hogan873

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 12:52 PM) I would be happy with 42 wins at the break. I think this division can be won with 85-77. Sox have to go 43-26 from here on out to get that. Doable. I agree that it's doable, but this coming week will be huge. Taking 4 of 6 from the Dodgers and Cubs would be a great start. The Cubs series concerns me, not because I think the Cubs are a better team (they are not), but because it's a rivalry and these games take on a life of their own.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Jun 19, 2009 -> 10:21 AM) I don't see Lilli, Wise or Fields as part of next year's picture at all. They'll all be gone - replaced by youngsters, or through trades between now and April '10. I agree...at least I hope. I could see Wise still here because of Ozzie's love for the guy, but Fields pretty much has to be gone, and Lillibridge is not MLB ready.

I thought I remember some talk last year (or maybe the year before) about not having the usual 6 intra-city games and only having one series. What if the Sox and Cubs only played when the AL Central and NL Central played? Probably not frequent enough, but those games would be amped.

QUOTE (tonyho7476 @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 03:11 PM) Lots of effort...big dud. And anyone who goes to Wrigley is a loser...stay on your side of town. F Wrigley Field. It actually wasn't much effort. I amused myself anyway. Oh to hell with it. I can't take the rejection. I quit! *sobs uncontrollably*

**Breaking News Out of Chincoteague, Virginia** Chicago Cubs sign rights to Little Leaguer Sammy "Ham Sandwich" Trotter Chincoteague - Grover Trotter is a proud papa these days. His 8-year old son Sammy was signed by the Chicago Cubs yesterday after scouts in the area saw the youngster bat. The club secured the rights to young Sammy for $150 and a Ron Santo signed baseball. "I told them scouts that my boy is MLD ready," Mr. Trotter said. It was later explained to him that the acronym is MLB, not MLD. Scouts for the Cubs were apparently in the area to watch a minor league game but stopped for directions at the Trotter trailer. When Mr. Trotter learned that his visitors were scouts for a "big baseball club", he immediately had his son grab a bat. "I told Hammy to grab his bat and show these fellas what hitting's all about," Mr. Trotter belched, crushing an empty Pabst can. Sammy Trotter then proceeded to swing the bat at a series of pitches from his dad. He made contact regularly, and the scouts reported that the youngster had a good technique. "My boy always gets hits in his games," Mr. Trotter beamed. "The ball even makes it close to the fence sometimes." Cubs GM Jim Hendry spoke of the signing and was optimistic of the kid making the club eventually. He stated that the club was looking towards the future as well as the present, and signings like this can make or break an organization. The GM went on to say that the signing was only possible because of beer and hot dog sales at the most recent Cubs-Sox series. "Hey, we may not like the Sox and their fans, but we'll take their money so we can better our club."

In reality, I agree that the series is not as exciting as it used to be. It's just 6 games of the season. Of course there is some added excitement, and I hope the Sox sweep the Cubs.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 08:06 AM) I wish Bradley would do his little cartwheel like he did in santa's avatar I was wondering about that. So that was Bradley? What the hell was he doing?

A fly ball to right lands in front of Bradley and rolls past him to within 3 feet of the wall. Bradley throws his hands in the air claiming the ball is stuck in the ivy. AJ and Zambrano get into it, but then decide to go to McDonalds instead of fighting. After the Sox take the first two games, Hendry trades Soriano to Seattle for Griffey and promptly sticks his tongue out at KW. After watching the Cubs lose in dramatic fashion in an error-filled game, Jake Peavy tells his agent he won't play for either Chicago team.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 10:49 AM) I would still make that trade. I don't know if I would. With Contreras pitching so well and Richard pitching okay, I think the SP staff is decent...for now. I wanted the trade to happen when it was going down and was disappointed when it fell through. Hindsight being what it is, I feel that it's a good thing it didn't happen.

QUOTE (soxfan3530 @ Jun 10, 2009 -> 02:58 PM) Are these next two games about as must-win as they come for games in June?? I would say so, at least for early June...especially against a division rival. Winning both is a series win, albeit barely. Losing one is a series loss, and that would hurt more than a series win would help.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jun 10, 2009 -> 08:01 AM) He should go in as a White Sox just to piss off all those Indian fans that boo him. How do you boo Jim Thome? That was my thinking.

QUOTE (smalls2598 @ Jun 10, 2009 -> 08:09 AM) Except that it's not longer the players choice on what jersey he wears into the Hall, after the Wade Boggs situation. You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but I wasn't aware that it's not the player's choice. I remember the uproar over Fisk choosing Boston over Chicago.

Okay, here's a topic to debate something else besides fire sales, money, and losing. When Big Jim gets the call for the Hall, what jersey will he wear? Obviously he spent a huge amount of time in Cleveland and was a major force to be reckoned with then. But, he hit his 500th with the Sox and may hit his 600th with the Sox (although that's not very likely). Cleveland fans do not much care for Thome, but he may still have some love for the team and city. If he retires as a Sox, I could easily see him donning the Sox jersey. But if he goes somewhere else for the twilight of his career and hits #600 there, that could be a different story.

You know what's scary (and maybe a little exciting)...KW could go into fire sale mode and dump salary and pick up some youth, and this team could still compete in the lousy AL Central. It would be The Kids Can Play Part II. I'm not saying the Sox could take the division, but it would still be interesting. And the team might be more fun to watch with the likes of Beckham, Poreda, J. Danks, etc. taking the field. In reality, I think many of us would actually calm down and be satisfied with the season if some trades were made AND some good prospects were picked up.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 08:19 AM) I sometimes get the feeling around here that people wish Player X (let's use Pods as the example here), would fail miserably, just so they can say, "I told you so!$#@#$!$#", regardless of the affect it has on the team. I've been around this website for quite a few years -- before the influx of "talent" in 2005 =D, and I have to say that there was a time when criticism was much more constructive around here, compared to now where it doesn't matter what the Sox do, it sucks...and if it turns out to be ok, we get 50 stupid f***ing posts about eating crow. How about eating s***, instead. (This wasn't directed at you, either.) Hey, at least these posts make for entertaining reading.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 07:44 AM) You noticed this, too? Anything the Sox do sucks if you listen to the majority of this website -- and heaven forbid they bench Brian "The Savior" Anderson and don't let him play 162 straight games per year -- that's unacceptable, too. I, too, have noticed the barage of negative posts regarding almost every move the Sox make. Granted the signing of Garcia is a yawner and nothing may come of it. But so what? A minor league contract just to give the guy a chance? Who cares? When the Sox signed Pods (to a minor league contract), you'd have thought the world was coming to an end if you read the majority of the posts. Hmmm, looks like that was actually a good signing. Now I am fully aware that this site is for opinions of the fans, and that everyone has a right to post how they feel about signings, games, how many doughnuts Colon consumed, etc. So, why do some of us feel the need to bash others for expressing their opinions? Do I think Garcia will be a great signing, and he will contribute a lot to the club? No, but it's a minor league contract. He wasn't signed to take the place of anyone. If he was signed and slated to start tonight, and he went out and got his ass kicked, then we could all say, "What a stupid move."

I think it's more inconsistency than anything. True this is not a great team, but it's a team that can (and should) compete in the lousy AL Central. A 5-1 road trip, which included a trip to Anaheim and a sweep of KC leads to a so far horrendous home stand complete with two shutouts? The team has shown that they can play and have even looked very good at times. But when they are bad, they are VERY bad. I'm not sure the inconsistent play will go away, but I can hope.

I thought I read that Ozzie is trying to circumvent MLB rules and allow GB to bat three times in the lineup. He'll bat for himself, Chris Getz, and Jayson Nix. If he is still on base when he has to bat again, they will allow a "ghost runner".

Yeah, where is Herbert Perry anyway?

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 11:14 PM) I couldn’t stop crying after the game so I tried to get some sleep. I woke up in a puddle of my own urine and in a Wonder Woman consume. Neither of these things made sense, but one thing is for certain. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT GORDON BECKHAM!!! Nice.

Ugh

Fields as DH? Oh boy...

Having grown up in Pittsburgh and being a hard-core Pirates fan until the strike year and the dissolving of a once great team, I'm frustrated with the Bucs always trading away their good/great players. I know it's all about the money, but this is a team that has a wonderful stadium and a oddly-big fan base in an awesome city. With their trading of players, it's like they are nothing more than a farm team for the rest of the league.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 06:48 AM) This is more exciting than the Jonas Brothers coming to town. *swoons*

Why couldn't Beckham's first game be a night game? It's not the same watching the play by play on Yahoo. Oh well, it's still a great day for the Sox. Hopefully he will energize this club.