peteward

I am not stretching anything, bud. I do not respond to every comment by every anonymous poster, especially if they lack substance, do not appear to be from a genuine Sox fan or are otherwise rude or mean spirited. The fact is that Flowers has hit for a low average and that has not only been during September call-ups. Of course, teams that are out of the Division race call up minor league pitching so what information would a .200 average against that level of pitching tell you? You come off like I am the only Sox fan that is concerned that Flowers may not be able to cut down on his strike-outs, make contact and hit for a decent average given what we have seen from him over time. Or you like to pick straw man arguments with some anonymous "dude." Sorry, I'm not biting. Carry on. Flowers splits

Yes he has hit .205 in those 273 at-bats. The 410 at-bat figure was obviously an error in reading the column at baseball reference, but subtracting 137 at-bats still leaves him hitting the same...exactly the same .205. Everyone who is a Sox fan wishes Tyler the best. However, many of us look at his numbers and are not buying into the notion that after 4 years in the big leagues, Flowers will start hitting. I am also concerned about his foibles on the base paths, and his conditioning. He needs to keep himself in the kind of shape that AJ did so he can be durable and dependable throughout the season. While his fate with the Sox plays out one way or another, I'd like to see more of Phegley at catcher.

Except you are wrong. AJ was one of our best base runners, not the fastest, but one of the best.

He has had four years to show that he can hit, and he hasn't. What is the basis for thinking that this year will be any different? Perhaps a new Manto leg kick or some other secret weapon we don't know about? You don't have to look through the history of baseball to see trends. AJ hit .300 or above 4 times in his first 6 years. You don't see too many players that even remain in the major leagues after hitting .205 after four years.

Want to talk trends? In four seasons Flowers has had 410 major league at bats, roughly one full season worth of at-bats for a starting catcher. In 410 major league at-bats Flowers has hit .205 with 160 strike-outs. Regarding AJ, nobody suggested that the reason to keep him was because of his "freak" home run number last season. He is a .284 lifetime hitter - a consistent force in the line-up against RH pitchers. And any Sox fan who has watched a lot of games over his career knows that AJ has been one of our most clutch hitters. That is not a statistic but it is was an important asset that we have now lost. By contrast, Flowers is an easy out when facing a strong reliever in clutch situations. He will be buried in the lower part of the order and might lead the team in hitting into double plays. And he isn't a load on the bases? OK, well that is your opinion, but in a head to head race, my money is on Monte TeO. I hope that Hector G and Phegley have a great Spring because I do not believe that Flowers is going to cut it. If he is on pace for his major league .205 average and 160 strike outs , that will not be enough for him to hold down a spot on the 25 man roster.

He had a fine year but he also might be getting better with age. AJ hit 17 home runs in '05 so hitting 9 more last season is not exactly like a PED power explosion. His batting average last season was .278. He hit .300 or above three times in his career, hit fpor a better average in 2011, and is a lifetime .284 hitter. There are a lot of people and primarily Cub fans that dislike AJ, but that is all the more reason for Sox fans to admire his competitiveness and desire to defeat opponents. I would have let Peavy go, signed AJ and traded Flowers. Flowers is a lumbering ox, a big guy that is prone to weight gain and may not prove to be durable over the course of an entire season behind the plate. Just to compare body types, Fisk was also tall, but he was light and like a cat behind the plate. And Phegley seems to be left out in these conversations, but he may prove to be better than Flowers over the long haul. Flowers talks a big game so it is time for him to show us what he can do. I have heard some sportscasters suggest that his defense alone justifies starting him. A .225 batting average with 150+ K's coupled with slightly better than average defense is not going to cut it. And he is a load on the base path.

With all due respect , I am not sure I understand why he would not be traded. Morel is at best an average third baseman who has had back issues. The Sox have acquired two guys that are just as good if not better in Keppinger and Gillaspie. Beckham can play third if necessary. That makes Morel expendable in my opinion. I don't see a spot for him on the 25 man roster if Gillaspie and Keppinger make it.

If the Gila monster keeps hitting and can handle the hot corner defensively, this will prove to be Hahn's best move yet. My only issue with what Rick H. has done is the decision to let AJ go. This all came back to me yesterday when I saw AJ's interview after the Texas game. He seemed pretty sad about the whole situation and mentioned the Sox fans who he will always have a connection to. There is just a lot of mutual admiration. I don't understand why the Sox would not sign AJ to a one year deal. I know, it was a lot of money and he is near the end of his career. But consider the numbers he put up last season. And I am tired of hearing people knock AJ's defense while understating his offense. He handled the pitching staff well and improved a bit last season in terms of throwing out runners. AJ was one of the most clutch hitters we have had. In late innings he would seldom strike out when we needed him to put the ball in play. He was a Cub killer in the Crosstown Series. Now can Flowers battle up there when we simply need him to put the bat on the ball? Or is he simply an Adam Dunn from the Right side? My opinion is that AJ would really have helped us this season. Beyond the financial and other considerations that went into the decision, I hate when a team lets a player like AJ go, a guy who has created so much fan interest and allegiance over a long period of time. It makes it seem like the team lacks loyalty to its players, after expecting and receiving the same loyalty from them for so many years. And to some, it just makes them look cheap.

4.) The Tigers have much more talent than the Sox and it is unlikely that we can compete with them this season. I just watched Castellanos, their LF blast an opposite filed home run off the Phillies Papelbon like he was hitting a hitting practice pitcher. Casteallanos, Austin Jackson and Tori Hunter in the outfield, Prince and Miguel Cabrera at first and third, VMart at DH , etc, gives them a frmidable line-up. Then of course their rotation is stronger than the Sox. There will be more Detroit fans at our home games vs. Detroit this season than Sox fans.

"He has such a strong grip, and like an overgrip, I guess. I don't know what you would call it on his top hand. I've never seen anything like this." In all seriousness, if that is the case, maybe Beckham should experiment switch hitting. Has he ever tried it?

I agree with everything you said. The fact that Kepp and Gilli are not prototypical corner infielders with power does not necessarily mean, as I implied, that Hahn chose them for that reason. My impression about his preference for contact hitters was probably formed from Hahn's comments in the press following those acquisitions. In any case, if he is looking for contact hitters rather than sluggers, I , for one, would welcome that to balance all of the K's that Dunn and Flowers will be racking up. I wish I could have watched the game today. Spring Training games are fun to watch especially when there is competition for spots on the 25 man roster. You tend to pick out a few guys and root for them to succeed even though we know they all can't make it.

Thus far it looks like Hahn values players who make contact and hit for average rather than for power. Unfortunately, that does not fit the profile of what some people want out of a corner infielder. In addition to the Sox concerns about Morel, they might also be concerned with Keppinger. Perhaps has has not fully recovered from his injury. If that is the case, the Sox might not be done looking for a regular third baseman. Third base may be a roster hole that keeps just getting deeper. If only Viciedo had worked out defensively at third.

Loria has been known to do thinks that do not make sense so hope springs eternal. Seriously, I think Viciedo, because of his age and his upside, and because he would be welcome in the Cuban community around Miami, might be attractive to the Marlins as part of the compensation package for Stanton . He hit .263 over parts of three seasons , hit 25 home runs last season and is only 24 years old. He is making 2.5 Million. much less than Stanton's 8 Mil.and it is doubtful he will ever command mega money like Stanton probably will. On the other hand, maybe Stanton is being overrated and peaked last season. Perhaps AL pitching would tame his numbers down to where Viciedo and other power hitters in the AL will be in 2013. Maybe he will turn into an Alex Rios, on one year and off the next. As far what brings Sox fans to the gate, of course winning is number one but next on the list has to be home runs. All fans and especially Sox fans love to come out to the park and see some home run blasts. It has been that way forever,,, certainly since that magical 1977 season at the old yard.

It makes all the sense in the world to try to trade for Stanton. Sale does not bring fans into the park, at least not like a slugger like Stanton would. I think Viciedo may have a bigger upside than some think. I would not be surprised if he hits 30 Home runs this season. He would fit nicely down in Miami. Yes, I certainly would like to see some trade talk between the Sox and Miami..

I don't think the Marlins are necessarily looking for high priced talent in exchange. Given the recent fire sale by the Marlins, I believe that they would be looking for young prospects along with 2 or 3 major league players who are young, have reasonable contracts, and have a good deal of upside. I would consider offering a package of players that fit that requirement including two or possibly even three of the following major league players/pitchers plus a prospect, - Addison Reed, Viciedo, Morel, Quintana, Jordan Danks, Gordon Beckham, Tyler Flowers. With the Marlins talent depleted at several positions, I think a trade for several players would suit them better than having one home run king and then a severe talent drop-off with the rest of the players on the team. The Sox on the other hand could benefit greatly from having a superstar and would have much less of a problem filling in around him even after a big trade.

Assuming that the Marlins would deal with the White Sox for Stanton, which players would you be willing to trade for him and how much other compensation (cash) might you include? Also, what would a long term mega-dollar Contract for Stanton look like? Is he entitled to the type of deal Pujols got from the Angels or is it too early in his career for a club to take that risk? Is this the kind of deal that would justify Jerry Reinsdorf taking the lead and feeling this possibility out with Marlins Ownership, at least unofficially? In trying to think how the Sox could address the talent deficit with the Tigers and the attendance issues, this seems to present a possible opportunity to do both.

I wonder why the Contract extension by the Sox to Ventura was made public in the first place and as I commented on earlier, why Ventura responded to it as he did. Whatever the reasons, we now know that Ventura declined and decided to keep his options open. That places Ventura's performance as Manager this season firmly in the spotlight now that the honeymoon is over. I hope we win the Division and he is in a stronger position to negotiate a new Contract, should he then decide to stay in Chicago.

First, I want to apologize if I offend anyone on this thread with my opinion about Ventura, a great individual and a beloved member of the White Sox as well as our current Manager. However, the news of Ventura declining an offer to extend by the White Sox and then some of his comments caused me to return to some of the concerns I had when Kenny signed him. At that time it seemed like Ventura was a reluctant warrior, a wealthy guy who was content living in California, laying in the sunshine and drifting with the tide. I considered the possibility that maybe Kenny just tried too hard to get Robin to agree to Manage. I was also concerned about hiring someone for a job that he never aspired to. In my last post I stated: <i>Ventura, by his own words is not going to be here for too long no matter what. I am concerned that if we have a losing season in 2013 that Ventura may be a lame duck the following season with no intention of staying here. </i> Again, I apologize for seeming negative about our chances this season but it is possible that we end up lower than some of us expect in the standings. At that point there might be a larger chorus of Sox fans questioning management and Robin himself. So what would Robin do at that point with the remaining year on bis Contract? Would he ask the Sox for the extension he just refused or would he play out the last season of his Contract as a lame duck? I'm asking. And I believe that this scenario must have been considered by Sox management when they offered Robin the extension. In short, they wanted to avoid the possibility that things would get to that point after just two years.

"Because every rookie manager is perfect, a strategist, making great decisions 100% of the time. Please. Considering he was a rookie manager, I'd say he did just fine. There are some areas he needs to work on, but he seemed to improve throughout the year." No one said he was expected to be perfect. How did he improve through the year? You mean you sensed improvement by Ventura during the latter part of the season when the Sox folded? "September 15th. Sox were up 5-2 going to the bottom of the 9th at Target Field. Ventura went with Reed because he is the closer. Reed allowed the first 3 runners on base. Ventura yanked him (something Ozzie did NOT do with Jenks in 2010) and brought in Thornton. Thornton induced a double play and then threw another out to record the save." So you give credit to Ventura for waiting until the bases are loaded to yank a Reed? LOL! You cite one game out of 160 and it proves NOTHING. His deceision with who to bring on were according to a script and seldom deviated, just like his line-ups. Ventura has a problem with showing emotion when it would be beneficial to players in a late inning rally or in holding a team from scoring in late innings by encouraging a pitcher. How about Ozzie yanking Jenks in Game 2 of the World Series? After we won on Pods homer, Ozzie went up to Bobby and with a slap of encouragement on his back told him to be ready for the next game. "How about every f***ing game when he made a good lineup as opposed to hitting a .725 singles hitting catcher cleanup?" How about the way he did nothing to change the line-up as the Sox slid in the standings? "He's a boring guy, so he must not care about winning or doing his job well. Or maybe he just hates dealing with the media. I do love that you say "not that it matters" and then use it to try and condemn him. It doesn't matter...why bring it up? " His post game performance does not matter to what happened in the game but it does matter to the fans, to the media and to the PR of the team. I never said he did not care about winning. You have a very odd way of debating...misquoting and paraphrasing, creating straw arguments and arguing with yourself. "EVEN THOUGH HE QUALIFIED THAT. Jesus, you are arguing against yourself." No, Jesus. I took issue with what he said about just getting through the three year Contract in the context of his later qualifications and in the context of his refusal to agree to an extension offered to him by the White Sox. "Oh, and yes, this game that he played for 16 years at the highest level, he has no passion for. You are ridiculous with your assertions and assumptions. You are making conjectures based on your personal feelings and you have no proof. Instead of trying to present your opinion as fact, you could have saved both of us a lot of time and simply said "I do not like Ventura as manager." I have no problem at all in stating categorically that Ventura played for 16 years and that now, I do not think that Ventura is a good Manager. I actually went further now that he has declined to extension Offer and put forth a suggestion for a Manegr to succeed him. <i>Give me a f***ing break. Links? Proof? Actual quotes from the game where Mark Parent is ordering Ventura around like his little b****? If you weren't so close that you could smell their armpits, then you have no idea what you are talking about.</i> I watched probably 150 games out of the 160 at home or at the Park. It was painfully apparent that Ventura was gaining advice from Parent during games over and again just prior to important decisions being made. Yes, a bench coach is supposed to offer his opinio when asked, but Parent was almost up Ventura's azz,,,,,so much so that it aeemd that Ventura lacked confidence to make decisions on his own. "And we've come full circle. The Sox should fire Robin Ventura, bring Ozzie back, and have Pierzynski be his bench coach." Again, you are making things up and arguing with yourself. What I stated was based on Ventura's performance last season, the fact that Ventura declined the Sox offer to extend him, and the sense I got from reading his comments about not doing this job forever, just getting through his Contract, etc.. Given all that I would at least begin to think about a possible replacement. Very high on that list would be AJ. Ventura, by his own words is not going to be here for too long no matter what. I am concerned that if we have a losing season in 2013 that Ventura may be a lame duck the following season with no intention of staying here.

Oh I would love 40 HR with a 250/260 average and less K's but that is never going to happen with Dunn. Frankly I hope the Sox find a way to get rid of him. That would open the door to having Konerko DH or possibly bringing up some minor talent next season, or even making a trade. As far as Danks, I do not recall what problem/injury was found in his shoulder that needed surgical repair. Does anyone have that information? It seemed like his arm was examined any number of times before a decision was made to perform surgery. Depending on what that surgery was, I wonder what kind of recovery other pitchers have had from it. Peavy was an unusual case where there wasn't much information on how one would respond that injury and the surgical repair. I am worried about Danks while just hoping that he is back to where he was two or three years ago. We will probably get a good idea if he will be back to form in Spring Training.

Exactly. Ventura never aspired to be a Manager and he doesn't look like he really wants to be out there. Nobody is suggesting that we neede someone to rant like Ozzie, but I expected more of a baseball strategist, a guy that was always thinking, and making good decisions before and during games.. So let's be specific about Ventura's managerial skills in 2012. (And please, forget about your perceptions about how hard he worked) What were the decisions that he made or did not make that cause you to believe he is a top Manager in the Major League? Did he have a good sense of when to hit and run, when to pull a starting pitcher, when to call a pitch-out, when to steal , who to bat second in the order, when to pinch hit, etc? Any specific examples of that in games that made a difference? Not that it is that relevant to anything but marketing the Sox, but his post game interviews were truncated and uncomfortable and gave me the impression that he had as much interest as Cutler had in the game when he went on the exercise bike during the playoffs. He did say that he just wanted "to get through the three years." Even though he qualified that I think his words speak about his attitude when he signed the Contract. This is just a job for him, not a passion. At times it appeared as though he was following directions from Mark Parent rather than leading. As far as AJ, he does have the baseball IQ that Ventura lacks and a whole hell of a lot more personality. And that is not rant and rave, like Ozzie but it would be a lot more interesting to fans and the media than the smug straight guy routine from Ventura.

"now with a full season of managing under his belt, he now sees himself possibly staying in the job longer than he originally thought--even if he’s not ready to sign on the dotted line. “I think it changes how I thought about it last year. I was just trying to get through three years of it, just to make sure I can concentrate on that and get it done the right way,” he said. “Some people think they’re going to do it for a long time and it doesn’t work out that way, so I’m just enjoying each season as it comes, to be prepared for it and enjoy it.” His approach to managing is a lot like playing: You don’t get to do it forever. “You could probably do it for most of your life,” Ventura said. “But I don’t see it happening forever.” Ventura declines extension I n my opinion, Ventura was not an exemplary Manager. Sometimes it looked like was not always happy to be here and was just going through the motions. His comment about just getting through the 3 year Contract has to be disturbing to Jerry and to management, and certainly is not something fans wanted to hear, even though he tried to explain why he declined the extension and left the door open. I would offer Ventura a buy-out for his third year and look for another Manager for 2014. I think AJ would make a great White Sox Manager. He has a high baseball I.Q. , he is a proven winner, part of our 2005 W.S., and is a guy who would bring excitement to the park with him every day. Can anyone say that about Ventura? I just don't see why the Sox offered him an extension in the first place. They should wait and see what he does this season before making any further commitment to him.

Veeck had some good ideas like the ivy for Wrigley field which he dreamed up when he was 13 years old and his father was the GM of the Cubs. But he also was a circus promoter with gimmicks from the short pants he made the Sox wear, the disco collar uniforms, a midget player (two if you count Chappas), the drench shower and the scoreboard that looked like a cheap arcade pinball machine. Savarise lacked respect for the original design when he compiled his list of features for the current ballpark. He picked white for the modern tubular trusswork and light blue seating based on inspiration from Chavez Ravine, but ignored the essence of the original Comiskey Park architecture> He selected silly Veeck gimmickery like the drench shower and twirlybirds while eliminating the views our the split arched from the inside of the park and the views of downtown. The large left field bleachers backing up to the Expressway made no sense at all without an upper deck to actually block the view. I don't want to bash Veeck and I certainly loved the old park, I am just sayin' that I would like to see more traditional baseball architecture and design for any future changes, and that would include elimination of the drench shower and the twirlybird scoreboard. Maybe a view of the loop could even be opened up on the third base side if those RF bleachers were ever built. And that outfield wall is just lame, in my opinion. As far as the old park, here is a trailer on YT of that 1990 film "Only the Lonely" where John Candy takes his girlfriend out on the field at the old Comiskey just before it was taken down.

Yes indeed, the truth hurts and just to make things worse, Ricketts is now going to spend 300 Million on Wrigley. He is doing that because he realizes that Wrigley in itself draws fans even when the Cubs suk, which is more often than not. Reinsdorf also knows that Sox fans come out even less when the team isn't winning. Here are some suggestions I have for possible improvements to the stadium and surrounding area. Tail gating is something Chicago fans love and something that the Wrigley will never offer. I would like to see the concrete wall to the East of the South parking lot covered with ivy. Perhaps the driveway could be moved in so that area is expanded for picnic tables and perhaps some outdoor concessions. As far as the housing to the East of the South parking, perhaps that could be acquired in some joint deal with a developer to place some mixed use residential/commercial project. Inside the Park I would like some changes but realize the money for most of them is just not there. The scoreboard is fine except I would remove the spinning twirly birds. They harken back to the Veeck era and the circus atmosphere he always wanted to create. Next I would minimize the modern look of the exposed tubular pipe trusses in the outfield. Perhaps some steel sheets could be welded to make them look solid, or they could be bricked up to a point.Compare the steel work supporting the lights at Wrigley. The outfield wall is another feature that looks like foam pads covering a chain link fence. It would be nice if that were made permanent with masonry split arched openings echoing the shape of those from the original park and foam padding only extended up 7 feet. If there was ever a larger pool of money I would like to see the Right field grandstand pictured in one of the links here. I always liked sitting in the upper tank at the old park and there are no views in the new park that are comparable.

I always wondered how Terry Savarise was given the job of suggesting (and for all practical purposes, determining) what the new Comiskey Park would look like. Was he a relative of Einhorn or Reinsdorf? He certainly lacked the ability to develop a concept for a new baseball stadium that would result in a structure that would have lasting architectural beauty, like our famous buildings in Chicago. Savarise was dispatched to every major league stadium (nice summer for that kid) in order to glean what HE liked about each park. He must have been high when he went our to Los Angelos becuse he took back the robn's egg blue color for the stadium - something that was entirely inapproriate and cost an enormous amount to undo. In that process, Savarise showed a complete disregard for the the original architecture of the park, the neighborhood, or the fans. What did he take from the old park? The silly scoreboard twirly birds and the ridiculous drenching shower. The prominent and beautiful split arches which graced original Comiskey and we looked through to see our downtown skyline were simply worked into the exterior in that pinky brownish colored dryvit on the 35th street fascade. As others have said, the park was oriented to look at the ugly brown building, not the skyline. Nose bleed seats in the upper deck were and still are horrible. The overstated deep bleachers in the outfield might have worked if the stadium faced the loop, but now they are just a serious inconvenience for fans to walk back dozens of rows to get to the concessions or the washrooms. There was no attempt to work the design into the surrounding neighborhood which would not have been that difficult (as one can see with the Armor Park plan that was submitted). There was no plan for accommodating a hotel or dealing with the adjoining housing projects. I am now hyperventilating so I'll stop criticizing what was done by Savarise and the owners back then. It just galls me that our park was the last one before a series of beautiful retro parks were constructed for other teams. The Sox should have purchased all of the housing between the Ryan and the Park and maybe cut back on the original budget for bricks and mortar. Now how can that pooch be unscrewed? I'd still like to see some major renovations that will make us forget that first day at the new Comiskey where some of us dropped our jaws at how brutal the thing looked.