Thad Bosley

Second inning in a row where it took a spectacular play by one of our Cuban players to end a serious threat!!!

TANK!! You gotta be BLEEPING me!!!!

The last three innings for Peavy against the very capable Rangers team, coupled with the first six today against an equally capable Tigers squad, is cause for some nice optimism for the Jake-meister this season. Very encouraging, indeed!

QUOTE (mcgrad70 @ Apr 7, 2012 -> 08:13 PM) The Sox will use at least 4 pitchers in this game. Another Sox manager overusing a bullpen - the more things change...... So.....you were saying?

When you least expect it, EXPECT IT!!

YESSS!!! RIOSSS!!!

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 11:49 AM) That might be true back in the era when leadoff hitters were stealing all the time, but the Sox haven't had a leadoff hitter who could steal 50+ bases since August of 2005, and they're exceedignly rare around MLB. If nothing else, you put a guy with decent speed on first, even if he's not stealing, a slow ground ball to the right side is a "productive out". AJ obviously isn't the ideal candidate there...but it's more because he's slow himself and he doesn't walk much so he's never on base. But the problem is...someoen else needs to earn that job. It can't just be given away to another guy who will wind up spending a month hitting .210. Well, two things: a.) Pierre stole 68 bases back in 2010, and b.) DeAza, if healthy, definitely appears to be a candidate for 30+, perhaps even 40+ stolen bases. And so if we're going to sacrifice what DeAza might be able to produce with his bat lower down in the order in terms of run production for the sake of having someone who at least profiles as a typical lead-off hitter with the stolen base capability, then you have to give him a fighting chance to do so. And A.J. Pierzynski, batting in the number two slot, will least allow DeAza to maximize what he can offer in that capacity more than just anybody else on this team. I admit, we don't have any super options to turn to on this one, but most certainly, it isn't A.J.

The number one characteristic or ability of the number two batter is to take pitches. This enables the lead-off hitter to see a pitch or two and get a read on the pitcher before deciding to steal a base, as well as give the number three hitter on the on-deck circle and the clean-up guy in the hole a chance to observe a few pitches before coming to the plate. With that said, you could arguably make the case that AJ is the last person on this team who ought to be hitting in that slot. He swings at the first pitch about as often as anyone in the league, and while he does make a lot of contact, often times it's weak, resulting in easy grounders to the right side. So if DeAza continues to be the get-on-base type of player he was last season, you'd hate to waste those efforts with a guy who could erase things in the blink of an eye with a 4-6-3 double play. Just my opinion, but for me, it's 'no way, AJ!' as the number two hitter.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 28, 2012 -> 01:12 AM) Forgot that Gary Thorne and Wayne Hagen worked together as the White Sox radio team...that was a great pairing, while it lasted. I think you are getting Gary Thorne and John Rooney mixed up here. Thorne only spent one year with the Sox, and that was as the TV play-by-play man in the very forgettable 1989 season (paired up with Tom Paciorek that year). Rooney and Hagin worked the radio side of things from '89-91. I thought it was just an ok pairing, but only because it was two play-by-play guys with no playing experience between them handling all the broadcasting chores. I think each is obviously much better off when paired with an ex-player to provide the color analysis.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Feb 27, 2012 -> 07:40 PM) I loathe Hawk. He's an embarrassing clown of a hack. I can't wait for the day he's gone. I couldn't agree....less. VIVA LE HAWKEROO!

QUOTE (greg775 @ Feb 14, 2012 -> 03:26 PM) This will be embarrassing for the Cubs. They will not draw squat in the Cell. I respectfully disagree. I definitely think the Cubs could draw reasonably well at the Cell, and the problem with that is that if they were to outdraw the Sox in the Sox' own home, that's just the kind of negative publicity hit the Sox don't need. It would only add to the age-old story of White Sox attendance problems, and really call into question the allegiance of the Sox' fan base. I don't think any of us nor the Sox organization needs that kind of headache.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Nov 12, 2011 -> 07:42 PM) Herbert is a classy, classy name. It's no "Thad", of course, but it's alright.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 27, 2011 -> 06:56 AM) Oh man. Claudell Washington... Bad memories. "Claudell Washington Slept Here" He was, in many ways, the Alex Rios of his time. Unfortunately.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Oct 26, 2011 -> 09:44 PM) Haha, I completely forgot that that was someone's handle. It's hard to imagine a black guy named Thad, too. Good stuff!

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 26, 2011 -> 09:56 PM) He used to be a Soxkiller! I still remember Harry Caray of all people waxing all giddy-like about the "very fine, young outfield of Bosley, Lemon, and Washington". I shared in that enthusiasm at the time, as it did seem promising. Wasn't meant to be, as it turned out!

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Oct 26, 2011 -> 04:35 PM) Is Thad the gayest name ever? I propose that it is. I beg your pardon!!

QUOTE (WCSox @ Sep 30, 2011 -> 02:49 PM) If I'm Francona or LaRussa and the Sox are my only option, I'd probably sit out a year and wait for something better to come along. It's not like either will struggle to pay the bills in the meantime. Not always. The Red Sox were a championship-caliber team when they fired Grady Little and hired Francona. But even if Francona only had struggling franchises to choose from, the Cubs would probably make a lot more sense. They still haven't won a World Series in forever and they have a tremendous fan base. Francona would be a hero if he won a championship with the Cubs. I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs hired Epstein and he brought Francona in. I just don't see why somebody like Francona or LaRussa would be attracted to the Sox. They're going to have to shed payroll soon, their farm system isn't that impressive right now, and their fan base has never been that great. They're also looking to shed salary, so paying one of those guys the top dollar that they'd command wouldn't make any sense for Reinsdorf either. It's just a bad fit. At LaRussa's age, he's not sitting out a year. Not to mention, but he probably has only three destinations left: remaining w/St. Louis, coming to the Sox, or retiring. Do you hear his name mentioned in connection with any other non-Cardinals manager-related job besides the vacancy at 35th and Shields? And this with a guy whose running on one-year contracts these days! Meanwhile, there are tweets galore out there as we speak at least talking about the Sox' supposed interest in LaRussa, so it's certainly not too far-fetched to suggest it's in the realm of possibility. Probability, perhaps not. Possibility? Yes. As for Francona, who knows - you may be right. I didn't bring his name up in the first place in this discussion - you did. But since you did bring him up, I will say this, which has been said many times already, and that is he does have a history with the White Sox organization. Now how strong his ties are to the Sox based on his tenure with the team, no one really knows. But if they are strong, then the Sox' opportunity could absolutely be appealing to him, despite any payroll cuts and attendance issues the team has.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Sep 30, 2011 -> 03:18 PM) Why would an established manager with rings (LaRussa, Francona) want to manage a team that is almost certainly going to shed a ton of payroll over the next year and go through a rebuilding process? I don't see how managing the Sox would appeal to either of these guys. My guess is that JR and KW will hire somebody with little or no managerial experience, who won't command a ton of money, looking for their first break. Like Alomar or Martinez. Well, I wasn't really talking about Francona, but as it relates to him, if he's out of a job, what are his other options? Usually it's a team on the skids that is looking for a new manager, not a championship caliber team. I don't have at my disposal here the list of managerial vacancies at the moment that look any better than the Sox', but to your point, if there is one, then Tito might give that one much greater consideration. As for LaRussa, I would be merely banking his interest on coming to the White Sox based solely on the oft-mentioned love affair between he and the Chairman. That is the foundation of very LaRussa-to-the-White-Sox rumor that is out there, of which there are many. I also think JR would make it financially worth LaRussa's time to return to Chicago, but that's just a hunch. I could be wrong on that, as well as you could be absolutely right that in reality, a guy like LaRussa might have zero interest in coming here. But if there is interest on his part, then I think it should be strongly considered for the reasons I stated in my previous post.

The 2011 White Sox were characterized by an extraordinary amount of underachievement. Tony LaRussa, like him or not, is but a handful of wins away from being the second winningest manager in the history of the game. That means he has overseen a whole lot of achieving throughout his managerial career. Now how much of that achieving can be directly attributed to him and his managerial style can obviously be debated, but his record of players coming through for him stands on its own. And I can't help but wonder, what with our more noteable underachievers seemingly tethered to this team for the next few years, if it makes more sense to bring in a guy like LaRussa with his record of achievement to try our best to get something out of these guys. Or are we really comfortable just handing this mess over to someone with no managerial experience whatsoever and hoping for the best. This is not meant to be a slam on Alomar or Martinez, who both profile as effective future managers in this game. I'm just coming at this with what might be best for our particular roster of players. (And as for LaRussa purportedly being an ass, I could care less. I wouldn't have to deal with him!)

Sort of surprised that LaRussa wasn't one of the options, since he has been rumored to be a possibility as much as anyone else.

Steve Stone, who has another three years left on his contract (IIRC), has had the rather unique opportunity of partnering with not one but two legendary Chicago broadcasters late in their respective broadcasting careers in Hawk, and then of course, the one and only, Harry Caray.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 28, 2011 -> 01:41 PM) I have absolutely zero problems with this and am happy to tell anyone who does have a problem with it to leave me alone. +1

We need a paid attendance today of just slightly under 20,000 to just squeak over the two million mark for this season.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Sep 28, 2011 -> 01:13 PM) The lineup I somewhat expect to see: 1. De Aza LF 2. Alexei SS 3. Dunn DH (ugh) 4. Konerko 1B 5. Viciedo RF 6. Flowers C 7.Rios CF 8. Morel 3B 9. Beckham 2B Pitching Buehrle Peavy Sale Humber Axelrod/Stewart Pen Ohman Stewart/Axelrod Reed Santiago Frasor Santos Crain Did we not get any Major League-ready talent in exchange for Danks, Floyd, and Quentin, whom you've presumably traded in this vision you've presented?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 27, 2011 -> 09:37 PM) Supposedly he forgot the count and had to find someone to verify it Something Hawk hadn't seen in his 56,472,179 years in the game (the time it took to get it all figured out).