caulfield12

So then what are the odds of having two players (Rios AND Dunn) like that on the same roster? 1/500? Essentially it was the leverage of those three contracts (Dunn/Rios/Peavy) working in concert that has jeopardized both this season and all immediate future seasons. One...or maybe even two of them, but not all three. Imagine if Buehrle or Konerko weren't producing as well as they ever have?

And let's not acquiring Peavy when he was injured...it would be hard to argue the Rios and Peavy moves weren't even bigger gambles (than Dunn), both looking back with hindsight but also at the time they were made. It's usually better to invest that type of money into difference makers at SS, 2B, CF and catcher. Offensively, buying production out of DH, LF and 1B is cheaper, or at least it should be. And probably you can now add 3B as another position where it's better to shift limited resources in terms of ROI offensively.

Speaking of 60 years old, is Contreras ever coming back with the Phillies this season?

Or a gay but partnered firefighter raising an adopted child together. No way that would fly in Texas (the statue for him).

Good, now's as good a time as any to see what Flowers can do in the heat of a pennant race instead of meaningless late September AB's.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 17, 2011 -> 08:53 AM) So your solution is to never sign players to large contracts essentially? Isn't that what the White Sox have essentially done, since Jaime Navarro? At least until KW took on the Rios guaranteed contract, traded for Peavy and signed Dunn. The only long-term deals were for players already entrenched with the organization like Konerko, Buehrle, Contreras...with the notable exception of the Linebrink move (which wasn't megadollars). Maybe you could point to the Garcia extension...or bringing Jim Thome's contract into the fold, or Javy Vazquez.

Is holding KW responsible for Dunn basically the same thing as saying you were there second-guessing President Obama and the administration that the stimulus package wasn't going to do nearly enough...wasn't going to have more than a short-term impact and then POOF, dissipate?? (of course it's NOT, right?) (Paul Krugman from the NY Times was one who was right from the beginning, similar to a handful of the anti-Dunn posters...) The point remains. KW is still ultimately responsible. And, in all likelihood, voters in 2012 will hold Obama accountable for his track record of economic decisions as well, regardless of what happened under the previous administration. Just like KW has a similarly bad track record of trades and acquisitions since the end of 2008. One bad move can be excused. But a downward moving trendline...not so easily. So ask yourself...if you're willing to let KW off the hook, shouldn't any executive be extended the same amount of leash?

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/7111289-419...ss-for-him.html

But general manager Ken Williams still isn’t sold. He’s like every other Sox fan who feels good about his team one day but not so good the next. He wants to feel great every day but he just can’t do it. “Listen, I wish I did,’’ Williams said before the Sox faced the visiting Indians and right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez in their attempt to top the .500 mark for the first time since April 15. “But I’m not going to tell you something that I don’t believe. I don’t have a good feel after 120 games. And it’s just been inconsistent play. I’m still very optimistic. Again, if we start to click, even just a little bit, we can put together a heck of a run. But the fact of the matter is we haven’t, so I can’t assume it’s going to happen.’’ “All I can expect is the effort and intensity to be there every day,’’ Williams said. “We’ve got 42 games left. It’s not hard to keep your intensity level up with 42 games. That’s what I expect and hopefully we can get on a roll and some guys can get some confidence back maybe that they haven’t had thus far.’’ “I’ve made no secret about it for quite a while that we are limited from a payroll standpoint at this point and time,’’ said Williams, who trimmed payroll by dealing away Edwin Jackson at the deadline while adding to his bullpen by getting Jason Frasor. “We haven’t earned our fans’ patronage enough to put us in that position and that’s nobody’s fault except our own fault. Anything that would come across right now, even if it were appealing from a talent standpoint, we are not in a position to be able to do it. Again, that’s our fault. That’s nobody’s fault, except mine, my staff’s and the people in uniform.’’ Williams said he is optimistic before every game. “I only get surprised at the end of the game where it’s again, we haven’t supported our pitching staff,’’ he said. “That’s my surprise. I keep waiting for it to come, waiting for it to happen.’’ http://www.suntimes.com/sports

The Indians really didn't test Flowers (defensively) as much as one would have thought going into last night's game... Other than Carrera, there's not much speed on that team. Sizemore (when healthy) is a shadow of his former self. Brantley's a Denard Span-Lite, but nothing to get too excited about, either. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,1341468.story Article on Flowers' efforts last night http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,2585434.story

To say we're anything near a Top 5 organization RIGHT NOW is really stretching it, though. We have a dysfunctional GM/manager relationship, there's no getting around that. We have two players in hyperbolically bad slumps/seasons that won't go away...and that the fans have booed more than cheered in 2011. We have one legit young hitting prospect in our minor league system, Viciedo. We can't seem to get much over 25,000 in attendance for "key" match-ups even when school is out. In all likelihood, we'll have to shed $15-25 from our 2011 payroll if we don't make the playoffs, and, even if we do, we still probably won't be profitable. We would be dead-and-buried playing in any other division. Humber has probably been pushed past the point where he can be an effective starter we can count on down the stretch, and Stewart's an inexperienced rookie we had to acquire because KW was forced to shed Edwin Jackson in order to get something of value back immediately. Beckham actually has succeeded in finally looking even worse than Dunn and Rios in recent weeks. We have SOME reasons for optimism. Morel has turned it on. DeAza, Flowers and Lillibridge have really contributed. Outside of the fastball to Hafner in the 8th last night, Sale has been the best lefty reliever in baseball for going on 2 months. With all the talent on this team, odds were at some point there would be a "regression" to mean. It's hard to start being a revisionist historian and saying "Ozzie's just done a great managerial job" this season to get us back on the periphery of contention. But in terms of going forward the next 3-5 years, there aren't many teams that are in worse positions in the AL. The only ones you could argue would be the Mariners, possibly the Twins, and the Orioles. Because of their stadium issues, the A's and the Rays (and having to compete in the AL East). But we're still closer to the Cubs or Astros in degrees of proximity (minor league system, bad contracts, attendance/revenue generation) than the Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. Thank God it's over, seems most were about to give up if they didn't score there. Greg will be happy to be able to tout Pierre's clutch hitting the last 2 months, sure-fire signs of Ozzie Guillen pure genius for sticking with him all season. 8-1 against the Indians now in 2011. 1 game over .500

Must be Morel's first FOUR hit game tonight.

God, the Indians' defense has been terrible. Percentage-wise, they have the worst fielding in the AL. Tonight, they're showing us why. They're bringing in a LH starter? Who the heck? Talbot? It can't be Tomlin or Carrasco. Oh, it's David Huff, the lefty. 0.51 ERA so far this year.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Aug 17, 2011 -> 12:21 AM) Exactly this is beyond awful baseball tonight there isn't even any youth to be excited for you sit around hoping douchebag over paid CF's and lazy DH's could at least play at an average level. DeAza and Flowers have played very well. Morel has 2 doubles and a single. Sale made one mistake to Hafner but was very good otherwise. Beckham still sucks.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 17, 2011 -> 12:20 AM) Let's get Frasor the win. Still think Beckham's going yard. Your what hurts? Farmer actually called the Juan Pierre homer. It was eerie.

18 strikeouts by Sox pitchers tonight, 8 walks (3 by Crain and 2 by Ohman). Make that 19. Sox hitters 19/56 tonight.

Ozzie goes with Frasor over Stewart. 7.94 ERA for the Sox so far. Hafner/Santana/Fukudome.

Once again, we deserve to lose if we can't score a single measly run against Chad Freakin' Durbin.

The 165th groundout to 3B on a pull hook by Alexei this year. Not very helpful when he did that with Dunn down there....the White Sox must have the lowest cumulative baseball IQ's in the game after Konerko/Paulie/Mark/AJ/Morel/Pierre.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Aug 17, 2011 -> 12:02 AM) If he was on the team Guillen would of pinch ran/defensive replaced his ass by now. And rightfully so this season. DET axes/benches their non-performing players like Inge and Magglio. We coddle them and continue to expose them to more humiliation and booing. Three hanging sliders Chad has gotten away with....Fathom was almost right. Missed the hit by feet.

Durbin was so bad the Royals gave up on him.

Nobody wants to win this freaking game. At least the few remaining fans seemed to try to cheer the White Sox through that inning. First crowd noise you could hear over the radio for 45 minutes.

WHITE SUX...as usual, taunting their fans but failing to come through in the clutch these past 3 seasons. Two West Coast games are in the 9th inning now. Crazy game. Can Crain actually escape this now? Konerko leading off the bottom of the 13th.

Insane in the MemCrain. What a crappy way for the White Sox to give this game away. Ohman already contributed, so might as well have the walks be the final nail in the coffin as well.