kitekrazy

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 31, 2013 -> 08:09 AM) George Brett said yesterday that "Home runs can kill rallies". That's one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. Why don't the Royals just get it over with and fire their lunatic of a manager. Sox fans often take that philosophy. With the current ballpark, I believe most of the players believe that philosophy.

I would assume regression just by not being in a Yankee's lineup. Even Swisher put up better numbers there.

I find it boring and over done. The Sox/Cub rivalry is pretty meaningless around August. It's always the failure to capitalize on weaker teams the always haunt the Sox down the stretch.

Just because Sox baseball sucks it doesn't mean this forum has to suck. After a thread like this, I almost respect guys like Marty.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 29, 2013 -> 11:03 AM) If the Sox traded Ramirez, who would play SS, not just this season, but moving forward? It is one of the most vital positions on the field. According to the brilliant Marty that player's name is I Don't Care.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2013 -> 04:55 PM) Yes, but, just when they had some positive momentum finally going, it's gone like that. Even if it didn't count, the Cubs got to Sale as well yesterday... Oakland has won five in a row, and 10 of their last 11, including two in a row over a good Giants team. If Oakland beats us up pretty good in those two series, we might be lucky to be at .500 at the end of June. A couple of days ago, it looked like 5-7-9-11 games over .500 was possible. It's still POSSIBLE. But not without defense, enough offense and a decent bullpen (before Crain/Reed). It wouldn't be White Sox baseball without that, What's it like to see the Sox be the Cub's b****?

QUOTE (fathom @ May 28, 2013 -> 01:33 PM) The actions this offseason definitely were not of an organization in win-now mode, in my opinion. Free agent market wasn't so great either. Best deal was resigning Peavy.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 28, 2013 -> 01:39 PM) Wow, you are full of it today. Just a word of advice leave the humor to the professionals, you aren't that good at it. My humor >>>>>Marty's opinions.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 26, 2013 -> 06:18 AM) http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...54.story?page=1 It sounds too much like Phil Rodgers. Not one of Mark's best. Camelback Ranch remains one of the best spring training facilities despite the fact home plate faces the sun and leaves fans scrambling for shade when temperatures exceed 75 degrees. Engineering and architecture is far from brilliant in AZ. My Spring training experiences have not been great. Went to the Peoria stadium in 50 degree weather. Seat were uncomfortable, my neck hurt for 2 days. Camelback is very uncomfortable because someone decide to build the park facing the sun and offer little shade. Chase Field....a different story.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 26, 2013 -> 01:32 PM) Yet somehow...."No Whiners!" or "Stop Complaining/Moaning" doesn't seem like the greatest marketing slogan, either. There's no way of attracting fans without insulting our fanbase? Because if we're waiting for the older fans to die out...why aren't we seeing increased attendance from that younger generation of fans in their 20's and 30's who have grown up with mostly KW teams and a World Series winner? Aren't they also the ones who are complacent and hypercritical, whereas it's more the older fans in their 40's and 50's who have always tended to be more supportive/patient, as they'd already gone through decades of bad Sox baseball....namely, for most of the 60's, 70's and 80's? They have done that to a point. Fandom is often passed down to generations. Sportsvision and the strike are two black eyes to this organization. No back to back post seasons. If it is the fans then move the team. It works as long as they never had an MBL team and eventually you will have to win there as well. Maybe they should move to Oklahoma.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 28, 2013 -> 11:52 AM) White Sox fans are the only fans in MLB that get mad at their team for trying to win. I think fans view this season as not trying to win. Resigning players, getting involved more in free agency is usually a baseball fan's definition of trying to win. They've done this in the past and seem to fail at it lately. If they do a fire sale then it will be 100% proof. At least Marty will be happy. If they somehow get Jaun Pierre through those trades, Marty will be getting a season ticket skybox.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ May 28, 2013 -> 11:43 AM) I don't think comparing and contrasting the NFL and the MLB and their handling of busts brings anything to the argument. The two leagues operate differently. Not as much as you think. Even top level NFL free agents get a longer rope. They might get benched in the last year of their contract unless you can get draft picks. Obvious draft picks are more meaningful in the NFL.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 28, 2013 -> 12:33 PM) I don't think it's going to be nearly as fun to have that attitude when they're paying the last few years of Fielder's deal. Detroit media was very critical of that deal. Not so much about the length but they overpaid since no one was biting early on the agent's demand. At least it made Hendry proud.

Cooper needs to use his magic wand if there is anything left of it.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 28, 2013 -> 12:55 PM) That's part of the equation, but this isn't fantasy baseball. Guys get paychecks, and with the new rules with the draft, stud minor leaugers are going to be more difficult to pry away. So you still aren't ready to go out on a limb and tell us what type of prospects the Sox should expect in return, just make it an auction, and best bid wins. No reserve. Correct? Do we dare trust this organization with others' prospects unless they are pitchers?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 28, 2013 -> 12:51 PM) Trade value correlates very closely to on-field performance. That usually happens when trading garbage player A for garbage player B. See Nick Swisher trade part 2.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ May 28, 2013 -> 12:13 PM) The purpose it serves is to make your opinions worth reading otherwise I'm finished with your rebuild, tear down ,he sucks ,send him down , spend money ,I don't know who I want or even what kind of team I want posts. Should we make it a poll?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 28, 2013 -> 10:56 AM) I think that because Cubs fans have embraced their rebuild, they don't care if they lose anymore. This won't be interesting again until there's at least SOMETHING at stake. I think Cubs fans care, not the fans of Wrigley. I always wondered if the outsiders in the baseball world knew what a mess their organization is. They had some of biggest attitude problems, 2 great young starters who declined, signed attitude problems. ROY catcher that's barely in baseball. Former big time roid user. It was an embarrassing organization. I think the Cubune did a great job of protecting them.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 25, 2013 -> 01:00 AM) http://insidesportsillustrated.com/ The St. Louis Cardinals are the most consistent franchise in baseball due to an organizational philosophy dedicated to measured and constant evolution, writes Ben Reiter in this week’s Sports Illustrated. At the forefront of their sustained success is diverse and dominant starting pitching, made up this season by a rotation of Adam Wainwright, Shelby Miller, Jamie Garcia, Lance Lynn and Jake Westbrook—all of whom appear on SI’s cover. The cover is inspired by the iconic October 7, 1968, SI cover that featured Roger Maris, Tim McCarver, Bob Gibson, Mike Shannon and Lou Brock. “When we think of the Cardinals, we think of a distinct organizational culture: Anodyne, diligent, supportive, resolute,” says Reiter. “Mostly, we think of consistency. Their 11 championships have been well distributed. No son or daughter of St Louis born since 1902 has reached the age of 25 without having lived through at least one victory parade.” (PAGE 64) At week’s end the Cardinals sit atop the National League with just nine players from their 2012 championship team. They are there, in large measure, because of a starting rotation that has been historically good. “The Cardinals have ended up with such a rotation by doing what they’ve always done, and what any team or corporation ought to do if it seeks success in the long term. Which is to ceaselessly, though judiciously, innovate,” says Reiter. (PAGE 64) When the game had become power crazy, former longtime St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan worked with the team’s pitchers to mix in ground ball inducing two-seam fastballs since he believed most pitchers only stood a chance by keeping their deliveries down in the strike zone. Wainwright busted on the scene as a closer late in the Cardinals 2006 title run throwing the two-seamer, and continues to use it now as the rotation’s ace and leader. However, when John Mozeliak was promoted to G.M., in 2007, Duncan began to lobby him to add power pitchers to the mix, especially since home runs were on the decline. “We decided to emphasize not just pitchers who were throwing hard, but guys we thought might throw harder in the future,” says Mozeliak. (PAGE 67) Within three years they drafted Lynn, Miller and also added Trevor Rosenthal and Carlos Martinez, each of whom throw around 100 mph from the bullpen and could be future starters—perhaps very soon since Garcia and Westbrook both recently were placed on the disabled list. The Cardinals have evolved financially, too, as they made the difficult choice to not re-sign Albert Pujols before last season. “Losing an iconic player was not easy—it was jolting,” says Mozeliak. “From a very simplistic standpoint, [once we let him go] we knew we had resources to deploy elsewhere.” (PAGE 67) The flexibility led to extensions for Wainwright and Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina. “While an overriding ethos—the Cardinal way—has developed over the years, it is flexible enough to allow the team to capitalize on the game’s changing realities better than any other,” says Reiter (PAGE 65) This one had the Twins' fans crying in their beers with the 10 game losing streak, the near no-hitter, the lack of financial flexibility with the Mauer deal....and seemingly stuck with Gardy, Rick Anderson and Terry Ryan for the foreseeable future. As if we are any better. What's the chances of the Sox organization becoming anything like the Cardinal organization? Maybe.....Reinsdorf still has this fascination of LaRussa. Remember the rumor mill with LaRussa's retirement.

QUOTE (MAX @ May 26, 2013 -> 12:23 AM) I guess what I am saying is that I bet someone in the sox organization thought that at one time, our catchers had all of those skills to a passable extent as well. Or equally determined self-important ones. Probably not. The Sox seem to be really bad in developing catchers. I don't think I can even name a Sox catcher after Fisk and before AJ. So they had to get them via free agency. AJ had a high baseball IQ and it came from another organization. This is probably the least glamorous position in baseball after the careers of Bench, Fisk, Munson and Simmons came to an end. I would imagine any organization that has a good hitting catcher converts them to another position. It's probably hard to find a good coach at this position.

QUOTE (TRU @ May 27, 2013 -> 08:33 PM) Ide be surprised if this team wasnt 8-10 games out of first in mid July. We dont have the offense to compete this year and if guys like Rios, Peavy, Crain, etc. keep performing at a high level they will be in demand come deadline time and I sure hope that we are dealing these guys and not adding. Then what?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 28, 2013 -> 12:44 PM) ROFL! Ya got me good with that one. It's like you are so involved in a fantasy sports team while the rest of the group is dealing with the current for real major league team.

QUOTE (hawksfan61 @ May 27, 2013 -> 09:56 AM) I think in five years both plans have about the same chance to succeed. However under the "re-tool" plan you haven't alienated the fanbase and presumably have some talent on the major league level to work with (if you are winning 80-82 games then you have some guys that can play). Under the set the world on fire plan in THEORY you could end up with the Rays (we will ignore the fact that they were godawful for 10 years before they became a 90 win team) but you also have a great chance to become the Pirates, Royals, Mariners, etc. I would rather delude myself with the re-tool method, because nothing about being out of the race on opening day for 5-7 years sounds appealing to me. All-stars can be found anywhere in the draft, ask the Angels and Cardinals. I would rather do it that way. That means having good scouts and keeping your owner from drafting the agent instead of the player.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 26, 2013 -> 07:12 PM) Marty Is one of those guys that loves to point out failure. Keppinger at SS is a dream scenerio for him. If he could only see that every time he posts. When I think of sports stupidy, outside of Bleedcoltblue, he is on the tops of my list.

QUOTE (VAfan @ May 27, 2013 -> 03:00 PM) We all know that Adam Dunn is not hitting well. 164 ABs, .159 .254 .402 .656 -0.5 WAR 64Ks. He's not the worst hitter on the team. Below him with -0.7 WAR is Konerko, and Jeff Keppinger (2 walks) is at -1.2 WAR. What I don't understand is how Robin can trot out a lineup card with Dunn and Konerko in the middle day after day after day. We've played 48 games. Why are these guys still near the top of the lineup? In NFL football, once teams acquire players, they tend to play the best players, regardless of contract or draft pedigree. They don't care who you are, just what you can do on the field. Robin needs to apply some of that to the Sox lineup. In terms of performance in 2013, this is what the Sox lineup should look like. 1. R - Ramirez - .323 OBP, .675 OPS 2. L - De Aza - .712 OPS 3. R - Rios - .885 OPS 4. R - Viciedo - .797 OPS 5. L - Gillaspie - .788 OPS 6. R - Konerko - .658 OPS 7. L - Dunn - .656 OPS 8. R - Flowers/Giminez - .614/.717 OPS 9. R - Greene - .637 OPS When Beckham returns, you could slot him last, but if he hits, move him up. Jeff Keppinger should be a bench player right now. This would be a much more logical lineup. If Dunn and Konerko start to hit better, move them up. For right now, Viciedo and Gillaspie are hitting much better and deserve the 4-5 slots in the order. Why Ramirez over De Aza at the top of the lineup? First, his OBP is much higher, .323 instead of .292. Second, he has 8 steals to De Aza's 5. And with De Aza behind him, if Ramirez get's on second, then De Aza's pull tendencies are helpful to move Ramirez over. Plus, De Aza has 7 HRs to Ramirez's 1. Better to have the power guy up with someone on base. I count the current lineup as a MAJOR strike against Ventura's managing style. He's managing names, not the actual team he has. And it's got to be costing us games. We've scored an AL-worst 177 runs. He's got to do everything he can to squeeze whatever production he can out of this pathetic lineup. Where have you seen that other than with rookie QBs? Remember Cedric Benson? If they were drafted and given a nice contract they always play. The NFL is just a guilty of that. Professional sports rarely follow that theory.