Clarkdog

Interesting... The Tigers are really going to help their cause, as they have all but given up. I don't know about that, they have a four game series at the end of the year and what better way to end a season then to beat up a team with playoff hopes. It's happend sevral times in the past, where a crappy team knock's out a playoff team in the last series of the season. I'd agree. The Tigers may be the worst team in the 2003, but they are going to try VERY hard to keep from being the worst team in the modern era. That 120 loss mark is sitting out there and they are currently projected to fall at 119. They are going to try and make sure that 120 does not happen. What better way to avoid the record by playing spoiler. The Tigers definately have something to play for.

I can't put a reason why or a stat to support it, but I think that Anaheim and Texas are going to help us significantly against the Twins and Royals. They are not going to lie down for anyone. The Rangers have been one of the hottest teams since the All-Star break and smoking in August. The Angels struggled after the break but they are coming around, and I'm sure they don't want to finish last in their division after winning the WS in 2002. It's just a hunch. That said, this division will be the Sox to win or lose. They must take care of thier own business.

It's interesting to note that KW has consistently referred to a collective rather than himself when it came to these deals. "We thought..." as oppossed to "I thought..." If KW is truly in charge, it is his decision along with JR's blessing to pull the trrigger on deals. "We" implies that the decision is being made by a group. I think the "we" is Einhorn, Hahn, and Hemond.

Okay - regarding Kid's Day - it is not as advertised so be forewarned. I took my son when he was two and a half, he could run the bases, but not without someone running with him. So naturally, I held him in line an we waited for our turn. As we were in line, we heard that only children over four could run the bases alone, and that those under four could be accompanied by a grandparent. I thought that was odd, I was his father, I wasn't sure why I was not as qualified as a grandparent to take him on the field. But sure enough when we got down to field level, I was stopped and prevented from going out. So with my son becoming more upset, I confronted the 17 yr old security person, and informed her that 1) I was not look to suit up and take the field, simply provide my son a brief moment of joy and 2) that if my son was not allowed to run the bases than she would have to explain to him why he could not go, and deal with the tantrum that would surely follow. Needless to say, we were on the base paths 15 seconds later.

I HATED that damned commerical I work in advertising and I have to say the White Sox commercials are awful. I never realized that so many fans were critical of the way the team markets itself both on this site and at WSI. The reason they are awful is because they are transparent. The best advertising gets the message across about the product in a indirect way (usually, but not always through humor and being entertaining). The Sox ads are blatenly direct and unfunny. "White Sox Baseball is....$1 Hot Thursday, O-E-O Magglio, and Jose-jose-jose, Fireworks, Buerhle's cool and Colon's heat, etc, etc, etc. Anyway, given this I think I might take on a self-imposed freelance project. When I have some spare time, I'll concept a series of spots - story board them - and post them to the site for the forum to critique. Can't say when this will happen so keep your eyes open. Clarkdog-- I too work in advertsing, and couldn't agree with you more. The entire Sox marketing strategy is misdirected, patronizing, and, more often than not, downright stupid. I'm in if you ever want to make it a group freelance project Wayne - Sounds good. When I get the time I'll work up some strategies and send 'em your way. If you have time do the same. We'll likely come to some sort of agreement and can go from there. This could be cool. BTW, like the Lebowski sig.

I HATED that damned commerical I work in advertising and I have to say the White Sox commercials are awful. I never realized that so many fans were critical of the way the team markets itself both on this site and at WSI. The reason they are awful is because they are transparent. The best advertising gets the message across about the product in a indirect way (usually, but not always through humor and being entertaining). The Sox ads are blatenly direct and unfunny. "White Sox Baseball is....$1 Hot Thursday, O-E-O Magglio, and Jose-jose-jose, Fireworks, Buerhle's cool and Colon's heat, etc, etc, etc. Anyway, given this I think I might take on a self-imposed freelance project. When I have some spare time, I'll concept a series of spots - story board them - and post them to the site for the forum to critique. Can't say when this will happen so keep your eyes open.

August 31: Waiver Trading Deadline September 1: Roster Expansion Will the Sox acquire anyone by 8/31? Who will likely be called up on 9/1? Discuss.

First, let's worry about Texas, they have been the hottest team in the AL in August. But we do have a decided advantage now that we are home. I also like the fact that both the Twins and the Royals have to play Anaheim and Texas after their series. The Angels/Rangers are not going to roll over for them. The Angels certainly don't want to go from World Champions to last place in thier division. Texas doesn't want to finish last either. They have something to play for. Looking to the future, this team has held their own against the better AL teams with the exception of Seattle, and they seem to get up for the big games. The series against the Yankees will be a measuring stick for the White Sox. I think they will be up for the challenge. I don't think we'll see corpseball in the Bronx. But keep your fingers crossed with this bunch. Things look good to me. The Sox just have to go out and get it done tonight and every night.

Unfortunately, the only numbers that matter are.... Kansas City --- Chicago 3 Minnesota 3

I have said before that I never felt like the Sox could slug their way to a championship. But given the weakness of our division, and the relative strength of our pitching staff, a division title was possible and that pitching could carry us deep in October. That said, the inconsistency of this team falls on Manuel and here's why. If you're going to slug, then play your sluggers and position them in the line up where they are supposed to be and kepp them there everyday possible. Hitting #2, does Carlos Lee look like a table setter to you - to me he looks like a #5. Valentin seems better suited to this role yet he hits 7th, yet when he is platooned, Graffanino hits #1 or #2. Why is an all-star hitter like Carl Everett being platooned against lefties? He wasn't in Texas and that's where he built his numbers. My point is when Manuel chooses to platoon or or create a lineup based on pitching matchups - he shuffles the entire order and creates everyday uncertainty for his own club. That is an advatage to the opponent. By setting your lineup, the players always know who they will hit behind and in front of (whether they play that day or not) so that they can bring a consistent mental approach to the plate everyday. Here is a set line up - this allows for consistency in approach for all your offensive players while being able to allow days for rest. The lineup would shuffle when your big sticks need a day off. But this would be exception rather than the norm. Alomar/Harris 2B Valentin/Graffanino SS Thomas DH/1B Ordonez RF Lee LF Konerko/Daubach DH/1B Everett/Rowand CF Crede/Graffanino 3B Alomar/Olivo C The same goes for the bullpen. Houston has managed to go pretty far (albeit in a weak division) with pitching woes - the reason is because their bullpen is set. The pitchers know thier roles - Rick White was not wrong. If the Astros are leading going into the 7th - the opposition knows that winning the game will be an uphill task with Lidge in the 7th, Dotel in the 8th, and Wagner in the 9th. The Sox go by committee - there are no bullpen roles. That creates uncertainty in the bullpen which is an advantage to the opposition. Guys never know when they might be called on or for how long or in what situation. Koch's breakdown has contributed to this - but it was a problem before he went down. Inconsistency is a mental affliction. But without consistency in approach it is not possible to play consistent. Manuel has to go. Sorry for the long post.

8 - 0 Tribe in the 8th. How easy did the Twins say thier schedule was? Losing 3 of 4 at home for them against an also ran is not going to do much for stretch drive confidence.

All the gloom! Come on. Take a deep breath. Relax. Yes, the baserunning mistake was bad. But it's gonna happen. That's White Sox baseball. Buehrle pitched a great game last night. Coupled with the terrific defense, if he keeps pitching like that he's gonna win a lot more of them than he will lose. Anaheim is a little better than a .500 at home. We historically have not played well there, and we are not a good road team. Winning the series would have been great - but the split is what we need, and we can still get that. Head to Texas where the Rangers play about .500 at home. Take 2 of 3. Doable with Loaiza and Colon on the bump the first two nights. Then host the Angels and the Rangers at the Cell where we play over .625 and they play .384 COMBINED. Any ground lost should be made up here. Nobody is going to run away with this division. Play steady, play smart, don't panic.

Cotts is going to be fine. As long a no one holds him up to Prior/Willis comparisons. He has control problems - some of the balls were nerves, but chalk most of the wildness to mechanics. He was pushing the ball when he lost the strike zone. What I like is his stuff. It's major league. The change up off his sneaky 90+ fastball is a great pitch when he gets it over - dare I say better than Buerhle's. And if he can throw that sharp breaking pitch for strikes in and out - he'll dominate. His delivery is what makes him tough, it's short and fluid, probably hard to time, because he's through it so quick, that fastball is on you before you know it. That sets up that change, which because of the speedy delivery, makes the pitch even more deceptive. Give him another start. Liked what Wright did last night. And maybe that is where he really belongs. He deserves a shot at the rotation next spring - but he look likes he could be a strong presence in the bullpen.

Damn straight. There's no franchise more aware of this than the White Sox. Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver were great players as well - Jackson arguably one of the best. But they knew about that fix in '19 - they may have played great - but they knew about it - so they were in on it. No gray area. Rose bet on baseball. He was in a position were he could control the outcome of a game to his advantage if he wished. The opportunity for foul play existed. No gray area. If they reinstate Rose - Jackson and Weaver should be next on the list. If this deal between MBL and Rose is true, Selig is going to create a huge double standard. He may be counting on the fact that those who care to see Jackson and Weaver reinstated arhave passed on or on oxygen today.

A lot of pressure on this kid, but he's going to be okay. The Sox are gonna force Ortiz to challenge them, he is not pitching well of late. They are going to want to give this kid a win. A beer shower for Cotts in the locker room would be a good thing for the clubhouse on this road trip.

Last night's game was a downer. But this division is going to be decided in the last two weeks of the season. Just win/split series on the road, and win series at home. 5-2 is still possible on this road trip. 4-3 would not suck. You've got seven at home after this trip with these teams - and we are tough to beat at home. It's gonna be ulcer enducing.

For what it worth, I read that the Sox may need to call up Yofu in September and get him on the 40 man roster or rixk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. He is 30. Maybe they think he's topped out?

Koch topped out at 95-96. Although he threw some bad 87-90 pitches as well.

I love how he refers to himself in the third person. I'm pulling for him, he's not getting it done- but I like the guy. I've watched him during games and he's is animated in the bullpen - he cheers the team on because he knows it the one thing he can do if he can't help them on the mound. He looks like a great teammate. Karma say he's gonna get the heater back because he didn't do anything to deserve to lose it. Beane and Howe were the ones who overworked him in Oakland last year. Let's hope he can get his karmic retribution saving the clinching game of the 2003 ALCS against the A's.

Correct, correct, correct. Scoring runs put pitchers at ease, and allows them to challenge hitters and not have to be so fine trying to make perfect pitches. They can throw fewer pitches, but trying to get the hitters to put them in play. That's why you rarely see a 14-0 shutout. Don't worry about the pitching staff. They have delivered all year. Worry about the offense and keeping the hot bats going to the close of the season. As I remember, the bats were what abandoned the team in 2000 vs. Seattle. The Sox are white hot at exactly the right time. When thier schedule is the most difficult. Playing well against the top division of teams will be a great confidence builder if the Sox win the Central (I don't want to jinx them). Nobody wants to play the White Sox right now - they are dangerous. The Seattle series will be a good test for them and a measuring stick for the rest of the year.

Jim- Thanks I just read the column this paragraph is exactly why we shouldn't deal Colon.... "Though Colon struggled during a recent four-game losing streak, losing some mph, he was hitting 97 in beating Cleveland the other night. He's a horse. He strikes fear. With Jason Schmidt, Kirk Rueter and Colon, Barry's Team would have a serious shot." Now replace some of the names...... "Though Colon struggled during a recent four-game losing streak, losing some mph, he was hitting 97 in beating Cleveland the other night. He's a horse. He strikes fear. With Mark Buehrle, Esteban Loaiza and Colon, the Sox Team would have a serious shot."

I was listening to the broadcast last night and Farmio was chatting with the scoreboard guy (a friend of his I guess) and Daubach was eating strawberry ice cream - so Farmio told Daubach that if he got in the game that the scoreboard was going to say "Brian Daubach: Likes Strawberry Ice Cream". Farmio thought that levity might help get Daubach going. Funny when Daubach stepped up - he saw it on the board - I think it actually screwed him up a bit. He struck out.

Jason: A good read, and a nice idea. But it's a pipe dream - unless your George Steinbrenner. First, the deal with Giles is that to get him, you need to take on all of Kendall's salary - no exceptions. The Chairman would never do it. Second, the White Sox should not deal Colon if they are serious about playing deep into October. He has not been the ace we thought we were getting at 7-9 4.25, but his last start was big. It showed how dominant he can be - retiring 17 straight at one point. He has the stuff we need for a playoff series. Plus this team has now won seven straight and in that run the starting pitching has been the strength. It has been keeping the Sox in ball games. As the saying goes - if it ain't broke don't fix it. This trade would shore up an outfield weakness but to accomplish it you bring uncertainy with adding new pitchers to that rotation mix - which I think would subtract from the overall effectiveness of the pitching staff in the short term. The Giants pitchers you mentioned are top notch talent, no doubt. In the long haul, they would be great to have on the roster. But only if we're selling this year and not going to contend. Put it this way - in the deciding game a playoff series, say the ALDS against, say, the Yankees - who would you rather have on the bump? One of three pitchers who have started only 41 games combined and are a combined 17-15 w/4.07 ERA or Colon - a name in the game - who has started 198 games, is a career 92-58 w/3.90 ERA and has pitched well in the playoffs? I'll take the experience every time. I would love to have Giles and Kendall - but not at the expense of creating a new hole to fill for this season. Only Steinbrenner could afford to do both - keep Colon and get Giles while taking on Kendall's salary. I have always liked your Ponson thoughts, he would be a great addition to this year's staff and I think we could sign him to a three year deal, to fill the gap left when Colon becomes a free agent. Obtaining Ponson with some bullpen help - and we are over the top and could be the favorites in the post season. What would it take to get him? Lee?

The Sox would lose all the rest of their remaining fans if they traded Colon off now. Everyone would scream white flag, and that we were quitting while still in the race. Being 5 games out of a team that is way overachieving, and that people are just waiting to see when they fall apart, they would be crucified in the national media as well. I think it would depend who the trade yields. If we got someone who could step into the rotation right now and contribute, I don't think it would be that bad. After all, Colon hasn't exactly set the world on fire this season... IF we got 3 of the pitchers that we have talked about I would be in favor of the deal, BUT, it would be a PR nightmare if it happened. The real fans like us would understand it though. After all, do you want Bart to bolt after the season for basically nothing when we can gain some major league ready stud arms right now? I hope I can still be considered "a real fan" even though I disagree completely with this. KW may be an idiot but I have to believe that he didn't get Colon so that he could deal him in the middle of pennant chase. If we don't think we can win this division and play deep into October then deal him. Real fan or not - and regardless of the players you get - it is a white flag trade. This franchise needs to worry not only about the "real fan" but the "casual fan". A casual fan will not understand this - because in a city that has not won a World Series in over 86 years - dealing the marquee player you got to try and win that elusive World Series will appear as surrender. The casual fan is what allows for bigger payrolls. Deal Colon and the days of big walk-ups to the ticket windows are a memory.

I knew the voice of reason would appear. This has been a fascinating yet confusing thread. Dealing Colon now would be a scatterbrained idea. Why would we want to diminsh our chances of making the playoffs so we can help put the Giants over the top? I understand the desire to "have our cake and eat it too" - Deal Colon for pitching that could (emphasized)help us get to the playoffs and that we could have for next season. But I implore everyone to stop thinking about next season. This franchise has not won a World Series much less a playoff series in 86 years - when in a pennant chase for any present title we of all people should not be thinking about next season. The time is now. With Buehrle, Colon, Garland, and Loaiza - you have the core responsible for the most quality starts in baseball. Why would anyone seek to break that up when you've got the most difficult stretch of the season ahead in August, and priming for the final push in September against division rivals. This staff is keeping the Sox in games. This team has won six straight and is primed for more with Tampa due in for three games over the weekend followed by a big series in Kansas City. The Sox are coming together. Last nights game was a flashback to 1983. Toronto has the best offense in the league yet they could not blow the game open. Botch didn't help the Sox cause. But in the end the team rallyed - and "won ugly". But pitching keeping the Sox in games was why the '83 team won so many in the second half. If we make the playoffs we will need Colon. If you are serious at making a run - fill the voids you have. Don't create new ones. We need a #5 starter, we need some bullpen help. Yes, CF could be better, we could use a better defensive SS, I would love to have Giles, etc., etc - but not at the expense of trading Colon now.