caulfield12

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 12:04 AM) We've been so non-blessed with pathetic throws to home over the last few years that people forget that it's possibly to get guys out. 7th inning blown lead (LOSS) 8th inning blown lead (WIN) 9th inning blown lead (LOSS) We've already blown more games than the Minnesota Twins did all last season when leading going into the 7th inning IN THE FIRST FREAKING WEEK OF THE SEASON. That's an accomplishment we can all be proud of.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 12:01 AM) It would have been a close play. Either way someone with a real arm should have been in LF. Maybe we should just go ahead and release Pods and play Brian Anderson everyday in LF and have him leadoff while we're at it?

QUOTE(Capn12 @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:58 PM) As mad as I am, I'm still here laughing hysterically at the melon shot off of Prancer, that is A1 quality gold there! Only in Oakland. The ball hit the wall, then came down and bounced off his head. Do you need glasses?

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:57 PM) There's no guarantee we would have won the game, but Jesus, if the ball can hit you in the head obviously it shouldn't be too difficult to place your arm above it and complete an out to end the inning. Gee, why is our closer giving up 3 hits prior to that, hanging curveballs to Todd Walker (flashback to Jose Vizcaino slapping a ball in LF from the World Series)? Walker's normally a better fastball hitter, but why do you speed up the bat of a guy coming off the bench and throw him a curveball? It's like Contreras refusing to challenge hitters all over again. Jenks and AJ, I guess, realize the emperor has no clothes in terms of Jenks' fastball. I have a feeling we will go through 3-4 closers this season. Why is he throwing 89-93 MPH? He should be on the disabled list tomorrow, because something's seriously wrong.

QUOTE(dasox24 @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:50 PM) I don't see how you could blame Pods for this one. We should've never been in this situation. If anything, BA should've been in the game. Plus, all Jenks has to do is get one more out, and it's over. Or the Home Plate Ump could have not f***ed us over for our 2nd run of the game. A 2-run lead in a game like that would have given us (or Bobby) a much different mind-set. Jenks is nothing but Billy Koch with a better offspeed pitch. His ERA was close to 5 in the second half, and his fastball has lost 2-3 MPH from midseason last year. Maybe we just caught lightning in a bottle, because our bullpen still sucks. The fact is, in our first seven games, we've blown leads in the 7th and 8th and 9th (Thornton twice, now Jenks). The Minnesota Twins simply don't lose those games. We've already blown the same number of games in one week that they blew all last season from the 8th inning on. We might as well just release Anderson if we're not going to play him. Move Erstad to LF or play Anderson in LF, but improve your freakin' outfield defense in the 8th or at least the 9th innings.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 09:03 PM) Cassel pitched very well, that's a great sign. He should have a good season in high-A considering he was a college pitcher at a good program in a decent conference (UC Irvine). I'll wait until he hits AA before I get really excited about him though. The good pitching at the minor league level seems to be coinciding with the major league team picking it up. Our team ERA is now down to 4.11, getting close to that sub-4.00 mark we need to compete this season. I get a little excited to see how Carter, Cunningham and Allen are doing...but, as with Cassel, I'll wait to see how they do in Birmingham first.

QUOTE(Wedge @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 09:30 PM) don't like the early pitch-count... That offspeed pitch rivalled some of McCarthy's last year, before he would get into a rhythm and get a feel for that pitch. It was just hanging there.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 09:22 PM) Oakland fans Where did Garland's fastball go?

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 07:32 PM) the equivalent of the White Sox trading Heath Phillips for a solid reliever. Or, on a higher scale, the White Sox trading Tyler Lumsden and Daniel Cortes for the power arm of Mike MacDougal. Or David Riske for Javier Lopez...that was a good deal for the Sox, even though Riske's not the same pitcher he was 2-3 seasons ago.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 06:29 PM) thats strange... did they need room on the 40? I'd gladly pick him back up... can never have too much pitching, especially young lefties. Yeah, this move makes no sense by the Rangers right now. And they traded Fabio for Haigwood... Haigwood was always a little bit like Liotta to me...he has to have EVERYTHING going right for him to be successful in the big leagues.

power ratings/rankings lists from the early season... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...rankings/2.html 22nd in SI? One ahead of the D-Rays? You've got to be kidding, seriously.

QUOTE(DrunkBomber @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 03:14 PM) 4th in the division and behind the Cubs. Gotta love it. The Cubs, Phillies and Cardinals ahead of us? What the heck just happened?--Tiger Woods. I love how the Twins split with us and they go up by two spots, AFTER they're slaughtered by the Yankees last night. Good stuff. At least the idiot was smart enough to acknowledge that we were better than where he slotted us...whatever that means. I guess it means we might move back into the Top 10 if we're leading the AL at the beginning of May.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:30 AM) more importantly, what kind of pitcher will Garland be tonight... If I remember correctly, Garland got one of our rare Oakland wins, last year I think, or perhaps 05. And Vazquez's stats against Minny were horrible, and look what he did Saturday. You never know in baseball.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 12:01 PM) Don't forget Sisco, Jenks, Masset, Aardsma....he remade this entire bullpen of young power arms out of nothing basically... I was referring more to the 05 team, but you obviously can't leave Jenks out. Takatsu, if you want to start with him, was another "scouting" discovery through video like Iguchi that nobody else was really fighting with us to sign.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:53 AM) Well, Kenny has got the technique exactly right in this instance: You don't try to pay the price for a proven relief arm. You either go after someone with a good arm who is still unproven, or someone who cannot put it together for whatever reason. Gillick should take a page out of his book- it's sitting there wide open for the rest of the league to see... See Hermanson, Politte, Cotts, Riske, Thornton, Marte...we almost NEVER go out and pay "full value" for a reliever like the Cubs did with Howry and Eyre. The article today in one of the Chicago papers is already questioning Baker's overuse of both those guys, which they speculate is leading to trouble in the first week of the 07 season.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:46 AM) Gio was a first rounder, Buerhle was like a 22nd rounder. They are not just going to rush Gio to the majors and put him in the bullpen where he may or may not get work. They are going to take their time with him and hopefully it works out for the best. McCarthy wasn't a high draft pick (he was the top prospect), but the assumption by most was that he would learn a lot more in our bullpen going against major league batters than he would at Charlotte. Same thing with Garland, when he struggled at various times in the majors and some wanted to send him back to AAA. OTOH, Gio's coming off a pretty shaky 2006 season, so he has a lot more to prove.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:49 AM) Obviously his arm has not gotten stronger. However, his jumps and routes have, which have led to his improvement. I don't believe I stated that Pods has turned into an all-star defender; I stated he has improved. IMO, even with his strong arm, Dye should be replaced defensively late in games before Podsednik should, barring your "runner on third with less than two out in a tie game" scenario. The way he came out of the box on that double and his homer are very encouraging. He also is playing LF more confidently. He's never going to be an All-Star, but a return to 2005 form would be more than many realistically expected out of him.

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:46 AM) Well... I'm not! Which of our relievers could garner interest, or would it only be Mac or Bobby? I think there might even be more interest in Thornton than Jenks. Jenks has whispers surrounding him about his fastball and the lost velocity and injury issues. I've been encouraged he's relying more on his offspeed stuff instead of relying upon a relatively straight 93-95 MPH fastball (see Billy Koch in 2002-03). 1) Thornton 2) Jenks 3) MacDougal 4) Masset or Sisco 6) Aardsma

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:44 AM) I'm pretty sure the Phillies are looking for a proven bullpen arm, not a young pitcher who s*** the bed in his only experience at the big league level, they have enough of those guys. Unless you're willing to move MacDougal you're not getting anything from Philly. Heck, if you're the Phillies, do you trade two prospects for David Aarsdsma? I wouldn't, not until he proves himself a little more and gets his FB back into the mid 90's. Same thing with Sisco....he's less than 6 months removed from having the worst ERA in the major leagues.

QUOTE(103 mph screwball @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:40 AM) If this true, I'm sorry for the pain that this will bring Jose and his family. I hope it is not true. Other than death of a loved one, divorce is one of the most stressful events that can happen in a person's life. If it is true, line up the ladies for Jose. Girls gone wild Cuban edition. I don't think we want him hanging out with Joe Francis, Snoop Dogg or Paris Hilton. If anything, the stability that his family, Ozzie Guillen, Hernandez, etc. provided was one of the key factors in him turning things around. I don't think we want him out there joining the Anderson/McCarthy post-game pub crawl circuit. And it doesn't really fit Jose's personality.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:34 AM) How do you even know he's the future? Do you know if he's any good? He had a disappointing season at the plate last year and he's not getting any playing time right now, how do you know what you have in him? How does keeping him on the bench help his development or help with any future personnel decisions in the outfield? Is Luis Terrero not capable of sitting on is ass 6 games a week? Maybe they do like Terrero equally (to BA)...it's not like there is a HUGE age difference between the two. I don't think he'll ever be able to hit more than .240 in the big leagues, but .240 with 15 homers and 60 RBI's would be fine, as long as he played defense the way we all know he's capable of playing. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/T/Luis-Terrero.shtml Terrero just turned 27, and both Luis and BA have the same concerns surrounding them. They're not hitting enough home runs, and neither are true stolen base threats either. If you don't have great speed or power (like Erstad at this point in his career), you have to make up for it by playing fundamentally sound baseball and hustling. Brian Anderson simply doesn't profile as a "small ball" type of player. And I'm not sure that he ever will. It will be interesting to see our starting OF next year, to say the least.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:17 AM) I have difficulty thinking of many worse ideas than the concept of bringing up a future, hopefully top-of-the-line starting pitcher for this team and sticking them as the 12th man in the bullpen. Yes, the Bullpen was used a lot in the first week. What are the odds of that happening again? I'd say pretty low. Even with the starters being shelled last year, our bullpen still threw the fewest innings in baseball. It's possible there might be a few more innings available this year what with people aging in the rotation and the occasional bout of bad luck. But if that's the case...why should we use a starter for that role? Gio, Haeger, etc., they all are going to be a lot better served working as starters and throwing 6-7 inning games all year. If we want another reliever, bring up Logan or Bukvich. One more reliever would give us 12 pitchers, which would be a loaded bullpen in terms of how many people are in it. Even for periods of fairly heavy use, that'd be plenty to get by. It worked for Buehrle. It didn't work for McCarthy. It all depends upon a pitcher's make-up. Assuming the White Sox still see Gio as a starter, it probably does make sense for him to keep starting in Birm/Charlotte. OTOH, you never know what Ozzie and KW are thinking. Maybe they prefer to move Gio to LH set-up and make Sisco a starter? That doesn't make a lot of sense, Gio was the centerpiece of that Garcia trade... There have been lots of concerns about Gio's frame since he was drafted, and whether he will have the durability/stamina as a starter. Another issue is the pitching coach at AA or AAA. Some would probably argue that "Miracle Worker" Cooper being around a pitcher everyday would offset the perceived value of them starting every five days in the minors. And some pitcher need to build their arm strength through 22-26 starts, others, like Haeger, would seem capable of adjusting to any situation.

QUOTE(EvilJester99 @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:10 AM) If he was going to be used as trade bait you would see him playing to raise his value... Ozzie just doesn't want him on this team so he sits him... KW has to hold onto BA for next year, because there's a 50/50 chance Sweeney and Anderson will be the outfielders instead of Dye and Erstad. Trading him now, while buried on the bench, doesn't do anything for the White Sox. He would be much more tradeable if he was playing everyday and making the AAA All-Star game, proving that he can improve his plate discipline, power hitting and steal some bases as well.

QUOTE(Soxfest @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:09 AM) Gaudin is meat tonight go Sox! Gaudin, 22, emerged with the Devil Rays in 2003 after signing as an unheralded 34th-round pick in 2001 out of high school in suburban New Orleans. He went 5-3, 2.13 in the Cal League, then 2-0, 0.47 in the Double-A Southern League to earn a surprise promotion to Tampa Bay, where he went 2-0, 3.60 in 40 innings. He has never quite recaptured the magic of that season but has been a workhorse, splitting 2004 between the big leagues and Triple-A before getting traded for catcher Kevin Cash last December. He set a career-high with 150 innings and two shutouts at Triple-A Syracuse in 2005 and finishing fourth in the International League in ERA. He finished the minor league season at 9-8, 3.35 and went 1-3, 13.15--allowing six homers in 13 innings--after a September callup to Toronto. Gaudin is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, but changes speeds well and is aggressive, with bulldog makeup. His fastball ranges from 86-92 mph, and his slider rates as average. If he continues to make strides with his changeup he could stay in a starting role, but more realistically he projects as a middle reliever. from baseballamerica.com

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 11:02 AM) I have the choice... why post when you think we will lose. kennedy will beat us, we cant beat soft tossing lefties,tomorrow that is. I wouldn't call Kennedy a soft tosser, he doesn't throw in the mid 90's like he used to do, but he's from a powderpuff pitcher up there. from mlb.com Forced into the starting rotation in the wake of an injury to No. 2 starter Esteban Loaiza, Gaudin was given only two outings late in Spring Training to convert from the relief role he held with the A's in 2006. But he was primarily a starter in the Minors, and on Thursday, in the 11th start of his big-league career -- his last came in June 2005 while a member of the Toronto Blue Jays -- Gaudin gave up two runs on five hits without a walk while striking out three over five innings against the host Angels in Anaheim, leaving the game with a one-run lead. Gaudin threw 74 pitches and likely won't be allowed to throw more than 90 against the White Sox. He's made four previous appearances against them, allowing one run over 4 2/3 innings.