Dick Allen

I think the defense seems overrated, the pitching looks problematic, and they seem like they may have problems scoring runs. Of course they really haven't played their everyday line-up consistently, and the Arizona air will play with pitchers. I have always felt this team is not as good as it was the last couple of years. There are too many question marks. I think everyone except Buerhle and maybe AJ is a question mark, and Buerhle was one for a couple of hours last week. The "switch" to speed from power is a misnomer. Iguchi will steal more than Willie but Willie is faster. Podsednik is the only other speed guy added who will play regularly. Hawk keeps harping on now the Sox will have a better chance beating good pitchers, because good pitchers don't give up 2 or 3 run homers, and that is what the Sox have been counting on. I don't buy it. I think Lee and Ordonez hit more singles and doubles than Podsednik and Dye and are far superior overall offensive players even taking away their homeruns. AJ, to me, is the only sure non pitching upgrade KW came up with this winter, although Iguchi is probably an upgrade, the jury is still out, and the team lost a lot of offense. Almost everyone of the pitchers has been absolutely awful or seriously injured at one point the last couple of years. A lot has to go right for this team to win, its possible it happens, but I'm not setting my heart on it. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see this team making much of a run this year.

Even though they got the steal, they can't let Arizona eat clock. They need to foul.

QUOTE(kman @ Mar 26, 2005 -> 02:51 PM) interesting when i go Millwood vs. Garcia not bad. I was hoping to go to the opener but the ticket selection was bad only sec 500 tix avaliable.So i got sec145 3rd base line on wed.Got them 2day im so happy.Oh yeah why isn't there a game on tue? maybe just so they wont have to give up 2 for 1 tix. When it isn't on a Friday, there usually is an open date after opening day, due to the unpredictable weather. If the game was called, they would be able to play it Tuesday, and people with opening day tickets would still have those same seats.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Mar 24, 2005 -> 12:08 AM) Of course no one has responded to that yet. Because its BS. Pearl didn't make any such offer. Deon Thomas is a real asshole for not taking any blame, if he didn't mention any illegal offers from Illinois none of this would have happened, and then 16 years later making this claim on the week Pearl takes on the Illini. If its true where's the proof? If you say Illinois didn't offer Thomas money and a car, you are calling him a liar, because he said they did. He has no credibility. Its also no coincidence Bruce Weber has nothing to say on the subject. He was an assistant at Purdue at the time, and knew what a dirty program Illinois had. He has no problems with Pearl. They aren't friends, but are cordial.

QUOTE(TheDybber @ Mar 22, 2005 -> 09:24 AM) Yes, Illinois was guilty. Yes, Deon Thomas could have said nothing. But he was 17, and I don't know about you, but I didn't always do the right thing at 17. My point was, if the situation was reversed, and Collins taped a call, implicating Pearl, and the NCAA investigated, they (the NCAA) probably would have found things that Iowa did and put them on probation. The NCAA had to save face and gave the Illini a one year postseason ban and two years fewer scholarships. Illinois paid it's penalty (and I believe made a run to the title game of the Big Ten Championship in one of those years as a 10 or 11 seed), but that doesn't mean that Illinois should let it go. Bruce Pearl is a rat, plain and simple. And he definitely shouldn't be portraying himself as a martyr, as he is in some interviews now. And don't you tell me that an "aggressive recruiter" didn't offer cash, cars, women, whatever in the course of his time as an assistant or head coach. So you are saying Pearl is all wet while implying that he has broken numerous rules, has offered cash and other incentives to recruits etc. Where's the proof on your allegations? Illinois had run a dirty program for years, in fact, Ron Rappoport goes through a little of it in today's Sun-Times. Evidently, he didn't "offer" Deon Thomas more than Jimmy Collins did. Btw, Thomas was at least 18 when this happened, and maybe 19, which makes him an adult. He took NO responsibility. He is responsible for what he does. Finally, if the situation was reversed, and all the facts the same, and Jimmy taped Iowa, there is no chance in hell you would refer to him as a rat.

QUOTE(ZeroHour @ Mar 22, 2005 -> 09:09 AM) I dont know if this is old news, but I came across this link today while researching my fantasy draft. apparently, JR doesnt have to pay rent on the cell if we draw less than 1.5M. If this isnt striaght out of major league, I dont know what is. near the bottom: http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=16343 If you really think White Sox management purposely keeps attendance low so they won't have to pay rent, its time for you to support another team. This is a tired and ridiculous argument. The fact of the matter is the team has had its finest attendance in franchise history under current ownership. They have done nothing but try to enhance the experience of attending a game.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Mar 21, 2005 -> 11:43 PM) A guy at WSI posted a video of Kenny posing as a Comcast reporter and interviewing Herm Schneider and Buehrle. Here's the 12 meg video... http://home.comcast.net/~sungho.ko/kenny2.avi Right-click the link and save it to your desktop. Hilarious. Boy, did the media blow this out of proportion or what? I love how Kenny took the chance to rub it in their faces. No more "intense shagging" Buehrle! Kenny rubbing it in their faces? He's the guy who said Buerhle was out 4 to 6 weeks.

QUOTE(TheDybber @ Mar 21, 2005 -> 10:54 AM) Oh Dick, Dick, Dick...c'mon...I'll agree with the Pearl over Collins coaching ability. But, the Deon Thomas and Illinois were cleared of allegations over that incident. They were put on probation for other infractions, which, if you opened up an investigation at ANY PROGRAM, would probably come up. Including Duke, UNC, Kentucky or Kansas. From what I remember (I was at Illinois at the time), Thomas was a 17 year old kid, trying to get an aggressive recruiter off his back. Did Deon say those things, probably, but the NCAA couldn't prove anything and instead saved face by putting Illinois on probabation for other infractions. Bruce Pearl is on the same level as Linda Tripp. Why wasn't he, or the Iowa team, put on probation for illegally wiretapping a recruit? Isn't that entrapment? Sorry Dick, but Bruce Pearl, good coach or not, is not a martyr, not a do gooder, he is a rat, plain and simple. They were put on probation, but not because of what Pearl taped. More reason to back off him. They were put on probation for other infractions. They cheated. Remember, Thomas made a verbal commitment to this "aggressive recruiter", then changed his mind, and told Pearl he was getting 80K and a Blazer. They weren't even put on probation for the Blazers, which was common knowledge every Illini player had. I am saying if Thomas never said Collins paid him, and never said he was gettting a car, all of this would never have happened. Pearl might not have been totally above board, but given all the information, there is no way the guy's a rat. Thomas bears a lot of responsibility for this. I don't know what the laws were back then, but considering Pearl was never charged with anything, and Iowa received no penalties, nothing illegal must have happened. I will guarantee you there were a lot of coaches and administrators around the Big Ten who secretly raised a glass to Bruce Pearl. A lot of crap was going on with that program, and everyone (except for maybe Lou Henson) knew it.

Buerhle, and its not even close. Frank is a great hitter, but Buerhle is the only guy in the Sox projected starting rotation with an era under 6.00 this spring. Frank is out, Everett takes his place. You might lose a little but you never know how Frank comes back. Buerhle eats up innings, besides wins games. If he's out a prolonged time it not only downgrades the starting rotation immensely, it also taxes the bullpen. Hopefully everything is ok with Mark. He is IMHO the guy the Sox could least afford to lose on their roster.

Calling Boozer a word that rhymes with punt had to really embarrass the organization. He got what he deserved.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Mar 20, 2005 -> 09:27 PM) You're right, It would probably be stronger. The fact that Illinois basically couldn't recruit from one of the biggest and best cities for basketball hurt them big. Look at Duke, they were getting Chicago Public League recruits all the way down there.(Latest 2 were Dockery and M. Thompson) and they wouldn't have had such a problem building up their program again. They were absolved of all things and the reason why Pearl did it was because he lost out on a recruit. Hell Duke gave Chris Duhon's mom a $155,000 job "coincidentally" as they were recruiting him. They also gave Carlos Boozer's family some money from what I remember too. I don't see Bruce Pearl trying to get Duke popped off. The Blazers didn't have anything to do with the investigation. He was just a bitter man. Hell Dickie V. doesn't even like him and that's why he's pretty much "blackballed" from a major program. Thomas verbally committed to Iowa then switched to Illinois. Then Thomas tells Pearl Illinois offered him cash and a car. Pearl turns them in. The person responsible for all of this was Deon Thomas, not Bruce Pearl. Why would you tell a coach of another university, you are backing out of your commitment to them because another school is giving you cash and a car? If Illinois was absolved of all wrong doing, why were they put on probation? If you think Illinois would be stronger with Jimmy Collins coaching them, you need to look at the job he's done at UIC. Not too impressive. Pearl kicked his ass.

QUOTE(southsider17 @ Mar 21, 2005 -> 08:36 AM) That's better than a torn ligament, isn't it? It really depends what is broken. There are some really slow and hard to heal bones in the foot.

That fact of the matter was Illinois was doing some illegal things. A lot, if not all players were indeed given use of Chevy Blazers. Pearl turning them in was frowned at by Illinois coaches and fans. If it were Jimmy Collins turning in Tom Davis, Illini fans would have an incredibly different take. The Illini were put on probation for violations. I don't remember if the Blazers had anything to do with the probation, but Pearl definitely got the ball rolling on the investigation. Pearl has become one of the top small school coaches in the country. I'm sure it chaps Jimmy Collins' ass that Pearl is 10 times the coach he is. Pearl did Illinois a huge favor. If this scandal hadn't happened, Collins probably would have succeeded Lou Henson, and regardless of Jimmy's ties to the public league, there is no way the program would be in the position it is today.

The deal with Palmiero pointing his finger and staring was obviously coached. Sosa using language as a barrier was laughable considering he has been interviewed and speaking English for 16+ years at least. I would be willing to bet that the reason his attorney read his statement was Sosa was not capable of doing that. As far as players suing Canseco for writing lies, if what he wrote are lies, my wife is a partner in a law firm, and a litigator. She told me defamation suits are very difficult to win. Even if Canseco's claims are all lies, which I doubt, the legal ramifications are not as cut and dried as you would think.

You heard it here first. 2005 will be Dusty's last season with the Cubs, I don't even think he will finish the season. The expectations are so high, and that team is built like a house of cards. A couple of injuries (Prior, Wood ?) that linger could easily mean a freefall for that team. If Zambrano gets hurt, or any more of their prize pitchers, Dusty will be slammed about his handling of young pitchers through media leaks, and will be run out of town, just like Corky Juiceboy.

I think the Bears should sign Doug Flutie. He was waived by San Diego. I know he's old and probably sucks, but he's better than Hutchinson, is kind of fun to watch, and would be coming full circle in his NFL career.

Only one word to describe Doc Gooden: Loser. I don't know if Steinbrenner is still employing this asshole, if he is I hope he finally fires his punk ass.

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.