almagest

QUOTE (fathom @ May 1, 2009 -> 02:30 PM) Ozzie said last Friday that he really didn't want to have Getz face lefty pitchers. So the simple answer to your question is: very rarelyI wonder what his rationale is on that. You have to think Ozzie has access to Getz's minor league stats and scouting reports. Maybe he thinks it's so much harder to hit LHP in the majors vs. the minors that it's not worth undermining Getz's confidence? I can't believe he's doing it solely based on lefty vs. righty matchups.

Corrected: QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Apr 29, 2009 -> 05:00 PM) Maybe Herm can quickly rub one out of Brian.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 29, 2009 -> 10:05 AM) Maybe it was a "why did you stand there for 10 seconds before trying to make a move" look. Dumb play by Gordon.Gordon took terrible shots all through the 4th quarter and OT. He was bailed out on that awful three attempt by Tony Allen's foul.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 28, 2009 -> 11:04 PM) VDN's been using his small, 4 guard lineup with either Noah or Miller down the stretch the last 2 games and only putting in TT when he really needs a rebound. To be fair, TT has been to my eyes more effective in the first half than in the 2nd half of these games, but that's one of those things I've been b*tching at VDN about all season.It's hard to be effective when you're not in the game. We also need as much defensive help as possible, and though Thomas isn't great defensively, he has height and athleticism. It'd be nice to see some of those Pierce fade-away 15-footers shoved back in his face.

QUOTE (chwhtsox @ Apr 28, 2009 -> 03:37 PM) If you're not from the area, I highly recommend stopping by Ricobene's on 26th st. Their pizza is good but the breaded steak (w/mozz. and peppers) is something that will get me plenty of thank you's in my PM box. Do it, you won't regret it. here's a link to the joint in case you need the address. http://www.ricobenesfamoussteaks.com/ Get the king size and you won't need to eat for 2 days.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 24, 2009 -> 10:24 AM) Speaking of ignorance, the results of that year's draft completely disagree with your statement. Rowand coming out of Cal State Fullerton was deemed to have approximately equal draft value to a phenomenally-talented-but-still-raw-and-untested Mark Prior. Prior even being picked in the first round straight out of high school speaks volumes about his ability, and it was very obvious to anybody who knows anything about baseball that Prior had MUCH more upside over the long-term. But it's clear that ML organizations often value experience and ML-readiness over raw ability on draft day.You can't say teams shied away from drafting Prior solely because he was raw. Plenty of high-school players are top draft picks, and a number of other reasons could also have contributed, such as Prior had already committing to USC by draft day, knowing he could raise his draft stock beyond a supplemental pick with a good college career, and/or wanting top 5-10 money (or more).

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 23, 2009 -> 06:41 PM) Wow, these are some absolutely awful straw man arguments. The fact that the Sox spent a first-round pick on Rowand suggests that he was at least a solid prospect. Not a can't-miss bad-ass, but certainly somebody who they projected to contribute in the bigs. If you're not saying Rowand was a good draft pick because high-school Prior was taken right around the same spot in the draft, then what exactly are you saying? I have absolutely no idea what point you could possibly be trying to make otherwise.

Adam Eaton is still pitching? Wow. I didn't think a guy who couldn't put an ERA of less than 4 up while pitching in Petco would stick around.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 23, 2009 -> 12:19 PM) Im just really encouraged by BA at this point, which I think is getting lost in the back and forth debate of vets who will produce. If BA can continue to walk, hit the pitches he can hit and turn the lineup over, we may have something here.This is the best approach I've seen from him... well, ever. Even when he was killing the ball he'd look bad at the plate. He's taking bad pitches, and swinging at the hittable ones, for the most part. He's probably still going to strike out a fair amount because of the holes in his swing, but if he keeps this up there's no reason not to play him every day. He's hitting everything hard right now. I'm not sure if he can keep it up, and I think he needs to be more patient sometimes, but he's still better than anything we've had since 2005.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 21, 2009 -> 07:39 PM) No, I mean Prior. He was drafted out of high school at #43 overall by the Yankees in '98. They couldn't agree to terms and Prior went to USC.So Rowand is better than a high school pitcher who didn't even sign with the team that drafted him that year, and was later a #2 overall pick at the same experience level as Rowand? I honestly don't see how that makes Rowand a good prospect. I agree that we shouldn't move Beckham up any time soon, though.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Apr 22, 2009 -> 08:36 PM) I would not be a primary machine. I have a 17" Dell and a Desktop.In that case, I have a 10" Asus EeePC that I love. Highly recommended.

I wouldn't use a netbook as a primary machine. If you're concerned about size, there are plenty of lightweight 12 and 13-inch laptops out there.

Rolling forkballs get hit hard. At least he's getting them over the plate, though.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Apr 21, 2009 -> 08:26 PM) It's the 3rd frickin' inning.It's never too early to overreact!

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 21, 2009 -> 06:37 PM) Rowand was a first-round pick (selected before Mark Prior, actually). Not as highly regarded as Beckham, but pretty far from a "meh" prospect in my book.Uhh... do you mean Mauer? Mauer/Prior went 1/2 in 2001. Rowand was drafted #35 overall in 1998.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 21, 2009 -> 11:04 AM) The real question is, should I divorce my wife for hindering my ability to attend a Sox game?I don't think anyone has ever had a better reason to get divorced, ever.

Sad to see. Gordon had a good chance to break out this year.

I second AT&T Park. Had a fantastic time there last year. Was at the game where Zito walked the world, and Alexei hit a hr. Planning on Safeco this year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 17, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) I'm sure you're open to the possibility of a Mike MacDougal turnaround. He's got a 3.56 WHIP in his first 2 starts. He was horrid last season. Marquez blows.Except MacDougal has a history of sucking. Marquez has last year, and a whopping 5.1 IP this year. You're cherry picking again.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Apr 15, 2009 -> 02:58 PM) He better learn how to hit righties if he's going to really be our everyday CFer.Hopefully we'll see if he can with regular playing time in the next few weeks.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 15, 2009 -> 02:07 PM) i'll play devils advocate a little bit and say....middle relief looks horrible, Alexei looks really, really bad out there, and unlike my fellow sox faithful, im really worried about him. I personalyl don't think hes a very good hitter, and i honestly am not sure that he is the hitter he showed last year...i mean only 18 BBs in 400+ ABs...pitchers are really going to take advantage of him...CF looks like an even bigger hole than I expected (and I didnt expect much), and the defense looks terrible....also our base running has been as bad as ive seen.... also, as you pointed out earlier, ozzies philosophy of having someone fast leading off is really unsettling I've also been worried that Alexei's year last year was a bit of a fluke. The scouting reports on him were not encouraging at all when we signed him. That being said, I think his problems right now are correctable. He just needs to stop looking for the fastball all the time.

Carlos Gomez is actually a really good defensive centerfielder. Maybe he would have caught that ball, who knows. His problem is hitting.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Apr 10, 2009 -> 06:37 PM) anyone get MLB 2k9? i'm thinking about buying it, even though i should know better. It's next on my Gamefly queue. I heard it had lots of bugs at release, but hopefully they've been patched since. Also, I'm very much looking forward to this.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 14, 2009 -> 07:19 PM) What makes you think BA is going to hit .250-.260 while playing everyday? I'm not hating on the guy, it's just what the stats tell me.Career minor league numbers of .293/.362/.474, which includes his awful 2007 season when he was hurt. Shot through our minor league system in 3 years. Highly ranked prospect during his time in the minors. Has shown offensive talent in spurts, during the second half of 2006, spring training, and in very limited MLB action since 2006. He's also never really been given a chance, outside of 2006 (and even then he didn't play a full season) to show if he can cut it as a full-time player. This should be his chance.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 13, 2009 -> 02:53 PM) But, a key part of why we were able to get him in the first place is that his #'s in 2007 were down from his #'s in 2006 as well. So you actually had a 2 year downward trend, starting from 2007.Actually, he was pretty much the same production-wise in 2006 and 2007. More HR and higher SLG in 2006, more doubles, higher OBP and higher average in 2007. Last year is the aberrant year, so far, especially considering his fast start this season. I didn't really like the Swisher trade at the start, but warmed up to it based on the rave reviews I kept hearing about Marquez and Nunez. I'm slowly moving back towards not liking it, though. I'm guessing the trade was made mostly because Ozzie, KW, and/or some of the players didn't think he was a good fit.