Why this team COULD NOT and now WILL make playoffs

[shipps]

I had to read the title about 14 times until I figured out what bryes point was. I must not have any reading comprehension skills.

[caulfield12]

I agree. That comment was more of a criticism of Ozzie's ability to judge his players sometimes, or his inability to know who should play where, or when they hit in a lineup. I think Ozzie is very mediocre when it cmoes to doing those things. There is a laundry list of examples like MacDougal, Lillibridge playing over Nix, Fields hitting in the 2 hole, Wise leading-off, Richard not starting, etc. I mean, even Lexi batting in the 2 hole was a product of Joey cora in Guillen's absence. I know there are times when he makes the right move as well. I was just saying that I question his judgment sometimes.

 

 

1) MacDougal had pitched pretty well in ST, nobody ELSE was stepping up (like Link/Russell/Wasserman) and KW had the hope that perhaps they could get another team to take this contract off our hands if he could show something again in the big leagues...did it work? No. Was it a horrible move? Nope, not when you have a pitcher with that talent and arm, there was a 5-15% chance he could click again.

 

2) Nix had a strained quadriceps muscle and was hurt coming out of ST or he very well might have taken the slot that Lillibridge won. Hard to blame that one on Guillen. And Lillibridge was our only option sometimes for CF...unless you want to argue that Nix could also play that position, too.

 

3) We don't have any ideal 2 hitters except for Getz, and Ozzie wanted to take the pressure off Chris and move him down. We also needed him even more at the top spot in the order. AJ, Fields and Ramirez all have their flaws at this spot, but at least Alexei is becoming more patient.

 

4) Do you really think that Cora made a line-up change without first seeking approval from Ozzie (Ramirez)?

 

5) Is it still so clear after this much of the season that Brian Anderson is the everyday, starting CF for the White Sox in the future??? I don't think so, sure, he had a good game yesterday, but he's been his typical inconsistent self, when playing everyday or when platooning. We had LONG/PROTRACTED/CONTENTIOUS discussions on this topic, and to accept a 650 OPS out of a starting CFer just isn't good enough. Beckham is already well over that mark, the one BA has for his entire career.

 

6) If not playing Wise, you would have kept Josh Kroeger? KW was the one who let Uribe go and swapped him out for the anti-Uribe in Betemit, a player with zero defensive ability at all four infield positions.

 

7) See comments on Josh Fields above. After his 2007 season, with Crede gone, with health (vision/knee injuries supposedly cleared up and him our best hitter in ST along with Betemit), how could you NOT start the season with Fields as your everyday 3B?

 

8) Wouldn't you agree that about 75% of the people who post on Sox message boards thought Richard would be a failure as a starter coming into 2009???

Edited July 1, 2009 by caulfield12

[Jordan4life_2007]

Honestly, isnt any production from Quentin at this point just bonus? The Sox are clicking right now on offense, Quentin provides another presence in the lineup, but it isnt as if the Sox offense struggles could be pinned on the absence of Quentin. I would lay most of the blame on complete lack of execution and coinciding slumps if anything

 

You and I could probably offer more offense than Anderson and Wise. But if we're talking about winning the division and competing against the likes of the Red Sox and Yankees, it's gonna be very difficult if CQ isn't at least 80% of what he was last year. Or even when he was raking earlier this year.