South Side Fireworks Man

QUOTE (b-Rye @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 04:43 PM) "ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Scott Boras wants two things from the Tigers. First, he's asking them to remove all deferred money from the one-year $7MM deal they have offered. Second, he wants the Tigers to add a second year (Twitter links)." And now we see why KW was smart to pull his offer. Now the Tigers feel no pressure to meet these demands. When they say "No" Damon can either take their $7M offer or have Boras tell the Sox that if they put their $6M back on the table he'll sign immediately.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 04:41 PM) I dont think thats the way it works, the agent works for the player. He tell Boras and boras makes the call. I know. What I meant was the Damon camp.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 04:31 PM) This really sucks. Gonna be an interesting Sunday for KW to speak about this.... Especially after Damon calls and accepts KW's terms.

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 04:26 PM) KW is f***ing playing games with Boras. Trying to show that he's the boss. He never f***ing talks about offers. Smart move by Kenny. He's tired of Boras trying to make the Sox bid against themselves. Apparantly the reported 2 year $14M offer from the Tigers was BS. Boras had the Sox' $6M offer in his pocket and he was trying to squeeze more out of the Tigers while at the same time hoping the Sox would up their offer. Now with KW publicly declaring his offer is off the table, Damon and the Tigers both know that there is no other offer. If Damon really wants to play for the Sox for $6M, he'll have to call KW and commit himself. If not, he's stuck playing in detroit for whatever their last offer was, which apparently he wasn't too thrilled about in the first place.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 17, 2010 -> 05:33 PM) If we sign him, I hope he goes back to the caveman look. I hated that "Cave Man" look. I like the "Yankee" look a lot better. Maybe there will be an in-between "White Sox" look for Damon this season.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 12, 2010 -> 02:15 AM) Who DH'es with Damon here? Quentin? I'd split time between Damon and Pierre with Damon getting 60% time at DH and 40% in LF. This keeps both Pierre and Damon's legs fresh which should help their running games.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 05:02 PM) Also, I know this would never happen but I'd personally hit Damon leadoff, Beckham 2nd and Pierre 9th, I think that's the optimal configuration. 2 high on base percentage hitters with good speed at the top and your super speedy, low on base guy turning over the lineup at the bottom. I agree. I'd bat Damon leadoff and Pierre ninth. But Ozzie would probably bat Pierre leadoff and Damon second. It would still be an improvement over Jones/Kotsay somewhere in the middle.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 04:52 PM) So Damon to RF, and Quentin to DH? LF) Pierre 2B) Beckham DH) Quentin 1B) Konerko RF) Damon C) Pierzynski SS) Ramirez CF) Rios 3B) Teahen Is that the line-up? No way do you ever play Damon in RF. I would have Damon and Pierre alternate between LF and DH. This keeps their legs fresh all season which helps both their running games. Pierre would get about 60% of the starts in LF and Damon 60% at DH.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 09:09 AM) The Twins are turning into the Sox. They may be transitioning to a power team but they'll still play fundamentally sound baseball both in situational hitting and on defense.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Jan 26, 2010 -> 05:17 PM) I don't know if it's been mentioned here on soxtalk.com (it probably has) but what about Johnny Damon? He is a lefty, can still play in the field on a part time basis, can still hit, and his price has seemingly dropped like a rock. There's your versatility, Ozzie. At the beginning of the offseason, I was thinking no way. But now that the pickins' are slim.... it might not be a bad idea. I have a feeling that the Sox are going to sign Damon maybe even as soon as within a week. Just a hunch, nothing more. I never really cared much for Damon, but given that Ozzie is set on having a rotating DH and wants more speed, and that the Sox need another competant LH bat, I think Damon fits perfectly. He can alternate with Pierre in LF/DH thus keeping both his and Pierre's legs fresh, and when They want to DH Quentin and rest Pierre they can put Damon in LF and still have a legit leadoff guy in the lineup. Oakland signed Sheets so they probably don't have the money tomake a good enough offer to Damon, and the Yankees don't seem to want to offer him near what he originally wanted. Even though Boras is his agent, for some reason I have a feeling the Sox are going to wind up with Damon. I'd be happy with it.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 05:27 PM) Just league wide, midseason trades do not work out that well. There was a huge report on this at the deadline last year showing how little impact midseason trades have had in the postseason. Beltran is one of the only ones to really make a difference. I agree with you. I could envision a scenario where the Sox lose more than their share of close games early in the season due to a lack of production by their DH. Then, at the deadline KW pulls off another one of his good trades bringing a big bat to add to the lineup. However, the new player struggles and the Sox fall a little short. The next spring we hear "We're expecting (Acquired Player) to rebound and match his career numbers this year. The problem was that he felt that he had to carry the team when he came here last season and put too much pressure on himself."

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 12:50 PM) Ozzie: "Well, if I want one guy out there, I want (Thome). I already talk to Kenny about that." If the Sox get Thome, Ozzie better not play him as the full time DH batting third or fourth in the order. If that's the case, I hope they don't re-sign him. What I would like to see is the Sox sign Thome for $2M or less, and platoon him at DH with Nix (or Jones if Jones makes a miraculous showing in ST). Bat him around fifth in the order, but late in games when it's a key situation and they bring in a tough left hander to face him, pinch hit for him. Using Thome like this would make him a great asset to this team. Misusing him as a full time DH and relying on him to carry the offense would make him a liability.

QUOTE (ChWRoCk2 @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 12:32 PM) I'll be pissed even more if we sign Thome for around 5 million. There's no way they sign Thome for anything over $2M if even that much. Thome @ 2M used as a platoon LH DH batting around 5th or lower in the order is a great fit for the Sox. Paying him more than that or trying to use him as a centerpiece of the offense would be a big mistake. Personally, I'd rather see the Sox acquire someone better than Thome for that last roster spot (someone like a Luke Scott would be a nice fit) but I'd much rather see the Sox sign Thome for cheap and platoon him at DH with Nix than go into the season with a Jones/Kotsay/Vizquel rotating DH.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Jan 23, 2010 -> 02:23 PM) Now Ozzie wants 13 pitchers on his staff???

I wish Kenny can get Luke Scott for a couple of prospects.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 23, 2009 -> 06:07 PM) IIRC, we can not offer a contract until like March or April to anyone from our team who we did not offer arbitration to. I thought it was June 1st or something like that.

I expect Rios to hit around .275 with an OBP around .330 along with about 15 HRs and 20 SBs. Add that to his above average defense in CF and he'll give the Sox the best performance from CF that they've had in quite a while.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 04:13 PM) Still looks to me like an ALC winning team, if we just get one more LH bat with some power. And maybe that even without the added bat. I don't see this team needing major rebuilding as it stands, unless they suddenly have $20M more to work with. And I'm not saying you don't improve the team in existing-filled positions if you can - you still try for those A-Gon type deals if they work. They just aren't likely to work. I wonder what it would take for the Sox to get Luke Scott? He seems to be the type of guy that would fit into that last hole. I don't have much confidence in Andruw Jones as anything more than strictly a backup. If they're planning on using him as the primary DH or going with a Kotsay/Jones platoon at DH they're not going anywhere. Getting a guy like Luke Scott would allow them to rotate Scott, Quentin and Pierre as DH while all remaining in the starting lineup. This would help keep Pierre's legs fresh and hopefully help keep Quentin healthy.

QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Dec 20, 2009 -> 03:37 PM) Good stuff. Now that's good stuff.

Is this a political forum now or still a baseball forum? Threads like this are one reason I hope the Sox stay away from the likes of Delgado.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Nov 17, 2009 -> 05:27 PM) My response... I get to see the White Sox future players before you ever do, keep that in mind. I know more about them now than you'll know in 3 or 4 years. I spent the entire season answering question after question from people about Gordon Beckham, Tyler Flowers, Aaron Poreda, Dayan Viciedo, Clevelan Santeliz and C.J. Retherford. I know Jason Gage, so I have every right to stick up for him. He's not "getting out of his lane." I know it's difficult to do your job nowadays because you're usually the last person to find out something, but that doesn't give you the right to demean or patronize anybody. Stop worrying about who knows what first, it's not a pissing contest. You reporters are so full of yourselves, it's sad. I thought Jay Hineybird was bad, but you're worse. Other people who aren't in your dying industry have sources, face facts. Get off your high horse and stop being such a smug know it all snob. You're a dinosaur and you're close to being extinct. Nobody wants your job, they don't want to be unemployed and s**t out of luck in 5 years. Cheers, JPN You guys are great. Keep on doing what you're doing. I get much more valid and timely information about White Sox related things from this site than I do from any newspaper or sportsblab radio hosts. Thanks to all of you who make this such an informative source on baseball.

QUOTE (son of a rude @ Oct 11, 2009 -> 11:52 AM) Just sign Nick Johnson if you are willing to give Thome 4-6 mil... Exactly. $6M for Thome is foolish. If he can get $6M from someone else, he should jump at it. But if he really wants to play in Chicago, $2M is fair for a platoon DH. And if he does wind up back with the Sox, I hope Ozzie uses him properly, not batting hi 3rd in the order and not leaving him in late in a game when the opposiong manager brings in a tough LH reliever with the game on the line. Use him primarily as a LH DH, bat him somewhere like fifth or sixth in the order, and don't hesitate to pinch hit for him in situations as described above and he would be a great fit as a role player on the South side next year. But don't expect to build an offense around him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 11, 2009 -> 11:13 AM) At about half or less of his former salary, I am interested. Much less. $2M for the year and you're welcome back, big guy! As LH DH only.

QUOTE (klaus kinski @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 10:10 AM) I want AJ here the rest of his career-then on the coaching staff Yes. After his playing career I'd like to see AJ stick with the White Sox organization either as a coach or in the broadcast booth where I think he'd be great.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Oct 1, 2009 -> 06:08 PM) I sense by the way Hawk talks and eludes to when talking about Rios, I think he has given up on him ;-) Well then that's a good sign. If Hawk has given up on him this early, look for him to rebound next year.