kwolf68

agree...this is why the Blackhawks were linked to McCabe a week or two ago...we need a veteran player(s) that can stabilize the blueline. I thought Seabs played well tonight, he was really hitting.

A couple goals on Khabi were just bad breaks...it happens. tough loss.

When Luongo is on, he's brilliant. We got done by a great goalie tonight.

This is what the winter meetings has come to...discussing the cancerous prima donna known as Bonds.

QUOTE(scenario @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 11:35 PM) He's not going to be in jail next year. He probably won't even go to trial til after the '08 season is over. And in light of the allegations, etc., he's guaranteed to be the cleanest player in baseball. SOMEBODY is going to sign him. A guy with that talent level does not sit out unless he is physically unable to play. LMAO. Bonds.... Teams who suck worse than us have no use for the turd. He's a bum.

Tired of being one-upped, so you go out and get a guy NO ONE wants and may be in jail next year.

Agree...Hawks haven't dominated, but I think they've played better...more shots, more scoring chances. The 2nd period was more even than the first even though the Hawks got the only goal. Lets get this game in the third.

The team did play a great period. We gave up one goal on a rookie mistake and their second goal was lucky. Other than that, we have to be outshooting them (we are 11-7), and we are really playing with some energy and quite physical. The shenanigans last week in Vancouver has awoken our team and they are playing hard.

Hawks playing well in this period. Kaner made a mistake that cost us a goal, but still in there 1-1. Luongo is amazing. If he was less a goalie, we'd be up 3-1.

what a joke.

Thome leading off? Lots of solo homers and lots of double plays.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 03:05 PM) My point exactly. If this team gave up Cunningham, a valuable, A ball player in the OF, which happens to be a place where we're still trying to find players I believe...to bring in Richar to fill a hole, and then turns Richar into a super-sub...then basically they've traded Cunningham for the equivalent of Mark Loretta or something like that. Which would mean, to my eyes, yes, this team would be a mess, because it'd just be making moves left and right with no plan to even try to figure out what its needs are. Why would all of this shock you? They signed uribe for 4.5mill only to make a deal a few days later for his replacement.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 01:08 PM) miggy's coming to a division with a lot better pitching than the NL east. we'll see. Again, Detroit's staff doesn't scare me one bit. And who would be scare of our staff?

QUOTE(rockren @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 02:29 PM) The additions of Bedard and Linebrink to our pitching staff would make us 12-15 games better alone. Just think of all the games we blew in the 7th and 8th inning last year! Linebrink SHOULD cut down on a lot of those. Just think of the 68 games where we started the inexperienced guys like Floyd/Danks/Masset and the struggling Contreras. Give 25-30 of those starts to a guy like Bedard to help take the edge off and how many games better will we be? If we could add Bedard to what we've already added, I could see this team compete for 90 wins next year. Does that get us into the playoffs? It'd be close, which is all we could ask for at this point. I LOVE Bedard. In a rotation of Burls, Javy thats not bad. Problem is...we have no chance of getting him in my view. I don't think we have the talent along the minor league trail to get it done. We have absolutely NO position prospects left and they'd want at least 3 top spects, 2 of em elite...

If we are going to get this dinosaur I'd just assume give Brian Anderson a full year to show us what he has. It may turn out Anderson proves to be a dud and perpetually left on a major league bench, or maybe the dude will develop. He can surely play the defense at this level.

QUOTE(JPN366 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 12:42 PM) Burke for Egbert, Williams always overpays and underwhelms. I like Burke, but that is a trade I would not at all be interested in making.

QUOTE(rockren @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 12:54 PM) Agree. We just won 90 games in '06. Including the '05 playoffs.....we were the only team in the MLB to win 200 games in '05 and '06. Rebuilding would've been retarded. And we've accomplished SO MUCH since the 2005 season. You don't get s*** for 90 wins if you're sitting at home. Now look what we have? Williams did the 'right' thing by not seeing the future and worrying about it...we'll be perpetually 'going for it' while battling for 90 losses now.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 12:52 PM) Dude, you are Reggie Hindsight. GMs are paid to deal guys BEFORE the market for them goes bottomsup (Dye, Crede, Garland) GMs are paid to keep their best prospects and turn other 'prospects' for talent (Brian Anderson v. Chris Young) I didn't know Chris Young was going to be better than Brian Anderson. Which puts me equal to our great GM.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 12:40 PM) Williams could not do that, and to be honest, he would have been an idiot to do that. The Sox got a HUGE boost in fans after the World Series. They still are working off the World Series and what happened in 2005. You can't just up and rebuild, and expect the fans to stay. Thats why you can't compare what Williams does with what Beane does out in Oakland. There are no fans in Oakland when they are winning, so he has nothing to lose by saying that. Just like the Hawks. They haven't had any fans in the building for 10 years. They can say they are rebuilding all they want, because it won't make much different with the fan base, it's already minimal. If the Sox off-season continues the way its going, the Sox are going to find themselves with a much smaller fanbase, something Williams doesn't want to see, but then you might see a rebuild happen. If the Sox keep getting 2.5 every year, your not going to see a rebuild. Kenny would have been an idiot to actually turn Jon Garland and Jermane Dye into 4-6 good, major league ready prospects? He would have been an idiot to deal Anderson instead of Chris Young. He would have been an idiot to deal Crede to the Angels for the kings ransom they were offering. Dude failed, FAILED in keeping this franchise from the dregs and he now oversees one of the worst teams in all of baseball with arguably the worst minor league system in all of baseball. While we all give him accolades for 2005, I think he deserves criticism for the present state of the franchise. Any Sox fan who thinks this team has any shot of 'going for it' next year is seriously deluded. I think most of us are passionate, but also fairly realistic. And had KW come out after 2006 and made a couple deals no one would have been any more anguished than when Rowand and others were dealt. The core of the team for the most part would have remained in tact...but we'd have traded players a year BEFORE the market for them went bottom-up. Either resign them then, or deal them for talent, especially considering the sorry state of our minors. Adding one or two free agents isn't enough...we need talent everywhere on this team. This isn't one spot, other than 1st base, without some type of question whether it be age, injury, experience, or just raw talent.

QUOTE(rockren @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 11:58 AM) Like someone on this board said- "If Uribe can see his feet, he's a good SS." If Uribe's off the field distractions are past him, I'd like to see him brought back next year. I feel we owe him that, just on that 9th Inning in Game 4 of the WS in '05. As far as him being crap compared to Burke......hey if you like Burke, then that's fine. But if that really were the case Houston wouldn't be looking to deal the guy. If we were in the business of 'owing' guys for World Series play then we'd have returned that entire team in tact. Loyalty and baseball are no mass. Uribe was brilliant in that inning no question, but just as people said about Freddy, Rowand, etc...when they were jetisoned, its time to move on and try to get better. Uribe as a backup is horrible. He can't hit much, can't bunt, can't run. And we wouldn't need him for Def at SS, because the other guy is better. So what role does he have? We need someone on the bench that can run, handle the bat, and maybe play multiple positions. Uribe does not of that (playing multiple positions is still TBD).

Just adding Rios, Hunter, Jones, etc...won't make us competitive in the AL next year. We should have begun retooling after 2006. Crede and Dye were at their peak value, Garland was still 2 years from free agency, Uribe wasn't exposed yet. I think that's why people in Sox-land are frustrated, because they see years of futility on the horizon. The minors are stripped bare, our veterans are either injury proned, old, or heading toward the market thus providing little value in deals. Our 3rd pitcher is (I guess) Count, who we peddled at the ASB last year with no one taking serious interest in his ever diminishing skills. Our pen is not much better off, if any. We have no one ready to step in should one of our aging players goes down and our GM still continues to peddle the idea we are 'going for it'...The only thing more astounding than how far behind we are is the arrogance and/or ignorance of Kenny Williams. I'd be OK if he came out and said point blank, we need to rebuild. Some moves didn't work and we have to trade some pieces and get younger and deeper along the system. We'll struggle at times, but we'll be young and we'll show hope for the future (see Blackhawks). It's either that or run out this jalope under the premise that 'we are going for it", which is essentially a lie.

QUOTE(rockren @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 11:49 AM) HAHAHA I don't know what people see in Burke. I'd rather just keep Uribe and have him come off the bench. Uribe isn't crap compared to Burke, especially now that we have a better SS. Burke can play our two most precarious positions (CF, 2) and can also provide a spark off the bench because (unlike Uribe) he can actually run. Uribe is painful to watch play baseball, other than good defense, which we wont see anymore anyway because of Cab

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:49 AM) that sounds about right. at the least rowand is an upgrade over the current situation and he's a popular guy. at the same time, i can't say it's really sensible financially and i don't think it moves us out of third place in the division. Andruw Jones doesn't move us out of third place either. But in this 'go for it now' mode, the idea of building around youth isn't an option. I like rowand, like him a lot, but it's only fun watching him if we're competing for the division, which we won't next year (barring unforeseen major changes at numerous positions).

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:47 AM) I don't consider anything like that to be a done deal or even close. He's not off the table until he's off the table. We aren't even getting players we are linked with. Although I appreciate your willingness to stick with it.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:44 AM) I do hope Ehren's in the mix in 2008. I think he's got the stuff to be pretty good, and he's cheap and thrives on pressure. Him and Logan make a pretty impressive ROOGY/LOOGY beast. Agree. Ehren deserves a real spot there. The pen was a complete joke last year...they messed with 4 or 5 guys before FINALLY going to him and VIOLA', he can get outs.