Kenny Hates Prospects

Bartolo is currently in flight school pissing off his instructor during simulations by continuously nosediving commercial airliners into the Andes Mountains.

QUOTE (son of a rude @ Sep 17, 2009 -> 12:27 PM) how far have those twins squads gotten in the playoffs? About as far as those moneyball Oakland A's juggernaut teams of recent past, which of course proves nothing.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/nat...-ely-white-sox/ ^Speaking of Ely, here's an old interview with him. I've liked him since I read it. He's a Sox fan and he sounds like a real pitcher, and so far his track record would appear to back that up.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 17, 2009 -> 12:04 PM) I realize the AL is the AL, but the Rays excelled last year playing an NL style of ball and the Angels have dominated the West (albeit a poor West) for a number of years playing some of the best fundamental baseball and I've seen it all first hand so I'm incredibly biased in my desire for the Sox to become the Angels of the Midwest. We've seen lesser Twins squads beat us because of there fundamentals. So ya, I think its good, but I continue to point out that it needs to start at the ground level and I certainly hope Buddy Ball is focusing on these things!!! Agree to an extent about the Twins, but I think the main reason the Twinkies have kicked our asses over the years is because of our s***ty OF defense versus them catching everything hit out there. You look at the lineups and the Sox always have more thunder, but those guys press when nothing is falling. The Twins are able to hang in ballgames because of their pitching and defense which enables fundamental offensive baseball to be effective. OTOH we put ourselves in situations where even if we hit a 3-run bomb and go up 3-1, we're only a chopper or a walk away from ending up in a spot where we give up a double in the gap that would have been caught by the Twins' defense. Then somebody moves to third and comes in on a sacrifice and now we're all tied up. I really, really hope we tighten our OF defense up this year. I've never been a big Coco Crisp fan, but I know Kenny has wanted him for a long time and he's probably a very realistic target for us, much more so than Figgins is. Put him in CF with Rios in RF and we can catch the ball in the OF no matter where we go.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 17, 2009 -> 11:40 AM) I'm all for fundamentals. Some of you stat jackasses can get ridiculous about the giving up outs part of the game. Sometimes it just makes sense and it can push things and help get the offense rolling. So Ozzie, I'm all for it!!! And I certainly hope Buddy Ball down in the minors is preaching all of the fundamentals. I'm all for smart, well-balanced baseball which means everything from loading up the bases with walks and hitting big home runs against crappy pitchers to bunting, stealing bases, playing hit-and-run, moving up runners with sacrifices, etc. against good pitching. Ideally I'd like to have an offense similar to the Angels with the only difference being a bit more meat in the center of our order. But I'd like a team capable of beating any given pitcher on any given day whether on the road or at home, and no matter if he's lefty or not and no matter how many times we've seen him. That said, Ozzie decides to bunt in some pretty stupid situations sometimes. If I ever see Ozzie take the bat out of Beckham's hand again when nobody else is hitting I'll f***ing scream.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Sep 17, 2009 -> 08:40 AM) I think KW still needs to look at bringing in another cheap / veteran option though. I know Hudson's probably going to be ready next season also, but it's better to be safe than sorry. At least bring in someone on a MLC, if you can. But I agree with the sentiment that Freddy should be back, and you gotta give him credit for what he is doing, considering his lack of velocity compared to a few seasons ago. Hynick and Ely will be in Charlotte next year so if Kenny needs a brief 6th starter or spot starter then he can go to one of those guys. If our rotation faces a major injury or two, then whoever it would be that Kenny could conceivably bring in on a minor league deal probably wouldn't cut it anyway. We would either have to trade for a significant improvement or else insert someone into our rotation who we don't really want pitching, and if we have to do that, I'd rather go young. I'll take Hynick or Ely over garbage like Tomko any day of the week. Besides, there are always veteran 5th/6th starters like Chad Gaudin available for nothing, so it's not like we really need another Bartolo sitting around.

We try this s*** every year in Spring Training and still nobody gets it. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Hopefully with Dye and Thome gone and kids like CJ Retherford getting lots of time in there we'll start seeing some better execution. The only thing worse than bunting in a no-bunting situation is watching the player fail to get it down after the manager called for it anyway.

QUOTE (MHizzle85 @ Sep 16, 2009 -> 02:05 AM) Don't let your Rampage hate blind you, because you sound pretty foolish in this post. Cane? Really? Cantwell? GTFO. Again, Lyoto needs to beat some top 5 competition before I start crowning him one of the best in the world. You sound like a blind Rampage lover. Are you really questioning Cane's background and Cantwell's potential? Cantwell is only 22 and he's already a very well-rounded MMAer who is a fantastic athlete. He has a bunch of experience fighting at the highest levels under lots of pressure (including a UFC win already and retiring the WEC LHW title), and in his last fight he went three rounds with the buzzsaw that is Luiz Cane to force the judges. Cantwell is a prodigy who is developing very fast. Secondly, Luiz Cane is a f***ing beast. Just because you don't know who they are doesn't mean they can't come up with a way to beat Mr.Stand-there-and-try-to-box-without-checking-any-leg-kicks. The whole gameplan for anyone vs. Rampage is to move, throw leg and body kicks, and stay out of a brawl. You don't even have to be unpredictable either. If you can do that for three rounds then you can beat Rampage. He's not exactly a riddle in there. And dude, Rampage lost to Forrest Griffin and you're saying Lyoto needs to fight better comp? Seriously? Are Franklin, Thiago Silva, Rashad, Tito, etc. all cans or something? Forrest is a very good fighter for what he is, but Lyoto has beaten better fighters than that and he's still undefeated in his career. And also, what has Rampage done lately? He went 5 rounds with Hendo and I admit that was very impressive because Hendo is the s***. But he lost a decision to Forrest, he won a decision over Jardine that was still close late, and he KOed a slowed down Wandy who whooped the s*** out of him twice before in Pride. Rampage is not anywhere near the best LHW in the world and on pure talent and ability alone I'd have a very hard time putting him in my top-10 at LHW, let alone top-5, especially when you consider Mousasi and Anderson fighting there. Right now I'd say Lyoto and Anderson are about 2 levels above him. Mousasi, Rashad and Shogun are above him but near his level. Jardine, Forrest, Vera, Thiago Silva, Cane, Franklin, and Hendo are all right around his level, and he could have some serious trouble against Randy as well. Bones, Cantwell, and King Mo should reach him soon, and when they do they'll pass him quickly. Rampage is very good, but he's not even close to being the fighter he thinks he is.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 11:43 PM) What do I get for 2000 posts? golf claps

QUOTE (bobryansson @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 11:15 PM) A beautiful at bat. As much as many dislike AJ, that's how much I like him. (It was partcularly fun cheearing loudly for him while wearing Sox stuff in Anaheim Saturday.) Who dislikes AJ?!?!?!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! DON'T STOP BELIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIN'!

Don't even think about it, Tyler Flowers. AJ is the MAN, you are the boy. Go take your steriods to San Diego and bring me back Adrian Gonzalez.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on AJ

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 10:55 PM) Considering the state of our defense. I would rather have Rios not hit, and catch everything than to have Dye not hit, and provide nothing else. If this gets Pods out of CF, I am all for it. Large field in Safeco and Pods is scared of walls. Agree with the first part but I think it's wishful thinking on the second. How can anyone NOT see how much better Rios is over Pods in CF? Ozzie already knows how bad Pods can be out there because he's seen it all year. Ozzie just doesn't care. I actually believe there are fans on this board who could have done a better job making out the lineups and managing the bullpen than Ozzie. I know there is a lot more to managing than that, and that nobody here is qualified for those other things, but it's just so god damn frustrating when Ozzie has to put out a weak defense for a team that can't f***ing hit, or when he has to make his best hitters bunt, or when he has to bring in the worst guys in the pen when the game is still winnable.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 10:55 PM) With Beltre's off year this year, i bet he'll take a one year, or perhaps something cheap with a player option in case he busts out again. of course for that they might have to unban PEDs... Beltre has been battling injuries all year long. If he can revert to his career norms with the lumber then he'll basically be our healthy Joe Crede and that should be more than enough given all the runs he'd save for us at the hot corner.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 10:49 PM) Curious, what will Beltre command in FA? I'm not 100% positive yet I need to have Gordon at 3b (or should I say Getz at 2b) If he will sign for $2/12 or cheaper then I WANT him here. The best way to complement a strong starting staff is with a strong defense and bullpen, so that's where we should look to get better. Beckham can move to 2B and stay there for the next 10 years.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 10:43 PM) What the hell is the purpose of having Dye DH. He hasn't hit in a few months. I would rather have Pods DH, and have Rios catch the ball in CF and not hit. Instead of having Pods not catch the ball, and have Dye not hit. It's probably the same line of thinking that has resulted in several games lost by bringing in Linebrink, which is that if we want to go anywhere, we're going to need our Dyes and Linebrinks to start playing like AA-level or better baseball players. Apparently you can't win divisions by putting out the best team possible on any given day.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 13, 2009 -> 06:06 PM) <!--quoteo(post=2006886:date=Sep 6, 2009 -> 08:23 PM:name=Kenny Hates Prospects)-->QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Sep 6, 2009 -> 08:23 PM) <!--quotec-->I'm disliking Rampage more and more by the day. I'm sad he's delaying his fight with Rashad because I think Rashad is going to KTFO him, and I can't wait to see it. NSFW - The first few minutes of him and the Japanese female reporter, and the Japanese sports store worker are pretty priceless. I've seen all those videos and they only make me dislike him more. Rampage is no doubt an elite LHW fighter, but he's not as good as he thinks he is, nor is he the athlete he thinks he is, and it's all going to be downhill for him starting with Rashad who is going to knock his block off IMO. Rampage was dogging King Mo and I guarantee King Mo becomes a better fighter than Rampage ever was. The new generation is getting better and better, and by the time those two fight, if they do, Mo will whoop his ass. I'd say Rampage is top-5 still at LHW, but let's see how this new UFC Rampage does in a rematch with Shogun, or against rising stars like Banha Cane, Steve Cantwell, Johnny Bones Jones, Thiago Silva, etc. Vera's getting his confidence back too and he also has the style to beat Rampage. I just can't stand the guy. He thinks he's the s***, he thinks he the best, but all he does is talk trash and lately, dodge fights to do television and movies. He called Machida "La Cheetah" and ripped him for running, then he goes and runs from the fight because he knows Lyoto would embarrass his ass.

New Dana interview: http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/?go=forum....page=1&pc=5 Dana is PISSED at Rampage for postponing his fight and making a s***ty movie. I can see why because Dana put his ass on the line for Rampage in the past and he stood by the guy when he went nuts. Dana was the one who bailed him out too IIRC. Dana didn't mention this, but it's still something he has to be thinking about. But the biggest news out of this is this quote: "I guarantee you by September 15th of next year we'll be on network TV." Dana says he's looking to put on 4 PPV-quality cards on free network TV each year, one per quarter. Also, Aldo-Brown is official for the weekend before Lesnat-Carwin. HUGE back-to-back fights right there. Time to make UFN picks (everyone made weight) Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard Roger Huerta vs. Gray Maynard Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger Tim Credeur vs. Nate Quarry Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann Mike Pyle vs. Chris Wilson C.B. Dollaway vs. Jay Silva Phillipe Nover vs. Sam Stout Justin Buchholz vs. Jeremy Stephens Brock Larson vs. Mike Pierce Ryan Jensen vs. Steven Steinbeiss

This division can be had if we want to take it. The Tigers are cursed and obviously so is Minny losing Morneau. Somebody get Steve Perry some blow and a plane ticket to Seattle.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 10:00 PM) I think we need to see a few more starts from Big Game Freddy in the next couple of weeks before we allow the manager to go and automatically annoint him as a starter in next season's rotation. If you're Freddy, and your only competition (outside of a bunch of AAAA players and still-developing prospects with control problems) is Danny Hudson, then it's your job to lose.

AJ calling for the inside pitch up after Griffey just misses 2 home runs... Beckham throwing to first when he had the out at home... Sox are showing all kinds of fire tonight. AJ needs to look at the f***ing scouting report and Ozzie needs to tell Beckham to wake the f*** up. The Tigers are playing like s*** and here we're going through the f***ing motions. And Ozzie has Carlos "I Quit" Torres in the bullpen threatening to give away the game. Freddy doesn't have it tonight but we still can win this f***ing game.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 08:40 PM) Finally, a well thought-out replacement. I personally don't think he'd be better than Walker, but I applaud you for coming up with the name of someone who looks legit and the Sox, if they did get a new hitting coach, probably could lure. Thanks. As far as Walker goes, it's still kind of hard to judge him I think. The veterans will do what they want to do and there are always other issues with each player, like Paulie's thumb and wrist issues, and CQ's wrist issues, and Thome's and Dye's general deterioration do to age. I don't really know if you can credit Walker a whole lot for Pods because it looks like Pods pretty much made his changes before coming here a second time. Getz and Beckham have hit, but as far as prospects go, both guys were about as polished as you could expect a hitter to be coming in as a rookie. My main criticism over the years probably has been the BA situation where Walker made comments about letting BA fail before fixing anything. But while I completely disagree with that, that philosophy had been echoed throughout the minor league system as BA was coming up, and BA had a ton of problems to fix before Walker even got to touch him. So I don't fault Walker specifically for that, rather the minor league development system. Walker did make some progress with Fields coming in to this season, but Fields lost all that. Josh was (briefly) catching up the the fastball within the new crouch he tried, but that all went away too. Also Aaron Rowand credited Walker for having his big season in Philly before hitting FA. It's hard for me to make an argument for or against Walker as a hitting coach, but as I've said before, if he has any major faults it is in the communication department because I doubt it has anything to do with a lack of knowledge about hitting. And as I alluded to above, he may have also been hampered by a s***ty minor league development program. The only thing I'm positive about when it comes to the Greg Walker situation is that, if we bring in someone else, I'd like it to be someone new who is NOT a product of the older Sox ways, and I'd like to see the change made, at the very latest, before ST 2010. Whoever is going to be here, I'd like him to get a fresh start with players in ST rather than having to step in later and work on things then. In ST every player is confident and ready because they haven't had the numbers count yet, so it is that kind of situation where I'd like to see new personnel work with players. It's better that way than trying to work with some guy midseason who may not be very receptive because of a first half funk. Get with the guys when they're all thinking they're going to have great seasons and let them try out any new changes with confidence, and let them work on things in the more relaxed atmosphere of ST where the numbers don't count instead of doing it in the middle of a contending season where every failed opportunity is magnified.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 04:37 PM) He might have been a great player, but he had a very unique approach and really its typically the mediocre guy that had to work at everything that ends up making the great hitting coach. Plus communication is a huge factor on what makes a coach good and Thomas was never known for his communication abilities. Agree with all of this. And as I read it, I immediately thought of Jeff Cirillo. He was an 11th round pick who made the Majors, played a long career as a starter and a bench player, and finished with a .296 career average. Here's a brief interview I just found off google: http://www.hallofverygood.com/2009/08/talk...ff-cirillo.html This part interested me: He played in both leagues for 6 different teams for 14 seasons combined, so I imagine he's learned a thing or two about helping youngsters with their problems. He's a dedicated baseball man, so as long as he's a good communicator I think he could work. The interview says he's been working as a scout for the DBacks since retiring.