire if he can't earn his keep, I think Jake will try to make his lack of performance up to the Sox.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 12, 2011 -> 06:42 PM) Not that it really matters, but he's actually a good interview and very funny. The only bland thing about him is his delivery. If you listen to what he says, he's wise and funny. With Ozzie, he was all about the delivery. I was shocked and happy when they announced this move. I'm even happier about it after hearing Robin speak about the job. He'll make mistakes, every manager does, but I really think the players are going to love him and will play hard and be accountable. Once he gets a hang on using his bullpen, he may turn out to be one of the better managers in baseball. Well said. I remember when this was announced I was in a bad mood the rest of the evening....couldn't believe the Sox went cheap and this inexperienced. After letting this whole deal simmer in my mind a bit, listening to KW's reasoning, listening to Robin's approach and recognizing that he's a very, very sharp guy with a ton of experience as a player, I actually have begun to like this hire. I think the clubhouse was ready for a change...I think there was a whole lot of respect lost for the folks in charge of running the show last season. To have a guy like Ventura come in, a guy who's fought the battles on the field and had a solid career, a guy who was known by teammates for being steady yet extremely competitive, a guy who basically walked away from baseball to see to the priorities of his family (isn't that what every player wants to do?), I don't see how the Sox don't improve next season. If you can't respect Robin Ventura, well, you don't respect the game of baseball. He's the epitome of what I think of when I think of a baseball player....smart, driven, competitive, classy, and thoughtful.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Oct 7, 2011 -> 01:59 PM) I agree with you, he didn't really deny that he was going to KW with stuff, but as a company man watching the team/season go down the toilet, I don't blame him if he did. Absolutely. It was extremely tough as a fan to watch the games this year and know, without a doubt, that OG was essentially throwing games. I cannot imagine sitting on the bench beside OG and watching it happen...watching him essentially destroy what Coop takes so much pride in, what he teaches his pitchers to work so hard to accomplish, winning baseball games. And he's not supposed to say a word? He owes loyalty to Ozzie? C'mon.

Checked out Homeland after reading about it here.....I'll definitely be watching the next episode. Impressive.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 4, 2011 -> 08:44 AM) Yeah, but that was after he stopped. Why did he stop in the first place? I have no idea. Hopefully they explain it all better in next week's conclusion

It might be out there, but I wonder if Walt's glasses on top of his head didn't catch Gus's attention. That's a pretty basic military deal, look for reflections. The camera on Walt, at one point, did a slight zoom in on his glasses. I don't know, I may just be reaching for a justification for Gus's super-senses. I do like the idea that perhaps he turned around for a completely different reason.

I don't have the patience to peruse Red Sox forums being their fans annoy me, but has anyone who has the patience read anything concerning who they may be targeting? Take a guy like Martinez, if given the choice between a powerhouse like Boston or a kind-of-in-a-rebuild team like the Sox, it worries me that we may not get who we target as the best candidate will choose the situation with the best chance of winning.

After a tumultuous 2011 White Sox season, nights like this remind me why I love baseball.

QUOTE (Cerbaho-WG @ Sep 28, 2011 -> 10:59 PM) Rays get out of it. Incredible. To say the least. I find myself oddly infatuated by every shot of Martinez standing next to Maddon.

Epic choke the last couple weeks by ATL.

QUOTE (SnB @ Sep 28, 2011 -> 10:24 PM) Thank you MLB network, thank you so much. This has been such a treat. Outstanding night of baseball. Can't believe the Braves are choking so bad and the Rays came back from a 7-0 deficit. Unreal.

I can't think of a more fitting way to end this season than what appears to be happening now.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 27, 2011 -> 01:52 PM) Somebody should interview current managers in baseball like LaRussa off the record and find out what they think of the laughable KW. Wouldn't that be sort of redundant? You've already interviewed random people in Kansas.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 27, 2011 -> 09:26 AM) I don't think it was just Ozzie not fitting well with the roster. I think that Ozzie is a different person these days too. This is the appreciation thread so I'm going to stop there. This is precisely what I was going to say....Ozzie has changed. While not as vocal on this board, I've wanted OG gone for a few seasons but that's only because he changed. When he came on the scene he was hungry, enthusiastic, and had a great gut for when to open his mouth and when to keep it shut. He kept media scrutiny off of his team when necessary by making himself the story. He was never a great strategist, but an outstanding leader. He's just not that man any longer. I'm not sure what corrupted him, but I hope that Miami gets a hungry Ozzie....they'll have a fun season or two if they do.

I'm excited. I think OG's act wore thin on the clubhouse and the front office. I think he brought a toxic atmosphere with him these last couple of years. I think this team severely underperformed this year just as much due to Ozzie as the players. This has needed to happen for a couple of years. Next year we'll get to see what has always seemed to be a decent roster playing in a less toxic environment. I expect good things.

I can't shake the info that said that they're looking to hire someone currently managing in the bigs. Outside of LaRussa, I'm kind of at a loss figuring out who that could be.

I'm fairly sure his point was that the teams he's put together were good enough to be in first place. It's up to the manager to continue to milk the talent to keep them there.

No love for Matt Kemp? Dude has had a ridiculous season...power, speed, and average.

I would like someone who has spent a majority of their time coaching sitting close to a great manager (Maddon, Soscia, Gardy, etc.). Someone who puts stock in the benefits of a strong ST. Someone who appreciates and employs strategy based on facts, not his gut.

So if the papers are to be believed and we see an entirely new coaching staff outside of Coop next season, which player benefits the most? I've got to go with Gordo. This is a guy who we has exhibited a beautiful swing and approach in the past and has "adjusted" right out of it. I look for Gordo to start being the guy we thought he could be if he has a new hitting coach and manager. Considering how Oz talked s*** about Gordo in '09, I don't get the feeling that Beckham likes playing for Ozzie.....and Walker should've (did if not for JR) lost his job because of the way Beckham is swinging the bat now.

QUOTE (VictoryMC98 @ Sep 10, 2011 -> 10:12 PM) Dunn didn't get the big pay day for hitting .037 against lefties.. did he? He got it for driving in Runs. Dunn is not in the situation if Rios, or Alexi gets hits earlier in the game. That wasn't the only time they had bases loaded and less than 2 outs. Ozzie doesn't need to show up Kenny.. Kenny's record is case enough for that. One of his smartest moves, was to start Dunn, who had success against Carmona, who is also struggling. Defending the indefensible....your avatar should be changed to a placard with "look at me" written on it.

QUOTE (VictoryMC98 @ Sep 10, 2011 -> 09:08 PM) Beckham never failed before pitchers started to make their adjustments to him. When he started to fail, he never knew how to get out of a struggle prior, and the majors isn't the place to learn. Look at Tank, they let him learn and take his bumps in the minors.. Now he is showing progress since last year. Yes, because we know Beckham couldn't hit 94MPH fastballs when he was a rookie.

I know Coop tried to get Jake to tweak his delivery a bit, but if his delivery were so risky as to make the acquisition a huge gamble, Coop would've stopped KW (or atleast hinted strongly that it was a bad idea). This was the first guy in MLB to come out and say Strasberg was destined for TJ and has overseen one of the healthiest rotations in baseball for the past several years. Coop knows what he's doing and I have full faith he was very involved in that acquisition. There's been no surer thing in baseball than Adam Dunn. You won't (and can't) convince me otherwise. There's no way the Sox could have foreseen what took place this season. Even switching leagues, there's been no precedence of a drop-off like Dunn's. Rios was a gamble and is certainly the one acquisition KW should take some blame for...on the other hand, Rios very much looked at as a "change of atmosphere" kind of player. All the tools in the world but inconsistent with questionable dedication just screams bad environment.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 10, 2011 -> 11:06 AM) Five missed postseasons in the last six years. This isn't just about this year. This organization has been in a slow decline ever since the '05 World Series. s***, if Jerry Owens doesn't get hurt in spring training, we probably don't win the division in '08. Everybody knows Owens was Ozzie's boy toy and only injury forced him to go with CQ. This was the all-in year and the year that will likely cause someone to lose their job. Had they won this year, neither KW or OG would be on the hot seat. It is my opinion that KW had this franchise set up to win this season and save not only his own job but also his manager's. OG hasn't done a single thing this season (again my opinion) to uphold his end of the bargain.