Some optimism......

[WHITESOXRANDY]

just a little history to bring you back in off the ledge:

 

12/08/04 signed Dustin Hermanson

 

12/09/04 signed Jermaine Dye

 

12/13/04 traded C.Lee for Pods and Viz

 

12/17/04 acquired Bobby Jenks

 

12/22/04 signed El Duque

 

1/06/05 signed A.J.

 

1/19/05 signed Pablo and Widger

 

1/27/05 signed Iguchi

[daa84]

just a little history to bring you back in off the ledge:

 

12/08/04 signed Dustin Hermanson

 

12/09/04 signed Jermaine Dye

 

12/13/04 traded C.Lee for Pods and Viz

 

12/17/04 acquired Bobby Jenks

 

12/22/04 signed El Duque

 

1/06/05 signed A.J.

 

1/19/05 signed Pablo and Widger

 

1/27/05 signed Iguchi

nobody is saying its too late to assemble the team, the frustrating part is that many of the pieces people envisioned on the 08 team are gone because either we 1.) got out bid or 2.) have finally seen that 5 years of deteriorating a farm system without replenishing it is finally catching up to us

[WHITESOXRANDY]

nobody is saying its too late to assemble the team, the frustrating part is that many of the pieces people envisioned on the 08 team are gone because either we 1.) got out bid or 2.) have finally seen that 5 years of deteriorating a farm system without replenishing it is finally catching up to us

 

 

Well, yes, many people are saying it's too late and that Kenny already screwed up. Also, were these 2005 acquisitions all part of the plan 6 months before ? I doubt it. Lastly, 5 years of a bad farm system - how about 10 ?

[daa84]

Well, yes, many people are saying it's too late and that Kenny already screwed up. Also, were these 2005 acquisitions all part of the plan 6 months before ? I doubt it. Lastly, 5 years of a bad farm system - how about 10 ?

eh 5 or 6 years ago we had the ability to trade tons of our stocked farm system for major league talent...and to a large part, we did just that...unfortunately we just didnt restock it

[southsideirish71]

Well, yes, many people are saying it's too late and that Kenny already screwed up. Also, were these 2005 acquisitions all part of the plan 6 months before ? I doubt it. Lastly, 5 years of a bad farm system - how about 10 ?

 

Sure because the 05 AL Central is the same as the monster division we have before us. The tigers and the royals in 05 were both doormats. Its not the same.

[ptatc]

nobody is saying its too late to assemble the team, the frustrating part is that many of the pieces people envisioned on the 08 team are gone because either we 1.) got out bid or 2.) have finally seen that 5 years of deteriorating a farm system without replenishing it is finally catching up to us

 

hopefully the changes in the scouting department will help this. The scouting and development of players is the greatest weakness in this organization.

[gosox41]

hopefully the changes in the scouting department will help this. The scouting and development of players is the greatest weakness in this organization.

 

 

You can add on to that sentence by saying "...and it's killing this team everyday as they are forced to over bid for mediocre free agents and lack the ability to put together an offer of yound players for an All Star, let alone 2 All Stars."

 

 

Bob

[The Ginger Kid]

Sure because the 05 AL Central is the same as the monster division we have before us. The tigers and the royals in 05 were both doormats. Its not the same.

how true, good point.

 

But I'm not conceding anything to the tigers (or the Indians). They made it to the WS then went out and added Sheffield and everyone was handing it to them. Sound familiar?

[Chombi]

Good points but it's a different place now.

 

The division was anyone's for the taking. We had a solid core and were coming off a 2nd place finish. I believe we lost like 8 of 9 to the Twins in the last month or so as well and that was basically the division. I remember that season well. I remember leaving school early for opening day and even dosing off in the 8th inning only to wake up to Beltran hitting a walkoff i believe.

 

Anyways, we made some good moves in hopes of creating a better team in 05'. IE the Gracia move. This division was lost like I said in head to head play down the stretch. We went for some vets and all that good stuff.

 

Those moves reflected moves of a team on the verge of winning, not a team who is coming off a 90 loss season. The division is much stronger, as is essentially the whole AL, and although I do see some moves following the meetings; it's not the moves that make us happy unless they are moves that make us winners.

 

Very very few moves can accomplish that at this point and I hope we have a similar amount of moves in the same time period this year. I just hope they're all moves that turn this team into a 50 mil payroll that is loaded with prospects and superb young talent.

 

The edge is close for some. I personally jumped off in April but that's my pessimism. Moves like those won't do anything for this ballclub.

[Guest]

ah, those were the days. but everything came together perfectly that year. i still miss shingo's gong sound over the loud speakers everytime he would take the mound at the cell, i miss him like he still misses chicago. too bad the scouts caught up to his frisbee pitch like there was no tomorrow.

 

that 2005 white sox team was not a juggernaut like today's red sox or yesterday's some other juggernaut. it may sound silly but clubhouse chemistry wins games!!! remember hearing about how many times players like aj, rowand, and crede got on stage to cover journey songs while on road trips? I guarantee that didn't happen last year. and if it did, it was just a lone aj pierzynski drunk off his rocker on stage covering journey after crying in his beer over rowand's absence as paulie and thome looked on in fear. hey, maybe netting rowand will help improve other player's numbers like pierzynski's and konerko's for example. it may sound crazy but team chemistry can not and must not be underrated.

Edited December 6, 2007 by DonnyDevito