Dick Allen

He is a Red Sox season ticketholder.

This must mean its a lock.

As great as the Sox starters alledgedly are, their eras are pretty high. Garcia's was 4.46 after he joined the team. Buerhle's was 3.89, and Contreras' 5.30 and Garlands' 4.89. The team is still going to have to score runs. Vazquez's era was 4.91, actually .02 higher than Garland's. Giving up Konerko, Marte and Garland and having to pay his entire salary makes little sense. You still have a hole in the 5th starter role. You weaken your bullpen significantly. Despite what Ozzie thinks, Marte is a stud, and your offense suddenly becomes maybe the worst in the AL. Does this mean they offer Schoenweiss arbitration, give him Marte's role and listen to him b**** about it all season? Does this mean Frank becomes the everyday first baseman? Do they teach Everett how to play first? That wouldn't be consistent with the pitching and defense philosophy. Unless KW has something lined up to upgrade the offense, this move seems very odd.

You are absolutely correct.

KW said that he had money to sign a part-time middle infielder, before the CLee trade. Let's make that $2 million. Take that, plus the $6 million gained in that deal. Shoenweiss is arbitration eligible and would get at least $2 million. Let him go. Ben Davis made $1.4 million last year and is arbitration eligible if I'm not mistaken. Minimally, he'd get $1.5 million. That comes out to $11.5 million to play with. I think you do better than El Duque, Cairo, and AJ.

It seems strange then, that the top pitchers always seem to win their fair share of games. It also seems strange then that on your previous response, you mentioned how you weren't looking forward to another 83-79 or worse season, which I believe is reference to the team's W-L record.

Yea that's right. Boston sells out every game. Their box seats are double the price of White Sox tickets. Anaheim draws over 3 million a year, partly because of the weather advantage they have. Sox fans think almost 2 million is great attendance. They are cheap. They complain they can't buy an upper deck ticket and sit in the boxes. Many only show at half priced night, because they say they can't afford a regularly price ticket, but for some reason they have enough money to by 15 $6 beers and make asses out of themselves. The White Sox can't afford to make a $25 million mistake. It would hamstring the franchise for years. Last time I checked, the season doesn't even start until April. The White Sox will spend that money, they just aren't going to piss it away on a guy who isn't even a .500 pitcher.

Not at the expense of the future of the franchise. You give Clement that money, you are now over budget, and won't be able to add anything else. Counting on Willie Harris and Ben Davis everyday isn't going to win you a division, even with the great 69-75 lifetime Matt Clement.

1. How do you know they didn't? There were reports that they went to $8.5 million a year which would come out to $25.5 million. 2.How do you know that if the money was the same Clement would choose the White Sox? He has a chance to pitch in a great park that will be sold out every game. With the White Sox, he'll have to pick up tumbleweeds after he gets tatooed in USCF. Really, if you're a pitcher would you rather pitch for a team that has Damon, Ramirez, Renteria, Ortiz, or pitch for a team with Podsednick, Dye, Rowand and Konerko. The Red Sox should get him a lot more runs as would the Angels. I don't think that's a coincidence they were his top 2 choices.

Good. Clement doesn't have the stones to earn his $25 million. Boston is going to regret signing him. Sign ELo, AJ, and Cabrerra. Let Schoenweiss and Ben Davis go. You still may have some money to play with.ELo's "tired" shoulder won't get so tired as the #5 guy, getting skipped over occassionally, plus he was pretty effective with the Yankees in the playoffs. AJ is a huge upgrade over Davis, and Cabrerra would push Harris to the bench, and the White Sox middle infield defense would be amonst the best in baseball, not to mention the offensive upgrade as well.

There seems to be some snags in the trade, although he probably will end up with the Yankees. I have no idea what number he will be, but I'd bet it won't be 51.

I also saw ELo lose 2 1-0 games in 2003. I'm sure glad the Sox didn't sign him to a $27 million extension after that season. Danny Wright also was injured so that is an unfair comparison. Clement had an era over 5.00 the last 2 months of last season, hardly worthy of the contract he will get.

I was curious about those quotes by his agent also. I could understand not wanting to go to a place like NY because of media scrutiny and such, but the writer's speculation that he maybe back off on Cleveland because he would maybe be considered their ace, although Sabbathia is a better pitcher, is a huge red flag IMO.

Has this run support problem been an issue for Clement his entire career? He is 69-75 lifetime.

That I do not know. I posted all I know. It could be too much and they may sign Clement for all I know. RJ's price seems to be ridiculous. I was stunned when I was told this, but it would fit with "flying under the radar".

Whatever you say. I can tell you my source is just as connected or even more than yours, and that is what he or she told me.

I have a very reliable source, who says the Sox #1 pitching target IS Hudson. They want him more than RJ. This same source also said that the initial contact between the Sox and Clement was made by Clement.

Clement's career era is over 4.00 in the NL. It was over 5.00 the last 2 months of last season. As I have stated before, he is not a bad pitcher, but if someone wants to give him 8 or 9 or 10 million a year, that's insane, especially for a team with a limited budget like the White Sox. If he has his best year and goes 15-11, he is not worth that kind of money. His best year was 14-12, he won 9 games last year, and was out of his team's rotation at the end of last year due to injury and ineffectiveness. If the reports of the Sox offer are true, hopefully he will choose southern California. Wins are the most important stat a pitcher has. Wins get you in the Hall of Fame, having a low era does not. If Nolan Ryan had that record for 24 straight seasons, he would not be in Cooperstown.

A below .500 career pitcher, whose best year was 2 games over .500. If KW breaks the bank for this guy, I guarantee he will regret it. Forget run support, the 2005 White Sox won't be providing as much run support in the past and Clement, if he pitched at USCF will have a significantly higher era than he had this year. One that will probably be closer to 5.00 than 4.00. He is 69-75 lifetime, how is that an impact pitcher?

I don't believe either KW or JR are in Chicago. Maybe they have other moves that will be made soon, and just have 1 press conference for everyone. I'm glad the White Sox aren't as sad as Arizona who deems it necessary to have press conference when they sign a stiff like Royce Clayton.

Writing the story when the target of his wrath doesn't have any way of rebuttal is being a pussy. A man would have just said good riddance, Carlos. He could have just said his total game is overrated, and that is clubhouse presence left something to be desired, something like that.

What it looks like now is Cowley is so concerned with his status with the team, he'll use his medium to make Lee look bad, and make an unpopular trade by most fans accounts look more reasonable. Like I said before, if this is suitable to print now, he should have written the story when it happen. The rest of the team would have appreciated it, and Cowley wouldn't have come off as a guy easily intimidated by players and management. He works for the Southtown not the White Sox.

If that's a reason KW traded him, then KW should be the one telling this story. Ironically, KW has been after Randy Johnson, a guy teammates would not consider the most pleasant in the world. He got into a fight with Luis Gonzalez, considered one of the nicest and best people in sports.

No way. Those guys would both be gone in a year. Rowand is a bargain for a few more. Plus, he's the very definition of grinder, what KW is looking for.

I also remember KW leaking the info that they didn't like the way MO called a game after he was gone, after telling the media it was the hardest thing he ever did, telling him he was traded. He couldn't just leave it at we acquired an ace and had to give up a lot to get a lot. This article makes KW look bad IMO. He told Doug Melvin Carlos would be an All Star. Did he mention the transgressions listed in the article to Melvin. Cowley has the right to write what he wants, but I think its cowardly that he writes it when the player leaves town. And if all this stuff is true, and he was such a bad teammate, I think the rest of the team would be thrilled if this story was written during the season, when it occurred. He mentioned Carlos' statistical shortcomings, but never stated that the players coming back had even more.