Pastime

Named Koch the closer?????? What was the point of this. Maybe Ozzie is trying to inject a vote of confidence into Koch's already shaky mindset by saying that. In other words, relax, Billy - the job is yours. I heard something on Chicago sports radio Monday evening from George Offman of the Score 670AM - so take it for what it's worth. He said that from what he observed Monday afternoon watching a pitching session, Koch was hitting anywhere from 94-96 on the radar gun. That's lower than the velocity of his "best years," but higher than his velocity of last year. Hopefully, if Offman's report is true, Koch will continue to stretch and condition his arm in Spring Training, and will be popping near or at triple-digits on the radar gun come April. Will he or won't he? I don't know - who does?

Some times things just click, but I know if I was in these players position, I would be pissed as hell and feel there was only one way to fix things, tear this league apart. Maybe an "us against the world" attitude is just what this team needs. Get a chip on their collective shoulders and kick some Major League ass. As Jake Taylor said to his teammates in the movie Major League - "Well, fellas. There's only one thing left for us to do. Win the whole --- f***ing --- thing."

Willie is homegrown Yes he is, and if the Orioles see him succeed, I'm sure it will hurt them since he was a top minor-league player for Baltimore until we traded Singleton for him.

Mike Jackson was great until he left the Jackson 5. After that, he was mediocre, until he released that "Thriller" album. As of now, he would take any offers he can get money-wise.

Best team ever: 1B - Lou Gehrig 2B - Charlie Gehringer SS - Alex Rodriguez 3B - Brooks Robinson LF - Hank Aaron CF - Willie Mays RF - Babe Ruth C - Johnny Bench SP - Walter Johnson SP - Christy Mathewson SP - Sandy Koufax SP - Cy Young SP - Roger Clemens Bench - 1B - Jimmie Foxx, 2B - Joe Morgan, SS - Ernie Banks, 3B - Mike Schmidt, OF - Barry Bonds, OF - Mickey Mantle, OF - Ted Williams, OF/1B - Stan Musial, UTL - Ty Cobb RP - Grover Alexander, RP - Bob Gibson, RP - Warren Spahn, RP - Nolan Ryan, RP - Steve Carlton

Jose Valentin will be the backup 3B. And Uribe will play SS when he does. The opposition's scouting report - "Hit everything you can to the left side!." :puke

Another big difference is the "trick pitch." Back in the "old days," a pitcher basically threw a fastball and curveball, although a few guys threw the knuckler. Nowadays, you have the split-finger, the slider, the cutter, the palmball, the screwball, etc.

They do.... they are called Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Josh Beckett, Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, etc. I agree with all of those guys except Josh Beckett. Let's remember that he had ONE good stretch in his career - last year's postseason. And Kerry Wood is iffy - his win/loss record needs to improve. The big difference between the guys you mentioned and the ones I mentioned is that the guys I mentioned completed a LOT more of their games, without having relievers hold the fort for 1-3 innings. Also, the "old" guys were allowed to throw at your head, which I will assume might make a hitter less likely to be comfortable at the plate.

Once again, Ozzie has more baseball knowledge than Terry Bevington - how can you argue that? Bevington didn't play for 15 years, and he didn't coach for 4 years - winning a World Series along the way. But then again, maybe Ozzie was just standing around in the majors for 15 years picking wax out of his ears and taking up space. Nope, he knows nothing about baseball. And for the record, if you think Ozzie's swearing is out of control now, just wait until one Mr. Frank Thomas gets to camp. Hoo-boy, to be a fly on the wall.

Past, you are drunk if you think the talent is watered down now compared to the 1920's? And the pitching better? Puhlease... Then we'll just agree to disagree. Do you honestly think guys Scott Schoeweiss, Jeff Fassero, Carl Pavano, Ryan Rupe, Joe Kennedy, Runelyvs Hernandez, or pitchers of that ilk (just to name a few) would even make a team's pitching staff back in the day? No way. Back then, you were a starting pitcher - and if you got old or got injured, you ended up in the bullpen. A lot of bullpen guys from Ruth's era could be 4th or 5th starters for a lot of today's teams. And look up and down the roster of the Expos, Pirates, Devil Rays, or any team for that matter - there's at least 3 guys (or more) on any given roster today that wouldn't have even gotten past AAA back then. And look at some of the pitchers on teams' rosters as well - a lot of them wouldn't have ever pitched in the majors, but since there's so many teams, you have to fill those rosters with bodies - even if those bodies are marginal big leaguers at best. Less teams = better talent top-to-bottom on a team's roster - no fodder. I've never - and never will - argued that today's athlete is bigger, stronger, and faster. That is true. However, Babe Ruth had to hit the baseball, and last time I checked a 92-mph fastball in 2004 and a 92-mph in 1927 are both still 92-mph fastballs! He still had to hit it, and he could now. Two big differences in the eras: 1. Nowadays, Ruth would face a starter 2 or 3 times during a game, and then face a "specialist" and maybe another pitcher 1 or 2 times. In other words, he could easily see 3 different pitchers in one game, which would require adjustments at the plate. 2. However, pitchers back in Ruth's were spitting on the ball, wiping snot on the ball, etc. And as for the pitching being better back then - just look at the pitching statistics from both eras, and compare team ERAs of today against those of teams back then. If you have an ERA of 4.50 today, that's considered to be not that bad. Back then, if you had an ERA of 4.50, they would probably cut you, trade you, or send you down to the bush leagues. And how many 300-game winners came from that era, and how many have come in our era? Pitching WAS better back then. I would love to see today's hitters face Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Grover Alexander, Cy Young, Joe Wood, or even Herb Pennock, or Lefty Gomez. Once again, it's just my opinion.

Back in the day, Carlos was really "puffy." I bought his old jersey at an auction, and I can still use it as a bedspread or tent. The guy was a really "large" specimen. I'm glad to see he's got his weight to a manageable level. If he can contribute, then bring it on. We need as many arms as we can find.

I could give two craps about the spring training record. As long as the team is feisty, hungry, aggressive, anxious, and rearing to go - it's all good. I have a feeling that once spring training is done, this team will be riding a wave of positivity they haven't seen in years. They will believe they can win - even if the "experts" say they can't. I used to love Gardenhire, and I liked Pena - but they can't match the enthusiasm or fire (real or not) of Ozzie. Let the game begin, fellas.

I will be in Las Vegas in 3 weeks on spring break. I have a $50 bill sitting in my wallet, and I will take that to the sportsbook that gives me the best odds of the Sox winning the division. I will also place a bet that the Sox make the ALCS. If I lose, it's not so bad, since I lose in Vegas every time I go there anyways. Well, not EVERY time. I did win $700 at the Mirage BlackJack table in 2002, but I digress.

Also, keep this in mind: Babe Ruth didn't have the luxury of "supplements." He didn't have the luxury of modern exercise equipment and facilities. He didn't play in a watered-down league where 40% of the players playing now would have been lucky to even SNIFF the major leagues. The ballparks were bigger back then. The pitching was better back then. The strike zone was bigger back then. They didn't have big contracts as an incentive back then. He had superior reflexes and eyesight - better than any human ever tested - as scientifically proven at a laboratory in 1929. He came, he batted, he hit. And he was a great pitcher for several years before becoming the most prolific hitter in baseball history. He's the best ever. Period. New paragraph.

Babe Ruth's home run totals used to be more than the home run totals of entire teams. Thanks. If only the Babe had used 'roids, imagine the possibilities ....

Comparing Bevington to Guillen is like comparing a 2004 Corvette to a 1973 rusted-out Buick. Bevington was a moron - Guillen has baseball smarts and knowledge. Ozzie played the game for a long time, and I assure you that he s***-out more baseball knowledge in the toilet Saturday morning than Bevington will ever know. Ozzie knows the game. How well that translates to his performance as a manager remains to be seen. And if he cussed a blue streak, who cares? At least he has fire and passion, which is something the former manager didn't have if you lit his underwear on fire. Enough with the negative bulls*** already. Let's see what the first month of the season brings before we crucify Ozzie. It's the 3rd day of spring training, for cry's sake. Chill out! :headshake

The rules didn't change. The manager did. I think Ozzie is a "player's manager" who will bust his players' asses, but will understand them and relate to them. Jerry Manuel was ... was ... well, hell, I don't know what he was - besides a walking corpse who needed a formaldehyde transfusion every 2 weeks.

Career (2003) - Kyle Snyder - 1-6, 5.17 ERA. Career (2000-2003) - Kris Wilson - 14-9, 5.32 Neither one is any great shakes.

Looks like we might see a lot more opportunities given to Jimmy Gobble. That name still cracks me up. I could spend an hour making quips, but I'm too tired.

My, how the mighty have fallen. He used to be a guy we talked about being a "sure Hall Of Famer." Now we talk about him being a "sure lifetime inmate." Loser. If only the steroids could have increased the size of his peabrain .....

Have you seen our early schedule? It's not pretty. If we overachieve, that's one thing. But if we play to our "true" capabilities, we are in a small world of trouble. Just my thoughts.

But can he win 14 games again? If he can, we are in hog heaven. If he can't, then we resigned to our fate. I know he had an injury, but I chalk up his 14-12 record as more of a fluke than a trend. He can't go deep into games, and teams gage his pitches rather quickly - according to Farmer and Rooney and according to my eyes - TV or in person. I'm not confident with him as our #5. Hell, I'm not confident with ANYONE as our #5 right now. It's a crapshoot, and I hate gambling.

If the Yankees were smart, they would just play AssRod at SS and have Jeter pinch-hit. Actually, if Vina has a solid start, the Tigers could get the Yankees to overpay for his services. However, I think we hold the trump card. When Willie Harris is hitting .324 with 33 SB at the All-Star Break, the Yankees will give us anything we want in return. Should that be in green as well?

Yas, I think that so many Sox fans are disenchanted and irritated with Reinsdorf and Friends, we may have an all-time low in terms of attendance. We will be lucky to draw 1.4 million, seriously, and a big chunk of that will come from the 3-game series against the Scrubs. This franchise is truly in a world of hurt right now, especially fan-wise. I just wish that the greedy fu :dips*** :fyou

Yas, Bite your tongue. If Danny Wrong is our 5th starter, then I think that's a bad sign. It means that Cotts, Rauch, etc. have all failed in spring training, and we have gone to him by default. Just thinking about that makes me ill. Danny Wright is a bullpen pitcher, IMO. He is fine his first 1 or 2 times through a batting order, then he is toast. I WAS having a good night until the thought of Wrong as 5th starter was popped into my head. :puke