Third Game of Indians Series
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Tonight’s Lineup
Owens, CF; Fields, 3B; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; AJ, C; Dye, RF; Erstad, LF; Uribe, SS; Richar, 2B. Buehrle pitching tonight.
Should be a quick one … let’s hope.
Baseball
Ya gotta love this game …
Two nights ago, AJ ends the game with a line out to second base. Last night, his home run extends what turns out to be a White Sox victory.
Last night, Juan Uribe commits two errors, including one that allows the lead run to score. Then he comes through with a game-winning home run.
Interesting to note that both Ed Farmer and Steve Stone called the Uribe game ender.
I would love to hear from fans what they think of the Stone-Hawk Harrelson pairing in the booth while DJ is with his wife and new daughter. LEt me hear your thoughts.
Inside the White Sox 
I think Steve Stone sounds great. He is so knowledgeable and adds that pitcher’s perspective. I’ve really been enjoying hearing him in the booth with Hawk.
I honestly think they sound great together and I would like it to be a permanent thing. No offense to DJ, but he can’t match Stone’s wit and knowledge about the game. With Hawk’s comedy, one-liners and historic sense and Steve Stone’s analytical touch it’s a dream team of announcers!
steve stone is a big upgrade over DJ. “so, hawk, do you have any stories that you want to tell?” – doesn’t qualify as color commentary.
I really like the combination of Steve Stone and Hawk. I wish they could continue beyond this week.
I have enjoyed tremendously Steve Stone being in the booth these past few nights.
He has the rare gift of real baseball insight which is something only Jimmy Piersall has had among Sox color analysts going back to when I became a fan in 1960.
I hope that somehow, someway something can be worked out and he can be added to the White Sox in some broadcasting capacity for next season…be that in the radio booth (first choice), on TV or as a member of the pre and post game show.
Mark Liptak
I have really enjoyed Hawk and Stone working together. The anecdotes and stories from Hawk and the insight and analysis from Steve. I sent an email to Lou Hernandez that further explains my position if you care to grab it from him.
Wayne
Scott,
I almost feel bad for DJ. He’s a great guy, but Steve Stone is so much better in the booth. It almost seems like he has re-energized Hawk. No more innings where we are wondering if Hawk is even in the booth. Their chemistry has been excellent since the first pitch of the series. His overall knowledge of the game and to the point honesty may have cost him his job with the Cubs, but is a breath of fresh air to me. I feel like I can learn something each game from Steve Stone.
If I had the choice I would move DJ to the radio booth to replace Singleton, and get Steve Stone back on TV in Chicago where he belongs. Maybe a change for DJ would be good because it is pretty apparent Hawk does not like working with him.
stone is decent in the booth. i personally liked wimpy but whatever….
I really like Ed Farmer and Chris Singleton – I wouldn’t mess with that. Over the last year or so Chris has gotten better. I like that team on the radio.
JimD,
I like that idea of moving DJ to the radio booth with Farmio. Although there have been some funny moments between the two, I doesn’t feel like there is any chemistry between Farmer and Singleton and even seems like tension at times. Although Singleton seems like a nice guy, his play by play is just awful. Just one woman’s opinion
Just heard on the Score’s Mike North’s Show that rumor has it that the Cubs claimed Scott Podsednik off waivers. I sure hope that is not true. He had Mark Gonzalez on and he did not deny it. In fact he said that Scott probably played his last game for the Sox. I was hoping he would have put Scott in yesterday for Jerry who stuck out three times. What is a lead of hitter if he can not get on base. Where are the Sox going WITH THESE DEPARTURES. First Iguchi then Mack now Pods. Why don’t they get rid of Cintron and Uribe who have both been Brutal and Contreras who was one of the major reason for a good number of losses. Mike North was almost insinuating a SPANISH CONNECTION and asked Mark G. if Ozzie has problems communicating with the players. I sure hope this is not true as I really like Scotty Pods. Ever since he came back the team seems to have found something that has been lost all year.Jerry is young and just OK But He can not replace Pods.
cwajda – The 2007 season is lost. Podesednik would not be back with this team next year. When healthy yes he does help this team a ton, but his body has become completely unreliable. This is a move to help bolster the minor league system. We won’t get anything spectacular if the deal goes down, but we do need to turn around the farm system, and moves like this are a beginning. The Cubs were interested in Podsednik even before Soriano got hurt.
However, keep in mind that about 90% of MLB players are placed on waivers in August and deals are very rarely reached. Usually a claim is done to block another team.
Jim . I know the season is lost this year. But my point is why don’t they get rid of players that are worse like Cinton and Uribe and Contreras. You get rid of the better players and keep the garbage. That does not make any sense. How is the team bettering itself by getting rid of the players that can hit and get on base and keep the likes of CINTRON and Uribe who have been just terrible. I know Uribe hit that walk off home run the other day but as a whole he commits errors in the field and he seems to be half asleep at times. Why would we keep the trash and get rid of the better players. We are only making other teams better while we become worse. I hope what was in the paper the other day is true and Kenny plans on making some blockbuster deals and spend money to do it. Rumor was that they could go after Tori, Andrew Jones, Cameron or Rowand for Center Field. Even in todays Sun Times It was reported that Dye and Hunter would like to play side by side .” Earlier in the year the Rangers sought them both but talks have died down. Speculation is that Dye and Hunter still want to play side-by-side next year…like say, maybe on the South Side.”
Heave the Hawk. Get Stone. And replace DJ with someone else.
I enjoy listening to STEVE STONE he is so knowledgable of the game, also I am so tired of listening to all of those stories of the past and not talking about what is going on on the field in the present time like HAWKE always does with DJ. I would rather watch the game but listen to Farmer but not Chris who really screws up the broadcast at times by making mistakes of wHAT IS going on like how may strikes and balls there are.At least they are discussing the game on the field today and not what happened in the past.
I think Hawk is a great announcer, DJ is a good announcer, Farmer is the best of them all, and Steve Stone provides great commentary and insight that nobody else can. We all have to cut Singleton a break… last year.. he does not seem like he has really progressed and learned anything. Farmer and Rooney were great, but I think with Rooney gone we have seen just what we were missing for 10 years with what Farmer can bring to a game. With that being said, I think it is time for Singleton to move on and put Steve Stone into the t.v. broadcast. As for DJ, give him a shot at the radio along side Farmer as a trial. If it works great, if not, bring in someone else to get the chemistry again.
cwajda – I am right there with you as far as getting rid of garbage like Uribe and Contreras. The problem is though they have been trying and there are no takers. You don’t hear anything about it in the media because there is nobody remoteoly interested in a .220 hitting shortsop who is home run or nothing and a pitcher who may be applying for AARP at the end of the season. At this point in the season all you will get for garbage is more garbage in return.
I disagree about Cintron, yes he has a bad year, but elbow surgery last winter had a bad effect on this season. Given some rest (I’d be shocked to see much of him the remainder of this year) he will get his strength back, and will be a valuable asset next year. Not as a starter, but as a supersub in the infield.
I’d like to see Torii Hunter in a Sox uniform mostly so he would stop tormenting us. My worry about him is age, and at 32 is he going to start slowing down if we sign him to a big deal. If it meant the chance to keep JD at a lower price I would go after him, but I would expect to see Aaron Rowand patroling CF for the Sox next year. This is where he wants to be, and he is not a guy that lets the money talk. Kenny knows he can get a value with Aaron so other money can allocated elsewhere.
I have enjoyed Steve Stone in the booth with Hawk because Steve seems to cut down on all of Hawk’s little saying that get to be annoying after a while. I would love to hear how DJ and Steve would sound together doing a game. DJ sounds better when he’s going the Fox games with someone else. I also would rather see Farmer go than Singleton.
you fans make me sick a lot of times. everyone is on the ditch uribe bandwagon just like they were for marte. now i would give anything for marte out of the pen and be careful what you wish for with uribe. he is a good shortstop with pop. if you dont get one of the top 10 shortstops in the league then you will get a player that is not as good as uribe. anyone remember mike caruso? that is what you will get to play short. keep your silly stubborn stupid mouths shut so uribe will be back next year. the alternative will be much much much much much much worse.
heavethehawk.com
Kenwo – I don’t think Kenny Williams is reading this blog to look for personnel advice so don’t worry about us forcing Uribe out. Uribe has done a good job getting his own ticket out of town.
If .220 is top ten then all the short stops in baseball must be pretty bad. In fact he is 28th in batting average and 27th in OBP among regular shortstop starters. He is also 33rd in doubles by shortstops. There are only 30 teams so that means 3 backups have more doubles than him. He is 12th in MLB among shortstops in fielding percentage and has the 11th most errors by a starting shortstop. How in the world do you get top 10 there?
In case you did not see my post from yesterday, there are 16 pitchers in baseball with a better batting average than Uribe. You can’t tell me that you are not tired him uppercutting at every pitch he swings at.
As for Marte he could not get the job done in pressure situations in 2005. Great for him that he is now successful for one of the worst teams in baseball every year where he does not have to pitch under pressure because Pittsburgh knows they will be under .500 in February. Ever think about that?
I have been having ruagler facial treatments (ultradermie) here for several years and I wouldnt be without them! An hour of pampering with dim lights and gentle music is sheer bliss, and the results are certainly noticeable even as I approach my 60th year, my complexion is the best it’s ever been and receives ruagler compliments. The convenience of parking right outside is an added bonus and, when time permits, the peaceful walk along the canal takes only 20 minutes.
I will agree with heaving Hawk. Usually, if the delay is not too bad, I mute the TV and listen to the radio. With Stoney in there, it’s not as bad. But if we have to listen to one more story about Hawk and “Yaz” I’ll puke.
Ken my post was more for not getting rid of PODS on Waivers not about Uribe. I am very upset about hearing that PODS is being looked at BY the NORThSIDE CUBS . He may get hurt but when he is playing he is so exciting to watch. He is the spark of this team. If you look back the team started playing better again when PODS came back.. The Wins out weigh the losses. Who on this team can do what Scott does when he gets on base. KONERKO? NO THOME? NO AJ? NO DYE? NO granted we have Owens but who has hardly gotten on base he has been stiking out a lot like 3 times last nite and also the nite before we have Richar Who too has a hard time of getting on base.We need Scott It seems He brought the Heart and Soul and Spark to this team when he came back something that was missing all year. He does get hurt but so do other players look at Erstad and Thome punish them too for getting hurt by dumping them. Thome can’t get a clutch hit for nothing. Who got the base hit for Uribe to bring in with his HR the other nite Scott. He has been getting hits in the clutch when we need them since he has been back. I think Ozzie made a mistake for not putting Scott in lead off instead of Owens. SScott is Programed for a lead off hitter and he gets more hits and gets on more than Owens.I know Owens is young and still a rookie but I feel Scotts Job was stolen from him. Ozzie has not given Scott a chance to prove himself that he could play the rest of the year without injury since he came back. He put him in the 7th spot where he is not used to playing. Look at those beautiful defensive plays he made in the fiels last week. WEB GEM CALIBER.Granted he made a couple of mistakes in the field but so did Sizemore when he misseed catching a few of the balls knocked out into center by our guys. I just don’t want to see him go.
listen up mike devereux marte did well on the sox for a few years before 05. had one bad half and has been good ever since in pittsburgh. meanwhile our bullpen until recently couldnt pitch in the oak forest little league without getting beat up. Uribe makes good plays at short and has some pop. go find a shortstop for 5 million that will do that. pods fits on the cubs. we need a new left fielder and center fielder anyway.
Heavethehawk.com was hilarious! Seriously. I was *****. Can o’ corn? Man, it gets you thinking…. I just don’t see any changes coming on that front though….
I won’t deny Marte did well before the second half of 2005, but when the collars got tight he choked bad. There is so little pressure in Pittsburgh there are no collars to get tight.
How many times are you going to say Uribe has pop? Most of his home runs are solo shots. If you swing for a home run everytime and connect once every 30 times does that mean you have pop? We don’t have to get “pop” from him. We need him on base! 7 doubles this year. 33rd in MLB among shortstops. Cintron, as much as he has struggled has 6 in about 40% as many at bats. I don’t think I need to say any more than that.
Teddy Greenstein’s column on Stone – Hawk from the Tribune:
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-070809teddy,1,6759612.column?coll=cs-home-headlines
Looks like Singleton is out the door.
Mark Liptak
Kenwo – I got an article for you to read from Dayn Perry at Fox Sports.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7104348?MSNHPHMA
Apparently the experts think Uribe is awful too!
while on vacation in ft meyers beach, fl, overheard a conversation by a couple of baseball executives, discussing who they would not want on their team, barry bonds was number 1, juan uribe was number 2, did not get all the details. anything that helps the cubs is out of your mind crazy to any southsider, pods would be a good back up player, why does thome play against lefties?
stone is good but he gets old too with his know it all , ways.
I have not been home during Stoney’s stint with Hawk, but I can tell you right now, without hearing it, that that must be a sight to behold. Bring Stoney on!
idiots… marte had a bad stretch in the second half of 05, so he’s a choker???
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replace “marte” with “the sox” and you know who you sound like? that hiney-bird everyone hates because he spouts out ridiculous nonsense like that!
marte was a GREAT arm out of our pen for 3 years, but starts to have a rough stretch and all you chumps start booing him every time he gets brought in… you boo every time he throws a ball. not helpful. kenny is forced to trade him at year’s end and we lose a pitcher who posted a 2.43 ERA over 259 innings with us in his 4 years, for an outfielder that can’t catch and has done NOTHING but help cost us last year.
THANKS!!!
you people call kenwo and reifer negative… but it seems all you dwell on in the cases of some players is their negative.
this is what marte is…
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/marteda01.shtml
is it just me, or wouldnt you say that it looks like over the past 6 years, marte’s probably been one of the best arms out of the pen in the game? take closers out of the competition too, and you’d be hardpressed to think of anyone better. scott shields is all that comes to my mind.
I think Steve Stone is fine. I don’t mind DJ either though. I really like when Jack McDowell fills in.
I would hate to see Scott gone, but at the same time I wish he were leading off. I like Owens too but I feel like a veteran leading off would be more productive.
Yes, the fans booed Marte…when he was ****…Don’t forget, folks…the fans also booed Bobby Thigpen when he couldn’t close any more(overuse in 1990?)…and they also booed Keith Foulke when he couldn’t do it anymore…just before Kenny pulled the trade with Oakland and got that rag-armed former closer Billy Koch…
Where are Koch, Thigpen and Foulke right now?…Collecting their pensions from the MLB PA…except,I believe, that Thigpen, is an instructor in the minor league system…
Am I correct in that, Brother Liptak?
The point about Marte…as good as he was for a SHORT TIME…when crunch time came around,and the team needed a good performance… HE CHOKED!!! PURE AND SIMPLE !!!
As far as Stone Pony is concerned…He propped up that old man on the North Side before he croaked…made Harry into “America’s Grandfather”…then he held the hand of the cheerleader grandson, good old Chippie…
until the players revolted about their honesty, and ‘GN was forced to can Steve…
If he could worked with a senile old man and his yuppie grandson…and make them sound good…he can work other miracles…more than what DJ does…
As to radio… well, let me put it this way…
I COULD DO BETTER THAN FARMER,SINGLETON AND RONGEY COMBINED !!!
Nobody knows ME, though…
Let me explain myself, so you folks don’t think…”TQ’s gone nuts…”… Please allow me to give you my background…
I attended Columbia College, majoring in Radio/TV Communications…I worked for the former SportsPhone way back when… also a year and a half for the original SportsVision(no comments, PLEASE!!! We had enough about that earlier this season…)…
I know I have the “chops”(the voice, for those of you who don’t know broadcast speak)and, as all of you can testify to, I know what I’m talking about regarding baseball and the White Sox…
I’ve spoken into more cassette tapes and out loud to myself than I care to count…but I just can’t seem to bring myself to sell myself to the people who make decisions on such things…Scott, Brooks Boyer, whomever…
It is said that you gotta start out small before you can grow and prosper(very pithy there, chief…)…but I know that I could do it here, now…
I just would have to find the proper way of doing it and not looking like a total egotistical horse’s rear aperture(hi, Dawn…)…or pulling a Ralph Kramden(“…hummina, hummina…”)…
Hey tom
If marte was really **** in 2005 why was his era 3.77? And according to you he had a brutal year. I’d take a 3.77 era anyday out of our bullpen. Only if we had him now….
As for devereux
I wish we had a few of hose guys in that article. Id take barfield, monroe, and richie sexson. Sexson cant be any worse then that piece of garbage jim thome. Barfield is better then richar. Uribe is better then any other option you can think of. And Monroe is better then podsednik, erstad, and all of those other idiots in the minors.
And whats with the cintron fans? The guy is bad. He has no range, no arm, and he cant hit. At least uribe can do some of these things!
Tom,
Thigpen is coaching in the Sox system. I want to say he is working with A ball pitchers currently.
We as fans did not force Kenny Williams to trade Marte. Some players don’t handle pressure well. Marte was clearly one of them. He had a job to do, get lefties out. In the second half of 2005 with our lead shrinking to the charging Indians he flat out could not do his job! He choked, simple as that. I have no problem with the guy, and I am happy he is succeeding in Pittsburgh, but I would bet that it has a lot to do with the lack of pressure there.
Myp – you described yourself perfectly if you think Rob Mackowiak cost the Sox the 2006 season. That is just idiotic! Why don’t you beat the dead horse a little more.
stevefrisbee – Please look at Uribe’s rankings that I provided in a previous post. Those rankings say it all about Uribe. Stats don’t lie.
I think you missed the idea of the article a bit. The writer is getting at big name guys that have not lived up to their potential, not necessarily the worst player at each position.
I’d give Richar some time, he just got here. Thome has been a huge disappontment since the first half of 2006, but Sexson has lost it completely. It took him almost 30 games this year before he got his first single of the season. And it was not like he was tearing the cover of the ball cause he was batting about .150.
I agree with mvp Mackowiak and anderson did cost the 2006 sox and so did jim thome in the second half of 2006. Youre the idiot devereux for not being able to realize this yourself!
Why cant we just cut thome? He’s doing more harm then good. Hes been an automatic out for about a month now. The only way he gets on is if he walks or gets hit by a pitch. The Sox are better by paying him to leave and let somebody else dh.
Yeah, I’m the idiot, that’s a good one. I think I have forgotten more about the game than you may even know.
I do agree that Thome needs to go. Age and injuries have really taken a toll on him. I would like to see JD as our DH so we can open up another outfield spot for some sort of upgrade in the offseason. Dye has looked more and more uncomfortable in the field the last 2 years.
If you don’t understand that Mackowiak was playing out of position all year last year then you don’t understand the game. That was Kenny and Ozzie’s fault. They were so geared up on having Anderson ready to play, and when that blew up in their faces they had no backup plan ready to go.
They said at the start of the season last year they did not care about Anderson’s hitting as long as he provided good defense. He was stellar in the outfield so why did they not play him everyday if they did not care about his hitting??? Put it on Ozzie not the guy who sacrificed himself to play out of position. As someone who has played quite a bit in the corner outfield, I can tell you that playing cf is a lot different.
I believe it was in Oakland last year when Crede had to play shorstop because of injuries for a game(if I remember correctly Dye ended the game there). If he goes out there and makes 3 errors and they lose do you blame the loss on him, or just be understanding because he was taking one for the team and playing out of position? That basically what Mackowiak did all year last year.
It is different if crede makes errors at ss because he was only playing there for one game. I had to see mackowiak there for half a year. Tell me he can’t improve at all during a 4 month span. This guy is a major leaguer. He should be able to play cf a little bit. I do agree though williams and guillen should have either stuck with anderson or traded for somebody. But they didn’t so I blame mackowiak for not being able to improve at all
tom you simpleton marte was good for seasons before and after a little bit of a low point in the end of 05. lets not forget that he was the winning pitcher of a world series game. what about everyones rock star teen idol Rowand who stunk like a **** in the playoffs? everyone still loves him. marte is a quality arm and it is guillen and williams fault that he was not held on to. im sick of hearing about mackowiak the guy was terrible he played way too much and he is better of in the NL. he can pinch hit for the pitcher 4 times a week and maybe come away with a hit. furthermore tom thigpen was done when the sox got rid of him, koch was done when the sox got him and foulke had 2 fluke years in his career. totally different situation than a guy that has performed night in and night out since 2002 besides a bad month in 2005.
wow they block out the word a;dk(****) im suprised
I’m surprised for a Friday that nobody’s at work. You guys banter and call each other names and dog on EVERYBODY that has pissed you off recently. I like Uribe but I’m sure he’s history, Pods going would be sad, Thome, he hasn’t done anything as far as Im concerned this year but the comment about Rowand bein the rock star teen idol.. wow.. *** is wrong with you, that man busts his *** at every opportunity no matter who he plays for.. geezuz. As far as Hawk, Dj, etc… I must admit I like Stoney this week but would hate to see DJ go. I’m not a big fan of radio at all but getting rid of Farmer, nah, don’t think so.
Folks, y’all seem to be forgetting that Marte was removed specifically because Ozzie himself soured on him.
Have you all forgotten when Marte walked out of the clubhouse and Ozzie told him to stay away until he got his act back together?
Marte quit on the team, so Ozzie quit on him and asked him to be unloaded…simple as that.
Those of you who have an issue with that, feel free to e-mail Ozzie himself.
Tom:
Yes Bobby is a minor league pitching instructor.
The thing about Billy Koch that some of you may not know is that according to the San Francisco Chronicle Koch and his entire family are suffering from a rare ilness that manifests itself with sores on the body and general weakness.
The story said Koch began experiencing the problems when he came to the Sox but the team wasn’t able to detect anything wrong.
No one’s fault just one of those things.
Mark Liptak
ozzie said boone logan may get a couple of startes this year because his first name is boone, great american hero, and logan is close to hogan of hogan’s heroes, thus two heros , possible baseball hero, kw said makes sense to him, so it could be a go.
stoney is almost old school, he implies that manager should do this or that, or player should, they do not like that anymore in baseball, I love it, but do not expect him to stay, to stay you have to be politically correct and spout the party line.
biggest acquisition this offseason, erstad, to play cf. why???
BECAUSE ROB AND BRIAN COST US LAST SEASON. that’s why they’re both gone, even though erstad predictably is spending most his time on the dl.
outfield is outfield. are you telling me as “someone that knows more about baseball than people like me have forgotten” that if you move a left fielder to center he’ll forget how to catch a ball??? or be completely unable to read where a ball is going until it hits the grass?
i could give maybe a little leniency, but rob was ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL.
pablo is an infielder moved to the OF and he plays it better than rob.
i’ll reiterate.
we lost a pitcher who pitched 259 innings for us through 4 years(pretty good), and posted up a 2.43 ERA during that time. that includes when he was “****” according to some senile old dude who thinks 4 years of consistency is a “SHORT TIME.”
and we got a career .260 “utility” man who shouldn’t be asked to play other positions.
i’m gonna go out on a limb and say that cost us some games. ergo, yes, cost us last year.
blame whoever you want… i like to blame rob, personally.
Wow..we’ve sunk to the 3rd grade..idiots, ******, simpletons. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear the discussion was about politics or religion. I can’t recall so much negativity and bad vibes on this board… Baseball is supposed to be fun..a diversion, a pasttime. Or have we forgotten this?
way to go Dawn!!!. and that’s the last word, or should be until Javy wins tonight. jeeze you guys, my two fifth grade granddaughters behave better than youall do… go Sox, let’s turn it around and win, so everybody can concentrate on a positive for a change, thank you Dawn Brusa… j.k……
Scott,
PLEASE DON”T LET PODS GO!!! Look at what he did for us in ’05 and there’s no doubt your ring would not be there without his efforts.
And I think Hawk and DJ are just fine. Hawk calls the greatest walk-offs and he’s more got pop culture catch phrases than anybody in the biz. I also think DJ is the perfect complement to Hawk’s fervor.
So take that for what’s it worth, and if you feel you absolutely HAVE to get rid of Pods, DON’T LET HIM GO TO THE STINKIN’ CUBS!!!
myp – Management screwed up CF again this year. Erstad would have been a good signing 5 or 6 years ago, but he has been injury riddled the last few seasons. And their leash on Anderson was even shorter this year. They said before the year that there would be no more Mackowiak in center (thank God because he was brutal there, no denying that), but why platoon a young player whom you don’t show much confidence in with another guy who is just an injury waiting to happen. This one goes on Kenny. That’s why I think next year, unless Owens gets tremendously hot the rest of the year Kenny has to make a HUGE splash in center field. Make a mistake once and it is a mistake, do it two times in a row and you are an idiot. Three times…well let’s hope it does not come to that.
We need to close the book on the 2006 season. At this point who cares who blew the season, there were lots of mistakes that cost games by everyone on the team. In less than two months we need to close the book on this injury plagued season too. Let’s look ahead to what can be in the future.
Sorry to those who think this has gone on and on, but I don’t take kindly to people who call me an idiot when I put forth numbers and solid info to prove my points, and all people can do is repsond by calling me an idiot or keep beating the same dead horse. If my points were invalid or unsupported by facts or stats then I would call me an idiot too.
yeah, it has gotten kinda ugly in here today, yep, just like a primary school argument. Disappointed that the sox couldn’t swing two of three from Cleveland, but we’ll see what else is in store this week. As for Marte or Mackowiak, no hard feelings for either. Even a blowhard like Gary Sheffield got it right when he said that the fans are the hardest on the players (true in both of the above cases). And another thing about stats, they’re a good indicator (not necessarily reliable) of looking at a player, but stats are 100% hindsight. They don’t predict when or where someone will succeed. And that’s just the way baseball is and has always been. The ONLY constant in baseball as in life (aside from the whole death and taxes thing) is irony. Chuck your bullpen due to a percieved 8-9 game underperformance and the new pen costs you 20…. irony. So yeah, it would be interesting to see what would have happened if Marte were here in 07 and redeemed himself for the nerves in 05. As for Fields, he’s looking good (another ventura?), hope Uribe stays awake as this is probably the most I’ve seen from him this year in the last week. Glad Dye has picked it up, he seemed kinda apathetic in the first half. Ah, Thome, I’m just kind off disappointed there. Vasquez has knocked my sox off (hee, hee), I was skeptical last year. Hope to see Haeger back soon, how long has it been since we’ve had a starting knuckleballer? don’t care to do the math. And gotta say, loved it when he beaned Cano with one, kind of passive-aggressive, no? Torre looked amused and that ump was a *****, anything come of that? They should have tossed Cano for being too slow witted to get out of the way of a 71 mph flutterball then given the ump a CAT scan for trying to toss a pitcher for…. (wait for it)… hitting a batter with a knuckleball. I mean, not like it’s a control thing inherent to the pitch, it was blatantly intentional….. Never been a fan of Wakefield, but I don’t mind a home grown knuckleballer. I’m just funny that way.
First off i never want to see haeger again in a sox uniform, he is very bad.
Devereux,
I thought uribe cant hit a double…. Looks like your stats are not that great
I like Hawk and DJ….but I like Hawk and Stone a whole lot better. They just seem to mesh really well.
Evan
WOW! Uribe won another game! with a double no less! Mike Devereux take your useless stat book and shove it! Devereux said he has a lot of experience playing in the corner outfield…i would hardly call playing right field from ages 7-10 in little league would count as playing corner outfield. they just stuck you there because you were terrible everywhere else like your boy mackowiak and they knew that not too many balls would come out your way.
Hmmmmm, well I can respect that. I do know haeger ain’t the best. But wakefield in my opinion going back some years didn’t look too hot either. Pittsburgh released him and Boston picked him up in a minors contract, They put some effort in polishing him and look how it’s turned out. Wakefield ain’t the best but Boston has kept him around (or can’t get rid of him). But looking at his record so far this season, he’s 13-10. Zambrano and Sabathia were shooting for 15 this week. Wakefield, who merits no press (except when he gets shelled), is right behind them. Just saying a kid like haeger needs polishing, needs to get a little more wily to be effective but that comes with time and experience. Far as I know he hasn’t been around near as long as wakefield, he and the organization can afford a little more time before showing him the door.
Same can be said of Gavin Floyd one way or the other. People want to simply say how bad someone is and hope they go away. If anything people should hope that these individuals reach full potential since they are with the organization, as that means they could become full time starters or be dealt for new prospects. Sad to say it but I got more hope for these new guys despite the fact that they haven’t come out like Danks. You look at Contreras and his problem now, looks like the same as with the yankees; confidence. And he’s a veteran. Better to try to work on them young than to get hurt by a veteran’s relapses to the tune of 20 million, and the squad isn’t doing too well so now if ever is the time.
Kenwo, you know I could continue this childish BS, but I choose to let you sound like the fool at the end. If you want to think I am a bad athlete that is fine. I know and the people that matter to me know otherwise. You don’t really matter to me. You are like that fly that just won’t go away and keeps buzzing by your head, and you can’t seem to get it to sit long enough to swat it dead.
That’s great that Juan got his 8th double of the season last night. He is still 33rd in MLB shortstops. Even the dreaded mackowiak has more doubles in about 100 less at bats. But no denying Uribe has been driving in some runs lately. The problem is that he will do that for like 7-10 days then he takes the next 3 months off before he gets hot again. He does it every single year, usually two hot periods per year which is great when he is hot, but why can’t he keep it up or be somewhat near that level all year? Is that Mackowiaks fault? I’m just thinking that the Sox would be better off with someone that swings for the fences less, and can be more of a table setter in that 8th or 9th spot. Juan’s defense is not awful and I would say he is a top guy as far as his range and arm strength, but his putrid plate appearances sometimes outweigh what he does in the field.
Windycity – Look at the successful knuckleball pitchers, they are all older. So you are right, with a knucklballer it takes time and some find tuning, and when it starts to work they can pitch forever. Haeger had been, and I believe is still working with Charlie Hough. I don’t really want to see him back this year, but in another year or two with some more experience throwing that thing hopefully he can make an impact.
Interesting story:
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/sports/506456,111SPT7.article
Mark Liptak
Very briefly… If Owens stays the same, POds becomes expendable… If Field keeps his play up… Bye-Bye, Crede…
Trash talk?… Useless…
Nice to see that Gavin Floyd has returned to ‘normal…’
Mark Liptak
OK, this will probably sound stupid….but can’t they use a “set up guy” to start the game…let him pitch 2 innings THEN put Contreras in and let him pitch 6-7 innings. He looks pretty good lately when he doesnt’ actually start.
Also, nice slam Josh…way to almost bring us back.
The Sox offense made a go of it today. And while they couldn’t keep pace with how Floyd put them back, I like what I see from Fields. Very nice. I agree with Mr. Quaid. Crede may have a bit much going against him (salary and medical history), especially if Fields keeps improving on the field….
As far as Floyd, I can stand to see a few more outings from him. Correct me if I’m wrong; but he has faced the Twins, the Tigers and now the Mariners (this season). Only one real good showing, but he has faced some difficult teams. If he got lit up by Baltimore or Pittsburgh its a different (Vazquez allowed 4 runs in a 7-6 loss to Baltimore, the bullpen did the rest) story. Since we’re playing to see whats up next year, I would like to see Floyd get a few more starts just to try and figure how he’ll take a loss and/if how well he’ll rebound. After all, while the deficit is Floyds’ primarily, Seattle is in the race for a playoff spot and have been hot. Detroit, in contrast, has been having problems. While I love to see the White Sox put some of these contenders down, I want to see if Floyd can rise to the occasion against some of these better teams (especially while the pen and the offense are coming alive and our record is where it is). I am also looking forward to how Danks will do today against Seattle. I would like to see a rookie who has had some shaky starts and lack of run support send the mariners home crying in their starbucks.
Quote of the Day:
“It’s confusing and frustrating when you see he had two bad (starts), then come out and pitch the way people should be pitching at the big-league level, then comes back and perform the way we don’t expect, it’s something you keep waiting and waiting for good things to happen,” Ozzie Guillen to the Daily Southtown.
Mark Liptak
Steve Stone should be signed permanently to work with Hawk he makes the games much better with his knowledge of pitching and the game. He does well with anyone, it seems, and he would help Hawk stay in the present more. Listening to Hawk and DJ is brutal!
DJ seems like a great guy, but Steve Stone is the best broadcast analyst around. If the Sox can sign him they should. Stone’s perspective as a pitcher meshes well with Hawk’s hitter mentality.