almagest

After the second inning, I about gave up on the game. Once someone told me Thome hit another home run, I started keeping tabs again. And it felt like a playoff game to me the rest of the way. With most everything conspiring against the Sox, they almost pulled out the win, and that's pretty incredible, especially given how this team would lay down and die last year.

QUOTE(The Beast @ Mar 31, 2008 -> 08:26 PM) No thanks. What do you think a message board is for, then? And what's the harm in someone spending 5 or 10 minutes writing a letter to MLB about something that bothers him? Even if it doesn't accomplish anything, at the least it'll make the person who wrote it feel better. I really don't understand your angle here.

I wonder if we can protest this game?

Looks like the Uribe we all know and love is back, based on the Civil Rights game, and his 0-2 2K performance today.

Last year, those probably would've been solo shots.

Sure, the guy with a 1.261 career WHIP and a career ERA+ 5 points below Roy Halladay, 7 above C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett, and 7 points behind Carlos Zambrano isn't a top of the rotation starter. And sure, the extra runs from today carry over to tomorrow, so we're already losing that game, too! I think some of you people are bipolar or something. Take some lithium.

QUOTE(TheBigHurt @ Mar 30, 2008 -> 09:37 PM) We've seen Joe play GG caliber third base much through his career, and especially 05-06. I'd call that more than just "above average." Comparing a current Josh Fields to a healthy Joe Crede defensively is no comparison from what I've seen. And since the return of his DL stint in '05, the time he has been healthy he has been hitting very well. How exactly are you determining "GG caliber" defense? Joe Crede has never lead the league in any major defensive category. Brandon Inge has usually been at the top of the AL in important categories like range factor. Crede is usually 4th or 5th. Check baseball-reference.com and compare defensive stats if you don't believe me. So, it it doesn't look like your using statistics. Crede has also never actually won a gold glove, so it can't be that. Sounds to me like you're going solely on your opinion, which probably makes Joe Crede feel better but doesn't actually offer any real proof whatsoever. Also, as I (and many others) have said before, Joe has exactly 1 full above-average offensive major league season. The rest are below average. He also had a terrible spring. What, then, makes you think he'll produce anything but a mediocre/poor offensive season this year? Also, Crede was not that good defensively when he first came up. He improved. Why can't Fields?

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 29, 2008 -> 08:07 PM) wasn't really impressed with Contreras today. He didn't have much, if anything, on the ball, and threw basically a lot of junk, IMO. At least he threw strikes. He scared the crap out of me today, much like he did in pretty much any game I've seen him pitch since 2004. Good games included. The forkball WAS working well today, and he located the fastball when he needed to, however. I'm much more worried about the offense. Dye, Crede, and Uribe looked absolutely lost at the plate, and Swisher looked pretty bad. Those 4 guys, who figure to be pretty big parts of our offense, were automatic outs today. I think our pitching is going to be decent, but we're not going to be able to score 1-3 runs like we did in 2005 and win. We'll need consistent offensive production.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 01:22 AM) Unfortunately in some things it's a struggle being friends, we've both changed a lot in 4 years. I think that's a better sign than any that this is probably a lost cause. If its a struggle being friends, it's going to be an even bigger struggle trying to date her. Save yourself lots of trouble and move on.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 12:42 PM) I actually feel the same way about Raymond Fiests Magician/Riftwar books. If you havent already, you should check them out. Starting with "Magician:Apprentice" Very good books, though I don't know if I'd put them on the same level as LotR.

Finally saw The Darjeeling Limited. I liked it, though not nearly as much as I liked The Life Aquatic. Probably because there wasn't enough Bill Murray.

Just picked up Rogue Galaxy for PS2 and MLB Power Pros for Wii for $20 each. Also subscribed to GameFly. Seems like a good decision so far, though the first game I rented, Mario & Sonic Olympics, sucks hard.

QUOTE(Mplssoxfan @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 05:24 PM) I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that there may have been a little alcohol involved. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that there may have been a little "I'm going to murder my wife now" involved.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 05:56 PM) Because Cowards have seen what several of their kin have done across the country, and with the added bonus of instant fame due to tv and the internet it seems like the best option. Unfortunately, this is absolutely right. Look at all the copycats shooting up high schools after Columbine. These kids should be getting even the American Way -- by getting super rich and buying their enemies out.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 06:18 PM) I wonder if someone ever finished out the 1994 season...simulation style. You know, played the rest of the games and see who wins the series. That year could have saved the Expos, too, if I remember correctly, they had Pedro, Pee-Hands, Delino DeShields, Wetteland, Darrin Fletcher, Marquis Grissom, Larry Walker, Rondell White, Cliff Floyd, Wil Cordero...pretty good team at the time. Crap. I'm not entirely sure, but I think someone did. The Expos beat us in the World Series 4-2 IIRC. I remember looking at a picture of that '94 Expos team, and the first thought that came to mind was "holy crap, that team was STACKED!"

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 07:50 PM) Quentin is the better offensive option out of the 2, and he's pretty good in a corner spot defensively (so long as his shoulder is ok). Agreed. I don't think his shoulder is 100% though. Hopefully I'm wrong, because Quentin has the potential to be a perennial all-star. I'd still like to see Anderson starting in CF, but I understand the White Sox making sure he has to earn everything. It seems to have worked so far for him. I'm looking forward to an '09 outfield of Swisher - Anderson - Quentin. Oh, the offensive and defensive potential there... :drool:

QUOTE(Brian @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 06:27 PM) What the hell, Dotel? Hey, that rhymes. He's gone from nasty early on to awful lately and it's starting to worry me.

Complain all you want, but we have some genuinely exciting young talent waiting in the wings. Quentin, Anderson, Fields, Richar, and Ramirez all have pretty high ceilings, and even Owens can be useful as a 4 OF/speed off the bench guy. Plus, we have Swisher locked up for a while. Seems like a good core of young players to me. Trading Crede and/or Uribe for nothing is a stupid thing to do. KW is right to hang on to them, especially with the rash of injuries this Spring Training. He's betting on one team getting desperate, and giving up something of genuine value. It's a good risk to take. And if no team bites, what's the problem in keeping Crede & Uribe? It's not like benching either or both of them is going to magically make us win 100 games. The offense will score enough runs. We're going to live and die by pitching, as most teams do. If we can't catch lightning in a bottle again, you can bet we'll find some takers for our veteran talent at the break. And other guys, like Cabrera, we can hang on to until the end of the year and grab some type A or B draft picks. I actually think Kenny did a pretty good job this off-season, especially considering we only won 72 games last year, and pretty much all of his "Plan A" moves didn't work out.

QUOTE(SoxWS05 @ Mar 25, 2008 -> 05:11 PM) Uhhmm...probably because he's the best third baseman on our team. I'll love how everyone just drags Crede's name through the mud a year after he hit 30HR and 90RBI's. Trade Josh Fields. What are Crede's numbers this spring, again? And how'd he do last year? And how'd he do in each full season previous to 2006?

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 24, 2008 -> 04:02 PM) Did you happen to see the pop up Ramirez let drop yesterday? Cost the team 2 runs. Crede hit over .280 with 30 homers in 2006. He was hitting over .300 with 28 homers in August when his back locked up worse than normal. He's healthy now. No hit is not a good description. And how many runs has Ramirez scored or driven in this spring? Probably more than 2. Also, the pitcher is the person who has control over the batters before and after the error occurred, not Ramirez. Do you have anything else that's substantial, or just this one piece of anecdotal evidence? Crede sure has looked good being so healthy this spring, hasn't he? Can the Sox afford to wait until he's got his "timing" back, which stunts Fields' growth at the ML level, and with no guarantee Crede'll be able to put up numbers near his 2006 campaign? Also, hasn't Crede played in more than ONE major league season? And wasn't he spectacularly mediocre in those seasons? Why are you ignoring the rest of his career, then? Selectively pulling data that only supports your points doesn't make Crede a good hitter. It makes him a mediocre hitter with one good season, two years ago. QUOTE(Hatchetman @ Mar 24, 2008 -> 04:08 PM) pitchers have no control (well, very little) on whether a ball in play results in a hit or an out. Which is why strikeouts are so valuable. Also, while it's true that pitchers have little control on a ball after it's in play, they DO have a good deal of control over where and how it's hit.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 24, 2008 -> 03:04 PM) A defensive play that prevents a 2 out bases loaded double is just as effective as a 2 out bases loaded double with the stick. Never realized that defense could be overrated. A pitcher has WAY more control over that bases loaded double than a fielder does. Great defense is seldom going to save poor pitching, and great pitching seldom needs to rely on great defense. I'm not saying having good defensive players isn't needed, I'm questioning the logic of having no-hit, good fielding players anywhere NEAR the starting lineup. Crede fits these criteria, based on last year, this spring, and a good chunk of his career.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Mar 24, 2008 -> 02:24 PM) Bingo, his power is nice and all, but this team needs more defense, especially with our 3-4-5 pitchers out there. Heck, Buehrle relies on good defense as well. I think people are underrating how important defense is to have out there which is how we ended up with the 2000-2004 teams. We won 95 games in 2000. From '01 - '04 the problem wasn't defense, it was a bad rotation and a bad bullpen. I think you're overrating defense a bit, especially at third base. Up the middle defense matters far more than the corners.

I really think Anderson should be the starting CF. His improved attitude, approach, and the fantastic numbers he's put up this spring have earned him a starting job, at least in my book. I think we should let Ozzie know that if he really wants to build the Sox like the '03 Marlins, he should focus on getting more Josh Becketts, and less Juan Pierres.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Mar 23, 2008 -> 11:46 PM) .362 avg/.464 obp/.690 slg/ 1.154 ops in 58 AB 4 HR, 1 3B, 5 2B, 11 1B 12 RBI 11 BB, 12 K And, if he was able to sustain those numbers over 550 AB in the regular season, he'd have: 38 HR, 9 3B, 47 2B, 104 1B 114 RBI 104 BB, 114 K I think it's safe to assume these are the numbers he'll put up...

QUOTE(CubsSuck1 @ Mar 21, 2008 -> 12:18 AM) It's 2008, you know. Not 2005.