South Side Fireworks Man

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 07:54 PM) :uhoh Do we need a team shrink. No, but El Duque would help Contreras.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 04:33 PM) As one of like, well, I'm the only Pods supporter on this board. I can't even excuse or justify that. Pods should just forget about stealing bases right now. Get on base. That's it. I only saw a couple of his at-bats. But I did like that he was atleast working the pitchers. If Pods can't steal a base against Victor Martinez--a catcher who would have trouble throwing out AJ Pierzynski--then he is useless to the Sox and should be DL'd immediately. With the Sox' starting pitching being less than dominating, the Sox can't afford to carry Podsednik in LF. They need a real outfielder with a little pop in his bat. Short term answer would be to re-sign Eduardo Perez as a RH DH, and let Ozuna and Mackowiak platoon in LF until they find a real major league outfielder. And before anyone writes it, Anderson may wind up winning a starting job before all is said and done, but for right now the Sox need definite production from that position, not potential production.

If Ozzie knew what he was doing, Dye would be batting third with Thome fifth tomorrow.

Unfortunately, Ozzie makes the f***in' lineups.

QUOTE(Wanne @ Mar 28, 2007 -> 05:48 PM) Out of the Pen: Matt Thornton. I honestly think he's the most consistant and possibly the best pitcher on the staff right now carrying over from last year. I understand the question is dictated by situations. Clutch at bat: Paulie. Tough call between him, JD and Crede. I honestly don't think Thome would even be in my top 5. Again...I understand it's subjective to vs righty or lefty...but overall. Starter for must win game: Garland. Geez-us this was a tough one with Freddy gone. Pablo Ozuna.

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 09:09 PM) Of course, no Gio Gonzalez nor Andy/Angel Gonzalez. Nor Wiki.

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 08:16 PM) Bukvich four seasons ago, maybe, but he's not quite the same pitcher since his injury problems. No way KW will be able to pass over Aardsma, Sisco AND Floyd (three prize acquisitions that are supposed to make him look smart) for a non-roster invitee. I'd say the two remaining spots will go to Logan and Aardsma. This will allow Sisco and Floyd to try to develop into starters in AAA. Also, Perez will not make the final cut nor will Gonzales and the Sox bench will be Mackowiak, Cintron, Ozuna, Anderson and Molina.

That sucks.

QUOTE(joeynach @ Mar 20, 2007 -> 11:53 AM) No doubt that those three lefties can probably perform very well against a RH starter, but what happens when its a tie game in the 8th or 9th and we have the top of lineup coming in. They take the starter out and just bring in a LOOGY, Jamie Walker or Dennys Reyes and boom out go the sox 1,2,3 in order. It happened all the time last year. Its not all about just matching up against the starter its about having the most consistent and productive lineup out there that gives you the best chance to win every day. And going lefty, lefty, lefty at the top even against a RH starter jsut ensures that you are screwed when the LOOGY comes in for a close game in relief. Its just dumb to stack the LH like that, thats why no other mananger does it. You dont see the yankees, go Damon, Cano, Giambi do you? If Ozzie has his heart set on Pods leading off and Erstad batting second, he better bat Thome fifth. But he won't...

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 11:02 PM) Judging from this article, Masset appears to embrace the role of a long reliever. I get the impression several coaches have approached him about the position. Thus, pushing Haeger out of the equation. I see both Masset and Haeger making the 25 man roster. BP: Jenks, Thornton, MacDougal, Masset, Logan, Haeger. Sisco and Floyd go down as starters in AAA, Aardsma to AAA in the bullpen.

Looks like good news: http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...tesox-headlines Center fielder Brian Anderson insisted his right ankle was fine after limping to first base on a grounder for the second out of the ninth in a loss to the Angels. Anderson said he initially rolled the ankle during batting practice and then aggravated it in his last at-bat while taking a hard swing and miss that caused him to tumble. Anderson barely attempted to run to first after getting jammed by Alex Serrano. "It freaked me out. When I went out of the box, I told myself I'll take the out because I don't want to do anything stupid," Anderson said.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 08:35 PM) No, I am pretty sure he hasn't pitched with the mlb club this spring. I would assume that the expectation for him is to make the pen in 2-3 years or be trade bait. And from what I have heard, Chris Stewart is competing for the backup C spot and can possibly get it. Thanks!

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 08:28 PM) If I had it my way, I'd, like many others, have Dye bat third. He can get on base, hit for power, average, and has good speed. He fits the 3 spot perfectly. I agree with having Dye bat third. Your lineup is good, but I would have it like this: Pods, Erstad, Dye, Konerko, Thome, Iguchi, Pierzynski, Crede, Uribe.

QUOTE(Capn12 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 08:23 PM) If I had my choice, I'd go north with Logan, Haegar, Floyd, MacDougal, Thornton and Jenks in the 'pen. Lots of inexperience maybe, but gives us 2 longish guys in Haegar and Floyd, and some heat at the back end. Put Aardsma and Sisco in AAA to harness their control a bit. I'd probably take Masset over Floyd and let Floyd work things out starting in AAA.

Whatever happened to that pitcher (I think his name was Lujan) that the Sox got for Chris Stewart? I think he was in sinle A last year. Was he in ST camp with the Sox this year? What are the Sox' expectations of him for the next couple of years? BTW, anyone know how Stewart has been doing this spring? Is he expected to be in the Majors this year?

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 08:08 PM) Pods, Erstad, Dye = OF Terrero = 4th OF That's pretty much how I see it and I was OK with that as long as I knew a healthy Anderson was in AAA playing everyday, ready to join the team if needed. Now, if Brian is indeed injured seriously, I'm not comfortable with the outfield stuation at all. At least we knew Brian could play major league defense in CF.

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 07:30 PM) I'm a Rowand fan--no abuse, please!--BUT what happened to Brian looked serious. It was painfully reminiscent of that godawful injury that Garciaparra suffered when starting towards first base a few years ago. I hope it's not that severe, because he lost a whole season I think. I wish him the best and hope it's just a minor tweak. Somehow I think it's not. Man, injuries to the groin or those inner thigh muscles--been there, done that. They HURT and take forever to heal. I'd rather break a bone. At least that's only six weeks. I doubt we'll hear much until tomorrow at the earliest. I hope it's not that serious but I'm afraid it might be. If Anderson is hurt enough where he can't play for months, the Sox are in bad shape for a backup plan in CF. At least having Brian at AAA assured the Sox of a good defensive alternative with at least some major league experience should Erstad get injured. Now all they have is Terrero and a few not yet ready minor leaguers (Sweeney, Owens). This is not good for a team contending for first place in baseball's toughest division!

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 07:25 PM) You are correct, Rowand has been horrible this spring .154/.190/.256 Oh brother -- I can see where this thread is heading.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 07:12 PM) And yet, silliness aside, he's hitting .276/.353/.448 in Arizona -- better than Grinder can say. I guess that proves he's way better than Iguchi, too. And what's Terrero hitting? Spring training stats mean almost nothing most of the time. Why did you mention "Grinder"??? Anderson has been looking bad at the plate the past two games he's played. That swing today looked sick, and I'm afraid he hurt himself enough to miss some time. I hope he's OK. Still, the kid's not quite ML ready yet, IMHO. The question is, how bad is he hurt and how does this affect his chances of making the club now? And most importantly, how does this affect the White Sox opening day roster?

QUOTE(Capn12 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 07:09 PM) Heh, BA had approximately 0% chance of being in Chicago to start the season even if he had hit for 2 cycles today, sadly. Yay for Pods/Erstad/Dye outfields!! Any news on his condition? So far I can't find anything...

Brian Anderson injured himself on a swing this afternoon and couldn't complete running to first base. He left the field limping. Any word/update on his condition? How does this affect his chances of starting on the 25 man roster now? Please post any updates here. I haven't been able to find any news yet. Brian Anderson has the potential to be a good player, but after watching him at the plate Thursday and again today, it's obvious he's not quite major league ready yet. He keeps jumping back at every strike over the inside part of the plate and the opposition is beginning to pound him inside pitch after pitch. He looked silly on that swing on which he hurt himself today. I hope he's OK so he doesn't have to go on the DL, but it may be better for him to start the season in AAA so he can work on his new approach at the plate while starting everyday. If the Sox need him, he's only a phone call away.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 09:36 AM) Keep telling yourself that Perez serves no purpose when Santana, CC, Cliff Lee, Rodgers, and the rest of the lefties are shutting down Thome killing our attack. To me Perez needs to be on this club, or we will have another aenmic attack against lefties and we will wind up short again. We havent had a real good right handed stick off the bench to counter the lefties in a while. I agree with you. But again, I only want Perez on the roster if Ozzie intends to start him at DH in place of Thome against lefties. If not, he's a waste of a roster space, and Mackowiak is much more valuable to have on the bench.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 08:04 PM) Replace the currently-injured Perez with Terrero and I think you're looking at your opening day lineup. I could live with that. Anderson could be starting every day in AAA and he's only a phone call away if the Sox need him.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 07:48 PM) My biggest fear by large is that the OF plan is Pods-Erstad-Dye with Mackowiak and Ozuna as the backups with Perez making the roster. Shudder.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 11:44 AM) Why on earth would we keep Perez and get rid of Mack? Other than his defensive play in CF (which is 100% not his fault), he was pretty much exactly what the Sox wanted him to be last year. People seem to forget that, and get lost in his problems playing a position he himself said he should only play in an emergency. I wouldn't have a problem with the Sox keeping Perez over Mack if and only if they intend to use Perez as the primary DH vs. LHP. Otherwise, he's just a waste of a roster space if he's only going to be a RH pinch hitter and third backup at 1B. I agree with everything you wrote about Mackowiak. Unfortunately, Ozzie misused him last year and may not use him wisely again this year.