BrandoFan Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 20 SB, 9 CS, 4 pick-offs. 20 steals and 13 outs? And Rowand had a fluke steal where he got picked off, so it's more like 19/14, which is awful. None of the steals are of 3rd base with < 2 outs, so it's even worse. Are hit-n-runs up? No. Are GIDP appreciably down? Not really. Sac bunts are getting botched left and right. Ozzieball is definately hurting this team so far. IF Scott f***ing Posednik can swipe 20 bags already, Willie should be running on everybody. Crede, Magglio, Konerko and Thomas on the other hand? Not so much. The only thing this team is successful at so far is MEDIOCRITY. Sox must shape the f*** up and fast. Like NEXT 6 GAMES "fast". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobDylan Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Nobody knows how to play it. They have a slow as hell line-up bogged down by right handers that don't get on base. Ozzie-ball looks awful when your 5-6-7-9 hitters are hitting a combined .251. It ain't Ozzie's style of play that is lacking this team, it is the fact that this team just flat out doesn't know how to hit. I like a lot of the players on the Sox, but my god do some of them need to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Looking at steals Lee is 3 for 5 and Uribe is 4 for 6. Ozzie probably needs to look at these two. Are botched H&R reflected as caught stealing? Are fielders indifference counted as steals? Brando brings up some good points. Maybe we have swung the pendulum too far. I said last year that JM was managing for big, slow, power hitters. The team was built for big inning power. Maybe we haven't changed enough elements yet to play small ball effectively. A-Row is 2 for 2 in stolen bases so I guess both times he got on base he was successful in stealing second Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSox30 Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 This team is not built to run. It is built to the smack the hell out of the ball and get runs by doing that. But I agree with you brando on the hit and run and sac bunts. Those are fundamentals that need to done each and every time they called upon. THERE IS NO EXCEPTION FOR NOT LAYING DOWN A BUNT TO ADVANCE THE RUNNER! It's fundamentals that wins the close ones and they do need to do what brando says: shape the f*** up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted May 10, 2004 Author Share Posted May 10, 2004 Looking at steals Lee is 3 for 5 and Uribe is 4 for 6. Ozzie probably needs to look at these two. Are botched H&R reflected as caught stealing? Are fielders indifference counted as steals? Brando brings up some good points. Maybe we have swung the pendulum too far. I said last year that JM was managing for big, slow, power hitters. The team was built for big inning power. Maybe we haven't changed enough elements yet to play small ball effectively. A-Row is 2 for 2 in stolen bases so I guess both times he got on base he was successful in stealing second Botched H&R = botched Ozzieball. Players' fault. Ozzie's fault. Matters not. Uribe should be running. Lee should pick his spots. 3 SB, 2 CS is bad. Last year he was very good. All others years -- bad. Rowand should be 1-1, not 2-0. He got picked off and was safe at 2B on a lousy throw. If I am an official scorer, somebody is getting an error on that play. But yeah, Rowand should be running as well. As should Olivo and Harris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSox30 Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 When I've seen uribe run at the games, he just doesn't look like a runner. He got caught when i saw him and then later in the game I saw him rounding third and he just looked SLOW. Willie should def. be running in most situations, but I wouldn't go as far as uribe...I just dont have a feeling about him running the bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted May 10, 2004 Author Share Posted May 10, 2004 but I wouldn't go as far as uribe...I just dont have a feeling about him running the bags. He is an 80% career base-stealer. If you can't run him, who are you gonna run, Joe Crede? Run Harris every chance to maximize his OBP. Run Uribe, Olivo, Rowand -- maybe Lee ocassionally in front of Kong. That's it. Sac bunts are a waste of outs, esp when the team can't execute them. Small ball is BAD when it's not done right, esp in the modern game. It wastes precious outs - last game in Toronto showed what happens. 70% is the break-even point on SB. Pick-offs are counted as CS, btw. The exception of course if a team is full of light-hitting Pierre types who steal A LOT, including 3rd bases with < 2 outs, and generally wreck havoc on the pads.......in which case I guess such team could "subsist" on sub-70%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddy Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 by the way, podsednik is amazing, hes going to be a superstar hands down. He'd be a helluva guy to persue... unfortunately he just signed a new deal with milwalkee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 by the way, podsednik is amazing, hes going to be a superstar hands down. He'd be a helluva guy to persue... unfortunately he just signed a new deal with milwalkee Would u rather hav Crawford or Podsednik leadin off for ur ballclub? Both great lead - off guys prob best in the league with Juan Pierre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Would u rather hav Crawford or Podsednik leadin off for ur ballclub? Both great lead - off guys prob best in the league with Juan Pierre. Carl Crawford without a doubt. Once he fills out he is going to be a hell of a #3 hitter. He is going to be one of the best in the game. I can see 30-30 out of him easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddy Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 i'd take podsednik... hes gonna swipe 60 bags at least this year, and he sets up runs really well. He doesnt have the power numbers, he's a lot like J. Reed... his OBP his pretty good as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Paulie is 1 for 1 !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddy Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 ___________________G AB R H 2b 3b HR rbi TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG BA 1. S Podsednik MIL OF 31 133 26 39 7 2 3 11 59 14 19 18 0 .371 .444 .293 2. C Crawford TB OF 29 120 18 36 4 4 1 9 51 7 21 14 5 .344 .425 .300 podsednik better in almost every category so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 podsednik better in almost every category so far except one -- Probably the most important one -- Podsednick - March 18, 1976 Crawford - August 5, 1981 ---------------------- Podsednick was playing in the Gulf Goast league before Crawford's 13th birthday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted May 11, 2004 Author Share Posted May 11, 2004 Small Poppa Willie is faster than Podsednik. He should run at least as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Willie just needs to get his timing down, don't worry he'll steal 40+ this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted May 11, 2004 Author Share Posted May 11, 2004 Willie just needs to get his timing down, don't worry he'll steal 40+ this year. If he gets a chance to play, that is. Remember, he is an automatic out against LHP, so he will sit against them. And against RHP, he'll have to outhit Jose, whose 970 OPS against righties leads the team. Willie has positively surprised me a bit latelty, but he might not get many starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 If he gets a chance to play, that is. Remember, he is an automatic out against LHP, so he will sit against them. And against RHP, he'll have to outhit Jose, whose 970 OPS against righties leads the team. Willie has positively surprised me a bit latelty, but he might not get many starts. Rowand can't hit RHP, Harris should start in CF against righties until Reed is called up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddy Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Small Poppa Willie is faster than Podsednik. He should run at least as much. difference is pod knows HOW to run. Willie is fast but doesnt know really how to steal (well) yet... he'll learn and he'll be good i believe. I'm looking forward to the day he figures everything out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilMonkey Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Willie is fast but doesnt know really how to steal (well) yet... You hit the nail on the head! You can't teach speed, but you HAVE to teach how to read a pitcher and when to pick your spots. I don't think Willie or Uribe have it, at least not yet. However, I am hopeful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Carl Crawford without a doubt. Once he fills out he is going to be a hell of a #3 hitter. He is going to be one of the best in the game. I can see 30-30 out of him easy. I'm not so sure Crawford will be a 30 homer guy. I could see 20 or so, but not much more. However, I could definately see him being a 20-50 guy ...or a 20-60 guy ...or a 20-70 guy ...or maybe even more. Crawford is fast as hell, and he is a pain in the ass to play against. If we could get Carl f***ing Crawford in a White Sox uniform, I'd love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted May 11, 2004 Author Share Posted May 11, 2004 I'm not so sure Crawford will be a 30 homer guy. I could see 20 or so, but not much more. However, I could definately see him being a 20-50 guy ...or a 20-60 guy ...or a 20-70 guy ...or maybe even more. Crawford is fast as hell, and he is a pain in the ass to play against. If we could get Carl f***ing Crawford in a White Sox uniform, I'd love it. Tampa is looking forward to him reaching his prime. He is only 23. 390 OBP, 500 Slug. 70SB/15 CS and a bunch of extra bases on the pads on non-steal plays - like scoring from 1st on doubles off the wall with less than 2 outs, etc. Also Gold Glove defense in LF. He could do all that a few years from now without having to hit 25 HR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Tampa is looking forward to him reaching his prime. He is only 23. 390 OBP, 500 Slug. 70SB/15 CS and a bunch of extra bases on the pads on non-steal plays - like scoring from 1st on doubles off the wall with less than 2 outs, etc. Also Gold Glove defense in LF. He could do all that a few years from now without having to hit 25 HR. Oh I know for a fact Tampa will hang onto him. A great leadoff hitter like Carl Crawford is an asset to any team and a player like him makes any team that much more dangerous. See Kenny Lofton in his prime, see Rickey Henderson in his prime(though he did have a little power too), Lou Brock, and for examples today, look at how dominant Brian Roberts was against us just in this past series we had against Baltimore. When he got on base, you knew he was stealing, and you knew there was damn near nothing you could do about it. If a player like that gets on base, it's damn near runs every time. That's why Tampa will keep him. He's going to be a good-ass player by the time he starts to fill out, probably an All-Star...just imagine what he'll do if/when he starts hitting for power. He could be a top 5 player in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Harris may never learn how to steal a base properly. That is a knack some guys have and some don't. He may just need to pick up on a couple of subtle nuances that make up the difference between stealing in the big leagues and staeling in the minors. I hope that's the case, and it very likely is. He had some pretty decent success in that department in the minors, iirc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Do the 9cs include the times picked off? I have seen some good examples of smallball too. The 3-2 win vs. Toronto Willie double, Uribe sac bunt, Maggs sac fly. Rowand double sac bunt sac fly. Thomas homer, we gave up 11 hits to a Toronto team that doesn't move runners over and only needed those 3 hits to win the game. I like the blend of both and think it will only improve. The first game against Toronto for example down 1 late uribe gets on to leadoff and then Maggs and Thomas fly out, Juan steals 2nd w/ 2 outs Lee flies out. Didn't get it done, maybe with more confidence in the smallball you steal him with 0 outs, but it's really easy to second guess. I like it now better then last year even if it's not the best fit yet for this team we are maximising some of the player's strengths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.