CaliSoxFanViaSWside

It really does get much quieter in here when we're winning. Good game .

QUOTE (stevewilliams666 @ Jul 26, 2010 -> 06:13 PM) People need to realize if they want the Sox to spend like a big market team, they need to fill the stadium like a big market team. Some of these homestands have been darn right pathetic. 20,000 to 30,000 thousand a night for a first place team is terrible. Go to the damm games and Jerry will spend more money. He showed us that in 2006. I get my ass to at least 20 games a year and I am not rich by any means. That is really it in a nutshell. Everyone is splitting hairs saying there's something wrong or not quite good enough with this that or the other thing. One team wins it all every year. Everyone else goes home so you can split hairs and do that with every team that didn't win the whole enchilada. There's always something to nitpick. Like you hear about 2005 people saying we got lucky that one time with what Kenny did and he won't be able to duplicate it. It's a competitive business with people going after the same things you are. Some things work out well , some don't. C'est la vie. There are haves and have nots in the baseball world without a salary cap. To win a championship at all is amazing to me competing with organizations that outspend you for the best talent in all facets of the game. Thank goodness even spending the most money still doesn't guarantee winning anything. As far as saying I like the way the organization is run now as compared with the past, it just puts things in perspective and truly illustrates how difficult it is to win it all. It's always good discussing the state of the franchise but ultimately it just comes down to nothing is perfect . You do what you can and we as fans can only attend games if we want to see a better product.

QUOTE (Pumpkin Escobar @ Jul 25, 2010 -> 08:59 PM) The problem here is the things you are saying can be applied to anything. What if we just dealt with the fact our system is weak and spent more money in drafts or internationally. Maybe developing a better scouting department for starters. Or drafting guys who normally fall due to their contract size or signability concerns instead of selecting these overly projectable average arms every year. Only time we take risks are for these stupid toolsy outfielders. Apply that sense to some pitchers from time to time and we may end up an ace in the system for a change and not having to deal for them. Something like a guy like Porcello falling past us to the Tigers comes to mind immediately. That ties into another subject which is the whole white sox vs boras nonsense. See Chris Sale. Fact is the Sox currently are trying to fix the farm system stemming from the whole Wilder fiasco.There were teams who passed on him because of signability issues. The Sox capitalized on that by promising the kid he'd get a shot at the majors this year. Now I've seen the Red Sox used as a great example of a team doing it the right way. I've seen no one bring up the fact that the Red Sox are the 2nd richest baseball franchise behind the Yankees. The Sox come in 2nd in a 2 team baseball town. Do the math. The Sox priority is having a team to compete every year under the KW regime. That means a high major league payroll. The reason for that strategy is if the Sox don't put out a winning product there will be no butts in the seats. The fans who clamor for a great minor league system ,no matter their "intelligence " as a fan, are outnumbered by perhaps 5000-1 by actual people who pay to see a winning team. So the minors suffer because of that. We can't overpay for everything which is exactly what the Red Sox do. Our young or semi-young talented players include Danks, Floyd, Quentin, Ramirez ,Thornton (core players), Jenks ,Santos, Viciedo,and Lillibridge have all come by means other than the draft. The first 6 in that group are 2 very good starting pitchers, a near MVP, a SS who is pretty damn good and an All Star reliever and another reliever who made 2 All Star teams and was huge ( no pun intended) in bringing a title to this team. Consider the talent we gave up to get those players .Really not much at all in terms of major league talent. What KW has done to me is quite impressive. I will never underestimate a World Series win or competing nearly every year for a division title for a franchise with a piss poor history. As far as the 2nd bolded part goes, you will drive yourself insane thinking that way. As Caulfield said "hindsight is 20/20". Albert Pujols was drafted in the 13th round. Every team in the majors passed on him 12/13 times. It's a crap shoot. Sure you can improve your odds by putting more cash into it but "can't miss" prospects miss a lot more often than they succeed. High draft choices help and the Sox just haven't been in a position to draft very high thanks to having one of the most successful franchises in baseball in the last 10 years or so. Maybe the Sox should be the model other teams ( other than the Red Sox and Yankees) look to for building a franchise instead of the other way around.

QUOTE (OilCan @ Jul 25, 2010 -> 07:36 AM) This. I would love to see this lineup sometime soon. Pierre LF Beckham 2b Rios CF Konerko 1b Quentin RF Pierzynski C Ramirez SS Vizquel 3b Viciedo DH Not bad but why not put Viciedo after Quentin. He got a pretty good rep in the minors as a clutch hitter. Then follow him up with Ramirez Pierzynski and Vizquel . Or leadoff Vizquel and put Pierre 9th. 3-6 would love to see all power so the pitcher can feel the heat if he hangs one.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 24, 2010 -> 09:00 AM) Mark looked brilliant but I was worried that Q's pathetic attempt at that double would have sparked the typical Buehrle meltdown in the coliseum. Fortunately he pitched over it. The Kotsay/AJ combo still angers me. Talk about DFA caliber offense from those guys. Sheesh. I would in no way, shape or form call it a pathetic effort. Did he look graceful ? No. Should he have just faced the wall and played the carom off the wall. Perhaps. A lot of outfielders would have but with Cust running it did not add an extra base when the ball caromed past him. Should he have gone crashing into the the wall full speed. Hello no we need his bat. Would some one like Jones have caught it ? Very hard to say based on positioning . Do you think Q wanted to catch it ? Of course he did so I can't fault the effort.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 09:38 PM) I thought Cust's double was a true double. Do you all think he should have had it? Not flaming. Just asking. I thought it was a clean shot. I think it was a good hit too. Many RF's just face the wall and play it off the wall. Q went after it and it bounced past him . Still was a double since it was Cust.

Beating the teams we're supposed to beat. Buehrle and defense and a few timely hits.

Finish it off Mark.

WOW hits by Kotsay and AJ in the same inning .5-1 Sox.

Lilliburner steals.

QUOTE (beckham15 @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:47 PM) omar! Or as Hawk would say Pickett, Wilson.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:44 PM) It's beyond obvious that KW needs to find us another RF. Q just makes it look worse by not looking so graceful. That ball was hit hard .

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:41 PM) Mark joins Gavin in lowering his ERA under 4. Double jinx !

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:40 PM) This is the Mark Buehrle we all fell in love with. Jinx !

QUOTE (TomPickle @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:37 PM) Cahill is pretty damn good at fielding his position. Beat me to it . I've been Pickled.

Cahill seems like he fields his position pretty well.

10 in a row by Mark.

They are black . http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/6/28/1540...ack-jerseys-are

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:27 PM) Suzuki's chest protector is th usual Hunter Green. That's how I finally made up my mind. Kotsay's really wearin' it. I still think they're black. Now I have to see if I can find it on the A's website.

If Kotsay can go 0-30 without hurting the team I'm all for it.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:23 PM) I was wondering if its my TV, but the A's unis are Black, aren't they? I think so . I was wondering the same thing.

Run and hit worked again stayed out of the DP.

Thank you Pennington.

That was too close at 1st. Omar almost caught napping.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Jul 23, 2010 -> 08:16 PM) Thank you kind sir. I fully expected no response or something derogatory . Nice run and hit by Pierre and Omar.