Harry Chappas

When do they intend on dusting off Mr. Zero? 2 games two quality starts, it does sound like last year.

My two cents; Cliff was pitching good but what was his longest outing of the spring? Mindy Lopez v. Marte; Stairs v. Koch ----Closer or no closer I like the Lopez match-up but if Koch is your closer, you go with him. I would'vs brought in Mr. Zero to face Beltran. I think Cooper was the one calling the shots through this whole thing.

Didn't the Sox win a game because he stopped running and a great relay got him at the plate. I beleive it was late in teh game and he was the tying or go ahead run and it changed the whole momentum.

Wasn't this guy a pretty good prospect with TB a year or so back?

Due to arm injuries when he was a starter I think they are hoping he can stay healthy and strive in the pen.

I am starting to get excited, I think. I think the attitude v. talent thing is right on the money. I also think that JM was nto very well liked at all. There just seems to be way to much normalcy going around there with Frank leading the charge. Everyday it is Frank this and Ozzie that with little tidbits from other guys. Maybe it is not as bleek as I think although another starter is a must. I just accepted my Opening Day ticket.

Did they offer arbitration? I believe Ray took a pay cut to play in SF.

I think Jackson will get it because he will not take a ML assignment. we give him a shot and Adkins and Ginter wait in AAA althoguh I think Ginter is just about out of options.

Frank knows that by moving behind Maggs there will be someone ahead of him with an OBP greater than .300, as well as a way to stay healthy from trying to break up double plays. This is a great move.

Yankess will get guys that are overpaid from lower level teams. Shoe at $1.7M is a relative bargain and the Yanks have nothing to give for him.

I park at a bar and walk a couple of blocks. I need the exercise and they give you a paper cup so if need be you could possibly sneek into the blechers at Yankee Stadium and STILL DRINK. The time for walking is worth the $ saved as well not having to put up with traffic. My mom refuses to do this but she is 62 years old so I leave her at the bar to watch the game, or she sits in the car in the tavern parking lot. I crack the window for her

Matt Morris.

Possession is 9/10ths of the law. I really don't know what that means but it sounds appropriate in this case. As does the statement, "Perception is reality." I just want an even playing field and can't get past the thought of suddenly a guy hits 50 homers then never amounts to anything (Brady Anderson.) Then within a couple of years of this feat the 60/70 plateau is reached on a regular basis. Then with the Caminiti, Conseco and other speculations whispers begin, BALCO the Atkins diet gets guys in shape, size of parks, tightly wound baseballs, watered down pitching, sure these all contribute. The key in my mind will be what happens this year Sosa with 35 HR, Bonds with 40, Giambi with 28. The argument of parks and pitchers will lead to more guys with 30 to 40 homers but I do nto think it would allow guys to hit 60 and 70. That is my perception and thus jaded reality. I do like how Sox camp seems to be going.

Call me crazy but I would move E-Lo to the spot, I lost track of the number, that would pitch against the Yanks twice. Move Garland to two and have him avoid the Yanks altogether. Not to kill confidence or anything but it just made sense to me. In reality you would rather beat the Royals than the Yanks so maybe this is their thinking on not really caring who faces the Yanks. Damn the Yankees anyway.

You missed my point. It is used as a comparison as to how media and self promotion can lead to an unrealistic perception of a player and a career. sosa=sanders; put up a pictue of sanders and green and who will be recognized a greater amount of the time? I guarantee you it is sanders. Darell Green is one of the greatest corners in football history, sanders was good/great for a couple of years but was figured out when pure athleticism was not enough. I beleive the same can be said for sosa.

As far as spending time in clubhouses and offices I have done neither with either team but I will ask this question, How many former players speak negatively about Thomas as compared to Sosa? Take the dips*** journalists/columnists out of the equation. The difference is one guy is a hot dog showman that caters to the media and the cameras, the other goes about his business, is honest to a fault and becasue he is not as affable (sp.) gets a raw deal. If the Sox treated Thomas so badly he would've left. It sosa wasn't so entrencehed in the mindlessness show that is the cub, he would've been traded for Soriano a few years back. Anyone see the picture of sir sosa in the Times today. Looks like to bags of money weren't needed this past offseason. I compare Thoams and sosa to a situation like this. Deion Sanders v. the Redskin cornerback whose name I can't remeber that played 21 years at corner. Who was better and who is more recognizable???

Ya but this will blow over by tomorrow just like the racial crap from last year. How the hell do you go off on Brad Palmer for god sake. My issue with this is if it were such a joke why not laugh.

Without his velocity he is a college pitcher that throws hard and one that will be pounded (i.e. last year,) in the major league. If you could learn movement everyone would have it. Then you have to learn control. He didn't have control at 100. This is something else that can not be taught. If so Neil Cotts would be a solid prospect.

There was talent and enough production to win. Intensity and leadership there was not. I focus on the leader.

8-12 5.65 ERA before the carousel of Rauch, Cotts, Wright and whomever else we can burn out is given the chance to pitch in the four or five slot. We didn't have a numebr five last year this year we do not have a four or five. Rememebr the year before when Glover was put in there. How about Sean Lowe and 2000, he was our best starter going into the playoffs. Paul Konerko makes more than our entire rotation, that is an absolute joke. Does Magglio Ordonez make more than our entire pitching core on the 40-man staff? Ah the thought process of the White Sox. Does the manager make the league minumum for a player?????

So far without having a full team workout; 1) Thomas was moved back to 3 in the lineup. I personally thought flipping him and GIDP Maggs was a good move but that has been changed 2) Named the Opening Day starter. No problem with Buerhle and it was the right move as it was last year. 3) Named Koch the closer?????? What was the point of this. The guy was a major flop. Guillen did not see him pitch, what was the point of making this decision. Marte, Jackson, Polite and Shinjo could all fill this role if they perform to expectations. Why should Koch be guaranteed anything. Sounds like Ozzie will have the roster and lineup set before a full team workout.

I ususally am pretty excited nowadays with camp opening and reading the daily papers rag on the Sox and I get a chuckle and hope Doug Padilla gets fired but now, I just don't know. I have a ticket to the Opener but I am not taking off work or doing anything big other then maybe showing up. I am not sure if failure is finally taking its tool. Mediocrity is no longer good enough or what. I felt that the team last year was the best in the AL and other than getting rid of arguably their best pitcher, they made no moves to help or hurt. Players that failed were rewarded and the team was not made any better nor do I feel other than Colon it will be worse. I am used to the press touting the cubs and this year it is justified but I just do not sense any energy going into this season and hope I am wrong. I view myself as a huge fan that is pained by tough losses and really pumped after big wins. I am not a bandwagon jumper nor do I favor any other team but for the first time ever the White Sox are not really high on my list. Not sure why I am writing this other then it is depressing to not have the same old feeling of hope that comes with Spring. Ugh.

My only thought would be that he has only done it for one year and his career as a whole is just picking up. You can't compare him to a Smoltz or a Rivera based on teh years they have been doing it.

My take on the cubs is this. They made some moves this offseason some were very newsworthy but none were all that earthshaking. They have 7 everyday players which may strikeout over 120 times (Patterson, Sosa, Ramirez, Gonzo, Lee and Barrett) plus the pitchers spot. I can honestly see them averaging about 9 a game. What will that do when the wind is blowing in and they need to move runners over? Their rotation is better than good but not great. I think Oakland's is great. This assumes no injuries. They had four guys lose double digit games and were all healthy. Zambrano and Clement were terrible at the end of the season. What makes anyone thinks they were not flukes. Maddux was a six inning pitcher last year what will he be this year? Andrew Jones catches everything in center, the cub defense is not that great. What happens after Ramirez launches one into the dugout four times in a game and K's four times? Wood has never won more than 14 games in a year and has flashes of brillance but can breakdown and be wild. Prior......well he is just plain awesome. Their bullpen. The old lefty is old. Borowski may have been a flash in the pan and he is old and hawkins and Farnsworth are capable of cracking under the pressure. There is a reason the Yanks went with Gordon over Hawkins and it wasn't money. Are the cubs better than the Sox, I am not as naive to say no but I do not think they are all they are cracked up to be especially when I feel the Astros rotation is better. IMHO

My two cents is that the casual fan looking to go will still go see a Brewer game in Milwaukee as it is something to do. Right now the only stories in baseball are the Yankees, cubs, Red Sox, maybe the Astros and ...... I think that is it. Unfortunatly the reminder of the seson will be the same way. Sure your Royals, Angels, marlins, Twins D-backs and such will make noise here and there and maybe even advance in the playoffs but at the end of the day it will be these main stories that garner all of the headlines thus taking the spotlight off of the sport and placing it on certain entities that others outside of these items will cling to. Sammy Sosa was huge because he played for the cub and at the time they were a nothing and a new entity was there to follow. Football is successful today because going into a season every team has a chance and all fans in all cities are excited. Sure there are things like a limited number of games therefore even if you go 0-4, you still may think you have a shot, hey 9-3 the rest of the way and we can get a wildcard. If in baseball a team was 0-41 (tigers last year) and a team was 41-0 (tigers in 84) what is the hope and therefore baseball is over in May and lingers like bad cheese throught the remainder of the summer and early fall. Then when the palyoffs come around your interest ahs passed and you look at your football team. This is in my mind where baseball will suffer. The cubs were huge becasue they added flair to the part of the season that matters most to the sport the playoffs.