mmmmmbeeer

If this team finished with 95 or 96 wins, after holding a 15 game lead on Aug 1st,and fails to win the division it's more of an indicator of the quality of the team that surpasses them in the standings than a White Sox choke. The 10spot on cnnsi had top 10 collapses and every one of them talked about horrendous (.500 since the break isn't horrendous) losing streaks, just handing the division to the other team. If any other second place team outside of CLE were in the ALCent, we'd have this thing wrapped up easily.

I've liked Carl since he joined the Sox the first time, not Carl as an individual player, but for the winning attitude and strong veteran presence Carl brought to the team. I can't believe I just read this quote from him. Carl, what the f*** are ya thinkin' man?

I like the aggressiveness. There's no point in getting into a 2 strike count against Johan, he's gonna K ya...might as well pick a pitch and go with it.

QUOTE(Steff @ Sep 21, 2005 -> 09:11 PM) Oh take that stick out of your ass kid. The tickets aren't "lower" anywhere. They are in the next to the last highest and furthest section from the field. Anyone interested should know where the seats are located. Thank God you said something about the location, I have a nasty habit of getting tkts without looking to see where they're located.

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Sep 21, 2005 -> 05:38 AM) Personally I'd like to see Politte get some shots at closing. He's been pretty much lights out all year and as good as Jenks has been and how good i think he'll be, it does worry me how he's performed the last two days. Hopefully it was just cuz he was a little overused recently Cliff's history is Latroy Hawkins-ish. Leave him as a setup man.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Sep 20, 2005 -> 10:38 PM) To add to my earlier post, I wonder if KW can put down a bunt....

I recall reading a couple years ago about how it wasn't JM's fault for many of the bad decisions he made, it was KW's fault because he was coaching from the tunnel. Well, I'm just kind of wondering at what point he'll start doing that again, cause Oz could use the help.

This team is f***ing doomed with this leadership. 09/19/2005 9:02 PM ET Notes: Jenks, Marte to close 'Closer by situation' dictated by Hermanson's sore back http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cws This was posted on whitesox.com right about the time Marte was blowing the game.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 20, 2005 -> 03:52 AM) I'm pretty sure this was the 12th game the Sox have lost when leading going into the 7th inning. With the success so many of our guys in the pen have had this year, that number is way too f***ing high. second best bp ERA in the AL....there are two BP arms with ERA's above the team average...and they both made appearances tonight, one of which cost us the game. unreal.

It couldn't have been set up any f***ing easier. Top of the 7th, tie ballgame. Cotts, Politte, Jenks. How f***ing difficult can it possibly be, Ozzie? The cle announcers were just baffled by Oz's management, they didn't know what the f*** he was doing. They said, "well, he essentially just used 4 pitchers to get 4 outs, all so that Neal Cotts didn't face Peralta". I was really glad to hear this, because I was wondering if I was that clueless when it came to baseball by wondering what in the f*** Ozzie was doing. VIZ and MARTE....in a head-to-head game with the team right on your ass????????? f***in' a man. f***in' a.

This was the one game in the series that CLE had the pitching matchup in their favor. We beat those odds but then Oz managed us right out of the win. This team is NOT cooked. Tue and Wed will go our way. book it.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 19, 2005 -> 11:35 PM) Did you get a chance to watch the Boston game? Man alive did that kid dominate that lineup. If Boston can't get to him...then he should be able to just dismantle Minnesota. Let's just hope his pitches show up that day. Unfortunately, due to working the night before, I was asleep during that game. I wish I had gotten to see it.

Normally I'd be worried about sticking a rookie in a high-stress, playoff atmosphere but with BMAC I don't have that worry. I remember hearing Steve Stone and the other ESPN guys interview BMac during spring training...that kid REALLY has his s*** together. Very well spoken and focused. He gave me the impression that he feeds on pressure. I don't think he'll have any problems on Thu.

Watching the Count pitch now is really quite a sight. He looks seriously pissed when there is any kind of delay in the game because he wants to catch the ball and f***ing throw it. In the 8th inning today there were two quick delays from stuff flying onto the field and Jose just had that look like, "f***, gotta stay in the rhythm, gotta stay in the zone". He's a COMPLETELY different pitcher these days. I'm so happy for him (he's always had the talent) and for myself being he pitches for my team. Both he and Jonny boy showed our team what it means to step up this weekend. Let's hope MB and FG can follow their leads. cleveland

That didn't take long.

I see MB as a leader on this team, whether I'm right or not is another story, but that's my perception. A leader, be it in business, sports, or politics, should NEVER let the concept of defeat flow out of their mouths. Mark, if you wanna think in your head that we could get swept, fine, think it. But, as a leader, he should have NEVER said a word about the Sox getting swept. Hell, he's already failed on the "lead by example" front considering he can't seem to pitch a quality start, and now the word "sweep" is coming out of his mouth? We all know how baseball works, the fans and the players. We all know that a sweep is possible, especially considering the way they've been playing. But for a leader to confirm those suspicions is unacceptable, IMO.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Sep 17, 2005 -> 03:26 AM) Torii Hunter is rooting for us if we make it. hadn't heard that, Torii's more of a man than I. I refused to root for the twinks the past 3 seasons. While Torii may feel that way, their broadcast was sickening between the Bert Circle Jerks and the drool hitting the mics when they discussed "the biggest collapse in sports history".

Jon Garland f***ing stepped up tonight. 9/16, 200IP thus far, and he throws a 123 pitch near shutout. Jon, stepping up like our pitchers need to, setting the bar for the rest of the rotation for the rest of the season. Bobby muthaf***in' Jenks. Huge. Twins announcers were being dumb, questioning Oz's decision to leave Jenks in the game. I believe it was more wishful thinking on their part. There is NO ONE, including injured Herme, who I want to see on the mound in the 9th inning. That boy flat out dominates the opposition and, as a rookie, has the swagger and mentality necessary to close out ballgames. Oz, I hope this means you know like we do that we have a new closer. Marte stepped up and proved his critics (teamates, manager, coaches, and fans) all wrong, looking damn sharp out there. Oz gave him put a lil' somethin' extra behind that ass pattin', as if to let Marte know that if he pitches like that, he's going to be okay. Offense, well.....get em' tomorrow. f*** minnesota and their "rooting for a sox collapse" announcers. :finger

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 16, 2005 -> 12:14 AM) Mark Buehrle has it in him to be more than an ace. He was not just shutting down poor teams early this year, he was shutting everyone down. Cleveland...the team that everyone is so scared of right now...was money in his bank. He beat Baltimore when Baltimore was playing very well. He had 2 good games against the Angels early in the season. He beat that Texas offense. Saying Mark Buehrle does not pitch well against good teams ignores how good he's done against all of them except Oakland and Boston...those 2 teams are the ones who he has bad numbers against this year, and I'll grant Boston as being in part of his recent struggles. The guy has to have some mechanical issues right now. Something just isn't clicking. Mark Buehrle is an ace pitcher. He proved that when he started this season 10-0. But he has not yet become a Cy Young pitcher. To do that...he needs to take what he did early this season and run it through the whole year. He just hasn't been able to do it. Cleveland's offense was atrocious for much of the first half, as was ANA's. You're right, he did beat BAL and TEX, but as we see now, those aren't exactly playoff caliber teams and, as far as i can recollect, he did not dominate either of those two offenses. Mark's a good pitcher and one of my favorites on the team. I don't mean to sound like I'm ragging on him, I just have never pictured him in the same class as those true aces. This board has hosted this same discussion numerous times, so I'll quit now.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Sep 15, 2005 -> 11:45 PM) Things Buehrle is not: Ace Stopper Things that Buehrle is: A guy who could win in low pressure situations A guy who feasts on weak teams Still a nice #3 pitcher on this staff Mark is a solid #2 and a decent #1. If the definition of 'ace' in baseball terms is a #1 on a team's pitching staff, then Mark is an ace. Rather, if it pertains to a stopper, Mark has proven he is not an ace.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 15, 2005 -> 10:44 PM) Just ask the Cubs how this season went for them after having a nasty collapse at the end of their 2004 season. Bring back Dusty and Hendry did that franchise no good at all. I agree with your point, and to take it even further...imo, it's much easier to lose a 3-1 lead in the NLCS than it is to lose a 15 game lead in less than 2 months or 5 games off your lead in a f***ing week or dominate an entire half of the season only to fall flat on your f***ing faces for 80+ games. As a manager, it's difficult to get a team on track in a matter of 3-4 days (playoffs and Dusty), whereas a manager who has 3 months to get a team straight and fails to do so has proven his inability to manage effectively (Oz). Incidentally, I fully approved of Oz's hiring. I thought he brought everything that Manuel didn't bring to the table. He does have the fire, but apparently that wasn't all that our White Sox needed to succeed.

initial post that didn't make it: I don't see how JR has any choices but to can Oz if this team happens to miss the playoffs. He did a hell of a job the 1st half as far as keeping the mood light, although we all saw that his in-game decisions were not what was winning those ballgames. Well, our slide against OAK drained some of the happy happy energy in the clubhouse which leaves Oz's main responsibility to manage the ball game. He's failed miserably and has lost his team. If they miss the playoffs, they will have blown a 15 game lead in less than 2 months, not to mention the games lost to the wildcard winner. If they miss the wildcard that, in my opinion, is what really spells doom for Oz. I can somewhat understand losing the lead to Cleveland who is just demolishing everyone they've faced in the last 2 months, but to lose a wildcard slot is unacceptable. Meanwhile, starters are being benched and our pitchers are visibly exhausted while a stud is left handling mop up duty for El Duque. If JR doesn't can Oz or KW he'll never hear the end of it. Could be an interesting offseason if the s***house goes up in flames. But, alas, we aren't going to have to worry about any of this because we'll cruise into the postseason as division champs.....hopefully.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Sep 15, 2005 -> 06:10 AM) I actually meant he is one of our worst players on the base paths. My point still stands that he is not a very good base stealer. I'd say he's an exceptional basestealer but perhaps a poor baserunner. He does make some poor decisions while running during a play but he's trying to put pressure on the defense. Also, Joey has sent him countless times on contact from 3B, which accounts for many of the outs you've referred to. But his ability to read pickoff moves, get quality jumps, and, in steal situations, make very effective slides leads me to believe that he is certainly an above average basestealer. Also, I think he'd be well above his current 74% success rate if not for his CS streak when he was trying to battle through the hurting groin.

They've attacked us once using some f***ing hijacked airplanes. They've got no army, no advanced weaponry, and apparently aren't prepared for another of their sophisticated attacks being they just let the PERFECT opportunity to attack slip away (Katrina). I think we're giving these f***ers too much credit, personally.

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 10, 2005 -> 05:21 PM) there's one "computer class" game i'm thinking of but have no idea what the name of it is. It was all about a haunted house and you had to go into all kinds of different rooms to find keys, i think, anyone got an idea? Montezuma's Revenge?