caulfield12

I don't get why he wanted to give all the young guys a chance then a few months into the season dump them because he thinks we're in a pennant chase (.500 record?)... We've traded away and gave away Poreda, Richard, Allen, Brian Anderson, Lance Broadway and I don't think we would be any worse if these guys were still on the roster getting major league playing time. That goes to show that BIG changes need to be made next year and I think they will. I think this team is gonna go for a world series next year. I think some bold moves will be made this offseason, and I think Dye will be gonna, Jenks will be gone, Pods will be gone, and a move like trading one of Floyd/Alexai/Konerko will be made. I think he will sign a long term RF, lots of bullpen help for cheap, , and keep Kotsay to platoon with Thome at DH and play OF/1B. He will also resign Wise and trade more prospects. The Peavy trade was a bold one, let's wait at least one season before giving Clayton Richard the NL Cy Young. KW had left the roster too weak at the beginning of the year and then thought he could ride Beckham/Pods/Quentin/Rios/Peavy to take the division, didn't turn out that way for a number of reasons. Anderson and Broadway? REALLY??? The jury's still out on Allen, and it will look pretty stupid if Pena can't take over Dotel's work AND we lose Thome/Dye AND we can't find a LH, power-hitting 1B/LF/DH type on the FA market, like a DUNN or Abreu. No way Kotsay is part of a DH-platoon. Forget that idea, he's not a strong enough hitter anymore. He's a 5th outfielder, last player on the roster on a really good team, and defensive replacement at 1B. They very well might trade Konerko or Ramirez, but Konerko won't get ANYTHING back (you'll have to pay part of his salary probably), so the only marketable players you have to trade are Ramirez, possibly Jenks (to a much lesser extent than Ramirez) and some of our minor leaguers, who KW needs to hold onto and not trade (Flowers/Hudson/Viciedo/Danks/Mitchell).

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 29, 2009 -> 12:51 PM) He's clearly the better option over Getz Getz MIGHT be fine if he could actually stay on the field for a prolonged stretch...he and Carlos are fighting for the title of most fragile/injury-prone team member.

They have to leave Nix at 2B (and not move him around as the utility player), Beckham at SS and let them play together every single day in Spring Training and during the regular season. Ramirez is the one asset (certainly not Getz or Fields) that can get some talent back to fill the holes at 3B, leadoff/OF, fifth starter and the bullpen.

Mitre averaging an amazing 11 pitches an inning. I thought Sunday was get-away day, not Saturday? Embarassing performance in a national TV broadcast which will do nothing for our September attendance...they better market the hell of out Peavy, because Beckham has fallen back to earth and there's really nothing to be excited about for the remainder of this year but for Tyler Flowers, Daniel Hudson and perhaps Viciedo. Ozzie smart to realize Beckham probably needed a game off....about 1/2 a game too late. Funny that we were arguing months ago that Beckham was "benched" (McDowell column) when he's probably been over-relied upon by Ozzie, if anything.

The great debate of this offseason will be Nix/Getz at 2B (the same Nix who is only 0.18 behind Beckham in OPS), where Ramirez ends up and who will our leadoff hitter be...along with the fifth starter and reconstructing our bullpen, although it trading Jenks seems unlikely right now with his value so low. Getz has really proven to be injury-prone this season...and very streaky. He needs to put up a .340-.360 OBP to be effective with his lack of power, and he hasn't done that consistently in 2009. His main advantage now is a LH bat (especially with Pods on his way out probably) and his speed.

Only Cotts over Buerhle in 2003 at Yankee Stadium and having to start Vazquez in the first game of the playoffs (but that was because of the four man rotation we used down the stretch)...would rival this. But this season turned for the worse finally in the middle of all those losses at Fenway that were winnable games. Supposedly, the White Sox were considering Hudson and Torres (not Carrasco) for the start.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Aug 29, 2009 -> 12:29 PM) Ramirez will be traded. We will have a new SS or 3B next year. I honestly think Beckham could be a great SS in this league. Theoretically, if we can get Alexei's production from Getz/Nix at 2B, then we make this trade (because his contract, his age and his Soriano-esque potential production from the middle infield will entice SOMEONE) and find a leadoff hitter (OF), fifth starter and/or rebuild our bullpen as Dotel leaves and Jenks might be out the door as well, although I think KW will hold onto Jenks for one more year because his value is so diminished, even compared to this offseason. From being the "Cuban Connection," if we ditch Contreras and Ramirez and Viciedo doesn't pan out, that seeming advantage we had in attracting Cubans might be out the window as well.

They have to replace Dye with Quentin...that will help with the range, or find another RFer, and I doubt that will be Vladimir Guerrero, who's about as limited as JD now physically. I really wouldn't even mind someone like Fr. Gutierrez or Endy Chavez in our outfield, but there's no way in hell I'm relying on Pods to be a starter next year...forget it. Ramirez moves to 2B (or is traded, or the Nix/Getz platoon again)...Beckham to SS and Fields/Viciedo/Nix (but probably a veteran 3B on a one-year contract while waiting for Viciedo) is the most likely. Fields and Getz definitely look to be the odd men out at this point, although we might need to keep Fields because his value is so low and because Thome AND Dye might both be gone, so we'll need to produce offense somehow. A better LFer, Rios in CF, Quentin in RF, Beckham/Ramirez up the middle, a better defensive 3B....we're not going to get any better with AJ/Flowers at catcher.

Whisler will never see any roster time...they should look at Hudson, Torres, Nunez and Santeliz, why not see what they have to work with in the bullpen, because they'll have to replace Dotel and still aren't sure what they have in Pena. Flowers should be given some type of platoon time with AJ, and perhaps Fields and/or Viciedo. They should move Ramirez to 2B (or trade him), move Beckham to SS and find a 3B if they're not going to give the position to Fields or Viciedo. CJ Retherford might get some playing time, but Shelby/Danks/Mitchell are a long ways from being ready for the majors.

Quote of the Day... "You won't believe how terrible this White Sox team is defensively..." Anonymous AL Advance Scout to the Yankees' broadcast crew. Guillen is pissed, pissed, pissed. It seems that the intimation from the announcers is that Guillen didn't want to start Contreras and was forced to against his will by KW.

Don't forget LHP Willliams, Josh Fields, Jerry Owens, DeWayne Wise, Brian Anderson and Corky Miller. It's amazing how many players we've run through this roster...but at least we seem to be set up well for next year. The sting would be much, much worse had we not made the playoffs last year.

LOL at Ramirez. This team is playing like they're already mailed it in and this is the final game of the season and they're holding tickets for a 330 flight out of LaGuardia.

QUOTE (PeavyTime @ Aug 29, 2009 -> 12:49 PM) Jose is the man. He gets a pass forever because of 2005. But Nix is a joke, and so is Mitre. They are why I'm pissed. The same Nix who was half of our offense the last few days? Last time I checked, Nix didn't give up 4 runs in the second inning, it was Contreras. This team has MANY MANY more problems than Jayson Nix, who, by the way, has almost as good an OPS as Gordon Beckham (.797 to .781).

Well....I guess we can't be surprised we're about to be down 4-0 or 5-0. There's really no point to go with Contreras from here on out. They should try Hudson, Torres and maybe Garcia once or twice each and see what they have for the 5th starter's spot heading into 2010. This game is pretty much over essentially, with the way our offense has looked recently. We've only lost five games in the standings the past month to the Twins and Tigers. At one point we were 4 1/2 games ahead of the Twins and tied (for ONE day) with the Tiggers.

If it involved RISP in late inning situations, I don't really trust the White Sox shooter to hit the target and put this team out of its misery. Probably we'd end up paralyzed and on life support and have to remove the plug on September 15th or 20th, with the agony prolonged a bit.

Okay, sorry....thought it would be a single....but it wasn't surprising in the least. And that's your White Sox season right there.

Shades of Miguel Ascensio here in NYC. 8 balls in a row. What else will happen this season? Nobody warming up for the Sox, bullpen mound covered, Cano a textbook line-drive hitter....YOU KNOW THE GODS OF BASEBALL DEEM CANO to get the walk off single.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Aug 28, 2009 -> 08:17 PM) why walk matsui? Ozzie wants to humiliate Swisher instead?

Ironic, gets two righties out and then walks LHP/LHB match-up in four pitches. Put Gardner in here to steal 2nd? Hairston.

Thank you, WIND. Everyone in the ballpark and the announcers called it as a home run.

Are we really bringing in Randy Williams at this spot in one of the most important games of the season? WOW. Ozzie throwing out the book, using a lefty against two of the game's top 5-10 RH power hitters.

Beckham hitting only .238 in his last 101 AB's, but that single was clutch. Well, at least he didn't strike out...and Beckham's defense is getting better and better over there, so obviously he's more comfortable.

Our old friend Damaso Marte warming up to face Jim Thome. Maybe we can beat him?

Quietly tonight, Nix might have taken the 2nd base job. .240 BA, great defense and .785 OPS reached during everyday play.

Well, I didn't believe it was possible. Good job, Scott. And thanks for helping to bring Peavy to the SoxSide. Of course, we might end up cursing Linebrink twice if we're stuck with Peavy and Linebrink well into the future and neither performs up to expectations again. From a psychological aspect with this team, I've found it's easier to just expect late inning bullpen failure, so now I don't get upset anymore, prefering to laugh and click off MLB GameDay as the ball is inevitably falling in safely or landing in the stands.