The Ultimate Champion

At this point, keep pace with the Tiggers until we play them at home. If we show poorly there, then they've flat-out taken it from us. Truthfully we played very good baseball last night & pretty good ball the night before. That first game of the series we threw away, just like we've done time and again vs. the Royals. We threw away a game in Baltimore and Robin's thrown away a couple of Quintana's masterpieces. From about June on where it was very clear we were a legitimate contender, we've thrown away so many games that it's both a testament to our resiliency and the inconsistency of Detroit that we're still here. We can't throw away any more games. We have Minny & KC ahead of us; if we play **solid** baseball, stop kicking the damn ball around, come up with some clutch hits here and there, score the man from 3rd with less than 2 outs, quit with the lefty-righty overthink crap, etc. and just play good, quality baseball then we will be in an excellent position to get back at the Tigers in our own ballpark.

This should be our new theme song. Maybe this one: Don't stop now boys!!!

Kiss Demon needs to have the Sox work their abs more during morning workouts.

Thing is, the Sox are generally the one playing the better baseball. The Twins had less talent but could play 9 innings without beating themselves; we couldn't go 6 without screwing something up. The much maligned infield choppers were only a factor vs. the Twins because they could keep the game close enough for those things to matter. The Sox don't gift as many victories as the Tigers do. We can have faith that our team will play better ball than they will for the remaining number of games this season because, so far, they've shown that to be the case.

We need to come up with another song for this year's team. I'm thinking 2 Legit 2 Quit by MC Hammer but I'm willing to listen to other suggestions.

Great point, 2nd. Thing is, Detroit could sweep us & then drop 2-3 while we sweep the Twins. Thinking back over these last few games vs. the Tigers, tonight vs. Scherzer & the last Verlander outing against us were the only games that come to mind where we flat out got beat. The Tigers have handed us games but we haven't taken advantage; it's not like they're unbeatable, and it's not like they can't go 3-7 over their next 10. All we have to do is get in.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 1, 2012 -> 11:52 PM) “I know this, the last two days our team has been real dialed in,’’ Konerko said. “Maybe too dialed in, I don’t know. Definitely not a passive, scared approach. Very aggressive. On the attack. Just beaten. So you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, get back out there and give ’em hell and see what happens.’’ If this is giving them hell then I guess it's time to pick up our participation medals. This reminds me of that one time when Paulie was in the desert and that runner came up to him all gassed & Paulie pointed to a handheld TV or something and then the guy started running again. Paulie is kind of like the Sox odometer, bland & boring but he knows the road traveled. He believes in his guys. They're like his puppies.

For the TANK: In this world a man must either be an anvil or hammer. Henry W. Longfellow YOUK: The real leader has no need to lead-- he is content to point the way. Henry Miller M-Thor or whatever his Ventura name is: Never let life's hardships disturb you ... no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages. Nichiren Daishonen

Muck's got it! For the Jakemeister: Your real influence is measured by your treatment of yourself. A. Bronson Alcott

For Paul Konerko: Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein For Alex: Hope is the dream of a man awake. French Proverb For Chris Sale tomorrow: Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right. Aldous Huxley

edit: this was a list of quoptes that arent very inspirational GO FOR IT!!! works better

Come on let's get it right! Use your willpower! Let's motivate these guys! They need to use their intuition more IMO. Reach for the stars, Paul Konerko!

http://www.asparkstarts.com/wp-content/upl...RealSuccess.jpg

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 1, 2012 -> 11:27 PM) I'm wondering how many more times the Sox can pick themselves up after looking like s*** in a series. Face facts. No way in hell the Sox win on Sunday. Okay so all I want to know now is where is the time machine and how do I use it because I have all kinds of s*** I need to go back & invent before other people do/did. Edit: Greg, right now I'm listening to the Tony Robbins link above which I'm sure you've clicked by now. It's time to resolve those inner conflicts. Let's get it right. Let's get this team going. Think of it as unlock & unleash, that's the third pillar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWZGg3h8kxM

Okay, this isn't working so far. MOTIVATION IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR!!! Get it in gear! We win tomorrow & ITS ALL GOOD!!!

No bulls***. No backhanded compliments. No Tigger love. Just motivate this team. Please, for the love of GOD somebody post the following videos for me because I'm too dumb to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf-eXgCyCO4 Feel free to post your own motivational material. Again, no bulls***. This is serious business. Our Sox are down & they need our help.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 1, 2012 -> 05:32 PM) The Tigers will have Victor Martinez back next year, so they'll be set. Right now, their only glaring weaknesses are: Avila's regression (is he the player of 2011 or 12?), Peralta at SS (need a much better SS there with range/arm), Young and Boesch on the corners. They have Dirks and Avisail Garcia waiting in the wings. Dirks has been one of their best players in the 2nd half. Garcia's projected to be a MUCH better defensive outfielder than Boesch, FWIW. Their rotation now is Verlander, Scherzer, Fister, Sanchez, Porcello and Smyly. They're fine there. They get Albuquerque back, to go with Villarreal, Coke, Dotel and Benoit. They've been shaky from time to time, but still better than the White Sox pen overall. Dumping VMart will be the best thing they can do. Make one of Cabrera/Fielder the 1B with the other DHing and build a fundamentally capable team with pitching and defense. Funny how the Tigers run out a greatly talented, high payroll team, underachieve, and still compete for a title. When the Sox do that they're out of it in March.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 1, 2012 -> 08:49 PM) We need to do a better job either vetting players we pick up for testicular fortitude or do a better job at prepping players that they move through the system. Year after year of the post asb choke to the teams that they need to beat. It's the baseball equivalent of how teams attack the Blackhawks. Punch the sox right in the mouth, run your mouth against them and then watch them crumble and counter. Two nights in a row Farmio has wondered aloud why in tarnation you'd ever throw Delmon Young a first pitch fastball. Maybe we need someone sort of quality control coach/aboriginee with blowdart experience intercepting some of these baseball decisions before they make their way onto the field.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 1, 2012 -> 03:19 PM) One of the strangest posts I ever read. How much more money can they spend to improve the team? That made sense last year in the off season getting Fielder and paid a contract Hendry would approve of. Aren't they suppose to be much better, more dominant this season? What has happened is in Sept. they are in 2nd place to a team with a bunch of kids. Win now is somewhere close to depleted financially. The Sox were supposed to be worse this year. The Yankees weren't supposed to be injured. The Rays were never supposed to be without Longoria. Etc etc etc this is just about every baseball team, every single season. If you are spending to contend and you **are** contending then there's nothing much to b**** about unless you're a moron radio host looking to stir up s***. Maybe the Score could hire this guy & run him out there with Lawrence Holmes the Genius & Poor Man's Dennis Miller aka Dan McNeil with his psuedo intellectual schtick. All the Tigers may have to do to be better next year is shed salary. See: 2012 White Sox. BTW I'm a lil bewildered by the over-the-top anti-Tigers sentiment this year. We should thank those guys for being underachievers who play piss-poor defense. If they weren't, given the number of games we've thrown away this year, we'd easily be 6-7 back right now instead of looking forward to the postseason.

Worst thing eva for a team with a high payroll is a long, contending season that sells tickets potentially followed by playoff revenue and an uptick in season ticket sales for the following season. I was going to click the link & listen but instead I think I'll go ahead and plug the ol' cornhole.

Hawk is THE greatest of all time.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Aug 26, 2012 -> 11:04 PM) he hits two home runs. greg declares him a good player. no news here. This year he's made contact with a lot of balls he wouldn't have had a chance at in the past. For a bench player who doesn't see a lot of action and whose biggest problem has been contact, that's a great step forward. Maybe he's not a good player yet (too early to tell) but his improvement has been significant. For once it seems our MiLB & MLB staffs are both on the same page and making a difference. Even Jordan looks like a Major League extra OF now.