kitekrazy

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 05:35 AM) It's too late for this season, unfortunately. Snip despite being good stuff I would like to see changes at the farm level. Some of it would be the hitting philosophy. From what I've seen, defense is the least priority with the Sox and the ability to hit a homer is first. One thing I've noticed is how the Twins outfield gets to the ball and gets it back in. That alone make their staff look better. The Sox on the other hand tend to give up a lot of triples, more so the past two years. I don't know if this is a failure in communication between outfield, pitcher, catcher or what. The Twins do have guys who close up those gaps quick. It is interesting that Manuel, Guillen, Maggs, Thomas, Dye, Thome and the many roster changes still can't solve beating the Twins. Maybe this will never change. They only thing I've seen similar to this is that Colts can't beat the Chargers. They only to avoid this is to beat the other teams and have a decent lead so it doesn't matter as much. Every team has it's b****. For the Sox it's often the Tigers.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 10:56 AM) If Thome was here...do you think he would be our everyday DH? If so, do you think he would have the same type of season without the rest he's getting in Minny? I'd like to know your answer. I don't think he would have the same type of season. And I also think we all would be complaining again on how it takes 4 singles to score 1 run. But that's just me. Just saw this from Buster Olney: Great post. Someone must have changed the ingredients in the Jim Thome punch bowl from last year. Everyone forgets that Thome would get hurt playing DH, you still need a backup. Ozzie and Kenny (yes even Kenny) hoped Jones/Kotsay together would provide the numbers collectively. Everyone forgets the paper tiger called the starting rotation is the biggest letdown of the season. Now the biggest letdown is the pen. That's the most vital part of the team in August, Sept. Wasn't that the group that killed us in 2006? Thome's success this year may have a lot to do with who is hitting before or after him in the lineup. It was a lot easier to put guys like Konerko, Thome and Dye because you knew they couldn't hurt you on the bases.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 01:25 PM) A lot of times, most of our pitchers are afraid to come inside and knock the opponents (like Young) off the plate. It's like a broken record, but Farmer mentions the reluctance of our pitchers to go inside almost every single game. Maybe the Tom Emanski/Fred McGriff Baseball Fundamentals got switched with the Sean Tracey/Jon Garland one for our minor league instructional video on pitching. I would say that happens with most staffs since the steroid era. Umps are too eager to give warnings these days since most players forgot that the brushback was part of baseball. It use to be a hitter with those elbow pads never got out of the way but now they can't get away with it. I guess hitters don't have the maturity of Minoso to realize a HBP is part of the game. Quentin will always get hit because he's close to the plate.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 09:27 AM) I don't want to see another "rebuilding on the fly" routine during the offseason. I want us to trade away as many guys as we can for as much value as we can (and I don't mean giving Quentin away for a bag of balls, the deals have to be worth making as either salary dumps or to get younger players in here). Our approach is clearly not working. An actual rebuild is going to be necessary at some point. We have some pieces that will really bring back a haul in the offseason. It might be time to finally take that plunge and commit to changing this team from top to bottom. I don't trust this organization any more with trading away as many guys as we can for as much value as we can. I would wait to see how this season pans out. I doubt anyone would want to see the organization dumps guys if the team is close to 90 wins and follow it up next year with 90 losses.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 02:15 PM) Also the Dewayne Wise thing was all Guillen as well. I get the feeling his input will hold no weight going forward. One could say that was Kenny's. You trade an everyday CF for a guy who can only swing a bat. BA fails and there's probably some reasons we will never know why he was in Ozzie's doghouse. So steps in Wise who will be remembered for that catch. To fix the CF hole was a $10M player who has that ? by scouts. Let's not forget that Jerry Owens was suppose to be another guy that was suppose to work out. I know every team has hit and misses with farm talent but from what I've seen is a joke. It's hard to believe they started a season with a guy like Josh Fields at 3rd. Jerry Owens was a fast guy who couldn't get on base.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 11:37 AM) I wish he knew more. Like how to optimize a lineup, manage a bullpen, etc. How would you manage the bullpen they way they are performing other than use Thornton and a rookie? Considering Jenks health, a bullpen arm at the trade deadline would help more than another bat. Who knows, the rookie might end up being the closer this season. Amazing how Coop always gets a free pass.

QUOTE (Real @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 01:52 PM) I still stand by my accusation of the twins somehow stealing our pitching signs, Mauer is already known for doing it when he's on 2B. Either way, stealing signs or not, twins getting out the brooms tonight They must be doing it to every team then.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 19, 2010 -> 02:12 PM) It amazes me the Twins never have a letdown against us. But they did in game 163.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:41 PM) If it wasn't for the NL cherry picking, we would of been long gone a while back. The first two months of doing nothing and our inability to beat our division and bad teams outside of the NL is why we are here. We basically have handed this over without a whimper or a fight. Beating teams you are suppose to is part of the formula for winning the division in most sports. So often the Sox don't get that memo.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 11:52 PM) I think if we really wanted to dump multiple players, we probably could...Konerko, Pierre, Jones, Putz, maybe even Linebrink the way he's been pitching lately... I'm really not that anxious to see how bad our farm systems is either. Waiver deals don't seem to really benefit the team trying to dump.

People believin' Ozzie is playin' GM. Snake oil at best.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:39 PM) He looked f***ing great. I have to temper my enthusiasm. As KW is liable to trade him for another expensive, underachieving pitcher that Cooper told him he can fix. I doubt unless it's one of those "over the hill Kenny always wanted guys". The Sox will need a closer next year and maybe that new kid might have to fill the role.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:42 PM) I thought the same thing about Hudson. No prospect is safe with KW around. Except the ones of a Josh Field caliber.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:37 PM) And our starting pitching fails to show up, and when Floyd is bad, our awful manager refuses to pull him. What's he going to replace him with? I don't trust anyone in the pen except Thornton and the rookie. I'd trust the starters to keep it close instead of Pena, Putz or Linebrink make us wish the 10 run rule was in effect in MLB.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:31 PM) The thing is, we will get back in this thing somehow. There are still a lot of baseball games to be played, and the Twins will falter a bit against other teams, and we will put some bizarre winning streak together against some good teams somehow. I just can't help but think this past week is going to be the week that we look back on and wonder where it all went wrong. The Sox are faltering right now. All this hitting is going to waste. They were a terrible team for 2 month and an extraordinary team for 2 months. So who are the real White Sox?

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:30 PM) How so? It made Jenks tank? It caused Quentin to forget how to hit on the road? Peavy sucked when the season started.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:25 PM) Well for years we supposedly had better talent as well. Then we walk out of Minny, bewildered trying to figure out why our anus feels like a train was run through it. . They are better at winning games.

QUOTE (soxfan3530 @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 08:33 PM) that's b/c the yankees are a much better team than the twins. The sox are not. Let's hope the Yankees don't fall into a slump.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 12:58 PM) From the sounds of it, you want me to find you a few games where having Jim Thome in the lineup would have made a difference. In these games, there will have been a save situation involved and the DH (mostly looking at Kotsay, but Jones playing when he shouldn't have works too) will have sputtered. Also, I'm not counting games in which a left handed pitcher started because Thome won't start against lefties (even though we know he can still hit them). April 7 - Kotsay DHed and went 0 for 3 with a walk. April 8 - Juan Pierre DHed and went 2-5 with a walk. Wee! Too bad Andruw Jones, playing CF (with Rios playing LF) went 0-3 with a walk and HBP. I suppose getting on base twice is nice, so you don't have to count this one. April 10 - Baker shut down the Sox. Konerko went 1-4, Kotsay went 1-4. Both singles. Thome got on base for Minnesota, and Kubel hit a 2-run homer. April 17 - Juan Pierre DHed and went 0-4. Andruw Jones played LF in his place and went 1-4. Coincidentally, Thome has a .385/.515/.769/1.284 line against Westbrook. April 28 - The Sox hit Harden around pretty well, but the Rangers hit Peavy better. Might have been a different outcome if the Sox don't have Konerko/Kotsay going 0-7 with a HBP (Konerko got hit). May 12 - Mark Kotsay DHed and went 0-4. Thome career against Pavano - .269/.429/.423/.852 June 1 - Harden was mediocre again, and the Sox lost 9-6. I mention this one only because it would appear as though everyone and their mother was hitting Harden...except Kotsay of course, who went 0-5. There are 7 games, and those aren't including times when he could have played against a weak lefty or came up and had a big pinch hitting appearance. If Thome can affect 2 of those, it makes a difference. I would say it's very, very reasonable he could have. So while Thome couldn't have made up for the struggles of Peavy and Floyd, he could have made the situation a hell of a lot better. Like eh..what...maybe two games better? More urine. Yawn.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 09:37 AM) Any new theories? *sigh* Pot calling kettle black who can't get past Kotsay sucks. Yawn.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 12:17 AM) Jim Thome, I hope you flicked off Ozzie or Kenny after you hit that HR. It sure proved the Sox wrong that they do in fact need a DH that hits for power in a park where power numbers are rampant. I'm more pissed that the Sox are committed to quite a bit of salary and that next year appears to be a rebuilding year, which sucks! It only proved the pen sucks and if forced your most reliable guy to exceed his normal amount of innings.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Aug 17, 2010 -> 11:06 PM) 1.) Spend money on the draft and the international signing period. We spent less on bonus money this year than any other team. A team that has such a bad minor league system shouldnt worry about slot right now. Invest in the best talent possible to use for reinforcements or trade. 2.) Instruct players in the minors on how to play fundamental baseball. We promote flawed players all the time. See Jordan Danks. A player who's strikeout numbers in AA told a story that he needed some more time to cook. The twins instruct their players how to play fundamental aggressive baseball with the same message at all levels. 3.) Invest your money wisely. No 4 year deals for Linebrinks. No using your best trading chits for things that are short sided. Think with a single organizational philosophy. Sure I want to win the world series every year. But it isnt reality. 4.) You are in the American League. Make sure that the DH is actually someone who can hit. Your park plays for homers, make sure that you have guys who can do that. 5.) Ozzieproof the lineup, or ditch Ozzie. You cannot have crapy grindy players anywhere near this lineup. He will overuse them in the spirit of flexibility. 6.) Tell the players that sure its cold in April and May, but the meal money isnt as good in Charolette. So tanking the first two months of the season because your peter crawled up and hid doesnt work. Wear a jacket or a sweater. 7.) Try and prepare your players for the grind of the season. Having guys who piss down their leg year in and year out is sad. The twinks down piss down their leg. They bring kids up and they just plug in. We need to figure that out, and mimick it. In a perfect world a great GM might get half of that right in every professional sport. No sport is exempt from having a bad contract. Salary cap sports help but there are still bad contracts.

QUOTE (since56 @ Aug 12, 2010 -> 06:15 AM) What's with all the negativity? The Twins are not all that. Their ballpark is not working out so great for them. Wait untill the weather cools down and and the ball really goes no where in Minnesota. Their pitching is inconsistent ( except Pavano ) and only so so . They fear us as much or more than we fear them. They are a good team but not unbeatable. How is their ball park not working? Are the toilets froze already? They are 6th in attendance. It doesn't matter if the ball is dead. They are winning without the home run. They are only 16th in team home runs. Home runs can be over rated since The Rays and Twins are in the lower half of MLB.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 17, 2010 -> 10:57 PM) Well, if the rotation is Peavy, Buehrle, Danks, Jackson, and Floyd, they better win a lot of games 2-1 because that's a ton of money that will be locked up with our rotation with money being needed to fill holes at 1B (if PK leaves), DH, C. Don't worry. Kotsay will fill them all.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 17, 2010 -> 10:53 PM) The current White Sox model of running the organization is broken. It has to be changed, because insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results...what's even more insane is making the plan to DH Jones and Kotsay, 75% of elementary school students could have identified that as a problem, or DeWayne Wise leading off and starting in CF last year. Shhh...that will fuel those who believe the Rowand for Thome trade was the worst ever.