fathom

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 02:58 AM) I just have no faith in our starters this year, even Contreras. I would take about 15 pitchers in baseball to start a big game for us right now over any of our starters. Their miraculous turnaround just might not be coming, and there's a very realistic chance we don't even make the playoffs. And this team really doesn't have the fire it had last year. We might not want to admit it, but we've become the pre-2005 teams. All offense, no pitching, no emotion. It seems that losing has become acceptable. Until they can prove otherwise, last year was one of those dream seasons where you get career years from numerous guys, avoid major injury issues, and you have the ball bounce your way.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 02:57 AM) PFB, the reason for Buerhles problems are confidence problems. Yep, that was his stance on the whole issue. I love the caller that mentioned "does Escobar and Burnett now have a lack of confidence because their manager pulled them before the trouble started". According to the PFB, Buehrle needs a boost in confidence more than those guys. Maybe the PFB should do some research and see that Burnett had gotten shelled in his last two starts, and he has a ton of pressure on him to live up to his contract right now.

I had the chance to listen to the PFB take calls on the post game show. Is baseball knowledge not a requirement for his job? The guy keeps repeating stuff that is not only inaccurate, but just stupid. Every single caller disagreed with the way Ozzie handled Buehrle tonight, but the PFB kept repeating the same tired line: "just think how high Buehrle's confidence would be if he got out of that inning". Will someone please ask the PFB how Buehrle's confidence is shot again due to being left out on the mound to implode again?

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:57 AM) Why the hell wasn't MB kicking the crap out of some water cooler in the dugout? He got s***ty calls in his last inning but he should have left the game with only three earned runs. It didn't even seem to phase him that he got fricked over half a dozen times in that last inning. Instead he balks. The guy has no passion. In fact this whole team seems to have lost its fight. They better shake that crap or they will not see the post season. Mark Buehrle has no passion? He might suck right now, but I wouldn't say he has no passion. Come on, he's the greatest lefty closer in World Series history. Anyways, he would have thrown a baseball at the water cooler, but that wouldn't have done any damage at 80 mph.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:57 AM) No but seriously, I think this was the most frustrating game of the year. Damnit why the f*** did he not take Buehrle out... You know expectations are high on here when almost every game has someone say how it was the most frustrating game of the year.

Tomorrow will be a tough game for the Sox. Wang has his sinker going now, and it's going to be difficult for us to hit a lot of homers. We're not going to win if we have to get 3 hits in an inning to score a single run.

QUOTE(CWSOX45 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:52 AM) We are 0-1 on this 11 game homestand. We have to show up the next two series, or it could be season over... Good...I honestly want this team to have this challenged. If they can't start beating good teams, then they might as well start planning their golf trips this offseason.

This team needs someone at the top of the order that can give them a spark. Our 3-4-5 is awesome...but far too often they're having to produce the offense for this entire team all by themselves.

Somehow, we're still tied for the Wild Card lead. For the next two weeks, it's now or never for this team. Everyone has got to pick their games up, from the head man to the 25th guy on the roster.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:48 AM) The Sox were outmanaged tonight. Ozzie has to give his team the best chance to win the game. Its time to quit screwing around, and watch what is going on. The starters are getting lit up, bring in the bullpen. It's the number 1 job of the manager. Well said!

QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:47 AM) LMAO. Do you think that Ozzie EVER looks at statistics? I doubt he ever even takes a glance at them. Except for the pitcher's Wins category.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:46 AM) cintron is so overmatched... We're going to miss Uribe if he goes on the DL.

Here's one more thing that has irked me about Contreras. His sinking fastball and forkball are elite pitches. However, his slider isn't anything exceptional. However, he keeps getting burned on that slider. His forkball is his bread and butter, and he's seemed a little more timid to throw it this year. Rather, he keeps trying to change up his arm angles on his fastball and slider, and everything is out over the heart of the plate. Just a little observation.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:42 AM) Aaron Hill's pitch was a sidearm slider that hung, not a fastball... I'm almost positive it was a fastball. The hanging slider referred to in the media was to Vernon Wells that inning.

QUOTE(Wanne @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:42 AM) For someone with supposedly incredible speed...he sure is late to a crapload of balls hit. Pods doesn't have incredible speed. He's lost more than a step this year. Ozuna is our fastest guy by far.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:41 AM) great...now we get to watch k-rod celebrate on the mound. He's worse than Zambrano. Nothing was worse than Pudge's reaction over the weekend. He seriously celebrated more than Kirk Gibson did.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:39 AM) Contreras was 89-91 yesterday. He hasn't been the same since his back injury. Yeah, I'm not saying Contreras stuff sucks now. Rather, I was just pointing out he's another guy who's velocity is down this year.

QUOTE(G&T @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:39 AM) Contreras also had the back problem, but he can still get it up there 93-95. What happened to the extra velocity he had last year? 2 mph can make all the difference between a broken bat grounder or a rocket single. With that velocity at the end of last year, Contreras was able to throw that sinker in on the hands of righties, and they could only hit it to Crede. Now, we see #8 hitters like Aaron Hill hitting rockets to left field to score two runs.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:34 AM) Garland's fine, and Contreras is okay (ie no loss of 'stuff'). Vazquez is what he is; an enigma. He's got great stuff, and he is capable of using that stuff late in games. I still look as him as a guy who can be fixed, and I think he's here for the next year, like it or not. At the end of last season, Contreras' fastball was in the 95-97 mph range, and he typically only threw that and his forkball. I watched the highlights the other day of his amazing Twins start towards the end of the season, and he looked like a completely different pitcher than he is now. QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:35 AM) The thing that really bugs me is that Buehrle was so close to walking off the mound with his second respectable start in a row. I don't even think BMac was warmed up enough yet to come in. Just a pathetic way to lose a game. That's a great point you make about taking Buehrle out when his confidence can remain high.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:33 AM) I wonder how many 5.1 or 5.2 or 6.1 or 6.2 or 7.1 or 7.2 IP lines our SP have. I bet we lead the league... It's been amazing how many 6 innings, 3 ER starts have become 6.2-5. It's happened like 3 times in the last week, and had happened numerous times prior to this week.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:30 AM) Has Jon at all? His velocity was down earlier in the year. I had never heard this, but the radio said that there was a report he had a bad shoulder to start the season.

QUOTE(G&T @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:28 AM) It wasn't that long ago...and the Btaves pitchers simply got old. These guys aren't old. And there's no proof that any pitchers on either team were on steroids. Not that it means anything, but there's no proof. Then will someone please explain to me why basically every pitcher we have has lost velocity this season? I can't think of anyone who hasn't dropped a few mph. QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:29 AM) Doesn't change my feelings of Buehrle. It's past a "slump." We need our starting rotation, as an entire unit, to collectively string together quality outings. I'd like to believe Garland/Contreras/Vazquez/Garcia can compensate for Buehlre, but unfortunately, I can't. We're going to be in trouble if this is the Mark Buehrle we're left with the remainder of this season. It's too bad the Cards don't have a loaded farm system. If they did, we could get ourselves a "Mulder" package for Buehrle possibly.

QUOTE(Felix @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:28 AM) Yep. It's almost as if they take pride in seeing their team losing just to prove themselves right. I'm a pessimist, but I'll never say this team has no chance. As some of us have mentioned, we'll know a lot more about this team after the next 2 weeks. If we play bad, we're in a lot of trouble.

QUOTE(Felix @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:25 AM) Yes, nothing other than the team is still in the wildcard race. You act as if this team is 40 games under .500, when in reality it is still among the leagues best. The season is NOT over, and if you say so, you are only kidding yourself. This team has enough talent to make the playoffs, now they just have to do it. Anyone who says this team has NO chance right now is just setting it up so they could act like they knew it all along if it happens.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 8, 2006 -> 01:23 AM) Okay, well you show me and prove to me that this happens year after year after year to the championship teams' pitchers. And, if you do this successfully, you'll probably make yourself a lot of cash along with it, because I'd tend to think that that would be a rather large finding. Mmkay? Till then, your theory stinks of BS. So you disagree that a long postseason run, with a lot of tight games, won't possibly influence a pitcher's ability for the next season? I thought it was a pretty common theory in baseball that these pitchers have a hard time bouncing back the following year after the added innings/stress.