Soxbadger

You would lose the Dh, but with a 3 run lead its more in case Omar, Teahen or Ramirez got hurt. You dont want to throw Beckham out there and have him not be able to make a throw or something and cost yo the game. More worried about defense up 3 than offense.

And if people are wondering why they kept in Lilli its because if they used Manny theyd basically have no one who could play 2b/SS/3b if something crazy happened.

Thats the Manny impact. AJ gets 2 fastballs because they dont want to deal with Manny

AJ just needs a single.

CQ just hit a blooper or something

At least Edwin Jackson is making me look awesome. And Sox just need one run here, lets make it happen.

Why do people keep knocking Manny? Ozzie decided not to play him, and its not unusual that a player who flies to a new club is only available for PH that day. Do people just want to be negative about Manny? Because I assure you he will do something to actually piss people off, but today is not one of them.

Bringing in a lefty to face Vixquel

It was a hit and run. If you watch the replay Pierre even thinks about swinging at the pitch out.

That was a hit and run gone bad. Good idea just got caught.

And there you go, exactly why you pinch run there. Tie game, Manny can bat for Kotsay at DH. You had to pinch run there.

I think you have to pr kotsay there because this is the potential tie run. You can then put Manny in the DH spot if you need him later. But a single scores Lilli here and some one for the Sox needs to step up.

If this was rank the teams by who will have the most NBA players, I agree that Wisconsin is not up there. But if the question is where will the teams finish next year, its hard to argue that Wisconsin is not one of the top 4. Since 2001, Wisconsin has never finished worse than tied for 4th. I guess I just dont see why Purdue, MSU or OSU are considerably better than Wisconsin who beat all of those teams last year. I think its a toss up with the top 4, and that its possible Illinois jumps into the mix, but they are going to be relying on a lot of young guys.

Im just wondering how you guys think Wisconsin will finish 6th? Even if they have what would be considered a horrific home record of 7-2, all they have to do is go above 500 on the road and they finish with a 12-6 record in the Big 10. Barring a horrific injury to Leur, Id expect Wisconsin to be at worst 12-6 in Big 10 play and finish 4th. If they play up to what I think they should be in the top 3 with a chance for the title. For a 12-6 record all they have to do is: At home beat Michigan, PSU, Indiana, Minnesota, NU and go 2-2 vs Illinois, MSU, OSU, Purdue On road beat Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Michigan and go 1-4 vs Illinois, Minnesota, MSU, OSU, Purdue Unless Wisconsin all of a sudden loses their home court magic, its going to be hard for them to ever finish lower than 4th. They may tie with several teams for 3rd or 4th, but its unlikely theyll finish below them.

It doesnt matter what other players do. It doesnt matter if 99% of the MLB players would have played tonight, it matters what Manny wanted and what Ozzie wanted. Many times with a trade like this, the player arrives at the park but only is there for PH. This is not out of the ordinary, this is not Manny being there last night and refusing to play today. Im not about to freak out over Manny not playing tonight. Id rather that Manny felt that he is welcomed by the Sox and that they actually care about how he feels. Maybe it wont mean dick, but thats how I feel. I cant say whether or not Id be ready to play after getting on a 6am flight. My guess is that I wouldnt feel 100% but if the team really wanted me to play, id do it. But if the team asked if Id rather sit out and be ready for tomorrow, Id say whatever is best for the team. If you want to blame some one, blame the Dodgers for dragging it out and not letting the claim go through before the Yankees series. That would have made a difference. Manny missing today and being ready tomorrow probably wont change the world.

You can say how easy it is or what he should do, etc. But as a professional, I would not go out and represent my clients if I felt it would be a disservice to them. If I was asked by my client, employer, etc if I felt I was good to go, and I wasnt, I would tell them. And if they said that they wanted me to wait for another day or asked me if I what I wanted to do, Id tell them the truth. Its not about how hard it is, its about being a professional. Now you can argue that Manny should have flown out last night, or that the Sox should have chartered him a plane last night so that he was in Cleveland ready to go for today. But if people are going to have unrealistic expectations about Manny you are all going to end up disappointed. This is not a guy who is known for his work ethic, or his desire to play. So why did anyone ever believe the guy would play on a day where he had to fly at 6 am? Its Manny Ramirez, the guy has sat out games for way less. Did you think that because he was on the Sox all of a sudden hed be a model citizen? If you like Ramirez and you want Ramirez, then this is the type of s*** your going to deal with. I dont know why anyone thought it would be different.

This is part of acquiring Manny Ramirez. You take the good with the bad. But I absolutely understand not playing baseball on a day that he flew from LA to Cleveland.

Id rather give Manny the day off and have him happy the rest of the season, then push a guy who was up at a time that no person like Manny ever sees. Personally Id be dead. If he doesnt feel he can be 100%, let the guy rest 1 day and hell be out there the rest of the season presumably.

I think Jackson has also been helped by the fact that KW/Cooper believe in him. He just seems to be pitching with more confidence with the Sox and trusting his stuff. He gets in trouble when he starts trying to throw perfect pitches and walking people. With the Sox he has seemingly thrown more strikes and challenged the hitters. If he didnt have Boras as an agent id be pretty confident the Sox would extend him after this season.

There is more to making a line up than just putting the best hitter where hell get the most at bats. If that was the only consideration why not hit Frank Thomas lead off? Manny at 3 guarantees him more at bats. But does it guarantee him more at bats with men on base? How does it impact the line up? Those are the questions I ask when I think about how I want the team set up. Manny at 5 will protect Konerko, who is having the best season of any Sox hitter. It will also most likely give him the most opportunities with RISP. Batting 3rd with Pierre and Vizquel will give him a lot of 1 to 2 out men on 2b. Batting 5th will potentially set up bigger innings. Youre not going to walk Konerko to get to Manny, you very well may walk Konerko to set up a dp with Rios. Its a lot of small things but I think Manny in the 5 to start is not that crazy of an idea.

Im fully aware of statistics. I just think that Manny batting 5th makes a lot more sense than Manny 3rd. Just the way the White Sox use their 1-2 hitters doesnt make me love Manny at 3rd. Id rather him 5th where he can protect Konerko and focus on hitting, not on whether Ozzie is having guys steal, etc. Manny has never really batted 3rd or 5th, most of his career has been at 4. Either way I dont think 3 or 5 is going to make a large difference.

I think Manny can hit 3rd or 5th. Id probably go 5th because Id rather Manny was driving in Rios then Rios was driving in Manny.

Just barely missed the Bobble Head, kind of annoyed that so many Yankee fans got them.

MANNY MANNY

Big out for Pena.