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A White Sox Blog Chronicling The Mess Over On 35th.
Monday, May 31, 2004
Tin Can Tuesday No More After 2004
Tired of the beatdowns in the stands, it comes as no surprise that our guy on 35th informs us that 1/2 price Tuesday's will be gone after this season.
Sunday (Monday) Note
Quite Drafty (Part 2)
Let’s take a look at some of the prospects in next Monday's draft that might interest the Sox. They have organizational depth among OF’ers, look for them to go after pitching early. They have 6 of the first 70 picks.
Billy Buckner, RHP, South Carolina: Throws in the low 90’s. Has an outstanding curveball. No relation to ex-MLB’er Bill Buckner.
David Purcey, LHP, Oklahoma: Throws in the low 90’s. Has difficulty being consistent with his mechanics.
Andy Gale, RHP, H.S.: The son of former MLB pitcher, Rich, Gale checks in at 6’6” 220 lbs. Despite frame more of a finesse pitcher. Has one of the best change-ups in draft.
Zach Jackson, LHP, Texas A&M: Similar to Gale in stature and stuff. Jackson is at his best when he’s hitting his spots.
B.J. Syzmanski, CF, S/R, Princeton: Athletic, strong, 5-tool player. Only played 2-years of college ball. Compares to Rocco Baldelli, but with more power.
Josh Fields, 3B, R/R, Oklahoma State: QB for OSU, Fields possesses the best power potential in draft. Should stick with baseball, but could be a 2nd or 3rd round pick in next year’s NFL draft.
Dustin Pedroia, SS, R/R, Arizona State: Productive college career with excellent plate discipline. Makes all the plays at short despite lacking great range. May have to play second at next level.
We project Billy Buckner as their first round pick. They need to start re-stocking the pitching. Buckner should be in the big leagues no later than the start of 2006. Syzmanski is also a possibility if they choose to go “best available”.
We'll have the Sox picks here as soon as they happen.
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Newsday: Ordonez Rejects 5y/$70M Offer
From Today's New York Newsday
"Newsday has learned that Ordoñez's contract negotiations with the White Sox recently fell apart after he rejected a five-year, $70-million bid, exactly what he originally sought. Ordoñez now is all but certain to leave."
I love Ordonez, but I'm happy he rejected the offer. $70 million is too much for the Sox to spend on a corner OF'er when they have Reed and now a re-emerging Joe Borchard waiting in the wings.
Saturday, May 29, 2004
And Bartman Wasn't Anywhere in Sight
What a night last night was. The Sox battled back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to defeat the Angels the Angels 4-3 in their last AB. Adding to the euphoria was the fact that the Cubs lost both games of a doubleheader to the Pirates on walk-off homers. Remarkable. Oh yeah, the Twins lost too.
August 31, 2002 was the last "best day possible."
Friday, May 28, 2004
This Week’s Contestant Is
According to WSCR radio Jon Rauch will start tomorrow against the Angels. I’m not overly optimistic about his chances seeing as how he averaged just a little about 5 ½ innings in his previous 9 starts at Charlotte this year.
That’s not to say that I think what the Sox are doing, shuffling guys around to find a 5th starter instead of trading for one, isn’t a good idea. I think it is. Only as a last resort should a team attempt to trade for a 5th starter. You trade for a second or third starter and move everyone else down and since no second or third type starter has moved in a trade anywhere just yet it’s premature to say that the Sox aren’t doing enough to fill that hole.
Report: ATA Plane Flew Dangerously Low to The Cell
CBS 2 Chicago reports the ATA plane that 35th Street Mess noted as flying low near U.S. Cellular Field back on April 29 was found to be dangerously low following an FAA investigation. The plane’s altitude was just 700 feet as it whizzed by the Cell.
Was George Kennedy at the controls or what?
Have You Noticed ...
The Sox are now 1st in the A.L. in runs scored and runs allowed?
Buehrle Hurls Another Great Start
Mark Buehrle was terrific last night as the Sox shutout the heavy-hitting Texas Rangers for the second night in a row to gain sole possession of 1st place in the A.L. Central. Buehrle has been exactly what the Sox have needed -- a #1 starter. Buehrle lowered his May ERA to 1.58 with a ridiculous (especially for him) 37 strikeouts in 40 innings. The Sox now rank third in the A.L. in ERA.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
I’m Gonna Tell You What . . .
Reports all day are that Hawk Harrelson and WSCR’s Terry Boers got into a heated exchange when Harrelson phoned in to Boers midday show to defend comments he made last night during the broadcast of the game. Harrelson said paraphrasing, “I hear all these so-called experts think they know the game and they never played.”
Apparently Boers and his partner Brian Hanley were on him all morning for that and Harrelson decided to call in. We did not hear it so will not comment on the exchange. Should be fun listening in the coming days though.
Olivo Needs More AB’s
Sandy Alomar should start once every five days. That’s what a back up catcher does. Particularly when you are backing up a catcher who is producing offensively the way Miguel Olivo is. White Sox catchers have 153 AB’s this year and Olivo has only 89 of them. He is on pace for just 300 for the entire year.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Portion of Phase V Renovation Announced
As we tipped you to last night, the Sox and Illinois Sports Facility Authority, announced plans today to relocate Kids FUNdamentals above the left field concourse. Though it isn't the grand entrance we pictured, our guy was spot on once again. We'll have to buy him a beer next time we see him. Stay tuned for more phase V details as they become available to us.
Next Phase of Renovations Addendum
Some of my friends were blowing up my cell this morning leaving me messages about my blurb on the next phase of renovations I posted last night. Apparently there was some confusion. Let me attempt to clarify:
- According to my guy there will be some kind of “structure” in left field.
- This structure will mean the removal of the left-most billboard.
- Kids FUNdamentals area most likely will be relocated to it.
- No information about how far the seating area would extend over LF lower reserves, or even if it would extend over the LF lower reserves.
- Green seats all but a certainty.
As he was telling me this I was picturing the grand entrance idea that has been floating around various Sox internet sites more than the much rumored “Home Run” porch.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
News on Next Phase of Renovations
Our guy on 35th says that there will be some sort of double decking above the left field seats and that the furthest LF billboard (currently a Chevy advertisement) will be removed. This "structure" could include an area where Kids FUNdementals will be relocated to.
Our guy was spot on in details of the other phases before they were released so you can pretty much take this to the bank.
Ordonez Close to Re-Signing According To N.Y. Daily News
From today's New York Daily News:
“CF Carlos Beltran should be the premier player available (with the White Sox back atop the AL Central and close to re-signing Magglio Ordonez).”
Take this with a grain of salt of course, but with the adversarial relationship this group has with the local press, it would not surprise me one bit if a New York paper has better info than a Chicago one.
The important thing if Ordonez signs will be how much it costs. If they can get him at a reasonable price, $12 million per or less, it’s a good deal.
Around The A.L. Central
In Kansas City . . .
Season of Hope Takes Magical Mystery Turn Kansas City Star columnist Joe Posnanski wonders where Royals magic went.
Our Take: The Royals started the season 17-7 last year. From then on they went an under whelming 66-72 after. Posnanski could have asked this last August.
In Detroit . . .
Infante Puts Bid On Third Alan Trammell says third base job “is up for grabs.” The Detroit Free Press reports.
Quoting:
“Third basemen are expected to be power hitters, and Infante isn't one, at least so far. But as Vina's replacement, he has compiled a commendable slugging percentage. (A slugging percentage is like a batting average measuring extra-base power: It's total bases on hits divided by at-bats.)“
Our Take: Let’s see they’re rebuilding, do they stick with Eric Munson through his struggles or give the job to Omar Infante? I guess this is proof that there is no such thing as a simple decision for the Tigers.
As an aside, I have never seen slugging percentage explained in a story in a newspaper. Baseball’s only been around for 100 years or so in Detroit. Have to educate those fans.
Beatdown From Sox May Aid Twins
If alarm bells didn’t go off in G.M. Terry Ryan’s head this weekend I’d have to wonder about the man’s sanity.
The Twins will not finish ahead of the Sox if they don’t find a way to trade for a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. The thing is the Twins do have enough minor league talent to pry a Freddy Garcia away from the Mariners. In fact, they have enough talent that Seattle would probably be willing to pay the remainder of the $6.9 million owed him this year in order to get the best possible prospect in return from the Twins.
I’d be very surprised if the Twins aren’t major players for Garcia when he goes up for auction.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Coop and Pitch Counts? He Could Give a Damn
This morning in an interview with WSCR radio Sox pitching coach Don Cooper brushed aside the use of pitch counts, calling the subject “boring”. This flies in the face of what’s going on these days in baseball and 35th Street Mess loves it. Coop added that at the major league level winning games takes precedent over counting pitches.
Later this week we’ll tell you why pitch counts are not as valuable to the Sox as they may be to another team.
And on The 5th Day
Last night Neil Cotts was the latest to take the mound as the Sox “fifth starter”. Cotts didn’t last long (2 1/3 innings) and the hand-wringing over what to do with the fifth spot continues. As long as the front four are pitching well I don’t think the fifth spot is as big a concern as it would seem. Give Cotts time, I think he’ll be fine.
Sunday Note
Quite Drafty (Part 1 of 2)
The draft is one of my favorite events of the baseball year. It embodies everything this outfit does best (secrecy and talent evaluation) and worst (pay for top-notch talent and talent evaluation).
With this year’s draft coming up on June 7th, now is a good a time to take a look back at how the Sox fared in last year’s draft.
Evaluating The Top Three Picks
Let’s take a look at Brian Anderson, Ryan Sweeney, and Clint King. We’ll also look at the five players who were drafted immediately after them as a gauge of whether or not the Sox knew what they were doing.
15TH Pick: Brian Anderson, 22, (CF), CWS:
Winston-Salem (High A Ball) .338/.415/.585, 130 AB, 4 HR, 16/ 30 BB/K, 8 SB
#16 Jeffrey Allison, 19, (RHP), FLA: Restricted List
#17 David Murphy, 23, (CF), BOS:
Sarasota (High A) .250/.311/.304, 148 AB, 0 HR, 13/ 30 BB/K, 3 SB
#18 Brad Snyder, 22, (RF), CLE:
Lake County (High A) .241/.373/.434, 83 AB, 4 HR, 18/ 21 BB/K, 4 SB
#19 Conner Jackson, 22, (3B), ARZ:
Lancaster (High A) .313/.420/.538, 160 AB, 7HR, 2/ 22 BB/K, 3 SB
#20 Chad Cordero, 22, (RHP), MON:
Expos 19 G, 1/0 W/L, 1.74 ERA, 23.1 IP, 15/15 BB/K, 1.37 WHIP
Our Take:Looks like that bunch on 35th knew what they were doing as Anderson is tearing up the Carolina League. He should be in Birmingham some time in July. Theo should be throwing chairs at the difference between Arizona pick, Conor Jackson and his pick David Murphy.
52nd Pick Ryan Sweeney, 19, (RF), CWS
Winston-Salem (High A) .265/.327/.361, 155 AB, 2 HR, 9/19 BB/ K, 5 SB
#53 Logan Kensing, 22, (RHP), FLA
Jupiter (High A), 9 GS, 2/3 W/L, 4.73 ERA, 45.2 IP, 18/36 BB/K, 1.53 WHIP
#54 Mickey Hall, 19, (LF), BOS:
Augusta (Low A) .179/.300/.291, 117 AB, 2 HR, 1 9/ 40 BB/K, 3 SB
#55 Todd Jennings, 22, (C), SF:
San Jose (High A) .206/.259/.278, 127 AB, 1 HR, 5/ 25 BB/K, 4 SB
#56 Jeffrey Flaig, 18, (SS), SEA: Has not played this year.
Our Take: At 19, Sweeney is holding his own in high A ball this year which is a great sign. He looks to be the best player in this 5-pack. Chalk another win up for this bunch at the draft table.
82nd Pick Clint King, 22, (OF), CWS
Kannapolis (Low A) .253/.324/.414, 99 AB, 2 HR, 11/20 BB/K, 0 SB
#83 Jonathon Fulton, 19, (SS), FLA: Has not played this year.
#84 William Vaughan, 23, (RHP), BOS: Has not played this year.
#85 Timothy Moss, 22, (2B), PHI:
Lakewood (Low A) .213/.323/.275, 80 AB, 0 HR, 7/24 BB/K, 3 SB
#86 Ryan Feierabend, 19, (LHP), SEA:
Wisconsin (Low A), 8 GS, 5/2 W/L, 3.74 ERA, 46.2 IP, 13/26 BB/K, 1.16 WHIP
Our Take: Drafting a tough sign like Sweeney in the second round the Sox had to save some money in the third and reached a little with King. That said, he has shown decent plate discipline so there is something to work with.
Next Sunday we’ll take a look at some of the players the Sox should be targeting as they roll into their most important draft in recent times with 6 of the top 70 picks.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Stranger Than Sauce on Old Roman Pizza
Mark Buehrle is tied for fourth in the American League in strikeouts with 52.
(Mostly) Excellent Starting Pitching in May
Buehrle’s performance last night against the Twins continues a fine stretch of starting pitching by everyone not named Felix Diaz or Danny Wright.
In May:
Buehrle:
5 GS, 3/0 W/L, 1.91 ERA, 33.0 IP, 7/32 BB/K, 1.24 WHIP
Schoenweis:
4 GS, 2/0 W/L, 2.36 ERA, 26.2 IP, 11/18 BB/K, 1.20 WHIP
Garland:
4 GS, 2/1 W/L, 2.67 ERA, 27.0 IP, 7/15 BB/K, 1.30 WHIP
Loaiza:
4 GS, 1/3 W/L, 4.71 ERA, 28.2 IP 9/14 BB/K, 1.50 WHIP
The four have also combined for 13 quality starts so far this month.
Unfortunately they’ve wasted a few of these outings as their 11-9 record indicates. Hopefully the offense is waking up and will take up some of the slack when the starters hit the inevitable slump.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Good Start
It was nice to see the Sox handle the Twins with ease last night if for no other reason it will help put to rest the notion that the Twins have dominated them the last couple of years. Yes, they’ve beaten the Sox head-to-head to a tune of 17 out of 38 times, but that isn’t what’s won them the division.
They’ve won the division because they obliterated the Tigers while the Sox merely beat them. The Twins were 29-8 against the Tigers in 2002 & 2003. The Sox were 23-15 against the Tigers over the same period.
As far as last night’s game goes, I’m not at all worried about the Twins as long as they have some combination of Greisinger/Silva/Helling in the rotation. Now if they replace one of them with Grant Balfour . . .
Speaking of Grant Balfour
Next time you see him pitch take note of the uncanny resemblance he has in mechanics, body type, and sideburns to Mark Prior. Man, Twins fans are reminded in such an egregious way of what might have been. Sounds like the kind of axe that this outfit would grind into its fans.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
At The Hump Dome
One can only speculate what they were thinking when they designed the Metrodome. I can say most certainly it wasn’t anything to do with baseball though. Here’s a multi-million dollar facility opened for a year that’s dimensions were so not thought out (367 to right-center) that they had to slap up about $100 worth of baggy to extend the “wall” in right field from it’s original height of 7’ when it opened, to 13’ in early 1983, to its current height of 23’ later that same year. This had to be done to keep balls from flying out at unprecedented rates and to stop the Twins from being the laughingstock of baseball. Worst baseball park ever.
So how have the Sox fared there in the last couple of years the Twins won the division? Not good, winning 6, losing 12. Interestingly the 83 runs for versus the 90 runs against plugged into the pythagorean winning percentage says the Sox should have won 8 of those games so there has been some “luck” involved in that record.
With Loaiza, Buehrle, and Garland going in this 4-game set, we predict at least a split.
Rumor Has It . . .
From today’s Orange County Register:
“For now, Chone Figgins figures to play third base in place of Troy Glaus, but a trade could be the long-term solution. Speculation in Chicago has the White Sox interested in trading Jose Valentin for Angels pitcher Aaron Sele.”
This makes no sense at all. Aaron Sele isn’t good and he’s expensive. This bunch probably is considering it though. They never leave a stone unturned – even a really bad one.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Cleveland Rocked
I’m sure I’m not the only Sox fan who has taken more than a little joy out of seeing all the empty seats at The Jake the last couple of days. Indians fans invaded Comiskey by the thousands in the late 90’s and proved to be the biggest dullards this side of Cubs fans. Much like Ohio native Drew Carey, it appears the Indians 15 minutes of fame are over.
Garland Turning The Corner
Okay, we’ve said this before from Jon Garland so we should probably tread cautiously, but I think we are seeing him take the next step in his development and the timing couldn’t be better for Garland or for the Sox. Garland is eligible for salary arbitration once again after this season and the time has come to make a decision on him long-term. If Garland continues to rack up solid, if not spectacular, outings look for the Sox to lock him up to a deal similar to the one they signed Mark Buehrle to last offseason.
It will be interesting to see how the seasons of Garland, Loaiza and Ordonez play out and ultimately effect one another’s bargaining positions with the Sox.
Back to Garland’s performance. What’s changed? Hard to say because his peripherals are inline with pasts seasons. It could be that he has matured. Remember, even though it seems as if Garland’s been around forever he’s going to turn just 25-years-old later this year. Digging a little deeper in his numbers might give us an answer though.
He’s doing a better job at keep the ball in the park. More specifically, Garland has done a better job at preventing right-handed hitters from going yard. Previous to this year, he had given up one homer to a righty every 21.6 AB’s. This year that number has dropped to one homer to a righty every 43 AB’s. This is particularly impressive when considering how homer-friendly U.S. Cellular Field has become.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Freddy Garcia Mention
Joe Cowley writes in today’s Southtown that Kenny Williams is once again interested in acquiring Freddy Garcia from the Mariners and one scenario is packaging Jose Valentin.
On the face of it, it would seem odd that Seattle would deal its best pitcher for a package with Valentin being the centerpiece of it, but don’t put anything past that Bavasi dude. The guy makes Syd Thrift look like an upgrade.
That is not to say a deal of this type would improve the Sox in and of itself. The biggest problem has been offense, more specifically, the lack of left-handed hitters in the lineup. Dealing Valentin solves none of these problems of course and like Valentin, Garcia is free to leave after 2004. Garcia is the more valuable commodity so the trade is appealing, but unless Williams could find a left-handed bat for center or perhaps first (someone pleaaasssee take Konerko) to replace Valentin’s, the Sox would just be making a strength stronger and a weakness weaker.
Swinging in The Rain
Forgive me, but I refuse to watch FSN’s “Best Damned Sports Show Period”, even during rain delays. My rule is watching lame TV begets lame TV. With that in mind, I switched over to ESPN 1000 during the second delay so that I’d know when the game would resume.
That's where I found Ed Farmer swinging away. He said that the club quit on Jerry Manuel last year because they didn’t respect him. Wow, I could not believe my ears. Not that they quit on Manuel that was pretty evident after the Cotts/Buehrle debacle in Yankee Stadium. I was shocked because whether Farmer knew it or not he was indicting most of the current team. That kind of thing isn’t something the Chairman will take lightly from his broadcast crew. Maybe though since it came from Farmer he’ll look the other way. Kind of like the way the bully treats the “slow” kid on the block.
Is Something Brewing on 35th?
So much for being in good shape. The Sox followed what should have been a momentum-building blowout victory against the Twins on Sunday with a miserable showing in the opener of a 7-game road trip against the Indians.
Down at Charlotte, hitting machine Jeremy Reed recently switched from centerfield to left with Borchard now getting most of the reps in center. This is a very curious move considering that they just signed Carlos Lee through next year with an option and they have no viable candidate for center on the roster. Is this a signal that Williams might explore dealing Lee?
As any longtime watcher of this outfit can tell you, they don’t do anything without a motive. Moving Reed quietly to left I believe is preparation in case Lee can be dealt. Lee has been a favorite of Kenny Williams for sometime, but perhaps he has finally recognized that Lee is as good as he’s going to get and that isn’t anywhere worth the roughly $15 million they spent on him this year. Here’s hoping that’s the case and he can find a gullible G.M. Hint, call the Bavasi guy in Seattle first.
Game(s) of The Day
May 18, 1977 . . .
Chris Knapp moved to 5-1 as the White Sox defeated the Royals 7-4 in front of 20,041 at Comiskey. Oscar Gamble hit his 5th homer and Eric Soderholm went 4-for-4, driving in a run and stealing a base. The victory moved the Sox within 2.5 of the division leading Twins.
This date in 2000 marked the final appearance ever for Alex Fernandez.
Thanks to http://retrosheet.org/
Monday, May 17, 2004
Sox in Good Shape
Despite losing 2 of 3 to the Twins over the weekend the Twins, and not the Sox, should be the team worrying. Carlos Silva and Seth Greisinger? The sooner Guillen figures out his best lineup, the one that doesn’t include Rowand or Konerko against right-handers, the better off we’ll all be -- Twins excluded.
Didn’t NU Have a Spring Game?
Every time I read a Rick Telander column that has anything to do with baseball I’m left with the impression that he wrote it to fulfill a contractual obligation. Today’s was no exception.
Ah, yes, Frank Thomas the bad teammate. Very original. This has only been written 1,000 times. Nobody cares.
New Feature: Game of The Day
You asked for it, you got. From time to time, we will look back at games on their anniversaries from some of the Sox more memorable seasons. Coming soon.
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Sunday Note
Another Indictment of Jerry Manuel
There was a time when I thought that Jerry Manuel was a good manager, but that changed quickly when the team went from developmental mode to winning mode.
Last year Colon was brought in as the Sox #1 starter, he was the guy the manager is supposed to set the rotation around so that he pitches the big games.
Sox Starts v. Royals 2003
Garland 6
Loaiza 5
Buehrle 4
Colon 3
Wright 1
Sox Starts v. Twins 2003
Garland 6
Loaiza 5
Buehrle 5
Colon 2
Wright 1
As the numbers show, Garland made 12 starts against the Royals and Twins last year while Colon made only 5.
What in the world could Manuel have been thinking. Five starts for Colon against the biggest divisional foes?
Incredible.
Time to panic
So far I like how Ozzie Guillen has operated. Mainly I like the fact that he clearly isn't going to sit around wondering what Jesus would do while his team slumps through May and June, putting themselves in a hole too deep to climb out of. The way Guillen was talking last night, it appears he's ready to make some changes. Here's what I would do:
-Start platooning Timo Perez with Aaron Rowand in center. Rowand never could hit righties and this season is no exception. Perez does well against righties. Between the two of them they'll make a pretty decent player. One that puts up an 800+ OPS and provides excellent defense in CF.
-Get Juan Uribe into the lineup everyday. I'd like to see Uribe plopped down at SS and left alone for awhile, while Valentin switches between 2nd and 3rd, depending on the opposing pitcher, who's hot, who's healthy etc. I'm not sure Valentin would go for such a setup, however. Uribe might, especially if it got him into the lineup every day along with the promise that the SS job will be his in '05 if he performs. They have to find out whether this kid is for real or not. With Crede slumping now is the time.
-Try to deal either Lee or Konerko for a lefty bat. Or get a pitcher and promote Jeremy Reed. It's time to face the fact that these two players are never going to be anything more than what they are now. Streaky hitters who will alternate months of carrying the offense with months of pops and taps. The final picture is nothing more than a mediocre player.
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-Start platooning Timo Perez with Aaron Rowand in center. Rowand never could hit righties and this season is no exception. Perez does well against righties. Between the two of them they'll make a pretty decent player. One that puts up an 800+ OPS and provides excellent defense in CF.
-Get Juan Uribe into the lineup everyday. I'd like to see Uribe plopped down at SS and left alone for awhile, while Valentin switches between 2nd and 3rd, depending on the opposing pitcher, who's hot, who's healthy etc. I'm not sure Valentin would go for such a setup, however. Uribe might, especially if it got him into the lineup every day along with the promise that the SS job will be his in '05 if he performs. They have to find out whether this kid is for real or not. With Crede slumping now is the time.
-Try to deal either Lee or Konerko for a lefty bat. Or get a pitcher and promote Jeremy Reed. It's time to face the fact that these two players are never going to be anything more than what they are now. Streaky hitters who will alternate months of carrying the offense with months of pops and taps. The final picture is nothing more than a mediocre player.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Striking Out the Twins
Sox v. Twins 2002-03
The Good . . .
Magglio Ordonez, .315/.342/.617, 149 AB, 13 HR
Carlos Lee, .308/.362/.577, 130 AB, 9 HR
Frank Thomas, .268/.376/.528, 127 AB, 10 HR
LaTroy Hawkins, 3-0-0-5, 0.37 ERA, 24.1 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 25 K, GONE
(Take Hawkins domination of the Sox away from the Twins last year and their ERA against the Sox goes from 4.41 to 4.73.)
Torii Hunter, .236/.271/.378, 127 AB, 21 K
Damaso Marte, 0-0-1-4, 0.51 ERA, 17.1 IP, 8 H, 6 BB, 23 K
The Bad . . .
Joe Crede, .183/.231/.275, 131 AB, 32 K
Paul Konerko, .225/.282/.324, 102 AB
Magglio Ordonez, 1 BB per 29 AB. Career:1 BB per 11.1 AB if you exclude the last two years v. Twins.
Jacque Jones, .316/.350/.579, 114 AB, 7 HR, 31 K
(When Jones has made contact v. the Sox his numbers jump to an astounding .434/.472/.795)
Corie Koskie, .306/.407/.516, 5 HR, 21 BB, 35 K
(Like Jones, when Koskie has made contact v. the Sox his numbers jump to a Little-League-like .427/.536/.719)
The Inexplicable . . .
Last year the Sox out-homered the Twins 28-16 in the season series, but managed to score 8 fewer runs (76 to 84.)
Conclusion:
This will sound like sour grapes, but I don’t care. The Twins had a lot of luck against the Sox last year, just look at Koskie and Jones numbers when they made contact. Couple that with their most dominating player against the Sox, Hawkins, now pitching for the lovable losers and I can’t help but think that this bunch will turn the tables on the Twins this year with at least 11 wins in the series.
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The Good . . .
Magglio Ordonez, .315/.342/.617, 149 AB, 13 HR
Carlos Lee, .308/.362/.577, 130 AB, 9 HR
Frank Thomas, .268/.376/.528, 127 AB, 10 HR
LaTroy Hawkins, 3-0-0-5, 0.37 ERA, 24.1 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 25 K, GONE
(Take Hawkins domination of the Sox away from the Twins last year and their ERA against the Sox goes from 4.41 to 4.73.)
Torii Hunter, .236/.271/.378, 127 AB, 21 K
Damaso Marte, 0-0-1-4, 0.51 ERA, 17.1 IP, 8 H, 6 BB, 23 K
The Bad . . .
Joe Crede, .183/.231/.275, 131 AB, 32 K
Paul Konerko, .225/.282/.324, 102 AB
Magglio Ordonez, 1 BB per 29 AB. Career:1 BB per 11.1 AB if you exclude the last two years v. Twins.
Jacque Jones, .316/.350/.579, 114 AB, 7 HR, 31 K
(When Jones has made contact v. the Sox his numbers jump to an astounding .434/.472/.795)
Corie Koskie, .306/.407/.516, 5 HR, 21 BB, 35 K
(Like Jones, when Koskie has made contact v. the Sox his numbers jump to a Little-League-like .427/.536/.719)
The Inexplicable . . .
Last year the Sox out-homered the Twins 28-16 in the season series, but managed to score 8 fewer runs (76 to 84.)
Conclusion:
This will sound like sour grapes, but I don’t care. The Twins had a lot of luck against the Sox last year, just look at Koskie and Jones numbers when they made contact. Couple that with their most dominating player against the Sox, Hawkins, now pitching for the lovable losers and I can’t help but think that this bunch will turn the tables on the Twins this year with at least 11 wins in the series.
The Value of Bossard
We’ve picked up a lot of street talk from people around 35th over the last year or so who are unhappy about the salary being paid to Roger Bossard. We imagine these people are silent today after Bossard’s masterful job getting yesterday’s game two win over the Orioles in despite one of the heaviest rains we’ve seen. Truth is Bossard is a value at twice the price.
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Ordonez-For-Mulder Trade Thought
Paul Ladewski kicks around the interesting idea in today’s Southtown. I’d make the deal if I were the Sox. Maybe with as desperate as the A’s have been for post-season success they may take a flyer on having Ordonez only for the rest of this year. With Montreal going nowhere ship a prospect or two to bring Everett back to play right while you’re at it.
Tin Can Tuesday: An Up Close of The Statue
Fittingly, I got my first look at the statue honoring the Old Roman, this past Pepsi Half-Price Tuesday. To say that it is an impressive piece of art is an understatement. Every Chicagoan should make the time to visit this remarkable tribute to a fine civic leader and philanthropist.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Fixing the pitching
Don Cooper held a meeting with the pitchers monday to review the first thirty games and plan for the Orioles and Twins. So far, so good as Buerhle shut down the Orioles in the first game since Coop's confab. While it's too early to tell if Coop's adjustments will work, it's good to see this outfit being a little more proactive about fixing problems. Especially after the "patience" that abounded in the previous regime.
Speaking of the staff, think Joe Nossek will be missed? Check this quote from Art Kusyner in today's trib:
"Joe would figure out the steal sign early in a game and then not call for the pitchout until just the right moment."
As fans we can only hope that some of Nossek's brilliance has rubbed off on his replacement Harold Baines.
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Speaking of the staff, think Joe Nossek will be missed? Check this quote from Art Kusyner in today's trib:
"Joe would figure out the steal sign early in a game and then not call for the pitchout until just the right moment."
As fans we can only hope that some of Nossek's brilliance has rubbed off on his replacement Harold Baines.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Around The A.L. Central
In Minnesota . . .
Koskie Could be Gone Next Year. Star Tribune article about the possibility of the Twins keeping Corie Koskie beyond this year. Koskie is in the last year of a 4-year $10.5M contract.
Our Take: The Twins have just $22.7M tied up in 5 players for the ’05 season to go along with a boatload of good hitting young (cheap) outfielders. Koskie will be back. Jacque Jones won’t.
In Kansas City . . .
Average Offense Won’t Cut It. KC Star article looks at disappointing Royals offense thus far.
Our Take: The Royals signed veteran hitters this offseason and the chance that goes along with that is veteran hitters are more likely to underperform their norms than they are to outperform them. What’s happened to the offense so far with the Royals isn’t by any means a total surprise. Oh yeah, then there is the small detail of their pitching.
Southtown Column Takes Media Bias to Task
Nice to see a defense of the southland for a change in a column written by Paul Ladewski.
Quoting ...
“I guarantee you, if Frankie Hernandez had been gunned down at 333 W. 35th Street, at least one local sports columnist would have interviewed him before he had hit the pavement. God help the Sox and the rest of us if this kind of incident had happened in our backyard ...”
Gee, I wonder which columnist he’s alluding to.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Anytime We Can Help You Out Scot . . .
Weird timing, but just hours after we wrote about Loaiza’s drop in velocity, Scot Gregor wrote this in today’s Daily Herald. Loaiza says he is “going to start working on his velocity.” After he works on his, we’d appreciate if he looks at Koch’s.
Sunday, May 09, 2004
vE-LO’scity
Perhaps the most disconcerting thing about Loaiza this year is something that was noticeable the final month or so of last year. Loaiza’s velocity continues to be in the 84-88 MPH range after throwing most of last year one notch up, in the 88-92 MPH range.
It’s hard to say how much of this drop could be the product of a mechanical change or how much of it might be due to a physical problem.
Loaiza had a reputation for having “good stuff” before being invited to spring training by the Sox last year, however I was surprised that he was consistently being clocked in the 90 MPH range start after start. It’s possible that his delivery was so in tune that he was able to maximize velocity and that he hasn’t been able to find the same mechanics.
I’m inclined to believe though that the velocity drop says something about the physical toll throwing a cut fastball has on a pitcher’s arm.
A Nothing Weekend of Pops and Taps
Eight runs scored 27 innings against a Blue Jays pitching staff that did not include an appearance by Roy Halladay. We’ve seen these types of offensive doldrums from this bunch before and they normally last for quite awhile too it seems. I think some of this is a result of having their best hitters all being the same type, right-handed hitting power hitters. It has to be easier for a pitcher to stay in a groove facing the same type of hitter again and again.
Jeremy Reed will be a welcome addition sooner rather than later. Reed would move into the second spot of the line-up and that would allow Valentin to move to the fifth spot thus breaking up the group of right-handed power hitters.
Sunday Note
Spiderman Ads Would Have Been Least of Baseball’s Integrity Issues
This week’s decision by Bud Selig not to go ahead with plans to put Spiderman logos on the bases and not to adorn outfield walls across the land with Spiderman webs is being hailed as a victory for the fans. Those in the media who fancy themselves as the guardian of the game’s integrity beat back this latest attack.
Hooray. Thank goodness somebody is looking out for the game’s best interests. I must say though, all the hand-ringing over something that wouldn’t have changed the fabric of the game begs the question; where is the outrage over baseball’s real integrity problems?
For example:
The commissioner having a financial interest in the Brewers.
The commissioner moving the Brewers to the N.L. where they just coincidentally have home games with the Cubs and Cardinals whose fans will fill Miller Park 18 times a year.
Major League Baseball owning the Expos.
A Yankees payroll that is double that of the next closest team.
In light of these issues the “Spiderman victory” is truly an empty one.
Is Uribe for real?
The answer to this question, more than any other, will determine this outfit's ultimate fate in 2004. With Willie Harris still a shaky proposition and Jose Valentin injury-prone and unable to hit lefties, filling one of the middle infield positions with a solid, everyday player would give this outfit quite a boost in their effort to rise above the other mediocrities in the AL Central.
While we won't know what happens until the season unfolds, there are some encouraging signs. Most encouraging is that Uribe has been more patient at the plate. He already has 8 walks with only 17 strikeouts. While the MLB walk and OBP records are probably safe, this does represent a huge step forward for Uribe in strike zone judgement. With a young, talented player like Uribe, mastering the strike zone is often a sign of a player ready who's ready to take his game to the next level.
What's troubling is April 2002. Here's Uribe's April line from 2002:
G AB R H 2B3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
26 102 20 38 3 4 1 11 8 19 2 1 .373 .416 .510 .926
and for April 2004:
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
18 61 10 24 3 0 3 10 4 10 2 1 .393 .439 .590 1.030
In '02 Uribe went into the tank starting in May, batting less than .200 for the next three months and only .202 in August. This May, so far, so good. Plus, he's now got more experience and hopefully will be able to get himself out of any slumps more quickly. Keep your fingers crossed.
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While we won't know what happens until the season unfolds, there are some encouraging signs. Most encouraging is that Uribe has been more patient at the plate. He already has 8 walks with only 17 strikeouts. While the MLB walk and OBP records are probably safe, this does represent a huge step forward for Uribe in strike zone judgement. With a young, talented player like Uribe, mastering the strike zone is often a sign of a player ready who's ready to take his game to the next level.
What's troubling is April 2002. Here's Uribe's April line from 2002:
G AB R H 2B3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
26 102 20 38 3 4 1 11 8 19 2 1 .373 .416 .510 .926
and for April 2004:
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
18 61 10 24 3 0 3 10 4 10 2 1 .393 .439 .590 1.030
In '02 Uribe went into the tank starting in May, batting less than .200 for the next three months and only .202 in August. This May, so far, so good. Plus, he's now got more experience and hopefully will be able to get himself out of any slumps more quickly. Keep your fingers crossed.
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Team Best Served By Thomas Batting 3rd
Let’s just call Ordonez hitting third a noble experiment and move on. Thomas .468 OBP has to be maximized. Maggs is the hitter in the line-up that you want to see up with the most runners on base. This could be seen as a litmus test of sorts for Guillen. Is he able to adjust on the fly or is he the stubborn type.
Friday, May 07, 2004
Tribune Coverage of Wrigleyville Shooting
Yesterday’s shooting outside of Wrigley Field yesterday that resulted in the death of a man did not merit the front page coverage in the Tribune that it received in the Sun-Times. The Tribune story which appeared in the metro section of the paper also included quotes from a G.M. of a bar around Wrigley saying that he didn't believe the incident was a direct relation to the ballgame.
Those Devious “Tipsters”
You knew it was only a matter of time before opposing teams tried to take advantage of a first year manager and bench coach so it’s great to read that bullpen coach “Hard” Art Kusnyer will have none of it. Also great to see the Southtown pub the longtime bullpen coach up, in our opinion.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Odd Decision: Buehrle on 3 Days Rest Tonight
It's the first week of May. You can't win a division in May. You can lose one however and that's what makes the decision to pitch Buehrle so curious. The Sox start should prevent these kinds of measures. One silver lining is that he'll start next with 5 days rest.
Speaking of Buehrle, his K rate is an impressive 6.83 per 9 innings in the early going and is well above last year's K rate of 4.65 and his 5.13 career K rate.
Watching the radar gun on TV he appears to be throwing slightly harder averaging 86-88 MPH this year as opposed to 84-86 MPH. His problem is that he's given up 5 homers in 37 innings, he gave up only 22 all of last year in 233 innings.
Speaking of homers, did you know that there have been 47 of them (25 by Sox) in 15 games this year at U.S. Cellular Field? Last year there were 218 hit. Could it be that the upper deck renovations have made the park an extreme hitter's park and what effect could that have on the team going forward? We'll keep an eye on it for ya.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Another Reason to Love Camden Yards and Hate Disco
The Sox record at Camden Yards is 32-24.
Those Orioles ghosts still haunt me though. If last night’s game had been played in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, I feel confident in saying the Sox would have lost. They always lost to the O’s in the most excruciating ways in the old park.
My most vivid memory of such a loss was Disco Danny Ford’s 8th inning homer off Rich Dotson that traveled all of 309 feet down the right field line. The Sox lost 1-0. It was the only hit Dotson allowed.
Monday, May 03, 2004
Around The A.L. Central
In Minnesota ....
Mauer Not Ready For a While. Article says he could be back in time for series against Sox beginning on May 20th.
Our Take: No surprise. Every good player returns from injury against the Sox.
In Detroit ....
Cornejo Perplexed By Failures. Article says Cornejo can’t believe he’s this bad.
Our Take: Believe it Nathaniel.
Breaking Out The Vacuums
Lost in the hoopla of home runs and victories in their final AB’s is the superb defensive play of the left side of the White Sox infield. Crede, Valentin, and Uribe comprise the second best defensive shortstop and third baseman combo in the A.L. as measured by defensive zone rating. (A quick and dirty definition of the defensive zone rating statistic is the percentage of balls a player fields in his typical defensive ‘zone’ as judged by STATS reporters. To read a more detailed explanation of DZR
check this out from Big Bad Baseball.)
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Sunday Note
Time for Bonds to intentionally swing
Opposing managers aren’t going to pitch to Barry Bonds. Why should they especially with the gaggle of mediocrities that have taken their turn batting behind him so far this season.
The next time Bonds is being intentionally passed, to get to the great Pedro Feliz, after taking the first pitch, I’d like to see him intentionally swing at the next two leaving him with a 1-2 count. Bonds with a 1-2 count is still a better option than anyone that will be hitting behind him with a 0-0 count in the Giants lineup. If nothing else it would put the onus on the opposing manager. Does he still walk Bonds or does he accept Barry’s challenge and pitch to him with a 1-2 count. Who would have thought the intentional walk could be so dramatic.
More Air Bossard
Is it possible that Roger Bossard is getting his own Nike deal? Think about it for a minute. It's clear Bossard's value to this team is equal to that of an all-star player. Has there ever been a groundskeeper who anticipates game situations and acccordingly grooms the field to the home team's advantage as well as Roger Bossard? I think not. It's only right then, that Bossard get his share of the Nike pie. This could be a new trend that Nike is pioneering. Get some cash to the Bossards and Art Kusyners of the world. Guys who's presence is invaluable to the organization, but who are always left out as greedy ballplayers and announcers grub all the cash for themselves. What makes me feel badly is that Joe Nossek retired just as this trend is starting. Nossek's unmatched sign-stealing prowess certainly would have netted him a nice apparel deal from Nike or Reebok.
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Saturday, May 01, 2004
Jays Uniforms
It wasn't that long ago that the Blue Jays were one of the model franchises in baseball. Now, the only strong opinion I have regarding them is how awful their uniforms are. If that's what sells in Canada the cultural disparity between the that country and the U.S. is far greater than I ever would have thought.
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Wright Decision
After another really bad start in a 10-6 loss to the Jays that split a doubleheader the Sox sent Danny Wright to Charlotte. The Tribune says Wright will be brought back up around the 16th of the month when the Sox next need the 5th starter.
My take: Danny Wright doesn't pitch again for the Sox until Neil Cotts and Felix Diaz fail in their shot as the 5th starter.
Wright has been an enigma of sorts. Everyone in the organization raved about his "stuff", but when you see him pitch, he doesn't miss a whole lot of bats.
Look for him to be used as possible trade bait.
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My take: Danny Wright doesn't pitch again for the Sox until Neil Cotts and Felix Diaz fail in their shot as the 5th starter.
Wright has been an enigma of sorts. Everyone in the organization raved about his "stuff", but when you see him pitch, he doesn't miss a whole lot of bats.
Look for him to be used as possible trade bait.
Mike Kiley; The New “Tattoo”
Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Rourke belongs on the short list of Television Pimps and in no way should Sun-Times Cub beat writer ever be considered that cool. Kiley is more comparable to Rourke’s erstwhile assistant Tattoo. Though he tried like hell, Tattoo could never q u i t e make it to the level of coolness that Mr. Rourke had attained.
Just as Tattoo helped enable Island-goers fantasies, Kiley does the same thing for Cubs fans.
Some fortunate Cubs Fan had their fantasy enabled today when Kiley wrote:
“Maybe it will help Cubs fans to know that LaTroy Hawkins was a stand-up guy after getting knocked for a loop in a 4-3 loss to the Cardinals on Friday night.
He could have hid, as many do. He could have told the media to kiss off, which often happens after this kind of bitter defeat. Instead, he showed the type of character winning clubs have, which can bode well for the future.”
Yep, “winning character” is often associated with sucking up to the media after blowing a game.
“The plane, the plane!”
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Just as Tattoo helped enable Island-goers fantasies, Kiley does the same thing for Cubs fans.
Some fortunate Cubs Fan had their fantasy enabled today when Kiley wrote:
“Maybe it will help Cubs fans to know that LaTroy Hawkins was a stand-up guy after getting knocked for a loop in a 4-3 loss to the Cardinals on Friday night.
He could have hid, as many do. He could have told the media to kiss off, which often happens after this kind of bitter defeat. Instead, he showed the type of character winning clubs have, which can bode well for the future.”
Yep, “winning character” is often associated with sucking up to the media after blowing a game.
“The plane, the plane!”
