South Side Fireworks Man

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Oct 30, 2010 -> 05:22 PM) Look in your crystal ball and predict Tank's future, especially next year. I personally think he's KW's boy and will be our backup 1B and half a DH combo. I think his bat is ready but where do you fall in all of this? More seasoning in AAA? I see it the same way you do.

Uribe was probably all around the best SS, the best 2B and best 3B the Sox have had in a very long time. At least up until the last four months of 2010 when Alexei really stepped it up at SS anyway.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 28, 2010 -> 04:20 PM) I'll be honest, I root for Uribe to succeed more than I did for Thome when they went elsewhere. Same here.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Oct 26, 2010 -> 04:02 PM) I like all of these moves. It's obvious to bring Thornton back and makes a lot of sense to retain Castro. Very glad to see Torres leave, as he's a talentless hack with no marbles. Yes to all your points.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Oct 26, 2010 -> 05:35 PM) If he leaves how about joe mcewing takin the spot I'd like to see Carl Everett brought back as a coach.

QUOTE (bighurt574 @ Oct 5, 2010 -> 03:52 PM) I always thought Hahn was more of a legal/financial type. Is there any indication he knows what he's doing with personnel decisions? "Everyone thought we got him as an insurance policy for Joe Crede at third base," assistant general manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday. "But you know what? This guy can really play some center field." Hahn on acquiring Mackowiak Does that answer your question?

QUOTE (joeynach @ Oct 10, 2010 -> 07:43 PM) The question is do the white sox offer arbitration to AJ and PK with the hopes of either getting them to comback on 1 year deals or rejecting them and allowing us to acquire the draft picks. The sox have a real opportunity to get younger and stockpile some picks here. Remember AJ, PK, Putz, Vizquel, Jones, Kotsay are all free agents. If they all leave we clear salary for sure, but may also get the opportunity to acquire compensatory picks and bring so much needed youth and turnover to the 25 man roster. The only reason I say this is because if you bring back everyone mentioned and do field the same team with $120M payroll Im still not sure its a 95 win team that can even get past the Twins....again. I think the Sox will offer Konerko arbitration for sure. As for AJ, I would think they'll try to work out a contract to avoid arbitration. Something like two years at 4 to 5M per year plus an option year with a 1M buyout.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 10, 2010 -> 02:27 PM) Really, you expect none of Crawford, Werth, and Dunn will wind up being a bad deal 2-3 years into it if they're signed for market value? Forget it. Let's just go with what we have. I can't wait to see Flowers handle the staff while batting .220 and striking out 200 times and Teahen and Quentin butchering plays in RF and alternating as sub-par DH's. Pierre's good enough in LF, I guess. Bring on the Twins!

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Oct 10, 2010 -> 02:02 PM) You're actually looking at more of a Cubs way, without the consistent attendance figures to support such a team. Nope. Cubs give ridiculous contracts to lousy players. They also tend to bid against themselves. I don't think signing Crawford, Werth and Dunn along with Konerko and AJ to market-value contracts is the same as signing losers like Soraino, Bradley, etc. to exhorbitant contracts that no other team is even coming close to offering. Again, in case anyone couldn't tell, my suggestion is more tongue in cheek than anything but still the point is I wish the Sox would go out and get what they need instead of intentionally going into the season with a glaring hole hoping to fill it cheaper at the trade deadline. And also I'm sick of hearing how the Twins are such a great organization when they are just as bad as the Cubs when it comes to post season play. In fact if it weren't for the Sox rolling over for them they would never even make the playoffs. The Yankees go out and get whatever they need. Maybe if the Sox operated that way they wouldn't have as big a problem with their attendence. And I wonder what the Yankees attendence would be if they went into seasons with guys like Kotsay as their DH or Dewayne Wise as their starting CF and leadoff man.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Oct 10, 2010 -> 01:53 PM) Bullpen (you're missing a closer and atleast one setup man and middle reliever), possibly starting rotation if Peavy doesn't come back near 100%. You trade Pierre and Quentin for some bullpen help. Peavy should come back, but if not Jackson has proven to be an adequate replacement. Sale or Garcia can be the fifth starter if needed. Of course this is just a pipe dream anyway, but the point was to stop slobbering all over the perennial loser Twins and their "way." I prefer the Yankee way.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Oct 10, 2010 -> 01:39 PM) With alot of holes to fill still. What holes?

Do it right for once. Re-sign AJ and Paulie. Sign Crawford for LF. Sign Werth for RF. Sign Dunn for DH. Don't sit there mumblin', talking trash - If you wanna have a ball you gotta spend some cash! C'mon JR, KW and Ozzie. Stop slobbering all over the Twins way and start doing it the Yankee way!

QUOTE (elgonzo4sox @ Oct 9, 2010 -> 09:01 PM) All too familiar. The Twins played dirty against us, and Ozzie and the umps let them get away with it. However, the umps treat it a little differently when you're throwing at A-rod or Texiera rather than Quentin or Beckham. Ozzie is no Joe Girardi. Gardenhire respects/fears Girardi. Nobody respects Ozzie nor fears throwing at the Sox since he's been the manager. And the umpires have it in for Ozzie as well because of him shooting off his mouth publicly all the time. Anyway, the Twins are hot garbage and have shown once again that they are no different than the Cubs when it comes to post season play. So much for the Twins "Doing it the right way." The Yankees showed the Twins once again what the "right way" is. If the Sox didn't fold like a house of cards whenever they play the Twins, the Twins would never even make the playoffs. Let's hope Ozzie and the Sox finally take note and stop mentally defeating themselves by slobbering all over them every time they play Minnesota and just go out and kick their asses next year and from now on.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Oct 5, 2010 -> 06:14 PM) I long for the day that the Sox look past the fact that Boras is a vermin and work with him. Its a fact of business that sometimes you need to deal with scum. Grin and bear it. Boras normally doesn't allow his players to sign an extension with the team they currently play for. Also, he likes to drag free agency out as long as possible making it difficult for the player's current team to plan their roster. He tries to get a team to bid against themselves in hopes of settling the contract in a timely fashion. It's easier to deal with Boras if the client is not currently on your team and you have the money to spare. It's much more difficult when the player is already on your team and you're trying not to lose him and you need to know if you have to replace that player before it's too late.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 8, 2010 -> 06:52 AM) I thought Rios was fine, but apparently Ozzie projects him more as a RF. Ozzie.....ugh!

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 09:53 PM) Why would you not believe he's their #1 target? He should be. Sox need a RFer, Crawford plays LF. Unless the Sox are going to unload Pierre, I can't see them getting into a bidding war with the Yankees and others for Crawford with the intent of playing him out of position. I don't believe the report because like someone else mentioned, the Sox would have to be very careful about revealing that their number one target is a guy who is currently still playing in the post season - that would be tampering. I wouldn't put too much stock in anything that is reported on WSCR anyway. If anything, KW or someone on the Sox is feeding some sap on the SCORE some misinformation to keep under the radar on whom their real top target may be. Personally, out of all the free agents out there I'd like to see them persue Jayson Werth.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 06:21 PM) I don't think he would be a good clubhouse guy and no I have no evidence but even watching him tonight, his team losing and his behavior in the dugout... He probably would be an upgrade over CQ in RF, but way too early for this, IMHO. I don't believe the report that Crawford is the Sox' number one target anyway and I doubt that they will sign him. But regardless, I hope the Sox wouldn't pay the guy a ton of money and then plan to play him out of position. If the Sox sign Crawford he better be their starting Left Fielder.

Has Crawford ever even played RF? His arm isn't very well suited for it and I seem to remember years ago he was reluctant to play CF. Even if the Sox felt he could play RF despite his arm I'm not sure if Crawford would be that receptive to doing it.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Oct 7, 2010 -> 05:54 PM) Yeah, I know but maybe this is that one player the team goes all in on. Konerko off the books helps. They could offer $10M+ per season possibly. Crawford is known to be the player Kenny covets more than anybody in MLB... What happens to Juan Pierre then?

My biggest concern is not Jackson's salary but the fact that he is a Boras client. That almost guarantees that he will go to free agency and it's highly unlikely he'll be re-signed by the Sox. Maybe they can trade him this offseason but the facts just stated would certainly lower his trade value as well.

QUOTE (J.Reedfan8 @ Oct 2, 2010 -> 10:11 PM) I don't know what is sadder. That Viciedo is making Ozzie look stupid again, or Flowers already having 4 walks in 10 ABs to A.J.'s 15 walks in 472 at-bats. Flowers is batting .000. I wouldn't start trying to compare him with AJ just yet.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 1, 2010 -> 04:35 PM) We could stick Flowers at Catcher and probably get similar production to what AJ gave us this year. I wouldn't count on it. Flowers batted around .220 with a ton of Ks in AAA playing in a bandbox.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Sep 30, 2010 -> 11:33 PM) I love all his contributions, but I'll take no PK next year and some cash. I think we need a different leader in the clubhouse and it can't be Ozzie. We need someone who would order for a retaliation when one of our get hit. We need someone who won't take getting our asses handed to them. And we need someone who will b****slap someone for complimenting the Twins on how great they are. Unfortunately Carl Everett is washed up.

They just showed the replay....Rios hit the ball off the inside part of his left knee. He was definitely in a world of pain.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 27, 2010 -> 09:41 PM) Where did he foul the ball off? Hopefully it's no freak fracture like Dye had. Either right on or just slightly above the left knee. EDIT: At least that's what I thought I saw. But keep in mind I'm the guy that thought Manny's DP ball to the 1Bman was a force out to the 2Bman. LOL!