CSF Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 I was ecstatic when they acquired Colon, finally giving us that addtl starting pitcher to help compete in the AL Central. But when the Sox take the field against KC on opening day, I'm giving the ball to Buerhle to kick off the season. The way I see it, in 2001, he was slated as the #5 starter, & 16 wins later, moved up to the top of the rotation. In 2002, he showed that 2001 wasn't a fluke by winning 19 games, (and could've had 20 if he hadn't ran out of gas in the 8th inning vs the Twins). I also feel putting that extra pressure on Colon could do more harm than good. The 2001 David Wells trade gives me this feeling. The rotation should be the following: #1 Mark Buerhle #2 Bartolo Colon #3 Jon Garland #4 Danny Wright #5 Jon Rauch/Gary Glover The top two guys should get us into the 7th inning, the next 2 at least into the 6th inning, & #5 to the 5th inning. The less pressure put on the starters, the better the result should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubKilla Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Mark Buehrle only because I wouldn't want Colon to be followed by two finesse-style pitchers (MB and JG). Plus, I think Buehrle has earned the number 1 starter position on this team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulokis Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Mark Buehrle only because I wouldn't want Colon to be followed by two finesse-style pitchers (MB and JG). Plus, I think Buehrle has earned the number 1 starter position on this team. I agree Buerhle should be the #1 starter. He deserves to be our no. 1 bcoz he was here before and he earned it through his performance. He is one of the leaders of our team so its fitting to lead our team to 2003 season. I like your reasoning also, that its better to put Colon in between 2 soft tossers to keep the hitters off balance. I dont think our 2 ACES care who is the # 1 bcoz they know they are both #1 and Im so excited to see Colon and Buerhle dominate teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPinStripes Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Buehrle all the way. He's our ace no matter how much we pay him. He's been kicking ass here for 3 years whilr Colon was the enemy until a few weeks ago. If anyone but Buehrle starts opening day, it's nothing but a slap in the face to Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubKilla Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 If anyone but Buehrle starts opening day, it's nothing but a slap in the face to Mark. Let's all remember though who is going to manage this team..... *Tinker *Tinker *Tinker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonkeyKongerko Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 I have to agree that Buehrle is the man. He is the proven ace on the South Side and I believe it should be the ace's job to lose. Also remember that JM is a tinkerer but our rotation remained pretty consistent for all of last year with the exception of Ritchie (who needed to be pulled) and the number 5 spot. Buehrle, Wright, and Garland stayed in the rotation for the entire season. I think keeping these guys, especially the latter 2 was a big commitment by JM and shows he is expecting more out of these guys in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwsox Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 If everything that Buehrle has done through the years doesn't earn him the Opening Day start, then why should any player try to excel? The reward for excellance in pitching is opening day starter. MB has earned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wsc425 Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 2 things A.) We still have holes to fill. B.) Who is our Long reliever, just in case one of our guys screws it up? Matt Ginter? Rick White? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 Mark Buehrle's the opening day starter....just because he's earned it. However, I see our rotation like this: Colon Buehrle Garland/Wright Rauch Right now, I wouldn't have a clue who to put in at the #3 and #4 spots between Garland and Wright....I guess that will be decided during ST and as the year goes on. WSC...which holes? Rowand is the CFer....if he isn't ready, Harris or Borchard will take that spot. 2B is filled...Jimenez will take that spot. Catcher is filled....Olivo will take that spot with Alomar as the backup until he goes down, and then it is Paul's spot. We have all 5 spots in the rotation filled, and all 6 spots in the bullpen filled(Koch closing, Marte and Gordon as setup guys, Wunsch as a lefty-specialist, White and Glover doing middle relief/mopup/spot starting). Our bench is virtually filled...I don't see any holes...I just see a few question marks. All teams have question marks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruzer31 Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 I will disagree just because Colon is better the Buerhle and we can go righty, lefty, then righty with Garland Colon Buerhle Garland Vazquez Wright oooops, I mean Wright, Rauch Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcomiskey Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 first of all let me say Im glad to be here second those who know me from my WSI and WS.com posts know that I will not stray from controversy that said Colon should be the number 1 starter because a--he makes the big bucks b--should the Sox make the playoffs there will be times that maybe Colon can pitch an extra game as opposed to Burly--no slight against Mark but just because he was here first has no bearing on the way the rotation should be set up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggio202 Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 id break it up this way....whoever is pitching better between buehrle and colon coming out of ST starts the monday opening day game in KC....whoever is pitching better between wright and garland coming out of ST starts game 2 ... the loser of that battle game 3 , then the colon/buehrle loser( i hate to use the word loser) gets to start the home opener friday...this way..our two best pitchers get to start both openers (sell out crowds..well maybe not in kc ) and it also sandwiches them inbetween our 5th starter....after that 1st week the sox only have 3 days off in april..so whatever rotation we settle on will pretty much be set for the month... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 id break it up this way....whoever is pitching better between buehrle and colon coming out of ST starts the monday opening day game in KC....whoever is pitching better between wright and garland coming out of ST starts game 2 ... the loser of that battle game 3 , then the colon/buehrle loser( i hate to use the word loser) gets to start the home opener friday...this way..our two best pitchers get to start both openers (sell out crowds..well maybe not in kc ) and it also sandwiches them inbetween our 5th starter....after that 1st week the sox only have 3 days off in april..so whatever rotation we settle on will pretty much be set for the month... Hypothetically speaking, our rotation will be... Buehrle Wright Garland Colon Rauch This way we don't have a weak back end of the rotation....Wright is in the #2 spot, so he'd have to go up against some pretty tough pitchers....however, Colon would then go up against some weak starters and those would be almost auto wins for us. I like it....because Wright is very inconsistent....some times great, sometimes terrible. I think we'll see him pitch much better this year...so when he is on, we'll be able to win a few games because of it...he could go 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA or something like that....and then Garland goes up against pitchers that are worse than last year...and then Rauch pitches like a young kid does, though I believe he'll pitch better than Garland did last year, and Garland pitched the 2nd best in the rotation last year....from what I've heard or what I know, Rauch knows how to use his stuff, similar to Buehrle, or essentially meaning he stays focused pretty well, he has better stuff, he is taller(way taller), and he is older and thus is more mature....he's just got more advantages than Garland did, and I think he benefits from it and has a 13-10 4.10 season with 150 K's and 190-200 innings...and I think we'll have one of the better rotations in the league....but this is just from my optimistic mind. That's quite an interesting idea....and would be good for the fans as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggio202 Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 my reasoning on that is i think its more important to get your rotation set for the year and that doesnt really mean your best pitcher goes first...2nd best 2nd and so on...breaking up colon and buehrle also means there will be no 3 games series ever where a team would miss both pitchers..would hate to go into a 3 game series in the twinkie dome with the 3-4-5 pitchers being garland , wright and rauch.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 That's a damn good idea....I hope to god that Manuel figures that out...because it's a good idea. The Twins have hit Colon hard in the past....but Joe Mays was a Sox killer up till last year when we scored 7 runs on him in about 3 innings or something like that when we won 14-14. I think that was the game that was on ESPN...and Maggs turned on a Romero pitch inside and yanked it down the line and it was just barely gone. Man...I miss baseball. After the Pro Bowl next weekend, we got 2 weeks before ST starts....and then about 6 weeks till the season starts. And then the season starts and we have a fun time all over again...and hopefully I'll get a package so I can see the Sox almost every game this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 first of all let me say Im glad to be here second those who know me from my WSI and WS.com posts know that I will not stray from controversy that said Colon should be the number 1 starter because a--he makes the big bucks b--should the Sox make the playoffs there will be times that maybe Colon can pitch an extra game as opposed to Burly--no slight against Mark but just because he was here first has no bearing on the way the rotation should be set up Welcome Aboard Old Comiskey....glad to have ya here. Secondly, I still wonder why so many people really think it matters whose #1 and 2. I look straight to the Dbacks, and well, I just say go with the hot hand, like Baggs said. We know they are both real good, the one thing that would lean me to going with Buerhle first is the fact that he's a soft tosser, then you get Colon the power thrower, then mix it back up to Garland, and then back to Wright, then Rauch with the nasty hook. I like the good variance in pitching styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hotsoxchick1 Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 Buehrle all the way. He's our ace no matter how much we pay him. He's been kicking ass here for 3 years whilr Colon was the enemy until a few weeks ago. If anyone but Buehrle starts opening day, it's nothing but a slap in the face to Mark. i couldnt agree more with this one.... if mark doesnt get the #1 spot then kw should be horse whipped and run out of town... that would only be the ultimate slap to mark that anyone could give... its marks team. .hes earned it .. and thats just the way things are.......f*** kw if he does anything different.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cy Young Porzio Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 I was ecstatic when they acquired Colon, finally giving us that addtl starting pitcher to help compete in the AL Central. But when the Sox take the field against KC on opening day, I'm giving the ball to Buerhle to kick off the season. The way I see it, in 2001, he was slated as the #5 starter, & 16 wins later, moved up to the top of the rotation. In 2002, he showed that 2001 wasn't a fluke by winning 19 games, (and could've had 20 if he hadn't ran out of gas in the 8th inning vs the Twins). I also feel putting that extra pressure on Colon could do more harm than good. The 2001 David Wells trade gives me this feeling. The rotation should be the following: #1 Mark Buerhle #2 Bartolo Colon #3 Jon Garland #4 Danny Wright #5 Jon Rauch/Gary Glover The top two guys should get us into the 7th inning, the next 2 at least into the 6th inning, & #5 to the 5th inning. The less pressure put on the starters, the better the result should be. i agree that you stick with ur number one guy last year because he had such great success and doesnt deserve to be down grades. I also like ur starting rotation i would say the same thing. Wow, i agree with someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernuke Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 When it comes to on the field performance Mark has done everything right and everything to deserve the opening day start. Mark and Colon are both aces so being #1 or #2 shouldn't matter and they will both have the oppertunity to get their 35 starts. In this case pitching on opening day is an honor that should go to the guy who has helped this team the most and that guy is Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 id break it up this way....whoever is pitching better between buehrle and colon coming out of ST starts the monday opening day game in KC....whoever is pitching better between wright and garland coming out of ST starts game 2 ... the loser of that battle game 3 , then the colon/buehrle loser( i hate to use the word loser) gets to start the home opener friday...this way..our two best pitchers get to start both openers (sell out crowds..well maybe not in kc ) and it also sandwiches them inbetween our 5th starter....after that 1st week the sox only have 3 days off in april..so whatever rotation we settle on will pretty much be set for the month... That's very clever and the best solution, I think. Give Colon home opener because prople want to see him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 I think that the absolute #1 determing factor should be the schedule. If putting MB in the number 2 slot would give him one or two more starts against the Twins, then that is where he should be. Mark is tough on those bastards. They are the team we have to beat. All reasons of "He earned it" or what have you, should not come into play on this. Whatever rotation gives us the best chance of winning the division, is the rotation we should use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinningUgly2003 Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 It doesn't matter who is #1 cause either way Colon's pitching at Cleveland in the third series. It's important for him to face his old squad early and intimidate them, cause you know he's gonna have a chip on his shoulder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonxctf Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 i think you have to go with Mark. I'd bet that unless the Sox go to the ALCS, Colon will not be back next yr. Why piss off one guy who will be on your team next year, by having the guy who won't ... pitch opening day!!! The Sox would then have Buehrle-Finess-type pitcher Colon-Power Pitcher Garland-Finess-type pitcher Wright-Power Pitcher Rauch?-Power Pitcher BY THE WAY, IM GLAD THAT THE SOX PUT THEMSELVES IN A POSITION TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 I hope Mark B starts, but I don't think it's that big a deal. Is Colon a primma donna or a team player? Will he go in a funk if he doesn't start? Mark B seems like a true team player to me. Mark is one of my favorite players. My top three on the Sox. a.) Maggs. B) Jose V (the old Jose V before the position switch messup of his mind). c.) Mark B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 From what I heard he was well liked in Cleveland. He's kind of one of those have fun kind of guys. Him, Koch, Daubach all will be bringing in good attitudes. KW really seems to have changed his stance, he knows how important chemistry is after the Royce fiasco and is doing his best to get good guys in the clubhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.