gosox41

Why not stick BA in CF while Wise stays in left? Right now BA is more productive offensivle then Swish and Griffey on Astroturf makes me nervous. Griffey isn't exactly hitting the cover off the ball either. At least Anderso gives you better D and he can lay down a bunt more often then those two guys. Heck, after watching the Sox flail away the last 2 games, I'd consider moving Owens in CF. We've already proven we can't beat Minny in Minny with our power hitting line up. To play 2 struggling hitters who can't bunt, run, or play great defense in that stadium is kind of ridiculous IMHO. I think it's something Ozzie should seriously consider for the Minnesota series. It's only one line up change. While we're at it, I'd consider DHing Griffey i/o Thome as Thome has struggled a lot as of late. That being said, if Swish or Griffey were hitting better, I would never be posting this. But since they're not, the Sox still have 6 other hitters in the line up who can flail away whilese swinging for the fences.

Does anyone know if the Sox had insurance on Contreras that will cover his heel injury? I know every policy is different in how it pays out, but it would be nice if the Sox would get some money to get another pitcher for next year while Jose is on the DL.

QUOTE (Gregory Pratt @ Aug 21, 2008 -> 07:32 PM) Also, this is really interesting. From here: Here are the best relief seasons, according to the Baseball Prospectus stat WXRL, which is expected wins added over a replacement-level pitcher and adjusted for level of opposing hitters. 1. John Hiller, 1973 Tigers (9.64) 10-5, 38 saves, 1.44 ERA, 125.1 IP, 89 H, 39 BB, 124 SO 2. Eric Gagne, 2003 Dodgers (9.24) 2-3, 55 saves, 1.20 ERA, 82.1 IP, 37 H, 20 BB, 137 SO 3. Willie Hernandez, 2004 Tigers (9.14) 9-3, 32 saves, 1.92 ERA, 140.1 IP, 96 H, 36 BB, 112 SO 4. Stu Miller, 1965 Orioles (8.96) 14-7, 24 saves, 1.89 ERA, 119.1 IP, 87 H, 32 BB, 104 SO 5. Troy Percival, 1996 Angels (8.31) 0-2, 36 saves, 2.31 ERA, 74 IP, 38 H, 31 BB, 100 SO 6. Trevor Hoffman, 1998 Padres (8.29) 4-2, 53 saves, 1.48 ERA, 73 IP, 41 H, 21 BB, 86 SO 7. Keith Foulke, 2000 White Sox (8.21) 3-1, 34 saves, 2.97 ERA, 88 IP, 66 H, 22 BB, 91 SO 8. Eric Gagne, 2002 Dodgers (8.20) 4-1, 52 saves, 1.97 ERA, 82.1 IP, 55 H, 16 BB, 114 SO 9. Dan Quisenberry, 1980 Royals (8.20) 12-7, 33 saves, 3.09 ERA, 128.1 IP, 27 BB, 37 SO 10. Brad Lidge, 2004 Astros (8.10) 6-5, 29 saves, 1.90 ERA, 94.2 IP, 57 H, 30 BB, 157 SO I'm surprised Eckersley isn't in the top 10. He had some dominant seasons as a closer.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 09:12 PM) Cubs lose. It's a shame that Florida gave the game away yesterday, should be going for a sweep with Volstad tomorrow. The Cubs schedule the next few weeks is a joke. Most of the NL is a joke.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 30, 2008 -> 12:01 AM) Something appears to have happened on our off day July 7th. I say this because we're a mediocre 8-9 since then, as our pitching staff that was 1st or 2nd in the AL behind Oakland for a long time just fell off the planet. Now to be fair, 11 of the 17 games have been on the road, but at the same time, we lost a home series to KANSAS CITY, and more disturbing is our pitching and defense. In those 17 games, the Sox made 20 errors, with no stretch of more than 2 errorless games (and there was only one of those). That doesn't even include plays like Paul Konerko's bad pickoff throw tonight, Paul Konerko's drop on a should be double play in Kansas City, another botched PK pickoff throw in Texas, and so on. As for the pitching, in this span, the Sox have given up 7, 6, 4, 7, 7, 12, 5, 9, 8, 6, 2, 8, 5, 6, 6, 7, and 6 runs. That is just plain awful, and puts an incredible amount of pressure on our offense. Giving up 5+ runs in 15 of 17 games could realistically lead to a much worse stretch than 8-9, especially with as much as we've been on the road, so we should thank the offense. But in the meantime, the pitching (both starting and relief) and defense better get their heads out of their asses, or we're in deep s***. Injuries haven't helped us, but our sloppy play lately has been atrocious. Either the Sox woke up to reality and are continuing their 2007 problems or it's a bad slump where in true White Sox fashion everyone sucks for an extended period of time.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 30, 2008 -> 12:09 AM) You pretty much summed up the crap that has been the White Sox of late. We're VERY fortunate to have even gone 8-9 since the 7th. If we don't pitch it and catch it, the Twins will win their fifth division title since 2001. And to think people belive KW is one of the best GM's in basebal, but the Sox have had a history of finishing behind a team that spends $40-$50 less in payroll then the Sox.

QUOTE (jenks45monster @ Aug 2, 2008 -> 12:07 AM) Let's say, for the sake of the argument, that Ken Griffey Jr. is just phenomenal for the rest of this season. What do you do with Konerko? What do you do with Swisher? What about Griffey? Who do you trade? Do you let Griffey walk? I know Griffey has only played one game, but if he can keep it up we can have a ton to deal with in the off season. I was just thinking about this earlier and I'm curious about what you would do if you were in this situation. KW is limited to what he can do this offseason if you think about it. If I were KW I'd do anything in my power to get rid of the old, past their prime, slow , injury prone power hitters to create a team that can actually beat Minnesota.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Jul 31, 2008 -> 09:30 PM) There comes a point when you have to think to yourself, if the fans believe every lead is temporary against the Twins, and the announcers believe it as well, then what's preventing the players from feeling similarily? I know it's a strange subject because we're talking about intangibles and ideas that can't be calculated, but hearing all about the invincibility of the Twins from management on down to Hawk grows tiring. It's one point to give them credit, quite another to endlessly slobber over their talent and "never surrender" attitude. I'm tired of it. It can't be helping anyone. I just wonder how it affects players when they're up 4-1, the 5th inning comes around, and Gomez reaches with a single. Tell me, just from your opinion, that no one our team thought "here we go again! Those damn Pirahnas are going to win again!" The defensive miscues and wildpitches should prove some mental issues are present. What worries me is, Hawk is citing our troubles in this dome every half inning. "Some places you just don't play well in." Well, guess what -- we have three remaining games against the Twins in the same stadium late September. It may be the deciding series in the division. Something needs to chance. Tell Guillen to put a muzzle on. Instruct Hawk to remove himself from Gomez's .254 ass. Hell, I'd love to hear Gullen guarantee a series victory next time around in Minnesota. Just SOMETHING to show we're confident in ourselves. Yes, in past seasons dismissing the Twins didn't help; but as of right now, what we're doing isn't either. This team is more talented than past seasons, and we've shown in two games the ability to get an early lead. I doubt Sox players are feeling what we think. Here's a novel idea for the Sox. Go into Minnesota and pound them for once. Ignore the crap that people say. We have a higher payroll. We have more talent. Just win.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 23, 2008 -> 09:04 PM) Way to blow your cover. Well that was stupid of me. Obviously I meant 'they'. And trust me when I tell you, I am as far from a Cub fan as there is. I do hate them and enjoy rooting against them. My life was a living hell for most of October 2003. Being in the northern burbs I'm a definite minority among friends and co-workers. Hopefull Milwaukee and St. Louis catch the Cub so they won't even get the WC.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 24, 2008 -> 07:59 PM) Do that in a heartbeat. Really? I think this is a perfect example of Billy Beane selling high on a pitcher. I think Duescherer is a good pitcher but the guy has a sub 2.00 ERA. Do you think that will last? Without going on a limb, I'm guessing he's having a career year. That being said, I wouldn't mid having him on my team as he could start and relieve. It all depends on what Oakland wants. With Crede's back acting up, trading Fields is a gamble for a team that wants to win this year let alone having him in the future.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Jul 23, 2008 -> 08:23 AM) The Brewers will skip everyone they have to, to get Sheets and Sabathia against the cubs. The rotation was reset after the break to do this. The cubs are not choking, they just are not THAT good. They are a good NL team but the ability of Soto, DeRosa, Theriot, Fukodome and the continued productivity of Edmonds/Johnson was a bit of stretch. They are good but by no means a forgone conclusion that they were head and shoulders above everyone else. They fact any of their 4 pitchers made it to the all-star game over Kyle Lohse is criminal. I'm guessing the Cubs are just going through a little rough patch. Ramirez won't go 0 for the rest of the season. Lee will hit. If Marmol is healthy, we will get back on track. Soriano is coming back tonight. That being said. I hope I'm wrong and you're right. But I see a lot of talent on this team that just hit a rough stretch, something every team does.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 20, 2008 -> 10:43 PM) The more I think about it, the more I want the Sox to trade Fields. If you can package Fields for a big time major leaguer that you'll have control over for the next few years, you have to think about it. Even if Crede doesn't return to the Sox next year, there should be a good amount of 3rd baseman available for the Sox to go after. For the right deal, anyone is expendable.

QUOTE (ChiCard @ Jul 18, 2008 -> 03:56 PM) This topic came up at work the other day. If we were to meet those rats in the WS one team would of course have to lose. Since it wouldn't be us, how do you think the Cub fans would take it? If the earth were to shift off its rotation and we did lose, beside having to move to Canada for a month or two, I think we could accept it and move on. Cubs fans on the other hand would be on a suicide watch. With all the hype and expectations heaped on the Cubs, losing the WS, to our beloved Sox, would just about be too much for them to take. I don't know. Cub fans are used to losing so they may not be on suicide watch. It adds to the history of losing.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 13, 2008 -> 05:56 PM) How do we deal with the nasty issue of him forgetting how to pitch. Do we send him to the DL with a phantom injury? Do we try someone in AAA? Go out in a trade? It's tough to have faith in a 40 year old. I will say this. Ozzie doesn't like playing players who have an injury and it's affecting their performance. He seems to give lots of freemdon to Contreras in previous years and PK this year when it's been clear their injuries have hurt performance. Ozzie would be making a huge mistake if JC is hurt and he chooses to keep pitching him.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 10:54 PM) Yeah. Seriously, I thought KW was nuts for not dumping guys like PK, Dye, Crede, Uribe, etc. last year. He obviously knew something. I'll never doubt him again. But for the last 4 days, we've been playing like crap. Luckily, we were playing KC and we came out of there with 2 wins. I'm with you on the first sentence, but I still may doubt KW. Right now we're not playing well, but tems will go through that at times during a long season. That being said, there is no excuse for this team to consistently make nothing pitchers look like Cy Young. That's bad. It's been a problem for years and it's annoying.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 08:18 AM) The defensive switch is also a tough one to call last night as well. Lets say KC scored 2 runs anyways after the defensive switch(assuming BA in center and Swish at 1st). Then you go into the ninth down 1 and you have Thome-BA-Swisher up against Soria instead of Thome-Konerko-Swisher. Its a moot point anyways, but I can see the justification of keeping Konerko in the game at 1st. To me a good alternative move that could have been made last night would slide Swisher to left and BA in Center. I'll make clear what I want. If the Sox have small lead in the 8th inning or later, then it's time to start substituting defensively. Be it tomorrow's game or a September game against Cleveland, this is what I want. No more, what if this or what if htat happens. That's my plan and I'll stick with it.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 08:54 PM) THIS.TEAM.IS.DEAD. Based on your statement, should KW back up the truck and unload the veterans for prospects?

QUOTE (shipps @ Jul 9, 2008 -> 07:15 AM) The team has seem to not take this news like men.Its pretty disgraceful,THERE IS NO CRYING IN BASEBALL! Agreed. It's time to move on. It' one thing to be upset when a coworker is released, but it's another to let it affect your perfomance at your job.

QUOTE (tonyho7476 @ Jul 9, 2008 -> 09:18 AM) Listen, I'm hoping that Harden takes a dump...but do you think the Cubs really traded anything good? I don't thin Beane got fleeced. Im sure he made the bet deal he thought he could. He doesn't need to be in salary dump mode.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jul 7, 2008 -> 08:05 PM) It just isn't going to happen. The Sox right now are 5 deep, which most teams, playoff teams, can't say. Because of that, the Sox aren't going to outbid anyone for a top tier starter. As Williams has said, don't expect a move. If anything, it will be a Blum type move. One guy I would look at is Casey Blake. I believe Fathom brought up his name before, and would be a real nice fit a 3B. I'm really starting to lose trust in Crede and his back, and his struggles against LHP has been brutal. Blake is on a one year deal, and doesn't have a ton of value to the Tribe, especially with Marte at the hot corner, so it's something that could be looked at. I agree that KW probably won't make a big move unless he has to (ie Jenks is hurt for extended period). But it is fun this time of year to see posters here analyze what KW says. For instance, seeing as how this team is currently set up, the state of our minor league system, etc, I take KW's words at face value--I don't see him bringing in a big time SP or everyday player. But some here see that and think KW is flying under the radar again and is working on a 7 team trade that would net the Sox A-Rod, Jose Reyes, and other stars for Lance Broadway.

QUOTE (scenario @ Jul 8, 2008 -> 08:07 AM) Nice to see all the "geniuses" who picked the Tribe to win the division... and the Sox to have 70-something wins... doing an about face. The last couple of years in baseball have been very unpredictable. I can go back to anyone's predictions over the last 5 years (even fans here) to find out how wrong they were in a certain time period. We all laughed at BP last year for predicting a 72-90 record. They were balls on right then but way off 2005.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 08:34 PM) The same could be said about people like you giving up on him after 1 day? I'm not looking at one day to give up on him. I'm looking at his whole career. He has holes in his game, hence the reason none of the other organizations he's been with have declared him the next great thing. On a side note, I heard callers calling in the Score before the game today saying they wanted to release/trade Thome or Konerko to make room for Wise!!! Huh? I can see the argument that the Sox are better having Swisher at 1B and BA in CF (not wise though) considering how much PK and Thome have struggled. And I would even bench one of the two of them if they continued to hit like garbage. But how does releasing or trading either Thome or PK make this team better as a whole. Forgetting about what you'd get for them in a trade (not much) I'll take Thome off the bench as pinch hitter way before Wise.

QUOTE (bighurt4life @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 06:56 PM) Wise's line today 0 for 4 with 3 k's thats why he's not our new leadoff man I don't get why people are so high on this guy. He had a good 20 at bats and now it's let's release so and so and make him our lead off hitter. Thank goodness they're not running the team.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 09:32 AM) It's really not important what a team's record is when they score less than 3 runs... I mean you lose a lot when you don't score much, duh. The real question should be how many times do the Sox score 3 runs or less? That's one of the points I'm trying to make. I want to see how the Sox compare to other contending teams. The other think I was curious about was how the Sox did in those games when they had the leagues best ERA. So far it isn't looking like it matters much. I'll keep going through contending teams, and if time permits, try to compare it to some of the NL teams. But if the Sox keep up this pace of 43% of their games scoring less then 3 runs then over the course of a season it means 70 games over the course of a season. When comapred to other teams, specifically in the division, then it can mean the difference in a playoff spot.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 09:32 PM) So aside from idol speculation and a whole mess of guessin' what exactly I'm I reading here? Instead of making assumptions why not do a little research and tell us what the other contending teams are doing in similar situations? What's Boston's record this season when they score 3 runs or less? How many times have the Angels scored under 4 runs? These questions are easily answered. What you're telling me is you're passionate enough about the topic to start a thread but don't particularly care enough to do the work. Speculation is worthless. Rays are 11-20 when scoring 3 runs or less, a .354 winning percentage. They've done this in just under 40% of their games.