Theories? Why do the White Sox fade in Aug/Sept. every year?

[kitekrazy]

Read the sidebar:

 

Sox DHs: 109 games, 409 ABs, .235/.305/.399, 15 HRs, 49 RBI

 

Jim Thome: 80 games, 204 ABs, .265/.387/.578, 16 HRs, 41 RBI

 

Any discussion on whether not resigning Thome was the right move or not should end with those numbers. It was a disastrous decision on our part that may very well cost us a division title and play-off appearance.

 

That's why stats are often like urine.

 

Sometimes you just cannot look at a player in a vacuum. It's the lineup you have to analyze. We'll really never know.

 

Best quote out of that article from a reader no doubt.

 

If you think not having Thome will cost this team the division, you need to find another sport.

 

 

 

[Balta1701]

If you think not having Thome will cost this team the division, you need to find another sport.

One where they don't keep score.

[Buehrle>Wood]

That's why stats are often like urine.

 

Sometimes you just cannot look at a player in a vacuum. It's the lineup you have to analyze. We'll really never know.

 

Impressive. That's one of the worst justifications I've ever heard on this board.

[kitekrazy]

Impressive. That's one of the worst justifications I've ever heard on this board.

 

Thankyou!

 

[BigSqwert]

They don't call him kitekrazy for nothing!

[Buehrle>Wood]

If you think not having Thome will cost this team the division, you need to find another sport.

 

Will? I don't know. Could? Definitely.

 

Sox DHs: 109 games, 409 ABs, .235/.305/.399, 15 HRs, 49 RBI

 

Jim Thome: 80 games, 204 ABs, .265/.387/.578, 16 HRs, 41 RBI

[kitekrazy]

Will? I don't know. Could? Definitely.

 

Sox DHs: 109 games, 409 ABs, .235/.305/.399, 15 HRs, 49 RBI

 

Jim Thome: 80 games, 204 ABs, .265/.387/.578, 16 HRs, 41 RBI

 

Ugh...more urine.

You have no way of knowing he would perform equally as well for the Sox.

That's like the same dopes who thought Cutler would bring the Bears a Super Bowl.

 

[bigruss]

Ugh...more urine.

You have no way of knowing he would perform equally as well for the Sox.

That's like the same dopes who thought Cutler would bring the Bears a Super Bowl.

You have no idea how well I would perform as the Sox DH, doesn't mean I should or should not be the DH.

 

Thome, even at his age, is incredibly more talented than Kotsay, and along with being the same price tag and a great clubhouse guy there is absolutely no denying that it was the wrong choice, and this board has been saying that ever since we let Thome go.

[kitekrazy]

You have no idea how well I would perform as the Sox DH, doesn't mean I should or should not be the DH.

 

Thome, even at his age, is incredibly more talented than Kotsay, and along with being the same price tag and a great clubhouse guy there is absolutely no denying that it was the wrong choice, and this board has been saying that ever since we let Thome go.

 

Kotsay was never meant to replace Thome.

 

[RockRaines]

On the topic of the thread. Outside of maybe 3-4 teams, doesnt pretty much every team fade about this time? There are a few perennial playoff teams, but the rest of the league will fade this time if they dont make the playoffs. Its kind of the nature of sports.

[NorthSideSox72]

Ugh...more urine.

You have no way of knowing he would perform equally as well for the Sox.

That's like the same dopes who thought Cutler would bring the Bears a Super Bowl.

What in the hell are you talking about?

 

[BigSqwert]

Any new theories? *sigh*

[witesoxfan]

Maybe he would have been that 6th starter when Peavy wasn't looking so CY and everyone thought MB was now washed up. Floyd looked like a BP pitcher and Danks had bad luck.

 

From the sounds of it, you want me to find you a few games where having Jim Thome in the lineup would have made a difference. In these games, there will have been a save situation involved and the DH (mostly looking at Kotsay, but Jones playing when he shouldn't have works too) will have sputtered. Also, I'm not counting games in which a left handed pitcher started because Thome won't start against lefties (even though we know he can still hit them).

 

April 7 - Kotsay DHed and went 0 for 3 with a walk.

April 8 - Juan Pierre DHed and went 2-5 with a walk. Wee! Too bad Andruw Jones, playing CF (with Rios playing LF) went 0-3 with a walk and HBP. I suppose getting on base twice is nice, so you don't have to count this one.

April 10 - Baker shut down the Sox. Konerko went 1-4, Kotsay went 1-4. Both singles. Thome got on base for Minnesota, and Kubel hit a 2-run homer.

April 17 - Juan Pierre DHed and went 0-4. Andruw Jones played LF in his place and went 1-4. Coincidentally, Thome has a .385/.515/.769/1.284 line against Westbrook.

April 28 - The Sox hit Harden around pretty well, but the Rangers hit Peavy better. Might have been a different outcome if the Sox don't have Konerko/Kotsay going 0-7 with a HBP (Konerko got hit).

May 12 - Mark Kotsay DHed and went 0-4. Thome career against Pavano - .269/.429/.423/.852

June 1 - Harden was mediocre again, and the Sox lost 9-6. I mention this one only because it would appear as though everyone and their mother was hitting Harden...except Kotsay of course, who went 0-5.

 

There are 7 games, and those aren't including times when he could have played against a weak lefty or came up and had a big pinch hitting appearance. If Thome can affect 2 of those, it makes a difference. I would say it's very, very reasonable he could have.

 

So while Thome couldn't have made up for the struggles of Peavy and Floyd, he could have made the situation a hell of a lot better.

 

 

 

[kitekrazy]

Any new theories? *sigh*

 

Pot calling kettle black who can't get past Kotsay sucks. Yawn.

 

[kitekrazy]

From the sounds of it, you want me to find you a few games where having Jim Thome in the lineup would have made a difference. In these games, there will have been a save situation involved and the DH (mostly looking at Kotsay, but Jones playing when he shouldn't have works too) will have sputtered. Also, I'm not counting games in which a left handed pitcher started because Thome won't start against lefties (even though we know he can still hit them).

 

April 7 - Kotsay DHed and went 0 for 3 with a walk.

April 8 - Juan Pierre DHed and went 2-5 with a walk. Wee! Too bad Andruw Jones, playing CF (with Rios playing LF) went 0-3 with a walk and HBP. I suppose getting on base twice is nice, so you don't have to count this one.

April 10 - Baker shut down the Sox. Konerko went 1-4, Kotsay went 1-4. Both singles. Thome got on base for Minnesota, and Kubel hit a 2-run homer.

April 17 - Juan Pierre DHed and went 0-4. Andruw Jones played LF in his place and went 1-4. Coincidentally, Thome has a .385/.515/.769/1.284 line against Westbrook.

April 28 - The Sox hit Harden around pretty well, but the Rangers hit Peavy better. Might have been a different outcome if the Sox don't have Konerko/Kotsay going 0-7 with a HBP (Konerko got hit).

May 12 - Mark Kotsay DHed and went 0-4. Thome career against Pavano - .269/.429/.423/.852

June 1 - Harden was mediocre again, and the Sox lost 9-6. I mention this one only because it would appear as though everyone and their mother was hitting Harden...except Kotsay of course, who went 0-5.

 

There are 7 games, and those aren't including times when he could have played against a weak lefty or came up and had a big pinch hitting appearance. If Thome can affect 2 of those, it makes a difference. I would say it's very, very reasonable he could have.

 

So while Thome couldn't have made up for the struggles of Peavy and Floyd, he could have made the situation a hell of a lot better.

 

Like eh..what...maybe two games better? More urine. Yawn.

[Balta1701]

Like eh..what...maybe two games better? More urine. Yawn.

You can't yawn about 2 games back in a pennant race! ARGH!

[witesoxfan]

Like eh..what...maybe two games better? More urine. Yawn.

 

There are more than a few games where actually having a DH instead of Kotsay and Jones would have helped the Sox out bigtime. Instead of being 9 under and 9.5 back, it's very realistic to think they would have only been 7 under and 7.5 back.

 

That's all I was trying to suggest Thome would improve the team by. It could have realistically been more.

 

---

 

I do love how you like to take evidence and reasonably sound arguments and throw them aside as "urine," yet you can't make a sound and justifiable argument in regards to basically anything. Why is that?

[soxrwhite]

Everyone in the organization, including the announcers, slob all over the Twins every year. How about getting the attitude where you want to rip off their heads and s*** down their throats instead of conceding to them before we even play them. All of the Metrodome excuses made me want to kill someone.

 

 

My feelings exactly. If they are so damn good then where are the World Series trophies? I don't buy all the accolades. Such a great organization, when the league was talking about downsizing a few years ago they were one of the candidates. They have a good September record but what about October? For any of you Twin lovers out there I hope their plane goes down with you on it!

P.S. This season is not over yet. GO SOX!

[bmags]

My feelings exactly. If they are so damn good then where are the World Series trophies? I don't buy all the accolades. Such a great organization, when the league was talking about downsizing a few years ago they were one of the candidates. They have a good September record but what about October? For any of you Twin lovers out there I hope their plane goes down with you on it!

P.S. This season is not over yet. GO SOX!

 

COol, i hope you die in a car crash on the way to work! FUn?

[NorthSideSox72]

My feelings exactly. If they are so damn good then where are the World Series trophies? I don't buy all the accolades. Such a great organization, when the league was talking about downsizing a few years ago they were one of the candidates. They have a good September record but what about October? For any of you Twin lovers out there I hope their plane goes down with you on it!

P.S. This season is not over yet. GO SOX!

Some of the more violent posts about the Twins and their fans are starting to go a bit far in here. Can we maybe tone that part down just a bit? Hoping for someone's death is really not OK.

 

[caulfield12]

Since1956,

 

Do you realize how many people who have lost loved ones in plane crashes?

 

Probably some of the people on this board.

 

I joined this website to talk about my favorite team in the world, not to be around people who actually wished death on others. It's bad enough to "wish" players on teams get injured, but really? We're talking about life and death over baseball?

[Paulie4Pres]

I'm going to start my post off with this. I'm not a hardcore baseball fan. I'm basically a hardcore hockey fan, and a fan of all sports second. Now, that said, I don't understand why the baseball season is SO LONG. I mean really, 162 games is just...excessive. I find it difficult to really get into baseball as much as other sports, because of this. You have 162 games, and the average length of a baseball game has to be around 3 hours... When you add in spring training and post-season, you're talking 500+ hours of baseball in a year. Umm, yeah. If I, as a casual fan of the game, find watching that much baseball tiring, just imagine how the players feel? I realize it's a game and they are getting paid a TON of money to play, but that much repetition has to wear on you. I imagine a lot of what you witness in August/September is players getting disinterested. Especially the veteran guys that have been playing for 10+ years. It just has to feel like a grind after a while... I mean, as a casual fan, I really don't even start watching until August, just because there's too much baseball to be played. These guys actually report to camp in FEBRUARY to prepare for idiotic spring training games... I'm sorry, but does noone see anything wrong with this picture? Baseball in February? It would be like starting football training camp in June.... Hockey camp in July... You get the idea. By the time the World Series champion is decided, it is almost November. That's a LONG time to be watching baseball, let alone playing.

 

My twelve cents.

[greg775]

COol, i hope you die in a car crash on the way to work! FUn?

 

This board is beyond hope.

[witesoxfan]

This board is beyond hope.

 

Greg, it was a facetious comment made towards the poster whom he quoted, when he said along the lines of "I hope everyone who loves the Twins goes down on the plane with them when it inevitably crashes."

 

It may have been a bit over the top, but the initial statement wasn't better and is arguably questioning the level of allegiance these fans have to the White Sox. Just because White Sox fans are critical of the team and are generally snarky and sarcastic and pissed off when the Sox lose doesn't mean they suddenly aren't fans of the team and are fans of the Twins.

[Balta1701]

I'm sorry, but does noone see anything wrong with this picture? Baseball in February? It would be like starting football training camp in June.... Hockey camp in July...

NFL Workouts and OTA's start in May.