winninguglyin83

Dick Allen, Chuck Tanner and Harry Caray (along with Carlos May, Wilbur Wood and Bill Melton) saved the White Sox in the early 70s. They were always very good. One year they might have been the second best team in baseball. The problem was that Oakland was just incredibly good back then, winning three straight World Series, and the Sox were stuck in the AL West. Allen was just an absolute bad ass, legendary for showing up 15 minutes or so before the game, never taking BP, swinging his 40-ounce bat and raking. Decent first baseman, too, who wore his batting helmet in the field.

Caruso was a switch-hitter (or switch non-hitter, to be precise) I believe. Hit the big lefty home run into the wire cage at Wrigley for his career highlight. Isn't Iguchi scheduled to be in Tucson with everybody else today?

we'll need more than 87 wins to win the division. every division winner had at least 92 wins last season.

Johnson and Clemens are two of the best pitchers in the game -- and I don't think they're 27 are they?

maybe this year we'll trade Everett for Alomar -- and cut out the middlemen.

tattoos don't make you stupid. having them plastered all over your body when you lose a bet -- and then promising to run around Times Square nekkid -- does.

Rob Dibble is an idiot. And he has the tattoos to prove it.

Fact or Fiction: A White Sox starting pitcher will win 20 games this season. FICTION -- odds are always against it. I'd settle for having five starters win 10 or more and three of those five winning 17 or more. Fact or Fiction: Willie Harris will be on the White Sox opening day roster. FACT -- He's too versatile just to dump. Left-handed hitter who can run and play second base or center field. Don't give him away. Fact or Fiction: Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez will toss more than 140 innings this season. FACT -- but barely. Fact or Fiction: Shingo Takatsu will record more than 30 saves this season. FICTION -- Hermanson will be the closer by mid June. Fact or Fiction: Scott Podsednik will set a career high in both batting average and OBP this season. FICTION -- he'll never return to the numbers of his rookie year in Milwaukee, but he'll be better than last season. Fact or Fiction: Frank Thomas will play in more than 120 games this season. FICTION -- He's a slow healer and solid play by Everett will ensure that there is no rush for Frank to return. Fact or Fiction: Carl Everett will get more than 350 at-bats this season. FACT: Carl is primed for a strong return --plus he's motivated because this is the final year of his contract. Fact or Fiction: A White Sox starter other than Mark Buehrle or Freddy Garcia will throw a complete game shutout this season. FACT: Contreras almost did it in the final game of the season last year. Garland is capable. And finally....Fact or Fiction: The White Sox will win the American League Central in 2005. FICTION: I hate the Twins, but I respect them until I see the Sox knock them off.

we'll be fortunate if he's ready by the end of May.

If Pods remembers to resist the temptation to swing for the fences and gets on base, he'll be an upgrade and our offense should be more consistent, if less explosive. AJ is definitely an upgrade at catcher. Dye won't be Maggs, but I'd be surprised if he didn't hit 25 HRs with 90 RBIs. El Duque worries me because he is old and is dealing with a tender shoulder. The bullpen should be a plus, although I'm not convinced Shingo is the full-season answer at closer, especially on the nights he has to pitch consecutive games in the same series. For me, the keys to this team are: 1. Crede -- gotta have more consistent hitting from an offensive position. 2. Uribe -- has to play the position well defensively and hit the way he hit last season. 3. Everett -- needs to produce until Frank returns. 4. Contreras -- Has the stuff to be an 18-game winner. 5. Hermanson -- we'll need him to be a strong set up guy, who might have to close if Shingo falters.

best way to shut him up is the way the Yankees always do it -- beat his butt. Jose is gone. We could do without the yappers.

the division race should be very close. the point Petey was trying to make is that financially it is the most competitive division in baseball. There is no team like the Yankees, Angels, Mets or Diamondbacks trying to buy a title. let's play ball.

we won many of the comparisons with the Cubs last year. What did it prove? Nothing.

hard to imagine a more difficult way to spend your summer than sitting in an empty Tropicana Dome talking about a team that loses 90 games maybe we can add steve stone to the broadcasts

saw two magazines on the stands today Street & Smiths has it 1. Twins 2. Tribe 3. Tigers 4. Sox 5. Royals Sporting News has it 1. Twins 2. Sox 3. Tribe 4. Tigers 5. Royals.

only way Frank will be back in 2006 is if he agrees to a major pay cut. he's coming off an injury. He can't play the field. And he refuses to take calls or talk to the GM. Not a receipe to get an invite back to town.

Workers? If Kris Benson is a worker then his wife is a nun. A worker is a guy who gets up at 6 a.m. and reports to the steel mill. give me a break. as bad as the Sox have it, the Royals, Reds, Pirates, D-Rays and others have it worse. They're not players for any top-shelf guys. None. The system ain't working. How many years in a row do you want to watch the REd Sox vs. the Yankees in the ALCS? There needs to be a cap of SOME kind to level the playing field so Boston and New York can't spend more on their infields or pitching staffs than other teams spend on their 25-man roster. Preach on, Papa Pirate, preach on.

Stark lives in Philly. He's a big NL guy. that explains this dogs***. No way Eric Milton, Joe Randa, Rich Aurilia and Ramon Ortiz are more meaningful than Pierzynski, Dye, El Duque, Pods, Iguchi, Vizcaino and Hermanson. Look for Harold Reynolds to step forward and give the Sox some love.

Somebody will take him on because he can run, he bats left-handed and he can play the outfield as well as second base. Even if he is a turd, the Sox need to be quiet and not diminish the little remaining value he has left. Let him play a bit in spring training to create some interest. Then deal his butt. But we still need to find a veteran utility infielder. Iguchi is no sure thing -- and we need a backup shortstop better than Valdez.

Boras' M.O. is to keep chirping about how healthy and productive Maggs is, but NOBODY has seen him run or swing a bat or play the outfield since he was shut down last June. Some teams are still complaining that they don't think they have all his medical records. Who would be so stupid to give him a multi-year deal untill they put him through a serious series of workouts? Even then, the guy could have residual pain and swelling after he played for a week or more, especially after appearing on artificial turf. Boras keeps trying to play one team off another. All he needs is a pair of fools to play his game. And Tom Hicks can't control his inner fool sometimes. I just wish more teams would step up and do what the Sox have done -- namely say they're not dealing with Boras, period.

it would be a nice problem to have. First, Crede has to deliver on his end.

The louder and more outspoken Boras gets, the more I'm convinced Magglio ain't close to 100 percent. Sad situation. Dude was truly appreciated by Sox fans. Now he's showing he's just another greedy bastard.

wasn't Shingo also the runner-up in 2004?

Go-Go Goochi

Thirty nine days until the first Cactus League game. Let's do it!