elgonzo4sox

Freddy perfect through 3...

QUOTE (dmbjeff @ Sep 29, 2010 -> 07:22 PM) this is the first game i have watched since the minnesota massacre. whats up with CQ standing practically straight up in the box. walker talk him out of the crouch? Don't know. I was a huge Joe Crede fan too, but unfortunately Joe can no longer win games for the Sox. You need to get a "Rally Rios"...or maybe create a "Rally Morel"...

Big Papi bunting to get on base as the leadoff hitter. You gotta love September baseball....

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 29, 2010 -> 05:34 PM) Other than in BB & OBP, he has outperformed the late-season replacement DH as well. Kotsay is batting .400 vs. Beckett. We'll see tonight if past performance is indicative of future returns...

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Sep 29, 2010 -> 04:29 PM) I don't know about all that. Last night his opposite field double was sure a pretty piece of hitting Konerko's double yesterday was indeed, as Ozzie said, the hit of the game. But I don't think Paulie has been the same since Pavano hit him. Yes he hit an HR in the next at bat, but I think the stats would show that his hot streak ended that game.

Sox record over the Sawx so far this season: 4-1 It's Freddy (11 wins, 4.74 ERA) vs. Beckett (6 wins, 5.77 ERA) The Sox are playing hard and trying to win out, whereas the Sawx might experience a bit of a letdown and rest some players after getting officially eliminated last night. C'mon Sox, let's beat those Beaneaters again!

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Sep 28, 2010 -> 11:19 PM) Yeah one problem. The Twins are still better than us by 5+ games. And they have money to spend. This team without upgrading (and I mean keeping Paulie/getting Jake) still tops out at 90 wins, IMO. I have a feeling the Twins could have a huge run of division titles in the near future. Where were all these "the Twins will dominate us for years" posts in mid July at the All Star Break, when we were in first ahead of the Tigers and led the Twins by 3.5 games? Everything clicked for the Twins in the second half. This won't continue forever. In fact, it looks like they are going to limp into the postseason. They've lost 5 straight, the starting pitching has gone south, Mauer and Thome are injured, and Morneau is done for the year. And to top it off they have the Sports Illustrated cover jinx to deal with.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Sep 29, 2010 -> 09:53 AM) I have enjoyed simply watching the White Sox stressfree for the last week as they close out the summer and baseball season. Last night was a great game. I understand losing to get a higher pick but I only back that theory if you are in a lottery opportuntiy or in the top 5 to 7 picks. Losing games to go from 17 to 15 is a losers mentality. Also I wonder if Guillen hits Dayan for Kotsay in that same situation in a meaningful game. It was a great ending. I agree completely. We've got a chance, with two more games against the Red Sox, to finish as the 5th best team in the AL. Better to try to win out than give up.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Sep 27, 2010 -> 09:55 AM) Let's win and continue with the win streak right till the end Agree! I'll be there tonight. Go Sox!

Man, that 80th win took a while and was a very, very tough one. We still have a shot at 90!

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 05:09 PM) Nice comeback, but I hate seeing Thornton pitch 2 innings in a game. Doesn't matter much today, since the next game is not until Friday night. Thornton will get rest, and since the games don't matter too much now anyway, he's not critically needed on Friday or any other game for the rest of the year.

Kotsay!!! Teahen!!! C'mon bullpen - hold the lead

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Sep 22, 2010 -> 10:31 AM) Play the freaking kids!!! Play Flowers, Viciedo, Lilly, Morel, De Aza, and let Harrell and Torres, and Infante pitch. Why the hell not? I know Harrell and Torres suck, but maybe they'll use this big league experience, so the next time they're called upon when we need them they won't go out to the mound and poop a brick in a big game. I'm not sure playing in front of 3,000 people in Oakland qualifies as big league experience

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 02:11 PM) Touche! Was talking about Vizqel / Morel. Buehrle typically needs strong infield defense more than outfield defense, since so many hits against him are singles that make it through the infield. I swear half the hits Burls gives up either touch the glove of a defender or come within 12 inches. It will be good to see if Morel can do a credible job at third - he'll certainly have plays to make.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 10:23 AM) I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't wanna go through years of being really bad with no guarantee that we'll be good afterwards. I HATE seasons when the White Sox suck. I hardly even remember the 2007 season when the Sox were bad because it was that hard to pay attention. And I can't be the only one who feels this way. Remember those games in Cleveland last week? You know... when there seemed to be about 3000 fans there? That is what you'll have on the Southside if you trot out a young team in rebuilding mode that projects to win only 60 games. In Kenny I trust, and I trust that he will not let it happen. Sure, this season sucks at the end, but at least it provided SOME excitement. Do you guys really want to be the Indians? I'm with you, Chet. Anyone who wants to watch a major-market MLB team that is going through a major rebuilding phase by focusing on youngsters (because they can't/won't spend money on free agents because the owner broke the bank acquiring the team) can see one right here in Chicago, eight miles north of The Cell. There are plenty of tickets available...

QUOTE (elgonzo4sox @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 10:34 AM) The Cincinnati Reds last went to the playoffs in 1995. The Tampa Bay Rays finished dead last in the AL East for 9 of their first 10 years before starting their run of what will be three consecutive years in the playoffs. The San Francisco Giants have never won a World Series since they became the San Francisco Giants in 1958. The Texas Rangers last won the AL West (which only has 3 other teams, making it the easiest division to win) in 1999. I wouldn't hold these franchises up as models of success for the Sox to emulate. I realized I made a mistake - the Rays didn't make the playoffs in 2009, so it will only be 2 of the last 3 (actually, the last 13) years in the playoffs for them.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 02:18 AM) You're on a roll tonight, greg. And you're right. There is no guarantee. But 8 missed Octobers in 10 years proves the way we've been doing things doesn't work, either. You named those teams. But I counter with the Reds, Rockies, Giants, Rays and Rangers. And it's not like we have to start right at the bottom. We've got some legitimate pieces. And we can spend more money than any of those other teams you named. The Cincinnati Reds last went to the playoffs in 1995. The Tampa Bay Rays finished dead last in the AL East for 9 of their first 10 years before starting their run of what will be three consecutive years in the playoffs. The San Francisco Giants have never won a World Series since they became the San Francisco Giants in 1958. The Texas Rangers last won the AL West (which only has 3 other teams, making it the easiest division to win) in 1999. I wouldn't hold these franchises up as models of success for the Sox to emulate.

I like my Twinkies...FRIED!!!!

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 13, 2010 -> 09:51 AM) So it wasn't bad to dump Thome when he was willing to play part time for $1.5 million? Konerko's production had declined in recent years. I suppose if the Sox traded him for some obsure AA players and ate part of his salary and he had the year he's having this year, you would have had no problem with that either? A HR every 15 AB is still 30 in 450 AB and 40 in 600 AB. I don't see where that's an issue. One of our "rotating DHs" has indeed produced on par with what a declining Thome would have been expected to produce in 2010: Andrew Jones has an OPS of .824 and one HR every 14.05 ABs, which is a slightly worse OPS and a slightly better HR rate than Thome in 2009 - and Jones cost only $500K, plus he can play great in any outfield position, providing rest for a regular. Maybe Ozzie's main screw-up (since KW ultimately controls who's on the roster, not him) has been in not playing Jones enough. The other point is that it is primarily Thome's outstanding year, far above projections, that is causing so much angst among the fan base now, especially the streak he's been on recently. When he's hitting into the shift or striking out, we don't see those at bats on the game highlights.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Sep 11, 2010 -> 11:08 PM) Ahhh - never f***ing mind... Krishna blows donkey balls too. Anyone who still doesn't wish Thome was signed - is a moron. And anyone who could have predicted in January that Thome's OPS would rebound to 1.042 this season, after it had declined from 1.014 to .973 to .865 to .864 during his 4 seasons on the south side, is a genius! Thomes ABs per HR on the south side: 11.67 in 2006, 12.34 in 2007, 14.79 in 2008, 15.00 in 2009 Thome as a Twin in 2010: 1 HR every 10.95 ABs Stat after stat can be cited to show that Thome was on a 4 year straight line decline during his time on the south side. It was reasonable for the Sox (or anyone) to expect the decline to continue, given Thome's age.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Sep 9, 2010 -> 01:43 PM) gift I'll take it. Lord knows we've given away some runs recently...

There's the curveball - nice inning, Gavin! C'mon offense - 2 runs doesn't win many ballgames, including this one...

Gavin needs to find his curveball - quick!

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 9, 2010 -> 09:37 AM) Pierre LF, Vizquel 2B, Rios CF, Konerko 1B, M. Ramirez, DH Quentin RF, Castro C, A. Ramirez SS, Morel 3B Jackson CF, Rhymes 2B, Damon DH, Raburn LF, Boesch RF, Peralta SS, Kelly 1B, Inge 3B, Avila C No Teahen. Still no Cabrera for the Tigers. We can win with these line-ups. Go Gavin!

QUOTE (robinventura23 @ Sep 9, 2010 -> 07:39 AM) Morel to start at 3B today. Thank you Ozzie!!!