The Jim Thome Saga Ends

[Kalapse]

hey,it may happen, but i really dont see vizquel dh'ing. im sure u dont want thome back but u just think its better than what we have right? why do we have to settle for someone thats not that good, that we dont want, etc ? cant we get someone a bit better, a difference maker? thome isnt a difference maker. may be better than jones but not a difference maker. there has to be someone out there.

You can pray all you want for a difference maker but the Sox started the Jones/Kotsay PR campaign a few weeks back and it's sure as s*** looking like it'll continue right on through opening day, Thome appeared to be the last gleaming hope we had at a seemingly competent hitter being acquired to take care of DH'ing duties. Sure I'll take a "difference maker" over Thome but that doesn't appear to be the cards.

[jphat007]

LOL. I hope he goes to the Twins and hits 800 billion home runs.

[jenksycat]

NO Thome No Jim Thome this year... http://twitter.com/SoxNet

 

WOAH, how'd you find your sources so quickly?

 

So, Kotsay + Jones now HAS to work. Fannnnntastic

[daa84]

It just means you'll see a terrible hitter in Omar Vizquel and a bad hitter in Mark Kotsay DH more often and you'll have the pleasure of watching a couple of mid 30 year old's in Jones and Kotsay weaken the defense every time they get a start in the outfield. Oh joy.

im bitter about thome not coming back and agree with just about everything youve said in this thread...

 

however, i have to hope that kotsay will almost exclusively play at 1b when he plays (with PK DH) which would hopefully strengthen the D....also if Jones is playing either corner (with Quentin or Pierre as DH) i think our D is better....unfortunately Ozzie wont play jones in the corner, hell likely play jones in CF with rios in right....though even in that scenario i think our D is better

Edited January 26, 2010 by daa84

[knightni]

thome isnt a difference maker.

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/vide...91&c_id=cws

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/vide...57&c_id=cws

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/play...2&id=599705

 

 

[Melissa1334]

You can pray all you want for a difference maker but the Sox started the Jones/Kotsay PR campaign a few weeks back and it's sure as s*** looking like it'll continue right on through opening day, Thome appeared to be the last gleaming hope we had at a seemingly competent hitter being acquired to take care of DH'ing duties. Sure I'll take a "difference maker" over Thome but that doesn't appear to be the cards.

well heres a question for u, kinda interested in what u think: do u really think ozzie wants/likes this whole rotating dh thing with the current guys stated? maybe he just didnt want thome back(bcuz of what he'll give u at this stage in his career). meaning, lets say adrian gonzalez didnt play the field. if kenny came up to ozzie and said that hey, we can get this guy, u want him? do u really think ozzie would say no? (i dont, i think he'll happily take his production)

[daa84]

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/play...2&id=599705[/url]

i think that is my favorite hawk harrelson call of all time.....edges out the joe crede in 05, the come on willie, the come on timo, the MB perfect game, and going back the 93 bo jackson division winner

[Melissa1334]

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/vide...91&c_id=cws

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/vide...57&c_id=cws

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/play...2&id=599705

meaning for this yr, hes not going to make or break our season. yea, dont really care for videos from '08 and '07

 

Edited January 26, 2010 by Melissa1334

[Ranger]

If he really wants Ozzieball, fine, but for gods sake, go get a bat that is a legitimate MLB starter with OBP skills. Go get Orlando Hudson, get Felipe Lopez and have them DH. Put them at #2 in the lineup, don't waste Beckham in the 2 hole. These guys can at least do the little things, bunt, run the bases and play defense giving all the IF's a break. They are real MLB starters, Kotsay and Jones couldn't start for any other MLB team, yet we count on them this season? Why?

 

That's really not true.

 

i rather have the rotation than just thome. and u act like its 100% that hed be good and healthy this yr. u dont know. im not going to be like others and say were going to lose the division bcuz were not going to have jim thome. i wouldnt put it all on ozzie about the whole dh thing, they were going to get johnson,of course it was a money issue, not oz.

 

Like I said before, this would have been my only concern with bringing Thome back. He's not going to get any better, his bat isn't going to get any quicker, and there is a really good chance that he has a pretty significant decline this year or that he's back on the DL.

 

However, I really think people (callers, emailers, etc.) really didn't appreciate his contributions. I had friends texting me during 2008 telling me that he was "done". He had been productive even when it appeared he struggled.

 

 

Thank you Pony Express.

 

I found this really funny.

Edited January 26, 2010 by Ranger

[Kalapse]

im bitter about thome not coming back and agree with just about everything youve said in this thread...

 

however, i have to hope that kotsay will almost exclusively play at 1b when he plays (with PK DH) which would hopefully strengthen the D....also if Jones is playing either corner (with Quentin or Pierre as DH) i think our D is better....unfortunately Ozzie wont play jones in the corner, hell likely play jones in CF with rios in right....though even in that scenario i think our D is better

I hope so. It's just he "hall of famer" talk that has me worried. Vizquel needs to get ABs and Jones needs to play CF because that's where he built his hall of fame resume. I sure hope the new svelte Andruw takes to the outfield a bit better than the 2009 version fared in his stints because the scouting reports weren't pretty.

[Thad Bosley]

Ok Ozzie, fine. Have it your way. No Thome. No Thome, no Matsui, and no Nick Johnson. All affordable options who, for whatever reason, will not be on the South Side this year. Now, do you realize as a result of not bringing in any of those players your attack now from the left hand side of the plate this year will consist of A.J., Pierre, Teahen, Kotsay, and Vizquel? Are you really ok with that? That's good enough to help lift us from our sub .500, 3rd place finish last year to the promised land? Is that what you are telling us? I remind you, we've lost Jermaine Dye as well. Is Jake Peavy THAT good, and do you for some reason think the AL Central is going to be THAT inferior, that this DH-by-below-average-contributor committee idea is passable? Really? Please explain, because as of this moment I just don't get it.

[daggins]

FUOG

 

edit - still holding out that they get someone else, but of course that is far fetched at this point.

Edited January 26, 2010 by daggins

[iamshack]

no. but i know he walked quite a bit, hit hrs, etc. but didnt u get a tad bit tired of watching thome strikeout, esp against lefties late in a game, hit right into the shift, need 3 hits to score,etc? yes i realize hes probly better than what we have, but i just really want to move on

Honestly Melissa, as well as others who share this opinion, and no disrespect intended, but how could you be so incredibly selfish that you would rather the team be worse, and win less games, because you don't want to get personally frustrated as much by watching a certain player?

 

What a crap attitude, and honestly, I am really f***ing tired of seeing it.

[Melissa1334]

Ok Ozzie, fine. Have it your way. No Thome. No Thome, no Matsui, and no Nick Johnson. All affordable options who, for whatever reason, will not be on the South Side this year. Now, do you realize as a result of not bringing in any of those players your attack now from the left hand side of the plate this year will consist of A.J., Pierre, Teahen, Kotsay, and Vizquel? Are you really ok with that? That's good enough to help lift us from our sub .500, 3rd place finish last year to the promised land? Is that what you are telling us? I remind you, we've lost Jermaine Dye as well. Is Jake Peavy THAT good, and do you for some reason think the AL Central is going to be THAT inferior, that this DH-by-below-average-contributor committee idea is passable? Really? Please explain, because as of this moment I just don't get it.

the sox didnt sign matsui and johnson bcuz of financial reasons. they would have gotten them if it werent for the money not bcuz ozzie didnt want them.

[Melissa1334]

Honestly Melissa, as well as others who share this opinion, and no disrespect intended, but how could you be so incredibly selfish that you would rather the team be worse, and win less games, because you don't want to get personally frustrated as much by watching a certain player?

 

What a crap attitude, and honestly, I am really f***ing tired of seeing it.

no, i want the sox to win. and ur talking about the same people that were crying all yr how they hated thome and pods. hey, atleast my opinions arent all over. make up ur mind. fine, the season is over bcuz thome isnt coming back. i dont want him bcuz i feel theres still a chance they can get someone better.

Edited January 26, 2010 by Melissa1334

[knightni]

no, i want the sox to win. and ur talking about the same people that were crying all yr how they hated thome and pods. hey, atleast my opinions arent all over. make up ur mind. fine, the season is over bcuz thome isnt coming back. i dont want him bcuz i feel theres still a chance they can get someone better.

Just wondering, but are people supposed to take you seriously with that syntax?

[jenksycat]

well heres a question for u, kinda interested in what u think: do u really think ozzie wants/likes this whole rotating dh thing with the current guys stated? maybe he just didnt want thome back(bcuz of what he'll give u at this stage in his career). meaning, lets say adrian gonzalez didnt play the field. if kenny came up to ozzie and said that hey, we can get this guy, u want him? do u really think ozzie would say no? (i dont, i think he'll happily take his production)

 

Its not even a question of that. Its pretty simple: will Thome be a better hitter than Kotsay, Jones, and Vizquel? Yes, Probably, and Yes.

 

Pretty simple conclusion for me unless he was asking for more than 2 million which I doubt. Would he make or break the season? No, but would he be a guaranteed better option that what we currently have? 100% yes. All there is to it.

[daggins]

Here's the thing - the people who b****ed about Thome did so because it is frustrating watching the same guy strike out a ton. It is a perfectly valid complaint. It is also perfectly valid to complain about not replacing the production of said K machine with a better option and going into the season with a huge deficit in run producers compared to last years below 500 team.

[Melissa1334]

Just wondering, but are people supposed to take you seriously with that syntax?

im sorry my grammer and "syntax" isnt correct on a sports fan site "lol" i'll try to spell everything out in full from now on. wow, u know exactly what i was saying and ur complaining about it, must be really mad thome isnt coming back "lol" yea but we should take people serious who wanted to fire ozzie after every sox loss last year , ha

[Thad Bosley]

the sox didnt sign matsui and johnson bcuz of financial reasons. they would have gotten them if it werent for the money not bcuz ozzie didnt want them.

Well, two reactions to that. A.) they both signed for rather cheap contracts, in the 5-6 million dollar range, and B.) if you combine that with Mr. Reinsdorf's assertion that there is still, in fact, some money left to bring in the "right" player, than I think you can easily conclude they could have been had. I don't mean to say that meaning they absolutely could have been had, but it would seem like they could have been had. If that little distinction makes any sense.

 

Meanwhile, on a similar topic, if the only offer Johnny Damon is entertaining at the moment is in the neighborhood of $2-3 million dollars per year, and we aren't there to offer him more to pry him away from the Bronx, then I'd say shame on us. I mean, seriously - Jones and Kotsay. 'Nuff said.

[iamshack]

no, i want the sox to win. and ur talking about the same people that were crying all yr how they hated thome and pods. hey, atleast my opinions arent all over. make up ur mind. fine, the season is over bcuz thome isnt coming back. i dont want him bcuz i feel theres still a chance they can get someone better.

If you're holding out for the guy in your avatar, I really doubt that whether or not to acquire Jim Thome for $2m really had a large effect on that decision. As for other options, if Thome isn't a fit, none of the other slugging lefthanders are going to be a fit for Ozzie. At least not until he figures out halfway into the regular season that we need a middle of the order bat. And again, any player acquired at that point is most likely going ot cost us more than Thome would have now, or would have still been acquired even if Thome had been signed now.

 

Secondly, there is simply no way that one could reasonably argue that adding Thome to a DH platoon would not improve that platoon. The numbers simply are not there. And I am a really big Andruw Jones fan.

 

I hope for our sake that this somehow works, but on its face, this is f***ing stupid.

 

[Melissa1334]

Well, two reactions to that. A.) they both signed for rather cheap contracts, in the 5-6 million dollar range, and B.) if you combine that with Mr. Reinsdorf's assertion that there is still, in fact, some money left to bring in the "right" player, than I think you can easily conclude they could have been had. I don't mean to say that meaning they absolutely could have been had, but it would seem like they could have been had. If that little distinction makes any sense.

 

Meanwhile, on a similar topic, if the only offer Johnny Damon is entertaining at the moment is in the neighborhood of $2-3 million dollars per year, and we aren't there to offer him more to pry him away from the Bronx, then I'd say shame on us. I mean, seriously - Jones and Kotsay. 'Nuff said.

its in one of the threads, that the yankees outbid them for johnson, couldnt compete with their offer.

[jenksycat]

im sorry my grammer and "syntax" isnt correct on a sports fan site "lol" i'll try to spell everything out in full from now on. wow, u know exactly what i was saying and ur complaining about it, must be really mad thome isnt coming back "lol" yea but we should take people serious who wanted to fire ozzie after every sox loss last year , ha

 

Typing like that makes you sound like a 12 year old who just got on AOL for the first time, sorry.

 

Once I stopped typing like that, my wpm also increased dramatically. Its really pointless, but whatever floats your boat.

[Melissa1334]

If you're holding out for the guy in your avatar, I really doubt that whether or not to acquire Jim Thome for $2m really had a large effect on that decision. As for other options, if Thome isn't a fit, none of the other slugging lefthanders are going to be a fit for Ozzie. At least not until he figures out halfway into the regular season that we need a middle of the order bat. And again, any player acquired at that point is most likely going ot cost us more than Thome would have now, or would have still been acquired even if Thome had been signed now.

 

Secondly, there is simply no way that one could reasonably argue that adding Thome to a DH platoon would not improve that platoon. The numbers simply are not there. And I am a really big Andruw Jones fan.

 

I hope for our sake that this somehow works, but on its face, this is f***ing stupid.

no, i know were not getting him lol hes my fave. player(played for mexico in the wbc, awesome). i just dont think we should overreact. lets see how things unfold.

[fathom]

Am I now allowed to say that this offseason has sucked, as I'm not impressed at all with the job KW and Ozzie have done? And I'm usually pretty optimistic in the offseason, but it's ridiculous how bad our lineup is on paper.