kitekrazy

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Oct 8, 2010 -> 01:40 PM) Losing Quentin and Konerko and replacing them with Crawford does not sound like a good idea. I love the people that say the White Sox are cheap yet they can have a $100M while being cheap. Do they want Crawford, I am sure they do. Will they overpay to get him, no. Will Sox fans be pissed that they did not overpay, yes. I am really glad they did not sign Hunter, Fukodome and Alphonso Soriano, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Hudson for Jackson, getting Manny is not something cheap teams do. Kenny crying poor is getting old. I wouldn't be too shocked if they did spend a little more money and give this group one more shot. I like that the Sox don't like long term contracts. The Sox offered Fukadome more money than the Cubs but he wanted to play at Wrigley. Cub fans are still waiting.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 04:50 PM) Good. I thought you were being serious. Otherwise I wouldn't have said anything. And I honestly don't think there's a 'best' team in the AL. All 4 teams have legitimate flaws. I think the Rays are a really good team. But since that freakish 32-12 start, they've been rather ordinary. Their offense is average at best (maybe even below average) outside of Crawford/Longoria. And their rotation is nothing to get loud about after Price and Garza (the latter being wildly inconsistent). They do have a great bullpen, though. It makes one wonder how they managed to win all of those games. So far they are the biggest post season disappointment.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 8, 2010 -> 11:38 AM) With regard to Ozzie, I don't think he's ever been on the hot seat. Neither has Kenny.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Oct 8, 2010 -> 10:23 AM) RIGHT!!! I was thinking the same thing. I can't believe twins fans are complaining like that. I can. A fan base gets spoiled after winning nothing but divisions. I've read things like "it's time for Tom Brady to go", "fire Bill Polian". The mighty always fall in the home town. I doubt Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa, are as well liked in Atlanta and St. Louis. Fans always see that someone on the outside is a lot better than the inside. On the other hand winning it all buys you a lot of grace. There is no killer instinct in them and there is no player on that squad to push them. The Twins losing to them is all a mental mind game. The Twins fear the Yankees, no matter who's wearing the uniform Sounds familiar.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 8, 2010 -> 04:25 AM) The trouble was that they seemed to be waiting for the Yankees to hand them an opening as opposed to the Twins creating their own opportunities. Why wouldn't the Twins be thinking that after all that is what Chicago had provided them much of the year in virtually every big game they played. The Yankees are hardly the White Sox. They don't give teams those chances in the playoffs. The Yankee's have scored 8 runs in the later innings compared to 2 for the Twins. You don't need to look any farther then that. It is perfectly appropriate to challenge that culture of waiting patiently for the Yankees make a mistake. Teams that take that approach are not going to advance in the playoffs. from startribune.com message board I also read somewhere that the Twins have something approaching a sub .200 record after clinching their 6 AL Central division championships...so a lot of fingers are being pointed at Gardenhire now for letting the foot off the pedal and playing their Rochester roster instead of flying into the post-season with momentum. I don't think you'll ever again see the Twins having a clinching champagne celebration until they actually win another post-season series. And lots of questions why the Pohlad family didn't have the cajones to bring in Cliff Lee as their "proven" #1 starter when they were rolling in positive cash flow and the Rangers and Hicks were technically bankrupt. Many Twins' fans also feel they have no leaders on the team (see 2005 Sox examples like Rowand, Everett, AJ and Crede)...that this has been something lacking on the team since Hunter left and arguably Puckett/Hrbek/Morris/Gladden/Gaetti, etc. Too bad you didn't have a link to that board. I wouldn't be too surprised if the ownership bought in that the current team was good enough to win it all. They don't have a true ace. Great offensive numbers but they are in the bottom half of the league in HRs. Maybe you need those things more in the postseason. There's a blog on there about Mauer. He's a sucker for inside pitches. That's what the Yankees gave him. That's why he's been ineffective. The readers comments from the blogs would be identical to most Sox forums. Just replace Ron Gardenhire with Ozzie Guillen and you have recreated Soxtalk and WSI.

QUOTE (WHITESOXRANDY @ Oct 8, 2010 -> 12:13 PM) I'd be willing to bet that Crawford wouldn"t sign with the Sox even if they were the highest bidder. Most players follow the money.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 08:01 PM) Really though...that team on paper is good enough......They're a mental block away. Sounds like another team I know.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Oct 6, 2010 -> 11:23 PM) I think we learned from this past year that the on paper the staff may look great, but they are as streaky as they come. and how bad the NL is.

QUOTE (Cali @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 07:39 PM) Maybe now people will stop blowing the Twins so much on the site. They're only "AL Central good"... They were the best team in baseball since the ASB. When teams get hot they also cool off. So their timing could be off plus they are few missing pieces away from a World Series.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 07:13 PM) From 2007-09, there were 12 series played in the first round of the playoffs. Eleven of them started out with a team taking a 2-0 lead. This season, two of the four series have started out with a team taking a 2-0 lead. It's amazing how boring the first round of the playoffs has been. As a baseball fan, I just want to see a competitive series once in awhile. I think a Twins/Rays series would have been better (for the Twins too).

QUOTE (Cali @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 07:34 PM) They are so good and clutch and come up lucky on flukes plays all season long and just straight up FALL APART in the post season...how ridiculous haha That's because teams like the Yankees don't make a lot of mistakes for the Twins to capitalize on.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 07:24 PM) Buster Olney also got a boner when the word "Twins" was mentioned. He ranked their offense over the Yankees' at the start of the year...lol I guess there's some things that get exploited more in the post season. They really don't have an ace and Thome is their long ball threat.

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 07:02 PM) They were 15-20 against the AL East. Don't know why so many people felt this was Minnesota's year. Peter Gammon's did. Twins can't overcome the Yankees. Nothing new in that.

QUOTE (scenario @ Sep 29, 2010 -> 11:23 AM) Here's the Peoria Saguaro's roster. Sox Prospects... Anthony Carter Johnny Lowe Charlie Leesman Henry Mabee Josh Phegley Eduardo Escobar Jared Mitchell Other teams that have prospects on the Sags... Minnesota Cincinnati TampaBay San Diego Thanks for the heads up. I might have to check it out.

QUOTE (stretchstretch @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 06:18 PM) Hoping this isn't deleted, but after not visiting in a while, I'm surprised to see no threads following what's happening with MN, who after winning 94 games and finally getting home field against NYY in their brand new super stadium are on the verge of getting swept in convincing fashion. throughout the last decade, the main issue with MN winning the division is seeing this story unfold again, something many here b*tch about during the course of the year as they make the annual late season charge to the title. That's because you placed it in the wrong forum.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 04:43 PM) That's a helluva target. The Sox have a history of coming up short on big name free agents and Crawford is a big name this off-season. The usual suspects will be involved as suitors, (ANA, NY, PHI, BOS...etc.) and the Sox are gonna need to find something like $120M to offer him. They obviously know this and they are going hard after him. This guy is special and well worth a serious pursuit. The Sox target most high priced free agents every year. The media always likes to throw us a bone.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Oct 5, 2010 -> 02:52 PM) Man there is nothing like bonus play in games. I was at our game 163 in 2008 and it was electrifying. And even though I hate the twins and the tigers, their game 163 was one of the best games that I had ever seen. And we'd be guaranteed at least 2 games like that every year. They also have the chance to be awful as well. It could be possible a "token" playoff team from the NL could enter with only 75 victories. I can't see a "Cinderella" existing very long in the MLB playoffs except maybe for that one game. I could see it making the playoffs even less interesting. It works in the NFL because everything is decided on 1 game. The baseball seasons ends at a time when it has to compete with a lot more things on TV. Outdoor weather is less predictable in some areas of the country. If anything they should shorten the season. How many teams are really making any revenue in Sept?

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 03:05 PM) Yeah, f*** the Twins! I hope the team that built itself through scouting, drafting and developing augmented by sensible trades and intelligent FA signings that features a homegrown core and Jim Thome and hasn't won a WS in 20 years is swept by the team of hired businessmen that just buys its way into success with limitless blind spending and features two of the least likable players (ARod and Tex) on the planet for a city that just won the WS last year and arrogantly thinks it is due all the love and attention of everyone the world over. Wooo! While you're at it, let's hope Mr. Burns can buy his way into the Miss America pageant again!!!! Great point. It seems baseball owners are content with that system, while other sports like the NBA, NFL, and NHL went to a cap to create "parity". Baseball has been broken down to 2 audiences. One who wants to see the Yankees win it all (only the NY market matters) or those who want to see the Yankees lose. You wonder how many Yankee fans are bandwagon fans?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 01:59 PM) Do not question someone who after 881 posts has yet to backup any of their opinions with any facts. Some things don't need any facts, like this post of yours is nothing but taunting and ignorant at best.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 01:49 PM) What does the bolded mean? You think they didn't feel like winning? They were in the chase for home field advantage all the way to the end, so it would make no sense that they weren't trying to win. You're right, I forgot about HFA. They were the first to clinch so I thought they would rest players, ect.

QUOTE (soxfan-kwman @ Oct 6, 2010 -> 10:25 PM) We simply can't get FA quality players. We lost out on Tori Hunter, Miguel Cabrera, Chone Figgins, Matsuai, even an aging Vladimir Guerrero. The only way we can get quality players is the way we aqcuired Thome, Rios, Peavy, or Carlos Quentin (not so quality Griffey Junior, Manny). Albert Belle was the last stud we go in free agency. Hell, we couldn't even get an older Johny Damon. Free Agents just don't come here. They lose only because other teams outbid them. I think this is where often they are a wiser organization.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 11:39 AM) and an apparent inability to get it done against a very good Twins team. That's as simple as it gets. The Twins are very good this year. They won 94 games and might have won more if they wanted too.

QUOTE (striker @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 12:12 PM) "Are Bad" and "Do Bad" are two different things. They did bad but I don't think they are bad. They didn't live up to expectations. That was suppose to compensate for a slightly weaker offense. It doesn't appear that the offense was that weak after all.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Oct 5, 2010 -> 02:38 PM) I think the Sox go into games against the Twins with a defeatist attitude too often. I don't know how you change that. Apparently the Sox don't either. I don't know if that mystery will be solved. It's happened under 2 managers, lots of roster changes. They idea is to win more games than the other teams in the division. You can't win a division by consistently losing to teams below 3rd place in any division.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 5, 2010 -> 08:27 PM) They do when they have to work with him. They avoid it when they can because they don't want to grossly overpay nor do they want to deal with players who almost certainly end up testing free agency. I like that they avoid working with Boras. The aren't the only team in the league that practices this.