Dick Allen

QUOTE(brijames @ Jun 27, 2006 -> 07:56 PM) I am developing an incredible hatred for the Tigers . Mostly to do with the fact I live here in MI and have to listento every tom dick and harry around how just go on and on about them. Considering how horrible they have been, and how great they now are playing, I could understand their excitement.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Jun 27, 2006 -> 07:54 PM) Astros have been notorious for giving Clemens zero run support. Scoring 10 in a game was probably their quota for the week.

QUOTE(Ih8thesystem @ Jun 27, 2006 -> 07:51 PM) Nate Robertson is a stud. His career ERA is 0.32 higher than Vazquez, and he makes over $11.5 million a year less. Vazquez has the better reputation, but Detroit's #5 starter is better than the White Sox #5 starter right now.

I think Canseco also speculated that Tejada juiced.

The series this weekend is a scary one for me. Its the Cubs' WS. Their season is basically over. The only thing they can do to salvage anything this season is beat the White Sox. Zambrano is always tough, the Sox haven't hit Maddux well at Wrigley, and Marshall is a lefty and the Sox have struggled a little with lefties this season. It is not going to be easy for the White Sox despite how pathetic the Cubs are.

QUOTE(Frankensteiner @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 08:12 PM) If we look at his 2005, Vazquez is pretty much on track for a repeat performance of last season: couple of good months, couple of bad months, pretty average overall. 2005 April - 6.11 May - 2.15 June - 6.75 July - 3.71 August - 7.09 September - 2.93 October - 1.13 (1 start) 2006 April - 3.67 May - 3.99 June - 7.50 It's pretty good for a 5th starter, although he's not paid like one, nor do we really have reliable 3rd and 4th starters at this point. I hope at least one of Garland/Garcia/Vaz pitches up to the expectations because, although we currently have a good offense, there's 4 players (Konerko, Dye, Crede, AJP) performing above their career norms. I'm worried this trend won't continue throughout the year. The offense is due to slow down, no question about it. The starters are going to have to pick it up. QUOTE(Frankensteiner @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 08:12 PM) If we look at his 2005, Vazquez is pretty much on track for a repeat performance of last season: couple of good months, couple of bad months, pretty average overall. 2005 April - 6.11 May - 2.15 June - 6.75 July - 3.71 August - 7.09 September - 2.93 October - 1.13 (1 start) 2006 April - 3.67 May - 3.99 June - 7.50 It's pretty good for a 5th starter, although he's not paid like one, nor do we really have reliable 3rd and 4th starters at this point. I hope at least one of Garland/Garcia/Vaz pitches up to the expectations because, although we currently have a good offense, there's 4 players (Konerko, Dye, Crede, AJP) performing above their career norms. I'm worried this trend won't continue throughout the year. He runs faster, but doesn't get as decent of a read on a ball as Dye. Besides if Gload was right handed he may have caught the ball himself, and if Dye does get it on a bounce as someone suggested, there is a possibility that the ball was foul. Dye did make an unbelievable play earlier in the week on a ball over his head.

QUOTE(Frankensteiner @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 07:54 PM) Jermaine Dye looks like he runs in cement half the time. No way he gets to that ball on anything less than a bounce. Yeah, Gload has more range than Dye.

QUOTE(South Side Fireworks Man @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 04:37 PM) Are you saying Dye is not a real RF? Because he wouldn't have gotten to that ball either. Yes he would have. Gload came close to catching it with a horrible jump, and the fact that his glove was on his right hand hurt his chances as well. Dye would have had it without a dive.

I agree that Vazquez has the ability to be just as dominating or at least pretty close as Contreras. There are many differences though. Contreras changed his style. He started coming from different angles. Going back to his old way of pitching also probably boosted his confidence, as even when he was the original guy the Sox acquired, he occassionally threw a gem. Vazquez is an 8 year veteran with a .500 record. Despite his HOF ability, he has had a mediocre career. He hasn't been too blessed as far as the quality of teams he's played on, but the best team he played on, he had one of the highest ERAs of his career. Before the Sox acquired him Ozzie talked to him, and Vazquez had a reluctance to return to the AL. To me that's a huge red flag. Hopefully his second half won't resemble the second half he had with the Yankees, he was so bad they thought he was hurt. I'm not giving up on him as a fan, but the "greatest rotation ever" does seem to have its weak points. The offense has been incredible, and you can't expect it to continue at the current pace. The pitching staff as a whole needs to get in gear. If they pitch the second half like Detroit is pitching in the first half, making the playoffs will just be a formality.

I met my brother at a game. He was sitting in sec. 119 on the wrong side of the aisle. The lady in the red shirt was just standing in the aisle blocking our view. When my brother asked her if she could move, very politely I may add, she said she's doing her job, and wouldn't budge. My brother asked her if her job was to block the view of the paying customers, she said she knew how to do her job, and then wanted to check his ticket. It really was bizarre. She finally moved.

So what if people left the game early. For the love of God, Ozzie gave up on the game. He took Crede and Dye out. I wasn't there but I'm sure many who left have bought season tickets for longer than some of their critics have been alive. Buying tickets when the team sucked. That's loyalty to me.

With him most likely unavailable last night, it basically gets reduced to a 2 game suspension. Its better to be a little short against the Pirates than just about any other team out there right now. I think its the right move. I think Montero will be sent down and Politte brought up by tomorrow's game. Although Politte wasn't all that effective his second time out.

Ventura hit 2 "slams" in a game for the White Sox once. I think it was against Texas.He had a lot of slams. So does Crede. Crede is currently 3rd among active players with 5 walk off homers.

QUOTE(beautox @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 12:35 AM) agreed. Hopefully him and Garland will turn it around after the ASG and pitch like they are capable of ala Jose. Also Freddy needs to bring his A game every time out, i hate the fact that he doesn't pitch to his potential everytime. I'm just glad Brian suspension is over and now he can go back to patroling CF and Mackowiak and go back to being a vital tool off the bench and also our Bullpen has been amazing sans Montero, and i look forward to seeing any one of these names in (Hermanson, Cliff, Tracey) Montero didn't help Vazquez at all when he entered.

One positive is the bullpen has been great the last 2 nights, even with tonight's loss. A real RF probably catches that triple.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 12:28 AM) You want to find something to say about a Sox player no matter what, but it is difficult with Vazquez. He has had some good games and shows a lot of talent and potential, but the poor pitch selection on two strike counts is horrendous. He then gets shook up and blows big time even more. The guy needs to grow a pair and get some smarts about how, what and good pitching. He has screwed up way too much. But, we can say that about Jon Garland and Freddie Garcia also. They are not consistent. A real good game one time out and suck big time the next. That's the thing. He has so much ability, it makes it so frustrating to watch. When the wheels fall off for him, they all fall off.

The scary thing is he hasn't started giving up homers at an incredible clip yet, although a couple tonight. If he starts doing that like he did in NY and AZ, his ERA will skyrocket.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 12:23 AM) Cherry picking is the height of lame. He's had 4 starts giving up 6 runs or more. 6 giving up 5 runs or more. He's pitched 8 innings once. This is not a $12.5 million pitcher. KC is a minor league team.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 12:18 AM) 4.43 actually. Getting 3 starts already against KC will help your ERA. His ERA is over 6.00 against teams not named the Royals.

Too bad Dye was lifted. They still might be playing, or the Sox may have won.

His ERA against teams other than Cleveland and KC is 7.52. He's been lights out against KC, and the first 2 times against Cleveland, although they scored a few runs off him his last start against them. Considering what they gave up, and what Vazquez is paid, unless Vazquez turns around his AL performance, and don't say he just couldn't handle NY because he made the All Star team and then fell apart, the Young, Vizcaino, Hernandez for Vazquez trade, may be the worst trade KW ever made. QUOTE(SoxAce @ Jun 26, 2006 -> 12:03 AM) Boy this is soxtalk for ya. Make one bad start and your in the doghouse. I wonder when Buehrle gives up like 10 runs will people jump him too? I would expect alot of posters here who are jumping on Vasquez (except Aboz who will never bash Buehrle) to do the same with Buehrle. 1 bad start? He's been pretty brutal for a while.

QUOTE(chitownsportsfan @ Jun 25, 2006 -> 01:21 PM) You role in around in the mud with pigs and you're going to get dirty. Ozzie could have made Mariotti sound like the whiney windbag he is by just taking the high road and saying: "Jay Mariotti is a coward; I've never seen him come down into my office--the clubhouse--and have the guts to ask me questions straight up. Ask Jay if he ever comes down here. He fears for his safety? Give me a break, that happened over 5 years ago now, and Jurassic Carl's screaming fit, well Carl is a crazy dude but he ain't here anymore." Jay should get his butt down here and get the info straight for the horses mouth." If Ozzie said that, Mariotti would have looked like a high school gossip, and the White Sox would have come out smelling like roses. Too bad Ozzie still has his "street mentality". He needs to realize he's in the corporate world, not the streets of Caracas. That would have been fine, but it gives Mariotti free publicity. The White Sox have been in a verbal spat with Mariotti for years, and have basically said what you suggested. As long as he gets the free pub, and knows his column has struck a nerve, he will continue with it. The Sun-Times loves all the attention he's getting now. I wouldn't be surprised if he's up for a raise.

Its a shame Ozzie's big mouth has put KW in a position to say what he had to say. Its time to STFU, and play baseball. The White Sox as an organization need to ignore Mariotti. It should be team policy. If this policy was in place at the beginning of the season, none of this crap would have happened. Mariotti is just sitting back laughing at the mess he helped create, and he's laughing at how bad he's made the White Sox organization look to others around the country.

He looked done a couple of years ago, but has pitched well of late. It wouldn't hurt having him around IMO, and probably wouldn't cost too much. The danger here is at his age he could implode at any moment.

Rincon is another steroid boy. I don't see the Twins giving up. With Santana and Liriano right now basically locks to win their starts, if the rest of the rotation goes .500, they play .700 ball. Its unlikely they will be able to do that, but I think they see the light at the end of the tunnel and probably want Rincon for next year, or if they deal him, deal him to someone other than a division rival.