caulfield12

Send someone (not Dave Wilder!) to Beijing, along with personal entreaties from The Grand Titan de Bronze and Alexei for the best starting pitcher and reliever from the Cuban National Team, and get them to defect after the last game in the Olympics. (Hey, that's the least The Count can do to help us out...and maybe a note from Oswaldo in Spanish or an e-mail from hotmail.com wouldn't hurt). Then they can take some Russian billionaire's "stealth" yacht to the coast of California and ask for political asylum (of course, they will already have been secretly signed by KW, who will announced the Danks and Beckham signings at the same press conference from Santa Monica Pier). I'm not sure what would happen if we tried to book them tickets (if that would be allowed by MLB rules) or what would happen if they landed in an American airport without a proper entry visa. Maybe the Homeland Security officer would be a strategically placed Sox fan. Okay...well, my imagination is getting away from me! http://sea-fever.org/2008/07/17/has-that-s...street-journal/ (for a picture of the yacht I picked out for this secret Sox mission) I like this guy's style...nothing like marrying the former Miss Yugoslavia, Aleksandra Kokotovic..."Russian billionaire tied the knot in Cote D’Azure with lavish ceremony, entertainment and everything luxurious fit for a billionaire wedding reportedly worth £20 million. The wedding featured performances by Whitney Houston, Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias and Christina Aguilera, who were all flown to Cannes on a private jet. Rumours circulated that he even had a church dismantled, shipped and rebuilt in France for this extravagant wedding day. Since there seems little hope for the rest of the season, I thought it would good to think positively at least.

QUOTE (Fingish @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 09:00 AM) By my count, whoever takes Jose's place, will make about 4 starts, if Paul Byrd was able to on average pitch 2 more innings per game than Poreda, that would be all of 8 innings over the course of the rest of the month that he would save the bullpen. My thought being if a bullpen can't handle an extra eight innings over the course of 20 days, then you probably aren't making it to the playoffs anyways. So give me Poreda and his higher upside, rather than the known quantity in Byrd. Sure it's a gamble, but it seems to me that most teams don't do well in the playoffs without taking a chance on some of their kids coming up and producing in key roles, a la Bobby Jenks in '05. I know that one of these days we'll call up a prospect who will floor us with his performance right out of the gate, why not let it be now, when we really need it? Are you sure your math isn't off by a bit? It should be around 8-9 more starts that we have to cover for Contreras...that situation isn't changing in September, it's only becoming more magnified. Yes, we'll have some additional bullpen help in September, but what can we realistically expect of MacDougal, Wasserman, Link, Rodriguez, etc.??? I don't think very much. Those guys will be helpful to save the "A" relievers (Jenks, Thornton, Dotel and hopefully Linebrink) in blowout losses or mop up duty, but I don't think any of them can be put into tie or even down by 1-3 run situations in the heat of a pennant race.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 08:53 AM) No minor league talent (or very little) means we go with what we got. Oh well, it's not like we didn't know Crede had a bum back and half the rest of the team was aging (fast). If EVERYTHING went perfectly, the Sox were ok, but it's not going perfectly. I don't know what Massett, Richar + player could have brought us in the way of pitching depth, but I'd rather have had that than slow-footed OF depth. Well, I would guess the best we could do is someone who is fatally-flawed, like Joey Gathright. Maybe Rocco Baldelli? We can just be happy that KW wasn't ever very serious about acquiring Andruw Jones or Gary Mathews, Jr. Pitching, pitching, pitching...back in 2000/01, we had "waves and waves" of pitchers on the horizon, and the only ones that "took" were Garland and Buehrle. Think about it...Rauch, Parque, Ginter, Myette, Danny Wright, Brian West, Lorenzo Barcelo, etc. Now we've had two more first rounders (Broadway and McCullough) basically fail to make much of an impact...so it's not a surprise we're in this position, and, no, I don't think Gio Gonzalez was ready to lead us to the playoffs either. Essentially, the White Sox had to have everything break right for them this season...and that was the case for 2/3rd's of the year, with Floyd and Danks pitching better than anyone could have conceived (outside of the front office) and Ramirez and Quentin playing like All-Star/MVP candidates despite both essentially being rookies. While this White Sox line-up remainds dangerous, and has the pitching at the front to make a run in the playoffs if everyone was on fire simultaneously, I just don't see how things can hold up for another 50 games. Over the last two months, I've been looking over my shoulder waiting for the Twins to catch us, yet not believing it was possible, with the losses of Liriano, Hunter, Santana, Cuddyer, etc. It seems they are always better than their statistics...maybe they are due to cool off though, they're batting well over .300 with RISP, which is first in the majors. That's the kind of statistic that doesn't hold up forever. I keep waiting for that young starting rotation to show some cracks in the foundation, but it has been our rotation that has "blinked" first. All that said, we're still only 1/2 game behind and the Twins are about to play the Yankees at home, then go on their longest and most demanding road trip of the year (due to the GOP NC).

I wonder if KW said....well, MacDougal and Sisco didn't work out so well, mind sending me another pitcher just to even things out? Third time's a charm?

QUOTE (BearSox @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:40 PM) is that 4 or 5 DP's on the night? Pitiful offensive performance tonight, we blew several opportunities. This game would have turned out much differently had we gone ahead 2-1 (thanks AJ, nice bunt Cabrera!) and gone to Dotel and Thornton.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:37 PM) That's my next investment- the black authentic Ramirez. Tanyon Sturtze alive still? Bring him back! 3 GIDP for AJ. I remember we had Gil Heredia in ST the same year Loaiza surprised everyone, in 2003. I was actually wondering if KW was going to see if David Wells would come out of retirement for like the 4th time. Arnie Munoz's start in Montreal that Uribe had about 20 RBI's and Willie Harris messed up in the late innings with a bad bunt comes to mind when I think about the future pitching results of whoever we use as our 5th starter. Back to 2001-2004 again!!! Oh, the humanity.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:30 PM) BTW, I forgot to say this, but thanks for posting more in these threads. Hey, I'm only in Thailand at 836 am Sunday morning, lol. One thing I do really miss...seeing Ramirez play in person, or at least on WGN. I almost bought a Contreras jersey after the World Series in 05, I think I would spring for the $180 for an Alexei jersey, despite the fact that every time I've purchased a jersey, it has brought on the SI Cover Jinx seemingly.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:28 PM) Any of you know if Griffey can pitch? Maybe put him in the pen Uribe or Alexei Ramirez could definitely get more outs than Boo Logan now. Heck, Jason Dellaero could probably get more outs...Cal Eldred as well. Maybe Ray Searage, too.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:22 PM) I think anyone complaining wanted Thornton to start the 7th. I think Ozzie decided with the bullpen's workload and the fact that he needs to conserve Thornton and Dotel for down the stretch...that he was willing to sacrifice this game to teach Boone Logan a lesson and end his White Sox career...I wouldn't be shocked if he never pitches for us again.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:20 PM) You know what's amazing, as I take a step back....how quickly the buzz stopped regarding Griffey Jr. 1 for 13 with triples and ground rule doubles falling all around you will tend to do that. Amazing...but he's fading almost as fast as one of the best 2B of all time, Roberto "Remember the" Alomar. Or was that Sandy's nickname?

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:18 PM) No excuse to have Boone Logan in there in that spot, none. I know our pitching is thin, but to have Boone Logan put into a 1-1 game in the 7th inning of an August pennant race game is undefendable. I'd rather have put a righty in there, even with two lefties and a switch hitter starting the inning and Ortiz 5th in line. Logan has been the worst relief pitcher maybe in baseball the last 4 or 5 weeks. And now, because Ozzie put him in, we're done for the night. So you're on the record that you would have used Dotel or Adam Russell to start the 7th inning? Obviously, you're not advocating using Jenks (I hope).

QUOTE (Jimbo's Drinker @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:15 PM) Consistent starting pitching and get the little things done. Not swing for the fences and dont have a hack hitting 2nd. The odds of beating the Red Sox and Dice-K with Carrasco, Logan and Russell were about 1 in 20. The Twins will have a very desperate Yankees team at home next week (usually the Yankees own the Twins, but not at the HHH)...then they have their longest road trip of the season...24 of their next 33 on the road after two home series (one against NYY) this week. Hey...without Crede, Linebrink and Contreras, nobody should expect the White Sox to hold off the Twins, especially with Liriano seemingly back and healthy.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:11 PM) Dear Ozzie...please quit If Russell (he of the 6+ ERA) grooves a 95-96 MPH fastball with no movement and Ortiz hits a Grand Slam, everyone's going to say, how could he put in a rookie RH reliever against David Ortiz. This was a message from Ozzie to Logan that you have to man up and get yourself out of the situation...there's about a 99% chance that is the last we will see of Logan with the White Sox this year.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 08:10 PM) Why are they playing to lose this game? I am stunned by the poor managing right now. Why is he still in there???? This is sad. Ummmm...because Adam Russell facing David Ortiz isn't exactly a high-percentage move. It's easy to manage a bullpen that actually gets the job done (see first half)...but we're looking more like 2007 now, except for Carrasco's fine outing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 07:43 PM) Damn. This throws everything totally off. Jose's contract is now unmovable this offseason (any chance they had insurance on his deal of any sort?). That makes it much more difficult to clear the salary space to go after anyone big...and to top it off, now we absolutely need to plan to have another starter next season...which means we're going to have to look to spend some money this offseason since we traded away our best candidate to take a rotation spot last offseason (Gio), unless we're really going to rush Poreda. That means it's much harder to upgrade the infield if we're on a constant budget. Not to mention how much this hurts this year's chances. Richard and Poreda both had solid games last night at least. They did for David Wells' contract in 2001. I know that for a fact. I'm pretty sure it is standard operating procedure with older MLB pitchers. I don't know the exact amount of "compensation/subsidy" we would get back if Jose doesn't play next year...I'm thinking it's around 50-60%.

For all those clamoring for DJ Carrasco as a stater, make sure to pay some heed to his numbers last year in AAA... I know, I know, he's pitching well now at the major league level...so maybe they will go with him...but with a very short leash, shorter than Richard had. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/D.J.-Carrasco.shtml

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 07:32 PM) Well, there goes the Sox' best pitcher and probably the season with him. We don't need a fifth starter, we already have one--Vazquez. The Sox need a one or two to replace Contreras. Maybe a three..... When healthy, yes....he was the best pitcher in MLB for four-five months in 05 and 06, and one of the best the first couple of months this season. His velocity was back up at 93-94. When he was on, and his fastball was in the mid 90's (pushing 96-97), he was working at a faster pace,and his forkball was on, he was a sight to watch. Unfortunately, we're down at least one starter right now...with not much help in sight and very little to use as trade bait.

QUOTE (knightni @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 07:13 PM) His career may be over in Chicago. This might take another season just to return 100% from. Do you think that Egbert, Poreda or Broadway are coming up now? I don't think we'll see Egbert. Due to his experience last season, PROBABLY Broadway...although he would definitely be on a very short leash. This is another area that the Masset trade kills us...he might have been our best back-up starter. I don't know what they'll do...it's a little late in the season to stretch out Mike MacDougal and make him a starter again, but they have to consider everything.

QUOTE (letsgoarow @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 07:08 PM) Ruptured Achilles Tendon....im guessing season ending Yep...hopefully he will be okay to start next season, but it's possible he won't be. Jose is a BIG guy, and that's a weight-bearing injury. According to Farmer, he will be out for one year...so that MIGHT be the end of his White Sox career. At best, he would be back at the All-Star break. So HUGE questions for KW and the future (both short and long-term) of this team. Do you take the risk and go for broke this year and trade Fields/Poreda, etc.? Can you possibly get a starter and reliever back at this time of the year? I guess the bright side is that the White Sox might have an insurance policy (like they did with David Wells in 2001) to get back some of the money if Contreras is unable to pitch again...so they could still have some money to play around with, but it won't help much getting a starting pitcher through the waiver wire.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 12:54 AM) Draft cutoff date this week. This kind of bluster is all fine and good, and most of the high-profile (first and second rounders) player we haven't signed have turned out to be blessings, but we're talking around $2.23 million here. We gave Joe Borchard well over twice that amount for nothing. KW needs to realize we're one of the clubs that's most vulnerable in terms of our farm system and the age of our roster, and that just because he's been able to piece together a contender this year, it doesn't mean this club is well-suited to be competitive 2-3 years down the road. It's really hard to imagine anyone but Quentin, Ramirez, Danks, Floyd and Jenks being around at that time...and even Jenks is iffy, because the White Sox typically don't like to pay $10 million plus per year to relievers and Bobby's going into arbitration I think. As much I would like to believe that Anderson and Fields will be starters and that Poreda will joining the rotation, I'm not convinced. When KW looks at his "mythical" big board, I wonder if there are any starters in our minor leagues right now? Maybe Shelby or Getz at 2B? Maybe Martinez or Silverio at SS, where we would seem to have less of a need now with Ramirez. So if we don't want to have one of the worst teams in baseball, we need to get this signing done. I'm still not convinced we would have been better off with Gio Gonzalez and Sweeney, and you could make an argument for Young over Vazquez simply because Young is affordable and athletic, and because we haven't been able to fill that position since Rowand was here...and even when Rowand was here, we kept trying to improve that position, refusing to see Rowand as an everyday player.

''Call his agent [scott Boras], I don't know. Joe Crede isn't going to help me right now. Good luck.'' Crede had an epidural Friday in Charlotte. The Sox will monitor the outcome before announcing a timetable for his return. Might Crede be nursing the injury because he'll be a free agent with millions at stake? (NICE ONE, COWLEY, JERK!!!) ''I'm not going to say yes or no because I can't read his mind,'' Guillen said. ''But I trust Joe because when he's hurt, Joe has played with pain the last three years. When he says he can't go, I know how bad the pain is. I don't think he's doing that. If he's doing that, I can't control that.'' from suntimes.com/sports

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Aio6...o&type=lgns

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 01:48 AM) I would say that, as sad as it is, track stars are generally sought after because managers love guys who have the potential to hit .300 and get on at a .360 clip, even if said potential is, quite honestly, non-existent. I'd have a hard time seeing Owens clear waivers and what's worse is that his value is next to nothing. If there were any player I would consider never putting on waivers it's Owens. I guess it's somewhat similar to the Renaldo Nehemiah's or Alexander Wright's of the NFL. Except it's a little easier to take a track athlete and make him a WR than to take an athlete (see Michael Jordan) and make him into a .300 hitter. Neither usually works very well. I also remember all the hype about Anderson Gomes, and I don't think he will ever make it out of A ball, let alone come close to the White Sox roster. Still, the White Sox should make signing or identifying more "speed" players a priority...because Minnesota does it well. If it's not a "little" deal like bringing in Jason Tyner, it's drafting athletic players like Jacque Jones, Torii Hunter, Denard Span, or trading for D. Young and Carlos Gomez. Thank god that homefield advantage won't be quite so dramatic beginning in 2010.

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 8, 2008 -> 10:51 PM) I was thinking this as well, there probably wouldn't be much interest. Just looking through the list of names of relievers...it's all MEH!!!! Could anyone get excited about acquiring Doug Brocail, Luis Ayala or Tyler Walker? Ron Mahay? What about Heath Bell, Taylor Buchholz (he would cost a lot), Jim Johnson, Scott Downs, Ramon Ramirez (KC), Will Ohman, Sean Green (SEA), Jesse Carlson or David Weathers (I know his name has been mentioned many times)??? These are all among the current MLB leaders in "holds," meaning they're pitching in the 7th and 8th innings of games in which their team is leading. I don't think we should worry about RH versus LH at this point. We just need to find a quality reliever from either side to back up Dotel and Thornton.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Aug 8, 2008 -> 10:18 PM) Josh Fields, Brian Anderson and Jerry Owens would all have to pass through waivers before being traded. None would make it through. Well, I think Jerry Owens would have a 50/50 chance of making it through, due to his results this season and his advanced age.