vilehoopster

Is MLB. TV working yet for anyone? I can't get that or radio still?

Not just the results, but doesn't Vargas's swing look so much better? Is it just confidence as opposed to last year when he was just flailing at too many pitches.

All these TJSs and Drury (their best bat of spring, far and away) injured and released. I hate the Sox right now and I hate being a fan. I try to be optimistic, and I often argue and debate with all the constant Negative Nellies on this board and defend the Sox organization, but I am down about the events the last few days. I mean seriously, look at the lineup up above. That's more or less the opening day lineup. That's, at least, three guys in the lineup who are going to bat under .200; at least three!! So every game, no matter how good the pitching, the Sox are going to start every game with three or four absolutely dead bats, almost half the lineup. I'll be okay in a few days, but right now I hate being a White Sox fan. And yes, I will still tune in and watch today.

On the topic of Varland. A week or so before ST started, I was listening to various podcasts in my excitement for the season to get going. And on one of them, I think it was the Chuck Garfien one, Ethan Katz was a guest. Again, it was a day or two before official Sprint Training was supposed to start. Anyway, there were two pitchers that Katz was really high on, really talking them up about how they had improved and, whatever, his high expectations for them this year. One was Varland and the other was Cannon. The punch line is that both of them have stunk up this spring. I'm not sure what to think about that, but for one thing, Katz has lost a lot of credibility with me.

Sometimes (most of the time??) it is so difficult to be a White Sox fan. The team has been playing better; I've been able to convince myself that they will only be bad and not terrible. But driving home and listening to the game, I hear first about TJS for Thorpe (not unexpected; we were all saying this last fall). And then I hear about Drury's thumb injury, completely out of the blue. I had such high hopes for Drury. Two of the few players I was really excited about this year are out for long periods of time. Just God Damn. It is soooo tough to be a White Sox fan.

I disagree, Drew is going to be the jewel that that makes that trade a success, maybe not next month put it will happen. And really, my crystal ball is just as truthful as yours.

Wait, we can go back to last year and use stuff from then to evaluate a trade? You see, I didn't understand that. I used to think that it would take years to track all the outcomes of the various players involved in a trade to really determine if a trade was successful or not. But from what I've seen on this thread is that all it takes is a single event like a pitcher leaving a game could completely doom a trade. So conversely, I just thought that Zavala's good day could completely validate and justify that trade completely.

Hey, with Zavala's 2 for 2 performance today against the Reds, can I now prematurely declare that the Sox have clearly won the Cease trade? Because let's be honest, making that statement after two spring training at bats is every bit as valid as all the people pronouncing that the Sox lost the Cease trade.

Are we going to be introduced to the rotation in the next few days? Burke today Martiin tomorrow and so on?

When things go against your anti-Getz rants, it's luck. But when things are bad, it's that Getz is an idiot. This example and my bringing up Thorpe's five good games in a row last year. You then bring up bip or bap or some other silly pitcher rating that showed that those five really good, solid games were luck, not Thorpe's good pitching.

The Sox will pay for it by Colson not wanting to resign with the Sox, or a action like that is a big step to turning Colson into a Clubhouse cancer. I'm telling you; Colson is not gonna be happy about it.

Managing a professional team means more than managing the talent, making lineups, scouting, skill development, and whatever else we associate with running a professional team. It also means managing players and their egos, usually big egos. You have to take into account those egos. So, let me say something that many on here will disagree with. I really don't think the Sox want to leave ST with Meidroth on the MLB roster. For one reason, I don't think his bat is ready. But here's the other. . . Also, if Meidroth, batting .133 or whatever, is playing in Chicago, and Colson was sent down to the minors two weeks ago, Colson is never going to forgive or forget that. I'm sure Colson will say all the right things, blah, blah blah. But he will see the combination of those two decisions as a big slight to him (he's been in the orgainzation much longer) and that is going to fester. Colson already feels he wasn't given a real shot due to an injury that he will feel is not his fault. Can I prove this? Of course not. but if you work with players and their egos, you have to know this is a reality. If Colson is at Charlotte and Meidroth is in Chicago, down the road, the Sox will pay for it. I've said this before: Send them all down to Charlotte, let them play together and win together; then after the big flip sale at the trading deadline, bring them and their winning attitutes and expectations up.

Maybe because he was their best (least bad) bat the 2nd half of the year.

1. 63 wins 2. Even with the super lefties and Grant Taylor coming up, Drew Thorpe will be the Greg Maddux-like ace of the staff for the next five years, at least.

This is a great point that's hard for me to argue with. I'm upset about the team not looking at ST performances, especially Smith's; but then I'm ignoring Burke's incredible September in real MLB games. Maybe he is the way to go? We'll see. With that said, if Smith is not in the starting rotation, I'm going to be posting the first fire Venable post . . . maybe.