Ladies and gentleman, we are sitting on a goldmine here. I haven't felt like this since the Illini's run last season and suddenly I'm starting to feel the same things I felt then. This team has it all. Intangibles? YES. Chemistry? YES. Heart? YES. Skill? Yes. Fundamentals? YES. You name it, we got it. This team is going places people, we need to hop on and enjoy this ride.

 

Now let's make it farther than those amateurs in Champaign.

i hear ya man...i havent been this excited about the Sox since the incredible year in 2000 which ended so bitterly for me.....we need to take this momentum straight through the all-star break and create even more ground betwwen ourselves and those b****-ass twins and indians

i hear ya man...i havent been this excited about the Sox since the incredible year in 2000 which ended so bitterly for me.....we need to take this momentum straight through the all-star break and create even more ground betwwen ourselves and those b****-ass twins and indians

 

 

Hopefully we learned our lesson from that year. In 2000 we basically backed into the playoffs after an underwhelming second half and we weren't sharp for postseason baseball and we got our asses handed to us by the Mariners. I think it'll be different this time around.

Ladies and gentleman, we are sitting on a goldmine here.  I haven't felt like this since the Illini's run last season and suddenly I'm starting to feel the same things I felt then.

 

I don't want second place.

 

PS, believe is a cubs term, and way overused. let's think of something else.

I don't want second place.

 

PS, believe is a cubs term, and way overused. let's think of something else.

Arrogance.

They are good enough to be in the postseason, but look at how they do against quality pitching and quality teams

 

Beating Tampa Bay is one thing....beating the ANgels and Red Sox in the playoffs with their pitching and batting line up is another

 

Enjoy this season....I am doing it too.....but hopefully Kenny realizes this team may have issues in the playoffs and does something about it

I'm loving every second of this. It's years like this that make you really proud and appreciate all the time that you've invested into this team.

 

SOX PRIDE!

Ahem, look at the sig!

 

I've been feeling like you are right now since that magical Dodgers game.

Who cares about the freaking Illini. The Sox will win the damn thing.

Ahem, look at the sig!

 

I've been feeling like you are right now since that magical Dodgers game.

 

 

How bout that magical D-Backs game where we threw up a 10 spot to retake the lead and slap them b****es down?

How bout that magical D-Backs game where we threw up a 10 spot to retake the lead and slap them b****es down?

I was at my baseball game and didn't get to see it until the replay the next day, so it wasn't too magical for me. But yeah, there have been so many great games this season. Let's keep 'em coming!

Beating Tampa Bay is one thing....beating the ANgels and Red Sox in the playoffs with their pitching and batting line up is another

 

Enjoy this season....I am doing it too.....but hopefully Kenny realizes this team may have issues in the playoffs and does something about it

 

Whatever. We're 4-3 against the Angels, and that's with Santana's fluke and 2 Contreras starts and one Garland start. We won both that Buehrle pitched and both that Garcia pitched. I know the Vlad and K-Rod issues come up, but K-Rod was there for a while and wouldn't have pitched that often anyways, and Vlad can only do so much (we were without Frank anyways in the 4 game set and one of the three game set).

Whatever. We're 4-3 against the Angels, and that's with Santana's fluke and 2 Contreras starts and one Garland start. We won both that Buehrle pitched and both that Garcia pitched. I know the Vlad and K-Rod issues come up, but K-Rod was there for a while and wouldn't have pitched that often anyways, and Vlad can only do so much (we were without Frank anyways in the 4 game set and one of the three game set).

Three 1-run wins and one 2-run win. I'm sure as hell glad that Vlad and K-Rod saw no action in those games.

Three 1-run wins and one 2-run win.  I'm sure as hell glad that Vlad and K-Rod saw no action in those games.

 

In case you haven't noticed, a lot of playoff games end up that way. One of their wins was by one run also, another was by Santana, who we wouldn't see, and the other they won 10-7 in a slug fest. K-Rod did pitch one of the games by the way (allowed an earned run after starting the inning and left the bases loaded), and as I said, I think in terms of team impact, Frank and Vlad is about a draw (Frank's first two games off the DL were in the series). I like our chances if you lineup our rotation against theirs. Contreras got two starts against them, that won't happen in the playoffs. Also, we've scored more runs and our pen has a better ERA.

Edited July 6, 200520 yr by ZoomSlowik

In case you haven't noticed, a lot of playoff games end up that way. One of their wins was by one run also, another was by Santana, who we wouldn't see, and the other they won 10-7 in a slug fest. K-Rod did pitch one of the games by the way (allowed an earned run after starting the inning and left the bases loaded), and as I said, I think in terms of team impact, Frank and Vlad is about a draw (Frank's first two games off the DL were in the series). I like our chances if you lineup our rotation against theirs. Contreras got two starts against them, that won't happen in the playoffs. Also, we've scored more runs and our pen has a better ERA.

 

Sorry Zoom, I am the biggest Frank supportter there is out here, but he and Vlad are not a draw. Frank of the early 90s was much better than Vlad, FRank of the late 90s was a draw to Vlad of today, but the Frank of today is not a draw with Vlad of today. And again, I got some serious man-love for Frank focking Thomas.

 

Stats to compare for 2005 (this is just offensive stats, Vlad is obviously a better fielder than Frank)

 

Frank: 0.246 AVG, 10 HR, 18 RBI, 0.357 OBP, 0.710 SLG, 0 SB, 17 H in 24 G/69 AB

 

Vlad: 0.348 AVG, 15 HR, 48 RBI, 0.405 OBP, 0.607 SLG, 6 SB, 85 H in 64 G/244 AB

We've played 3 teams that as of right now would be in the playoffs and we have a winning record against all 3 of them.

In case you haven't noticed, a lot of playoff games end up that way. One of their wins was by one run also, another was by Santana, who we wouldn't see, and the other they won 10-7 in a slug fest. K-Rod did pitch one of the games by the way (allowed an earned run after starting the inning and left the bases loaded), and as I said, I think in terms of team impact, Frank and Vlad is about a draw (Frank's first two games off the DL were in the series). I like our chances if you lineup our rotation against theirs. Contreras got two starts against them, that won't happen in the playoffs. Also, we've scored more runs and our pen has a better ERA.

we just have to wait and see...i have confidence in this team but we havent played the red sox yet that will be a good gauge for us to see just how good we are.....also we have played some good teams well this year...just look at our division....indians...twins...we have played both well.....we'll deal with the east when we get there...right now i'm feelin pretty confident about our chances against any team

I was just gonna say calling Frank vs. Vlad a draw is crazy... First of all, Vlad plays the field and has a gun in right... He can steal and is an all around great player.. No offense to Frank, but he is getting older and doesn't have that "superspeed" anymore, haha

we just have to wait and see...i have confidence in this team but we havent played the red sox yet that will be a good gauge for us to see just how good we are.....also we have played some good teams well this year...just look at our division....indians...twins...we have played both well.....we'll deal with the east when we get there...right now i'm feelin pretty confident about our chances against any team

 

 

Agreed. In the playoffs its all about pitching and defense and I think we have enough of both to defeat anyone out there under those conditions.

I was just gonna say calling Frank vs. Vlad a draw is crazy... First of all, Vlad plays the field and has a gun in right... He can steal and is an all around great player.. No offense to Frank, but he is getting older and doesn't have that "superspeed" anymore, haha

He's got a gun but he's also a very bad right fielder. I'm not calling Vlad vs Frank a draw but Franks pretty damn important to our offense.

On the topic of start believing, I would say is Don't Stop Believin' in which case I forward you all to this link:

 

awesome link

He's got a gun but he's also a very bad right fielder.  I'm not calling Vlad vs Frank a draw but Franks pretty damn important to our offense.

career .961 field percentage isn't spectacular, but at this time I would take Vlad over Frank... .speed, defense, and hitting. I know Frank is important to our offense, just like Vlad is to LAA of A

I was just gonna say calling Frank vs. Vlad a draw is crazy... First of all, Vlad plays the field and has a gun in right... He can steal and is an all around great player.. No offense to Frank, but he is getting older and doesn't have that "superspeed" anymore, haha

 

How are Frank and Vlad not a draw? We're not comparing their importance to the team concept here, we're comparing how much they affect offenses.

 

Thomas has out OPS'ed Vlad this season...in a quarter of the at-bats. His AB/HR ratio of just over 7 is pretty incredible for a guy who had not played in the majors in about a month, and due to that ratio, he is only 6 homers behind Vlad...in a quarter of the at-bats.

 

And having that main cog in the middle of the lineup that you know will put up solid numbers for you is very relieving, and you have seen it, with the Sox offense increasing their output since Frank got back...that also has something to due with warmer weather to.

 

Offensively, they both mean the exact same amount to their teams...both statistically and psychologically.

Offensively, they both mean the exact same amount to their teams...and psychologically.

Do you really think you can argue this when you aren't in the clubhouse and dugouts with the teams?

Do you really think you can argue this when you aren't in the clubhouse and dugouts with the teams?

Maybe not but I think the Sox record with Frank in the lineup speaks for itself.