Balta1701

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 10:10 AM) , welcome to the elite old chap... now to tell you about that initiation process... ....Begins to unbutton pants...

....quiet storm...

Actual lineups: Sizemore, CF; Michaels, LF; Hafner, DH; Martinez, C; Blake, RF; Garko, 1B; Peralta, SS; Barfield, 2B; Marte, 3B. Sowers pitching. Pods, LF; Erstad, CF; PK, 1B; Thome, DH; Dye, RF; Crede, 3B; Iguchi, 2B; AJ, C; Uribe, SS. Buehrle pitching (in deer hunting weather). Interesting...PK in the 3 hole against the lefty with Thome cleaning up. Wonder why Dye wasn't picked. Iguchi in the 7 slot behind Crede...the rollover part of our order might be some trouble, with Lefty, Uribe, Useless lefty, and lefty in 4 batters.

QUOTE(maggsmaggs @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 09:43 AM) Let's see what Floyd can do in AAA. Hopefully, he gets his head back on track and his stuff is good. Cause by the way our bullpen looks, we might need some reinforcements sooner than later. Ditto the starting rotation.

Well, it looks like this site's resident geologist has somehow managed to weasel his way into the 20,000 post club. In under 2 years I might add. Man, it would be nice to see another trophy before I get to 30,000.

Via the Tribune

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 08:41 AM) It is pretty awful from what I recall. According to Baseball-reference, AJ actually had 3 sacrifices last year. He has 11 through his entire career, 4 of them in his 2 years with the Sox. One of them was against Johan. He has attempted and failed to bunt twice. So he's not doing it every day, but he's not as bad %age wise as one would expect.

You can read above how I said that there seemed to be a horrific example of execs getting loaded while a company falls apart every single week? This week's example: Ford Motor Company. Ford lost $12.7 billion in 2006. In the first 4 months on the job for their new CEO, they paid him $28 million dollars. For 4 months, including his signing bonus, moving expenses, and a bunch of "Performance" related bonii. And on top of that, their former CEO, Bill Ford Jr., who gave up the title of CEO last year, saw his pay after giving up that title drop by only about 20%...still over $10 million. And I'm pretty sure that doesn't include the company jet usage that CNN talks about. Meanwhile, Ford is still about to try negotiating with the UAW to massively cut benefits and is looking to cut some 30,000 jobs.

QUOTE(AssHatSoxFan @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 06:10 AM) the tiebreaker is divisional record which they clinched last night by going 12-4 vs their division That is excellent news. Go Heat! (eww, man do I feel dirty)

You know, I actually was half expecting there to be something intelligent in this thread worth discussing when I stepped into it. I mean, at least some deal suggestions that make sense, like Buehrle to the Mets or Dye to the Dodgers. Little did I know... And by the way folks...Jim Thome still has a complete no trade clause, no matter how many people forget about it.

Come on Mark Buehrle of pre-June 06, please come back to us just one more year. You've got to still be in there somewhere.

Wait a second, a catcher and 2 middle infielders? I didn't even know our organization had such things in its minor leagues!

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 08:02 AM) I think batting second might take some of the pressure off of Anderson. All he has to do is make contact or bunt or take some pitches. He doesn't have to produce from the bottom of the order, or set anyone up. His job would be to move Erstad and put him in position to be driven in by the Big Three. I know he didn't show a whole heck of a lot last year, but why not give him a try there. I think Anderson in the 2nd half of last year looked like he had "Future #2 hitter" written all over him. Good speed which he can hopefully turn into 15-20 steals a year, patient at the plate, good ability to take a walk, some power, and good at driving the ball the other way. The big thing preventing Brian from being our best option in that slot last year, to my eyes, was the strikeouts. 90 in 365 AB's. That's just way too high for a #2 hitter. And while he wasn't as bad later in the season as early in the season, he was still striking out 1/5 times even in his good months. He needs to make more contact before I'm willing to plug him into the #2 hole, and that's coming from one of his biggest backers here.

QUOTE(JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 06:19 PM) how can you say they arent talented? how did they go from a consesus top pitching staff pre-2006 season talent-wise to where they arent even talented anymore? i know they lost freddy but you cant tell me thats the difference. Almost the whole rotation has lost velocity. Jose is down, Garland is down, Buehrle was down a little last year and was never high in the first place, and Vazquez is loaded with potential but hasn't done jack with it in a couple years. There's no one right now on this starting pitching staff who can throw a fastball at 95.

QUOTE(JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 05:35 PM) this isnt a question of who has more to work with, it's a matter of results. and if the sox are scoring 6 runs a game while allowing a 5.7 team ERA coop will be in trouble and walker wont If the Sox are scoring 6 runs per game because Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and Jermaine Dye are unstoppable, like last year...but then the guys we need to create a more balanced attack, i.e. Anderson, Erstad, Uribe, Podsednik, Pierzynski wind up struggling with the bats...that says something.

QUOTE(JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 05:29 PM) how does walker go before coop if our offense scores 6 runs a game? Which one of them has more to work with?

Blasted Democrats undermining our President... (document from 1997)

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 05:15 PM) Exactly my point. We have "quiet" leaders. And... Well, let's think about this...the last 2 teams that have won the World Series...how have they been built? No matter what people say about Rowand...in 05, there was 1 media darling on the team, and that was Ozzie. One big, all encompassing leader. In 06, how about the Cardinals? Who would you say the leaders on that team were? Carpenter maybe, Isringhausen even though he was hurt, Pujols perhaps, certainly Eckstein. But who were the real big leaders? LaRussa. The Marlins in 03? Pudge Rodriguez and Trader Jack McKeon. The Halos in 02? Mike Scoscia. I don't see a problem with having quiet leaders. An awful lot of the best teams recently have been teams where the leaders were either quiet guys without big egos or a dominant managerial personality. I'd much rather have quiet leaders and one single guy in the manager than the mess of guys they have mashed together in New York where every other week they seem to have someone bashing someone else on the team publically.

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 04:56 PM) The only reason I'd advocate a new pitching coach is because some of these starters seem like they could use a new pespective on how they go after hitters. We can't use the tired arm excuse from last year anymore. How long are that many of these guys going to be hanging around, even if good times return?

QUOTE(SoxAce @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 04:52 PM) The main thing with Erstad is that he's taking walks early this season which I like to see. He's working the counts, taking great jumps, stealing bases and putting the ball in play like if he was a leadoff hitter or something. I never mind Erstad and his grinder play here. I loved the signing and wanted him to be a great LH bat off the bench, and even more, our starting LF. It's not his fault he's got someone blocking that position now and that he's blocking Anderson. Even if he goes 0-3 with 3 K's at least I'll bank anyone he'll work the pitcher or at the very, very least, swing and miss not go down starring like an idiot. Hell, from what I was tault back in little league ball that is the worst thing you can ever do when you K. At least...if Mr. Erstad keeps doing what he's doing right now...he gives Ozzie another OF option if he feels the urge to bench someone.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 03:12 PM) More on the recess appointment: Unfortunately I think Mr. Dodd has no standing here, but hey, anything that gets more press coverage for this move, considering how blatant it is... I read someone else suggest that the Senate should gut the State Department's budget for it's Belgian Embassy. I like that idea too. Pretty much just as nice as Mr. Bush's move.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 04:19 PM) Buehrle and his agent really do understand and know how to work the media. I haven't seen them say one wrong thing since the contract talks started. Well, the repeated Cardinals-related statements over a number of years haven't been the best things ever. But anyway...right now the only Buehrle-related offer I care about is whether he can match or beat whatever Sowers offers up tomorrow. Let's match that offer first, then worry about the rest.

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 04:42 PM) 2 games into the season, and someone's calling for a coaches head? This isn't the NFL. He'll get at least this season to have our pitchers start living up to expectations. If this team is anywhere near the BP predictions, then we're going to have a lot of changes. Even if this team winds up near where BP puts us...I still think you hold onto Cooper for a couple more years. I mean, if nothing else, look at the performance of Mr. Aardsma today. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws, but I've seen as many pitchers turn their careers around for at least a season under Mr. Cooper in the last 2 years as i have under any pitching coach not named Leo. Sometimes things don't work out, and that may well be the fault of Mr. Cooper and whatever conditioning program he puts these guys on in the offseason, but in terms of teaching people how to pitch, he seems like he's had some extraordinary successes. To add to that, if this team winds up near where BP puts us, and we wind up selling mid-season or just letting people walk at season's end...I want Cooper being the guy around coaching the next generation of 3-4-5 starters in our rotation, whoever they might be.

So, I think I'm going to play Mr. Positive today. Don't know why, but I want to right now. Mr. Erstad, wonderful job. You keep this up and I'm going to be much, much less mad about that whole you getting the starting job without earning it in the spring deal. Mr. Aardsma...most impressive. Mr. Crede, Iguchi, and Thome...couple big hits in this game. They were appreciated, even though things didn't work out in the end.