caulfield12

Here in KC with milder temperatures expected, high 30's/lower 40's at gametime. I will be back tonight with a firsthand report on the gyroball, lol. http://www.kansascity.com/159/story/59916.html

i'll just do what abraham lincoln used to do with his ineffective Civil War generals (before Sherman and Grant), i'll wipe it out and just feel a LITTLE better having written it to think i was feeling a little sorry for the guy with all of his physical problems, my sympathy has quickly dissolved again two games into the season

QUOTE(beautox @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 03:17 AM) nice post. honestly i look forward to seeing the approach KW takes to this years draft(its the deepest in 15 years) and rebuilding. If the sox are out of contention i would hope KW maxamizes our return for dye/iguchi/crede/MB and yes im well aware of the sox budget. Also ozzie can't be at the helm when we rebuild, im not talkng full on firesale but changes are coming. nothing gold can stay ponyboy anyways i wish the best for the sox this season, its still young and im not jaded yet Something very strange to me was our playing for a tie (a big no-no at home) in the 8th inning with Iguchi bunting, the same Iguchi who's, with all of his good qualities, a fairly poor bunter. Not only that, but pinch-hitting Cintron, who can't even throw from deep in the hole, for Uribe? Uribe has been one of the best hitters this spring and has always been pretty clutch. Yeah, Cintron had 2 GWRBI against the Tigers and a good game against the Royals, but I would hardly have him up there in that spot over Mackowiak. And the idea of Ozuna at SS scares me as much as Pablo in CF.

QUOTE(JERMAINEDYE4MVP @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 01:52 AM) I NEVER SAID GARLAND FOR BAILEY. I SAID PHILLIP HUGH. YANKEES FOR PROBABLY DEAL HIM TO US FOR GARLAND BECAUSE GARLAND AVERAGES 18 WINS A GAME AND IS A GREAT POSTEASON PITCHERS 2-0, 2.25 ERA IN 2 STARS. PRINCETON EDUCATION. YOU THINK YOU CAN TOP THAT? I DON' THINK SO. Well, you're certainly not acting like one. Just because you go to school in NJ, I wonder if some of the garbage and stench is wafting downstate and affecting your precious brain cells. I certainly wouldn't ask Brooke Shields for advice on trades, so I'll prefer to discuss basketball with Pete Carrill, Bill Carmody or John Thompson before talking any more nonsensical, inane trades with u. I thought they taught Princeton Tigers how to use a computer keyboard, by the way. Or is it Princeton, Illinois?

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 01:39 AM) I'm not bating anyone, I'm engaging in lively internet banter, something your small, inferior female brain is incapable of doing. FOR GARLAND??? You've got to be out of your mind. Like you said the guy knows how to win games, he has the MOST wins of ANY pitcher in BASEBALL over the past 2 SEASONS. Hughes or bust, the guy is unproven and makes too little money to play for the Yankees but he'd look great on the palehose! I know the Count owned the Reds last year, that's why I mentioned them as a possible trade partner, DUH!!11 I don't see why the Sox would have to include another player, what has Homer Bailey ever done at the major league level? About as much as you or I, that's how much. The Reds need to win NOW and a stud like Jose is just what the doctor ordered, in fact if I were Kenny Williams I start talks at Bailey and Bruce for Contreras. If Krivsky doesn't budge, tell him to f*** off! If Contreras was such an obvious stud, and the same pitcher from August 05 through May/June 06, why would we dream of trading him, when he's making the same as Lillly or Marquis? The fact is, nobody knows what we'll get out of Jose this year. He could become Esteban Loiaza, Version 2004, for all anyone knows. His purported age, the loss of 3-4 MPH on his fastball and that contract through 2009 will scare a number of teams away, especially a "small market" team like the Reds that already has Griffey and Dunn on the books. Maybe they'll do another weird trade like the Majewski one for Felipe Lopez and Kearns, but don't count on it, and certainly not with the #1 or #2 pitching prospect in baseball. The odds of such a trade certainly didn't go up yesterday, that much is certain.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 01:20 AM) I agree with everything you've said in your 2 well thought out, insightful, grammatically pristine posts except 1 thing. Why would Buehrle net you only a 2nd tier prospect but for Garland you can get who many believe to be the best pitching prospect in baseball? Is 1 year of guaranteed control really worth such a difference in talent? I mean I agree that a league average pitcher like Garland is definitely enough to wrestle a player like Phillip Hughes away from the Yankees but similarly couldn't the Sox deal Buehrle for say Andrew Miller. Is there a reason why Contreras isn't included in this fine discussion? I heard the Reds have been shopping Homer Bailey around wouldn't they have some interest in one of the more talented starters in baseball in Jose Contreras? I'll wait patiently for your answers as I'd like to keep this intelligent, lively discussion alive through the night. Some real good baseball talk should come of this. Please stop baiting him...he can't be older than 14-15. Although Garland is "league average" in K's, WHIP and ERA (probably a notch or two above), he's far from league average in wins. I would be happy with the injured pitching prospect they got from the Tigers, Sanchez (I think). Contreras actually destroyed the Reds with strikeouts last year, and he would be one of the best NL pitchers...they wouldn't give up Bailey for him, but they might if we included another player...enough to put them over the top and definite playoff contention for this year. QUOTE(ScottyDo @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 01:31 AM) Hahahahahahaha wow! This is the best thread ever! I'll give you $20 if ANY single one of those trades happen. And I'll furthermore guarantee you that Konerko is going nowhere. Thanks for the fun though, after the first two games I could definitely use some. Crede for someone on the Angels has always been a possibility....Santana, Shields, Saunders, Figgins, Willits, Wood, Aybar, etc.

QUOTE(Reddy @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 01:16 AM) so then... turn the caps lock off... you can do that ya know... wow. KONERKO TO RED SOX FOR JON LESTER THOME TO TWINS FOR MATT GARZA CREDE TO ANGELS FOR ERVIN SANTANA OR JOE SAUNDERS DYE TO METS FOR LASTINGS MILLEDGE BUEHRLE (IF HE PUTS TOGETHER A DECENT YEAR SAY 4.50 ERA) FOR A 2ND OR 3RD TIER PROSPECT GARLAND TO YANKEES FOR PHILLIP HUGHES We can get more for Konerko, Lester hasn't even proven he's 100% healthy yet. The Twins would never give up Garza for Thome, they already have Morneau from the left side. While they could definitely USE Thome, they're not going to trade their top pitching prospect for him, and they're also not going to pay $9-10 million for a DH, even if the White Sox sent all their Phillies money along with him. Crede for Santana wouldn't be horrible. We can get more than Milledge at this point for Dye. Milledge is parked on then bench with no place to play....while he's still a brighter prospect than Anderson, he's not viewed quite in the same light as Chris Young or Alex Gordon either. Buehrle will get you something VERY nice in return. With Zambrano probably out of the FA race, Jason Jennings and Buehrle are the two best properties available this offseason. Under 4 ERA, he gets you a similar return to what the M's got back for Garcia from the Sox. Garland for Hughes (or Homer Bailey)? What have you been smoking, and can I have some please?

QUOTE(JERMAINEDYE4MVP @ Apr 5, 2007 -> 12:38 AM) FACT! I REALLY DON'T THINK THIS TEAM IS GOING TO BE ANY GOOD THIS SEASON AND I BELIEVE THAT KW WILL TRY AND TRADE DYE, BUEHRLE, IGUCHI, THOME, CREDE, AND EVEN KONERKO BEFORE THE DEADLINE KIND OF LIKE THE MARLINS DID AND PICK UP YOUNG TALENT. DISCUSS. The great thing about playing in such a tough division is we will be exposed early (like Cleveland) if we don't cinch 'em up and hunker down and show some cajones. Facing Sabathia 3 times and Santana at least once will bring out the best (and worst) in this ballclub. KW was smart to anticipate the aging of the club (Contreras, Thome, Dye) and not to sign anyone long-term, IMO. If the ballclub is buried in 4th place (or 5th) in June or July, the strategy moving forward is obvious. There's really no other choice. If that means Buehrle, Crede, Dye and even deeper cuts occur to the heart of this ballclub, the White Sox will go on...they'll still wear the same jerseys, only the names will change. You can never get too attached to one player, and losing Thomas, Ordonez, Lee and Valentin should have taught the younger fans that the organization being a "winner" always comes before individual players. Restructuring the ballclub now will be a lot easier than doing it without a WS championship in the recent past. I think, in time, dumping McCarthy and Garcia will look like intelligent moves that maximized the return available for those two pitchers, pundits about the Garcia deal notwithstanding. The Astros were smart enough to steer away from former pitcher Garcia and maybe even Garland, liking the "upside" of Jennings much more than the "downside" of Garcia. JG has won 36 games over the last two years, and half the staff at Baseball Prospectus wouldn't be able to tell you he was tied for the MLB lead in victories over that time span...or that the White Sox also had the most wins as well. There's something missing with this team and last year's team, and you can exactly put a finger on it, but you can certainly feel or sense it in your bones. It won't take an 0-6 start, Buehrle getting hammered or the Twins sweeping us (out to a 6 game lead the first week?) for many diehard Sox followers to realize major changes are on the horizon with this club.

QUOTE(JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 05:55 PM) This guy went from savior to now being on the verge of having his job in jeporady in a matter of a year and a half. Following the 2005 season his name was one of the hottest out there as far as pitching coaches are concerned. I can even recall hearing rumors that the Yankees were trying to get him. Well, last year he deserved some slack because the team was coming off a championship but this year I think there will be very little slack and if this pitching staff continues to struggle into the month of May and June I wouldn't be surprised to see Coop let go. It is hard to fathom a pitching staff that was so solid in '05 look so mediocre last year and potentially BAD this year. What happened? And again not all the blame can be placed on the pitching coach because the players still have to perform but it's never a good sign when your players are performing worse and worse each time out and no longer progressing Sure the heat falls on Cooper and Walker before Guillen, how many hitting coaches did the White Sox go through over the last decade? Did it really change the "3 run homer" philosophy of the ballclub that was imprinted in that 2000 season? Did Lee or Valentin ever progress beyond what they were (or were not)? If Contreras doesn't feel 100% right and Garland's shoulder is iffy, there's not much Cooper can do. The main mark he can make with this team is the bullpen, Sisco/Aardsma/Masset. Same thing with Jenks. Cooper can't fix physical problems. Being healthy is the best formula to get solid performance, Darin Erstad being the perfect example.

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 05:25 PM) I didn't see the game (tried to follow via internet), but the thing that sticks out to me was Iguchi's failed bunt attempt. EXECUTION, EXECUTION, EXECUTION....I thought that's what we focused on in ST? It really doesn't matter if our pitching (both starting and bullpen) doesn't improve, though. This is a game the 2005 club locks down. The more "air" we give to Cleveland early on, the more likely they are to be in this thing all season long. They started out "okay" their first two weeks last year and hit a wall. We started off terribly (1-4 I think it was) and righted the ship, but going out to the West Coast next isn't exactly the recipe for a quick recovery from this mini tailspin that started in ST. I think someone has added the total LOB per batter (from a box score), which is not the ACTUAL number. Just a guess. Cleveland outhit us by a decent margin.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Apr 4, 2007 -> 05:20 PM) That's pretty awful, but once again, if we allow 10 runs per game then it's not going to matter what the offense does. I didn't see the game (tried to follow via internet), but the thing that sticks out to me was Iguchi's failed bunt attempt. EXECUTION, EXECUTION, EXECUTION....I thought that's what we focused on in ST? It really doesn't matter if our pitching (both starting and bullpen) doesn't improve, though. This is a game the 2005 club locks down. The more "air" we give to Cleveland early on, the more likely they are to be in this thing all season long. They started out "okay" their first two weeks last year and hit a wall. We started off terribly (1-4 I think it was) and righted the ship, but going out to the West Coast next isn't exactly the recipe for a quick recovery from this mini tailspin that started in ST.

6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K's 6.00 ERA, 0-1 Small consolation after the frustrating loss today.

QUOTE(ScottyDo @ Apr 3, 2007 -> 02:46 PM) That's only 21 players Sorry, that was in response to RME's quote Obviously Wood, Maddux and Pierre are the "big" subtractions. You add in Soriano, Marquis and Lilly, it pretty much cancels that out, but not a huge difference. The big news with the Cubs is their "down the road" allocations for contracts that are going to be dubious, at best. Another reason for the "net balance" might be taking away Prior from the payroll.

Somehow the White Sox are doomed, but the Cubs and Dodgers hardly fall? Ridiculous! http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10106039

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/philli...ll__please.html Typical Freddy. Good luck!

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Apr 1, 2007 -> 07:07 PM) I don't believe its a guarantee he'll immediate produce, either. However, if the 5th starter (Durbin/Ledezma/Minor) are struggling and Rogers' recovery extends past July, I would take my chances with a 96mph fastball/88-89 mph slider from the left side. He'll be 22 this season. I don't know about Miller. His fastball wasn't as explosive as advertised, and it seemed like he had some control and mechanical issues with his release point. Not saying he will be a bust, but I don't see him going out there like Verlander or Liriano and dominating the AL.

Twins fourth in the division, behind the Tigers, Sox and Indians. Boston, Toronto THEN Yankees. Likes Oakland over Angels, said Seattle might threaten with better pitching.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Apr 1, 2007 -> 03:45 AM) Konerko > Blake Iguchi > Barfield Uribe > Peralta Martinez > AJ (real close) Crede >>> Marte Pods > Dellucci Grady >>> Erstad Thome (healthy) > Hafner C.C > Contreras Garland > Westbrook Buehrle >>> Lee (not even close Vazquez > Byrd Danks/Sowers=To be determined. Garko also factors in at 1B, but Konerko is better obviously. I would take Barfield over Iguchi if I were building a team, but Iguchi for THIS Sox team. Uribe and Peralta is EVEN, at best, for the Sox Pods, no comment until I've seen him play the first 2-3 months Hafner is clearly better than Thome Garland and Westbrook is very even, edge to JG because of age Buehrle and Lee is pretty even, based on last year...over career, MB Sowers has a clear advantage on anyone we throw out there in the 5th spot

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 30, 2007 -> 03:56 PM) + Neshek + Rincon + Guerrier the rest is pure dogs*** or unproven young talent. Reyes came out of nowhere last year (like Jamie Walker), but they also had a plus arm in Crain and Glen Perkins helped late in the season as well. In fact, Guerrier and Willie Eyre were their last men out of the pen. Their 4-6 was much better than ours last year, and the emergence of Neshek really made a difference down the stretch.

QUOTE(spiderman @ Mar 30, 2007 -> 12:16 PM) That's rather ironic considering that Kenny Willliams was telling him in that recent interview that the national guys are getting the White Sox plan, and the locals aren't. I think it's different understanding intellectually/philosphically where an organization or GM is coming from AND still picking them 4th THIS season, and, as everyone has noted, there's such a slight differentiation between the top four teams in the division. Next year or the year after, the moves will make a lot more sense (or not), like the Sox trading Lee for Pods and letting Ordonez and Valentin go, allocating that money to pay 8 other players that helped lead us to a championship. If at least two of those pitchers (Floyd, Gio, Danks, Masset, Rasner) make a lasting impact, then KW will look pretty smart.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10096564 Ooops, I meant Scott Miller!

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 30, 2007 -> 11:00 AM) Of course, if we had the lefty with the 0 ERA in the pen instead of the lefty with the 6 ERA... If Logan is closing games this year, we're in serious trouble.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 08:06 PM) :uhoh BA 3 run HR Uribe had a two run RBI before BA's homer. Now we'll see if the bullpen can actually hold a lead, if Ozzie plays this one out for 'real' or just development. We need a win, big time.

Does anyone know the flagship station for the Barons? What radio station or call letters or dial numbers is it? Is the game on tonight?

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 01:07 PM) That's actually pretty interesting. Iguchi: 1066 | .280/.347/.430/.777 | 16.5 HR per season | 112K per season Eckstein: 2201 AB | .278/.347/.353/.700 | 4 HR per season | 50K per season Eckstein's American League numbers are shockingly similar to Iguchi's until you start getting into power numbers. Yes, Eckstein doesn't strike out much and that is a nice quality to have. In the field I'll take Iguchi without question, Eckstein couldn't make a throw from the hole or a quick toss to first on a double play to save his life. To call Eckstein 'terrible' was a poor choice of words, he's not, he's also a below average player in my opinion, not taking intangibles into consideration. In the end I'm taking Iguchi. And "intangibles" are the difference between a World Series and also-ran status of 90 wins. Many here seem to want to pin it all on Guillen (overusing bullpens and always relying on "matchups", Mackowiak/Anderson, pulling starters or not pulling them enough, using bench too much), but that's just one small slice of the entire story.