Observations on the "State of the Sox"

[caulfield12]

AJP was 3 for 6 so far this season vs. Liriano

 

 

 

You do realize that Jermaine Dye might have been the worst player in the majors last August/Sept. and yet Ozzie started him 45 games the last two months of the year?

 

 

Ozzie will do whatever he wants to do. I think against Baker, maybe Teahen had really really good stats (could be wrong) and Kotsay was in the starting line-up despite rather pedestrian ones.

 

Ozzie's greatest strength is also his weakness. He was loyal to JD, even after the trade for Rios, and that's one of the reasons they let him go...JD is either not playing or an everyday player, simple. Basically the same as Thome in Ozzie's mind.

[Kyyle23]

Ozzie will do whatever he wants to do. I think against Baker, maybe Teahen had really really good stats (could be wrong) and Kotsay was in the starting line-up despite rather pedestrian ones.

Ozzie's greatest strength is also his weakness. He was loyal to JD, even after the trade for Rios, and that's one of the reasons they let him go...JD is either not playing or an everyday player, simple. Basically the same as Thome in Ozzie's mind.

 

 

Didnt Kotsay have a homer and a double against Baker?

 

 

a) I am SO tired of hearing that all our problems basically come down to: we didn't bring back Thome. Geesh. That's it, huh? The key between good season/lost season? Was our DH? Thome?

<_>

 

B) It's probably too late, but I think it's time Ozzie--or Kenny--gave a "Herb Brooks" speech to the team, like the one he gave them before 1980 game against the Russians. Everybody has this insanely overrated idea of the Twins, just as everyone feared the Soviets back then. He mocked them in front of his team, relentlessly. He said they could be beat, and they could do it.

 

I am done with, as somebody else here so perfectly put it, the games following a "script" when it comes to the Twins. I thought it was allegedly the Metrodome that was supposed to be the culprit! Apparently not. I think it's mental, just like it used to be with Oakland.

On the other hand, we haven't been winning when we should have all season (against division rivals, against sh*t teams like Baltimore), so maybe we just aren't that good.

 

 

used to be?

[LittleHurt05]

Ozzie will do whatever he wants to do. I think against Baker, maybe Teahen had really really good stats (could be wrong) and Kotsay was in the starting line-up despite rather pedestrian ones.

 

Ozzie's greatest strength is also his weakness. He was loyal to JD, even after the trade for Rios, and that's one of the reasons they let him go...JD is either not playing or an everyday player, simple. Basically the same as Thome in Ozzie's mind.

 

They didn't resign him because he wanted to be an everyday player and the Sox said no. He is Carlos Quentin bad in the outfield and couldn't hit a lick at the end of last year. I remember hearing that he was refusing to sign with teams as a DH as well, that he still wanted to be an everyday RF. Andruw Jones is a plus outfielder and can play center and still hits better than JD did for the last 80 games last year. Complain about not signing Thome, but not about "showing JD the door". I think he showed himself the door.

 

[Steve9347]

It's too late for this season, unfortunately.

Sorry, I stopped reading after this. I hope it was fun to write, though.

[jenksycat]

Sorry, I stopped reading after this. I hope it was fun to write, though.

 

Samzees. Looked like one of those long "blog" posts some emo kid posts on his facebook.

[greg775]

The Twins have made a couple of stupid plays this series - one of them was Kubel inexplicably trying to stretch a single into a double last night and running into the second out with a man on third.

 

Liriano also tried to start an impossible double play with a clear out at home.

 

Exactly right.

We didn't win the game but they made some bonehead plays that had me thinking we SHOULD win.

Baltimore had some really bad plays as well. And the O's kicked our ass.

Edited August 19, 2010 by greg775

[kitekrazy]

If Thome was here...do you think he would be our everyday DH? If so, do you think he would have the same type of season without the rest he's getting in Minny?

 

I'd like to know your answer. I don't think he would have the same type of season. And I also think we all would be complaining again on how it takes 4 singles to score 1 run. But that's just me.

 

Just saw this from Buster Olney:

 

Great post. Someone must have changed the ingredients in the Jim Thome punch bowl from last year. Everyone forgets that Thome would get hurt playing DH, you still need a backup.

Ozzie and Kenny (yes even Kenny) hoped Jones/Kotsay together would provide the numbers collectively.

 

Everyone forgets the paper tiger called the starting rotation is the biggest letdown of the season. Now the biggest letdown is the pen. That's the most vital part of the team in August, Sept. Wasn't that the group that killed us in 2006?

 

Thome's success this year may have a lot to do with who is hitting before or after him in the lineup. It was a lot easier to put guys like Konerko, Thome and Dye because you knew they couldn't hurt you on the bases.

[kitekrazy]

It's too late for this season, unfortunately.

Snip despite being good stuff

 

I would like to see changes at the farm level. Some of it would be the hitting philosophy. From what I've seen, defense is the least priority with the Sox and the ability to hit a homer is first.

 

One thing I've noticed is how the Twins outfield gets to the ball and gets it back in. That alone make their staff look better. The Sox on the other hand tend to give up a lot of triples, more so the past two years. I don't know if this is a failure in communication between outfield, pitcher, catcher or what. The Twins do have guys who close up those gaps quick.

 

It is interesting that Manuel, Guillen, Maggs, Thomas, Dye, Thome and the many roster changes still can't solve beating the Twins.

 

Maybe this will never change. They only thing I've seen similar to this is that Colts can't beat the Chargers.

 

They only to avoid this is to beat the other teams and have a decent lead so it doesn't matter as much. Every team has it's b****. For the Sox it's often the Tigers.

[Balta1701]

One thing I've noticed is how the Twins outfield gets to the ball and gets it back in. That alone make their staff look better. The Sox on the other hand tend to give up a lot of triples, more so the past two years. I don't know if this is a failure in communication between outfield, pitcher, catcher or what. The Twins do have guys who close up those gaps quick.

The Twins have given up 22 Triples this year, the Sox 17. The Twins have a bigger ballpark so that's somewhat to be expected, but they've also given up more doubles than the Sox, and the Sox give up fewer triples per double than the Twins as well. Can you offer some actual support for your intuition? The numbers disagree.

[BigSqwert]

Stats don't matter. He goes with his gut like Ozzie.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Sorry, I stopped reading after this. I hope it was fun to write, though.

What's the point of saying that ? You want us all to know you only communicate in sound bites ? That you have a short attention span ? That reading is not FUNdamental ? That you don't like the way caulfield posts ? You're just mean spirited ? That you like the attention being a smart ass get's you ? Pretty hateful to say your not worth reading to someone.

[BearingPro]

I guess the best way to say it is:

 

"Wait til next year!"

 

A good start would be to send OG on his way so he can replace Bobby Cox. I'm tired of his act.

[caulfield12]

Cuddyer/Kubel and Young are not very good defensive outfielders, to say the least.

 

I would bet their defensive metrics are pretty lousy, too. I know they made a couple of good plays this series, but don't be fooled.

 

Cuddyer has the range of a garden gnome, although he does have a very strong arm, still...and Young's overall athletic ability just doesn't factor into his defensive ability for some reason. His defensive apathy was one of the main reasons the Twins had been trying to trade him the past two offseasons.

 

The funny thing is that their best defender, Span, has been the one whose play has been most criticized this year. I would guess it's because more is expected out of him.

[Milkman delivers]

The comment was made that we need to beat the Twins more than 4 times in 25 games and I agree. But maybe the next four games will be the Sox turn to win? I ain't givin in to no stinkin Twins and neither should you. It ain't ovah till it's ovan someone once said and that's not till the end of the season or the math just don't add up anymore

 

You are just chock-full of cliches recently.

[stretchstretch]

"Minnesota has the biggest lead they've had all season in the division after we were tied with them one week ago."

 

over the years I've grown accustomed to this very thing, not a slow turnover, but a substantial division lead doing a 180 in one very painful week

[stretchstretch]

a) I am SO tired of hearing that all our problems basically come down to: we didn't bring back Thome. Geesh. That's it, huh? The key between good season/lost season? Was our DH? Thome?

<_>

 

B) It's probably too late, but I think it's time Ozzie--or Kenny--gave a "Herb Brooks" speech to the team, like the one he gave them before 1980 game against the Russians. Everybody has this insanely overrated idea of the Twins, just as everyone feared the Soviets back then. He mocked them in front of his team, relentlessly. He said they could be beat, and they could do it.

 

I am done with, as somebody else here so perfectly put it, the games following a "script" when it comes to the Twins. I thought it was allegedly the Metrodome that was supposed to be the culprit! Apparently not. I think it's mental, just like it used to be with Oakland.

 

On the other hand, we haven't been winning when we should have all season (against division rivals, against sh*t teams like Baltimore), so maybe we just aren't that good.

 

absolutely, Ghee-yens "piranha" comment was one of the biggest morale busting blunders I've seen a manager make in years. The Twins latched right onto it as their identity, and his players saw that their skipper felt his squad could not stop from being eaten by them, bite by bite--fckn pathetic

 

[greg775]

What's the point of saying that ? You want us all to know you only communicate in sound bites ? That you have a short attention span ? That reading is not FUNdamental ? That you don't like the way caulfield posts ? You're just mean spirited ? That you like the attention being a smart ass get's you ? Pretty hateful to say your not worth reading to someone.

 

Excellent post. Keep em coming, caufield. We read 'em.

[T R U]

lmao

 

weren't we 9.5 back at one point? nah couldn't be, because the season would have been over then if it were true..

[soxrwhite]

Let me ask you this, since56:

 

I challenge you to watch and listen to every game for the rest of the season, because I will be doing that.

 

Will you? Or will you just quietly disappear into the woodwork and come back at a more convenient time?

 

Let's all fight with each other about who is a better fan, okay? Have you ever come up with any answers?

 

 

Kenny Williams quit on the fans when he didn't make any moves before this season started...when he agreed with Ozzie to go with Kotsay/Jones over Thome/Jones as the DH and didn't shore up the offense at the trade deadline.

 

He obviously felt this team wasn't properly positioned or he would have done a lot more than adding Edwin Jackson...who you can argue was just as much about solidifying the 2011 starting rotation as us making the playoffs this year.

 

 

But I'll make a bet with you (you can name the price) that the White Sox make the playoffs over the Twins. I'll even let you assign the odds. So, how about it?

 

Did I touch a nerve,quitter?

 

[Dick Allen]

If Jenks didn't blow a 3 run lead in the 9th against Minnesota in July and Thornton was able to close out a game with the lead in the 10th the other night, the Sox would be 4 games closer to first place. These head to head games are huge, whether its the first week of the season or last with the division tied. Some games you are obviously going to lose, but you must win the games like the 2 they blew or chances are you will be thinking of those games when the regular season comes to a close.

There's still a chance. Winning the last game in Minneapolis was a must, and they got it done.

 

 

[caulfield12]

Did I touch a nerve,quitter?

 

 

Not anymore, Bobby Jindal (reference to a certain poster's sig).

 

 

[Balta1701]

Not anymore, Bobby Jindal (reference to a certain poster's sig).

I can't figure out how I fit into this one.

[caulfield12]

I can't figure out how I fit into this one.

 

 

Aforementioned poster said he wanted all White Sox fans saying complimentary things towards the Twins to die in a plane crash. Close enough. I think that would qualify as a "fiery explosion."