Sox vs. Oakland, March 10, 2:05 (SS)

[Heads22]

Tracey into pitch. Let's go Sean.

[fathom]

I would have been satisfied if Cotts were delt for Carlos Marmol alone.

 

No chance they'd give us him for Cotts. Marmol has excellent stuff. I really hope Aardsma is better than I think he is.

[Flash Tizzle]

HA, Nice home run Prior.

 

 

 

No chance they'd give us him for Cotts. Marmol has excellent stuff. I really hope Aardsma is better than I think he is.

I wouldn't have expected it, either. Just suggesting Marmol alone would have been fine. Even with the fact he may not have been in our bullpen for 2007.

 

Oh, no now Tracey can hit people.

[Heads22]

And Trace beans Suzuki in the skullbone.

[RockRaines]

Give it time for Prior. he has barely pitched over the past 2 or 3 seasons.

Yeah, because of the condition of his shoulder which cannot be fixed. hes done

 

Tracey into pitch. Let's go Sean.

and please make your trade value rise, please

[fathom]

Yeah, because of the condition of his shoulder which cannot be fixed. hes done

 

There was rampant speculation that Prior was a juicer a few years back (while still in college). His pitching mentor has had numerous guys that were later busted for steroids. It wouldn't shock me if this was somehow related to his issues the past few years. It couldn't happen to a bigger asshole.

[Heads22]

Prior just looks hittable right now. That 88 MPH fastball is just asking to get crushed.

[fathom]

I guarantee that the Tribune will report how sharp Prior looked, as he added 3 mph to his fastball and will be in the 94 mph range by the time the season starts.

[RockRaines]

There was rampant speculation that Prior was a juicer a few years back (while still in college). His pitching mentor has had numerous guys that were later busted for steroids. It wouldn't shock me if this was somehow related to his issues the past few years. It couldn't happen to a bigger asshole.

It could be true. As prior gives up a huge double.

 

He has shrunk a little bit, and his calves of steel arent quite there anymore.

Going from 94-97 on the gun to 85-88 is a pretty large drop IMO.

[Flash Tizzle]

Prior has given up four runs in two innings of work.

 

No one can spin this.

Edited March 10, 2007 by Flash Tizzle

[Kalapse]

I guarantee that the Tribune will report how sharp Prior looked, as he added 3 mph to his fastball and will be in the 94 mph range by the time the season starts.

He threw 1 breaking ball off the plate Mike Sweeney wiffed at, whoever the hell is in the booth with Kermit today wouldn't shut the hell up about it. That's the sort of thing you're going to see highlighted tomorrow. Well, he allowed 8 runs but he made Sweeney look bad on a breaking ball and at this time in the Spring that's really all that matters.

[Heads22]

Wiki got wobbed.

[Dick Allen]

Prior has given up four runs in two innings of work.

 

No one can spin this.

He's starting to look like Buerhle.

[Flash Tizzle]

He threw 1 breaking ball off the plate Mike Sweeney wiffed at, whoever the hell is in the booth with Kermit today wouldn't shut the hell up about it. That's the sort of thing you're going to see highlighted tomorrow. Well, he allowed 8 runs but he made Sweeney look bad on a breaking ball and at this time in the Spring that's really all that matters.

Dan Plesack was slurping that particular pitch.

 

Only breaking ball Prior successfully threw for a strike, at that.

[fathom]

He's starting to look like Buerhle.

 

I'm telling you, it's such a blessing for our organization that Buehrle isn't serious about signing a contract extension.

[RockRaines]

I'm telling you, it's such a blessing for our organization that Buehrle isn't serious about signing a contract extension.

Yeah, why would we want to bring back our best pitcher over the past 6 seasons.

[Dick Allen]

Its just funny to me that Prior is getting beat around and the board is lit up talking about how he is done. Buerhle gets lit up for a half a season and is getting lit up again this spring and everyone wants to get him signed long-term. KW better wait. There are more than a couple of scouts that think Buerhle is heading south, although unlike Prior at this point, he could get away with throwing 88 if he can get his command back.

[fathom]

Yeah, why would we want to bring back our best pitcher over the past 6 seasons.

 

Because there's no way I see Buehrle holding up over the next 5 years (which is the length the contract would have to be, because there's no way an agent would let a pitcher like Buehrle, at his age, sign a 3 year deal after the season he had last year).

[Heads22]

Speaking of Prior's "prior" abilities, here's Corwin.

[Flash Tizzle]

I'm telling you, it's such a blessing for our organization that Buehrle isn't serious about signing a contract extension.

One area of his game that I may potentially miss is the innings he provides. But, yet again, if our bullpen in future seasons reaches their expectation we won't need every starter to throw 7 innings every night. Guillen (or whomever else) won't have to leave out a start one inning too long.

[Balta1701]

Its just funny to me that Prior is getting beat around and the board is lit up talking about how he is done. Buerhle gets lit up for a half a season and is getting lit up again this spring and everyone wants to get him signed long-term. KW better wait. There are more than a couple of scouts that think Buerhle is heading south, although unlike Prior at this point, he could get away with throwing 88 if he can get his command back.

A drop of 8-10 mph from your fastball and like 4 straight injury-plagued seasons is, to my eyes, slightly more severe than a drop of 1 mph from your fastball and 6 straight 200+ inning seasons.

[fathom]

One area of his game that I may potentially miss is the innings he provides. But, yet again, if our bullpen in future seasons reaches their expectation we won't need every starter to throw 7 innings every night. Guillen (or whomever else) won't have to leave out a start one inning too long.

 

One thing Guillen proved last year is that no matter who the pitcher is, they'll give you at least 6 or 7 innings. The problem with that last year was that the 6th and 7th innings were disasters, and too many times our starter went from 6 innings, 3 runs to 6 1/3 innings, 5 runs.

[Balta1701]

One thing Guillen proved last year is that no matter who the pitcher is, they'll give you at least 6 or 7 innings. The problem with that last year was that the 6th and 7th innings were disasters, and too many times our starter went from 6 innings, 3 runs to 6 1/3 innings, 5 runs.

Well, it is worth asking what Ozzie might do if he had a starting pitching staff that was struggling and a bullpen that was dominating. In 05, he had a damn good bullpen and a damn good rotation, to the point that he was usually justified in showing confidence in his starter and leaving him out there for most of the game, no matter how good his bullpen was.

 

In 06, he had struggling starters (the same guys who had succeeded the year before), but he also had guys like Politte, Cotts, Logan, McCarthy, and so on out in the bullpen who had a ton of difficulty keeping teams shut down. If he went to his bullpen in the 6th, that meant Cotts or McCarthy were coming in until late September when callups happened, so that meant he was going to give up at least 1 run, if not more.

 

Ozzie hasn't recently had to deal with struggling starters and a dominating bullpen. Last year, about the only pitcher who wasn't a better option than Cotts was 2nd half Buehrle.

[Dick Allen]

A drop of 8-10 mph from your fastball and like 4 straight injury-plagued seasons is, to my eyes, slightly more severe than a drop of 1 mph from your fastball and 6 straight 200+ inning seasons.

What about the jump in ERA? He was batting practice the second half last season, and its been more of the same this spring, although its been reported on this board he is throwing a little harder. I posted before, that last year when I was in Tucson, Buerhle was topping out at 80 on the gun. He still was pretty decent last season until he entered the Urinal, although I do recall him giving up a lot of unearned runs early on. White Sox pitchers have to do a better job of pitching over defensive mistakes this season.

 

Well, it is worth asking what Ozzie might do if he had a starting pitching staff that was struggling and a bullpen that was dominating. In 05, he had a damn good bullpen and a damn good rotation, to the point that he was usually justified in showing confidence in his starter and leaving him out there for most of the game, no matter how good his bullpen was.

 

In 06, he had struggling starters (the same guys who had succeeded the year before), but he also had guys like Politte, Cotts, Logan, McCarthy, and so on out in the bullpen who had a ton of difficulty keeping teams shut down. If he went to his bullpen in the 6th, that meant Cotts or McCarthy were coming in until late September when callups happened, so that meant he was going to give up at least 1 run, if not more.

 

Ozzie hasn't recently had to deal with struggling starters and a dominating bullpen. Last year, about the only pitcher who wasn't a better option than Cotts was 2nd half Buehrle.

The White Sox bullpen was the least used in both 2005 and 2006 I believe. One year it was awesome, and the other, not so good, kind of like the rotation both years.

[Flash Tizzle]

Now I understand why the Cubs traded Aardsma -- Angel Guzman is his Latin clone. Nothing but fastballs all over the zone.