DeLuca's colimn today

[EvilMonkey]

In DuLuca's column it talked about KW and the trading deadline. One of the paragraphs in the story talked about the pursiut of Griffey and it had a quote from Griffey's agent saying that Griffey has 5 or 6 teams that he's willing to drop his no-trade clause for and the Sox AREN'T ONE OF THEM.

 

 

So....F U Griffey.....STAY THERE IN CINCINATTI AND ROT IN LAST PLACE for a team that is showing signs of going nowhere anytime soon....while the Sox go to the playoffs (and hopefully more!!) I would be curious as to which teams WERE on his list. Probably the same old teams....the Yank-me's or the Red Sox.

 

 

Once again......FU Ken Griffey JR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

:finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger :finger

[3E8]

Probably contending teams who spend their Spring in Florida. Just a hunch.

[juddling]

I read it also.......F U Griffey.

 

 

 

:finger :finger :finger :finger :finger

[WHarris1]

[Da Sox]

wtf?

[SpringfieldFan]

I would move training operations back to Florida now if it meant bringing him on board.

 

SFF

Edited August 5, 2005 by SpringfieldFan

[Kyyle23]

What a lame-ass reason to not want to go somewhere. the guy spends about 4 months during the season away from his home in florida, why would 4 weeks in March be such a big deal for him?

[bjm676]

Sox' Williams will deal if right move comes along

 

BY CHRIS DE LUCA STAFF REPORTER

 

General manager Ken Williams was sitting alone in the White Sox ''War Room'' recently, staring at a huge board listing his 40-man roster, when assistant GM Rick Hahn strolled by. Nothing was said. Two hours later, Hahn passed again, finding Williams frozen in the same pose -- eyes locked on the board.

 

Hahn broke the silence by asking Williams what the heck he was doing.

 

''And I said, 'I know I missed something. I haven't found it, but I know I am missing something,''' Williams recalled Thursday.

 

There does seem to be a piece missing from the 2005 Sox. It's that extra someone who could lift this promising team from playoff-bound to World Series-bound. A front-line starter or late-inning reliever. Maybe a big left-handed bat with Jr. at the end of his name.

 

Ken Griffey Jr.? Take him out of the mix. Griffey's agent, Brian Goldberg, said his client has a short list of teams for which he will waive his veto rights to complete a trade. ''But the White Sox are not one of them,'' Goldberg said.

 

So almost a week after the non-waiver trade deadline, Williams seems resigned to the idea that the group of players that has maintained the best record in baseball since April 30 must stick together to make a run at the World Series.

 

No news is good news

 

The rumors before the deadline had the Sox acquiring starting pitchers A.J. Burnett or Jason Schmidt, or closers Billy Wagner or Danys Baez.

 

The deadline passed with the Sox failing to land the impact player they had been seeking since June. The good news is none of the other playoff contenders closed a big deal, either.

 

Did that consolation prize help Williams breathe a sigh of relief Sunday?

 

''That would be a very big affirmative. Hell, yes,'' he said with a laugh. ''When I'm sitting up there watching 'Baseball Tonight' up until the trading deadline, I'm going, 'OK, just because our phones are quiet, somebody, somewhere is doing something.' When nothing happens, you say, 'OK, this we can deal with.

 

''The Yankees weren't able to add anything. Boston wasn't able to add anything. The A's, the Angels, nobody. So you've got what you've got. And we think we match up well.''

 

That doesn't stop Williams from staring at that board, wondering if one more name will make a difference. After a relatively uneventful lead-in to the July 31 deadline, August might be a busy month, even as teams now must push players through waivers before making any deals.

 

But Williams expects August to be as quiet as July.

 

''There are so many teams that are still in it, you might as well ride it out at this point,'' he said. ''If you put somebody on [waivers], immediately they are going to get claimed.''

 

That holds true for Burnett, Wagner or Baez. But a veteran position player whose bloated contract might provide a shield on the waiver wire could be had in August.

 

You get the idea Williams still is holding out hope for Burnett or a big bat who can't get here fast enough now that a strained left groin has knocked Carl Everett out of the lineup for at least the weekend -- and possibly longer.

 

Williams claims he is content with the 25 players he has, but Williams is never content.

 

The problem is that the wild card and tight races around baseball might keep the available talent pool as dry this month as it was last.

 

It could mean more long hours spent staring at the board that looks like an unfinished puzzle.

 

''You can't find them. Name them. Who are they?'' Williams said of the available impact players. ''Even though we weren't able to bring the impact-type guy in, well, nobody else did, either. And I kind of like it like that. Whatever you start with, deal with it the best way you can.''

 

It's easy to take that approach when you are sitting 33 games over .500 with 55 games to play.

 

First things first

 

But Williams -- hoping his players follow his lead -- takes nothing for granted. He won't even allow himself to start outlining a postseason roster.

 

At least, he won't admit that publicly.

 

''Man, we've got to get there first,'' he said of the postseason. ''The only thing we've clinched is first place on Aug. 4. That's nothing. We're not good enough to look at September or October. We have to look at tomorrow. This team can't just out-talent or outclass anybody. We have to outhustle or just outgrind, for lack of a better word. That's just the way it is here.

 

''If we go down and it turns out we don't make the playoffs, or if we do and then go down, it won't be because they let their guard down. It will be because we weren't good enough.''

 

Not good enough?

 

The Sox will reach the playoffs. How far they go depends on the competition and whether Williams can add that extra player.

 

And disrupting chemistry no longer can be considered an obstacle, not with the strong core of players running a loose clubhouse.

 

''At this stage, whoever walks through the door is going to have to fall in line,'' Williams said. ''No matter who it is.''

 

Here's where the Sox sit today: The playoffs are a given. But anything less than the World Series, and this bust-out season must be considered a failure.

 

Williams recalls sitting at home with his son Kyle, watching Game 6 of the 2003 NL Championship Series as the Florida Marlins rallied for eight runs in the eighth inning to beat the Cubs.

 

''Kyle says to me, 'Oh, Dad, I feel bad for them,''' Williams recalled. ''I said, 'Feel bad for them? Don't feel bad for them. Feel bad for us. We're the ones sitting here watching them. They've got another game tomorrow. They've got a chance to go to the World Series. We've got no chance sitting right here.'''

 

So Williams keeps staring at that board, making sure he doesn't have to sit on his couch during another World Series.

[Stocking]

easy.......

[Soxpranos]

were stuck whith what we have it seems... and hopefully they prove me wrong and win it all... I doubt it with the lineup we have.

[Gene Honda Civic]

FU GRIFFEY!!!!!!

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../508050410/1071

 

Grandpa stricken in stands, boy finds comfort on field

Reds rally around frightened child

 

By John Fay

Enquirer staff writer

 

Bill Summee has been a police officer since 1992, but nothing prepared him for the situation he encountered Wednesday night.

 

Summee, now a security officer for the Reds, responded to an emergency call to Section 143 at Great American Ball Park during the seventh inning. A man had collapsed, and paramedics were working on him.

 

As they tried to revive the man, who did not survive the apparent heart attack, an officer handed the man's 6-year-old grandson to Summee.

 

Little Antonio Perez had come to the game with his grandfather, whose name the Reds did not release, to celebrate Tony Perez Bobblehead Night.

 

Over the next 2½ hours, Summee and numerous Reds players and coaches stepped up to comfort and entertain the boy.

 

"It was a bad situation," Summee said. "But I'm proud of the way we handled it as an organization."

 

Once he had the boy, Summee's first order of business was to get Antonio out of the stands.

 

He wanted to get him away from where his grandfather was being treated.

 

"With all the commotion, I wanted to get him out of there," Summee said. "I took him down to the concourse. He laid his head on my shoulder and asked, 'Is my Pawpaw going to be all right?' "

 

Summee knew by then the boy's grandfather would not recover.

 

"We didn't think we should be the ones to tell him," Summee said. "We didn't lie to him, but we thought his parents should tell him."

 

At one point, the child asked: "How am I going to get home?"

 

"I told him I'd take him home," Summee said. "But he knew his grandmother's name and phone number."

 

A call was made, but the boy is from Hamilton, and it would take awhile for his parents and grandmother to get to the ballpark.

 

Summee still wanted to get Antonio away from the stands, so he took him into the Reds' bullpen, where bullpen coach Tom Hume let him sit on the bench for the last two innings of the game.

 

Then Ken Griffey Jr. became aware of what was going on and took charge.

 

"Win or lose, he was coming in the clubhouse," Griffey said.

 

As the Reds wrapped up their 8-5 victory over the Braves, Griffey went to the bullpen and got the boy.

 

The players included Antonio in their high-five celebration. Then they took him into the clubhouse.

 

"We play a game," Griffey said later. "What he was going through doesn't compare.

 

"It was important that the little guy not be by himself."

 

Clubhouse manager Rick Stowe said the other players followed Griffey's lead and rallied around the boy.

 

"Jacob Cruz, Jason LaRue, Junior, they were all great with him," Stowe said. "They gave him bats, balls, wrist bands. Felipe Lopez signed the helmet he wore in the All-Star Game and gave it to him."

 

"Ken Griffey Jr. was extraordinary," Summee said. "He went completely out of his way to do everything he could."

 

Said Griffey: "We just tried to make a bad situation a little better."

 

HOW DARE YOU BE A DECENT HUMAN BEING AND TAKE CARE OF A 6 YEAR OLD IN NEED!!!!

 

FU GRIFFEY!!!

[ceffa2000]

Dammit!

 

Talk about taking a pin to our vent balloon.

[Chisoxrd5]

Why the agression at Griffey?

 

For one we don't know what to believe about this trade rumor...who is telling the truth, who is lying. We have no idea.

 

This is one of the problems with message boards...we take half the information and jump to rash conclusions that in reality have no basis for. It's childish, irrational and stupid.

 

Props to Griffey for what he did for that six year old.

[Steff]

Why the agression at Griffey?

 

For one we don't know what to believe about this trade rumor...who is telling the truth, who is lying. We have no idea.

 

This is one of the problems with message boards...we take half the information and jump to rash conclusions that in reality have no basis for. It's childish, irrational and stupid.

 

Props to Griffey for what he did for that six year old.

 

 

 

Agree.. and major props to Griffey and the Reds security for taking care of that child.

[shakes]

Agree.. and major props to Griffey and the Reds security for taking care of that child.

 

That's great to hear. Stuff like this needs more national press.

[upnorthsox]

That's great to hear. Stuff like this needs more national press.

 

And it will, just as soon as the Yankees or Red Sox do it.

[GoSox05]

i still have a feeling hes gonna be on the white sox this year

[nitetrain8601]

I'd bring him on board and have ST in FLA. It's funny how so many ppl are quick to say F Griffey. I bet those are the ones that would buy his jersey if he ever came here.

[Balance]

That's great to hear. Stuff like this needs more national press.

Yes it does. I wouldn't have heard about it without someone posting it up here.

 

And to think I was about to rip Griffey for not wanting to come to Chicago.

[GoodAsGould]

If he doesnt want to come here I dont mind, while I love him as a player, with his contract I dont really want him here.

[juddling]

FU GRIFFEY!!!!!!

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../508050410/1071

HOW DARE YOU BE A DECENT HUMAN BEING AND TAKE CARE OF A 6 YEAR OLD IN NEED!!!!

 

FU GRIFFEY!!!

 

 

I don't think Griffey and his off-the-field actions are in question here. What i was upset about was the fact that we have the best team in baseball....a decent ballpark......dedicated fans....and a very nice city and still players like Junior don't want to play here. Maybe i'm one of those south-side fans that always feel slighted but i get tired of everyone wanting to play in NY, or Boston,,or (shudder) the North side.

 

What do the Sox have to do to get a few more name players in here??? I don't think Griffey have even been close to a series in his career and certainly the Reds aren't going any time soon...so why wouldn't he want to come here???? The spring training excuse is a joke...and it's not like he has a history with WS fans (like say..Torri Hunter).

 

Don't get me wrong.....i'm not terribly upset we didn't get Junior but at the same time...i do feel a bit slighted that he wouldn't even consider coming here.

 

 

so to that....again......Junior...F U

 

 

:finger :finger :finger

[nitetrain8601]

I don't think Griffey and his off-the-field actions are in question here.  What i was upset about was the fact that we have the best team in baseball....a decent ballpark......dedicated fans....and a very nice city and still players like Junior don't want to play here.  Maybe i'm one of those south-side fans that always feel slighted but i get tired of everyone wanting to play in NY, or Boston,,or (shudder) the North side. 

 

What do the Sox have to do to get a few more name players in here??? I don't think Griffey have even been close to a series in his career and certainly the Reds aren't going any time soon...so why wouldn't he want to come here????  The spring training excuse is a joke...and it's not like he has a history with WS fans (like say..Torri Hunter). 

 

Don't get me wrong.....i'm not terribly upset we didn't get Junior but at the same time...i do feel a bit slighted that he wouldn't even consider coming here. 

so to that....again......Junior...F U

:finger  :finger  :finger

 

Newsflash, he doesn't like the Yankees either. Doesn't really care for Boston or the Cubs either. So to you, I say "F U Juddling"

[Punch and Judy Garland]

I bet Griffey wants to play in St. Louis and I think that will happen if the Cardinals don't land Brian Giles via waivers

[Wanne]

Seriously...why all the FU's tossed at Jr?!?....just because he doesn't want to go to Chicago? Don't take it so personal...I don't think it's about the team at all. He's mentioned that he likes the Sox team and that they're good...it just doesn't fit into his personal profile of places he wants to go...nothing wrong with that. How would you feel if your boss told you tomorrow you were being transferred to Phillly or NY tomorrow if you wanted...what would you say? (point being...away from what you're comfortable with).

 

One comment he had that was hysterical though...."Spring training in Tucson?!?...." which translated means, "F-that..." and I hardly blame him.

 

That was a great story about the boy...glad to see these guys could step up and take care of him during his time of need. Props to Jr!

 

btw...I think Jr wants to go to ATL.

Edited August 5, 2005 by Wanne

[Iwritecode]

Just a thought...

 

Is it possible that Griffey has certain teams written into his contract that he'll waive his rights for and the Sox aren't one of them? Could that be what his agent is referring to?

 

After all it's not like it was Jr. himself that said he didn't want to play for the Sox.

 

From what I've heard they did ask him if he would waive his rights for the Sox and he said yes.