Ranger

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 09:46 PM) Pks best years were 2004/5/6 Dye's in 2006.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 02:03 PM) The fact that Ozzie and Swish didn't get along most likely contributed to it as well. I remember reading rumors about some of the veteran clubhouse guys not appreciating Swisher's lack of maturity either. People who aren't happy at their place of employment tend to not produce as well as those in their own ideal environments. Throw in a guaranteed big-bucks contract, and Swish likely felt little incentive to work hard. Especially when he could get a paid change of scenery by sulking on the bench. This is very true. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 02:29 PM) Its also interesting how guys like Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko come here and have incredible years. For Dye, the best season of his career.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 12:48 PM) and how Swishers goes up 30 pts I can completely understand it. He's an afterthought in that lineup with very little pressure. Here, they asked him to use his high OBP and be a leadoff hitter. He couldn't handle it. In NY, surrounded by that lineup, he could hit .150 and nobody would care.

QUOTE (Tex @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 12:46 PM) To continue, with those guys it is reasonable to expect them to finish somewhere close to last year's stats. So a few hot streaks can and should be expected. Of course, we should expect a little bit of decline from those guys, but not a decline like this. The Sox can't win while those 3 guys are hitting around or below .200. They won't be doing that forever.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 12:29 PM) Yeah, no kidding. The problem is that guys like Pierre, Alexei, and AJ are hitting way below their career averages. Not the presence of Jones and Kotsay in the lineup. This offense would be equally bad with Thome at DH. Yes, it would.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 11:50 AM) So we're back to the slogan "the numbers on the back of a baseball card don't lie?" Awesome, so I guess regressions to PK, Pierre, and AJP shouldn't have been considered due to age and wear and tear. One of the main reasons a lot of us kept clamoring for more talent on offense towards the end of the offseason was because we were relying way too much on "ifs". There was no room for error with the offensive talent on this team, and it's obvious when we try to shake up the lineup and Kotsay ends up batting 3rd. Uh, yeah, we're back to that. You know, where every other baseball team in the world is: the expectation that guys will produce at their norms. Nobody said that regression wouldn't be expected, but the difference between the .277 Konerko hit last year and the .214 he's currently hitting, wouldn't be classified as "regression". That's severe dropoff. Pierre is about 80 points off, AJ is over 100 off. Those guys shouldn't be "if's". They should be considered constants with the likelihood of slight regression. If all of them were batting at least .260 (totally reasonable, and actually, somewhat conservative), the dynamic would be completely different right now.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Apr 17, 2010 -> 11:27 PM) Everyone seemed to indicate (all offseason) that the season's success or failure would rest on what kind of year Rios would have It's entirely plausible that Rios can hit the ball hard all year and we'll still be bad in any number of other spots in the lineup. That was also with the assumption that everyone else would perform to their norms, which is not yet happening. QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 08:30 AM) Scary thing is Teahen, Jones, and Konerko have all been better than expected these first two weeks. At least they're getting on base, but I wonder if that's just a function of the opposing pitcher pitching around them because there are so many holes in this lineup. Quentin has to hit a lot closer to the MVP candidate he was in '08 than the way he has since he broke his hand. Pierre needs a permanent seat on the bench and AJP needs to be put on notice. Not really. I'll give you Jones, but Teahen has done about what was expected, and Konerko has slowed down considerably and isn't close to his career averages. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 08:10 AM) Teahen also knocked us out of one Indians game (erasing the good of the superstar performance for one game in TOR)....his defense has been poor, to put it gently/mildly. Disagree. He really hasn't been bad at all aside from that one play in Cleveland.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 09:40 AM) Because it's 5X harder to find a starting SS than a starting 2B...just like finding a corner outfielder/DH is 10X easier than finding a leadoff hitter with high OBP skills and an 85% success rate stealing. Beckham is perfect where he is. And it wasn't Ozzie to first decide Beckham wouldn't be an ideal SS. That came from the guys that scouted him. And pretty much everybody that scouts for a living said that about him two years ago. They are right.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 16, 2010 -> 09:55 AM) I don't understand trading for Gonzalez for basically just one season (doubtful on the possibility of an extension like Garcia signed right after being traded in 2004)...you know he's going to test the market with how underpaid he is. Well, first, we don't know that for sure. You would think he would test teh market, but you never really know. It all depends on what he deems to be important at the time. Second, I think it's wrong to assume that KW would trade all of the farm's best prospects for one player if he didn't have a pretty good idea they would be able to lock him up beyond the current contract.

QUOTE (qwerty @ Apr 15, 2010 -> 10:00 AM) As is the radio. Pretty much. Some of the callers are about the same.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 15, 2010 -> 02:21 AM) TORONTO — Ozzie Guillen's contract expires after next season and White Sox- Twitter controversy involving his son this spring didn't bolster relations with general manager Ken Williams. Regardless, Guillen believes he would get another shot to manage if the Sox were to fire him. "There are a lot of horse(bleep) managers out there that were given two and three shots to manage in the big leagues," Guillen said. "I don't see why not me.'' Guillen reluctantly mentioned Manny Acta, who was fired after 2 1/2 losing seasons with the Nationals but had two offers to manage teams last winter before selecting the Indians. "Why can't I get another chance with another team?" Guillen said. "Am I going to keep on doing it? Well, I have to see what is going on." Guillen said he could perform any duty in baseball except GM. He added that his television duties at the 2009 World Series enhanced his opportunities. "If I get fired, I will tell (Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf) to fire Steve Stone, Farmio (Ed Farmer) or D.J. (Darrin Jackson)," Guillen said. "I want that job." mark gonzales/trib What I find annoying is that we're about to play the Indians on the road this weekend...the Indians have been playing like absolute horse manure since they left our park and here we are giving them bulletin board material by picking on their manager who pretty much out-managed Ozzie in Games 2/3 of the season. QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Apr 15, 2010 -> 09:32 AM) Why does Ozzie insist on always talking about getting fired? I find this annoying. Maybe it's ego or something? First of all, he's not picking on Acta. He used him as an example of guys that get fired and quickly find work. Second, the topic came up when reporters before the game were talking to Ozzie about Gaston and one of the reporters asked him what he thought would happen to him if he were let go by the Sox. He didn't bring it up, he didn't start the conversation. He just answered a question. He also basically said that he wasn't sure if that next job would be a managerial job, but he thought it would be something. QUOTE (qwerty @ Apr 15, 2010 -> 08:01 AM) I don't think you would see anyone complain (initially) if cooper were to one day become the sox manager. Once the season starts though, it's fair game, and he would get ripped to shreds just like every other coach/manager in sports. It's just how sports work. In the eyes of the average sports fan... there is no good coach/manager. You can go to any forum out there and people are calling for every coach/managers heads... even the best of teams. Red sox fans f***ing hate francona and he was apart of two world series. Whenever i need a good laugh or two i check out sons of sam horn... i recommend it to anyone. Message board mentality is certainly fascinating.

I can't believe I just read this whole thread.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 11:19 AM) Interesting article, but I am still not sure that Teahen was more valuable/heroic than Jones was. Teahen tied the game two different times and then delivered the game winning hit. That's probably why.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Apr 12, 2010 -> 10:49 AM) I agree with those who say get off Walker's back, except with respect to the bolded. I have definitely noticed a consistent lack of approach to pretty much everybody, and consequently, we're handcuffed by bad players. "See the ball, hit the ball" is sound advice for the players that put too much pressure on themselves, but that doesn't preclude you from bringing a little logic up there with you. I've seen the Sox swing at all sorts of ridiculous pitches many times, presumably because they're guessing against the odds. Granted, team bias may play a part here, because when I see opposing hitters wave foolishly at a Floyd curveball, I just assume it's because Floyd is a god and they are but mortals. I just think, on the whole, that the Sox approach at the plate is not wonderful and has resulted in a lower OBP than we should expect -> (too many solo HR's) They have the gameplan and they know the weaknesses and what to exploit. In fact, in addition to everything else, hitters get a card for each day's starter with all the info they need and which gives them a basic gameplan. It's up to the player to use it.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 03:16 PM) Our best hitter right now is not Beckham. People need to get over the hype, the guy is good, but hes not a superstar yet and its very likely that he may experience some problems in his sophomore campaign. Teams are already shading him to RF and as pitchers get better scouting reports on him he is going to have to learn to adjust. He has a ton of raw natural talent as a hitter, but he still has a lot to learn about being a professional hitter. Thank you. QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 03:34 PM) I disagree that Walker is a poor hitting coach. His philosophy is good (use all fields and be patient) the problem is that most players dont listen to hitting coaches. Beckham already uses the field, what Walker can help him with his how pitchers are going to attack him, etc. Everyone who has worked with Walker has nothing but good to great things to say. The only people who seem to dislike him are people on this site who for no reason believe Walker teaches "lift and pull." Absolutely true. It's kind of how it is with major leaguers these days. Usually, the talented players that actually listen to the hitting coach will make improvements. QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Apr 11, 2010 -> 10:40 AM) a point to consider, while Walker may not be "responsible" for the actions of the players, he is the coach. And if the players dont respect the coach enough to listen to him, then you need to find a coach who they will respect enough to listen to. Or you replace those players who won't listen. It isn't about respect, it's about the mental makeup of the player. Some guys are willing to listen, some guys are not. There is a reason that so many of these guys get fired so frequently, and it usually isn't because they're incompetent.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 11:30 PM) Maybe so. But they're the ones paying the salaries of Ozzie, his coaches and his players. I guess that proves how dumb they are! Regardless, you don't continually insult the fans who may or may not be wrong in their criticism of their favorite team. And you don't make condescending comments about "that's why they have to get up at 4:00AM and go to work while I have this job." I'm not quite sure that's exactly what he said because of the bleeps and his accent, it certainly sounded like that. But if I heard that correctly, that comment crosses the line. EDIT: Ok, I found the Ozzie quote - Here"You don't want to watch the way I manage this ballclub, be a Cub fan or talk about something else," Guillen said on Friday. "I don't want to tell people why I do stuff and why I did it. They talk about taking the bat [out of Beckham's hands], it's the seventh and the ninth inning. I've got my two best hitters [coming up], the only guys swinging the bat well right behind. "All those idiots out there who talk about baseball, they should come here and manage for me. I don't have to explain to anybody why I do stuff. They have to get up at 4 a.m. and talk [expletive]. I'm going to run this ballclub the way I think it should be done. I'll bet they didn't talk about how we struck out 12 times and all the times we had bases loaded and didn't get a hit. They talk about how I run this ballclub! Shame on them." QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 11:32 PM) It's ridiculous that he would say that. I apologize for not reading the entire thread, so I don't know if this has been addressed or not, but: When Ozzie was talking about people getting up at 4 in the morning, I believe he was talking about morning talk shows. In other words, I believe he was talking about my station, in particular, and the callers to my station. He wasn't insulting people that have regular jobs and have to wake up early for them. Just wanted to clarify.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 12:50 PM) Well, I have watched the Indians' broadcast the last two nights and they have been talking at length about the time it takes a pitcher to deliver to the plate. 1.3 seconds, according to them, is about league average. So .9-1.1 is actually very quick. Secondly, they remarked specifically about Perez's pickoff move, and said themselves that it is brutal. They said he shouldn't even throw over there because it gives the runner a chance to pick up on an indicator. So if your stopwatch it right, he has a quick delivery to the plate, but according to those who know best, he has a poor pickoff move. Even still, Ozzie bunted Beckham twice in this situation, so I don't think it has anything to do with the pitchers. Personally, I would have allowed Pierre to steal the base. Yeah, what's brutal about it is that it's a balk. But if they aren't calling it, it's tough to steal on it.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 12:35 PM) I just timed Perez's delivery, got somewhere between .9 to 1.1 seconds (from leg kick to release). Not Mr. Speedy. Pierre's chances of getting a steal there would have been pretty decent. It's not about a stopwatch with a left-handed pitcher. It's about the ability to be able to recognize for sure whether the delivery is to the plate or it's coming at you. Since you apparently have the game on DVR or something, go back and watch the pickoff move in the previous inning and how it looked like he was going straight to the plate but instead the ball came to first. Before Pierre can commit to the steal, he has to know first whether he's about to get picked off or not.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 12:31 PM) I trust Pierre when it comes to reading moves. He's done this for long enough to know. The amount of time it takes a pitcher to deliver the pitch is far more important in this situation. OK.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 12:25 PM) It's a risk worth taking in a tie game. It might not be in a game where the team is down a run though. Rafael Perez was pitching, he takes a long time to deliver to the plate because of his high leg kick. Marson's a mediocre defensive catcher. Pierre has a 75-80% chance of nabbing that base. If Juan is caught stealing. You have Beckham, Quentin, and Konerko coming up anyways. Either way, you lose an out. But the rewards of the stolen base is much higher than the reward of the bunt. Giving up an out is not smart, especially when the guy up is Gordon Beckham. Unless you're going to bunt somebody over to third there, it's not a good idea. Plus, Ozzie played right into Acta's hands there. Read my previous post.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 12:08 PM) i would much rather see Beckham up at the plate in a pressure situation than any other guy not named Quentin or Konerko. Which would make him the 3rd best hitter, right? QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 12:09 PM) Konerko and Jones, as Quentin will get intentionally walked nearly every time in that situation. Well they didn't walk him in the 7th and they didn't intentionally walk him in the 9th until he got a 3-1 count. I understand Konerko is slow, but he's not an automatic douple play, either. PLus, I think you're all forgetting who was pitching at the time. Rafael Perez. Tough to steal off a lefty to begin with and it's even tougher when that guy's pickoff move is basically a balk. In fact, he absolutely balked (it wasn't called) in the previous inning when Rios was at first and Teahen was up. Listen, I'm sure Pierre will attempt some steals in the 9th, but it isn't going to happen in every single situation.

Beckham, by the way, is not this team's best hitter just yet. I know we're all excited about watching him develop at this level, but I think we should also reel it in a bit.

QUOTE (bmags @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 11:59 AM) Why can't stealy mcstealerson steal in the ninth and not waste Beckhams AB? He's our best hitter. Instead of getting 3 tries of a big hit with our best hitters...we gave ourselves 2 chances. Because it's fairly large risk in the 9th inning of a tie game. Yes, he's gonna steal bases, but he's not going to do it at a 100% rate. Runner at 2nd with Quentin and Konerko coming up provides a pretty damn good chance to drive in that run. This isn't to say that he won't ever attempt a steal in a similar situation, but it's not going to happen every time.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 05:44 AM) I'm not buying the "uncomfortable situation" bit, but can see how the at-bats played into it. This sounds a lot more like a mutual decision than Ozzie forcing JT out the door. And I wouldn't hold that against JT, who is obviously still productive enough to be a full-time DH. After riding the pine in LA last September, I can understand how a DH platoon might not appeal to him. That said, Thome/Jones platoon at DH would obviously be more favorable than Kotsay/Jones, and JT still would've gotten the majority of at-bats (against RHP). There wouldn't have been a three-headed "DH-by-committee" if Thome had re-signed. It's also difficult for me to rationalize Ozzie's logic in light of the fact that Kenny pursued Johnny Damon after Pierre was penciled into LF, Ozzie had supposedly decided on the DH-by-committee thing, and Ozzie supposedly told Thome that he couldn't give him enough at-bats to DH. There's no doubt that Damon would've gotten some time in LF (especially in interleague games), but it's obvious that his primary role would've been DH. It makes little sense that Ozzie supposedly could've found enough at-bats for Damon at DH, but not for Thome. In addition to this obvious hypocrisy, I highly doubt that Kenny would've been OK with paying Damon somewhere between $6-8M to play only 3 times a week. That's because he wouldn't have only played 3 times a week. If Damon were here, he'd be in the lineup every day. I think it's clear that Kenny has been willing to go with the current situation for a while, but if something better were to become available, they would take it. I think Ozzie knows that too.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 11:05 AM) The lineup is fine. Bunting is fine. Bunting with Beckham is fine....BUT...bunting Pierre to 2nd is idiotic. Bunting him to third with no outs for the heart of the order to drive him in is the way to do it. Bunting him over in the 9th inning is fine. I wouldn't have done it in the 7th, though.