Now that Cotts and Adkins have made the team i've realized something. We're gonna be counting on A LOT of guys that have had little to no MAJOR league success. Cotts, Adkins, Schoenweis, Wright, Takatsu, Harris, Rowand, and Olivo...I will continue to be optimistic. But I worry that we're counting on so many guys who r unproven...Tell me what u guys think...

I agree with that, but the core of our guys that you didnt mention are the ones that will make or break the team I think. If Mags, Carlos, Frank, Slonerko, Loazia, Buerhle, and Garland all do what they are supposed to do, we will defenitly be in the hunt for the title in this up for grabs division.

Your forgetting one important thing.....Look at our division? How can't we win this?

Now that Cotts and Adkins have made the team i've realized something.  We're gonna be counting on A LOT of guys that have had little to no MAJOR league success. Cotts,  Adkins,  Schoenweis,  Wright,  Takatsu,  Harris,  Rowand,  and Olivo...I will continue to be optimistic.  But I worry that we're counting on so many guys who r unproven...Tell me what u guys think...

And what happened in 2000? Did anyone expect the performances we got from Aldred, Wunsch, Perry, and Baldwin to name a few? Just wait until the season starts until you start asking for a miracle.

Your forgetting one important thing.....Look at our division? How can't we win this?

Didn't we all say that last year? The worst thing we can do as Sox fans is think we have this thing on lock just because the division is weak. We're gonna have to play solid. CONSISTENT baseball all year to win this thing. None of this take the 1st 3 months off then get it goin in July or whatever like we did last year...

Now that Cotts and Adkins have made the team i've realized something.  We're gonna be counting on A LOT of guys that have had little to no MAJOR league success. Cotts,  Adkins,  Schoenweis,  Wright,  Takatsu,  Harris,  Rowand,  and Olivo...I will continue to be optimistic.  But I worry that we're counting on so many guys who r unproven...Tell me what u guys think...

Look at the rosters of the rest of the teams in our division everyone is depending on new guys and rookies. It isn't just the Sox.

And what happened in 2000?  Did anyone expect the performances we got from Aldred, Wunsch, Perry, and Baldwin to name a few?  Just wait until the season starts until you start asking for a miracle.

Very good point. I'll hold on to that...

Didn't we all say that last year?  The worst thing we can do as Sox fans is think we have this thing on lock just because the division is weak.  We're gonna have to play solid.  CONSISTENT baseball all year to win this thing.  None of this take the 1st 3 months off then get it goin in July or whatever like we did last year...

Yeah but last year we had a manager with the intensity of a goldfish.

 

Now we have Ozzie, sure he may be inexperienced, but at least we won't see any more friggen corpseball.

 

CWSOX45

And what happened in 2000?  Did anyone expect the performances we got from Aldred, Wunsch, Perry, and Baldwin to name a few?  Just wait until the season starts until you start asking for a miracle.

TRUE DAT

TRUE DAT

Very strange.

Now that Cotts and Adkins have made the team i've realized something.  We're gonna be counting on A LOT of guys that have had little to no MAJOR league success. Cotts,  Adkins,  Schoenweis,  Wright,  Takatsu,  Harris,  Rowand,  and Olivo...I will continue to be optimistic.  But I worry that we're counting on so many guys who r unproven...Tell me what u guys think...

Our bullpen - Cotts(and will probably be demoted when Wunsch comes off the DL), Adkins, Takatsu, Jackson, Marte, Politte, and Koch

 

Twins bullpen - Fultz, Balfour, Thomas(will make 2 starts or so)Roa, Romero, Rincon, and Nathan

 

Royals bullpen - Sullivan, Leskanic, Grimsley....someone help!!!!

 

 

That's one example. Then consider the offenses(ours is probably much better then the other two), and our rotation is way, way better then the Royals, and I would probably take it over the Twins too.

 

Last year, we would have won the division if we had a manager whom the players responded to. This year, we do have one, but a little less talent. Doesn't matter to me. What we need will be gotten by the All-Star break, and we could have it by the end of June(afterall, KW did get Everett and Alomar on July 1st of last year).

 

If we go .556 throughout the year(and for those of you who do not understand, that's a .556 winning percentage, or 90 wins), I can almost guarantee we win. Also, it would help to win 11 or 12 of 19 against both Minny and KC(and we can go more), along with beating the teams we need to beat(Detroit, Cleveland, Texas, Tampa, etc) and we are fine.

Didn't we all say that last year?

Last year we had a lot of expectations. This year we are quiet and like an underdog. I like this attitude: Keep quiet. This year we dont have that Koch comment, or the expert saying BS that we were the best. I love to be passed without be noted, and that´s what this team is, nobody is giving us attention...

In the year 2000, we had a similar situation with players who have had little success:

C Lee

Singleton

Sirotka

Baldwin

Parque

Foulke

Valentin (had terrible seasons in Milwaukee prior)

Fordyce

 

The list could go on, Olivo, Harris and Rowand are very talented, they be fine. And as bad as our pitching is, it's still tops in the division. We'll be fine.

I have no expectations for this year. I can't determine if we are good or not so good. No idea about Ozzie. I am just going to sit back and enjoy the show and not get too high nor too low.

I have no expectations for this year.  I can't determine if we are good or not so good.  No idea about Ozzie.  I am just going to sit back and enjoy the show and not get too high nor too low.

I'm thinking the same way.

I have no expectations for this year.  I can't determine if we are good or not so good.  No idea about Ozzie.  I am just going to sit back and enjoy the show and not get too high nor too low.

Right on the money

Your forgetting one important thing.....Look at our division? How can't we win this?

Very simple. We come out flat like we did last season & you can forget it. I dont think KW will have another Alomar/Everett rabbit to pull out of his hat this year to save the season.

I have no expectations either.

I do suspect our crowds will be horrific all season if we start

slowly.

The Yankees better not sweep that four game series.

We better split in KC and win 2 in NY or interest will

be abysmal early especially if the Flubs win.

 

For some reason I have a feeling we might win the opener in

KC.

I am planning on being there and covering the game so

hopefully I won't get yelled at by the Big Hurt.

Coming out of the big series in Cleveland in late July, the Big Hurt wasn't doing much for the first-place Chicago White Sox except leading the American League in hitting, runs, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, extra-base hits, ropes, bombs, shortstops moving out of the way of nuclear ground balls, and number of clubhouse boys sent running for more double-strength Mylanta.

 

Try this on for size: This year, barring a protracted strike, Thomas could break Babe Ruth's records for runs, walks, and extra-base hits in a single season. He could become the first man since Ted Williams to have an on-base percentage of .500 or higher, and the first one since Williams with a slugging percentage above .700. Now here's a sentence without Ruth or Williams: Thomas looks as if he'll be the first man to bat .350, hit 50 home runs, and walk 150 times in one season- period. Oh, and he's after the Triple Crown and Roger Maris's 61 home runs, too.

 

Basically, he is scaring baseball right out of it's Bikes. Somebody asked Cleveland Indian manager Mike Hargrove the other day how to pitch to Thomas, and he said "Throw it 10 feet in front of the plate and hope he doesn't hit it on the first hop". Already New York Yankee manager Buck Showalter has said he would consider walking him with the bases loaded. "I wish they'd let us put on the mask and shin guards", Cleveland Indians pitcher Dennis Martinez says. "Pitchers shouldn't be left out there alone with him".

 

Taken from the August 8, 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated

 

I love the sig! Man, what could've been of 1994 if it weren't for the strike. :headshake

I love the sig!  Man, what could've been of 1994 if it weren't for the strike.  :headshake

I don't care what anybody says...In his prime, Frank was the most DEVESTATING offensive player in the game....That article speaks for itself...

GOD DAMNIT..NOW I'M f***ING MAD...NOT ONLY DID THAT DAMN STRIKE WIPE OUT A POSSIBLE WORLD SERIES APPERANCE FOR THE SOX..IT WIPED OUT A CHANCE FOR FRANK THOMAS TO PUT UP ARGUBLY THE MOST DEVESTATING OFFENSIVE NUMBERS FOR A SEASON IN f***ING MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY...f*** EVERYBODY WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT f***ING STRIKE :fyou :fyou :fyou :fyou :fyou :fyou :fyou :fyou :fyou :fyou

GOD DAMNIT..NOW I'M f***ING MAD...NOT ONLY DID THAT DAMN STRIKE WIPE OUT A POSSIBLE WORLD SERIES APPERANCE FOR THE SOX..IT WIPED OUT A CHANCE FOR FRANK THOMAS TO PUT UP ARGUBLY THE MOST DEVESTATING OFFENSIVE NUMBERS FOR A SEASON IN f***ING MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY...f*** EVERYBODY WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT f***ING STRIKE  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou

not a strike really, but actually an owners lockout

 

the last Saturday night game I stood in UD and it was a glorious night, great weather, good crowd, Sox winning, and asked, why would anyone not want to kep this going

 

at the risk of unleashing more antiJR rhetoric, unfortunately I can suggest who was one of the chief owners supporting locking out the players

 

 

I appreciate JR more than most and get tired of the JR bashing, but that was not his finest hour by any means to say the very least as an understatement and your point about the team loss and the Frank loss to history is very right on

Last year I had way too much expectation for that team. After the 0-3 start, and seeing my first glimpse of Billy Botch, the rest of the season never got above decent. OK maybe that stretch in July when we climbed back into the race was fun.

 

This year I a trying to set my expectaions at rock bottom. If I could convince myself that 6th place in our division was obtainable, I would have. But 5th is as low as it goes. Anyone want to here the scenario I built for 5th place? The Tigers had the best off season, Cleveland did ok, add a couple injuries to our core (Maggs, Frank, Lee, Mark, etc.), Ozzie being worse than JM, and we could finish last.

 

So if we can win as many as we lose, that will be fun for me.

 

I happen to think it will be another 3-way with the Twins, Royals, and us. If I really, really had to make a wager, I would have the the division

Royals, Sox, Twins, Indians, Tigers. I feel better with the bottom three pick than the top 2. Percentage likely Tigers 5%. Indians 10%, Twins 25%, Royals & Sox 30%.

 

The more I look at our offense, the more I think about Crede, Olivo, and Lee geting a year older, I get excited. THe more Frank adopts a team first attitude, the more excited I get. The more I think about Ozz, Harold, and Joey working the bench, the more excited I get.

 

We have a team to win the Central. Imagine of we were in the East or West. No need to even think about the season.

GOD DAMNIT..NOW I'M f***ING MAD...NOT ONLY DID THAT DAMN STRIKE WIPE OUT A POSSIBLE WORLD SERIES APPERANCE FOR THE SOX..IT WIPED OUT A CHANCE FOR FRANK THOMAS TO PUT UP ARGUBLY THE MOST DEVESTATING OFFENSIVE NUMBERS FOR A SEASON IN f***ING MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY...f*** EVERYBODY WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT f***ING STRIKE  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou  :fyou

Just ANOTHER reason to dislike (distrust) Reinsdorf!

 

BTW...if the Sox don't win the Central this year, I think the blame should rest on: 1) Front office, for doing NOTHING during the off-season, AND

2) Ozzie Guillen, for having no managerial experience (not really HIS fault!)

 

Minnesota took some BIG losses during the off-season, and KC can't be sa good as they were last year. From #1-#25 on the rosters, we have more talent than anyone in our division. It's like being the "tallest midget".

"Santo = Dorf" is by far THE best signature on Soxtalk. Cracks me up everytime I see it!

 

Santo = Dorf