OldSmoky2

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 23, 2009 -> 02:22 PM) It really seems that Skowron had been drinking before he came into the booth, or he's on some kind of medication. He said he was eating a banana split. Got to try me one of those next time I'm at the Cell.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jul 23, 2009 -> 02:11 PM) I'm really sick of all these old Yankee stories. Yes we know Mickey Mantle was good. Aah... Yeah, it's kinda like listening to your great-uncle go on and on, but then Christmas doesn't come but once a year, and Moose doesn't come around much more often than that anymore

Ha... Farmer and DJ just had Tom Dart in the booth for the inning, but once again Mark doesn't give the pols a long-enough half-inning to say what they want to say... LOL

Feel the love, Josh

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jul 23, 2009 -> 01:26 PM) Didn't Kazmir user to throw harder. They show him at like 90-91, i thought he used to hit 96 or so. DJ and Farmer were saying a few minutes ago that his velocity is down from past years.

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jul 23, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) Could always put Nix in LF... I'd be OK with that, but I don't think Ozzie goes along with us. Maybe he just wants Getz to get a day off before Detroit, too. I'm OK with Fields today, though... It looks like Kazmir pitched well enough to limit the damage last time out, but he still walked four in six innings. I like that the guys most likely to take a walk in our lineup today—Pods, Beckham and Fields—have enough speed to distract Kazmir if they do get on base...

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jul 23, 2009 -> 09:20 AM) Maybe sit big Jim today and put CQ at DH. With a lefty on the hill who Thome particularly struggles with as it is, and a double header coming up. Can't hurt to get Thome a day off and CQ a day out of the field. Ah, but there was a fatal flaw in the plan: If CQ isn't in the outfield, guess who is, against a lefty with a nasty slider at that. It wouldn't have been pretty. On the other hand, doesn't Kazmir throw in the mid- to upper-90s at times, with movement? If so, we'll see how the Josh Fields of late fares against that. I just checked, though, and Kazmir's strikeouts are a little down this season, so maybe his velocity's slipped a hair. And he seems to get wild sometimes this year, too. Josh usually has a good eye, if that's the case.

from futuresox.com

I'm guessing Ozzie and KW kept Wise over BA because DFAing Wise would have left them with no left-handed bat on the bench, even though Wise is a LH MLB hitter only in the sense that he stands in the LH batter's box, not that he actually is likely to produce. Not that I agree in this case, but it's pretty clear from some of the people that have hung around on the roster in the past that KW and Ozzie believe it's imperative to have that LH-hitting OF on the bench. Speaking of which, Timo Perez is currently hitting .316 in the Mexican League. Feeling desperate yet?

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 18, 2009 -> 11:25 AM) Luv that pic of Smoky Burgess. I remember when he played for the Sox. There was even an article about him in a spring training edition of some baseball magazine. He was my first favorite Sox player when I was a kid. When Bob Elston said "Now Burgess is coming out of the dugout to pinch-hit" it usually meant the Sox still had a chance to win. And he frequently delivered.

Timo Perez, .316 ave., .406 obp, .852 ops currently for Rojas del Aguila in the Mexican League. Have we at long last reached this point?

QUOTE (beckham15 @ Jul 17, 2009 -> 10:19 PM) if baltimore was smart they'd walk beckham to pitch to dwayne... I think they just did.

The Uribe swing makes it all worthwhile. I can't quit laughing over that one...

I just don't see KW shaking up this team right now by trading starters like Alexei in a big deal, a la Halladay/Rolen, etc. It just doesn't seem to be his mid-season MO. And given his recently-stated money concerns, KW has to love Alexei's contract long-term. I think they see over the next week or so how CQ comes back. If he's good to go, KW and Ozzie probably feel pretty good about their outfield and starting offense at this point, especially with how the bottom of the lineup has produced lately. Based on KW's past track record (Geoff Blum), I do think the Teahen rumor is one to watch. KW and Ozzie keep Wise around because they want a left-handed bat for certain situations. I don't think they're blind though to Wise's .198 average; given a chance to replace Wise with Teahen without giving up the farm is a tweak I think KW is probably looking to make. Teahen is also a lot more versatile than Wise, again like Blum. It may not end up being Teahen, but I think KW is probably looking for a LH hitter like that. The other obvious concern right now is fifth starter. With the second-half schedule, KW knows we can't keep blowing every fifth game right out of the box, let alone wasting the bullpen in games where we're down several runs early. I wish I knew what the scouts and coaches are telling KW about Freddy's progress in AZ. I know KW and Ozzie would love most of all for Freddy to come back and pitch some clutch games for us down the stretch. If they don't think he can, though, as they watch him over the next week or two, a competent fifth starter (not an ace) may be high on KW's shopping list. Again, that's another mid-season KW-type move that wouldn't cost us the farm.