VAfan

Why not send someone like Jerry Owens and a couple similar prospects for Ibanez? He's not on the 40-man roster, so he wouldn't have to clear waivers. And he's hot, so maybe he has value. Yet, at 24, he probably has less upside than Sweeney or Chris Young. Ibanez could start in LF while Pods is on the DL, and afterward could spell Dye, Rowand (with Pods in CF after he returns), Everett, and Konerko. We'd have no need to Timo Perez, and for the playoffs we might find Willie Harris's speed to be of greater value. Ibanez would be a very useful addition, who could also be used as a role player next year.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 09:55 PM) Everything you say makes perfect sense. However Ozzie has some sort of unnatural manlove for Timo. When asked about his MVP, I was surprised he didnt say Timo. Timo has occupied some critical ABs this year and has played a myriad of positions he is not meant to. Timo is a pinch hitter. He is not a leadoff hitter or a starter. We had Konerko playing a tired first base because Ozzie would of had to have parted with Timo to bring up Gload at the time. Gload sat down and Timo stayed up. The only reason Timo is not in tonights lineup is because a lefty is on the mound. But I promise you the minute a righty trots to the mound, Timo will be back running slow, and one handing the fly. I totally agree with you and Juggs. I checked out the Barons' website finally to get a little more on Owens, who is the lefty and 24, and Young, who is a righty and 21. Because of age and speed and the fact he hits from the left side, I agree with Juggs that Owens should be brought up to hit lead off with Adkins sent down. The Barons are tearing it up, having won 8 in a row, and have a lot of pretty good players leading them, including Young, Owens, Sweeney, Tracey, a revitalized Honel, etc. There is no reason these AA players can't jump up here when they are hot and stay reasonably hot. C'mon KW. Get it done. You've got an off day tomorrow to make these moves! Otherwise, our 10-game road trip after the Yankees could get brutal. If this team ever starts doubting itself, all the close games could turn against us a lot like happened for the Nats. We're better than the Nats, but our margin for error is razor thin.

Does no one else think the Sox should bring up another hitter in Adkins' space to try to spark the offense? Is Chris Young or Jerry Owens a lefty? If so, why not platoon them with Anderson or give Rowand or Dye a day off? I'd love to see a couple of our young outfielders try to spark our offense. Both Young and Owens have speed too, and all are very good fielders from what I understand. And I agree with the poster who pointed out Crede's horrible slump. I'd use Blum over there a couple days a week. Uribe, on the other hand, seems to be hitting better now. There's no way I'd give Iguchi a day off. I have no doubt we will break out of it, but management should make some moves to facilitate that.

I see 2 big things that have hurt us, and I trace them to the end of July. 1. Trade talk. We were getting everyone, and ended up with Geoff Blum. That's pitiful, frankly. But then the Griffey talk actually heated up b/c he's a guy who could pass through waivers. All of this has to make the current team feel inadequate. At the very least, it is not a vote of confidence, by management, or even us fans who were clamoring for the new guy. 2. Bad roster moves. Blum and Adkins up, Gload and Harris down, Everett get's hurt. All this happened together. I'm okay with Blum, but why did he suddenly get ABs everywhere when Ross Gload, who can actually hit, was kept in AAA recuperating long after he was healthy, and then didn't play when we finally brought him up? Then, when Everett went down, we were left with 12 position players and a pitcher we didn't need and didn't use. Our offense went into an immediate funk. 2, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2 runs in a 6-day stretch. Amazingly we scratched out 4 wins. But it didn't bode well going into Boston, where we hit better, but couldn't pitch. Then we get a win washed out and return home to meet the Twins. Now Pods goes down and again we're back to using Timo Perez. 2 more losses follow for our first 4 game losing streak. How do we get out of this funk? 1. Fix the roster. Send Adkins down tomorrow after his performance tonight. Ozzie will never trust him, and we don't need his 4+ innings in 2 weeks to rest the pitchers. Bring up another hitter so we don't see Timo Perez again holding down the offense. The choices are: Gload, Harris, Young, Owens, Borchard. At this point I'd lean toward new blood just to provide a spark. 2. End the trade speculation or make a trade. The Griffey rumors were allowed to fester far too long by Kenny Williams. When it wasn't happening, he should have put an end to the speculation. It would have been a vote of confidence in his club. Instead his message has been the Sox aren't good enough. Neither of these fixes may work. We may just have to hunker down and weather the storm. With our pitching, that should be possible. But something needs to change the dynamic, because at the end of July our team energy just went into the toilet and it hasn't come out yet.

QUOTE(JimH @ Aug 15, 2005 -> 01:59 AM) Are you listening? Is anyone home? It has everything, repeat everything to do with having flexibility in the pitching staff. You never know when a starter will get blown out. It is more valuable to have an extra arm, especially when the team is built around pitching and you want to keep your arms fresh for when it matters. It doesn't matter ONE BIT that Adkins has only been in a couple of games. Not ONE BIT. When he warms up, other guys don't have to. Do you understand what it does to a bullpen if God forbid El Duque or Contreras have a short outing and someone has to pick up the slack for 3-4 innings? It taxes the bullpen big time. What is it about this that you don't understand? Are you going to post the same thing again, for the 10th time, two days from now? There is no conspiracy theory. Gload is NOT in Ozzie's doghouse. Remember it was Ozzie who gave Gload the chance last year to begin with. Can you please comprehend that it's a matter of wanting 12 pitchers on the staff for the time being? Good lord. Do you still feel the same way after tonight? In the 16th inning, Adkins is finally brought in and promptly gives up 5 runs as the crowning touch on our first 4 game losing streak of the season. And you can't say he was unused, because he'd just pitched in Boston and given up runs.

The problem in 2000 was a complete breakdown in our pitching staff in August/September. This year our offense threatens to go in the tank. However, I would happily take 15-13 and 16-12 as a W-L record these two months, as it would almost certainly ensure home field advantage in the playoffs.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 16, 2005 -> 04:46 PM) I'm holding out hope that Uribe's finally coming around... In the last week he's just been doing exactly what he needs to do at the plate...working pitchers deeper into counts and fouling off balls he can't get the bat on. He's had at least 3 at bats that have gone 9 pitches or more. I don't know if he's had that many all season. I hold out some hope for Uribe too. His splits last year showed September to be his best month I think. Certainly last night he wasn't the problem.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Aug 16, 2005 -> 05:29 PM) The #1 reason you won't be seeing any of the "young, talented outfielders" in our system called up in september is.... THEY'RE NOT ON THE 40. You can only call up players on the 40 man roster to play in September. The only ones you'd be seeing are Anderson and Borchard. Sweeney (who's not even close to MLB ready), Young and Owens are all in AA and not on the 40 man roster. You're going to be seeing Timo for the rest of the year, get over it, it's not gonna change. I accept it is not going to happen any more than we are getting Ken Griffey in a trade. That doesn't mean I have to shut up about it. And if we wanted to put Chris Young on the 40 man, I'd be all too happy to release Timo Perez to make that happen. (I'm sure there are other options of guys we could get rid of.) Just realize it is a choice management is making. In my opinion the wrong choice. Look at Franceour for Atlanta. The kid is a lightening rod for the team. I think Brian Anderson, Chris Young, or Jerry Owens could be a similar lightening rod for our team, which looks asleep right now, if management would let them fill that role. Trouble is, I don't know which of those 3 guys could actually get hot. (Remember Joe Crede's first year call up? Still the best he's ever hit.) My guess would be Young, Anderson, Owens in that order, with Joe Borchard a distant 4th (but still a better choice than Timo Perez). I picked Young because his K/BB ratio is better than Anderson's. But I'm willing to let Anderson have the first crack because he's already up here. Ozzie, please play him. Everyday. 2-3 days on the bench and you can guarantee he'll go stale.

I'm now officially done with thinking about Ken Griffey. He's not happening. The Sox should instead focus seriously on using the talent we have in our system. Look at Atlanta, or Oakland. Both clubs that have thrown rookies into the mix to great effect. It is not too late for us to do the same. We are loaded with talented outfielders. Brian Anderson, who is finally up. Chris Young. Jerry Owens. Ozzie, you need to use these guys. NOW. Bobby Jenks made the jump from AA. I don't see why the others can't. (I would likely bring them up after rosters expand and use Anderson until then.) If I see Timo in a starting role again this year, it is going to kill me.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 16, 2005 -> 03:30 PM) Under your scheme we should test out each of our young guys to see who can contribute? I am for that, but only after we try and stretch our lead instead of watching is tumble. Well we should start by playing Anderson instead of Timo Perez. I don't think Perez should do anything but occasionally pinch hit or pinch run. But I also don't see automatically why Young or Owens couldn't contribute. We need an infusion of young blood to keep us from tumbling, frankly. Look at Oakland or Atlanta. How many rookies have they called on? We have Tadahito Iguchi, and now Bobby Jenks, who has helped us a lot out of AA.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 16, 2005 -> 02:26 PM) Here is the problem, Timo is out of options I believe, and would have to clear waivers first. Do you seriously think anyone would claim Timo Perez?? If they do, what a bonus!! I'm ready for some young blood in the lineup. This team needs a spark. It is dragging seriously.

John Allen, the Chief Operating Officer of the Reds "angrily" denied there was a Griffey trade in the works in today's Cincinnati Enquirer. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...160385/1071/SPT He didn't deny a trade was possible, if someone wants to give me a #1 starter, but of course such a trade could not happen because no #1 starter would be offered, nor would they pass through waivers. So I'm afraid, like the AJ Burnett and Jason Schmidt rumors, this one is almost certainly a dead one. Instead of seeking a savior from outside the organization, the Sox need to seriously reconsider how they can help themselves from within. I would start by cutting Timo Perez and trying out their young outfielders until they find one who can hit right now. That may be Brian Anderson. But it could also be Chris Young or Jerry Owens, both of whom have a lot more speed. All of these guys are probably better defensively than Perez, who is just an anchor to our offense whenever he plays. And if none of them can hit yet, plan B could be Ross Gload, who has proven he can hit if given chances.

There's a poll here http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/index on which one of 5 starters you would want in a critical game. Buehrle is narrowly ahead of Barry Zito at the moment, with less than 1000 votes.

Ozzie has to go with Anderson, who might provide a spark. Timo is 2 for 26 in his last 9 games. It is actually unbelievable, when the Sox are loaded with minor league outfield talent, that Timo Perez is still holding down a spot. I blame KW for this, as he could make the decision to cut Timo or send him to AAA. Ozzie, if given the option, plays him, and that is a mistake. I would take Brian Anderson, Joe Borchard, Jerry Owens, and even raw Chris Young over Timo Perez right now. The Sox can't screw around. We are very vulnerable right now, and the Twins I'm sure can smell it.

Nice job, Detroit. Blown save and loss for Curt Schilling.

My biggest beef is putting Timo in the lineup as the leadoff hitter. He hit Matt Clement in the rainout, so Ozzie thinks it is a good idea. But he has the worst OBP on the team. I'd rather see Joe Crede hit leadoff. I just hope this experiment is over after 1 game. Ozzie can't afford to screw around. We better see Iguchi and Anderson in there tomorrow and hope Anderson doesn't start his ML career in a funk.

QUOTE(fattyguy78 @ Aug 16, 2005 -> 01:06 AM) I can understand why people on here do not care for them or there numbers, they are not my favorite players either...that being said, they are still a member of this team that I love. They go out there and give there best whenever they are called upon and there has been nothing that I have seen that has been reported that they are a nuisance in the clubhouse...so give em a break. They do there best and they are a part of the team chemistry, sure I wish they where better, but hell I wish we had Albert Pujols on our team too. All Im saying is give em a break there not going out there trying to throw games for the other team...they are apart of this team and they deserve to be rooted for as well....sorry for my rant By all means, have your rant. But Ozzie is playing with our lead here, which, after tonight, may well be just 5 games over Boston. Perez, Uribe, and Blum are all well under .300 in OBP, and Crede is in a horrible slump. That leaves 5 guys to make an offense, with Contreras on the mound. Do you think we're going to rally for at least 5 runs tonight??? If we screw around and think we can beat Minnesota just because they are down on their luck, they would like nothing better than to lay it to us, as they have done in the 4th inning. All we would need would be a little pitching funk, which Buehrle and Garland both had in Boston, and we might not have the best record in the AL before August is out.

Another question: what are the worst two OBPs of any Sox player with more than 50 ABs?

Anyone care to guess?

The only open dates for both teams are August 22nd (Boston will be between playing the Angels in Anaheim and KC in KC, we will be coming off a home series against the Yankees on our way to MN) and September 5th. They can't screw around and think they don't have to play the game. It should be no factor in the AL Central race, but it could easily be a factor in who finishes with the second best record in the AL, in whether Boston wins the AL East, or even who finishes with the best record in the AL (had Boston beat us Sunday they would have been 5 games back of us in that category). Neither date is great, but they are a lot better than having it hang over things at the end of September.

With Anderson up, I hope Ozzie plays him. Tonight can be written off as a travel issue, but tomorrow can't be. Don't relegate him to the bench like Ross Gload. Let's find out if he can hit.

I've been on the fence about the Griffey trade, for a few reasons. 1. Money allocation. This year we took Carlos Lee's contract and spread the money over Pods, El Duque, and Pierzynski. Lee v. Pods straight up is a bad deal, but Lee for Pods, El Duque, and Pierzynski is the reason we're #1 right now. Next year, do we spend $12.5 million on a DH? Or should we take that money and sign AJ Burnett for the same 3 years we have a declining, injury-prone Griffey? I'd say the money is better invested in top pitching. 2. Chris Young. Could be better in each of the years 2007-13 (when he's ours) than Griffey will be in any year 2005-08. 3. Is Griffey the missing piece this year? In 1999, Griffey laid an egg in the ALDS. 2 for 15, with 1 BB. That was when he was good. I also remember Frank Thomas in 2000, a year he should have been MVP. On the other hand. 1. We need lefty power. We haven't had a lefty middle-of-the-order guy in who knows how long. And all of our likely AL playoff opponents will not have faced our team with Griffey in it. So it is going to give them a completely different look. 2. It's only money. If we make a serious playoff run, I believe JR will increase the payroll enough to keep Griffey AND pursue Burnett. 3. Chris Young could be great, but how many times has a Sox team won 100 games and had a shot to win the World Series? Only once. In 1917. The last time we won the World Series (or any playoff series). So what is hanging up this deal? I think it is money. I bet if the Sox took on all of the non-deferred portion of Griffey's deal, that the Reds would say okay. They might even accept something other than Chris Young if we'd pay all of Griffey's $12.5 million/year through 2008. But then we'd have to give Griffey a carrot to say yes to the deal too, because he wants Spring Training in Florida where I guess he lives. To come to Tucson, we'll have to sweeten the deal. On balance, I'm now in favor of it. I think Pods going down has made the difference. Indeed, I actually like this Pods-less lineup better than any we've used this year. Iguchi 2B Rowand CF Griffey LF Konerko 1B Everett DH Dye RF Pierzynski C Crede 3B Uribe SS Make the move Kenny.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 15, 2005 -> 02:01 AM) Griffey Jr. would play CF, and Rowand would play LF. Griffey Jr. has played CF his entire career, while Rowand has a lot more experience playing LF. That would be a NO. Here's the zone rating of all major league CFs. Notice that Rowand is #2, and Griffey is dead last. Sure, Griffey could fill in for Pods while he's on the DL (if he goes), or spell Dye like Everett does, but he's a DH, plain and simple. Jeremy Reed, Sea .950 Aaron Rowand, CWS .930 Grady Sizemore, Cle .923 Vernon Wells, Tor .919 David DeJesus, KC .917 Nook Logan, Det .907 Corey Patterson, ChC .903 Brady Clark, Mil .896 Torii Hunter, Min .891 Andruw Jones, Atl .890 Jim Edmonds, StL .889 Brad Wilkerson, Was .888 Carlos Beltran, NYM .880 Juan Pierre, Fla .872 Johnny Damon, Bos .872 Preston Wilson, Was/Col .867 Willy Taveras, Hou .854 Mark Kotsay, Oak .850 Steve Finley, LAA .845 Ken Griffey Jr., Cin .821

QUOTE(JimH @ Aug 14, 2005 -> 01:43 PM) You bring up this exact same point every other day. Let me try to put it succinctly for you, maybe it will sink in. THERE ARE 12 PITCHERS HERE TO KEEP ALL THE ARMS FRESH. THE TEAM IS BUILT AROUND PITCHING. IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE ARMS FRESH THAN GET ROSS GLOAD 5 AT BATS PER WEEK. God damn man, Ross Gload is a marginal reserve player for a reason. If he were that good, don't you think other teams would've scooped him up long ago? Give it a freakin' rest. Every other day it's the same stuff from you. Adkins has had two appearances for a total of how 3.2 innings since August 1st, when he came up. In that time, Carl Everett missed 5 games in a row (he pinch hit in the 5th game), and now Podsednik is about to go on the DL. Ross Gload could have played every one of those games. Instead, we've had 8 games of Timo Perez since July 31, 6 as a starter, in which he had a total of 3 hits in 22 ABs (until today, which was washed out). Now they are talking about bringing up Willie Harris to play LF. It is insane. Gload hit .320 last year in his 200+ ABs. There is no Sox player close to that number. Give the guy a chance. If they want to bring up Harris too, and send Adkins down (with Gload taking Pods slot), then fine. I'm not averse to having a pinch runner in a close game. But pay attention to who is of value. An everyday replacement player or a pitcher who has pitched less than 4 innings in 2 weeks? Moreover, Ross Gload could actually have value in the postseason as the first lefty pinch hitter if they would cultivate him. Jon Adkins has no chance of making the postseason roster. The only reason I can think of that this isn't happening is that Gload is in Ozzie's doghouse. Does anyone know why???????

My point about Adkins not being sharp is secondary. Most of the year we've played with 11 pitchers. Now when we bring up 12 pitchers, one of our position players has been hurt practically every day. We've had to use a utility player, first to sub for Everett, and now to sub for Podsednik. Gload, instead of Timo or Ozuna tonight, could have played every day Adkins has been here and actually helped us in every game. He's tearing up AAA because he's getting regular at bats. Bring him up and start him. Put Pods on the DL.