Ozzie, Get Off Your Butt and Do Something

[Chisoxfn]

Can Ozzie please try to be agressive. This team has been so fishing passive the past few weeks its disgusting. Our fastest and best base stealer has reached based twice tonight and he's yet to run (Ozuna). He even had a few pitches that got in the dirt (one of which he should have been on 2nd on) where he didn't attempt anything either.

 

Our offense is in a funk so find other ways. Use hit and runs to force the hitters to shorten the swing and use right field (not to mention put pressure on the defense) and try to steal to get your guys in scoring position so you just need one single as opposed to a couple strung in there.

 

We can't just sit back and wait for the HR. I don't give two spiffs what a stat guru will tell me about it being dumb to run in front of Thome or Paulie because they can hit HR's, fact of the matter is right now we ain't hitting hr's so you got to push and find other ways to create offense.

 

Ozzie stop sitting on your ass and start making some agressive calls. Thats what we hired you for, we didn't hire you to sit around and start calling an American League style of baseball (which I consider sub-par baseball because it has no creativity or art and it tends to fail in the playoffs...look at how the Angels, Marlins, White Sox have all succeeded in recent years playing another style).

 

Don't think that I'm not blaming our players for not executing with runners on. Dye had a few blown chances for a two out clutch hit thus far tonight, Paulie went down with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs as well. Trust me, I realize the players need to execute but when they aren't, Ozzie needs to go out and be creative and try to find other ways. You can't just sit around waiting and hoping that this offense rediscovers its magic. When the magic isn't there, create...create...create.

[winninguglyin83]

amen

[Chisoxfn]

I should add part of my strategy would be to place Freddy on the disabled list or move him to the pen and insert McCarthy into the rotation. I think this team needs a serious shakeup and with no pitchers available on the market (I'd happily deal Freddy or Vaz and prospects for a good starting pitcher but that isn't going to happen) the best way to shake up this rotation is using the prospect we rave about, Brandon McCarthy.

 

It will send a message that we won't tolerate mediocrity and out of everyone I'm convinced Freddy is the one that works the least. He always has his brain cramps in the first inning and while Vaz has gotten shelled late, at least he gives the taem a few innings to potentially get some runs on the board. In Freddy's case we are already in a major hole.

 

Hopefully the team can find a way to create its own spark though, since Ozzie appears unwilling to make the agressive calls necessary to create some runs that could lead to us pulling out a few games that we may not have won otherwise. As soon as we find a way to start winning games we weren't supposed to, we'll start taking care of business the games we are supposed to and really get moving in a positive direction.

 

I just fear that spark won't happen till too late.

[Butter Parque]

Exactly

[South Side Fireworks Man]

Can Ozzie please try to be agressive. This team has been so fishing passive the past few weeks its disgusting. Our fastest and best base stealer has reached based twice tonight and he's yet to run (Ozuna). He even had a few pitches that got in the dirt (one of which he should have been on 2nd on) where he didn't attempt anything either.

 

I noticed that and was thinking the exact same thing.

[S720]

I noticed that and was thinking the exact same thing.

 

And if Ozuna was thrown out, people will scream for Ozzie's ass - How stupid can you be to have Ozuna steal a base when Thome or Konerko is coming up?

[Chisoxfn]

And if Ozuna was thrown out, people will scream for Ozzie's ass - How stupid can you be to have Ozuna steal a base when Thome or Konerko is coming up?

As a non stat guy, I say get the guy to 2nd so your big hitter can deliver a single (considering were in a major slump).

 

But luckily Ross came through and that could be the spark that gets this team back on track. All that said, we should still be willing to call hit and runs and stolen bases because it will keep the team fresh and make sure the opposition is focused defensively.

[S720]

As a non stat guy, I say get the guy to 2nd so your big hitter can deliver a single (considering were in a major slump).

 

But luckily Ross came through and that could be the spark that gets this team back on track. All that said, we should still be willing to call hit and runs and stolen bases because it will keep the team fresh and make sure the opposition is focused defensively.

 

Like you've stated, let's hope that this come-from-behind win will propel the team to change its downward direction to a much brighter one.

[South Side Fireworks Man]

And if Ozuna was thrown out, people will scream for Ozzie's ass - How stupid can you be to have Ozuna steal a base when Thome or Konerko is coming up?

 

 

And that, my friend, has been the problem and the reason why the Sox haven't been playing "smart ball" as much this year.

 

Stay aggressive, play the game right, and let the home runs come when they may instead of just waiting around for them to happen.

 

All that said, we should still be willing to call hit and runs and stolen bases because it will keep the team fresh and make sure the opposition is focused defensively.

 

Thank you.

[BobDylan]

All is well tonight, my friends.

[S720]

All is well tonight, my friends.

 

Certainly!

 

And Five More Of These "Tonight" would be so dandy.

[Balta1701]

And if Ozuna was thrown out, people will scream for Ozzie's ass - How stupid can you be to have Ozuna steal a base when Thome or Konerko is coming up?

The question always is, how often do you have to succeed at stealing 2nd in order for the additional RISP to make up for the few throwouts? Because sometimes he will be thrown out before a home run, but IMO, a lot more times, the guy would either distract the pitcher and give Thome/Konerko a better pitch, or would set up an RISP chance for either guy.

 

Sitting back and being passive ain't working. I like putting pressure on a defense to make a perfect throw/play. Yeah, when we're facing a guy throwing out 50% of his runners, we should hold back, but otherwise, I'll give up an out, and even an occasional game, for the additional RISP.

[YASNY]

The question always is, how often do you have to succeed at stealing 2nd in order for the additional RISP to make up for the few throwouts? Because sometimes he will be thrown out before a home run, but IMO, a lot more times, the guy would either distract the pitcher and give Thome/Konerko a better pitch, or would set up an RISP chance for either guy.

 

Sitting back and being passive ain't working. I like putting pressure on a defense to make a perfect throw/play. Yeah, when we're facing a guy throwing out 50% of his runners, we should hold back, but otherwise, I'll give up an out, and even an occasional game, for the additional RISP.

 

Or ... your big bat or hot hitter will be IBB'ed since 1B is open. If a lefty is pitching they go after Thome and walk Konerko and if a righty is on the hill, vice versa. So many calls or non calls that Ozzie makes, he gets ripped for after it doesn't work. Yet, there are good arguments for either decision.

[BobDylan]

Or ... your big bat or hot hitter will be IBB'ed since 1B is open. If a lefty is pitching they go after Thome and walk Konerko and if a righty is on the hill, vice versa. So many calls or non calls that Ozzie makes, he gets ripped for after it doesn't work. Yet, there are good arguments for either decision.

 

True, but for the opposition it's pick your poison. I'd much rather have Thome vs. Lefty or Konerko vs. Righty with a RISP than a runner on first and a favorible hitting match-up. Not only that, the manager can still use his pen and play the match-up regardless of whether the runner swipes a bag or not. Sure you'd like to have all the numbers in your favor, but guys like Thome, Konerko and Dye should be able to hit "specialists". I opt to put the pressure on.

Edited July 29, 2006 by BobDylan

[YASNY]

True, but for the opposition it's pick your poison. I'd much rather have Thome vs. Lefty or Konerko vs. Righty with a RISP than a runner on first and a favorible hitting match-up. Not only that, the manager can still use his pen and play the match-up regardless of whether the runner swipes a bag or not. Sure you'd like to have all the numbers in your favor, but guys like Thome, Konerko and Dye should be able to hit "specialists". I opt to put the pressure on.

 

Take the 9th inning of last nights game ... Runners on 1B and 2B with no outs. The Sox have 3 outs left and are down by 2. Iguchi sac bunts and they walk Thome with GLOAD, not Paulie, on deck. They effectively to the bat out of Thome's hands when he has 30+ dingers so Gload could hit with 0 dingers. I wouldn't have used up that out and negated Thome's power just to have two runners advance a base. It did eliminate the DP possibilty, which gave the O's even more incentive to walk Thome which restored DP possibilites. Baseball is a funny game.

[marsh]

Uribe should try to steal second whenever BA goes down in the count 0-2 or 1-2 because 90% of the time it's going to be a breaking ball in the dirt.

[BobDylan]

Take the 9th inning of last nights game ... Runners on 1B and 2B with no outs. The Sox have 3 outs left and are down by 2. Iguchi sac bunts and they walk Thome with GLOAD, not Paulie, on deck. They effectively to the bat out of Thome's hands when he has 30+ dingers so Gload could hit with 0 dingers. I wouldn't have used up that out and negated Thome's power just to have two runners advance a base. It did eliminate the DP possibilty, which gave the O's even more incentive to walk Thome which restored DP possibilites. Baseball is a funny game.

 

The way Ozzie figured it was by the match-up. Obviously anyone would rather have Thome up instead of Gload, but for the first time in awhile, things fell in place and Gload hit the slam. Not everything will work for Ozzie every night out, but you have to wonder how the opposition would feel if Konerko was on deck, not Gload.

 

Either way you slice it, props have to be given to Gload. He put the pressure on the pitcher and got a 3-0 count. Sox hitters haven't done that lately.