Fingish

QUOTE(GreatScott82 @ Nov 24, 2005 -> 08:16 AM) Howry had a great year in Cleveland. Good news for us: he's out of the AL Central & the Cubs once again overpaid for a reliever LOL! Exactly! Thank You Cubs!! Anything to beat back Cleveland a little bit. Honestly, Eyre and Howry are good pickups, I wouldn't have minded seeing either of them on the Sox (not at these prices though), but keeping Howry off of the Indians doesn't hurt.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 12:10 PM) Finglish, if you would like my opinion I will give it to you. I like the rotation of MB Garland Count BMAC Garcia way more than the one with Beckett. I see Beckett as inconsistent, oft injured and soon to be overpaid. Garland is much more consistent, and eats more innings on avg. I think Beckett is just coming into form though, and has more upside than Garland. Really, their career numbers don't compare, Beckett is the better pitcher, Garland is the more reliable/healthy one. You go with Beckett if you want to take a chance on a #1 ace, Garland will be a very good #3 or #4 guy. I think with the number of guys on our staff that eat up innings like Buehrle and Garcia, you can take a chance on getting 170-180IP out of Beckett. He has increased his IP each of the last 3 years while lowering his WHIP and BAA each of the last 3 years. Basically, I agree that we shouldn't be trading starters like Rowand,Crede or Uribe unless the upgrade is much better, these guys form the core of our defense and no pitcher is going to do too well if the guys behind him don't catch the ball. If we are going to trade big names, or pitching, I would like to get pitching back in return. I would take a chance on something that allows us to spin out Garland and prospects (or Marte) for Beckett, only if he is signable, but not just to bring us a marginal upgrade like Pierre.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 10:25 AM) Ummm, dont you think we are getting a bit ripped off there? We are getting a minor leaguer who hasnt proven a thing and a player who is going to be a FA and really had an off year. The Rangers get a WS MVP and a starting player, the marlins get one of the best LH pitchers available at a good price, a top tier starting CF'er and an all-star GG caliber 3B who mashes the ball, and a prospect? I hope your xbox didnt fry when you input this trade. What would you think of us trying to get involved in getting Beckett himself? We could involve Garland in a trade, maybe w/ more than 1 team. I would like the looks of a: Beckett Buehrle Contreras Garcia McCarthy This would assume you are willing to put up the $$ to sign Beckett, I'm not sure of his status, but I would assume he is FA after '06? Considering we are in the same boat w/ Garland, I'd much rather lock up Beckett for the long term at big $$ than Garland. I'm not sure if a trade could be structured in this way, or if Beckett would sign long-term here, but if you are going to go for the big move, I say don't get involved at the margins, go for the good players in the deal, guys like Beckett only come up so often... This is probably an X-Box worth idea as well, but I'd rather see us actually get something if we are going to give up any key players (Garland,Rowand,Marte)....

This is the ranting of a moron. He practically suggests trading 3/5ths of our starting rotation. We won the World Freakin' Series with Ptiching and Defense, but he wants to trade Hernandez and Contreras or Garcia to make room for a 33 yr. old Delgado. We had 2 guys the year before that are .300/30HR/100RBI-type players, we decided to get rid of them so we COULD have guys like Garcia and Contreras on the team. It's amazing how after all of these decades of frustration, we finally do the right thing, assemble a team of players that play the game the right way, and everyone is just as quick to want to trade what made us succesful for power-hitting offensively minded players. Even with McCarthy penciled into a rotation spot for '06, there is no guarantee that he will live up to his potential. I agree that I see what everyone else sees, the guy should be a stud #1 or#2 type pitcher someday, this is baseball, it isn't written in stone. If there was 1 pitcher I would consider trading, it would probably be Garland, and only if it was bringing another SP that helped us either payroll-wise, or we thought we had a better chance of hanging on to. Otherwise, Pitching wins, Defense wins, don't mess with what works.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Nov 11, 2005 -> 10:43 AM) Why move a GG SS just to get a fast guy on the field? It makes no sense, Uribe has proven that he is an elite fielder at that position, not many can touch him. you are right on with this, Rock. Uribe is such a good SS it almost doesn't even matter if he ever gets a hit again. Our overall team defense was a part of the reason the pitching staff did so well. This is the best all-around defensive team we have ever had, IMO. The little things got it done for us this year, lets not trade them all for 1 big thing. I also am coming around to your thinking that we will possibly have a youngster from our own system starting for us in '06. And who it is might just be determined by how they perform in the spring. If anyone is moved to make room for a rookie, it would make sense that it would be one of the outfielders, not one of the premier defensive infielders on the left side.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Nov 10, 2005 -> 02:49 PM) Seeing how the sox should go with a guy with experience, here's how guys hit from the #2 spot this yr: [i put a minimum of 200 ab's] http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/battin...in=17&ageMax=51 hmmm, what guy is #4 on that list, would probably only cost $2-$3mil this season, hits lefty, and would be able to bat leadoff, while staying within the "Ozzie Doctrorine" of getting someone with speed?

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Nov 10, 2005 -> 01:07 PM) soooo.....Move probably the AL's gold glove (realistically) SS to 3B to make room for an expensive FA that we dont really need? Then Trade away a possible GG 3B who was a HUGE part of our defense and playoffs last year because we want somewhere to stick our GG SS? Seems like alot of tinkering of a team just because we MAY want to try someone else at the #2 spot. great points, RR. would anyone else in the league but Uribe been able to make that last play of game 4 of the WS? i also think you are right about maybe not moving Iguchi from the #2 spot. in the first half Pods and Gooch could have been the best 1-2 combo in baseball, they did everything right for their roles.

QUOTE(BMac41 @ Nov 10, 2005 -> 09:18 AM) Kenny Lofton is an old piece of s***.The guy sucks now.He's a waste to have on the team. Yeah, a guy who hit .330 with a .395 OBP and stole 22 bases in 25 attempts sucks. duh...

I think a good cheap option to fill in some speed is Kenny Lofton. Left Handed, high OBP(.395), good speed (22SB/3CS), tons of experience. He is at a stage in his career where he only expects 250-350 AB's, he would be a great replacement for Timo. I know this isn't exactly what Ozzie wanted, he's probably looking for a full-time player to bat #2, and I have a sneaky feeling we will see both Anderson and Borchard on this team, which would make getting another OF out of the question. But if one of those guys get's moved, Lofton would be a great addition, and if Pods got banged up like he did in the 2nd half this year, Lofton is a proven lead-off hitter who could slip right in there without us losing too much. I know that this isn't a likely signing at this point, too crowded in the outfield at the moment, but Lofton has always been a great player, seems to end up on winning teams a lot, has tons of experience, is left-handed, fits the mold of what this team is about, and should come fairly cheap.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Nov 9, 2005 -> 02:51 PM) Urbina was run out of Detroit for acting like a drunken asshole. Supposedly he had problems in Philadelphia, now he is facing a murder charge. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Its possible Urbina may be behind Venezuelan bars next baseball season. I don't understand how people can endorse trading for or signing a potential murderer, but have huge problems picking up guys who may have used steriods. Personally, I don't want any of them. I would have loved for the Sox to sign Urbina a couple of seasons ago, but he is pretty erratic both on and off the field at this point of his life. Don't try to compare him to Everett, or AJ or Jenks or anyone else the White Sox have reclimated. None of these guys have been accused of murder. Come on, he isn't accused of murder, he's accused of attempted murder. And of course we would have to know more about the situation than it is possible for us to know right now. Luckily we have Ozzie, and he probably has a better handle on what the Venezuelan justice system is like, and what this case is really about. All I'm saying is, don't be surprised to see him on the team in '06, and if he is, it would be with Ozzie's blessing, and that is good enough for me. Possibly you keep Viz and trade Hernandez if you pick up Urbina. With Jenks slated to be the closer, Hermanson could find life again pulling long relief and making a spot start or two. I love what Dustin did for us last year, it was a magical year all-around, I just don't expect him to do it again...

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 9, 2005 -> 11:41 AM) You really don't think Urbina has some baggage? I've been told for years that he has an awful reputation within baseball, and recent events only scare me off more from him joining the Sox. Sure, he may very well be innocent of the crime....but it's not like being charged with attempted murder should just be brushed off like it's no big deal. UU had a 4.5 ERA in 2004, and then a 4.13 ERA in his time with the Phillies last year. We're not talking about the marquee closer that he once was. His fastball has lost like 8 mph in the last few years, and he'll still cost you at least 3 million. For our 5th or 6th reliever in the pen, give me Viz. In no way could I see UU having no problem not pitching but once a week. 1. He won't cost 3 mil., not with this stuff hanging over his head. 2. He is light-years better than Viz. 3. 4.13 ERA with Phillies, but also a 1.15 WHIP and a .186 BAA, those last two numbers are better than most of the pitchers on our staff, only Cotts and Politte pitched that well out of the Pen. Relief pitchers are strange things, they can be lights out 1 year, and be horrible the next, Politte is still a 4.06 CAREER ERA, we could just as easily get the 4.38 ERA and 1.44 WHIP that we got out of him in '04. Hermanson is a question mark, Marte is a question mark, even the great Bobby Jenks has some issues performance-wise. If Urbina was able to be added for $1.5-$2.0mil including incentives, like $1mil base+, it would be foolish in the extreme to not consider adding him. Especially if he has Ozzie's respect, and Ozzie himself thinks he could handle him in the clubhouse.

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 8, 2005 -> 12:23 PM) Urbina's had a terrible reputation for a long time in baseball, well before he tried to kill someone. Not only that, but he's the type of pitcher who would start to b**** if he wasn't used frequently (like the role Viz had last year). Yeah, the whole thing is based on the idea that Ozzie could control Urbina, and that is only something that Ozzie could tell us. If they did decide to gamble on him, I would have a lot of confidence that they know what they are getting, and know how to keep him contained. And of course, his role wouldn't really be that Viz had, but the upgrade is so large, that it really doesn't matter. You can never have too much depth in the bullpen, the chance to pick up an arm like this can't just be ignored, especially considering the special circumstances involving our manager that makes our situation unique in all of baseball. I understand the worries about clubhouse chemistry, but if this guy pitches like he has during most of his career, we won't have to worry about him b****ing about doing Viz's old job, because he will be one of the top few arms on our already loaded pitching staff.

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 8, 2005 -> 12:05 PM) Urbina? Not a chance in hell he should be brought in. I would guess this is a "chemistry"-based objection? To me, it would depend entirely on Ozzie's opinion of who Urbina is and to what extent he believes he can keep him under control. Remeber, Ozzie would have leverage with Urbina that no other manager in baseball has, and that is Urbina's home country of Venezuela's love for Ozzie Guillen. Urbina might be a model citizen knowing that a guy that could ruin him forever in Venezuela is in control of the team. I'm just saying, if you can get him super-cheap right now, roll the dice, explain to him exactly what you are going to expect from him, what conduct will cause him to be released from the team, etc... This is one of those situations where the fans just aren't close enough to the situation to know the right thing to do, but fortunately we do have some people in our orginaztion (Ozzie) that have insight into this that we will never know. If you could swap out Viz and replace him with Urbina for the same money, you do it, as long as he's not going to spend next season in prison. Of course, last season Urbina made almost $3 mil. more than Vizcaino, so it takes something like Attempted Murder charges to get the price down.

Urbina Story Someone suggested getting Urbina because of the Venezuela connection, well, his price just dropped by a ton. Attempted Murder charges usually don't enhance a FA's value. This might all be crap, and Oswaldo would be the one to know whether the guy is in real trouble or if something will be worked out. I'll take him for league minimum plus incentives and send Vizcanio somewhere else. damn, the guy had a 1.15 WHIP and a .186 BAA, ok, even with the charges I'll give him $500k + incentives...

There is no doubt they will go to the White House. The Question is does Ozzie's relationship with Hugo Chavez prevent him from getting the proper security clearance? well...yeah, you get the picture.. heh

Like most things, the stats are a useful tool, but hardly tell the whole story. The problems with using just runs scored,ops, etc.. is that they miss so much of what makes a good baseball team. Specifically with Podsednik, while he had a good season Avg.-wise, it was his successful Stolen Base % that brings down his VORP (Value Of a Replacement Player) in systems that measure things that way. When they measure a players value he has to steal bases at a 75% or higher rate for them to even count for a positive for the player. They assign a value to the fraction of a run created for successful stolen base versus the fraction of a run lost from getting caught stealing, and because getting caught is more detrimental than being successful, if you steal at less than a 75% clip, the stolen bases on the whole are counted as a slight negative in your value. The rest is not hard to figure out, if you give Scott Podsednik no credt for any of his stolen bases (in actuality penalizing him slightly versus if he hadn't tried at all), you end up with a player that probably doesn't deserve a major league roster spot. The real story of Podsednik this year was the first half where he stole bases at an incredible %, and the second half where he got thrown out a lot more. (44SB-9CS before the all-star break, 15SB-14CS after) I think what we all saw this season is that there were plenty of intangilbles in Pods game that never get a stat assigned to them. How about "Freak Outs" to describe how many times he got into a pitchers head so much that the guy forgot how to pitch? I'm sure he lead the league in that stat this year.

QUOTE(Luke_Sox @ Oct 30, 2005 -> 06:56 AM) Hi! I'm pretty new on the game of Baseball so i have some questions i need to ask. I know all about how u play the game, so my questions aren't really about the game. 1. What's the thing they have on the bats? you know the cylinder shaped thing? what's the uese of it? 2. Does everyone have to have a cap on the head? since everone wearing it including the coach. Or is it just some PR thing? 3. How many times is a Bat used? how often do they change, if it's not broken. 4. How much does a ticket cost to "The Cell" ? Thx! Win Or Die Trying! 1. I assume you mean the cylinder they use while warming up in the on-deck circle before they bat, and it is a wieght that they put on there to help get loose while taking those warm up swings. 2. All the players certianly have to wear cap's while playing in the game, but otherwise it just is traditional to have the manager and all the coaches in the dugout wearing caps as well. 3. Some guys will use the same bat over and over until it breaks, others may change bats if they are in a bad hitting streak, and still others don't care at all and will pick from a few different bats depending just on how they are feeling. 4. The premium box seats closest to the field average around $34 or so. If you go out towards the outfield or into the upper deck of the stadium the tickets get progressively cheaper, i'm not sure how much cheaper, but I would guess still $20 is as low as they go. (certian nights of the week, they have sold tickets for 1/2 price in the past, we'll see how popular we are next year if that continues) hope that helps! thanks for rooting for our White Sox over there!

QUOTE(CubsSuck1 @ Oct 29, 2005 -> 01:56 PM) I'd kill for a panoramic of Konerko running to first and pumping his fist after the grand slam. yes yes yes, any high quality shots of Konerko or Pods running up the 1st base line after they hit those homers. i'm 9 rows up from the on-deck circle side of the visitor's dugout with my uncle, brother and father, i would kill to have a picture that i could even remotely pick us out in.

Everyone is getting carried away talking contracts, remember the title of this thread? That moment when Paulie gave that ball to Jerry, was absolutely amazing. I was at the parade, but when I got home and saw the Tivo of Jerry getting that ball, and how much it meant to him, how much it meant to have Paulie giving it to him, and how he broke down crying when he talked about it, that was absolutely the highlight of the whole day today. What a great day for Jerry, the crowd loved him, chanted his name, he really got the recognition he deserves, that he never got with the Bulls. Paul is absolutely a 100% classy guy, and you can tell he appreciates being given the chance to play every day that he was given here. My two cents, Paul Konerko and Kenny Williams could negotiate this contract over a game of golf sometime in the next couple of weeks, if they are both so inclined. Kenny will know what his budget is, and he will always put the team over the importance of one guy, but both he and Jerry value loyalty so much, and if both sides want to get a deal done, it will be easy, not hard, if it starts to look hard to do, then I'd get worried.

Let's not forget either, that this guy was a big-time hitter in the minor's. Maybe this postseason will bring his confidence up to a level where he can become a .300 hitter again. Imagine how good of a player Joe Crede could still become.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Oct 26, 2005 -> 12:10 PM) If, if, if we win tonight, who would you like to see on the mound making the last pitch for a Sox WS winner? Garcia? Jenks? Hermy?...... Deffinitely Garcia, because that means it probably wasn't even close...

Group 4 and the Bullpen are the heroes of the night! Everyone was talking about the starters and the everyday lineup after we rolled through those first 10 games, but our guys know that Ozzie might call on them at any time and they were ready. Marte and Blum, who would have picked those guys to be getting it done at the end of a game like that. They were everyone's nightmare before the game, if you had asked anyone what our chances were if the game went 14 innings and we ended up with Marte on the mound and Blum at the plate, most people would have picked us to lose. That's what is different about this team, they never believe that, they have faith in each other. From Konerko all the way down to Blum they pull for each other instead of whining about who is getting playing time. This has been a team thing since day 1. Group 4 represents what this team is all about it. Group 4! Yes!

QUOTE(sec159row2 @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 10:16 AM) barak obama and dick durbin make me wanna :puke http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...,1,964649.story Obama is a REAL White Sox fan. The day he threw out the 1st pitch he was on T.V. being interviewed and you could see the Sox hat he had wasn't a brand new one, but rather one that was well worn, something that would have taken years of being a fan to do.

i think if Joey was in an animated discussion with Dye, it wasn't about whether he misplayed a ball or not, it would be asking him if he isn't telling them something about his injury status. IMO, J.D. looks like he is running in sand out there going after stuff the last couple of games. I don't think he would not be playing, but they might be quicker to put Timo out there as a defensive sub if Dye is hurting.

There should be a statue of Jerry in downtown Chicago for what he has done for this City. Thanks to JR, a guy who has wanted to put a winner on the field every day since he took over. I've never had the impression that they were happy with anything less than winning it all, and they tried over the years to put together a winning combonation a few times. They came close in '83, in '93 and especially in '94 they really had as good of a shot as anyone. Now thanks to Ozzie's influence and KW's eye for talent we have got there, we have built a team based around the most important fundamentals in baseball that could be around for years. My family has had season tickets continually since 1970, this is what we live and die for, it's hard to describe what this moment means, I just hope we keep rolling and we get to keep celebrating! Go Sox! Thanks JR!