Dick Allen

I still can't get over JM's quote that this is not a do or die series.

Ball 4 looked a lot closer to the strike zone than the one called on Lee, which got JM chirping

It wasn't pretty but Crede got the job done.

We'd be better off without him.

Frank must think this is the 2000 playoffs.

The problems are IMO : 1. Frank is going nowhere. He will take the $6 million option. 2. Magglio goes up $5 million to $14 million 3. Lee is arbitration eligible, he will cost an extra $2-3 million 4. Valentin has a good chance to vest his option. 5. Buerhle is eligible for arbitration. 6. Konerko makes $6 million and will be hard to move, unless you take the same money back. 7. Koch is in the same boat as Konerko. Just those 7 will make a combined $45 million. The Sox have to bench Valentin now. They can't let him get his plate appearances. Although I think going after the Japanese SS would be a bold move, and could really payoff in more ways than one, its probably 1000 to 1 the Sox try to sign him. I'm afraid Magglio is going to be the one to go.

I'm starting to pine for the days of Boomer Bevington. At least he was an entertaining idiot.

JM the windsock said about a month ago Sandy would be doing the bulk of the catching. The fact that Olivo is doing most of the catching, while hitting worse than many National League pitching staffs the last month would indicate that Sandy's health may indeed be the reason.

I think I would wait until the Cubs made the World Series, and use it then. This Barry Bonds stuff is interesting. He is a far greater player than Frank, and as much as I hate to agree with BMR he never has been much of a clutch hitter. Ironically he has hit better in the clutch this season than probably any season of his career, even his MVP seasons. Bonds was drafted with the 6th pick of the 1985 draft by Pittsburgh. The White Sox had the 5th pick that year, and picked Kurt Brown.

I'm pretty sure Sandy's knees are bothering him. I was at the hotel in Boston, and he was really hobbling around.

Getting draft picks for players would require the White Sox offering arbitration, which i believe they would do for Colon and no one else. Hopefully, some of these guys will sign with another team before the arbitration deadline, so the Sox could offer it without risk of it being accepted, and get the picks.

I agree with all but point 3. IMO, Garland was not the option last night. Starting pitchers have a routine on their scheduled start. Telling Garland 1 to 2 hours prior to the game and then sending him out to toe the rubber could have been devastating. Maybe I'm wrong, but knowing how quirky some starting pitcher are about their game day routines, Jon wouldn't have been in the right mindset. Just my opinion, of course. Jon's a professional. He should come to the ballpark everyday with the mindset that he is starting. That goes for EL, BC, MB, and whoever our number 5 is from week-to-week. Sorry, it doesn't work that way, not with starting pitchers. Everyday players, yes. Starting pitchers, no. I'm not a starting pitcher but I have a routine I go through before work everyday. I'm sure starting pitchers do too..... whether they are starting or not. Otherwise, what's the sense of having them in uniform, in the dugout, every game? They're not in the dugout every game. Many times they'll send them to the next city the day before the team, for the sole purpose of getting ready. Sounds like it's a process that's not easily altered. They send a pitcher ahead when they play a night game and won't be getting into the next city until real late, so the pitcher gets a full nights sleep, and gets to bed at or near his usual time. I'm sure no pitcher was sent ahead from Boston, in fact I could tell you they were not because I saw both EL and JG checking out of the hotel. Garland could have pitched, it wouldn't have screwed him up. They probably still would have lost. Garland could have gone last night, yes, but no one knows how effective he would have been. All I'm saying is that these guys have game day routines that they go through. Maybe Jon eats chicken for lunch on the day he pitches. Maybe he didn't eat chicken yesterday and is told he is starting an hour before the game. It's a mental issue. Of course he 'could' have started. Any one of our starters 'could' have started. I've known guys who couldn't tie their shoes the right way if they didn't have all their ducks in a row on game day. Maybe he would have done better without this "routine" he alledgedly goes through. Like I said before, the offense scored only 2 runs, so to win anyone would have only been able to allow 1, so in terms of winning or losing, last night's decision by JM really didn't matter, its just that it could someday.

I wasn't calling you out, by all means, defend yourself. Obviously EL thought he could still go, and it was obvious very quickly he couldn't. JM has to recognize that. His performance in the 1st inning reminded me of Neal Cotts. 3 or 4 walks. At that point he had thrown 35 or so pitches, JM needed to get him out of there, especially knowing beforehand he was under the weather.

I agree with all but point 3. IMO, Garland was not the option last night. Starting pitchers have a routine on their scheduled start. Telling Garland 1 to 2 hours prior to the game and then sending him out to toe the rubber could have been devastating. Maybe I'm wrong, but knowing how quirky some starting pitcher are about their game day routines, Jon wouldn't have been in the right mindset. Just my opinion, of course. Jon's a professional. He should come to the ballpark everyday with the mindset that he is starting. That goes for EL, BC, MB, and whoever our number 5 is from week-to-week. Sorry, it doesn't work that way, not with starting pitchers. Everyday players, yes. Starting pitchers, no. I'm not a starting pitcher but I have a routine I go through before work everyday. I'm sure starting pitchers do too..... whether they are starting or not. Otherwise, what's the sense of having them in uniform, in the dugout, every game? They're not in the dugout every game. Many times they'll send them to the next city the day before the team, for the sole purpose of getting ready. Sounds like it's a process that's not easily altered. They send a pitcher ahead when they play a night game and won't be getting into the next city until real late, so the pitcher gets a full nights sleep, and gets to bed at or near his usual time. I'm sure no pitcher was sent ahead from Boston, in fact I could tell you they were not because I saw both EL and JG checking out of the hotel Sunday. Garland could have pitched, it wouldn't have screwed him up. They probably still would have lost.

Whether he puked or not is irrelevant. He was sick. I was watching on TV and told my wife he seemed out of breath and was sweating up a storm in the first inning. I had no idea he was sick until DJ said so after he was pulled. JM should have had the trainer out looking at him.

Garland was told Sunday that he was being pushed back. His routine would not have been altered. He easily could have pitched last night. Of course he would only have been allowed to give up 1 run, because the Sox only scored 2. The White Sox were pretty much destined to lose last night, its just that our manager makes so many assinine decisions, its driving me crazy.

The bottom line is when it comes to managing a baseball team, Jerry Manuel is a doofus.

Why does he have to tell him? Can't JM see for himself? Isn't that JM's job? 99% of players don't beg out of games, let alone one of this magnitude. JM apparently has no clue about his personnel.

Garciaparra showed up to Fenway Sunday sick. He wanted to play. Grady Little sent him home.

After he labored through the first inning, luckily getting by with giving up 1 run it was obvious something was wrong. We have seen great performances by players who have been sick, but that is the exception not the rule. It was obvious he wasn't himself, he should have been pulled.

JM knew he was sick. Loaisa even told Farmio he'd probably puke on the mound, so you know he told Cooper or JM something similar.Maybe EL told them he would be ok. But its JM's job to determine that he won't be ok, like after the first inning, or even after the second inning. This is no time to screw around. It was obvious that there was something wrong, looking at him, he appeared to be hyperventilating and sweating profusely. The fact that JM takes 2 extra innings to conclude their was something very wrong is inexcusable. The point is probably moot because the Sox could only muster 2 runs, and it would not be realistic to believe the bullpen could shut them out for 8 innings, but JM needs to wake up. He's a very nice and classy man, but he should not be managing the White Sox.

KW has stated many times that this team was built for the long haul, not just 2003. If that means that ownership is going to have to step up financially or there are other tricks up their sleeve is anyone's guess. With the division as weak as it is, to totally tank and rebuild ala Cleveland would be deplorable. You don't have to be that great to make the playoffs. Minnesota is going to lose some players this off season, KC can't realistically be expected to do much, Cleveland probably needs a couple more years, and Detroit is hopeless. Let Rowand play CF, get a cheaper better SS (Eckstein perhaps), hope Koch can be at least average, sign some cheap relievers, maybe trade for a rent an ace again, and most importantly get the right man in the dugout. 2004 can be a lot of fun, they need to build on the momentum created this season, and who knows, they still have a chance this year.

One constant for this team this year has been whenever you are ready to give up on them, they bring you back in. Of course the other constant is when they look like they are going to win it all, they break your heart. I'm sure Twins fans felt like most of us after the first 2 games of last week's series. We definitely have a disadvantage with JM calling the shots, but there is still hope.

He's very good off the bench. When he plays regularly, he gets exposed and isn't as valuable. I like Tony G as a reserve. As a regular, the results would be very dissapointing.

keep it away from Koskie, he's a vaccuum cleaner.