dasox24

Top of 1st: Harris- Fly out to LF Valentine - K's (swinging) Maggs- Pop up to C 0-0 going to bottom of 1st

Great article! I think Bounds could be pretty good, although he is a little old (22) to just be in Kanny. Although, all he has done is hit since he joined the organization, like the article said. Since you mentioned that you think that Young will have a breakout year this year, I would like to say that two pitchers that I think could have breakout years are Daniel Haigwood and Ryan Rodriguez. Last year, neither of them pitched b/c they were injured. Although, only Rodriguez's injury was arm related. Haigwood tore his ACL. Lastly, Sweeney has a really strong arm, and we wouldn't want that to go to waste with him at 1B. OF is a good position for him.

Regarding last year's draft, there are 3 guys I really wish the Sox could have signed. They are Greg Moviel (his brother was also drafted by us last year and signed), Donald Veal, and Wes Hodges. Does anyone know where these guys ended up going to college, and how are they doing so far this year? thanx

Damn, Kanny is loaded this year. There pitching staff looks awesome with McCarthy, Dizard, Haigwood, R. Rodriguez, Deininger, Tisch, etc. There OF is really good too w/ King and Young in it. Bounds and Schnur are two of my favorite guys in the minor leagues, and Gray is pretty damn good too. Lastly, I hope Chris Kelly has a good year. He really struggled last year, although, like the article said, he did put up pretty good #'s in college.

Everyone is talking about expecting big things Sweeney and Anderson at W-S, but I'm expecting big things from Nanita too. This guy flat out hit last year. His 30 game hit streak can attest to how good of a year he had. He was a major steal in the 14th round of last year's draft.

That Sportsline draft is pretty good, and I like the Bears picking Starks at #14. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bears maybe take Will Smith, Ben Watson, or Ben Troupe, if all the guys from picks #1-13 in sportline's draft are gone.

In a way, I hope that we don't see Sweeney up here late in the year b/c that either means one of three things: 1) We're out of the playoff race 2) One of our OFers was traded 3) Reed and Borchard are having crappy years and they don't think they're ready for the big leagues Still, no matter what the circumstances, I wouldn't want to see Sweeney up here late in the year. Let him get his AB's in the minors, and maybe he'll have a chance to make the team next year. I would rather see Reed or Borchard up here first anyway to see what they can do.

I also think that this is a solid trade. What would really make me happy though is if Ruben Brown signs with us. Our offensive line would have 4 pro bowl caliber guys on it with Tucker, Kreutz, and Brown as recent pro bowlers, and Tait as a guy who is very close to making the pro bowl.

http://bears.theinsiders.com/2/246038.html Bears looking to hit Gold mine "While the Bears lost out on Ephraim Salaam when the tackle signed with Jacksonville Thursday, the team turned their attention to another former Bronco. Linebacker Ian Gold visited Halas Hall Thursday and took a psychical. He’s also expected to watch a portion of practice today. Gold is coming off a severe knee injury, but could be a major addition to the defense. A Pro Bowler on special teams in 2001, Gold also started for two seasons at weakside linebacker before suffering an ACL injury that cut his 2003 campaign short. The possible addition would mean Lance Briggs would stay at the strongside, because at 6-feet, 223 pounds Gold is well suited to play the weakside in Lovie Smith’s scheme."

Here's the latest from the Ogunleye going to the Bears rumor: BEARS LIKE OGUNLEYE Agent Drew Rosenhaus said he met earlier this week with Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo to discuss the possibility of doing a contract for restricted free agent Adewale Ogunleye. Rosenhaus said he will talk with Angelo again next week at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach. ''We're working on some things, and there's a possibility Wale will also meet with the Bears people,'' Rosenhaus said. ``Several teams have requested a chance to talk to him, and with the meetings being down here, we're going to take advantage of that.'' Rosenhaus declined to say which other teams might want to speak with Ogunleye but did acknowledge Minnesota is one team he has had dialogue with recently. Rosenhaus also said if he can get a deal for Ogunleye, he is confident compensation due the Dolphins -- should they not match the offer -- would be worked out. That might not be so simple, however, because the Dolphins have been firm in saying they are due a first and third-round draft pick for Ogunleye if they don't match a tender offer -- a price deemed too steep by many NFL teams. Here's the link to rest of article: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/8281060.htm

I thought this might be a good read for anyone who hasn't seen it yet: "Outfielders are the strength of the White Sox system. Five of them made our White Sox Top 10 Prospects list, with Chris Young joining the four whom Dewayne mentioned. Reed, No. 25 on our Top 100 Prospects list, is the best. I've engaged in some chat and e-mail debate with readers, explaining why No. 25 is not too low for a guy who led the minors with a .373 batting average and .453 on-base percentage last year. It's possible that Reed will be a left fielder and not a center fielder, and he won't be a big-time power or stolen-base threat, but there's no question he can hit and get on base. Sweeney is their next-best outfielder. He should have been a first-round pick last June, but a lackluster performance in a predraft showcase allowed the White Sox to snag him in the second round. Also a worthwhile prospect as a lefthanded pitcher, Sweeney is another pure hitter, as evidenced by his ability to come straight to big league camp and hold his own as a 19-year-old. He should develop some power as well. Anderson, Chicago's first-round pick last year, needed wrist surgery just 13 games into his pro debut. He has better all-around tools than Reed and Sweeney and is a true center fielder, though he probably won't hit as much. Depending on what the White Sox do with Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez, their outfield of the future could be Reed in left, Anderson in center and Sweeney in right. Borchard has regressed in Triple-A and his grasp of the strike zone keeps getting worse. He's going to have to make much more consistent contact to tap into his considerable power. Young has blazing speed but still hasn't proved that he can hit. Other White Sox outfielders to watch include Ricardo Nanita and Clint King. Like Sweeney and Anderson, Nanita (14th round) and King (third) were products of the 2003 draft."

I like Haigwood too, but I just wish he hadn't torn his ACL b/c it probably set him back a year. If he hadn't gotten hurt, I'm guessing he would have had a great year along with McCarthy and would be wherever McCarthy will be this year (Kanny?)

With all the praise that KC has gotten, I don't see how anyone could pick them to win over the Sox or even Twins b/c both have better rotations than the Royals and just as good of a lineup. IMO, Beuhrle is better than Anderson. Loaiza and Garland are better than May and Affeldt. And, Wright and Showe will be, at worst, just as good as Appier and Greinke this year. Appier is on his way down, and had a terrible year last year. And, although I do think Greinke will be a good major league pitcher, I don't think this is his year. He needs more time in the minors. So, if Greinke is their 5th starter this year, I think he'll get beat up pretty badly.

I'd also have to say it's Honel. Although, another guy that I really like is a guy that's not on your list, and that Brandon McCarthy. I think he could be an absolute stud!

I'd have to say that right now Reed is the top hitting prospect. Sweeney is very close behind, as is Anderson. This is a very tough question and I think either 3(hopefully all ) of these guys could become really good major league hitters.

If I were a Purdue fan, I'd be happy with either Lavin or Painter.

Wow, that is a tough question. I'd have to say that either Reed or Sweeney would be our top prospect. Personally, I love both guys and couldn't pick which one would be #1.

I would love it if we got Oguleyene, especially if we could somehow keep our 1st rounder! Our defense would be so awesome! We'd be getting the one things that we've lacked for a long time, and that's a really good pass-rushing DE. What Oguleyene also at the same time he's rushing the QB is make the DB's look better by giving the QB less time to pass the ball.

Bullard, are you more upset at the fact that y'all get less time to pitch w/ all these other guys or do you think some old minor league guy might take away a spot from a younger guy that you think could be good? Also, do you have any idea of where you'll be playing this year? Good luck this upcoming year!! It's good to see our Sox minor leaguers on the board. Hopefully more will come!

I know one thing, and that's if Ryan Sweeney can put up #'s like Mike Sweeney in the big leagues, we'll all be very happy people.

Wow, about 3 years ago today there's no way in hell any of us would make that trade. Hell, it wouldn't even have been mentioned w/ Rauch being our top prospect at the time. Funny how things can change in such a short time. Too bad we have to be on the bad end of this change. Rauch looked so good and I really thought at the time that he'd be our #1 or 2 starter for many years to come. Now he's just fighting for the last spot in our rotation, and probably won't get it.

Can someone fill me in on what KW was saying about our outfield for the future? I was watching the Illinois game and then turned back to the Sox game and caught the tail end of what he was saying. Did he talk at all about Sweeney or Anderson and what he thinks of how they're playing so far, and did he say anything about what team Sweeney and Anderson will start this season?

Actually, I read the whole article before I replied, but it just seemed like the article was made up. I mean, what's up with the whole Norv Turner comment with him saying that he can't wait to draft women players and how it's awesome that they can now draft them out of high school. I mean, come on. There's no way in hell any team drafts a woman football player, except maybe as a kicker. But, think of what would happen if she has to make a tackle. She'd probably get hurt and then people would be mad about a woman playing football and say it shouldn't have happened. Plus, if you were a guy playing would you want to have to hit a woman? I sure as hell wouldn't. The article just didn't seem well written either. But, I guess it's real, so i shouldn't have doubted you.

There will soon be another very good player from Long Beach State in the minors very soon, and that player is Jared Weaver, a right handed pitcher. I believe he's Jeff Weaver's brother. Here's his stats for the year: 6-0, 43.2 IP, 17 H, 5 BB, 70 K

Sorry, I've never really payed attention to the Stanley Cup playoffs so I didn't put it on there. How does the NHL's playoff system work? How many games are played in each round? I know the Stanley Cup is 7 games, but what about the rounds before that?