caulfield12

QUOTE (Baron @ May 4, 2012 -> 09:34 PM) Well thank you for another fire Kenny thread. We sure needed more of those. The only difference is that I have defended him the whole offseason until today. We've become the most irrelevant team in the major leagues under KW's watch. You can argue the Padres or the Astros, but both those teams seem to have better plans and new/exciting/innovative GM's in place that will stop trying to pound round pegs into square holes.

The sooner we part ways with Kenny Williams, the better off we are for the future. This latest debacle with Chris Sale was foreseeable a mile away. You would think he might have learned with Santos? Traded him for what looks like the equivalent of another Nick Blackburn in Molina who will at best be a 4th or 5th starter. So he's going to turn Sale into another Santos then trade him away, too, but only after he signs a long-term extension, so everyone can wonder what the hell is going on in Chicago? For the future, they'd actually be better off just giving Sale a pre-emptive TJ surgery before he ruptures the elbow at some point in the indeterminate future and then have to wait another year more until he can start again. Of course, you can't force Chris to do that against his will. They've taken an A ball pitcher from a year ago who just started to build and gain in confidence, named him the closer because they apparently didn't have enough depth in Thornton and Ohman (and because they didn't want to or couldn't pay Frasor) and messed him up. Santiago should be starting at Birmingham or Charlotte, doesn't matter where. He's not a reliever going forward, especially with Sale now doomed to the pen. Put Sale into Thornton's role and make Reed the closer. Trade Thornton to the highest bidder. Rinse, repeat, do the same thing with Jesse Crain when he comes back and proves himself and gets his FB back to 93-96. So they've already moved around or messed up Beckham (2 changes), Viciedo (3-4 changes), Santiago and Chris Sale. Who's next? All because our GM left us dangerously lacking in depth at the major league level by making idiotic trades like the Mark Teahen move, then signing him to an extension, then having to trade away our best pitcher last year at the break because Williams just wanted to dump his mistake from the roster. Other than DeAza, Humber and Santos (and the jury's still out because at least 50% of us believe Molina will end up another Zach Stewart and Marco Paddy another Dave Wilder minus the bribes and gay night clubs), absolutely nothing KW has done has worked out. At a certain point, it's not just bad luck (Peavy/Dunn/Rios), it's bad decision-making, planning and strategic thinking. This is the biggest crisis for the White Sox since the White Flag, signing Albert Belle and going with "The Kids Can Play" campaign. This offseason, the whole future of this organization was tied into the performances of Sale, Morel, Viciedo, Beckham and Molina. Even with Dunn, Rios and Peavy contributing, there's still way too many holes if you remove Sale from the rotation and that's also assuming Beckham and Viciedo hit. It's gotten to the point the last week or so with Danks showing diminished velocity (hope and pray it's a "dead arm" and not something else) and Alexei Ramirez an OPS in the 400's...you just start to wonder what else can go wrong with this organization? There are some glimmers of hope in Phegley, Mitchell, Saladino, Thompson, Castro...but we need some minor miracles now to contend in 2014. 1) Good trades (crosses fingers, hopefully no other GM could be THIS bad) 2) Reed and/or Jones to become a lockdown closer 3) Santiago/Castro/Molina/Axelrod/Hernandez (2 of them) to become competent big leaguers 4) Viciedo/Beckham/Morel and Flowers/Phegley (one or the other) to make it P.S. Zach Stewart sucks, thanks for nothing Marco Paddy!

Do say. Try it sometime, M. You can learn more about the Sox from the other team's broadcasters. For example tonight, according to all the Detroit hitters, the baseballs are darkest/dirtiest in Chicago compared to all the other MLB parks. Coincidence? No more than the position of the batter's box being off by one foot. That tells me that Cooper has more influence than even I thought...to give the Sox pitchers an added advantage, it's also had a negative effect on our hitters at home over the last 3 seasons.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2012 -> 09:09 PM) Wow buddy, you went from overly optimistic a week ago to this rant. Very bleak day for the organization, no doubt about it. Hopefully Beckham continues to play well and gives us a reason to watch. This whole thing with Sale is what has done it. Sure, theoretically we could catch lightning in a bottle with Santiago in the rotation and he becomes a top of the rotation starter. Between this whole mismanaged/terribly botched situation with Sale and Molina just not impressing me overall with his stuff...it's just scary to contemplate the future right now.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 4, 2012 -> 09:05 PM) Is AJ too important in the development of the pitching staff to do that? We just need to completely start over, which might mean trading both AJ AND Paulie. Might as well see what you have with Phegley and Flowers this year. Otherwise, you're going to have to trade an asset already on the major league roster to bring in a starting catcher, like an Alexei Ramirez. Which will create another huge hole somewhere else on the field.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2012 -> 09:02 PM) It should be happening regardless of how next 10 games go. As I've been arguing, you have to make Santiago a starter, right now, with Charlotte. Axelrod can get his audition, but without Sale and Molina looking iffy for the rotation (nobody at this site can argue credibly he's looked like anything more than a back of the rotation guy), we're back to 1998/99 all over again. Attendance in the 1998-99 figures. At this point, Kenny Williams just needs to leave and wipe the slate clean. This is a 3 year fix, at best, without Sale. It's almost to the point where they'd be better off doing the Tommy John surgery today before he even blows his elbow out and bringing him back as a starter again in 2013. What's the difference? We're going to do the same thing with Sale we did with Santos and trade him for a back of the rotation guy with control who throws about the same velocity as Phil Humber?

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ May 4, 2012 -> 09:00 PM) That's at least three games the bullpen has blown in the last inning. Might be four. quit counting. 3, Baltimore at home, at Oak, at DET It really doesn't matter really, we don't have a chance to be competitive anyway without Sale in the starting rotation.

Now the only question is whether 2-8 becomes 5-19 and the full rebuilding/trade all assets talk begins again. Can't imagine things being much worse this year, but without a closer, just like what happened in early 2011, the whole season can come undone quite quickly. The Marlins are learning the same lesson with Heath Bell, only they're giving him $27 million to learn it the hard way.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 4, 2012 -> 08:56 PM) LOL. Fathom right. Me wrong. Let the floogate of losses begin. Here they come! Wow. Sox lose a game the Sox had in control most of the way. Poor Jake; poor Sox. I wouldn't say control most of the way, but it's a game they should have won had the bullpen been managed properly. Left Peavy in one hitter too long when they should have used Reed, and Thornton's just not a closer.

And that's officially the start of the rebuilding phase for the White Sox.

Didn't realize that Peralta had 4 seasons in a row of 20 homers and at least 80 RBI's. He's a statue defensively, but that's great production at SS. And Matt Thornton leads the majors again in broken bats, flares, balls off the end of the bat, checked swing singles....I don't know what it is, he has that fastball but a lot of times the opposition can make contact.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2012 -> 08:48 PM) Hawk having a rough night in the booth. He was cheering too hard for a Beckham single or triple there, lol? Great play by someone Thornton's size, very athletic to run down Santiago.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 4, 2012 -> 08:47 PM) What time is it where u live caufield? 948 am on Sunday, 13 hours of difference

Amazing thing is I think that ties Lillibridge for 1st (Desmond Jennings) for the AL SB lead despite barely playing. Quietly, the Rays again are the best team in baseball...without Longoria. 30 K's for Morel (new thread for M-34 if we somehow lose this game).

BTW, is there any team in the majors with a worse bench than ours? Other than Lillibridge's versatility and pinch-running, not much there. Beckham will get another AB here unless Morel hits into a DP. Yay, we now have one bench hitter over .200 finally.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 4, 2012 -> 08:36 PM) He was out of gas facing one of the best hitters of the past 20 years who has seen his pitches 3 times previously tonight. When it's all said and done, maybe one of the top 3-5 hitters of all-time. He's Manny Ramirez without the steroids.

CLE getting on a bit of a mini-roll here in the early season. Took down the Rangers at home and in first by 2 games now. Weird, bringing in Valverde down by 1? He hasn't even pitched well in tie games this season.

Uh-oh....that wasn't a good idea.

Second-guessers if Cabrera goes yard....line up. No Reed here. Talked Ventura out of taking him out of the game. Pitch count 118.

Ummm....shouldn't we be warming up Santiago or Thornton? Or Reed? Only 6 walks all season for Peavy.

I think they're really oversensitive now after what happened with Peavy's ankle injury and the argument it led to his lat problem. The thing that doesn't make sense is not shutting him down for two weeks or DLing him. How putting him in the bullpen is going to prevent him from having an injury at some point is beyond me.

It wouldn't have mattered had they signed Buehrle instead of Danks. We'd still be in the same basic position. They simply couldn't afford both. Attendance would be the same, that wouldn't matter. You're never going to see any major league team risking that kind of a contract on a pitcher in his 30's over one in what should be the prime of his career. Had Fielder looking low and away and then came back high and over the middle...just high enough, and just enough juice/movement.

Tie ballgame, Dunn made contact there when he needed to. Got it off the end of the at-bat. First time Smyly has given up more than 1 run in a start. Bullpen coming into the game soon. Below? Looks like he's leaving him out there, 96 pitches. Didn't realize AJ was 8/23 already this year against lefties. Make that 8/24. Probably the end of the night for Smyly.

Two really good at-bats by Ramirez tonight...that's encouraging. Now, needless to say, we need to score this run. No option to fail.

Only 6 pitches for Peavy there. Still, doesn't really matter if our offense continues to sputter. Haven't won a game in which we scored 3 runs or less all season.