hawkjt

It will never come out if Wegner got a call,but I bet he did...from the supervisor of umps,probably. It is no big deal, as JR has Hawk's back. Hawk gave Selig some respect by indicating that he slapped him down,and not saying a peep....fine. I am sure that JR just told Hawk to not mess with the momentum of the team. Hawk made his point,and I bet that all umps will take note on the handling of warnings. I predict that not many more pitchers get the heave ho without a warning the rest of the season. I was listening to Vin Scully last nite in that Brewers game and he reference some pitcher from the way-back machine who was called ''high-pockets''...and compared Kameron Loe of the Brewers to him.....I thought of Hawk....yes,even the golden throated Vin Scully refers back to players of yesteryear. Both of them are good at what they do....spin a yarn around a game.

Gonna be a pitchers nite with weather so-so. M's have been cracking the ball, with 31 runs the last two games vs the Rangers. They have taken 4 of 6 from the Rangers in the last week....seem to match up well vs the Rangers...weird. King Felix has not been great the last 4 starts....16 earned runs in 24 innings. Lets hope the Sox keep him , hope the Sox can keep him on that 6.0 ERA roll!

Seattle throttled the Rangers last nite 21-8,so they are coming in with bats on fire. King Felix in game one will be formidable. Sox have Jake going,but again...Seattle is playing well right now,so no pushover like earlier in the year when their bats were silent. Bluejays are tough...and always play the Sox very tough...no gimmee. Astros? Better this year,but Sox seem to handle them. I would love to take all three series...and get to 6-3 with an over .500 home record,finally.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 31, 2012 -> 10:17 AM) The Sox have been aware of his injured back and intestinal problems. I'm not a big Morel guy, but he can't be as bad as he's been this season. He was worse than a pitcher offensively most nights. We will see how he does, but IMO, if he's healthy, he's better than the ODog offensively and defensively at 3B, not that saying much, just like the ODog can be pretty mediocre, but he looks like an All Star compared to the 2012 version of Morel we have seen so far this season. I have not heard of intestinal issues...what are they? Anyone that saw Morel at the plate last year,especially late in the year, could see that he was just not swinging the same this year. Seemed very robotic and mechanical,like he was favoring a bad back....could not get to the outside corner pitches at all. If he returns to his Sept. form,then he is the best 3rd base option for the Sox. If not, then Hudson is adequate. A big plus for Hudson is being a switch-hitter...it allows better at bats for him,and more walks,as pitchers just approach him different than a balky swinging Morel. Let Brent work out his issues down on the farm,and if he returns to form...bring him back, but not til then. Robin seems to have a very logical approach to this.

Long time Sox fan. 1. Hawk is an old school baseball guy,no doubt. But you know what? Baseball is the oldest sport in this country,and is one sport that is completely timeless, which is why stats are so big...every generation compares with prior generation,and comparable stat analysis is actually valid(cept for PEDs era). That is why Hawks little antedotes are relevant. Nothing changes in this game...there is nothing really new either. 2. Fans that dislike Hawk have quit listening to him,imo. He has altered his game the last couple of years. With the advent of the strike zone box, he has almost completely quit complaining about strikes and balls...cept when the ump is missing outside the zone box....it is a big improvement on the telecasts,and I am sure that they producers did it with this intent in mind. Hawk and Stoney have meshed better this year also. Some fans are inventing friction and this notion that Hawk talks over Stoney constantly....not true. Occasionally,sure,but those critics take a man who is on the air probably almost 500 hours a year and nitpick a handful of mistakes or misplays. WTF? Believe it or not, it is hard to be perfect 500 hours a year on national tv. 3. I do think that familiarity breeds contempt. Fans like me that watch virtually every game,either get sick of hearing the catchphrases or,like me, they just let it flow over them,concentrating on the pictures with the familiar rythmn of the backdrop of his normal calls. Sorry, but I still get excited over homers,even in the regular season....some seem to think it is ho-hum. Yesterdays homer by Dunn was huge,and Hawk knew it, the way that moore was pitching. People that know baseball knew that also. 4. Hawk is a homer....I like it. It does not define his whole broadcast,tho. He and Stoney have had some good discussions on air this year on the science and art of the game. Like Dunn hitting off of the catcher...I have never heard that before...guessing pitches off of the guy doing the catching vs the pitcher....good stuff. There have been a number of those kinds of discussions this year,and I have learned something new. My vote....Hawk and Stoney forever.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 29, 2012 -> 09:37 AM) Ozzie rode parades. Dunn has not. Makes perfect sense Hawk has always hated Manuel Hawk has always loved Ozzie. Hawk loves Robin. Hawk acknowledged that he cannot compliment Robin without sounding like it is a slam at Ozzie and Walker and Cora..ect. But, he is also acknowledging that a change was needed and that that train was off the tracks the last couple of years. It is a delicate dance Hawk is attempting, as he will always have his favorites,including Ozzie,but JR and the team comes first. Sale was so nasty yesterday, nobody was going to have a chance unless he made a mistake. He did make a couple of mistakes and Zobrist hit them. I just pray for Sale's arm and shoulder.....stay intact,please.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Aug 5, 2010 -> 03:47 PM) I don t want Jenks anywhere near the 9th inning....Putz or Thornton for closer Here is the deal.... Thornton sucked today....walked two to lead off the inning? JJ Putz sucked yesterday....did he even get an out? And today he gave up a rope that Alexei miraculously turned into a inning ending doubleplay. Sergio struggled as recently as last week. Hello,gang, Bobby was nasty today,cept for no command of his breaking stuff. If they stick to fastballs,he closes it out no problem. The Twins new closer blew a save this week. It happens. Bobbys stuff is still very good...97mph fastball. The breaking ball to Raeburn was a stupid pitch to call....that is all.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Aug 5, 2010 -> 07:18 AM) Ramon who? You know, our .400 hitting over the last 16 game backup catcher who is Freddys personal catcher, Ramon Castro. Ramon has been unbelievable at the plate since May.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Aug 5, 2010 -> 12:03 AM) I honestly didn't know Jackson threw that friggin hard. Good lord. Ya think he'll be a good 5th starter!!! And Quinten's bomb...wow! Nice job tonight against a demoralized Tigers team. I have been saying this since the trade....Edwin Jackson is rated by fangraphs as having the #4 average fastball velocity in MLB, behind only Jiminez,Verlander,and Jock Johnson. This aint no average arm out there on Edwin. I loved how he froze Damon with that 97 mph fastball on the inside corner for a called third strike. Don't blink,Johnny.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 5, 2010 -> 12:01 AM) I just thought I would play Devil's Advocate, Ozzie style. We've lost 13 games since June 9th. Kotsay hasn't played in four of those games (June 13th, July 16th, July 25th and July 31st). Therefore, he can't be blamed for those losses. In those 9 losses which he could have had an effect on, he went 5/28 but deserved better, hit a number of line drives and balls to the warning track that MIGHT have gone out in SOME MLB stadiums had the win been blowing out with gale force wins. However, he only came up two times with RISP during our entire stretch of 37-13 ball (that's right, with Mark Kotsay on the active roster, we're winning 74% of our games over a 50 game stretch!!!! Conclusion, if he's NOT on the roster, we won't play very well, and perhaps the prophecies foretold in the movie 2012 will come to pass as White Sox fans will have to stock up with survival gear, gas masks and a year's supply of Mike and Ike's...basically, if KW took Kotsay off the roster, it would be like Armageddon and December 31st, 1999 all over again.) On June 28th against KC, he pinch hit with runners on 2nd and 3rd and only one out against the Royals when we were trailing 3-1 and popped out. That hurt, although Alexei also didn't come through. And you can't really expect a pinch hitter to come through more than once every 4 AB's, right? On July 18th, with Quentin on 2nd base after a double against the Twins, he failed to move him. Of course, let's just blame that game on Bobby Jenks, right? Because any lead against the Twins in Minnesota is pretty safe, yes? We didn't really need some insurance runs! And there's no more MetroDoom jinx anymore...the Piranhas are almost all dead. On July 21st, he went 0/3 against the Mariners, but that's another one we can pin on Jenks, the game we came back to lead against Felix Hernandez (Vizquel RBI), only to have Jenks blow it once again. We lost to the A's on the 24th, but Mark actually got on base in front of Castro's homer, we lost 10-2, so you can't blame Mark there, either. And then against Bonderman this week, that's a Hawkeroo "hang wiff 'em" right? Conclusion, Mark Kotsay was 0 for 2 with RISP during 9 losses in the span of almost 2 months, he really didn't hurt us that much. In fact, Bobby Jenks had more of a negative effect than Kotsay. If we had reliable closer, we'd still be 4 1/2 games ahead of the Twins. Conlusion 2, more fans come to games to see Mark's wife in the scout seats when he's on the team, thus creating another revenue stream...and Lisa Dergan had to be replaced somehow. Nice breakdown. Kotsay has not hurt the Sox nearly as bad as percieved,despite hitting into bad luck for months. I would also contend that getting PK off the field may be worth Kotsays bad hitting. PK is healthier and fresher than he usually is this time of year...could be luck,but could be Kotsay! I hope that Ozzie gets the payoff and Kotsay's BABIP normalizes over the last two months,which would mean he would hit about .400

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Aug 5, 2010 -> 07:15 AM) If you argued for Mark Buehrle you wouldn't be wrong either. Yea, I vote for a tie between MB and PK. I think the Sox should offer the 2 yr with 3rd year mutual option type of deal worth about 8/million/yr,with a buyout of 2 million or so...he certainly is worth more than 9 million this year. You can tell he is pretty healthy right now,which is always the key with him. He has had great at-bats all year, and keeps grinding away. Very rarely has he given up an easy out all year,which is remarkable. If he stays out of any real funks the rest of the way, it will be his best year...at age 34? Go figure.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 5, 2010 -> 07:12 AM) No. Just like he didn't deserve the blame when they weren't hitting. Hitting coaches are for the most part worthless and have little to do with a team's success. If there was any justice, the same fans who rip on him,should now compliment him. They were out in force in April and May,and now they go quiet. Walker is a proud guy who hears the ripping,and it clearly bothers him,but I suppose he is just fine with the silence from critics,but still does not balance out.

QUOTE (J.Reedfan8 @ Aug 5, 2010 -> 01:40 AM) Viciedo will probably play today at 3B. Vizquel likely the day off. Not so sure of that. Schwerzer is pitching well of late,has a crackling fastball,and Ozzie will want a lefty bat in there. Good news? It is Ramon time....he will drop the head on that ball and hit it hard,I predict. The Guy has been unconscious. Big Game Freddie needs to find a way....no party with Miggy last nite,right?

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Aug 3, 2010 -> 01:51 AM) I too am excited about EJax. He has electric stuff obviously and a perfect and smooth delivery that helps prevent injuries. He will help eat innings down the stretch to keep the bullpen fresh.Whether he was KWs target or not? Who cares, he's who we got and Coop hopefuly fixed him.I can't wait for his debut un a Sox black uni. Unfortunitly I have to work so I will be held to glimpse of the game and watching the reply on TiVo. By the way he is nasty in MLB The Show! Clearly, EJax's eyes lite up when he faces AL teams not named the Sox. He has gone 28-13 vs those teams the last three years. Hopefully, that gives him confidence going into Wed vs the Tigers,who he has done well against. If he can come thru, the Sox rotation can recover from a crushing blow losing Peavy.

Looking at Edwin Jacksons game logs over the last three years shows that his record is as follows: vs AL teams not including Sox 28-13 ERA 3.81 vs Sox 2-5 ERA 7.11 vs NL 3-12 ERA 5.95 Obviously, the Sox love fastball pitchers and own Edwin. The NL is a fastball hitting league and they hammer Edwin. The AL is a offspeed league and Edwin owns them. Unless the Sox make the World Series, Edwin will not face the Sox or the NL this year. That puts him in his comfort zone. I think he will be a good addition,and can help the Sox the next 1.33 seasons. He will cost the Sox roughly 9.5 million more in that span than Hudson..but he has won 26 more games vs the AL over the last three years than Hudson,who has won 2. He has a good ground ball ratio of 51% which works in Soxpark with our defense. He owns Detroit and Cleveland,two teams we play a lot the next two months. He is already scheduled to pitch vs Detroit twice in the next 10 days. I like the Jackson deal.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Aug 1, 2010 -> 07:54 AM) jeeze,hopefully jackson can replace those solid 4ip,5er outings hudson had Exactly. Hudson is 2-2 lifetime with an ERA of 4.72 vs teams that the Sox need to beat to win the division. Contrast that with Jacksons last three years: vs AL teams we need to beat to win the division ....28-13 ERA 3.81 vs the Sox .... 2-5 ERA 7.11 vs the NL ....3-12 ERA 5.95 What does that tell us? I think it confirms the conventional wisdom: - Jackson has lites out hard stuff( rated the #4 average fastball velocity in mlb by fangraphs) - The Sox kill hard stuff, yet struggle with crafty funky slow pitchers,especially leftys - The NL is a fastball hitting league. - In the AL power pitchers flourish. If he throws strikes,he will help the Sox the next 1.33 seasons. If he pitches to form vs the AL teams the rest of the way, he will win 6-7 games down the stretch. If he does that, I am happy with this trade. In sept and oct,power pitchers rule...we got a top 4 power pitcher in terms of velocity alone,behind only Jiminez,Verlander and Jock Johnson. ...we also have had success vs Verlander. Sox are like a NL team...we love fastballs.

Juan is having another good year for the Giants...so comparing Tank to him is no insult. But, he makes contact more than Juan,so far. Not sure what we have yet,but I like what I see. I am so glad that Kenny did not give him to the Nats along with Jackson for Dunn. Keep playing him vs lefty starters at least,and maybe occasionally against rightys. He could be an X factor for us in this pennant race.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 31, 2010 -> 02:06 PM) Oh, then I should have left my post saying it's obvious Kotsay will play against righties every single game and that's just a fact. Fathom, you are a smart guy, why do you waste the mental energy thinking Castro should or could play more than he has? AJ is the starting catcher and that's a fact for the rest of this season. He'll catch all the days except when Freddy pitches and/or AJ needs a day off. No way in hell Oz is going to reduce AJ's role. It will not happen this season. Ozzie said in the postgame after friday that he will now be forced to play Ramon more,like this weekend. He will start tomorrow(day game after a nite game) and then in a game on Tues in the doubleheader vs Detroit. Castro will play more until his bat cools off,but AJ will still get at least 60% of the starts.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 31, 2010 -> 02:03 PM) I don't think we are going to beat out Minnesota even after we make the Dunn trade. I just hope KW is in love with Beckham/Viciedo and doesn't deal them. I think it'd be a huge mistake. I have to see it to believe it as far as us beating out those bastards from Minnesota for the division title even if we get Dunn. Minnie I feel is the strong favorite. They just about swept us in a four game series just a few days ago. Excuse me? Minny almost swept the Sox? The Sox dominated in game 1,and in game 2 and 3 had the winning run in scoring position with PK at the plate in the 9th. Then Bobby blew a 3 run lead in the 9th of game 4. Sox should and could have very easily swept that seriis in Minny. The Twins are not a strong favorite. They still lack a starter or two. Duesing,Baker,and Slowey are very inconsistent.

Braden is a lefty...just like Gio tomorrow. This is Dayan's big chance to show his stuff in three straight games...Go Dayan!!

I looked at Jackson's record the last three years vs AL teams (not including the Sox) and Jackson is 29-14. He is 4-0 vs Cleveland and he beat Detroit this season,two teams we play this year. He is 1-4 vs the Sox, which I think is why Sox fans think he is so bad. But for some reason he has struggled much more vs the NL than the AL. He is a power pitcher(has the 4th rated fastball velocity in MLB according to Fangraphs,behind only Jiminez,Verlander and Jock Johnson), and the NL is always said to be a fastball hitting league,so maybe that is why. He will cost the Sox 9.5 million in salary over the next 1.33 years, but if he wins at his recent pace vs AL teams he could go like 17-8 over that period. Not bad at all. Lets hope that Cooper can get him to throw more strikes. If he can, he can be overpowering with that 97mph heat,which is what really works in October.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 30, 2010 -> 08:35 AM) Welcome to the board! I agree. Rational discussion is always welcome. The fact that the Sox went from 1991 to 2009 without a top 15 pick due to finishing 1st or 2nd most years is a factor in our drafting issues.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 30, 2010 -> 09:19 AM) Whenever everyone else stands up and you just sit there, people stare at you. The wave is like someone farting real loud at a funeral....outta place. Crowd noise and participation should be triggered by events on the field. But,can't fight city hall. Anti-wave movement should make a statement by standing until wave gets to them and then sit down.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jul 30, 2010 -> 08:44 AM) I liked how with both homers Castro paused to admire the towering power blasts they were. Even if you had the sound turned down (because you knew from the sound they were long gone), you could watch his body language and know he cranked them. Yea,Ramon knows when he squares it up...it gawn!! Solid win...Soxpark is so Sox friendly right now....our righty bombers just mash in the summer. Happy to see Carlos get it going...need him to heat back up. Ozzie said that Ramon is making it tough on him with his prolific bat....indicated that Ramon would start at least one game vs an A's lefty. I would not mind having him play tonite and Sunday vs Anderson and Gio....and then Tuesday take his turn when freddy takes the mound vs the tigers in that doubleheader. Probably will just start Sunday(day game after a nite game) and then on Tuesday. Ride the hot hand,Ozzie...freeeeee RAMON!!!! Not suggesting AJ gets demoted,just that Ramon plays vs a few more lefties in the heat of August and early sept or until his bat cools. Last 13 games: .400 average with 5 homers and 11 rbis...mashing!

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Jul 29, 2010 -> 09:09 AM) I dunno. Getting lit up twice in one week by the light hitting A's would not bode well for a pennant drive. The A's recent play belie their stats. They have won 10 of 13 and have been scoring a bunch of runs in most of that run. Hudson is running into a hot team,unfortunately. Lets hope tomorrow he has more command.