DBAHO

If he stays injury free, he's very capable at hittin like that.

Joe's just got to start enjoyin playin baseball again, he's puttin way too much pressure on himself at Charlotte and it's showin. I've still got faith in him, sum players just take longer to develop than others, Joe should look at Ross Gload. Same sort of situation, but Ross kept at it in the minors and now he's with the White Sox.

5 picks in the 1st 59, gives us an excellent chance at restocking the farm system. We should be loookin at ptichers, a middle infielder, and maybe a catcher or first baseman with those early picks. This year's draft isn't meant to be very deep with position players and it's more of a pitching draft.

Moises Alou in an Oreo ad talkin to the dog, "I'll show u how to eat an oreo!" :puke

Sun - Times article on Joe's struggles so far, This is the story White Sox general manager Ken Williams would prefer you didn't read -- especially if your name is Joe Borchard. Almost four years ago, the White Sox shocked the baseball world with the staggering bonus they gave Borchard, the switch-hitting outfielder from Stanford. The $5.3 million payment, which would have been a record bonus even for a No. 1 overall pick, was spread over three years, with the final $1.5 million check issued on Jan. 15, 2003. The Sox were persuaded to up the ante, fearing Borchard, the starting quarterback at Stanford, would pursue a career in the NFL. Which brings us to Wednesday, when Borchard entered a game against the Indianapolis Indians of the Class AAA International League hitting .221 with 21 hits and 20 strikeouts in 95 at-bats for the Charlotte Knights. This is an improvement, considering on April 21 he was hitting .179 (8-for-47) with 14 strikeouts in his first 12 games. Borchard, 25, is in his third season at Charlotte. By now, he was expected by many to be a fixture in the Sox' outfield, tucked neatly in center between Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee. Instead, he is overstaying his welcome in Charlotte, still the victim of too many ill-advised swings and saddled with the stress of living up to that mountain of a bonus. ''In his own best interests, knowing the article you are doing, I'd prefer if he doesn't read this stuff,'' Williams said Wednesday from his office. ''He needs to have fun on a day-to-day basis. The only issue is for him to relax. The more he reads about timetables and swing analysis, the harder it's going to be. ''I understand it's a legitimate question, but I don't care. The only thing I care about is Joe Borchard and what's best for him.'' Nobody wants to play mind games with Borchard, but Sox fans aren't going to forget about that $5.3 million. In June 2000, the Sox were reluctant to throw that kind of money toward established major-leaguers. Borchard is a nice guy with plenty of charisma. If he does make it in the majors, he will have instant star power. But no one is willing to put a timetable on when Borchard will get more than a September call-up with the White Sox. ''He will be here shortly,'' Williams said. ''I have a tremendous amount of faith in him. And I think when he does get back here, he will have an exhale period.'' The Sox keep waiting for Borchard to exhale. ''Joe feels like and knows he should be doing better down there,'' Williams said, ''and that's compounding the problem.'' Both sides have the luxury of being patient. Lee and Ordonez are stationed at the outfield corners. The Sox wanted to convert Borchard, a natural right fielder, into a center fielder. But if they wanted Borchard -- and the football mentality he still carries -- to relax, sticking him in center was not exactly aroma therapy. Aaron Rowand is the center fielder now. If Rowand falters, Charlotte's Jeremy Reed -- with a hot left-handed bat (.313 entering Wednesday) and plenty of speed -- likely would get the call before Borchard. The way things are looking, the only way Borchard will find a permanent spot in the White Sox' outfield is if someone gets injured or if potential free agent Ordonez is traded or isn't retained beyond this season. Maybe a change of scenery would be the best way for Borchard to finally relax. Williams, however, says he still believes in Borchard. ''I'll tell you what, I have no doubts it was the right decision for our organization,'' Williams said. ''I stand behind [player personnel director] Duane Shaffer's decision to draft Joe. ''Even with him hitting .221, I would not be afraid to call Joe Borchard up to the big leagues. I'm comfortable with his competitive nature. I know once he gets here, he will see the ball better, have a better routine. Everything is better here, the lighting, travel conditions ... '' And the pitching. Don't forget the pitching. Borchard has appeared in 31 games for the Sox -- 16 games in 2002, 15 more in 2003. In those stints, he hit .200 (17-for-85) with three home runs and 10 RBI against major-league pitchers. And he struck out 32 times. Still, Williams feels playing in major-league parks, with all of the major-league perks, will be the key to turning Borchard around. ''There are some guys who have better success at the big-league level than they did in the minors,'' Williams said. ''The last two players I said that about were Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee.'' Ordonez hit a disappointing .263 at Class AA Birmingham in 1996, but won the American Association batting title the next season at Class AAA Nashville with a .329 mark. By late August, he was playing for the Sox. Lee hit .302 or better in each of his final five minor-league stops before joining the Sox in 1999. Borchard's best season in Charlotte was when he hit .272 in 2002. He seems a long way off the Ordonez-Lee numbers in the minors. But Ordonez and Lee didn't have the pressure of living up to a $5.3 million bonus. ''The best thing for Joe Borchard,'' Williams said, ''is to leave the newspaper reading to someone else.''

Mayb the O's fans will be chanting O-E-O for a while yet, BALTIMORE - It's barely over a month into the 2004 season, but speculation is running rampant that Kansas City Royals center fielder Carlos Beltran is going to be wearing a New York Yankees uniform next year. While it's no secret Kansas City doesn't have the financial wherewithal to prevent the gifted Beltran from leaving as a free agent at season's end, his expected asking price figures to directly impact the White Sox. With current center fielders Bernie Williams and Kenny Lofton nearing the end of the line, Beltran is a natural fit, and New York has the money to sign the 27-year-old star. How much money? Early estimates are at $140 million over eight years. While that figure is probably inflated, right fielder Magglio Ordonez is likely looking for similar money to stay with the White Sox. For as good as he is, Ordonez doesn't quite have Beltran's all-around skills or upside. What Ordonez does have is plenty of interest. The Boston Red Sox almost acquired the four-time all-star in a trade over the winter, and they'll undoubtedly make an offer if Ordonez does hit the free-agent market. Ditto for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and New York Mets. But look for the Baltimore Orioles to make the strongest push for Ordonez's services. Last off-season, Baltimore owner Peter Angelos spent millions on free agents Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez and Sidney Ponson. While the Orioles still need pitching help, word is they've already targeted Ordonez as their No. 1 priority. Ordonez has spent his entire professional career with the White Sox and has expressed a strong desire to stay put. But unless the Sox are able to lock up their best player during the season, they have little chance to retain him if he hits the free-agent market. Welcome back: When last seen on the mound, Jon Lieber was starting for the Cubs on Aug. 1, 2002. Following reconstructive elbow surgery at the end of the '02 season and a bout with a strained groin muscle this spring, the 34-year-old Lieber returned to action with the Yankees on Saturday. Despite the 21-month layoff, he looked a lot like the starting pitcher who went 20-6 for the Cubs in 2001. Lieber was dominant against the Royals, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits over 7-plus innings. Of his 91 pitches, 69 found the strike zone. "I don't rank my games, but this one has to be near the top,'' Lieber told reporters after New York's 12-4 win. "I feel like I have a second chance right now, and I want to make the best of it.'' Lieber's auspicious return bodes very well for the Yankees, who were stung when starters Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens defected to the Houston Astros. Following a poor start, New York took a seven-game winning streak into Wednesday night's game at Oakland and was tied for first in the AL East. Taking a hit: Not only are the Mariners off to a terrible start, they'll be paying pitcher Kevin Jarvis a hefty sun of money not to play baseball. Jarvis, acquired in a trade from the San Diego Padres, was released Sunday after giving up 3 straight home runs in a loss to the Texas Rangers. Even though the move cost the Mariners $4.75 million, CEO Howard Lincoln didn't hesitate to tell Jarvis and his 8.31 ERA to take a hike. "I knew we had to do something, and I didn't want to wait,'' Lincoln told Seattle reporters. "We can't have that kind of thing.''

Oh well, I can still sell it on E-Bay, just make it a Cubs game.

DBAH0.... Buy him 1 ticket to see a White Sox game now.

Hey it's Eastern Australia Time Zone!

Chandler will be wearin a Magic or Mavs uniform in 04/05.

Hopefully this will mean Brian Roberts will be stuck on base more often next time we play em.

Because unfortunately today sum parents don't do this while they are more concerned about their own problems e.g booze, drugs etc. :headshake

That song's gonna be in my head all day tomorrow now.

We had Religious Education in Primary (Elementary) School, or at least I think that's what it was called.

Or that he's mainly hittin in a pitcher's park. He was either goin to hit lights out like Ichiro or start out slow like he has.

Any chance we could see Morse up in Charlotte in a few months Rex, if he keeps hittin the way he has?

Lacey Chabert makes a long awaited re-apperance, I haven't seen her since Party of Five.

Stuck in a time warp again Southsider?

Peggy Wanker.... oops Bundy.

Viagra Boy walks.

That's the real O-E-O!

Uribe is The Man!

3-1 count

The A's need to score runs, but Chavez and Crosby haven't hit majorly well yet.

Sac Bunt time?