Changes coming by Tuesday?

[NorthSideSox72]

Ozzie could do a couple things - fire Walker, and shift the order around. The former is, at this point, probably a good idea. The latter may or may not help, but probably doesn't do a lot.

 

As for the roster, there are actually a few small things that could be done, and that may provide a little spark. Here is what I'd do, now that Uribe is ready to come back...

 

--Send Wise back down to AAA

--DFA Ozuna

--Bring back Uribe as a backup infielder, righty PH and defensive replacement (Ramirez to start 2 out of every 3 games or so)

--Bring up Chris Getz, to get a lefty bat on the bench (and Getz can play basically all the positions Pablo does)

--Start playing Anderson as the de facto starter in CF

--Put Swisher, Thome and Konerko as a rotation at 1B/DH. Sit Thome against LHP, DH Konerko and 1B for Swisher. Against righties, mix it up, but keep Thome in.

--Once one or two of those three bats comes back to life, move Swisher back to CF.

--Also, if PK starts having major problems with his hand/wrist, put him on the DL for 30, and call up Eldred, and continue that rotation.

 

So, there are actually some things that could be done that may help out the offense. They are at least worth a shot, IMO.

 

[Harry Chappas]

I believe Cabrera and Crede are on the block and I think the Orioles and the Dodgers are the teams of choice.

[Steve9347]

My guess is nothing happens and he tones down in the next 24 hrs

That

[quickman]

Agree and I have been saying the same thing. Nothing against Josh but let's face it, he's not doing well either. Also we do not know what the problem is the last four days. Clearly he's not healthy at the moment or there are other issues keeping him out of the lineup.

 

After a night's sleep on this, the silver lining is the pitching. It's been good, very good actually. They are in this thing, right now Cleveland is a mess and people are calling for Wedge to get fired. Not a good atmosphere there, and Detroit has problems too. Minnesota is playing well but that's to be expected, they have less ups and downs.

 

There are no impact bats in the minors at the moment and I took Williams' comments to mean there are no trades available either. So it's Walker or lineup changes. Since Ozzie has said time and time again Walker won't get fired, either he goes back on his word or the lineup gets changed.

 

Popular, Steve Stone SPECULATED today on the score that they are keeping uribe around to play second because they maybe looking to deal cabrera. He said its his opinion only. That maybe, but this is not what Ozzie was talking about yesterday. Again Ozzie made the mistake of giving a date, he is not very bright. I am hoping it is Greg Walker, and lineup changes and a minor trade. They need a shakeup badly.

[LVSoxFan]

For God's sake, how many years are we going to watch this and not fire Greg Walker? What possible excuse do we have for keeping him on at this stage? Ozzie's right: a year and half of this s*** and we've all had enough.

 

True, PK and Thome may continue to suck at the plate (who knows what Swisher will do) but it's been a year and a half of this feast-or-famine, pop-out offense, circa 2004. But if you do nothing, expect the same results.

 

Sounds to me like Ozzie was laying the groundwork for pink-slipping Walker. And he should. Enough already. You gotta start somewhere. And if that doesn't change anything, then you try something else. But try SOMETHING.

[29andPoplar]

The guy they hired out of the Pirates organization last winter, Jeff Mantos, has been observing the team the past few days. He is the organizational hitting guy I believe.

[letsgoarow]

Ozzie could do a couple things - fire Walker, and shift the order around. The former is, at this point, probably a good idea. The latter may or may not help, but probably doesn't do a lot.

 

As for the roster, there are actually a few small things that could be done, and that may provide a little spark. Here is what I'd do, now that Uribe is ready to come back...

 

--Send Wise back down to AAA

--DFA Ozuna

--Bring back Uribe as a backup infielder, righty PH and defensive replacement (Ramirez to start 2 out of every 3 games or so)

--Bring up Chris Getz, to get a lefty bat on the bench (and Getz can play basically all the positions Pablo does)

--Start playing Anderson as the de facto starter in CF

--Put Swisher, Thome and Konerko as a rotation at 1B/DH. Sit Thome against LHP, DH Konerko and 1B for Swisher. Against righties, mix it up, but keep Thome in.

--Once one or two of those three bats comes back to life, move Swisher back to CF.

--Also, if PK starts having major problems with his hand/wrist, put him on the DL for 30, and call up Eldred, and continue that rotation.

 

So, there are actually some things that could be done that may help out the offense. They are at least worth a shot, IMO.

 

Sounds good to me!

 

[quickman]

The guy they hired out of the Pirates organization last winter, Jeff Mantos, has been observing the team the past few days. He is the organizational hitting guy I believe.

 

 

thats great the pirates organization what a great org.

[Kyyle23]

Ozzie could do a couple things - fire Walker, and shift the order around. The former is, at this point, probably a good idea. The latter may or may not help, but probably doesn't do a lot.

 

As for the roster, there are actually a few small things that could be done, and that may provide a little spark. Here is what I'd do, now that Uribe is ready to come back...

 

--Send Wise back down to AAA

--DFA Ozuna

--Bring back Uribe as a backup infielder, righty PH and defensive replacement (Ramirez to start 2 out of every 3 games or so)

--Bring up Chris Getz, to get a lefty bat on the bench (and Getz can play basically all the positions Pablo does)

--Start playing Anderson as the de facto starter in CF

--Put Swisher, Thome and Konerko as a rotation at 1B/DH. Sit Thome against LHP, DH Konerko and 1B for Swisher. Against righties, mix it up, but keep Thome in.

--Once one or two of those three bats comes back to life, move Swisher back to CF.

--Also, if PK starts having major problems with his hand/wrist, put him on the DL for 30, and call up Eldred, and continue that rotation.

 

So, there are actually some things that could be done that may help out the offense. They are at least worth a shot, IMO.

 

DFAed when Uribe was activated. At least that was on the ESPN ticker

 

[LVSoxFan]

thats great the pirates organization what a great org.

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

DFAed when Uribe was activated. At least that was on the ESPN ticker

That works too.

 

[bullpenHeat]

Oh god I thought it would never come to this. Release Thome, and sign the best hitter in baseball....Gulp....Barry Bonds. Oh god please help me.

[DBAHO]

thats great the pirates organization what a great org.

And yet that guy probably didn't have a lot of talent to work with did he (you can thank Dave Littlefield for that).

 

Of course I'm just saying that, I know absolutely nothing about the guy (29th I assume would know a little), so I don't know how good of a teacher he is etc.

 

I'm just ready to move on from Walker.

 

He's had a couple of years, and for the most part almost every hitter on our team who has been there for that point has regressed offensively.

 

Totally unacceptable IMHO.

[TCQ]

First off all id like to thank all posters for helping to pass an hour at work today...Thank you. I agree with most of you that it is about time that walker left. You cant blame him for the offense not hitting, but something has to change, a lot of time bringing in someone new helps. I also agree with the ryan freel idea, he fast guy can lead off and play second. He also seems like a grinder type player that the sox like.

 

I also wanted to say that Konerko needs to take accountability for his shortcomings. to say the effort is there is BS. He is the captain of the team, i would respect him a lot more if he just came out and said you know what we arent getting it done right now and its our fault, not that theyre trying. Heck if i wasnt hitting my wieght for the first two months of the season id ask to go on the DL.

 

And one more thing, are they really trying? It just seems that they are pressing always trying to hit the long ball at least konerko and Thome. Where is this Ozzie Ball that helped us win it in 05. It seems like every time we have a guy on second with nobody out or someone on third with less than two we are trying to kill everything. With Konerko and Thome coming up in these situations why not just hit a ground ball to the right side, i have never seen them do this. And Thome, if your struggling as mightily as he is why not stay in the cage an extra half hour everyday and just hit to the left side. THome is a great hitter, at least a good hitter and he should be able to hit to the opposite field. It is an easy hit to just ground to third base when that shift is on. When your in a slump you should at least try these things to help the team out and stop trying to do too much. Sorry for the long post but i am frustrated, they wont be in first for long if this play continues.

[29andPoplar]

thats great the pirates organization what a great org.

Exactly, and that's the point.

 

While I agree a new voice is needed somewhere, what's the old saying, be careful what you wish for?

 

I have no special affinity for Greg Walker but the next guy could be worse. Before anyone says that's not possible, there could be guys who actually regress.

 

A hitting coach takes the blame when proven hitters with a track record go bad, and that's fair. Konerko, Thome, Swisher and a few more are all doing poorly. What about guys like Quentin and Alexei Ramirez, who had basically no major league track record but are now doing rather well? It goes both ways, it always has and it always will.

 

Now I don't care one way or the other if Greg Walker gets launched. However, I do care about some of these veterans exhibiting the same tendancies year after year. I am convinced the blame lies there but again, if firing the hitting coach will help, great, I'm all for it.

 

Thursday should see the beginning of a change in direction. More pure hitters, less power plodders. It looks like they will take an impact bat in the draft and it's about time.

[elrockinMT]

Wise was DFA and my guess that's the only move we make. Ozzie is spanked behind closed doors by KW and Ozzie apologizes saying he was just trying to stir things up and wake up the players. That's my guess. All the moves being speculated on don't really impact anything other than tear apart the bench. The bench is not the problem it is a number of starting big name players not producing. Does anyone really think that on June 2nd we can trade Konerko, Thome, Swisher, Uribe, Crede, Cabrera, Ozuna, etc, etc, etc, et al, et al, and get value in position players who will perform better? Ozzie is sparking again and that's it. Now is it possible Greg Walker is the scapegoat for underperforming veterans and gets the axe? That will happen before you see a fire sale being conducted by a team in 1st place in the AL Central. Keep that in mind everyone... we are in 1st place! Everyone is frustrated by the lack of production and my guess none more so than the players themselves. They are really the only ones that can change things around and I think that is the impetus behind Ozzie's rant. I am looking forward to Tuesday's game and if we perform better offensively this will all blow over including the expletive laden ranting of our manager. Bless him for he knows not what he does sometimes, or does he?

[29andPoplar]

And yet that guy probably didn't have a lot of talent to work with did he (you can thank Dave Littlefield for that).

 

Of course I'm just saying that, I know absolutely nothing about the guy (29th I assume would know a little), so I don't know how good of a teacher he is etc.

 

I'm just ready to move on from Walker.

 

He's had a couple of years, and for the most part almost every hitter on our team who has been there for that point has regressed offensively.

 

Totally unacceptable IMHO.

 

Good points.

 

I have no idea if the guy is a good teacher and whether he'd be better or not and frankly, none of us do. There is a strong prevailing wind both here and from Ozzie Guillen that change for change's sake is necessary. So I presume something will change by tomorrow or else it's Guillen's roster roulette vs. the Royals which probably won't do much.

 

I would bet that Guillen's day off isn't a relax by the pool day. It would be interesting to listen in on the phone call he has with Williams.

[NorthSideSox72]

First off all id like to thank all posters for helping to pass an hour at work today...Thank you. I agree with most of you that it is about time that walker left. You cant blame him for the offense not hitting, but something has to change, a lot of time bringing in someone new helps. I also agree with the ryan freel idea, he fast guy can lead off and play second. He also seems like a grinder type player that the sox like.

 

I also wanted to say that Konerko needs to take accountability for his shortcomings. to say the effort is there is BS. He is the captain of the team, i would respect him a lot more if he just came out and said you know what we arent getting it done right now and its our fault, not that theyre trying. Heck if i wasnt hitting my wieght for the first two months of the season id ask to go on the DL.

 

And one more thing, are they really trying? It just seems that they are pressing always trying to hit the long ball at least konerko and Thome. Where is this Ozzie Ball that helped us win it in 05. It seems like every time we have a guy on second with nobody out or someone on third with less than two we are trying to kill everything. With Konerko and Thome coming up in these situations why not just hit a ground ball to the right side, i have never seen them do this. And Thome, if your struggling as mightily as he is why not stay in the cage an extra half hour everyday and just hit to the left side. THome is a great hitter, at least a good hitter and he should be able to hit to the opposite field. It is an easy hit to just ground to third base when that shift is on. When your in a slump you should at least try these things to help the team out and stop trying to do too much. Sorry for the long post but i am frustrated, they wont be in first for long if this play continues.

Nice first post TCQ, and welcome to the board!

 

While I agree with some of your post, I have to disagree on a few things. For one, Thome has indeed been hitting oppo lately, and is starting to groove in a bit. Plus, in yesterday's game, he really did a great job in his last AB - hit a broken bat single to CF, then just plain hustled it into a double. Right now, he isn't the main problem.

 

Second, while "Ozzie Ball" may have helped occasionally in 2005, the team really won because of pitching, more pitching, home runs and very good defense. Small ball was only a small, occasional ingredient in that success.

 

And finally, while I think PK's hitting is part of the problem, I don't really think its a lack of effort on his part. He's playing through an injury that's very painful when hitting. DL might be a good idea, but then again, his last couple games his swing has looked a lot healthier.

 

[The Ginger Kid]

It wasnt like the Rays were tearing the cover off the ball. We lost to one of the best home teams in the league in extras, a walk off, and a 2-0 pitching duel. Its not like we just got blown out of Tampa.

thank you. Ozzie was pissed and I don't blame him but this was a very close series against one of the hottest teams in the league. This after taking 2 of 3 against a division rival on the road.

 

I was hoping for a split. They had great chances to get that and more, just didn't happen.

[elrockinMT]

thank you. Ozzie was pissed and I don't blame him but this was a very close series against one of the hottest teams in the league. This after taking 2 of 3 against a division rival on the road.

 

I was hoping for a split. They had great chances to get that and more, just didn't happen.

 

 

That was my hope too and I guess we were at least in a position to get that split. It really hurts to lose 2 games by a walk off homer off a bullpen that has been really stingy this year.

[WCSox]

Kenny wasted his best bargaining chips (Garland and our 3 top prospects) on two players who have sucked. He got Quentin and fixed the bullpen (by paying a steep price) which were great moves. I don't think that constitutes an overall great offseason.

 

Kenny getting Linebrink and Dotel has taken our bullpen from the outhouse to the penthouse. Dumping Garland's salary in favor of Floyd (who is currently pitching better than Garland at a massive discount) also gave the Sox the financial flexibility to replace Uribe with a better SS and to give us an every-day CF. While Swisher has been a dud with the bat so far, he's done a fine job filling in the gaping hole in CF and Cabrera has been a massive upgrade over Uribe. Oh, and Quentin is a legitimate MVP candidate. Getting a player like that for a prospect is nothing short of robbery. I'd say that's an outstanding offseason.

 

I realize that people are pissed off right now, but posts like these are completely illogical. If you want to be pissed off at somebody, try the players who are hitting well below their career numbers.

 

[DBAHO]

I think the frustrating thing is the guys at the top and bottom of the lineup are actually doing ok-ish.

 

Guys like Pierzynski and Crede have had solid seasons, Ramirez has provided a real spark since he joined the lineup, Dye for the most part has produced well, Quentin has been fantastic, and O-Cab is starting to hit.

 

It's 2 guys in Thome and Konerko who are so important, in terms of producing with runners on (I need to check their numbers with RISP), and they haven't done the job.

 

Now you know, they're not this bad. But can you rely on Walker to fix them? Paulie has turned it around, and he is generally a slow starter and a 2nd half hitter. Has Thome's bat slowed down for good though?

 

I wouldn't actually mind now that I think about it, just give Fields a chance by putting Paulie on the DL for 15 days, and seeing what Fields does. I know he's not hitting well down at Charlotte, but who knows, he may come up here and suddenly start producing. Give this team a spark offensively. A jump, to kickstart some of the other guys.

 

And I would say KW had a VERY GOOD off-season. The moves he made, basically all of those guys (bar Swisher and O-Cab early on) have all produced.

 

The bullpen was a major weakness, now Linebrink and Dotel have shored that up.

 

Quentin was a flat out steal. KW's best trade he's ever made as a GM ATM that one.

 

It's the guys already on the team in your Thome's and Konerko's that haven't produced, and the blame lies with them for our subpar offense. Them and Greg Walker.

[dmbjeff]

Oh god I thought it would never come to this. Release Thome, and sign the best hitter in baseball....Gulp....Barry Bonds. Oh god please help me.

 

most people here would tell you that you are an idiot. but really, big head bonds would be an upgrade over thome, konerko or swisher. and thome is performing best out of that group, paulie is the one with the biggest problem right now. swisher is too young and too cheap for him to be demoted or traded at this point. but barry certainly wont be coming here, i can almost 100% guarantee that.

[fathom]

Kenny getting Linebrink and Dotel has taken our bullpen from the outhouse to the penthouse. Dumping Garland's salary in favor of Floyd (who is currently pitching better than Garland at a massive discount) also gave the Sox the financial flexibility to replace Uribe with a better SS and to give us an every-day CF. While Swisher has been a dud with the bat so far, he's done a fine job filling in the gaping hole in CF and Cabrera has been a massive upgrade over Uribe. Oh, and Quentin is a legitimate MVP candidate. Getting a player like that for a prospect is nothing short of robbery. I'd say that's an outstanding offseason.

 

I realize that people are pissed off right now, but posts like these are completely illogical. If you want to be pissed off at somebody, try the players who are hitting well below their career numbers.

 

On what planet has OC been a massive upgrade over Uribe?

[Harry Chappas]

DL Konerko, sign Bonds and risk Thome at firstbase.

 

Gotta do something.