ThunderBolt

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 3, 2010 -> 06:03 PM) Like it or not, JP has no value on THIS team if he's not leading off. There's just no better option. Blame Ozzie/KW for the construction of the roster until you're blue in the face. It's just fact. He does have value for the team if he's leading off. It's negative value. You don't lead a s***ty guy off, because his skill set or contract warrants it, you do it because he can get on-base and set the table for the rest of the offense.

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:34 PM) This will make some of you happy. MyMLBDraft.com is a pretty informed site when it comes to the draft, and they currently have the White Sox taking Austin Wilson with the #13 pick. I can't see Ranaudo slipping out of the top 5. And to 9? i'm sure the Padres would be shocked and thrilled. Also, don't see Harvey, Brentz or Paxton going nearly that high.

Austin Wilson has mega-tools. I'm still trying to get a decent read of Bryce Brentz, but i really like potential that Wilson shows.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 3, 2010 -> 05:43 PM) Learned his lesson? What lesson does Pierre need to learn at his age? Not to suck. How about getting back in track in the 9th hole, before you're worthy of getting the most at-bats out of anyone on the team?

That Ozzie Guillen. He's a man of his word.

Ozzie just doesn't get it. What has Pierre done outside of one game this week that proves he's learned his lesson? What has Beckham done to prove he should still be hitting second?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:42 PM) Moore would ask for Gordon Beckham and work down from there. Sometimes we really overvalue our own players and undervalue others. Not even Dayton Moore is stupid enough to demand Beckham for Gordon. Beckham, at least, has almost a year of above-average major league production under his belt.

QUOTE (The Beast @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:19 PM) Two things. Pods for Pierre. Second, why do we as Sox fans believe that Cooper and Schneider or individuals on our staff can fix these fringe of MLB players? Alex Gordon is not a fringe major league talent. He's an elite talent with major league growing pains, in a crappy sitiuation with a recent history of injury problems. I wouldn't write a guy off who came in to the majors heralded as the next, "George Brett," and was drafted in front of Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Tulo, and Jay Bruce, just yet.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:09 PM) He will go hitless this series. Book it. Peavy is going to ravage him in a non-sexual pitching oriented way.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:08 PM) How about a package to pick up Alex Gordon AND Kila Ka'aihue? I think that would be sweet... That would be fantastic. Too good to be true.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:04 PM) Okay but what would it take to get him? Good question. The Royals have a great young core of arms coming up in their system, but each of them is one to two years away. They also have Eric Hosmer a 1b and Moustakas at 3b, making those positions less of a necessity. Edit: This is going to be controversial but given how young Gordon is, coupled with the Teahen extension, i'd really consider offering a package of Morel and Torres (potentially, with a guy like Shelby positioned as filler) and see if Dayton Moore bites.

Good thread. I have to start picking up my scouting of some of these kids. I'd like to have a couple consensu picks come draft time. Ideally, i'd like the Sox to address LHP and middle infield pretty early on in the draft.

I don't think i'd be willing to give up any of the Big Four (Hudson, Flowers, Danks 2, Viciedo) for him just yet, but honestly i'd give up any other package of talent we have in this system to get an unexplored talent like Gordon's to the South Side. He's got a good enough glove to stick him at 3b, and let him do his thing for the rest of the year. Move Teahen to LF. Jones to RF, and Q to DH and you've got a young core surrounded by veterans signed to short-term deals. That's ideal.

I'd love to bring Alex Gordon into the fold, and knowing KW's history he's definitely a guy the Sox would look into.

Rios should be back in the lineup today. Hopefully, that'll get us kicking.

I assume if we were to bring in Gonzalez it would be done under the pretense that Reinsdorf is willing to cough up the cash to sign him too a long-term deal.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 3, 2010 -> 10:15 AM) He's had 1231 career at bats and been given the starting spot 4 years in a row. A couple times he's lost AB's to injury. Still, if you’re the Royals and you hype this kid as the next "George Brett," you give him at least three to four full seasons before you condemn to the minors merry-go-round. This would be a very different scenario if this was a competitive organization. We're talking the Royals here, their perpetual ineptitude puts them in the perfect scenario to stick a guy like Gordon into the lineup, and not mess around with him. His injuries have set him back, but not this far.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 3, 2010 -> 10:08 AM) If you think that was the only thing going on with Swisher...you're wrong. I look forward to the unfounded cocaine and steroids rumors to pop back up in this thread. Like, people need an excuse to hate Swish outside of being personally offended by his 2008 season. The way I see it is that there was a fundamental difference between Swisher and Ozzie from the start. They both have dominant personalities, and when perceived Ozzie as having slighted him he, he did the worst thing he could ever do. He pouted. Effectively, eliminating whatever chance he had at mending fences with this organization. That being said, if I was benched for D-Wheezey I’d pout too. As it stands, Swisher had a spectrally unlucky year that was obviously a statistical aberration. His fate was sealed the minute Ozzie and some of his clubhouse guys took a dislike to him

I was interested in hearing some of the more damning things that Swish did during his tenure as a White Sox, and sure enough with the Yankees series some of the cropped up. According to Mark Gonzalez the Sox were turned off by Swisher's.... bobble head? "The Sox were well-aware of Swisher's outgoing nature that could be viewed as being self-absorbed, especially after one incident in which he showed his bobble head doll to his teammates in the clubhouse." That's some pretty intense stuff. Also, from some comments Cowley made on the radio, it sounds like Paulie and A.J. were almost immediately turned off by Swish. Now, we know that Jenksy and Uribe were fine with him because they played into his Dirty 30 goatee shenanigans, and we know Joe Crede was fine with him, because he countered with his “Hardcore 24,” but it makes me wonder about the Veteran Click that ruled the clubhouse for years, and how their opinions on certain player seemed to have a huge effect on the stage of the clubhouse and the perception of certain members of the team being expressed by the media. It makes me wonder if the Dye-Rios comments and the Getz clubhouse comments debacle were not isolate incidents but indicative of a bigger problem behind the scenes.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ May 3, 2010 -> 01:29 AM) Alex Gordon sent to AAA. How the mighty have fallen. He was rushed through the minors and now isn't getting a long enough chance to stick in the majors. You don't take a kid like Alex Gordon and send him from AA to the MLB without the intention of sticking with him for the long haul. Guys like Aviles and Getz should not be hitting over him.

Donny Lucy sqaundered whatever chance he had at making a name for himself years ago. He needed to make the most of his time here, and he did. He’s had his moment of big league glory, and I don’t think he can ask for much more.

Retherford 3-4. Danks 2 with an Rbi double. McCulloch with a scoreless inning pitched.

Swisher got his licks in against us. I don't take him for the type to have a vendetta. He should be pleased. KW practically handed him a ring.

3-5 from Gilmore with two RBi's Now hitting .379

2 Run double for Danksy 2. Homeruns for Gartrell and Retherford.