February 17, 200620 yr A lot of those guys were [in Washington] to meet the president, and all I had to do was take a look around,'' said Cooper, the White Sox' pitching coach. "I looked into the eyes of Mark Buehrle, looked into the eyes of Jon Garland. "I remember thinking, 'You know what? We've got the belt. We're the champs. Now we're defending that belt.' Looking into their eyes, I think we're going to be real son-of-a-b****es and not let anyone take it from us.'' That will be the message Cooper plans to relay to his staff this afternoon, when pitchers and catchers are expected to report to camp at Tucson Electric Park. While Cooper has spent the offseason keeping in contact with as many of his pitchers as he could, this will be the first time the entire unit is together again since bringing the first World Series title to the South Side in 88 years. "What we did last season was special,'' Cooper said. "The No. 1 thing I want these guys to know is that we don't have to do anything more than what we did, but we certainly can't do any less. Work ethic, aggressiveness, toughness and execution -- that's what did it for us. They went out there whenever we put the ball in their hands and were aggressive. "Everyone did what they were capable of. We had a lot of opportunities last year and into the playoffs, and we talked about controlling the moment and taking advantage of those opportunities. That hasn't changed. If we take that similar approach, starting in camp, then we not only have a chance to defend our title, but we have a chance at greatness.''
February 17, 200620 yr It's quite amazing at this point 1 year ago, a lot of White Sox fans had mixed feelings on Don Cooper. Some thought he wasn't the man to take this pitching staff to the next level and bring out the best in the likes of Jose Contreras. And now how times have changed. One of the priorities for this season should be getting Don Cooper locked up to a extension (since IIRC, he's only under contract for this season only).
February 17, 200620 yr I like him because: He seems to have the respect and attention of his pitchers He is the pitching coach of the 2005 World Series Champions and He sounds like he should be in GoodFellas
February 17, 200620 yr QUOTE(The Critic @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 08:13 AM) I like him because: He seems to have the respect and attention of his pitchers He is the pitching coach of the 2005 World Series Champions and He sounds like he should be in GoodFellas No doubt....the pitchers love Coop and with the way he talks, you'd swear he's got a cheap cousin that was mysteriously deposited in the East River.
February 17, 200620 yr QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 07:50 AM) I was one of them, no doubt about it. However, I am THRILLED the man was able to shut me up. ^^^^^^^
February 17, 200620 yr Author QUOTE(Brian @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 09:34 AM) He's no Nardi Contreras. Thankfully.
February 17, 200620 yr I like Coop's philosophy of pitching: be aggressive and get ahead in the count. And if you don't get ahead in the count, don't be afraid to challenge guys. It's nothing revolutionary, but the players believe in it when they take the mound and that is important.
February 17, 200620 yr Long been a Coop backer. The pitchers really respect him and he does a great job motivating them and getting them ready and prepared. He gets these guys mentally sharp and gives them confidence and thats a huge part of pitching.
February 17, 200620 yr Coop's great. He does sounds like he should be in the Sopranos or GoodFellas. I love him on the pre-game show with Ed Farmer. Let's hope he work his magic with Vazquez and bring him back to the form he had when he was with Montreal.
February 17, 200620 yr QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 03:54 PM) Coops is the reason I believe Vazquez will have a career year. I agree, Im especially optimistic about Vazquez because of how well Coop handled the staff last year.
February 18, 200620 yr Author QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 03:09 PM) 85 innings pitched, 5.27 ERA. Not so much.... He's been in the organization for close to 20 years. I'm sure he's qualified.
February 18, 200620 yr QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 02:54 PM) Coops is the reason I believe Vazquez will have a career year. Coop, AJP, and the defense are the reasons I do. Primarily the defense.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.