Pastime

I just heard that the ARod for Manny trade is on again.

I used to do these predictions every year with my heart, but I'm going to use my mind instead. (Run for cover!!) Buehrle 17-9 Loaiza 16-8 Garland 16-10 Schoenweiss 13-8 5th spot 9-8

Past, it's 10pm and 48 degrees here. Haven't seen a flake of snow all winter. You little *&%$#@&*%^!

LOL!! I know for sure their hot dogs have been there since the early 1900s. (Except for their biggest hot dog - he's only been there since 1992).

I think we can tell how the season will go after the first 6 weeks. If the 3-5 spots in the rotation are getting shellacked, if the baserunning is comical, if the bullpen is blowing leads, and if the hitting is spotty, then we all know it's just another bad start and a potentially bad season. I think a manager can affect a team - TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. He can't hit for them, pitch for them, or throw for them, but he can make the right moves and decisions which could help the team win games that they might have lost under another manager - "borderline" games that could go either way. My only worry is that Ozzie's "fiery" attitude and enthusiasm will wear thin and burn out at some point in the season. Some players get tired of that "rah rah" stuff really quickly.

Some people go to a baseball game to have a nice family outing, some go to hang out with friends, some go out to drink and act like asswads (not mentioning any fans by name - *cough* Cubs fans) - and some go out to thoroughly enjoy the experience of a baseball game in their favorite team's ballpark. I always have a nice experience at Sox Park. I enjoy the atmosphere, the field, the fans (who I can relate to), the food, and the experience. If the Sox win, then it's even better. I look forward to Spring. As I type this, I look outside and see snow, ice, and a cold wind blowing.

Wrigley is beloved because it's an old ballpark. If anyone built Chewing Gum Park today, they'd be run out of town. It's cramped, MANY seats have below-average sightlines and the amenities are few and the ones they do have are subpar. Not to mention the vulgar obnoxious fans, the hideous traffic, and the outdated bathroom facilities. There's nothing more enjoyable than taking a leak while you stand in puddles of other people's piss. :headshake

You brought up a great point. Farmer and Rooney mentioned a few times last year that Wright can get through an opponent's batting order once and maybe twice, but then they sit on his stuff. We do need a long reliever, and he does have an arm capable of 2-5 innings. I'm sure Ozzie can see that, or at least I hope he does.

I think his injury affected him greatly, and with any type of arm injury, you never know if the guy can come back. I've always felt Wrong would be more valuable in and more suited to the bullpen. I can't remember the opponent (Cleveland?) last year, but Wright came out of the bullpen and threw something like 4 or 5 solid innings.

In Greg Maddux' first two seasons, he was 8-18 with a 5.57 ERA, and he didn't throw hard. In Tom Glavine's first two seasons, he was 9-21 with a 5.04 ERA, and he didn't throw hard either. I think it's safe to assume they've had outstanding and prolific careers. It took them a while to have confidence in their stuff, to figure out hitters, and to know what pitch to throw and when to throw it. I'm not saying that Cotts will ever be as good as Maddux or Glavine, or even 1/20th as good, but I'm willing to give him a chance. Scouts are paid a salary to watch these players day in-day out and jot down their findings, and I assume they know more than I do. The scouting reports on Cotts have been good, from what I've read. So I'll defer to the experts. Plus, I would rather see Cotts out there learning on the job than suffer watching another start by Danny Wrong. :puke

As for the teeny-bopper early music comments...well, think about it this way. Thats yet another influence that the Beatles put on modern music. That's a hell of a point, Capn. A really good point. If that is the case, then no one has even sniffed the level of success the Beatles did, or appealed to the masses so successfully. Except for maybe the New Kids On The Block.

abbey road side 2 (on the lp) Thank you. I have taken a lot of s*** about thinking the way you guys do. I still think that's the best they ever were. The whole damn album is awesome, and it's my favorite. Their early stuff sucked, in my opinion. That teeny-bopper, simple-lyrics, trendy crap was just that - CRAP. I only like their stuff from the point when they released "Revolver."

You tell 'em, Greasy! Yes, Indiana is 80% corn, corn, corn, corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans, corn, corn, soybeans, and yes, sometimes corn, but our larger cities (Hammond, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend, Richmond, and Muncie) are not that bad at all. We have all the amenities of any semi-large city in any state. I live in Hammond, and we have 3 Arby's, 5 McDonalds, 5 Burger Kings, 3 shopping malls, 4 Taco Bells, 4 Wendy's, gas stations up the ass, a university, and 4 exits off of the MOST TRAVELED HIGHWAY IN THE WORLD - US 80-94. Sure, we don't have mountains, or an ocean nearby, but we have Lake Michigan only 7 miles away, and we border Chicago. And yes, we have rivers too. They aren't large, but rivers nonetheless. And I live dirt cheap. I pay $400 in state taxes for a house that's THREE TIMES the size of a house in a suburb in Chicago that has a state tax of $2400. However, stick to the big towns in Indiana. Otherwise, you truly are in Mayberry with less teeth and less IQ. "Goober" can't even come close to describing some of the inbred dregs you might meet.

You guys should lighten up on Konerko. I'll have you know he spent 6 weeks this offseason at the "Cecil Fielder Speed Camp." Maybe once you see his new wheels, you'll leave the poor guy alone. He actually looks like he's moving now when he runs. The 2004 White Sox new slogan - "We No Longer Have Moss Growing On Our Baserunners."

Baj, There's no disputing Cotts' stuff. It's on par with Buehrle, Moyer, Tanana, etc. The A's will rue the day they dumped him. However, our biggest concern is his control. In the minors, he might get more hitters to "nibble" than he would get in the majors. Like Sandy Koufax once said, "Even the best hitters are only successful 1/3 of the time, so the hell with it. I throw them my best stuff and say 'hit it if you can." Sure, Cotts doesn't have Sandy's stuff, but he's got great stuff of his own. His stuff isn't overpowering, but it can be nasty - since hitters can be easily fooled by change of speeds. I watched Doug Drabek, Rick Reuschel, Greg Swindell, etc make a living off of fooling hitters by changing speeds and making them look stupid. Can Cotts do that? I think he has big-league stuff, just not the knowledge, savvy, experience, or confidence to use that to his advantage. I wish he could have that now, instead of later (on some other team). For the record, I think Cotts could be a mainstay in the Sox rotation for years if Buehrle puts his arm around the kid and tutors him. He just needs a simple vote of confidence, and he could be a good one. I hate when people equate velocity with "success in the major leagues." What a bunch of s***. It's not how hard you throw, it's what you do with your pitches. You know that already. Maybe you can give us Cotts' mindset. If anyone can instill the confidence in him that is needed, it's Buehrle and Ozzie. I want him to succeed here so bad it burns me. Well, have a good night, and have a good time in the minors. I know it must suck ass to be there, but if you spend your money right, you can have some great meals that are satisfying and tasty. I'm on a budget when I travel, so I find the best cheap-ass food I can find, and enjoy it a lot. Godspeed, my friend. Here's to you making a roster spot next year.

Homer Simpson - "It's funny 'cause it's true!!"

The Grammys of last year, (or the year before that - hell if I can remember anymore) where Nora Jones won a ton of awards is the last one I will ever watch. She's a decent singer and a decent piano player, but she didn't deserve half the hardware they gave her. I guess she knew who's asses to lick. And how much have you heard from her since? Thank you. The Grammys have turned into a joke and a farce. I have better things to do with my time than watch 3 hours of media-generated bulls*** and overhyped rhetoric. Hell, I had sex with my wife yesterday night - not because I wanted to, but because it was a way to pass the time and a way to avoid the Grammys and/or the dumbass NFL Pro Bowl. At least she'll leave me alone for a while, so that's a positive. I really need a f***ing hobby.

I got lucky as hell. My mother gave me the center stone in her engagement ring (a family tradition), which was handed down for 4 generations. I was lucky to be recipient #5. It had a 3.6 CARAT diamond in it. I spent about $500 on the rest of the ring (diamond chips and gold), had the big-ass stone set in the middle, and then gave my fiancee the ring. My wife still thinks I spent a fortune on that ring, but I spent more money on Hooters chicken wings during that year. I'm happy, and so is she - so really gives a s***. The DeBeers family wants you to believe their bulls*** ads because they want to have you buy their diamonds. They used to have a monopoly on diamonds - but NO MORE. A family in the Canadian Rockies spent almost 100 years trying to find a deposit of diamonds, and they recently found the HUGE deposit they waited a century to find . So the DeBeers family had better s*** their pants now, because things are going to change. Diamond this, greedy bastages.

Snow and Baseball just dont seem to mix. I can see that you can remember Lamarr Hoyt and Willie Wilson very well.

I don't remember the exact cliche, but "a coach is only as good as his players," or something to that effect. The collapse of the team wasn't all his fault - like I said, Fernandez, Bere, and Alvarez all developed career-altering arm injuries, and McDowell was gone.

It can't be any worse than the first month LAST year. Can it?

I found this from Rex on another board: Rauch will get a look, but his path may be a little longer than others. He may just have to pitch a little better than he would otherwise. I have heard a couple of times recently that Rauch got into a pretty heated argument with KW last year in ST, in front of a lot of coaches and players. Rumor has it that is why Rauch wasn't called up or seriously considered to be called up last year. I can't swear to it and I have no more details than that, but I have heard it from two different people. If we can't rely on Rex's word, then we can't rely on anyone's.

I can't find the link (Rex might have it somewhere), but I've read that there was some kind of heated confrontation between Rauch and Kenny Williams last year, and that Rauch's cockiness has rubbed the Sox management the wrong way. Unless he really pitches lights out in Spring Training, I think he's taking the bump in AAA once again this year.

What's wrong with Lamont? It's a nice little town. When things were going well for the Sox, Gene Lamont was a good manager. When things turned sour, he was the scapegoat. It also didn't help that all of our starting pitchers starting tearing their arms up. I'll say this though - "Sleepy Gene" made Jerry Manuel look like the life of the party.

Brando, That sounds like the old scouting report on Kevin McReynolds. He had a ton of natural talent, but was admittedly lazy and never worked out. When he hit his 30's, his numbers declined dramatically. When asked about his decline, I can remember reading a quote from a Mets scout that said, "He's never been a worker. He could get away with that when he was 22, but not 32."