Wednesday Thoughts
Wednesday, May 24, 2006, 10:28 am
Random Thoughts this Morning
Roger Bossard said it may be wet off and on until 5 pm today, but he expects we will have no problem getting tonight’s game in …
We have sold out 11 games this season, including the last five …
We have beated the A’s in two straight for the first time since 2002 …
We haven’t swept Oakland at home since 1983 (can you believe that?) …
Perspective
I read through the posts yesterday, and the back and forth debate was interesting.
Don’t think for a minute that Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen don’t share the same concerns as our fans, but we all do need to keep the perspective that we are 15 games over .500. We have some guys who need to improve their performances, and we all know Kenny will act if need be, but we cannot overreact.
Last night was a case where Javier Vazquez won — to improve to 5-3 with a 4.25 ERA — without very good stuff. There are a fair number of pitchers who would have struggled to get through that start and post a victory against a team like Oakland.
I think it is safe to say that Jon Garland (and Kenny and Ozzie and Coop) understand that Jon needs to be better and what he needs to do to be better. Now, he needs to do it.
On Juan Uribe … Juan is indeed a very streaky offensive player historically. If you look at his career, he is generally very good in April, August and September. (For example, Juan is a lifetime .310 hitter with 23 of his 63 career home runs entering 2006 coming in September). May, June and July can be offensive struggles for him for whatever reasons. I am not sure anyone can really explain that …
I don’t think we can suddenly expect Juan to become Mr. Consistency at the plate … that’s not really his approach (high strikeout/low walk/big swings). We do need him to be Mr. Consistent in the field, though.
Another blog I was reading the other day had Juan listed as one of the 10 unluckiest offensive players to date in 2006. I believe their "balls in play" statistic said he should have been hitting something like .270, which is probably where we all expect Juan to end up by year’s end (I think he is a .268 lifetime hitter entering this season). The expectation is that this "luck" will balance out — in Juan’s favor — over the rest of the season. I do know anecdotally, that he has been hitting the ball on the nose lately, sometimes with nothing to show for it.
Ray Durham remains one of the streakiest players I remember in a Sox uniform. Ray’s streaks would be relatively short — 8 to 12 games — but lethal. He could carry the team for a week, looking like an MVP candidate, or he wouldn’t touch a ball for a week, looking lost at the plate. But the amazing fact was that in the end, his seasons all ended up being pretty statistically similar despite wild fluctuations from week to week during the year.
Juan’s streaks appear to be longer, but they also seem to balance themselves out over six months … at least that appears to be the case over the past two years.
Another team may have been unwilling to give Juan a regular job because of his streakiness. We took that chance in 2004, and we all have to admit it paid off in spades in 2005. It is certainly worth monitoring, but let’s show him some patience.
Just my (pretty worthless) opinion.
Inside the White Sox 
I hear you Scott, but consider that several Sox hitters (Konerko, AJ, and Crede in particular) are way above their career batting averages right now. It’s pretty unrealistic to think that all of them, or even any of them, will finish over .300. Those guys will eventually slump, and that’s when the offensive deficiencies of Uribe and Anderson, the poor starts from Garland, and the shaky relief pitching by almost everybody will cause problems. Let’s get those things fixed now so that the Sox can keep winning when the hot guys cool off.
Not worthless at all, and very consistent with what the majority of us believe. I have no worries =) Any clue as to how many people are on board for the Aug 15 outing?
Thanks,
Dawn
Scott your opinion isn’t worthless lol. Hey lets get a win today.
Evan, Arlington Heights
If i’m not mistaken, Garland also has a no-trade clause in his new contract (at least for this year, or maybe the first couple years). Can anyone confirm or deny this? Can we expect javy lopez to be called up anytime soon? He’s tearing up charlotte, but i can’t think of who he would replace, maybe Gload since he doesn’t get a lot of playing time.
– Rob
We would not have gone to the playoffs last year if it wasn’t for Uribe. He made a play in the second to last series against Clevland going back in the hole on a sharp grounder by coco crisp. I don’t think any other shortstop in baseball could have thrown out crisp. That play saved the game which in turn saved the Sox season. They were in a free fall and it was the biggest play in the biggest game. Also, what shortstop do you know of that has the b*lls to have made the catch in the stands and ALSO have the arm to have made the throw for the final 2 out of the Series? I will take that defense EVEN without seeing him hit 450 some months. Arguing about Uribe seems a bit pointless.
I would like to vote for Brian Anderson as the unluckiest hitter it seems (especially lately) he has been smoking the ball, just not finding the holes.
I was shocked yesterday to have gotten a single seat 20 rows up just past 3B on ticketmaster. Hope there is another sellout tonight.
-Bill
Scott,
Great post – I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been a Sox fan all my life, visit the site regularly, and support our team (and its managers’ decisions) wholeheartedly.
While it’s great to see fellow Sox fans out there expressing their concerns for the team, please do not think everyone out here feels this way.
I, for instance, have only posted once – last year in support of Rowand vs. Couch – but I read this blog daily (usually skipping the user comments) and am adament in support of every one of our Sox players, from Garland to Uribe to BA and everyone in between. Rowand and Joe Crede have been my favorite players for this team the past few years, and look what support has done for those two.
So, in short, please do not think that everyone who visits this site are upper-deck drivers, for the silent majority are overwhelmingly in support of our men in black and are content to let them call the shots.
Now go Sox!
Hal Kravig
Lincoln, NE
When I was growing up,back when the earth was just beginning to cool and the stegasaurus was still roaming…(got carried away there,did’nt I?)trying to find offensive punch on the Sox was like trying to keep a prostitute in a convent…not possible…In this era,WS Universe has been truly blessed with a middle portion of the lineup who can indeed strike fear into the heart of any pitcher in the AL,or anywhere in MLB…When you factor in “Sock-It”Thome,Konerko and Dye at three,four and five in the order,then go down one space to Crede in seventh–well,friends,that is potent to say the least…This is why,dreifer,the Sox can afford to have guys who can contribute defense in lieu of offense on occasion(Anderson),and that is why they can afford to go into mini tail spins,where one hitter is down,the others pick him up…And the pitchers can relax and throw a pretty good outing most of the time…No team in MLB history has discovered a way to go 162 and oh,with a team batting average of .750 and 500 HRs along with a team ERA of 0.00…there are going to be stumbles along the path to October…The others are correct when they say that the fans have been spoiled by the past season and two months of play by this franchise…So just relax,dreifer,watch Kenny Williams play “Deal Or No Deal” if needed(the 26 models on that show…BOY,OH,BOY!!!…Whoops,got a little TOO excited there,sorry),watch Jay Mariotti’s favorite manager in the whole wide,round world manipulate and manuever,and see what comes out in the end…
jklein…looking at your last post,I know why there are no penguins in Arizona…that’s because the gila monsters are so big out there,they’d EAT them…..
Does anybody else think that we could compare Anderson to Crede. Right now Anderson is playing terrific defense and is struggling at the plate. In Crede’s first two full seasons (2003 and 2004) he hit .261 and .239 respectively. But he displayed one of the best gloves at the hot corner. He has really turned it around at the plate lately. He hit .379 last September, and very well could have been MVP of the World Series. He has continued that hot streak this year. Anderson has shown that he knows how to patrol center field. If we give him some time his hitting will come around.
I have no problems waiting for these guys to come around. If they were defensive liabilities, then that would be a differnet story. What’s great about the White Sox is how often they pick each other up. Sometimes they even make up for their own mistakes in the field (for example Pablo the other night).
Dawn, I’d like to be there on August 15th, but a week day game is not conducive to me work schedule. Let’s sweep those white-shoed-weirdos out of town. Go Go White Sox!!!
just musing here…maybe if the flubs played 9 gila monsters or a combination of these and some coyotes and jack rabbits they’d be a better team, and at the risk of alianating any sensitive cubs fans( oh what the heck, i’ll go for it)at the very least, the animals on the field would mirror those in the stands. so Sox, complete the sweep. j.k.
Well, I’ve heard what everyone has to say. I still think Garland, Uribe and Anderson are liabilities, though. I take offense to one contributor who called me fair-weather. Though I am not as ancient as Tom Q (just kidding Tom Q, but seriously, how old are you??), I have been a fan all of my life; even before I was born you could say. My dad passed the White Sox gene down to all of his boys. Additionally, I grew up on the Dark Side of Chicago sports (North Side) and as a child, I had to endure the endless banter of mindless Cubbie fans. (Oh!! 1984 was brutal!! The Padres always have a special place in my heart, as do the Giants and, of course the Marlins!) I am proud to say, I and my brothers never wavered. We remained Sox fans throughout our childhood (70’s and onward) and wore our Sox Pride as a badge of honor throughout our trying formative years. In short, I am a Sox fan, Even when the weather is brutal. I thank kolsens for sticking with me in my “complaining.” Folks, it is true, I am spoiled. I am also drunk with happiness on what this team has done. I only want what is best for this team. Of course, we can’t win 162 games. We can try though, can’t we? We are playing exciting and insprirantional ball right now and we are almost mirroring last year’s magic. Is it so wrong, however, to point out the holes in an otherwise unstoppable lineup? What exactly are the rules of engagement on this blog? Close your eyes to any problems and if you happen to notice anything wrong don’t mention it for fear of upsetting the audience? I think we all earned the right to voice our opinions, good or bad, about this team, especially fans who have blood in their Sox veins. I am all about supporting this team in good times and bad. If I “complain” when I see something disturbing, I apologize to no one. Dawn, you are right though. I will contribute more without the complaints, like now – Go Sox and kick some A’s!!
The fair-weather comment might have been a little harsh, but based on your comments what are we to think? Sure, every team has areas that can be improved. No team is perfect. I think what the rest of us are trying to say is to just give these guys a chance. Being Sox fans, we know that this our time to shine. Let’s not complain about the second best record in baseball. So, for what its worth, sorry about the name calling. I just don’t like people talking trash about my boys in black. Let’s get a sweep tonight. I’ll be there with my broom! Go Sox!!!