The Bones

I still remember being at the yankee game last year at Comiskey when he came in in the eighth and blew it in the ninth. :puke

Another guy who doesn't have a typical announcers voice is Tony Gwynn, but I like it for some reason.

I just started watching this game not too long ago and it's already the best playoff game I've seen so far this year.

Wow! Ump calls interference to end the inning.

Yes, he points out the most obvious stuff and then repeats himself.

couple of close calls to strikeout tejada.

Wow! He almost threw it away. You get what you wanted BMR.

PTC-Andruw Jones PTS-Ramirez

he gone. Braves minimize the damage

sorry Martinez

and Gonzalez

how about "out of bounds"

No one ever said anything about Sosa being good. :sosasucks It's the truth.

I'm sick! :puke I'm sick of baseball and the sox underachieving and all the cubs fans pissing me off cause they're in the playoffs. I'm sick of football and the worst team in the nfl bears and the underachieving illini pissing me off week after week getting my hopes up then letting me down. I may be overstating this a little bit but with that said, I'm ready for college basketball to start. My one consistently good team that I cheer for, the Illini basketball team, should continue to be a good team with a new head coach in Bruce Weber. They may not have as much talent as they did in years past but they will still be a good team. I'm also looking forward to attending some ISU Redbird games. I just can't seem to get too excited about division 1-AA football and was especially disappointed with some of the players actions this past weekend (see Heather's thread). But, I will definitely make it to some Division 1 basketball games at Redbird Arena. Anyone else ready to talk a little College Basketball?

Colon deal hinges mostly on money By Teddy Greenstein Tribune staff reporter September 30, 2003, 11:27 PM CDT If Bartolo Colon files for free agency next month, most baseball observers believe he will get offers for four- or five-year contracts. But although the White Sox have offered Colon just a three-year extension, that's not a sticking point in negotiations according to Colon's agent, Mitch Frankel. "For him, term is not an issue," Frankel said Tuesday. "He's open to discussing three-, four- or five-year deals." Finances could be more of a challenge. A team source said the Sox's offer is worth $30 million to $36 million, although Frankel wouldn't confirm that. What he would say is Colon plans to retreat to his home in the Dominican Republic, where he will mull the Sox's offer. "I want to let Bartolo relax this week and think about what he wants," Frankel said. Sox general manager Ken Williams indicated Monday the Sox would wait for Colon's decision before proceeding with other personnel issues. "We have Plan A, B and C," Williams said. "As soon as I know where [Colon] stands, then we can go down that path." Frankel said there was no urgency. "If the Sox and Bartolo can agree, it doesn't matter if it's today, a week from now or two weeks from now," he said. "It's not like if we don't get it done in four days, it's over." The Sox view re-signing Colon as the key to solidifying their rotation. Colon's won-loss record was just 15-13 and his earned-run average was 3.87, a shade over his career mark. But Colon's value to a pitching staff can be measured in other ways, namely his 242 innings pitched (second behind Roy Halladay's 266) and nine complete games, which tied for the league lead. The 30-year-old right-hander also ranked in the league's top 10 in strikeouts (173) and hits per nine innings (8.29). "Bartolo is a key to keeping our pitching staff together," Williams said. "We want him back." But will the sides agree to a deal? Frankel was asked if he was optimistic. "I'm not pessimistic," he replied. Breathe out Williams apparently followed through on his plan to take a day to "clear his mind" after Monday's dismissal of manager Jerry Manuel. Williams declined to return calls Tuesday and a team spokesman said he would be in meetings all day Wednesday. In the past, the Sox's policy during managerial searches has been to offer as little information as possible to the fans through the media. Williams is expected to decline to offer daily updates on candidates and interviews. Cool it What's the craziest thing outfielder Aaron Rowand will do this off-season? "Play golf," he said. "I learned my lesson last year." A near-fatal dirt bike accident left Rowand with a broken shoulder blade and kept him out of a batting cage for about four months. This off-season will be different. Rowand will go to Puerto Rico at the end of October to play winter ball for Santurce. Rowand's manager will be Wally Backman, the Double-A Birmingham manager who could be a candidate for the Sox's vacancy. "He's a great guy who likes to have fun," Rowand said of Backman. "He brings intensity to the field." Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune

Jim Kirk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Media and Marketing Teams to sideline Fox; new channel on deck September 30, 2003 The owners of the Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls say they will end their agreements with Fox Sports Net Chicago on Oct. 1, 2004, as the clubs explore a deal that could give the teams an equity stake in a new sports cable channel in the city. In recent weeks, sources close to the teams and Fox Sports Net say Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable TV provider, has been negotiating to buy Fox Sports Net in Chicago and at least one other market from Rainbow Sports parent Cablevision Systems Corp. But any deal would hinge on the teams' committing to the new arrangement beforehand, these sources said. And those negotiations appear to be complicated by other talks taking place between Comcast and Tribune Co., which owns the Cubs. Tribune Co. is also in discussions with Comcast about a new contract to carry the WGN Superstation, which runs in several cable TV markets across the country. "Everything is being discussed," said a source close to the negotiations. "It's not just about the sports channel." But even before the teams struck the 10-year deal with Fox Sports Net in 1999, Tribune Co., Jerry Reinsdorf, who heads a consortium that owns the White Sox and Bulls, and Bill Wirtz, owner of the Blackhawks, had discussed creating their own sports cable channel as a way to keep all advertising revenue in-house. The Chicago teams, which had to give Fox Sports Net a year's notice before exercising their out clause after five years, aren't alone. Last year, the New York Yankees started the YES Network in the Northeast to carry Yankees games and other related cable programming. Other teams are considering launching their own cable networks as well. Either way, the future of Fox Sports Net is uncertain at best. Though it pays the teams millions of dollars in rights fees to carry the games, it's the teams that bring in viewers. After Fox Sports Net chose to pursue a local strategy rather than try to compete with ESPN nationally, there has been more pressure on the local Fox Sports Net affiliates to hook on with the local teams. Most local television observers expect the teams to start their own network or start a new network with Comcast with or without a deal to buy Fox Sports Net. Jim Corno, executive vice president and general manager of Fox Sports Net Chicago, didn't return phone calls for comment late Monday. Comcast says it doesn't comment on speculation. A spokesman for the White Sox said the teams had no choice but to end the agreement now while they considered their options. "If we didn't, we'd have to wait another five years," said Scott Reifert, a spokesman for the White Sox. Those close to the discussions between the teams and Comcast said the talks about a new channel have occurred at the highest levels and have included Tribune Co. CEO and President Dennis FitzSimons, Wirtz and Reinsdorf. Much will depend on which way Tribune Co. decides to go. The Cubs remain the biggest audience draw of the teams at this moment, and they will have a lot of say in how a new arrangement with Comcast will look. A spokesman for Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune, wouldn't comment on any negotiations. Both the Cubs and the White Sox said a new deal wouldn't affect the number of games on broadcast TV versus cable. Fox Sports Net carries 72 regular-season Cubs games, 102 Sox games, 44 Bulls games and 39 Hawks games. Edelman's Singerman to H&K: Steve Singerman, head of Edelman's huge consumer practice, jumps to Hill & Knowlton, Chicago, as the new head of the Chicago office and head of the agency's consumer practice. Edelman executives downplayed the departure, saying there were no plans to replace him. Three current consumer general managers will handle his duties, according to Edelman Chicago chief Nancy Ruscheinski. H&K spent months looking for an executive to build its consumer business. Singerman, who starts Nov. 1, replaces Gene Reineke, chief operating officer of Edelman, who now also runs the Washington, D.C., office. Harlan Teller, who did a top job keeping things intact during the monthslong, laborious search, remains chief client officer for H&K and head of its worldwide corporate practice. On the move: At BBDO Chicago, account supervisors Elke Anderle and Katie Clow were promoted to vice president. Network Chicago bug gone: In what may be the most visible symbol of the downfall of WTTW-Ch. 11's "Network Chicago" experiment, the "Network Chicago" bug in the corner of the screen has been replaced by "WTTW. Email: [email protected] Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune

i thought you didn't care I want them to lose, but i think it's stupid to recognize them by having a Cubs gamethread on a Sox message forum.... then why do you post in the cubs game thread? I am not going to explain myself to you bones. As long as we can agree on this :fthecubs, that's the end of discussion. fine by me.

i thought you didn't care I want them to lose, but i think it's stupid to recognize them by having a Cubs gamethread on a Sox message forum.... then why do you post in the cubs game thread?

i thought you didn't care

Furcal & Sammy

Back to the drawing board, ASAP By Teddy Greenstein Tribune staff reporter September 30, 2003, 12:01 AM CDT There was a point Monday when White Sox general manager Ken Williams said he would be wise to take a few days to clear his mind. "Sometimes when you do that, you see a new perspective," he said after firing manager Jerry Manuel. "There's still a lot of disappointment around here. For me, there's a heartache. So you need to step back from it." OK, so when will Williams start making calls to managerial candidates? "Probably [Tuesday]," he replied. So at least the heartache isn't permanent. Williams wouldn't specify which qualities matter most to him in a prospective manager or, for that matter, which names could attract him. Will it be a voice of experience, such as Cito Gaston or Jim Fregosi? A first-timer, such as Wally Backman or Ozzie Guillen? How about a former manager who once worked in the Sox's minor-league system, such as Terry Francona or Buddy Bell? Williams offered little, other than when he responded to a question about whether he feels pressure to bring in a high-profile manager to counter the Cubs' hiring of Dusty Baker. "You can't fall into that trap," he said. "You have to get the best guy available for your situation. [but] if there were a Dusty Jr. out there, he would be the target." What's clear after Monday's announcement is that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa won't be a target. And not just because La Russa reiterated Monday that he'll remain in St. Louis for the final year of his contract. Here's another reason: Williams opted to retain Manuel's entire coaching staff minus third-base coach Bruce Kimm, an easy target because he had joined the organization less than a year ago. That surely would knock out La Russa, whose pitching coach, Dave Duncan, has been his right-hand man since 1986. And it narrows the field of candidates to those who would agree to bring in only one coach. "I have a lot of confidence in the coaches," Williams said, "and sometimes you have to exercise your executive rights." It would not appear, though, to hurt the Sox's chances of hiring Gaston, whom many see as the early favorite. Gaston has been in the mix over the last four years for managerial jobs in Cleveland, Milwaukee and Anaheim. But for reasons that remain elusive, he hasn't managed since 1997 despite having guided the Blue Jays to World Series titles in 1992 and '93. The 59-year-old Gaston, who lives in Florida, has another plus on his side: He was Williams' manager in 1990-91. Williams said he last spoke to Gaston about a year ago when the Sox were in Toronto. "Cito's a good man," Williams said. "He deserves to be managing somewhere. Whether or not this is the right place for him, I don't know." Does Williams hold him in high esteem? "Absolutely," he replied. "The man has won two World Series. He deserves to be back out there. It's a shame that he hasn't been back out there since then. But part of that was his choice at one particular time." Roberto Alomar, who starred for the Blue Jays from 1991 to 1995, can't speak highly enough of Gaston. Alomar recalled how Gaston never would embarrass a player publicly. But if he saw a mental mistake, that player would have to explain himself in the manager's office. "He's like a dad to me, he meant so much," Alomar said Saturday. Williams said previous managing experience was a plus but not a must. That might open the door for the 39-year-old Guillen, who's in his third season as Florida's third-base coach. Guillen told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Monday that he would relish the chance to return to the South Side, where he played from 1985 to 1997. "I have two things in my favor, the fans and the media," Guillen said. "The owner [Jerry Reinsdorf] would be [backing me]. What I'd need are the players who could do the job and a good coaching staff." Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune

I don't see why hating the team helps the situation though. I don't like the fact that the cubs get more attention but I don't hate them because of it, it's not the team's fault. It doesn't look like it matters, whether they suck or not they'll still get more attention so cheering against them doesn't accomplish anything. This is just my opinion.

I'm with Jason. I'm for the idea of getting Castillo and Cabrera rather than just Matsui or Tejada and whoever at second.

By Teddy Greenstein Tribune staff reporter September 29, 2003, 11:58 PM CDT White Sox general manager Ken Williams refused to sling any mud Monday after he formally announced manager Jerry Manuel's dismissal. Williams didn't try to blame Manuel for the Sox's three-game collapse in Minnesota. He didn't say Manuel lacked fire or intensity. He didn't question any aspect of how Manuel handled the team. It all came down to winning and losing. And although Manuel posted a .515 winning percentage in six years, the sting of only one postseason appearance was too much for Williams to overlook. "There are a lot of Jerry Manuel fans out there and a lot of people who are supportive of him," Williams said. "I urge you to continue to be supportive. I certainly will. "But I think it's a necessary thing to do. We need to change the voice and direction of the ballclub." Williams offered few clues about what he would look for in Manuel's replacement. Only this much is known: Williams considers big-league managing experience a plus but not a necessity. Although the Sox retained their entire coaching staff other than third-base coach Bruce Kimm, none will be considered for the job. Williams said Kimm was let go to allow the next manager to bring in one coach of his choosing. Williams is likely to wait until after the World Series to announce his hire. "I have a profile of things I'm looking for," he said. "But if I get into particulars, I'm not sure if the person I'm interviewing will tailor his answers based on what I've said publicly. I'd rather get the true person." Williams informed Manuel of his decision Sept. 23, with the Sox on the verge of postseason elimination. He gave Manuel the choice of leaving that day or remaining with the club for the final six games. "He did what I expected," Williams said. "He said he wanted to finish what he started. That's the quality of the man we're dealing with." Williams said he also accepted some blame during his meeting with Manuel. "I looked the man straight in his eye and told him, 'I feel like I failed you as well,'" he said. "So, yeah, I share that burden as I sit here today." Manuel said his goodbyes Sunday in Kansas City and asked for privacy for the next few weeks. "I don't have any regrets as to what I did," he said. "None whatsoever." Williams has said repeatedly he believes the Sox had enough talent to win the AL Central and thrive in October. But Manuel indicated last week he didn't necessarily agree with that. "I think a lot of times, clubs are guilty of evaluating their personnel as what it should be potentially," he said. "A lot of times that's a trap. You say, 'We should, we should, we should.' But if you study it and evaluate it and check it out seriously, you might come up with something a little different. I'll just leave that like that." Williams said the downfall of the 2003 Sox was their record against last-place teams. They went a combined 17-15 against Detroit, Tampa Bay and Texas. "That is a focus issue," he said. But not one that should be blamed on Manuel. "Jerry and the coaches did all they could," Williams said. "They were hard [on the players] when they needed to be and lightened the mood at times. But for whatever reason, it just didn't happen." Williams, continuing a theme he discussed Sunday, said he wants to field a team with more "grinders." Asked to elaborate, Williams replied: "It's Carl Everett, it's Carlos Lee, it's 80 percent of the Minnesota Twins team. They will tell you that they looked across the field and were somewhat in awe of the team here from Chicago. They quite simply went out and grinded their way and busted their tails and scraped and scratched their way into knocking us right out of this thing. And I have much respect for them for doing that." Asked again later, Williams said the Sox had their "fair share" of grinders. He mentioned Lee, Magglio Ordonez, Tony Graffanino and Joe Crede. "It may be necessary at this time to look not to the top of the talent list but maybe the top of the grinder list," Williams said. "Because that's what [the season] is, a 162-game grind." Williams also said the Sox might have too many "big swingers" who struggled against pitchers with good breaking balls and changeups. And don't get Williams started on the subject of double plays. Paul Konerko led American League hitters by grounding into 28 double plays. Lee and Ordonez tied for sixth with 20. As for Frank Thomas, Williams praised him for his 42 home runs and .390 on-base percentage, which ranked just outside the league's top 10. Thomas will have until five days after the World Series to inform the club whether he wants to return for $6 million. If Thomas declines, indications are the Sox will set him free rather than offer the required $8 million. "The ball's in Frank's court," Williams said. "We can't react until he makes his move." Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune

i haven't read them yet, still too painful White Sox take a wild ride in 2003 White Sox season in review