SouthsideDon48

QUOTE (BearSox @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 08:36 PM) I don't know about anyone else, but I think I'd deal Jenks straight up for Escobar. Hmmmmmm, speculatively-speaking, is there any possibility that we can ask for a little more and get Heyward along with Escobar for Jenks? Just speculatively-speaking...

Hmmm, if the Sox ever do decide to get a veteran to fill the long reliever role instead of the pitcher that loses out of the #5 starter competition, then I think guys like Juan Cruz, Wilfredo Ledezma, and Aquilino Lopez would fit the role well.

QUOTE (Hawkfan @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 02:09 PM) Joey Gathright is one of my favorite players of all time when he is making the league minimum. I think Jenks might get a little pissed if he comes here though. Because Gathright was the one who broke Jenks' streak in 2007? lol Hmmmm, it'd be interesting how Bobby would react had they both played on the same team.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Dec 14, 2008 -> 10:14 PM) Nothing pisses me off more than seeing a batter drop a bunt (make an out, not even try to be productive) and take the bat out of the hands of a big bopper right behind him. How does dropping a bunt take the bat out of the big bopper behind the bunter?????? If the bunter had swung the bat and grounded out to a double-play instead, thus leaving no baserunners on the bases, then THAT takes the bat out of hands of the big bopper. The big bopper will always have his bat in his hands if there's a runner on the bases.

Hey, I didn't see his name mentioned anywhere, but according to the Detroit Tigers' website, Aquilino Lopez was non-tendered. I thought he was a dependable pitcher for Detroit, does anyone think he can improve on what he did last year? Or is he a flash in the pan? However, we probably don't need another righty in the bullpen, unless we try to find someone to take Wassermann's spot or something. Just thought I'd pass along the info...

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 11:05 PM) I actually like this. I think DJ is good, but he and Hawk never mixed together right. I think the chemistry between Hawk and Stone (not to mention Stone is great) is going to be fantastic, and I think DJ and Farmer will mix well, especially with their senses of humor. Oh yeah? Well then I got two words for ya....... "UH-OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 11:11 PM) A hitter should have a singular goal in mind having the most productive bat possible. With a runner on, a batter needs to be trained on how best to drive him in, we should never settle for getting him to second, when our goal is to home. But in all fairness, bunting the leadoff man to 2nd base is part of the goal of bringing the runner home in that inning. It's all about teamwork, and that's what the White Sox needs, more teamwork and stringing along a timely and cohesive attack as a team rather than having 9 batters swinging the bats as individuals. So if the best way to drive a runner in is by bunting him over, for the more powerful batters behind the #2 batter to do their jobs, then everyone did their jobs, everyone served their purpose. Then what difference would it make if a bunt was used if it ended up satisfying the singular goal of the team to score runs?

QUOTE (Rooftop Shots @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 09:59 PM) What happened with Stewart? What I remember about him was that his catch-release to 2nd base was absolutely lights out. He didn't really have a cannon of an arm, but getting rid of the ball was one one of the quickest I saw in a while. The problem was that he couldn't hit worth a dink. Is that still the same scenario with him? If we signed him again after letting him go before, then they must see something in this guy. Any clues??? Is Donny Lucy's career over after that bad knee injury? Could they have brought back Stewart to take Lucy's spot on the depth chart?

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 10:54 PM) After talking with various outlets, Darrin Jackson has agreed to return to the White Sox as a radio analyst. Jackson had worked the last nine years in the television booth but his spot is being taken over by Steve Stone, joining play-by-play man Hawk Harrelson. "This has been my home," Jackson told the Tribune Saturday. "Farmio (play-by-play announcer Ed Farmer) is a friend of mine, and we're going to have fun." Jackson, 46, had explored possibilities with ESPN, MLB.TV and others before informing Sox officials of his decision to return. The Sox's spring training move from Tucson to Glendale also was attractive to Jackson, who resides in Chandler in the off-season. "There were a lot of interesting things going on," Jackson said. "But now I don't have to mess around. I'm staying in Chicago." source: Tribune I'm glad DJ is staying with the White Sox. Is it wrong for me to vehemently dislike Hawk for no reason other than the fact that DJ lost his job and Hawk didn't? I've always been a fan of DJ and I was always extremely annoyed with Hawk.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 08:54 PM) you'll never convince the majority of the people on this board that bunting is a good thing let alone bunting in the first inning. I've tried for the last few years. They don't believe that putting that type of stress on a pitcher early in the game does anything to the pitcher. Yea, it seems like that. I know for a fact that I'd never want some of the people here to manage my baseball team. A one-minded offense where the only goal is power is not as devastating as a multi-dimensional offense that uses timely shock and awe tactics with bunts. The role of the #2 batter should be to move the lead-off batter to the next base as often as possible, even if it means using the bunt. By bunting and avoiding a double play, teams still have a chance to score the speedy lead-off runner from 2nd base to home with a deep flyball to the gap that might just barely miss the fences from the power hitters in the heart of the order. Any run scored is valuable, games are won by a difference of one run. Honestly, don't give up on championing the usefulness of the bunt, don't let other people's ignorance get the better of you. It's glaringly obvious how simple-minded some people are on this board when they can't comprehend the strategic aspect of baseball and that they should probably just stick to playing recreational league baseball where swinging for the fences is the norm.

QUOTE (Felix @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 05:03 PM) Who cares about bunting? It's a stupid play designed to give outs away, which is not something we should be doing in front of our sluggers. Bunting with the leadoff batter on base is EXACTLY what the #2 batter should be doing while batting in front of the sluggers! Why take a chance at risking a potential double-play with a possible groundout when you can safely bunt the leadoff hitter over to 2nd base? Having a runner in scoring position with one out increases the chances of the sluggers to bring the runner home. Too many people think the only way to score runs is by trying to hit the home run, it's not, because we all saw that it only lead to station-to-station baseball last season.

I'm not saying the Sox should get all these guys, but if I had to pick from among the list from the original post, these are the players I would narrow my options down to: * Joey Gathright, * Jamie Burke, * Daniel Cabrera, * Ty Wigginton, * Reggie Abercrombie, * Charlie Haeger, * Tim Redding, * Wil Ledezma, I think Joey Gathright is due for a breakout season and I can see him having the potential to steal bases similar to Scott Podsednik. It'd be nice to bring Jamie Burke back, and I'd prefer having him as the back-up catcher instead of Corky Miller. Daniel Cabrera would be nice only if we can send him to triple-a if he messes up. He might be worth a flyer. I think Ty Wigginton would be great as the super-sub that we've been lacking. He can play infield positions as well as the outfield. We can play him at different positions in the lineup and give other players a day off every once in a while. Just picture him as a super hybrid of Alex Cintron/Rob Mackowiak when it comes to positions he can play. Having Wigginton and Betemit would answer ALL of our utility needs along with an extra outfielder such as Wise. Reggie Abercrombie has a lot of potential, I remember him hitting MAMOTH flyballs while playing for the Marlins,... except they ended up being fly-outs. If the Cell is smaller than Dolphin stadium, then those flyouts would've been home runs. I think it'd be nice to have Charlie Haeger back, but I think he'll just be lost in the shuffle and remain in obscurity in Charlotte. Tim Redding pitched good last year for the Nationals against tough teams such as the Braves, Phillies, and the Mets. Even though we don't have room for him, I think I would trust him as the #4 starter instead of Marquez. Tim Redding is probably the prototypical back-of-the-rotation pitcher for most teams. We need another lefty reliever to go along with Matt Thornton and whoever ends up in the bullpen between CR/AP. Without another veteran lefty in the bullpen, Ozzie might have to go to Thornton more than he has to, we don't want Thornton to have to ask for days off again this year, do we? Either way, we'll have to find a lefty reliever somewhere, even if it doesn't end up being Ledezma.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Dec 12, 2008 -> 09:36 AM) This is a terrible idea. My thoughts scare me, I dont want anyone else seeing them. Just wait until they start using this to solve crimes and stuff. Wow, that's a scary thought. I can just imagine the potential disasters of false convictions if an innocent man is presented with crime scene pictures during interrogation and in the midst of confusion he imagines himself at the crime scene and the authorities assume that the images produced from the machine implied guilt.

I might've said it before, but in case I didn't, I'll say it again: We need another lefty in the bullpen to keep a lefty-righty balance. So far the only lefty lock is Thornton, and even if we sent one of CR/AP to the bullpen, we still need a 3rd lefty, preferably a veteran, that would help keep Thornton from being overworked. I suggest Wilfredo Ledezma, I think he would be a serviceable lefty from the pen and I think he would be tons better than Boone/Horacio. Ledezma impressed me last year during a Padres/Rockies game that went multiple innings, I think it was the game that went 25 innings or so, and that it was or almost was the longest baseball game in history. Also, speaking on non-tendered players, were any of the players from the 2005 White Sox signed as non-tendered free agents? Wasn't Dustin Hermanson one? Or is my memory hazy?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 06:14 AM) Join the debate. The Royals have non-tendered him. Who would you rather have batting leadoff or 9th? Getz? Taveras? Lillibridge? Brian Anderson? Gathright? Reggie Abercrombie? Explain. Actually, I would love it if the Sox gets Joey Gathright. I've been a fan of his since he was in Tampa. I think he has more potential than Owens and Anderson, mainly because of his blazing speed, and I would also pick Gathright over Taveras because Taveras has a stress fracture on his leg just recently. I think Joey Gathright is due for a break-out season, and it would be nice if it happened while he was playing on the south side.

Anyone wanna speculate on what jersey number Viciedo might take? If he takes number 48, then that will just be sweet to have a potential impact player wearing my number. Hafner... Hunter... Viciedo? Keep the streak of worthy 48'ers rolling. ....Aint Soria in Kansas City wearing number 48 as well? I know Joe Borowski and Neal Cotts wore the number recently, too.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 12, 2008 -> 11:49 PM) Do the Astros really stand to benefit from not tendering to Wigginton? The guy had a a good season last year, can play multiple positions, and their best other option is Blum. Man, if Wigginton is non-tendered, then I hope KW snatches him in a heartbeat. I'd prefer Wigginton at 2nd base instead of Getz/Nix/Lillibridge.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 06:01 PM) You got anyone better to fill the 25th spot on the roster? The bench is shaping up to be Wise, Armstrong, Betemit, and one of Nix/Lillibridge. And southsidedon: So, i make the argument that we got some guys to help us this year, And you say,:"no, just 3." I never made a claim that all these guys would be on the team, i simply said that KW hasn't been sitting on his heels like everyone suggests. Gotcha. Sorry if I sounded harsh, I'm just feeling very discouraged at the thought that we might have a team full of young prospects next year rather than proven players.

Thunderbolt, please, get real. All of those guys are prospects. The only players on that list that will probably help the Sox on the major league level in 2009 are Marquez, Betemit, and Viciedo. The rest are a at least 2 years away or fringe players that were just throw-ins in the trades. Marquez: marginal rotation candidate, doesn't have a proven track record. Betemit: Has the most major league experience and he's the only player I trust to help the major league team in 2009. Nunez: will probably end up in triple-A where he'll fine-tune his craft. doesn't help in 2009. Gilmore: will probably end up in single-A or double-A, won't help the major league club for at least 3 more seasons. Rodriguez: same as Gilmore. Flowers: will probably end up in double-A or triple-A, probably won't help major league club till 2010 or 2011. Lillibridge: overrated prospect, has 80 or so at-bats in the majors, but I'd rather have a more proven player occupying his 25-man roster spot instead. Nix: will probably end up in triple-A. Viciedo: will probably end up in triple-A until he gets called up. I think Viciedo can help the 2009 Sox more than Betemit. Van Bendenschoten: will end up somewhere in the minors and probably will end up being a flop. also Jimenez: can't speculate too much besides guess that he'll end up in triple-a. Honestly, we need to acquire one or two veterans that can help the major league club NOW. We can't put all our eggs in the basket on fringe prospects such as Lillibridge and Nix when we still have questionable guys like Fields, Anderson, Owens, and Getz on the 25-man roster. Pretty much most of the players we acquired in the Swisher/Vazquez deals are nothing more than players to replenish our farm system, nothing more. I'd rather flip a couple of them in a package for a vet.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 03:07 AM) The Hanley offer is just ludicrous and FLO would never negotiate with KW again if he legitimately offered that. It's probably take Poreda, Alexei, AND another top prospect to even start talks for Hanley. The LAD offer is our scraps for their studs, another wowzer. Yea, but you know how savvy KW can be sometimes. I mean, look at how he stole God from the Diamondbacks. I just made some of those crazy predictions with KW's savviness in mind. Besides, if the Marlins traded Willingham and Olson for what the got in return, then I don't see why it's not possible we can trade away some of our "valued" prospects such as Lillibridge for Hanley Ramirez. Plus, Florida is so dirt-cheap that they probably want Hanley's new contract off the payroll already.

Here's some of my crazy predictions, or moves I wish KW would make. *Trade Brian Anderson with a low-level prospect for Mark DeRosa. (Have DeRosa start at 2B and have one of Getz/Lillibridge playing a back-up role with the other getting more time in AAA) or *Trade Lillibridge, Nix, Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez. (Put someone proven at either 2B or SS instead of Lillibridge/Getz. Put Hanley at SS and Alexei at 2B. Hanley would provide us with the speed element we would need while also providing some pop. We got a lot of prospects, we can flip them for someone like Henley who is still young and cheap for someone with his skills.) or *KW signs free agent Randy Wolf, who ends up being a serviceable #4 starter. (Rather have a veteran for the 4th spot instead of 2 youngsters at #4 and #5) or *KW signs Juan Cruz (if he hasn't been signed yet) for the bullpen. or *Trade Brian Anderson, Lillibridge, Cole Armstrong and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Matt Kemp. (This would never happen, too bad we never took advantage of the Dodgers' crowded outfield to pry loose either Kemp or Ethier.) or *Trade for Ty Wigginton from the Astros. ...too tired to think of any others right now...

I'm a big believer in the practice of bunting, but I think it's more valuable when it's used at strategic moments rather than everytime a certain batter is up to bat like you're insinuating. Here's a hypothetical game scenario: I'll use last year's lineup from the end of the season: 1. Cabrera 2. AJ 3. Dye 4. Thome 5. Konerko 6. Alexei 7. Griffey 8. Wise 9. Uribe Lets pretend it's the bottom of the 9th inning and the Sox is losing 4-3. Lets assume that Griffey is on 2nd base and Wise is on 1st base with no outs. Now, this is a perfect scenario where I would have Uribe bunt to move both runners over. Why? Because by bunting, we safely move both runners over and avoid a potential double-play, plus we'd have 2 runners in scoring position with just one out instead of just 1 runner in scoring position with 2 outs had there been a double play. So Uribe bunts, Griffey goes to 3rd and Wise goes to 2nd. Next, Cabrera comes up and he ends up hitting a sac fly to deep right field. Griffey scores, tying the score at 4-4 and Wise beats the throw to 3rd base and now we only have 2 outs with a chance to win the game with a single from AJ. Bunts can be effective, it's just when to use them.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 09:54 AM) I would rather avoid Bradley's attitude, I just don't like him at all. Just my personal opinion, which I am sure most don't share. But no doubt he could be a huge bat in the lineup. If former "clubhouse cancer" Pierzynski ended up being one of the all-time favorite players among Sox fans, then the same could happen with Milton Bradley. I think Bradley's controversy is more comparable to AJ rather than... say, OC.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 7, 2008 -> 07:33 PM) It would have been nicer had we noticed Curtis Granderson in our own backyard, almost literally. Having him as our CFer would have solved a few of our problems...unfortunately, not leadoff...but he's a very, very good player. Not Sizemore-esque, but the next tier down. The strikeouts are the worst part of his game, and nullify (like they do with Chris Young) some of his other attributes. I agree, I wish we had Curtis Granderson, having him would plug a lot of holes on our team. Also, one of my friends actually knew him when they both lived in Blue Island.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 07:24 AM) You are forgetting I added MOST OF THE TIME. But of course some people do not understand what that actually means or did not read that. And respect was a very poor choice in my post. But I am certain y'all would think it was cool that mom is still wearing a mini skirt and halter and dad wears platform shoes with that leisure suit and getting his hair permed. Fashions change, and as they do, stuff starts looking silly. The jersey fashion will go away, as has every other fashion throughout history. But I will admit I was wrong. Y'all have convinced me there are guys over 25 with lifestyles where they can wear jerseys most of the time and not look silly. They can wear them to work, out to dinner, on dates, etc. and they look great. Actually, I work at a hardware store and I see old men in their 50's and 60's coming in all the time in White Sox and Cubs jerseys. Jerseys can be worn as casual-wear by people of all ages. I also refuse service to customers wearing Cubs jerseys.