caulfield12

Ozzie for Manager of the Year. Half joking, half serious. We're almost a .500 ballclub as bad as we've been, of course, most of that is on the backs of beating up on the NL. This is still the same ballclub that managed to go 4-8 against the Cleveland Indians. I'd be shocked to see a division winner in recent years that had a losing record against the last place team in that division....maybe the Rays beat the Yankees 10-9 or something like that head-to-head 2-3-4 seasons ago, but we've been pretty close to dominated by the Indians, and they're borderline horrible. 5-7 or 6-6, okay, but not 4-8. It's just hard for me to ignore that, as well as we have been playing as of late. And Beckham's still not close to pulling out of it. While we have some batters who are rebounding, Rios and Konerko can't carry the team by themselves....Ramirez, Quentin and Viciedo will have to come through because I have almost zero confidence now that Beckham will get this season straightened out. He had that big game this week against the Pirates and now he has fallen off a cliff again.

Yeah, it's disappointing but none of this means anything unless they can carry over their success to the AL again. It's a big shot of adrenaline in the arm for the starting rotation when the season basically seemed lost, but we're still at least 2 bats short, maybe one if Viciedo miraculously has a 2nd half like Beckham last year or Beckham can actually get going and sustain his momentum for 6-8 weeks. Something of a precarious situation...because the Twins/Tigers are still clearly the favorites...KW basically has no choice but to stand pat and make some "tinkering" moves, nothing like bringing in Contreras/Garcia or Peavy/Rios at mid-season is possible (of course, we've been surprised before with KW, and it will definitely happen again). At best, he can trade away Flowers to get something in return, but I just don't see that happening, because to compete at a lower payroll he has to see what Tyler has got at the major league level. It's not like Tyler Flowers and/or Danks are going to get us that final, missing piece, and trading Hudson would be even more foolhardy.

Yeah, G-Load homered, Runners on 1st and 2nd (Mauer and Morneau walked) in the top of the 11th, one out Rauch is hitting still after blowing the save, only one sacrifice bunt ever....he will try to move the runners over to 2nd and 3rd but is now down 0-2 in the count Rauch actually has homered off Roger Clemens....gets SAC bunt down with 2 strikes Delmon Young just got an infield hit, Twins back up by 1. Should have put Rauch away when they had the chance and that run wouldn't have scored on the infield single...and should have walked Young probably to face Tolbert. Ozzie haters would have fun with Manuel's managing in this one. Looks like game....Tolbert with a two run double, 13-10 Twins.

I remember Clippard used to be a starter with the Yankees....right?

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 18, 2010 -> 06:50 PM) That whole AB is pathetic in so many ways. Gavin is making a ton of mistakes on the mound right now. They called that pitch and location in that count with that defensive set-up??? Either Rios got crossed up or he (Gavin) really missed on the location?

Well, it's hard to pull Floyd with under 90 pitches before he had even surrendered a run...but I guess you can second-guess Ozzie a bit. Thornton has been slumping, though. Willingham and Dunn are their two best hitters, let's just hope to escape with the tie. Okay, got out of it.

Didn't realize Willis was pitching against his former team...Manny back in Boston, lots of subplots this weekend.

Chris Young just had an RBI single driving in 2 runs against Galaragga...a 4-4 tie in Detroit. 285/12/48/844 OPS, looks like his career nosedive trajectory has righted itself at least for one season.

Great job of hitting there by Konerko, who'd a thunk one of his best overall offensive seasons would come at this point in his career, in the final year of his contract? Not I. I guess the 2nd base umpire just flew in after refereeing the US-Slovenia game last night. Phantom call, not even a foot or foot and one half away from the bag.

Well, obviously Strasburg wasn't signed for his hitting prowess. Even though these victories aren't great ones, on the road...that's a confidence builder, and the fact that our starters who were struggling are starting to come back to their "normal" selves, I'm not quite ready to believe in this team until they can start beating AL teams, but momentum is a very powerful thing in baseball. The Tigers and White Sox have it, the Twins don't, for the moment. 5 1/2 games back didn't even seem remotely possibly 2 weeks or so ago.

The only thing I keep going back to is 2003... We were 7 games behind the Royals and the Twins were 7 1/2 games back at the ASB. But that White Sox team was incredibly talented (although not a cohesive team until July/August), the Royals were a house of smoke and mirrors and this year's Twins are better than the 2003 Twins, and we also have the Tigers to contend with in the middle of everything else. I just want to at least be able to pretend we're in contention, which means a .500+ record and maybe getting within 4-5 games of Minnesota/Detroit.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 13, 2010 -> 02:37 PM) I would imagine it would be Buddy Bell, but that is just a guess. Anyone who thought Mark Teahen should go back to being a full-time 3B in the AL should be fired on the spot. Yeah, you can live with a mid 700's OPS (Uribe/Crede) but his defense with a team that has a razor-thin margin for error because of its offense...you just can't play him over someone like Vizquel who at least makes consistent contact and doesn't kill the infield D. I mean, Vizquel was last a "decent" offensive player 7-10 years ago, but I would still rather have him in the line-up than Teahen.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 13, 2010 -> 01:14 PM) Ryan Sweeney recently complained about how the Sox always used to try to make him change his swing. Anderson never really agreed to change anything in his approach, until it was way too late. Fields is a bit harder to explain, but "slider speed" bat is part of it. His defensive woes didn't help matters much, but it seems he could have been at least an average LF or DH offensively based on 2007. Then again, hopefully we're not saying the same thing about Beckham 2-3 years from now. That would be too painful.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 13, 2010 -> 04:20 PM) Now, now...just stick with "The Plan." Didn't Mao and Stalin also have similar plans and solutions, along with Hitler? Joking... FWIW, I've never been impressed by Moore, it's like Coach K's proteges as well, just because they learn from Yoda doesn't make them all equally-capable Jedi Knights. As far as Hahn goes, it's kind of MEEHHHH. A little like Dan Evans. I'd like us to think outside the box. Kim Ng would be one. LaRussa would be interesting, but I doubt it happens. Someone will get annoyed, but why wouldn't we at least look at a couple of high level Twins' FO staff? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...maybe KW's ego won't allow himself to give in to the temptation to admit that having (and sticking with) a system and plan is better than riverboat gambling on a year-to-year basis.

Didn't realize Danks had slumped all the way down to nearly 660 OPS, that's not so good. Morel really really struggling, something like 6 or 7/42 so far out of the gate. Might have been rushed a bit. Retherford still hasn't settled in at BIRM offensively, either. Viciedo slumping a little bit in the last two weeks. Hard to get excited about anyone besides Hudson and our Winston-Salem offense, although Gilmore's line looks like Ryan Sweeney's, which still isn't going to work at a corner IF spot unless you're Mark Teahen. Continue to be impressed by Short and Escobar...although both have a long long way to go. FIRE BUDDY BELL!!!! Just joking, but I honestly never thought he was some type of magical savior who would turn around our minor league system....I know, I know, someone will say "be patient" and that we have to wait for a couple of more seasons for system-wide results, but I just don't know. Of course, a healthy Mitchell and Sale makes our system look quite a bit better. It would help if Flowers could actually hit, same with Danks. It also appears the bloom is nearly 100% off the John Shelby III rose.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jun 13, 2010 -> 10:28 AM) So the Cubs are going to sell low on one of the best players in baseball in exchange for our garbage? How does that make any sense? And Teahen and Linebrink over the next 2 years = $15.75M, Ramirez for next year and a buyout for 2012: $16.6M. Even a flimsy "salary dump" argument doesn't work. Well, it does make more sense than the original Ramirez trade to the Cubs from PITT, but not by more than a sliver.

KW isn't going to just cut bait on Flowers when he's the centerpiece of the Vazquez move and has been going through some huge mechanical/swing changes. I still think this is AJ's last year in Chicago. You're more likely to see Castro/Lucy than AJ in Chicago in 2011 if Flowers fails.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Jun 13, 2010 -> 10:12 AM) I like the way you think. I hope you're right. BTW, do you really think there is a chance to get Luke Scott? If so, what do you think it would take? I really wanted that guy all offseason to be part of the "rotating DH" and fourth outfielder. Who exactly are we going to trade to get Luke Scott? Why would they want someone like Jenks, Putz, Linebrink, Konerko, etc.? Why would we trade any of our young prospects for Scott...and who could we actually trade that the Orioles would want besides Hudson (Viciedo isn't going anywhere after that signing bonus), Beckham, Quentin, Ramirez, etc. Trading Quentin for Scott? That's a lateral move, at best. Having suffered both plantar fasciitis and from wrist injuries, I think he deserves at least one more half season before we pull the plug.

They're definitely not going to add someone like Ramirez, you can forget that idea. And the Cubs definitely would have absolute no reason whatsover to want Linebrink, Pierre, Teahen, etc. The only thing I can think of is that we were 7 games behind the Royals at ASB 2003 and the Twins were 7 1/2 games back and look how quickly things shifted. Of course, the Twins are a much deeper and more talented team than the "smoke and mirrors" 03 Royals, but the example still stands of two teams blowing by the front-runner in the 2nd half. Same thing happened in 2006 with the Twins chasing down the Sox and Tigers.

QUOTE (AWhiteSoxinNJ @ Jun 9, 2010 -> 04:16 PM) We won't make the playoffs for another 10 years, time to clean house now and work on building the farm back up because there is nothing there. Goodbye Ozzie, Goodbye Kenny, Goodbye overpriced-under performing veterans and Goodbye young guys that the organization has completely ruined already. This is just impossible to ever know in the AL Central. Look at the ebbs and flows back and forth between the Twins, Indians, Tigers and White Sox over the last decade. I'm sure we could find many posts even more bleak than yours in the heart of the 2007 season, and that was when the major reason for hope was not giving up all of our veterans (Buehrle, Dye, Contreras, etc.) and Jerry Owens/Josh Fields/Ehren Wasserman/Andy Gonzalez. Our current situation isn't nearly as bleak unless Peavy, Floyd and Buehrle never recover again. Then you can pretty much say we're out of contention for 3-5 years. It's hard enough to cover for Quentin and Beckham, but we need that starting pitching to recover or we're toast, not only in 2010 but 2011-2012. We have some pieces at the minor league level in Viciedo, Flowers, Hudson, Danks and Mitchell that have a lot more talent than those 2007 rookies. You can now add Sale to the talent pool, as well. We broke through in 2008 largely because of Danks/Floyd/Quentin/Ramirez. Is it going to be possible to deal Konerko, Putz, AJ, Jenks, Kotsay, Vizquel, Garcia, Andruw Jones, Nix, Castro, etc., and get back players equivalent to those 4? Probably not. But we can get at least 1-3 players who are close to major league ready, we can inject some youth into the line-up and get bouncebacks from the starters and some of the hitters, we'll at least be an 84-86 win team in 2012. Trading Floyd, Peavy, Buehrle, Quentin and Beckham (this season) just won't happen while KW is GM. Trading Rios, Danks or Ramirez probably won't either, although the temptation to max out a return on the controversial Rios deal and prove to the baseball world how right one of his gambles was might be a bit tempting, KW also knows he needs to keep at least some of those pieces together to build around.

QUOTE (scenario @ Jun 7, 2010 -> 05:53 PM) I disagree. A few comments... You say I'm ignoring each and every one of the real issues? Why? Because I don't agree with you? The majority of comparisons you make for run production to team salary are for team in the NL. I don't think dumping Quentin or Beckham has anything to do with improving this team. The problem is that for the most part we simply built a mediocre offense around them and hoped they'd be better than they are. Bottom Line: I think this is a poorly designed offensive team (average, obp, and slugging). We could have had people who would have made this a MUCH better offensive team in all categories without breaking the bank. And if we had, it is unlikely we'd be in the position we are now. For example: If I was in charge... (this is not revisionary history. It reflects what I would have done at the time, not as a result of looking in the rear view mirror.) I wouldn't have traded for Pierre or Teahen. I think both are highly flawed offensive players who do not add quality to our lineup and therefore were bad decisions. I would have left Beckham at 3B for this year (and avoided screwing up his head with another position move)... I would have gone after Orlando Hudson to play 2B... I would have gone after Damon and put him in left. And I probably would have re-signed Thome. Hudson, Damon, and Thome were better 'risks' than the guys we bet on. The likelihood of them providing offensive consistency to what has been a terribly inconsistent lineup is high. The net salary difference involved would not have been significant. And the net impact on our lineup, IMO, would have been. Instead we rolled the dice... and ended up with mediocrity which has hurt us since other guys we were depending on are struggling and there's been no one to pick them up. You want to disagree... fine. But don't expect me to agree that I'm "harping on a minor issue". We are a bad offensive ballclub by design. That is NOT a minor issue. Agree 100%. I must have started 10 threads alone this offseason about our offensive problems coming into the season, same as Thunderbolt...with all the various possible line-up permutations and their resulting OPS/OBP outcomes. I was also in the Hudson camp, and have been against Teahen from Day 1. Yes, Teahen's better than Getz or Fields, I get that. But he's not good enough to be more than a spare part unless he's on a very good or great offensive team. Whether Beckham really belongs at 2B over 3B long-term (that's not the point for 2010), our team would have been much better with him remaining there and bringing in a versatile, athletic 2B like Hudson to add something different to the line-up. Our defense would have been significantly better, that much is not debatable. And with Ramirez, he's done exactly as predicted. His OPS since June 1st is nearly 800. I can't come close to putting him in the same camp as AJ, Beckham and Quentin (whose overall numbers look a bit deceiving). He's a very cheap SS in the prime of his career making peanuts compared to pitchers in the starting rotation. Jenks was unquestionably a concern coming into the season, and that hasn't changed. I guess from the very beginning of the offseason, I never felt good about this team. I was super-excited by the ending of 2008 and going into 2009, but this last off-season I didn't even really care that much about the team because I knew with Peavy and Rios onboard that KW would only make his "tinkering" moves that have been pretty bad (except for Jones and Putz). He pulled the trigger too early and got stuck with a declining Pierre...and gave up a useful piece in Ely to boot. Damon, Thome and Hudson added to this offense changes the composition quite a bit and makes us at worst, average. The Teahen trade and extension was absolutely unnecessary and the worst move of the offseason to me. Peavy remains a valuable asset but obviously he's underperforming his huge salary, same with Buehrle and clearly Floyd as well. Gavin is sort of like the pitching version of Alexei Ramirez. An All-Star for stretches, an enigma the rest of the time. Too intriguing and cheap to trade away easily, not reliable or consistent enough to count on, and both guys have gotten labels for being "mentally weak." I'm just waiting for something to happen, and a reason to be interested in the season again.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 6, 2010 -> 12:41 PM) I'm not talking about individual plays in the field as much as I am talking about responding to challenges as a team. Bouncing back and winning games you must win. Putting together a streak down the stretch. I believe we've had more talent on our rosters than our record over the last 10 years would indicate. Kenny has said he is befuddled as well. I know the Hawkeroo is. Maybe I'm just drinking the same cool-aid. But when we're talking about a lineup of Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee...losing to young Cleveland and Minny teams with rosters I can hardly even recall....I dunno.. Umm....Torri Hunter, Shannon Stewart, Jacque Jones, Matt LeCroy, Denny Hocking, Hawkins, Romero, Guardado, Koskie, Guzman, Rivas, Mientkiewicz, AJ, Santana, Radke, David Ortiz.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 6, 2010 -> 12:39 PM) Agreed, half of those guys even start everyday in the N.L. The problem is that we're the Kansas City Royals without Zach Greinke and Luke Hochevar, along with some serious offensive talent in the minors coming up and on the rise.

So maybe since JR and Selig are so tight, we should just petition to move to the NL Central? That's our best chance to be competitive in the next 3-5 years. That or our starting pitching deciding to show up along with Beckham, AJ and Quentin on a consistent basis.

Who would claim any of those players (if they were DFA'ed) and dare to start them besides an NL team? A hit...pretty marginal one. Alexei The Cuban Miscue Ramirez strikes again.