aboz56 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Now that I've gotten some rest, I feel it's my duty as a Soxtalk member to share with everyone the questions I asked this past weekend and the answers I received. At the seminar featuring Hawk, DJ, Valentin and Buehrle: I asked Mark what the difference for him was between the first half of the season and the second half: Mark basically said that at the beginning of the year he was using his sinker too much and experimenting with pitches when he should have just stuck with what had made him successful his first two seasons of the year. In addition, Mark made it clear that some of the comments he made in the papers last year about the fans booing him were directed at just those fans, not all of the Sox fans. What really made me happy during this session was that about 2 questions after me, a ten yr old girl came up and said to Mark that when he was being booed, she was still cheering for him. At the session featuring Harris, Crede, Hawk, DJ and Rick Hahn: I commented to Crede that even though he struggled the first half of last yr with the stick, he's got the best glove at 3B I've seen. I then proceeded to ask Hahn about last yr's draft and to comment on the 4 players who I liked the best out of last yr's draft: Anderson, Sweeney, Valido and Nanita. Rick seemed impressed that I picked out those 4 names and proceeded to talk a bit about each guy and said that it's likely that Anderson, Sweeney and Valido would likely start a Kannapolis and that Nanita would most likely start at Bristol due to the wrist injury he suffered at the end of last season. He also commented that he expects Anderson to be at 100% for the start of spring training and that Sweeney may be the best athlete out of the entire draft last year. He also thanked the scouts who investigated Sweeney's signability and did the job to figure that the Sox could grab him in the 2nd round and sign him. At the session featuring Hawk, DJ, Ozzie and KW: I first asked Hawk and DJ what their favorite stadium to call a game at was (besides the Cell) and asked KW about the chances of rule 5 draftee Jason Grilli competing for the 5th starter spot. Hawk and DJ both said they liked Boston and NY the best besides the Cell. Then KW said that he should have mentioned Grilli earlier when talking about the 5th starter spot and they feel he has the arm to compete for the job and that's why they went ahead and spent the 50K for him in the Rule 5 draft. However, he also said that the Rule 5 is usually a crapshoot so you never know. Hawk chimed in and said that Rule 5 players sometimes do work out and the best examples he came up with from his experience in management were Bobby Bonilla and Scott Radinsky. Overall, the Q & A's were great except for the fans who were rude for no good reason. I thought Steff asked good, tough questions but didn't come off as being a jackass like some of the fans did. I was disappointed in some of the tone that some of the people were giving to the guys who were obviously being put on the spot. I'll have my pictures from all 3 days up in the next few days... AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Lopez Ghost (old) Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Hawk chimed in and said that Rule 5 players sometimes do work out and the best examples he came up with from his experience in management were Bobby Bonilla and Scott Radinsky. AB Thanks for sharing your experiences. Memo to Hawk: Radinsky was selected in the 3rd round of the 1986 June draft, by us of course. Not a rule 5 guy. Not sure about Bonilla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elrockinMT Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Thanks for you information and insight. It is always nice that someone like you is willing to take the time and keep us "out-of-town" Sox fans informed. It seems like the Soxfest is a great event for the fans and players alike. I wish I wish able to participate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Thanks for reporting aboz. Did you get your jersey autographed like you wanted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted February 2, 2004 Author Share Posted February 2, 2004 Thanks for reporting aboz. Did you get your jersey autographed like you wanted? Well I got that Gray jersey signed by mostly everyone except Manos and Lee (I got Lee on a bat instead) and then I bought an authentic Mark jersey which he signed. Also got a personalized ball from Mark and he signed the gray jersey as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Bonilla was a Rule 5 draftee in 1985 http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bonilbo01.shtml Rad I know we drafted because I saw him pitch in South Bend when they were still an A ball team for the Sox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted February 2, 2004 Author Share Posted February 2, 2004 No idea why Hawk said that about Radinsky. I was just listening, maybe he got his names mixed up or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Did anyone go to the Family matters Q&A? I think I had more fun at that one than any of them. I did ask a question at the Jose, MB, Hawk, and DJ session. I asked if they thought the Twins or Royals were our biggest competition for 2004. And actually I asked DJ that query before the session started while he was signing some autographs and he said that he is much more worried about the Royals. He said all of their best players and most importantly leaders, are gone. Jose when talking about the Twins, said don't count them out because of the cheating they do at the Hump Dome, and went on to site the Carlos Lee HR that Torii Hunter took away. Jose said to watch the US flag. When the Twins are up it doesn't move, when the Sox are up it is blowing like crazy. He said that ball that CLee hit was an easy HR, and it was hit way harder than a ball that ended up going out of the park for the Twins during the same game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted February 2, 2004 Author Share Posted February 2, 2004 Dispite what everyone else thinks, I think the Twins are the favorites in the division until someone proves they can beat them consistently. During that particular session, Jose said something like we don't have problems against the Twins which made me think, what the hell are you talking about there Manos? Sure they've lost a lot of guys (Milton, Pierzynski, Mohr, Guardado, Hawkins) but then again, Milton didn't contribute much at all last year. If Mauer is as good as they say he is, he can do a fine job in place of Pierzynski, Mohr can be replaced by one of their younger guys like Cuddyer or Morneau as well. To me, if their bullpen performs, they are the team to beat in the division. I'm not sold on KC or Minny's starters at all, in fact I think the Sox have the best starters in the division. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulokis Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 thanks for sharing your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickman Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 I was at the saturday session and came away with a couple of notes. First it was great meeting Steff and her husband. I found her very knowledgeable and a delightful person. That said, I had an interesting conversation with Hawk as he was preparing to sign at the Fox booth. I commented I thought we would have a difficult time this year. He completely disagreed and sited the following things as keys: 1) No more jerry Manual. He said we finally got a manager that knows what he is doing. His words not mine. 2) Garland will win 15 or more this year. I calmly stated that he was suppose to win 15 last year. He said Manual is not there to screw him up. He expects a big change in Garland. 3) Said Ozzie will do what Tony Pena did to KC last year. 4) Aggressiveness on the basepaths. He said we will manufacture more runs than in previous years. I realize that this is all marketing bulls***, but I hope he is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 I was at the saturday session and came away with a couple of notes. First it was great meeting Steff and her husband. I found her very knowledgeable and a delightful person. That said, I had an interesting conversation with Hawk as he was preparing to sign at the Fox booth. I commented I thought we would have a difficult time this year. He completely disagreed and sited the following things as keys: 1) No more jerry Manual. He said we finally got a manager that knows what he is doing. His words not mine. 2) Garland will win 15 or more this year. I calmly stated that he was suppose to win 15 last year. He said Manual is not there to screw him up. He expects a big change in Garland. 3) Said Ozzie will do what Tony Pena did to KC last year. 4) Aggressiveness on the basepaths. He said we will manufacture more runs than in previous years. I realize that this is all marketing bulls***, but I hope he is right. It's so very disappointing to hear these guys over and over and over again blaming Jerry for all the wrong last year. The players had nothing to do with it..? And I'm sick of hearing about Jerry's lack of motivational skills. At what point do these guys get sick of losing..? Obviously, never. I sure hope the Sox don't go on a skid.. After all the blaming of Jerry if the same thing comes anywhere close to happening.. Ozzie's gonna explode in the media. BTW quickman, very nice meeting and talking with you as well. Your uncle left a smile on my face the rest of the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggio202 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Bonilla was a Rule 5 draftee in 1985 http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bonilbo01.shtml Rad I know we drafted because I saw him pitch in South Bend when they were still an A ball team for the Sox. the fact that hawk has to go back to bonilla and in his mind , radinsky (probably mixing him up with someone else) really disproves what he was trying to say...that rule 5 picks are few and far between... but 50k for a chance to find a diamond in the rough is equivelent to you and me spending 5 bucks on lottery tickets..itsvery little risk with a small chance of a big payoff...so why not...a franchise like ours should probably be more active in rule 5 players Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 the fact that hawk has to go back to bonilla and in his mind , radinsky (probably mixing him up with someone else) really disproves what he was trying to say...that rule 5 picks are few and far between... but 50k for a chance to find a diamond in the rough is equivelent to you and me spending 5 bucks on lottery tickets..itsvery little risk with a small chance of a big payoff...so why not...a franchise like ours should probably be more active in rule 5 players Actually the last few years have been pretty succesful Rule 5 drafts. IIRC Jay Gibbons was a rule 5 guy, as were a bunch of guys out of the Tigers pen (Matt Romney comes to mind, and I know there were two more last year as well.) With teams in severe payroll dumps there are many more spots for these kind of guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastime Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Aboz, Props to you not only for asking intelligent and thought-out questions, but also for sharing with the rest of the class. I'm going to Soxfest next year (unless I'm dead), and I hope to meet up with you. I'll give you a number and time when it's figured out. I'm lucky if I can remember where my car keys are anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Chappas Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 It's so very disappointing to hear these guys over and over and over again blaming Jerry for all the wrong last year. The players had nothing to do with it..? And I'm sick of hearing about Jerry's lack of motivational skills. At what point do these guys get sick of losing..? Obviously, never. I sure hope the Sox don't go on a skid.. After all the blaming of Jerry if the same thing comes anywhere close to happening.. Ozzie's gonna explode in the media. BTW quickman, very nice meeting and talking with you as well. Your uncle left a smile on my face the rest of the day Last evening proves what a good leader/coach/manager can do. I know it is a different sport but a good team with a great leader can win everything. A good team with an average manager will be average. This being said, I do not think Ozzie is the answer. I believe the answer was Gaston or Terry Francona. Anybody ask Ozzie about his quote about not needing the fans in 1994/95????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Anybody ask Ozzie about his quote about not needing the fans in 1994/95????? No.. and thank God! Can you imagine what the write up's would have been if that was asked..?? "Sox fans STILL rehashing s*** from a decade ago.." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 No.. and thank God! Can you imagine what the write up's would have been if that was asked..?? "Sox fans STILL rehashing s*** from a decade ago.." All though the guys that were sitting behind us kept repeating it, EVERY SINGLE TIME Ozzie said anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 All though the guys that were sitting behind us kept repeating it, EVERY SINGLE TIME Ozzie said anything. Yea.. they were a bit irritating. I think they had a bit too much to drink. I just tuned them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Yea.. they were a bit irritating. I think they had a bit too much to drink. I just tuned them out. Honestly I didn't even really care what they said, the problem was it is hard enough to understand what the hell Ozzie is saying under ideal conditions, let alone when 3 drunk guys keep screaming "Remember you don't need the fans Ozzie, yeah we do" ad naseum. Now see I thought "chair guy" was much more entertaining, and he was probably more drunk than any of the guys behind us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Now see I thought "chair guy" was much more entertaining, and he was probably more drunk than any of the guys behind us. Chair guy was by far the best. He was hanging on Loaiza till the wee hours of the morning Saturday night. You guys missed Dave in the bar. He was with me, IWC, Henry, etc.. for a while. He stayed until 1:30 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Appreciate you telling us what you heard from Soxfest, aboz. That's sweet you got your MB autographs and what not. I'll look forward to seeing the pictures when posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 but 50k for a chance to find a diamond in the rough is equivelent to you and me spending 5 bucks on lottery tickets..itsvery little risk with a small chance of a big payoff...so why not...a franchise like ours should probably be more active in rule 5 players adding to that....... if the player doesn't work out and his former team wants him back, we get $25k back, so the net cost for taking a shot at a guy is only $25k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 Thanx for that aboz, those were sum good q's u asked there. I'm glad to see Buerhle clear up the situation were da fans were booin at him, I think if he uses his stuff that he's had success with he'll pitch very well this year. Sounds like u impressed Hahn on that prospects question as well, I'm sure he loved the oppurtunity to talk up his own prospects. Look forward to seein sum pics, since I obviously hav no chance of makin a soxfest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooftop Shots Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 It's so very disappointing to hear these guys over and over and over again blaming Jerry for all the wrong last year. The players had nothing to do with it..? And I'm sick of hearing about Jerry's lack of motivational skills. At what point do these guys get sick of losing..? Obviously, never. Hi Steff! I know you don't know me, and I'm still a rookie on the board. I agree somewhat, that JM shoudn't take all the blame. But when you have quality players, you also need a quality manager that players respect, and I feel that their respects for Manuel was not very high. Maybe it's a poor excuse for why the players underachieved so badly with poor motivation, but in case in point....it's pretty simple. players (or even workers for that fact) will perform on how much confidence and respect they have for their leader. I know it's only 3 examples, but to save time not to mention any more than that. I was at a game where Garland gave up 3 early runs. Then he shut down 17 straight with no one hitting it out of the infield. Then Manuel pulls him with a 90 pitch count. Result, Sox get bombed afterwards and lose. Why take him out? 2) Buehrle hungry to pitch in NY. He's got the hot hand. Manuel is happy settling for 2 instead of going for the throat. Cotts will be a good pitcher, but poor timing putting him in against Ny at that time.Result, a loss that help put the Sox on a small skid instead of sky high sweeping NY 3) Konerko slumping badly. Against The Cubs He comes up with 2 men on....pops up, inning over. Next time up, they intentionally walk Valentine to get to Paully. He hits a squibber. Inning over. 3rd time, walk Valentine again. 2 men on, 6th inning. down 1 run. Manuel let's Paul bat again instead of pinch-hitting Daubach or Alomar. How do professional players have confidence with decision making like that? As I said, it's not all Manuels fault, but in any stage of life, people need to believe in and trust in their leaders. If it's not there, it knocks the wind out of your sails! I really believe that when it came to trusting JM's leadership, that it just wasn't there. I can't say that Ozzies the answer either. Most 1st time managers in any field life who want to show everyone "HOW IT"S DONE THE RIGHT WAY" usually fall on their face , and that's when they start learning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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