Oh Frank, Please Quiet Down

[JUGGERNAUT]

The A's had our number w/out Thomas so I really don't see a downside if they beat us even worse with him. When you add up the numbers he's likely to do more damage to our ALC foes than us.

 

The post-season is a different story entirely. If Thomas remains healthy into Oct we're in trouble. A healthy Thomas will likely create a scenario where the A's run away from the ALW early on & never look back. We are probably looking at the best team in the major's record-wise in that scenario.

 

So if it comes down to A's vs White Sox for the ALDS or ALCS that's going to be a tough pill to swallow. The bats better be hot because Thomas is sure rule at the Cell.

[WilliamTell]

Alright, quick little piece of grammar for all you guys:

 

Quite, adv. - Actually, to a degree, to the greatest extent

 

Quiet, adj. or v. - Making little or no noise

 

English 101 (or 3rd grade spelling)

 

I took it like he meant "Quite Frankly" in that sort of term. Not quiet Frank.

 

But anyways I'm very sad to see this and it was painful to read. I'm 20 years old but Frank had been one of my 5 or so heroes in sports. While it's not like I look up to him as a hero anymore, it still hurts hearing him say that stuff about the White Sox. I guess I could be selfish wanting Thome to put up way better numbers than Thomas this year but I am wanting that more than ever.

[Kyyle23]

The bats better be hot because Thomas is sure rule at the Cell.

 

LOL. Teh rule.

Edited January 27, 2006 by kyyle23

[rangercal]

You do realize that if Frank had NOT rushed back in 2005 it is likely the Indians would have won the division & the White Sox might not have even won the WC.  The team had gone into an offensive slump (Everett & Kong) & Thomas' return reinvigorated the offense. 

 

Likewise when Thomas went down in late July the team went back into an offensive slump & the pitching got a little rocky. 

 

As for an Oct return I think Kenny did the right thing.  Thomas could have risked any chance of playing in 2006 or worse a career-ending injury if he had tried to pull a Gibson.  I realize Frank will never see it that way because he feels he could have contributed in the post season but Kenny likely saved his 2006 season with the A's by saying no to Oct.

BINGO

 

Frank has every right to express how he was handled. I feel his pain. I watched that guy the last 16 years and now they dump him like this? Frank has every right to open his mouth.

[Gene Honda Civic]

LOL.  Teh rule.

I'M AN ENGINEER, DAMMIT!

[3RDBASE]

I respect all his playing accomplishments but as a bluecollar type player he is not...Him Him him...me me me....is all that he has ever cared about and all that bs during last season and every other season is just old...get over it...you got your ring...didn't earn it as the other players did in my opinion...ehem...but Leave in style and maybe come back to work for the Sox as have other Sox greats...HE WILL BE IN THE HOF but his last memory on the Sox is tainted with an Magglio type feel...it hurts to leave or be treated like that but its a business and were it not for our GM/Owner we wouldn't have a 2005 champion...I am on Kenny's side as far as decisions go, and can say I feel the ex players pain because we as fans feel that pain as well...why can't FT just shut up and say hey I totally understand what they did and leave it at that...saying we have no chance to re-peat is gonna be our fuel to the fire...watch out FT you shoulda kept your mouth shut again! 2006!!!! Plus taking shots @ other hitters skills and injuries...? then saying they are friends? I wouldn't want to be friends with twofaced guys like FT...sorry you have to earn respect to get it...and not just on the playing field Mr. Big "always" Hurt Thomas! :finger

[chitownsportsfan]

I grew up watching Frank Thomas mash balls. Nothing will ever take those memories away. My pre-swing routine all through HS and College varied between his shoulder tap and the Robin Ventura throw the bat out low.

 

So it pains me to see him so upset. Frankly though, I don't give a damn if he feels he was mistreated. Frank has always been a selfish guy, but it didn't matter when he was putting up little league numbers in his prime. Now that he's mostly washed up (hurts to say it), I think he needs to realize his comments won't stand.

 

He wanted to be activated for the playoff roster? You've got to be kidding me! What, a guy with no swings since July, who is still wearing a boot...ugh

[Kyyle23]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/rozner.asp?id=148015

 

White Sox  keep war  of words  one-sided

 

By Barry Rozner

Daily Herald Sports Columnist

Posted Saturday, January 28, 2006

 

Based on the early returns, you’re going to need all your fingers and toes to count the times Frank Thomas rips the White Sox this year.

 

We’ve already lost count before the end of the Super Bowl, the official beginning of the baseball season.

 

It’s unfortunate and sad, but it had to end this way.

 

Whether it was now or next year or the year after that, Thomas wasn’t going to leave on his terms, and he was going to go out hacking and hammering — just as he came in 16 years ago, when he used his bat, not his words, as a weapon.

 

If you’re a White Sox fan, you don’t begrudge Thomas his swings today any more than you did all the years he was the American League’s best hitter.

 

You say Frank is entitled, you shed a tear, wish it had finished with a smile instead of a smack, and think about winning another World Series, because that’s what this is really about: winning.

 

If Sox GM Kenny Williams were sitting on a fourth-place team, he might have brought Thomas back because there would have been no risk.

 

But Williams wants to win again, and Thomas would have gotten in the way.

 

In Jim Thome, Williams acquired another player with some risk, but it’s Williams’ job to choose, and he’s guessing that Thome involves less risk from an injury standpoint, and no risk in the clubhouse.

 

No matter how much you like Thomas, there’s no denying he is at times a distraction, and neither Williams nor manager Ozzie Guillen wanted to baby-sit him the day Thomas said he was ready to play, and Guillen had to say, “No, Frank, Thome is our guy.’’

 

That would have made for a miserable dugout, and it would have made life miserable for Thome and many of his Sox teammates.

 

Even on Friday at SoxFest, with Thomas thousands of miles away, the players were bombarded with questions regarding the Big Hurt.

 

When players suffer that sort of discomfort, it affects their play and puts unneeded pressure on their shoulders and at-bats.

 

For Williams and Guillen, saying goodbye to Thomas — who has scarcely played in three of the last five seasons — was the only move.

 

That doesn’t make Thomas wrong. Maybe he deserved the red-carpet treatment until the day he decided he was done here, or maybe the Sox could have done a better job seeing him off to California.

 

But Thomas has never made that easy. The Sox bent over backward to accommodate Thomas the last few years, and it seems that no matter what they did, it wasn’t enough for Frank.

 

“You hear what he says, and you have a tendency to want to defend yourself against things that aren’t true,’’ Williams said Friday. “You’d like to see some of your efforts to help a person acknowledged.

 

“But I’ll take the hit, even if it’s not in my best interests, because there’s too many fans here that love Frank and I don’t want to do anything to spoil their memories of a great player.

 

“For me personally, however, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.’’

 

But Williams swallows hard and chooses his words carefully. He didn’t want this. The Sox didn’t want this.

 

No one wanted to see Thomas wear another uniform, but at some point you say enough’s enough, and you move on without him.

 

Thomas could also be right that he’ll have a better year or that he’ll remain healthier than Thome.

 

Yet, this is the way Williams wanted to go, which tells you what he really thinks of Thomas at this point, both on and off the field.

 

More important, Williams wants to win again and he doesn’t care about hurt feelings as much as he does about hurt players.

 

“When I first took this job, I was told I could keep it a long time by staying away from fan favorites, and ownership favorites,’’ Williams said. “I was told that if I didn’t put my (butt) on the line, I could keep the job a long time.

 

“The minute I heard it I thought it was the worst advice anyone ever gave me. I’m here to win, not to play it safe and not to make friends.’’

 

Williams and Thomas are certainly no longer friends, and that’s also a shame, but business is business and Williams is all about the business of winning.

 

There doesn’t have to be a villain here, as Thomas gave Sox ownership and its fans everything he could for 16 years, and he’s absolutely entitled now to voice his anger over being unwanted on the South Side.

 

But Williams and Guillen put up with more injuries and clubhouse acrimony than they would have preferred, and keeping most of it under wraps, before finally letting Thomas go, their patience exhausted.

 

“I have no problem unless he says my name,’’ laughed Guillen on Friday afternoon. “As soon as he says my name, it’s on.’’

 

If Thomas wants to take that as a warning against further rants, that’s probably a good idea, because unlike Williams, Guillen will say what’s on his mind, and Thomas won’t like what he hears.

 

The better play for Thomas would have been to take the high road and not the path of so many bitter players before him.

 

Of course, if the Sox were awful, Thomas would still be here and he never would have worn a uniform that didn’t say “Sox’’ on it.

 

But you just won a World Series and are going for another, and this is one of those times when you just can’t have it both ways.

[Rex Kickass]

If the A's signed him for 500K, would it have been so hard for us to do the same? Just asking, don't really know. Could we have maybe offered him a job in the organization?

[nitetrain8601]

If the A's signed him for 500K, would it have been so hard for us to do the same? Just asking, don't really know. Could we have maybe offered him a job in the organization?

 

Well Kenny's quote from last night is, "He wouldn't have signed with us for that much." He also went on to say if he did sign for a lesser contract, it wouldn't have been in their best interests.

 

This is me personally, but I rather would have liked to seen Thome at 1B and Thomas DH. Konerko gets into horrible slumps and at times, it boggles me how he does get to 40HR's. And at that, I still wonder how a man with 40HR's, has way less RBI's than guys with 35. That's just my 2 cents.

 

BTW, thanks for the article read kyyle.

Edited January 28, 2006 by nitetrain8601

[Punch and Judy Garland]

Seeing how Kenny WIlliams disliked Frank so much, it doesn't surprise me that he didn't issue THomas a courtesy call

[Kyyle23]

I just think Frank is an injury risk that is much greater than Thome. Frank has missed much more time in the past 5 years, and his current injury is just so hard for a big man to recover from. The combination of Konerko/Thome>Konerko/Thomas>Thomas/Thome just based on numbers alone in the past 5 years. When injuries are factored in, it just becomes worse and makes less sense to try and hope that his ankle will somehow recover, like we hoped last year. I wish Thomas the best, I just dont think his ankle will ever allow him to perform for an entire season again.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

Anyone else fial to see where Frank "trashed" Thome? Seems that buzzowrd that is goign around doesn't really accurately reflect what Frank said. Frank said that he is better than Thome which may or may not be true but its not like he dogged him

[Dick Allen]

Seeing how Kenny WIlliams disliked Frank so much, it doesn't surprise me that he didn't issue THomas a courtesy call

According to Kenny, he did give Frank a curteousy call. He had to leave a message, because Frank wouldn't answer his phone. Isn't it odd how Frank has found the time to attend the A's fanfest this weekend, but often had excuses to skip out of Soxfest. If he had re-signed with the Sox, chances are he would have used his current injury or recent marriage or some other excuse not to attend Soxfest. He may be a nice guy, but good riddance.

[White Sox Josh]

Before trashing him think about it through his perspective: The Sox didn't even offer him a contract or seriously ask to see how he was doing. Kenny never wanted him back after 2005 and it was obvious he was waiting for the chance to buy him out. Yet they go out and get Jim Thome who also has serious injury problems. If i were in that situation i would feel the same way. kenny didn't want him back and it was obvious. Nothing Kenny can say can change that. I think Frank thought that they would at least try to work something out for 2006 but Kenny didn't even try to.

[White Sox Josh]

According to Kenny, he did give Frank a curteousy call. He had to leave a message, because Frank wouldn't answer his phone. Isn't it odd how Frank has found the time to attend the A's fanfest this weekend, but often had excuses to skip out of Soxfest. If he had re-signed with the Sox, chances are he would have used his current injury or recent marriage or some other excuse not to attend Soxfest. He may be a nice guy, but good riddance.

you gotta be kidding me.

[Wanne]

According to Kenny, he did give Frank a curteousy call. He had to leave a message, because Frank wouldn't answer his phone. Isn't it odd how Frank has found the time to attend the A's fanfest this weekend, but often had excuses to skip out of Soxfest. If he had re-signed with the Sox, chances are he would have used his current injury or recent marriage or some other excuse not to attend Soxfest. He may be a nice guy, but good riddance.

 

 

Ditto. Ya know...Frank has always been somewhat self-centered but produced on the field (which he was paid well to do). Why is it that Frank feels the White Sox owe him this enormous amount of love, gratitude and ass licking. Frank...how many flags did you deliver in your tenure? You were paid to do a job.

 

To this day...I still recall the moment when I lost a HUGE amount of respect for Frank. It was probably 6 years or so ago when the Sox were in the heat of a pennant race....and they were playing the Indians in a very important game. Frank was rounding 3rd and heading home and the throw came to the plate. Frank could have laid the catcher out trying to score...or at least friggin slide...but no....Frank just kind of pulls up and is tagged out. My first thought..."what a pussy!" Ever since that moment...my adoration for Frank Thomas started to sink towards whale s*** level.

Edited January 28, 2006 by Wanne

[White Sox Josh]

Well Kenny's quote from last night is, "He wouldn't have signed with us for that much." He also went on to say if he did sign for a lesser contract, it wouldn't have been in their best interests.

 

This is me personally, but I rather would have liked to seen Thome at 1B and Thomas DH. Konerko gets into horrible slumps and at times, it boggles me how he does get to 40HR's. And at that, I still wonder how a man with 40HR's, has way less RBI's than guys with 35. That's just my 2 cents.

 

BTW, thanks for the article read kyyle.

i agree.

[Rex Hudler]

I think it is naive to take Frank's comments at 100% face value and consider them absolute truth. Frank has a history of not returning Kenny's calls in the offseason, let's not forget that.

 

Kenny may have called Frank 3 or 4 times for all we know and been forced to leave word on a voicemail if Frank wasn't calling him back. It may not have happened that way, but it very easily could have. So I won't go making assumptions either way.

 

It sounds to me as if Frank wanted a great big sendoff or at the very least personal attention from Jerry and Kenny. Did he not get admiration and thanks at the end of the season? Frank was very much included in all the World Series hoopla and thanked for his service and for being a part of the club. I believe that the Sox did that as part of a team celebration he didn't feel it was enough. As others have said, Frank has always been an individual who needed his ego stroked. I just think he didn't get enough stroking on the way out the door.

 

It didn't take a rocket scientist to see from far away that Frank returning in 2006 was not very likely. Maybe he thinks he can continue to produce as well or better than Thome, and he should. But the Sox,, at the point of the deadline to offer arbitration, were not willing to take that gamble. I can't blame them.

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Jan 28, 2006 -> 11:15 AM)

Anyone else fial to see where Frank "trashed" Thome? Seems that buzzowrd that is goign around doesn't really accurately reflect what Frank said. Frank said that he is better than Thome which may or may not be true but its not like he dogged him

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

''I'm shocked they brought in Jim Thome. He was more injured than I was last year. And they guaranteed him all that money. So I don't know where they're going with that. What's the logic behind it?"

Frank is once again whining about guaranteed money, and Thome was not more injured than Frank last season.

[White Sox Josh]

''I'm shocked they brought in Jim Thome. He was more injured than I was last year. And they guaranteed him all that money. So I don't know where they're going with that. What's the logic behind it?"

Frank is once again whining about guaranteed money, and Thome was not more injured than Frank last season.

how is that trashing somebody. He never said Thome Sucks or anything like that.

[Kyyle23]

how is that trashing somebody.  He never said Thome Sucks or anything like that.

 

No Josh, he is throwing Thome rose bouquets, :headshake

 

''But he's a big left-handed presence; maybe that's what they wanted, just a big left-handed hitter. It wasn't a better hitter, I'm gonna tell you that right now.''

[nitetrain8601]

No Josh, he is throwing Thome rose bouquets,  :headshake

 

Is that not true?

[Kyyle23]

Is that not true?

 

LOL

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(White Sox Josh @ Jan 28, 2006 -> 04:34 PM)

how is that trashing somebody.  He never said Thome Sucks or anything like that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So if someone questioned the logic in your contract you wouldn't be insulted?

If someone said "But the bottom line is he's (referring to you) never done anything I haven't done on the baseball field" you wouldn't be insulted?