fathom

Sammy Sosa has never been the same since Manny left the Cubs. For those that don't know, it's widely believed that Alexander "introduced" Sosa to the roids. Alexander was eventually busted for steroids a few years after.

With the season dwindling down, here's some thoughts on Sox players this year: -Carlos Lee is quietly having his best overall season. He'll likely bat above .300, have good power numbers, and has played very good D in LF. No complaints. -Paul Konerko: He's almost become an all or nothing player this year. He's great at home, bad on the road. He used to be more of a line drive hitter, but seems to have changed his approach to hit fly balls. Therefore, he's hit a ton of infield flies this year. Still, a great rebound year, and if you're going to trade someone, he has a lot of value right now. -Jose Valentin: Yuck. Completely disappeared down the stretch. It would be great for the Sox to get a dependable SS who can hit against both lhp and rhp. Still wouldnt mind Uribe as everyday SS, but Ozzie obviously doesnt want that. -A. Rowand: Most improvement I've seen by a Sox player from one year to the next I can ever recall. He went from a platoon player that you didn't necessarily want up to our best all-around player. -Willie Harris: I still don't feel like he's doing what he needs to in order to be an effective MLB player. He doesn't really steal bases, he's not a good bunter, and even though he has good range, he doesn't finish off the plays very well (weak arm). That's it for now

I wouldnt mind going to the Cell and cheering on the Marlins. All White Sox fans should appreciate what they did last year, and hope that they can take care of business this weekend.

Joe Borchard better be hurt, cause there's no reason in hell that Timo should be playing over him tonight. The lineup has Timo in RF, and Valentin DH. What the hell is going on in this organization? It's beginning to feel like Valentin will be back at SS next year.

Why, oh why, does Ozzie continue to play Timo and Jose? This should be a time to let Valdez, Borchard, Uribe, etc. show what they can do while getting experience. It seems like every other team has no problem realizing this.

Ozzie's whole "go out, get drunk, forget about it" routine is one thing. But throwing a young pitcher in relief two days after throwing almost 100 pitches is just stupid. There's absolutely no reason to risk injury to any of our pitchers.

The only reason why I wouldn't say it's a wash for the Sox is the player option that Everett has for next year. The Sox don't need a 4 million dollar DH w/Frank returning. As Boston proved a few years ago when signing Ortiz for like 1 million, it's quite easy to find cheap players that could play DH.

In his two chances this year, Rauch pitched a great game against a terrific hitting team in the Indians. His other start was poor against the Angels. However, compared to the pitching performances given by the other 5th starters, that start looks like a quality start. Not to mention that he had a terrific ERA in the minors this year, and was off to a great start with the Expos.

After seeing all of our young prospects that have come up and pitched recently (Diaz, Stewart, Munoz), the Rauch and Majewski trade for Everett infuriates me even more. Rauch was clearly our prospect who was closest to contributing at the majors. The inability to develop young pitching will really hurt an average payroll team, cause it will cost a lot of the payroll to get even mediocre veterans to fill the rotation. Also, it would be good for the Sox if Everett declined the player option for some reason. We could really use that 4 million next year for a position where we need some help.

Why is Valentin still playing? Uribe should be playing SS, and Willie should be playing 2b. Only this organization could screw up playing people for the future. At least Borchard and Crede are getting playing time.

Considering that Williamson has to get tommy john surgery, we can cross him off the list. Also, Percival is nowhere near what he used to be. The Angels cant wait to get rid of him. The last thing we need is another pitcher who throws like 5 mph less than what they did 5 yrs ago. If we're going after relievers, Mota is a great place to start. However, a lot of teams fill their relief needs via trades. I can see the Sox trying to pull a Twins-esque deal with the Giants/Phillies where we give up Carlos or PK and get a few relievers and a position player. Just look at the Cubs roster, spending money on relievers is not the greatest idea. Usually, the best guys throw so many innings the previous years that they are nowhere near as effective.

Ozzie left Adkins in one batter too many. Nothing surprises me with this team anymore.

What the hell was he thinking in the last inning? With the tying run up, he let Robbie Mr. 160 Alomar bat instead of having either Valentin, Lee, or Ben Davis bat. I know Lee might be unable to bat cause of the injury, but why not let Valentin give it a chance to tie it up? I know this game doesn't mean much in terms of the season, but it's these types of decisions that piss me off about Ozzie. Also, I would be quite content to never see another Alomar bat for the White Sox.

There's a shocking low level of stuff that is being demonstrated by all the guys we keep calling up. I'd rather have a guy throw 96 mph and get hit hard than walk the world and give up homers on 87 mph heaters.

Ha, you know these guys were calling up are bad when someone says that Danny Wright was never this bad. If KW doesn't acquire another starter this offseason, he should never be allowed to be a GM again. Hawk is so pissed off right now.

I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but for the rest of the season, Borchard should be starting everyday. With that in mind, people should be happy if he looks good at the plate, and not complain. All you can ask for someone like Borchard is to hit the ball hard. He'll always K a lot, it's just a matter of maximizing his strength. Would people rather see Timo in RF everyday? I sure wouldnt. Timo doesnt have a chance to start for this team in the future, Borchard does.

I agree that Sandy could be a valuable addition to any coaching staff. However, is anyone else worried that Ozzie stated he could have a few good years left? Hopefully this was just to be nice, and not how the organization really feels. Nothing against Sandy, but he better not be playing for the Sox on the field next year.

If it's true Freddy is ailing, I hope they shut him down for the rest of the year. Absolutely no reason to injure him. I'd rather see Stewart have a 20 ERA for 7 starts than have Garcia hurt himself for the future.

I think he got it from the Sox postgame show and D. Wills. We better hope that this is just a minor thing, and won't require surgery. Don't get me started on what should be done if he is out for a long time

Just say no to Everett in the field! The last thing this organization needs is for the worst fielding outfielder in baseball to be playing the field on a regular basis.

The thing with Cotts is that I don't know how he'll ever be able to start with only one true pitch. Not only does he need an offspeed pitch, but his control isn't exactly reliable. I wouldn't be opposed to KW using Cotts as a chip to trade if he has some value. Not that I don't think he can't be good, I just don't think he's as close as people think he is.

With Adkins, I said I was still unsure of what he is. I've actually been very happy with what Adkins has given us this year, but he's still unproven. Actually, his numbers this year are better than they were in the minors. Cotts, on the other hand, was dominant in the minors. However, his ERA since he's been in the big leagues has been bad. That's why I classify him as a AAAA player so far. He has plenty of time to lose that moniker.

Will someone please teach Cotts another pitch besides a fastball!!!

The only reason I put Willie on that list is cause the difference in his homer and steal numbers from AAA to the big leagues. I agree though that he shouldnt be on that list. Sorry.

Exactly. That's the smartest thing I've heard in a long time on here. Just think of the guys that match that: -Harris -Borchard -Stewart -Adkins (still in doubt) -Cotts -Crede I blame a ton of this on our player development. I can't think of an organization that is worse at developing their own players.