[Ozzie Extension]

Its a mathematical formula based on runs scored and runs allowed that comes up with what your expected record should be.

 

Its not quite Black Scholes theory, but it is interesing none the less.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_expectation

What makes this season look 'good' is a number of horrible, embarrasing beatings. The Sox have lost games by 16 and 13 runs, and two each at 12 and 10. On the other side they have won only one game by as much as 8. So the RA column is higher than normal for a baseball team with a similar record scoring a similar amount of runs. Its just a little statistical blip. This season it's more a measure of a poor middle relief corps than a good manager.

 

[KW isn't the only GM to to duped....]

Great post. The Royals' GM is laughing.

MacDougal and Thornton are trash. Players I mean. They probably are great individuals but as players they are worthless. Just let 'em go. And Buckwheat also.

He's the worst of the 3.

They got Thornton from the Mariners for Joe Borchard. Bukvich played for the Rangers and in the minors since being traded from KC by the previous GM, Allan Baird. I think he was a non-roster MLB camp invite for the White Sox, so, in terms of what he cost, he was also a good pick up.

[Oz blows his cork...]

For the link impaired, here's more of the article.

"Well, they're killing me," Guillen said. "They're killing my family. They're killing my coaching staff, killing the White Sox fans. They kill the owner. They kill everyone. I hope they feel the same way we feel."

 

Guillen sounded as if he ran out of answers.

 

"You don't see this today," Guillen said. "You've seen this since April. I keep giving people a chance to succeed, a pat on the back. I wish I played for a manager like that. I swear to God I wish I could have played for a (expletive) manager like that. Every time you fail and keep putting guys out there who fail day in and day out, that's easy to play.

 

"A $100 million payroll and those guys don't show how much they make in the field. Well, Kenny [Williams], I don't say what he has to do, but we play like this and spend all that money on the club like that, I will shut the payroll and go with Double-A kids if we have to, because it's not easy. I know those guys go out there and they care about it."

 

Guillen put out a call to a clubhouse that was empty after the game.

 

"I hope somebody out there cares the way we care," he said. "Good guys or nice guys finish (expletive) last. I'm tired of seeing that (expletive), day in and day out. And I don't want to spend a miserable September seeing the same (expletive). If I have to see the same (expletive), I told Kenny, 'Bring somebody up. (Expletive) it.'

 

"If it's my fault, I should be moving out of here then. If it's my fault, (expletive) fire my (expletive) and I'll be fine. I have the job to do and I get paid a lot of (expletive) money to make this club work, but it's not easy to work with people like that. It's not easy."

 

"Hit and run, it fails," Guillen said. "Fail to move the guy over with the bases loaded, no outs. Second and third, one out (and don't score). You keep failing like that, well, Greg Walker doesn't hit. Ozzie Guillen doesn't hit. Don Cooper isn't pitching. Then have fun."

[Is this the worst year in your Soxfandom?]

I find I still enjoy watching and listening to the games even though the team is not doing well. The worst year in my fandom was 1994, the strike year. Although the White Sox played well, there were no playoffs or World Series. The last game of the season was August 10, and not another game to watch until the end of April 1995.

 

No matter how poorly the White Sox look in the standings, it's still a lot better than no baseball.

[Why can't it be both ways?]

Danks, Floyd, Logan, Wasserman, Fields, Richar, Gonzalez, Owens.

 

8 rookies or first full season men out of the 25 on the roster. Thats a lot.

 

 

[GAME TWO!!!!]

Ozzie speaks the truth, from MLB.com Scott Merkin

 

"Twelve hours of my life I wasted and I'm not going to get it back," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, following an exasperated laugh. "Tough day for everyone: pitching, hitting, defense. You name it."

 

"We can't put anything together," Guillen said. "They have a pretty good lineup and the way we pitched, they are even better. Then, you pitch poorly, the way we pitched today, those games will finish up like that.

 

"That's one of the reasons they are in first place and we are in last place. You can see it there. They pitch better and hit better. That's baseball."

[Pods Hurt Again]

RotoWorld

Scott Podsednik-OF- White Sox Aug. 21 - 11:07 pm et

Scott Podsednik left Tuesday's game in the sixth inning due to a strained right rib cage.

 

It was a strain to the other side that put him on the disabled list last month. If this turns out to be Podsednik's third major injury of the year, the White Sox will likely resume playing Darin Erstad regularly.

 

MLB.Com Alex Gyr

Scott Podsednik was removed from the ballgame in the top of the sixth inning. He strained a right rib cage muscle while hitting in the fourth inning.

 

Podsednik has been on the disabled list twice this season, including one stint due to a strained left rib cage muscle. Guillen reported that, for now, his left fielder is day-to-day.

 

"Those injuries are pretty hard to heal right away," Guillen said. "I just feel bad for him. This guy wants to stay in the game. It is frustrating for him because he can't play the way he wants to play all year because of injury."

 

[2007 Post ASB White Sox Catch-All Thread]

Funny Ken Williams quote. Discussing Brian Anderson who thought that he received a low blow when he was sent down this spring after 17 AB (he was hitting .117 at the time).

 

MLB.com 8/19 Scott Merkin

"I've explained that situation to him personally on a number of occasions," said Williams, responding to Anderson's comments. "If he doesn't get it by now, maybe I'll have to put it in a form letter to him so he can re-read it over and over. "

 

KW went on to make some positive statements about BA, so it wasn't just a bash job.

[Dye signs extension]

I'm glad JD resigned, he is one my favorite players to watch. He is moving better and covering more ground since he had the 'oil change' done to his knee so it's not unreasonable to think he will be good for a couple more years.

 

That Kenny Williams sure is a funny fellow. The team wins the World Series and he tears it apart, changing a quarter of the roster before spring training. This year they are 13 under and he's resigning everybody. Go figure.

[Why is Steve Stone taking place of DJ right now]

Screw Stoney....he's a Cubs Die Hard and always will be.

Despite the fact that he is a tremendously talented broadcaster I don't want him anywhere near Sox games due to the fact that his true allegiance is to the North Side.

Exposure to Hawk would cure that. I bet that after a month we'd get a squeaky 'Dagnab it' out of Stoney.

[Bonds to sue]

Besides, I don't think he'd have much merit and it would fizzle like the last time he tried to sue someone.

The only case of a guy coming close to winning one these I can think of is Bo Jackson. A Californina paper said his hip trouble was due to anabolic steroids. He immediately sued and held a press conference where he answered every question and accusation in person - no spokesman, no "no comment", just Bo in front of the mike taking on all comers.

 

Although the case was eventually dismissed on a technicality (jurisdiction), he got a retraction from the paper and an appology. His name was cleared, no pun, in the court of public opinion. If nothing else, the case reinforced his public image of an honest man and a man's man, in addition to being a great athlete. He remains widely admired to this day.

 

The contrast between Bo and Bonds is striking.

[Position Switch]

Fields at short would be hideous. The guy isn't even average at 3rd defensively and I still think we will see him in left or right field next season (with Crede back at 3rd because in the end 4.5-5M is worth it for one Joe Crede...his bat is still good when he's healthy and he's a legit stud defensively).

Any one think about him at 2B? If he could make the turn it would really open up some possibilities. At first blush you'd think he was too clumsy but some other bigger guys, Baerga, Sandberg or Grich for example, turned out pretty good. Fields seems to handle any ball that he doesn't have to think about and I think 2b is less 'cerebral' than 3b for a young player making his bones in the bigs.

[Cubs claim Podsednik; Pods still here (for now)]

If Pods will only garner the same crap that Kenny got in the Iguchi trade, forget it.

 

I looked up the crap you refer to.

 

21 year old Michael Dubee is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in Kannapolis. Opponents are hitting .167 against him, he has 12 Ks in 9 IP. I see he also started a game. Give the young man some time.

[Angels Stadium with 118 vermin violations]

LOl, I wonder what Wrigley would score. I guess not everything is suitable for print though

25 vermin, not counting the coaches.

[Next to #300...]

Looking at Glavine, though, he never did any of those things. He pitched 32-36 starts in a normal year, and never more than 36, and his high for ip was 247, which wouldn't be very strange today. The fact that there are more dl trips and surgeries doesn't mean that the same pitchers would have more injuries, more that guys who would otherwise be forced out of the league get another shot to play. And guys like Clemens and Maddux didn't want to retire, even though they definitely could have. I just don't see anything that isn't reproducible.

 

I think we've just had a string of good luck in seeing so many great pitchers on good-to-great teams in such a short period of time. People look around and don't see anyone like that right now, and jump to the conclusion that we'll never see another one. It may take a while, but there'll be another 300-game winner.

Spot on. I just looked up the stats for the last 5 guys to make 300, Glavine, Clemens, Maddux, Ryan and Sutton. They average between 29-32 starts per year, and 199-226 innings. I think to win 300 you have to be:

 

A: A very good pitcher.

B: Play on a competitive team.

C: Avoid getting hurt.

 

Non of these are impossible in the present era.

 

The other thing the 'old school' guys like to bring up is the modern bullpens, saying in the past pitchers went longer which gave them a better chance to pick up a win in low scoring games. I buy some of that but it also gets them out of there with a good shot to get a win when they have a small lead.

 

Point A is God's gift, He must give you the arm and the brain to use it properly. Point B might actually be easier today because after 6 years you can sign with a big money (and usually very competitive) team while under the old reserve clause you were stuck with who ever drafted or signed you. Point C is a mix of a player taking care of himself, selecting the right advice to follow from all the different coach's and plain luck ---Mussina might be on this list if he didn't take that liner off the noggin in 98, or Herb Score to name two guys.

 

 

[Miguel Tejada?]

Tejada will never play for the White Sox... this was probably just to block other teams from getting him.

Namely Detroit

[Ozzie +5]

2007_08_04_121853.bmp

Going into tonight's game, the Sox's expected win total based upon runs scored vs. runs given up was 43.

What skews this season is the large number of absolute shellackings the team and its fans have suffered. This inflates the RA column and makes the 'expected' wins lower. Attached are the number of games by final score margin. This is one stat where a bad bullpen can actually make the manager look good.

 

Edit, added Jpeg

[Danny Richar]

Has talent but is prone to dumb errors.

Thats what they need to find out about him. A kid with his track record will hit, if not now then later. But how he handles balls in key situations with the bright lights on will determine if the Sox can use him.

[Danny Richar]

what did we trade for him?

 

the whole board is excited over a guy we got for crap... there has to be a reason arizona basically gave him away.

 

on a side note... is it

ree-kar

 

or

 

ree-shar?

This is the press release.

White Sox acquire infielder Richar from Arizona for outfielder Cunningham

06/16/2007 4:05 PM ET

 

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have acquired infielder Danny Richar from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for outfielder Aaron Cunningham. Richar will be optioned to Class AAA Charlotte. Richar, 24, hit .285 (76-267) with 20 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 46 RBI and 40 runs scored in 66 games with Class AAA Tucson in 2007. He appeared in 50 games at second base and 16 at shortstop.

 

The 6-foot-0, 170-pounder ranked second last season in the Southern League in runs scored (79), fourth in hits (140) and tied for fourth in average (.292) and was named to the league's mid-and-postseason All-Star Teams. Richar owns a .281 (678-2,410) average over six minor-league seasons in the Diamondbacks organization.

 

Cunningham, 21, batted .294 (74-252) with 12 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 37 RBI in 67 games with Class A Winston-Salem in 2007. and was named to the league's mid-and-postseason All-Star Teams.

I never saw him play but IIRC Cunningham was highly thought of by the FutureSox crew. So it's not like the Sox traded some bum to get Richar.

[White Sox Winner!]

how come Pods didn't get an error on that one play?

Just home now, saw it live. It was an unusual play, meaning it's not like he dropped a routine fly ball. I marked it as a hit before it came up on scoreboard, there was really no question.

[Why do you still watch the Sox?]

I still watch and follow the Sox because I've been a White Sox fan for 50 some years(!!). I've endured worse teams and seasons than this.

I'm with you, Brother. This is not nearly as bad as it has been at times in the past. At least they are not moving the team, and the Manager isn't Don Gutteridge asleep on the bench with eyes painted on his glasses. There are no Claudell Washingtons on this team, as inconsistant as Uribe can be at short he's not Alan Bannister, who was consistant in the wrong direction.

 

Things will need to get whole lot worse before I don't watch the White Sox.

 

 

[The .198 Hinske overshift, Ozzie's brilliance at work]

Look at Hinske's Fenway hitting chart for GB and Singles. On the season he has hit one ground ball and one single to the left side. It wasn't dumb, it just didn't work this time.

[Timo's Back]

MLB.Com

Perez arrived at the park about two hours before game time after being called up from Triple-A Toledo, which was in Norfolk at the time. Despite the short rest and long flight, Leyland played a hunch and started him over Ryan Raburn and Omar Infante.

 

"To me," Leyland said, "when you get called to the big leagues, if you get a chance to play once you get there, I don't care if the flight's 12 hours. You're ready to go."

 

He was ready even against Nathan, whose first five pitches of the 10th put Perez on base. Once Rabelo sacrificed Perez over to second, Inge got exactly what he wanted on the first pitch.

 

"I was looking for a fastball, trying to get on top," Inge said. "Because when he throws his fastball, it's coming in so hard, it appears to rise. I was just trying to get on top of it."

 

The line drive traveled into the gap in right-center on a line, allowing the speedy Perez to score easily.

The speedy Perez?

 

 

[2nd Half Schedule]

Unusual for a team 13 games back, the White Sox can still control their own destiny because the schedule is back loaded with AL-Central teams in the second half.

 

Team - Games Remaining - Games Back

Tigers - 14 - 13

Indians - 12 - 12

Twins - 6 - 5

Royals - 10 - (2)

 

What usually kills a late season surge is the other guys keep winning too. It is certainly improbable given the injuries and struggles to date, but if the White Sox do go on a hot streak it will be at the right time to give the teams ahead of them the loses they need to make up ground. Just something to keep an eye on.

[Pods/Erstad Updates]

anyone know the exact # of times this lineup was used in 2007?

 

LF- Podsednik

CF- Erstad

DH- Thome

1B- Konerko

RF- Dye

2B- Iguchi

3B- Crede

C- Pierzynski

SS- Uribe

it has to be under 20.

 

Never, this is the closest one, used 4 times. Pods has only played 19 games, so under 20 was a pretty good bet if you got any takers.

 

Podsednik

Erstad

Thome

Konerko

Dye

Crede

Pierzynski

Iguchi

Uribe