Dick Allen

Hawk, while not mentioning Manuel, is still giving him shots about the make up of the roster when Ozzie took over. I like the Hawk a lot, but he needs to stop with the subtle and not so subtle Manuel bashing. If Manuel was responsible for the Sox roster, then there is a problem with the way this organization is put together. I'll be first in line saying JM had to go, and it probably was 2 years too late when he did, but the man was a class act, and doesn't deserve the Marriotti- like hatchet job Hawk has been doing on him since his firing. Hawk never seemed to have a problem with the roster until Manuel was gone.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Mar 12, 2005 -> 05:13 PM) That was very poor defense on the last play. Didn't force a short inbounds pass and didn't have a s***load of on the ball pressure with only 3 seconds remaining. Let him go coast to coast. That good of a look shouldn't happen. I agree with you on this. Haluska was on the guy's side. It was a circus shot, but he had a wide open look. Haluska should have gotten in front of him to at least make him alter the shot. I'm an Iowa alum and have been to 4 games this season. 2 of them the Hawks won. The nail biter with MSU Friday evening and the blowout win against Bobby Knight and Texas Tech. The other 2, this Wisconsin game, and a loss to Northwestern, were both lost on 3 point shots as time expired. The defensive strategy was curious both games. The NU game, the guy had a wide open look in the corner from a baseline inbounds play, after an Iowa timeout.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 07:18 AM) Is there a source anywhere that says he's either a good guy for the clubhouse or not? He was supposed to be not so good in the clubhouse. I don't know if it was his drug use, his partying ways, or he was just an ass. Its was supposedly the reason Beane sent him packing although he was his type of player. I don't understand this signing at all, even if it is for Charlotte. This guy has a marijuana history, a steriod history, can't play a position, and couldn't hit while on the juice in Boston. I think it sends the wrong message, and will do absolutely nothing of benefit for the organization. KW's talk about bringing in quality guys turns out to be a bunch of BS.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Mar 7, 2005 -> 08:31 PM) Small minded thinking like that is what keeps the team at 2nd. Having a regular at SS who is more than adequate at 3B is a plus. Especially when your 3B is sub-par. Having a solid bat v RH with excellent speed that can play SS is a plus. Say what you want about Harris but he has proven to be a very capable hitter vs RH. Consider close & late: Crede gets a hit. Oz can replace with Harris which greatly increases the possibility of a SB & an RISP situation. That's the difference betw winning & losing. Crede is sucking all game. Replacing him with Harris again increases the odds of the Sox gettting an RISP situation. Uribe will most likely never play 3B other than to spell Crede or replace him in the field in close & late situations. That's not going to have any effect on Uribe's ability to play SS. Harris will be used to spell both Uribe & Igs. That's the best option the Sox have for all scenarios. No, having Willie Harris play SS while moving your gifted SS to 3B is what makes 1st or 2nd place teams 3rd, 4th or 5th place teams. If Harris can play SS, he probably can play 3B. I don't think he will be able to adequately play either.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Mar 7, 2005 -> 08:14 PM) That makes no sense at all. The bottom line is losing Thomas costs 3.5M & retaining Thomas costs an addtional 6.5M. If Thomas has a good year there is no way JR will just let him walk to save 6.5M. Likewise you are not looking at what Thomas means to the Sox long term. There is no player on the team now nor in the ml's that is expected to approach any where near Frank's OBP. If OBP is the most important stat to a team built on pitching & defense then Thomas might be the most valuable hitter on this team. Those who think the Sox will keep Koney are living in a dream world. When JD Drew gets 55/5, Koney is gone. There will be some team willing to overspend on a long term deal for Koney's homers. The Sox are not going to sign Koney to a 5 yr deal for that kind of money. When Koney goes Thomas will be the only MVP capable player on the team. Being able to lock him up for 18/3 + incentives is a no-brainer. I think Barry Bonds will make Frank's OBP look small. JD Drew, who you mentioned, had a higer OBP than Frank last season. Franki s coming off an injury. He is at least as big if not a bigger question mark than Magglio this season. My argument is its going to cost the White Sox $3.5 more than any other team to retain him. I know he is all cheery now, but he usually grumbles about his contract at some point, especially when it looks like the White Sox got a good deal. Frank's going to take that $3.5 million and if he hits, some team will pay him $6-8 million. Unless Frank has an off year, or the White Sox pick up his option, this is probably it for him on the southside. Frank only has a few seasons left, if that. This ankle injury could re-occur at any time. He may have lost weight, but he is still a huge man, putting great stress on that joint. Frank would probably want more than a one year contract, and shelling out the kind of money he would want to a now brittle, old,DH only wouldn't be prudent. If you don't think JR will let that happen, remember he let Hawk fire Tony LaRussa. He let Schueler release Carlton Fisk in Cleveland. He let Michael Jordan go play for the Wizards. I'm sure he'll let some other owner pay Frank during the twilight of his great career.

I still can't see him at SS. I think if they use him at SS, the also need to give him some time at 3B. I think if Uribe is the regular SS, he should only play SS. I think having your best SS play 3B when Crede is out of the line-up while having a total novice playing the most important defensive position would be ridiculous. Unless there is an injury or two, Harris has no spot on this team. He is total tradebait. His fate was sealed when Uguchi was brought in. If Atkins can impress, and Harris has a good spring, maybe KW could package them for a useful part.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Mar 7, 2005 -> 05:41 PM) Also by the looks of the end of that article, Frank will be here again next year since its his option and then the Sox option to buy out and there is no way Thomas will turn down 10 mill a year. The only way he would was if the Sox led by JR sat down with Thomas and his reps and worked out like a 3 yr 18 mill deal or something and the only way they do that is if Thomas has a good year, which I think he will. Frank gets a $3.5 million buyout. Another team offers Frank $6.5 million, he makes $10 million. I don't see any way the Sox give him that kind of money. If he's healthy I think he'll go for possibly the last big payday of his career. I saw Sam Smith on Dan Jiggets' show after the Sox game today, and after the Steve Alford show (go Hawks). He said it was common knowledge that its Frank's last year with the Sox. I know this guy has some crazy thoughts in his head, but I have seen him out with JR socially a couple of times, so he might know a little more than anyone really thinks.

A great place to watch a White Sox game is Harry Caray's. The bartenders there are Sox fans.

Frontera Grill. I love Mexican and they change the menu every couple of months. Their marguaritas make you stumble.

I was in South Florida when the Dolphins released him. They were doing cartwheels like most Sox fans were when Royce Clayton was sent packing. The fans and media didn't think much of his skills.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 3, 2005 -> 06:46 PM) I was thinking maybe even Valentin, but he bunted so rarely it was hard to say. Valentin failed time and time again to get bunts down last season.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Mar 3, 2005 -> 04:52 PM) I think all the bunting can be chalked up to Oz trying ot get guys to practice getting bunts down in game situations. I think and hope you are right. I do think Ozzie is way too in love with bunting, though. Scoring 3 or 4 runs a game doesn't win you much anymore.

Frank has spoken about his frustration competing against guys on steriods before, Schilling is pretty outspoken about everything. It may be why they are invited.

I wonder what Ozzie meant when he said everyone in the White Sox organization was fake during that 1998 interview.

He's been up for NFL jobs for a few years now. IMHO, he is the best college coach in the country. I really doubt he will leave Iowa anytime soon, even to the NFL. He wants all his kids to graduate high school in Iowa City, and I think he has a son in the 5th grade.

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Both Marriotti and Rogers have similar articles this morning, which exposes Ozzie as being full of it. If the White Sox organization needs or wants to respond to Magglio's comments, they would be better served not having it's mouthpiece being someone who,at least at one time, felt exactly the same way Magglio is feeling, and is on record stating that.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Feb 27, 2005 -> 08:05 PM) Can I just ask one thing for this season? Can we please not have daily threads on BBTN and how they don't have a clue??? ESPN, and especially Baseball Tonight, have always been bandwagon jumpers, and for good reason. There a national TV show, so there telling people who the hot/cold teams are at the time. The Sox haven't made any "sexy" moves this off season(the big FA,big trade) but added a bunch of smaller pieces to the puzzle. BBTN is not for a lot of people on this board, because 90% of us are die hard baseball fans, and that is NOT what BBTN caters to at all. It caters to the casual fan. Take it for what it's worth. And don't worry, they will hop on the bandwagon come July..... This is true. After the Garcia trade last year, Gammons had the White Sox winning the World Series.

While Soxfest turned into a KW lovefest, a previous poster is right, the team hasn't won one game yet. A lot of things can go wrong with this team, as they every team, especially with a limited budget. I think the team has a chance, I also think people here are overvaluing Dye, who has had some great seasons, but has been mediocre at best since his injury. Podsednik has to prove his rookie year wasn't a fluke, and he can't get hurt, because if he does, this speed team everyone is talking about will suddenly be no speedier than last years model. The new secondbaseman has never had an at bat in the major leagues, and will be living in a new country so it may take a while for him to adjust, although he is a better option imo than what they had. Uribe is going to have to play a lot and can't slip off his 2004 performance. Rowand must continue to grow. El Duque is going to have to remain healthy. Contreras is going to have to get more consistent. Garland has to improve. Garcia is going to have to pitch better than he did after the trade. The bullpen, looking at them individually and as a whole, could be awesome, but also could be a disaster. Fortunately, every team in the Central is loaded with question marks, and at least with the White Sox question marks its not that far fetched to think the players can be successful. Chances are though, some will dissapoint, and some will probably get hurt. I just wonder if the consensus writer/columnist opinion actually occurs and the Sox finish 3rd or 4th, will the people showing KW the love at Soxfest this year, be ripping him apart at the next one? Or will he even still be around ?

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Feb 9, 2005 -> 01:29 PM) Tee Ball stand takes his 7 ERA road show to the tigers. LOL One born every minute. They also signed 37 year old Mike James. To bad Mike Jackson is retired. Minor league contracts are really no risk. Its a pretty cheap way to get a look at someone for the duration of spring training. ELo was acquired by the Sox this way, and he came up big. Grilli was a top prospect, and maybe he'll feel great this spring and fulfill his earlier potential. James was a pretty good pitcher before he was injured. Its worth it to see if he recovered from his injuries. If they don't pan out, its really nothing lost to Detroit.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Feb 8, 2005 -> 04:09 PM) Stars deny canseco's steroid allegations. I wonder if Jose's accusations are true about Palmiero. I also wonder if it ultimately lead Raffy into becoming a Viagra spokesman. Aren't steriods supposed to cause disfunction and/or shrinkage?

Is Bruce Levine reporting this. The same Bruce Levine who just last week said the 5 year offer Detroit made to Magglio was BS? What matters is if he's ready to play when the season starts, not what his status is right at this moment. The White Sox weren't wrong in letting him go. If you look at it, his status is about the same as Frank Thomas, who is owed an $8 million salary + a $3.5 million buyout for a total of $11.5 million, and I'm sure he's not cleared for any baseball activity right now. Frank's foot/ankle has to be as big of concern for the White Sox as Magglio's knee is for Detroit.

As a Sox fan and Maggs fan, I was hoping he would end up with the Mets. If he's healthy he will cause problems for the White Sox 18-19 times a year, plus help a division rival. I am thankful he didn't sign with the Cubs as my dog is named Magglio, and living on the northside of Chicago, I definitely would have had to change his name.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Feb 7, 2005 -> 05:58 PM) Whoa! Who brought Thomas into this? You're cracked out of your skull. For what Thomas has produced over his many years with the Sox & for what he's been compensated during that time he's been one of the best bargains in baseball. You can't compare Maggs to Thomas in that respect at all. Thomas never trashed the Sox. He's always been to smart for that. He trashed KW. He has always spoken very highly of the Sox & JR. When you consider that KW wanted to trade him every yr he's been GM you can't blame Thomas for thinking the way he does about him. In comparison I never heard KW talk about trading Maggs or use words that were anything close to disrespectful. It's two entirely different scenarios. Plus the final word between all 3: Maggs, Mark, & Frank is that Frank re-up'd when he had a chance to make more $, Mark re-up'd & Maggs said sayonara. That says more about the 3 players & their love & loyalty to the Sox than any newspaper quote. The bottom line is that if Maggs wanted to remain with the Sox bad enough he could have found a way to make that happen. I will not miss Maggs. I really didn't like him much for the 23M/2yr. I liked him a lot more before that. I will really miss Carlos. It's just starting to sink in. I don't know why it didn't before. But all this talk about being there & in the crowd now reminds me I won't see Carlos there any more. ( I think I'll be going to more Brewer games than ever before. Maybe I'll take a trip up there for that final ST series. Buerhle re upped with the Sox the same way Maggs re upped. Giving up a year or so of free agency for some solid cash now. Frank signed a contract and b****ed so much about it, his representives at the time, one being Scott Sanderson, a former teammate, fired HIM. KW had Maggs traded to Boston for Nomar if ARod wound up in Boston. Maggs signed a backloaded deal, to help the team out, and when it became time for the White Sox to pay him market value, they tried to dump him. And one more thing about Maggs newspaper quotes. Listen to him speak english, and then try to imagine he really said all of the things he supposedly did.

Has Dr. Weil really been dismissed? His website still claims he is the White Sox team podiatrist.