VAfan

The only thing I can figure about Gload's lack of playing time this year was that Ozzie plays favorites, and in the long run that is a LOT WORSE than a guy who has a legitimate gripe letting his emotions take over for a moment when a reporter thrusts a mike in his face. True, Gload's throwing shoulder was hurt, which prevented him from playing the outfield, but that is no excuse for sending him to AAA and keeping the useless Jon Adkins on the roster during what turned into the worst stretch of our season. The minute Harris and Gload went down and Adkins was brought up, Carl Everett went out with his groin strain. That was 5 games Gload could have DH'ed instead of Timo Perez, who essentially went hitless during those game. The next guy to go down was Podsednik. But he didn't go down until Everett had come back. Again, Gload could have DH'ed while Everett filled in for Pods in left field. Instead, we got more Timo Perez Ofers and 3.5 runs a game. While Gload torched AAA pitching with grand slams, hitting streaks, and overall solid left handed hitting. In the middle of that, Jermaine Dye had a very bad stretch where Everett could have moved to RF and let Gload play. Plus a day a week off for Konerko... So there was a stretch in August where Gload would have played every day and may have actually been the best hitter on the team for that short window of time. Instead, Ozzie burries the kid and plays, in the lead off position, the guy on the club with the worst on base percentage, all the while putting more stress on his pitching staff. (Plus Adkins blew up 2 of the 3 games he pitched in during this stretch.) Players see that and know it is not right, thereby undermining confidence in their manager. It seems silly to make this much out of Ross Gload, except when you realize it is really a comment on Ozzie Guillen's managing abilities, on which our success or failure in the postseason probably hinges.

1. Contreras 2. McCarthy 3. Garcia 4. Buehrle/Garland Of course I'm making a joke, but I do think Ozzie may have a challenge picking his postseason rotation, and our postseason fates probably rest on whether he makes the right choice. Needless to say, we also need to make the postseason, which is not yet a done deal. But when Ross Gload rejoins the team, I expect an immediate boost!

After Wednesday's performance against Texas, I just decided to revive this thread. Ozzie and Co. are already talking about a 6-man rotation for the rest of the season, and if McCarthy stays on the roll he's been on since fixing his arm angle, they may start considering him for a postseason role.

The best way to end our slide is to start winning the first game of all our upcoming series. That is what we did to start the year. Then, after the first game when the other team had blown their best pitcher on us, they were left facing bad pitching matchups. With our lead, we don't have to win every series, but we do have to avoid being swept by anyone again. And I'd still love for us to win 100 games. So let's get Santana tonight. He's beaten Buehrle twice, but Freddy is going to be tougher.

QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ Aug 23, 2005 -> 03:28 PM) don't the minor league seasons end at the end of August? Either way, I'm down with this move, big time. f*** Adkins. Get teh kid up here. BMac is the logical choice to spot start that game against Texas. But I wouldn't wait until then to send Adkins out. We could still use another hitter right now. Everyone knows who my choice would be.

QUOTE(JimH @ Aug 20, 2005 -> 10:39 PM) What a completely new and unique thought from you, thanks for starting another thread to point it out for the 20th time. And I'm going to keep raising it every time some other guy Gload could replace goes down for a few games. The 3-5 grand slam night at Charlotte by Gload is what triggered my latest outburst. Who would you rather see at bat? Timo Perez, Geoff Blum, or Ross Gload. Sure, Gload is not Ken Griffey, but his production in limited time last year was every bit as good as Lyle Overbay.

Between Everett's dings, Podsednik being out, and now Konerko, why in hell's name have the Sox had worthless Jon Adkins on the roster since the end of July. Ross Gload could have played most of the past 3 weeks and probably helped the club every day. Instead, he's tearing up AAA and we've lost 7 in a row because we have no offense. Sure, maybe Gload's a pathetic loser. But he's all we've got.

QUOTE(daa84 @ Aug 18, 2005 -> 09:14 PM) agreed. ibanez and young are both slightly worse versions of carl everett. ok carl doesnt hit righties as well, but historically hes much better against them. besides what are you gonna do send a bunch of prospects for a platoon DH??? maybe ibanez fills in for scottie for a while, but these games dont mean s***, lemme see what BA cando, we arent gonna lose the division, and we are almost guaranteed hoem field in the first series (tho that might be a bad thing). i just dont see either of these guys helping us too much. Think of Ibanez as a replacement for Timo Perez and suddenly he has more value. He'd replace Podsednik, who may be on the DL for a lot longer than 15 days, to start. After Pods returns, he could spell a lot of other players with a lefty bat. Dye, Konerko, Rowand, and even Everett could be given breaks without losing offense in the bargain.

It was posted under the Trade Winds section. Go there to see the discussion.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Aug 18, 2005 -> 06:50 PM) The Mariners would have no interest in Jerry Owens (a future 4th OF) being the focal point of any trade for Ibanez as a throw in yes. They'll want some one with more upside and higher ranked. You may be right, but you are guessing as much as I am. Personally, I would be willing to give them Brian Anderson, and I started to write that, but I doubt he would clear waivers. Joe Borchard would be another possibility, and might clear waivers because he's older than Anderson.

Guardado has a player option next year at $4.5 million. The Mariner's option is $7 million. They won't exercise that option, so they can't demand much in trade for a month of his services. This last year, Eddie exercised his side of the option, but I'm guessing he'll opt out and try to negotiate a new longer term deal this offseason. So, personally I thinking adding Eddie would be fantastic. No more Damaso Marte roulette in the late innings and protection for Hermy's back. But I wouldn't pay more than non-roster guys for him. And no Chris Young. If the deal is too pricey, I'm also fine with what we currently have in the bullpen.

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.