elgonzo4sox

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Feb 22, 2010 -> 09:56 AM) It's cool to see some stats backing up what a great job Herm and his crew do with the White Sox players. All we need to do as Sox fans is look at the debacle that happens with the Cubs to see how great it is to have Herm with the White Sox. I remember a year or two ago the Cubs trainer won some sort of award and how hard I laughed when Len and Bob had to sell it during the game. Facilities also have something to do with injury prevention. Wrigley has the bullpen mounds down the foul lines, and brick walls, and nearly every game some poor outfielder has to blindly run over the bullpen mounds at fairly high speed trying to chase a popup, hoping all the while that they don't hyperextend a knee or pull a hamstring. Plus we've all heard the stories about how cramped (or non-existent) the behind-the-scenes training space is at Wrigley. So, I think we can thank Herm and his staff, plus the superior facilities at USCF and now Camelback Ranch. The Sox obviously care about injury prevention, which helps the team.

QUOTE (Felix @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 04:09 PM) Except Jim Thome had a .847 OPS overall last year and a .881 OPS against RHP, and I assume the Twins will be marginally intelligent and not let him face lefties. Meanwhile, Andruw Jones had a .782 OPS and .706 OPS outside of hitter friendly Texas. But yes, other than the fact that one is a far better hitter than the other, they're essentially the same thing. I didn't mean to compare Thome and Jones quantitatively, but more qualitatively: they are relatively cheap pickups (read: they can be cut if they don't pan out) where the bet is that they can resurrect some amount of their prior performance. Jones was actually a smaller/cheaper bet ($500K for Jones vs. $1.5M for Thome) with a lower probability of payoff (based on your statistical comparison) but perhaps arguably a greater potential upside if it does pay off, since Jones is younger and can still hopefully play in the field. But my main argument is that I can't see how Thome is going to positively impact the Twins all that much with Kubel as a superior LH DH. Kubel's OPS was .907 last year, 11th in the AL - so why bench Kubel in favor of Thome? Kubel also has trouble hitting lefties - his profile on the Twins web site states: The Twins DH still struggles against left-handers (.243 average in '09) and posted a lofty .327 BABIP last season, which suggests he'll have a hard time sustaining an overall .300 mark. Thome struggled a lot at LA when he didn't get consistent (or all that many) at bats. He takes up a valuable non-pitcher roster spot. And if Kubel plays in the field to get Thome some more DH time, you have a weak outfielder (Kubel) and potentially four power-hitting lefties in a row: Morneau, Mauer, Kubel, Thome. The Twins may try this against a righty starter (Peavy, Floyd, Garcia), but late in the game this can be shut down by Matt Thornton. I just don't think Thome is going to have all that major or positive an impact on the Twins, and that they were thinking more with their hearts (and their memories) than with their brains when they signed him.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 03:27 PM) Green means sarcasm. Thanks for the tip. Mauer still ain't going nowhere but Minny or NYY.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 03:00 PM) Dayan or Morel plus Flowers for Mauer. Solves there 3B hole, and gives them a catcher of the future. Interesting idea. But I think we're fine with AJ (yes, he's not Mauer, but he batted .300 and threw out more runners last year, once our pitchers started holding them on first better - plus AJ comes with many intangible benefits), I'd rather keep our prospects, and I don't want to solve the Twins 3B problem ;-) Mauer, being Mr. Twin Cities, is either staying there his whole career, or is going to join the Yankees to become a billionaire, at the cost of becoming public enemy #1 in Minnesota. No way he'd come here.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 21, 2010 -> 02:33 PM) It worked for them last year, didn't it? Crede wasn't a huge factor for them, but they certainly don't regret signing him. I occasionally scan a few Twins boards (e.g. TwinkieTown), and most of the views on Crede that I saw indicated disappointment, because he injured his back again, couldn't play anywhere close to 162 games (sound familiar?), and didn't solve the Twins ongoing multiyear 3B problem, which has been like CF (before Rios, hopefully) for us - a complete revolving door. By the way, the Twins STILL have a 3B problem. But now they have two LH DHs (Kubel and Thome).

Of the two named options, definitely Damon. Thome is the Twins' Andruw Jones - a cheap pickup, perhaps driven more by memories of time past than on today's realities. Thome will not get many ABs (he's behind Kubel and Cuddyer), and with his swing and back, he needs lots of ABs to stay loose and do well. He didn't do well in LA. If he does get on base, he will kill the Twins running game (it will still take 2 hits to bring him home). And with the M & M boys supplying left side power, I can't figure out why the Twins added Thome. If all 3 are in the line-up, Thornton can mow them all down. I think the Twins, as they proved with the Crede signing, have Sox envy.

I have to say, I am going to smile the first time when I see Alexei move over to the right of second and Beckham back up into short right field to play a Thome shift...

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Jan 26, 2010 -> 11:47 AM) you only hurt the ones you love Yes. And yet Lillibridge is *still* on the roster. Why hasn't he been traded for the proverbial bag of balls? Look at the 40-man roster: the possible call-ups either need more defensive seasoning at AAA (Flowers, Viciedo) or are complete no-names (Gartell, De Aza). I'll bet they bring up Lillibridge. The only function Lillibridge will serve for this team is as a warning sign: if/when he gets called up, it is an alarm bell that Kenny needs to work the phones to get a new 25th man in, pronto.

The big problem is not the 25th man. It is the 26th: Lillibridge will be the first non-pitcher called up when injury or poor performance strike. Kenny is going to have to make some more 25th man deals, like last year when he pulled Pods off the scrap heap.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 02:55 PM) Maybe this was answered before and I missed it, but for example we do sign Damon, do we just cut Jones? Because having one backup infielder in Vizquel just won't fly? Or do we go with 11 pitchers instead? Do not worry now about who to cut. Someone will get hurt or underperform this spring. It's January, and the initial 25-man roster isn't finalized until Opening Day. Worry now about whom the Sox will elevate from the 40-man roster when the first non-pitcher has to be replaced.

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 10:42 AM) We aren't signing Damon or Delgado or anybody else. It's either Thome or Jones, Kotsay and Nix. Take your pick. QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 11:02 AM) Nix won't be DH'ing for the Sox, Even though he's probably the second best option on the damn team if we have to choose between Jones, Kotsay, Castro, Visquel and Nix. Nixs' future all lies on whether Jim Thome is brought back. Right now, Thome not being here is the only thing keeping him on the 25-man. We need to look beyond the 25-man roster. Something bad (injury or poor start) will happen to someone on the 25-man roster, in spring training (last year Nix went down) or early in the season (last year Wise went down). Who is our first call-up? I absolutely dread that it is Lillibridge. I view this choice as Thome vs. Lillibridge vs. someone else from the open market.

Ozzie does need to talk to Thome, because the decision to add Thome does depend on multiple "ifs": If: Thome is willing to get fewer at bats than 2009 because he's sharing the DH spot more (maybe 81 games and ~300ABs), and If: Thome is willing to give up on his 600 career HR goal (ain't gonna happen this year) to focus on the team goal of a World Series, and If: Thome doesn't eat up too much salary Then I say you bring Thome in as a much needed insurance policy. Something is going to go wrong with the best laid plans of Ozzie and Kenny. Someone is going to get injured, or not perform. There has been far too much focus on where Thome fits in the 25-man roster today, because something will go wrong and a 25-man roster spot will be created at some point (could even be in spring training - that's when Nix went down last year). Look at our 40 man roster. What hitter do we move up when the first disaster strikes? Flowers needs to play every day for his development at catcher to someday replace AJ, so probably not him. Stefan Gartrell? Alejandro De Aza? Who are they? Then there is Dayan Viciedo, who also needs more seasoning to become a decent fielder at either 3rd or 1st (we don't want another Betemit stone glove at a corner infield position). So, as it stands now, I think the Sox move Lillibridge up when the first non-pitcher 25-man roster opening is created. The thought sends chills down my spine - I never want to see Lillibridge take another at bat in a Sox uniform ever again. Thome or Lillibridge? Who do you bring in? Or do you wait to pick up someone else later?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 11:01 PM) Or A.J.'s three run shot off the Dumpster in 06? 2005 highlights trump everything in my book. These are good lists, but I don't think anyone has mentioned the #1 AJ highlight of the decade, and what should be an entry on the top 10 overall list: AJ's strikeout in Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS, when Angels catcher Josh Paul rolled the ball back to the mound and AJ astutely ran to first when the ump didn't call him out. That heads-up play won the game, salvaged a split in the first two games, and turned the momentum in the Sox's favor by seriously getting in the heads of Scioscia, the Angels and their fans. The Sox didn't lose another playoff game. It was a huge turning point, a huge play, and it was all thanks to AJ.

Quentin replaces Dye in RF. That's an upgrade, *if* TCQ is healthy. Andruw Jones replaces Dewayne Wise as a bench outfielder. That's an upgrade. Kotsay replaces Brian Anderson as a bench outfielder. Upgrade. Juan Pierre replaces Pods as a starting outfielder (RF). That should be a small upgrade. Rios replaces the centerfielder-of-the-month that we've had since Rowand left. Upgrade. Vizquel replaces Brent Lillibridge as backup infielder. Need I say more. Peavy + Garcia replace Contreras + Colon in the rotation. Major upgrade. Putz joins the pen, replacing someone. Upgrade, if Putz is healthy. The only area that's gotten weaker is DH, with the rotating-DH likely producing less output than Thome. I think Kenny is having a good offseason / late season of 2009.

This is a silly thread. Maybe we should contemplate swapping Konerko for Jeff Bagwell...or Ozzie for Phil Garner... I've seen all of Lidge I need to see, on my 2005 World Series DVDs...

Lidge did amazing things for the White Sox in 2005. Because of that he will always hold a special spot in my heart. Let's bring him back to The Cell...in the visitor's bullpen...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 25, 2009 -> 11:57 AM) None of that changes the money that they have never seen from luxury suites and the amenities of a new place. And the big thing is that you don't sell an area on a new stadium, and then not bring back your superstars. You might as well contract the team at that poin. Yes, I think they will try very hard to bring back Mauer by signing him to a long-term deal that goes well beyond the current expiration in 2010. That's where all of those additional millions might go. I don't see any sign that the Twins are about to step up and compete to sign the top free agents that are out there (Holliday, Bay, Figgins, Lackey). I think they are going to be challenged just to keep Mauer. That leaves them with roughly the same roster as they have now (but with some retooling to do, to adapt to the outdoor stadium - slap-hitting speedster Carlos Gomez is already gone), and they are giving up the #1 home field advantage in baseball. All Twins opponents, not just the Sox, will enjoy playing in Target Field more than the Twinkiedome, and will have more success there.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 24, 2009 -> 10:56 PM) The Twins are also about to get a ginormous shot in the arm through 10's of millions of dollars in new revenue through their own stadium for the first time in their existence. Yes, but this could very well be a one-time occurrence due to the shiny new stadium and the lust for outdoor baseball. After some cold rainy/snowy April games against the Royals, the new stadium buzz will fade. Then the Twins will realize why they build a covered stadium 28 years ago and why they should have built a retractable roof over Target Field. They will also realize that they gave up the best home field advantage in baseball, and have to completely retool their team. Goodbye Punto - you are an artificial turf aberration - maybe you can find a spot on the Rays or Blue Jays. Minneapolis is a smaller, less wealthy city than Chicago, and once they eliminate the Twinkiedome advantage, the Twins should resemble the Royals more than the White Sox. OK, maybe that's a little harsh, but there will be no fundamental reason why Minneapolis should have an advantage in the AL Central.

p.s. And I do think that AJ, if he puts the childish behavior behind him, would be the best current Sox player to someday replace Ozzie as manager.

I love AJ. He's not a league MVP-caliber or future Hall-of-Famer catcher, but he adds so much to the Sox and he brings it, every day. He had a great season in 2009. He became an even smarter hitter, boosting his average by taking the ball to the opposite field and dinking it, if that's what the situation demanded and the pitcher gave him. With the improvements made over the course of the season by the pitchers doing a better job holding runners on and throwing to home quicker, he boosted his percent caught stealing number, which had been the main knock against him. But most important, he is one of the smartest players in all of MLB. The dropped third strike in the 2005 ALCS Game 2 is the prime example, but there are many others (the win over the Rays at USCF in the 2008 regular season when he got an interference call during a run-down between 3rd and 2nd, which won the game for the Sox) where his heads-up play has directly benefited the Sox. He sets a great example by working every angle to gain an advantage, by playing the game hard, and by disrupting the opponents. He even handles the media well, never shying away during tough times, In many ways he has indeed been the player who is most demonstrably passionate about winning (even if he does have a soft spot for watching SEC football games).

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 4, 2009 -> 02:02 PM) I believe Jake Peavy will definitely help as well. I totally agree: Peavy and Beckham are going to be great clubhouse/dugout influences in 2010. They are both great competitors and want to win. Hopefully with Beckham past his rookie hazing, he will speak up some more. Peavy of course already does speak up, but we didn't see much of him in 2009 because of the injury. My favorite Sox game of 2009 that I attended (I didn't go to the perfect game) was Peavy's Sept. 25 2-0 blanking of the Tigers, in which Beckham provided the only offense with a 2-run blast (I was standing on the Fundamentals deck near where it landed). Peavy and Beckham were both great in a completely meaningless game for the Sox, and you have to give them a lot of credit for battling at the end of the season. In a TV interview after the game, Beckham said he told Peavy he was great and that he can foresee a World Series in 2010. Peavy and Beckham will hopefully both step up and exercise leadership to make this happen.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 1, 2009 -> 12:53 PM) The Yankees proved this year that you can build a new stadium, even if the other is cherished historically, and still draw fans. If you are the Cubs, why don't you build a new stadium, make it look exactly like Wrigley Field, and then actually be playing in a state of the art stadium, rather than in a piece of s***? That would be far too smart, rational and logical. The state-of-mind of Cubs fans/owners doesn't tolerate this type of thinking. Leave it to the Cubs to have a falling-down stadium with a corporate name on it that they get no money from...

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 30, 2009 -> 11:35 AM) This is fluffiest bunch of Cubs loving I've ever heard. Between all the BS, I heard "yes, ticket prices will go up." What I heard was: "2010 roster will be same as 2009 minus Bradley, so you'll pay more to watch the same underperforming bunch as last year." "I'm not going to fire Crane Kenney, Jim Hendry, or Lou until after they underperform again in 2010." "The Wrigley experience must be preserved at all costs for generations to come, so what matter most is sitting in the sun drinking beer, not winning championships". In short, 100% status quo and business as usual. The Southside will remain the home of championship baseball in Chicago. We have nothing to worry about.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 03:21 PM) let me try asking this another way. The Cubs went 83-78 this year. The White Sox went 78-83. Where would the White Sox's record have been in your opinion in the NL Central? Would that have been worth 5 more games? One correction: Sox finished at 79-83, which is 4 less wins than the Cubs' 83. AL Central teams were 43-38 versus NL Central, for a .531 win percentage. AL Central teams were 47-43 versus the entire NL, for a .522 win percentage. AL Central teams were 334-386 versus AL teams, for a .464 win percentage. If you play in the NL Central, you not only play the NL Central teams a lot, but also the other NL teams. Sox were a slightly above-average AL Central team this year (.488 win percentage versus the AL Central average win percentage of .470). That's .018 points. So, on average, they would win .531 + .018 = .549 versus the NL Central, and .522 + .018 = .540 versus the NL (unfortunately, the sample size of AL Central teams playing NL teams other than the NL Central is so small this year). Teams play about half their games in their division, so the Sox theoretical win percentage would be in between the .549 and .540. Call it .545. That's 88 wins, if they were in the NL Central. Of course, the main flaw in this analysis is that if the Sox were in the NL Central, they would have played down to the level of their competition in what truly was the worst division in major league baseball this year. There is less pressure to improve, when you are doing well or even mediocre versus inferior competition.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 03:16 PM) The AL Central Since when does losing more games mean you are better than your opponent?