RockRaines

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 12:21 PM) I'd like someone to come up with a list of catchers in baseball that are all around better than Pierz. There aren't all that many. and that someone should be Jenks Heat.

QUOTE(Allsox @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 11:58 AM) How about Uribe in the 2 hole and Iguchi to the 3 spot?!? Little speed and moxie in those two spots then and Paulie would have some runners to drive home then....I can't stand it when Pods gets on and nobody shoots him in like last night :banghead I wish i kept the links where I said this before. Uribe rakes in the 2 hole, and Gooch would be a solid #3.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 11:34 AM) I actually agree with you here that you can't blame the Wild Pitches on AJ as much as you can Jose's forkball, but I do have to disagree with you when you present it as that simple. If a pitcher throws a pitch in the dirt, but the catcher is out of position on it and it goes to the backstop, it will be a wild pitch. Why? Because it was in the dirt. That doesn't in any way mean that the catcher shouldn't have caught the thing. A passed ball happens when a pitcher throws a ball that is well within the reach of the catcher and there's no remote excuse for him not catching it...and the catcher misses it anyway. In other words, if the ball going to the backstop has any component at all of fault going to the pitcher, it will be a wild pitch. A truly great catcher at stopping pitches will prevent a huge number of wild pitches just because he keeps the ball in front of him. That doesn't mean that if the ball had gotten past the catcher, it would have been scored a passed ball. Errors work the same way for every position. Its a judgement call, and we bank on it. When we talk fielding percentage for SS, the same is true. Its all based on judgements from the scorekeeper, and the catcher/pitcher thing is the same. The fact that he has a .999 fielding percentage speaks volumes. And yes, this is coming from a former catcher.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 10:48 AM) Grossman ain't my boy, since I have no infatuation with the Chicago Bears whatsoever. Don't forget in his 2nd season, Rex Grossman had to play under Terry Shea's system. How many QB's looked good under that? Would Kyle Orton? Doesn't Grossman deserve the chance to show what he can do under Ron Turner? And also, the Bears O-Line when Grossman was behind center would have been in the bottom 5 in the NFL. I don't care which QB you are (unless you're Michael Vick and can run all day). You're gonna get pressured and sacked a lot, and that hurts your numbers, big time. He was sacked less than twice a game when he started last year, and we led the NFL in rushing, so the O line couldnt have been that bad. And who is to say Turner is that much better of a Coordinator? We have no sample size to confirm that, other than the fact that we have no running game. Grossman doesnt deserve anything. They gave him the starting role, didnt bring in a capable backup because they didnt want to "harm" his confidence, and he has done nothing but let the bears down. He is done as a starter with this team.

Carl can not hit a change to save his life lately. He pulls his head off the ball every time. Minor league players are not as fooled by a pitcher like Howell as much as major league players. He doesnt have overpowering stuff, lets hit his ass.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 10:52 AM) The love for Brandon McCarthy has been a rollercoaster ride. The "5 homers at the Cell" post still sticks in my mind to this very day. Look El Duque probably doesn't deserve another oppurtunity. But if he comes good, and can be used in the playoff, that's a big payoff. And B-Mac ain't gonna complain about his role anyway, which shows the type of person he is. You just hope this doesn't affect the Sox making October. Actually, there was an article about how BMAC is a big time complainer. I believe it was in the trib

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 11:06 AM) I just think the wild pitches could be cut down. The other numbers sound average to me. Also the hitting sounds about average to me 4th in HR 11th in slugging, some disconnect here don't you think? I am not saying I am not happy to have the guy or that he isn't worth $3-5M but I thought he was a top catcher and he is probably average with the intangibles lifting him or dropping him as he is a personality that can be taken either way. When he faced us I thought he was worth more then what we are paying him now I can see why he got what he got. Wild Pitches=Pitchers fault Passed Balls=cathers fault baseball 101 The other numbers sounds avg? He is LEADING the league in defense. He is in the top 10 in the other categories. Do you know how many teams are in the league? Because being in the upper third in stats does not make you avg. I think maybe you need to look up the term average and figure out if you are using the correct word. He is a top catcher, he plays every day, handles his pitching staff almost better than everyone, plays great defense and hits for power. What more do you want.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 10:26 AM) Yep, and you know opposing defences are just going to double Muhammed, and blitz all day long, and dare Orton to make a big play. The fact is, the Bears only scored 7 points. No matter what defense they're playing against, that's really gotta improve and stat. That was Orton's first start, on a visiting field, against one of the best defenses in the league, with no running game. Your boy Grossman, in his second season posted a stellar QB rating of 67.9 I love how Grossman is the second coming, and Orton is the horrible rookie. Grossman didnt do anything in his starts, and played against some weak defenses. Orton started the season opener, as a rookie (Grossman never did that) and performed well with no running game. Grossman still had bad numbers even in his second season. 1 td, 3 INT in three games. If Orton has not improved on that by his third game in his second season, I will think this over. Until then, Orton looks better.

First of all its Fraternity. And stereotypes are for the ignorant. If you have that much to say about one, you wish you were in one.

Yeah, it follows outlook rules.

QUOTE(rangercal @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 11:52 PM) put him up there with Mcclown and *Enis as 1st round busts (even though he was injured) Salaam, Mcknown, Grossman

QUOTE(MurcieOne @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:17 PM) Rex Grossman is signed through next year... just want everyone to remember that. While i dont think the job is his and his alone.... I don't think Orton is going to perform good enough to keep Rex from playing on the Bears again. What makes you think that he isnt good enough? He had ONe start, and performed nicely in a tough situation. I challenge you and say Rex isnt tough enough to play in the NFL. Refute that

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 08:03 AM) I kind of see why he doesn't get much attention. He is an upgrade but his defense is below average, his hitting is average. If the intangibles are not good (SF) I could see letting him go. We the top two pitchers in WP. He is a groundout machine. denfense is below avg huh? He leads the league in fielding percentage for catchers (.999), 3rd in PO, 6th in CS. offense is avg huh? I believe he is 4th in Hr's 6th in RBI's 8th in hits 11th in SLG in the AL.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Sep 14, 2005 -> 09:47 AM) Welcome aboard to Soxtalk. Let's just hope this doesn't affect Marte's trade value significantly. He could be a good pawn to use in a Rowand + Marte for Juan Pierre, or Marte + El Duque + prospect for Chad Tracy. And in the off-season, expect the Sox to go after another lefty for the pen. Candidates include Scott Eyre, Scott Sauerbeck, Ricardo Rincon, Chris Hammond and Valerio De Los Santos. Juan Pierre? I hope that was just you throwing a name out. Im not sure we need Scott Pods 2 on this team as much as we need a power hitting DH or 1B or 3B.

QUOTE(knightni @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 06:07 PM) Viz, Marte, and Tracey to Milwaukee for Overbay...? you think they want their player back?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 06:40 PM) Ruth's numbers aren't that great when compared with other pitchers from the era. He was good, but his W/L was also exaggerated because he played on WS champion teams. Plus the biggest difference for me is the difference in the pitching you would have faced then. Remember there was no slider, splitter, cutter etc. There was also no specialty relief such as closers and set up men. You saw one pitcher 4-5 times a game, and you also saw them a bunch more times a year, because the league was way smaller. Don't also forget the knee to armpit strike zone that exsisted in that day. It would be really interesting to see the Babe step in against a guy like Rocket who has a 95+ fastball, splitter, and a nasty change, or to see a two pitch Walter Johnson try to get out a Barry Bonds who has complete strike zone presence. Personally I believe with the addition of specialty pitchers, new pitches, bigger athletes etc, that any player from today's era would kill anyone from the 20's. Don't let the numbers fool you, these guys today are way, way better. SS, your argument is well thought out and presented well. But it goes the other way as well. Today's hitters have scouting reports, more training and nutrition information, better equipment, smaller strike zone etc. If the hitters of the past had the same benefits, would they be better than the hitters of today? Possibly. All in all, you cant compare the two ERA's. In other sports its the same way, do you think that many of the early greats in football or basketball could hold their own against today's superstarts? Would Walt be able to defend or score against SHAQ? Would Babe Ruth take Freddy Yard? Its hard to say, because the conditions were so different. The only thing we have is the stats that the indiv man can put up in his career. And as far as I am concerned, Bonds put up some great stats. But steroid Bonds was a cheater, and his stats should not be comparable to the all time greats. Its what the man does, straight up, not what his pharmacist can make him do. On the flip side, there was proof of some of the hitters in the 20's taking a steroid derivative over the counter for pain and healing. Does that makes that cheating? WE will never know. And this arguing past great players vs current is going to lead us nowhere, and can never bewon.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 05:01 PM) Why does everyone want Cotts to be a situational lefty? He should clearly be a one inning guy who can go anywhere from the 6th to the 8th inning. Ozzie will also use Politte in the 8th inning frequently instead of Jenks, as he probably feels like Politte deserves the set-up role. I personally was saying for example. The good thing about our staff, which nobody usually factors into the quality of it. Is that none of our pitchers seem to be situational guys. You think guys like Mike Myers etc who are side arm or sb pitchers, and can just come in for one batter, get out a lefty, and that is all they can do. Cotts is just as effective vs righties, Jenks can pitch to both, as well as polite. We have at least three guys who can pitch is any situation, long, short, situational and closing roles. Thats why Marte being gone doesnt make me think we are weaker. I felt for along time that he was the weak link in the pen. I think we will see that I was right. Lets just see how Ozzie reacts, and how our players react.

QUOTE(Rich McKinney @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:57 PM) Who and what is a troll? step 1: find a mirror step 2: look Your only opinion seems to be that of bashing sox fans. You are on a msg board of sox fans, many of us are season ticket holders who spend our well earned money supporting our team. Your opinion of us is not apprecitated. That is ALL

QUOTE(JimH @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:57 PM) Another option is Paulino Reynoso on the 40 man but I think they'll just go with what they have. Reynoso has been more inconsistent than Marte. Theres no many options to make any roster moves. It seems to me Ozzie needs to solidify the situations that he uses to bring in arms. Jenks in the 8th Cotts vs LH Polite vs RH Hermy closer

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:55 PM) your post why else wouldn't you bring up a pitcher unless he could contribute? you like to pick fights don't you? hello ignore list. :headshake

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:53 PM) I have a crazy idea....lets just go with our best relievers in a situation that best fits their abilities. No more using Cotts as a situational lefty. No more bringing Jenks in to face one batter. If we get to the 9th with a close lead, BRING IN HERMANSON (as long as he's healthy). I believe Jenks is the most effective pitcher vs LH hitters. So he is your 8th inning guy no matter what. Cotts is your situational guy against LH hitters, and Polite is your righty. problem solved.

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:53 PM) yes we have lefties, but none that are capable of coming up and contributing right now...... Not what you said, but thanks for the correction of your previous post.

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:47 PM) yep, let's just throw them into a high intensity pennant race. good idea I never said bring them up, but you said we dont have lefties, and I pointed out that our three top pitchers in the minors are lefties. Therefore proving you didnt know what you were talking about.

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:42 PM) lefty's don't grow on trees in this organization. except for our three top pitching prospects

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Sep 13, 2005 -> 04:30 PM) I feel what you're saying Rock. Problem is, what will the cold do to our already cold bats? 1-0 my friend, 1-0