The Ginger Kid

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 30, 2007 -> 08:31 AM) He will be, just in AAA. Anyway, the thing i was implying was that if our 2nd lefty was a bit more intelligently chosen...it might be more tolerable to put Thor into the closer role. I really believe Sisco is on a very, very short leash. A few blown leads and that guy is flying coach to Charlotte and waving at Boone in the departure lounge. As for the Pods thing, I'm rooting for him to have a good year obviously, but if he starts with another disastrous April I hope to god ozzie will at least move him down in the line up, if not on the bench. It's one thing when your 8 or 9 hitter struggles, but lead off is too crucial. And Pods pouts too damn much when he's not going right. He should also be on a very short leash. I think Ozzie is enamored with how hard he is on himself. He needs to get over it. The first month of our schedule is brutal.

Tom Verducci got to play umpire for a day this spring. Some of you might enjoy the article, I really did. SI story

I expect Detroit to be good, but I still look at their record in the 2nd half, 40-41, and think this team had a lot of things go their way in the first half. We know what that's like. And we also know it doesn't always go your way two years in a row.

could've sworn they won 99 games in '05

QUOTE(HeGone33 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 11:18 AM) That girl is my wife, problem is she just doesn't know it yet.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 05:40 PM) Bonderman is an example of a pitcher any team is quite capable of selecting if they're willing to take a chance. He was selected 26th overall in 2001. That's why I dismiss people who complain about our lack of Top 10 draft selections. Take a risk and perhaps stray from the "safe" selections and a team such as the White Sox may have a Jeremy Bonderman. that said, I really like what I saw in Russell this spring. I think he could play a big role in the near future.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 10:25 AM) Bonderman, frankly, scares the hell out of me as a Sox fan. 24 years old this season with just nasty stuff and no real history of arm ailments. and he's apparently added a change up to his arsenal, and they've always said he needs a 3rd pitch to go with the slider and heater to make him an ace.

at least Sisco was throwing strikes. He's got no chance to stay on the team if he doesn't throw strikes.

this thread is a real change of pace.

Brian Anderson with a statement shot!

QUOTE(Brian @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 05:00 PM) Sounds like a sure thing to me right now. Bad pitching plus tough division. less so with the gambler going on the DL. About time something bad happened to that team.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 04:58 PM) Is it true that the Sox over/under is 89 in Vegas? Wow....pretty tempting to take the under. Yes, it is. I would give particular weight to this game played in March in Alabama when making your decision.

I'm actually pulling for the Barons. Try it. It's kind of cool.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 09:24 AM) Yeah, kind of like Scott Brosius and Pat Borders. Name me a few of Eckstein's redeeming qualities. Just curious. defense, batter's eye, hustle, two world series rings. And I wouldn't call Brosius or Borders "terrible baseball players" either. QUOTE(RME JICO @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 09:23 AM) I don't know if this has been posted before, but I was surprised to see Erstad's success against AL Central pitching for his career: vs Sabathia 7-21, .333BA, .364OBP vs Byrd 4-13, .308BA, .357OBP vs Westbrook 6-14, .429BA, .429OBP vs Rogers 25-80, .313BA, .360OBP vs Bonderman 5-11, .455BA, .500OBP vs Robertson 3-9, .333BA, .400OBP vs Santana 8-29, .276BA, .276OBP vs Silva 9-22, .409BA, .409OBP If he could even put up numbers close to that, the Sox will be in good shape. Anderson's still better

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 09:06 AM) David Eckstein is a pretty terrible baseball player ...yet somehow wins the MVP in the world series. too funny.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 08:53 AM) Crede, period. ditto

Lost in the oh-so-important, make-or-break soxtalk saga of Brian Anderson: Joe Crede has had a great spring. Tad Iguchi finally heated up in the last week or so. Kong and JD had a very nice spring. Uribe looks fit and very ready to go. Ozzie says he's the key. Contreras has consistently said he feels fantastico and looks to be in terrific shape. Podsednik feels his legs are back and his shoulder problems appear to be gone. Thome got a ton of bats again this spring in hopes of avoiding the slow start that plagued most of his career until he got to Chicago and they sought to get him more AB's in ST. Pablo being Pablo. Our infield defense is f***ing great, particularly late in the game when Erstad moves to first. Of course all this pales in importance compared to who's playing CF. There are more positives to be sure. Top to bottom this is a very solid lineup, on par with Detroit's IMO. But they definitely have the advantage on the bump.

this season can't start soon enough

QUOTE(spiderman @ Mar 28, 2007 -> 05:44 PM) I agree with you 100% on Mackowiak - he sucked in CF, and he shouldn't have been out there, but my point is that there were plenty of reasons why the White Sox were basically a .500 club after the fast start to the season. Mack was a liability in CF for sure, but his play didn't impact the team as much as BA's first half at the plate. It's a wash, at best.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 28, 2007 -> 10:40 AM) But beyond that, the whole Anderson/Erstad thing and the early signs from our pitching staff have me exceptionally worried about this being a down year. But consider that me playing devil's advocate on the positive side on this team. On another bright side, the fortunes of this team do not hinge on who's playing CF and batting 2nd or 9th. It's a fun debate, but it's not going to make or break the season. If that were the case then BA's first half last season would've put them out of contention, which it didn't.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 06:42 PM) http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/artic...sp&c_id=cws Additionally, and unsurprisingly, Perez was released and Terrero sent down. THe article says KW tried to make several moves to free up a space for PErez, but nothing worked out. Glad to see Ozzie changed his mind about BA going to Charlotte if he wasn't starting. He'll get plenty of PT but shouldn't be as much of a liability as last season. Plus he's a great late inning defensive sub.

the cubs ahead of the Sox is just so laughable.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 01:36 PM) Ahhh the Ozzie supporters out in full force. When will they realize that he has no clue what he's doing in terms of on field decisions? when he gives back that WS ring he won in his second year and denies any credit QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 27, 2007 -> 08:48 AM) He said the best performer this spring would win the job in CF, Brian has been better than Erstad, yet Erstad is going to be the starter. Not too hard. this I do not agree with, especially after spending some time watching them play

Aardsma's stock is on the rise. I have a hunch he'll make it, along with Logan. Sisco still isn't throwing enough strikes.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 26, 2007 -> 11:04 PM) You just read whatever the f*** you want don't you? seriously, I have no idea what the hell that means. Tell me how Ozzie lied to Brian.