White Sox fans complain here

why whine? this season was over in the off-season when williams neglected CF, LF, SS and traded away 2 starters.

Where am I exactly supposed to start on this? I mean, our whole team is likely to be gone next year. Burhle, gone. Dye, gone. Iguchi, gone. Crede, gone. As Hawk would put it, "THEY GONE"! We have no enthusiasm, no excitement, it's like we have given up. Our bullpen is horrible, and what's worse is that it just doesn't feel like we are competing anymore. We have good pitching, then someone gives the game up, and our offense is nowhere to be seen to bail the pitching staff out. Where is our offense? I mean my gawd we seriously need to launch a missing milk carton campaign for it. I will put on my Sox hat and jersey, put on an orange "volunteer searcher vest" with my garbage picker and start combing the damn woods if I have to!

Um, where are our prospects? cuz the ones we have up aren't doing jack squat. I mean Sweeney, Fields and Owens are batting about a combined .180. What's worse is that these guys are going to be our "future". Specifically Josh Fields, is supposed to be our "up and coming third baseman", and is hitting like crap. Owens has speed, which is nice if he could get on base. Sweeney is so far just ok. I mean I don't know about anyone else, but I would prefer my future to be like Star Trek and not "Children of Men"....in a word it's bleak!

Our bench has become a weakness, because our bench is playing everyday. Osuna is hurt, Macowiak and Cintron are playing alot(which isn't necessarily a good thing). Everyone is screaming about Uribe, but who are we going to replace him with?

Do I even need to talk about the bullpen? Mcdougal is on his way back, but my confidence isn't coming back with him. Thornton has been a mess, and the Day/Vukvich experiment is officially over. Do we even care about Aardsma? Logan has been dissapointing after being highly touted. OOOOOOOH I AM GETTING PISSED OFF!

Where is Brian Anderson, have they completely given up on him? What are our free agency options? Will we spend money, or develop talent from our farm system?

AHEM......develop talent on our farm system? At best that's an inappropriate joke, at worse it's an oxymoron! AUGH! ARRRGH!

I don't want to go back to the days when being a White Sox fan was all pride and no results. I am pissed off, and stressed out. How did we fall this far this fast? I know we have injuries, which only makes our farm system look worse. Everyone has injuries, that's no excuse for Konerko and Dye and Iguchi to be hitting .250 and under. They play Pittsburgh, and if they don't take 2 of 3 from them and show me something, I am going down to Sox park, chain my self to the gate and not leave until they win a damn series!

NOW WHO IS WITH ME!!!!!!! BONZAI!!!!!!!!!LONG LIVE THE FIGHTERS!!! THIS IS SPARTA(ahem, CHICAGO)!!!!!!! and any other memorable charge yell I can muster!

I am going home to cry now in my 2005 World Series baseball shirt.

I'm waving my white flag already and I hope Kenny Williams will be doing the same thing very soon. It's going to be really hard to gain any ground in the AL Central. Get what we can for Jermaine Dye and Mark Buehrle and resign Gooch. It's a very sad year to be a White Sox fan.

I thought that kenny williams did a good job in the season, getting young pitchers, for as Garcia , free agents to be or older guys, But seems that the team lost their fire early, I attribute it to M.B. Joe Crede, T.O. chemistry was lost when they knew that they would not be back, K.williams trusted them to be professional, but the players have not played like they care, team will be gone , seemed like they knew that coming in, For that I think K. williams should be a little to blame, He should have went the whole way and cleaned house early, and completely but that is hind site, Clean house know , earlier is better , you get more trade value.

They should of never let Big Hurt go. Ken Williams will never field another championship team.

The team is obviously full of too many holes to be plugged any time soon and it would be better that it was admitted sooner rather than later. Unfortunately management doesn't want to admit it because it might hurt ticket sales. So it is continuing to pretend that it can take half measures. They started this in the off season by not filling the holes and SS and CF.
They claimed to be fixing the bullpen problem with a bunch of young, untested arms. They sold us on the strength of the minor league talent. All of these assessments are looking wrong.
So now they are going to pretend that once the hitting comes around nothing drastic will have to be done, maybe they will trade someone they have no intention of signing anyway, let a couple of minor leaguers get some more playing time.
Unlike Cleveland and Minnesota though, there is not enough minor league talent to fill the everyday holes. Looks like Sox fans are in for a long dry spell. Thanks so much Kenny.

To My Blog Friend and Fellow White Sox Fan, Anthony Navarro:

I marked my calendar on June 8, 2007 just like you asked. You were quite certain that by July 8 the Sox would close the wild card gap to 3 games. They have not won but once since that day. Correctamundo? Right now, I'd say they'll be lucky to be 3 games under .500 by then. I'd like to know if you still think this White Sox team has what it takes to turn it around. Forget July 8th - I don't think they can turn things around at all this season. Do you still think it's too early to give up hope?

Soxcerely,

Julie B.

Pale hose have been exposed as a one year wonder.Its amazing Greg Walker still has a job ? You can't blame him entirely but he certainly isn't getting job done. Sox can't hit a lick & a bullpen of gas cans! Sox have a weak minor league system which has been exposed with the non talented call ups. Dye & Iguchi can take the weak hitting act out of Chicago. Dye in a contract year is hurting himself. Who wants to sign a guy hitting .220 making 6 mil+ a year?Sox don't have one good bat in lineup a total team failure.Sox just going through motions. Four hits today off a guy with a 2-9 record & ERA of 5 +.Only a Chicago team would keep guys on payroll who stink like Greg Walker & many others.Murray of LA got fired & Dodgers hitting far better than sox. Proves no accountability in sox organization.

I thought kenny and ozzie deserved the benefit of the doubt because they won the world series before. Nothing has really changed, did anyone think the sox were going to resign crede, buerhle and dye anyway?

Since they didn't do anything in the offseason, it really just amounted to the sox waiting for the trading deadline to see what their next move would be. It they can't make any deals they'll just lose the free agents on the team and not get anything for them.

They should still beat the pirates though, the sox payroll is about three times what the pirates pay players.

I don't know what there is to whine about they still got their trophy and the fireworks don't they?

Other than Buehrle, Garland and probably Jenks, who on this team has ANY trade value? You could probably dump guys like Dye and Thome for prospects but that's about it. Making matters worse is that they have nothing in the minors, and slugs like Uribe, Cintron, and others who give you nothing.
Kenny - I can't hate on you cuz you helped bring a champion here 2 years ago but it's time to wake up!

I can't blame you knuckleheads for complaining. After all, your team
is filled with 'neverwas's' and 'hasbeens'. How could you expect them to be able to hit when your manager has a career batting average of .250 ??? You are just paying the price for winning the World Series. Your unexperienced management has naively overpayed the one hit wonders. They have the highest payroll in Chicago. At least the Cubbies look good on paper. Good luck next week against us.
I won't be there. I've been to far too many minor league parks this year already. Of course that's why they call me the "hardest working man in baseball" (even swung a couple of deals from my hospital bed). Now that I don't have to deliver papers anymore, I have lots of time to blog. Go Cubbies!!!!

there is some health problem; the oil they're being rubbed down with is poisoned, or the water is bad, or the detergent/cleaning fluid used on the uniforms is bad. something is going on. an entire team doesn't collapse for no reason. the odds of that occurring must be astronomical, and therefore, unlikely.
The Sox should hire an epidemiologist to determine the presence of a pathogen/bacteria/virus or other noxious substance that would diminish performance and pinpoint the cause(s).

A message for Clem I realize the Sox are bad to say the least but remind me when did the Cubs win the World Series? Oh yeah 99 years ago when my grandfather was a young man. Shut up until they win.

Now why should any true Sox fan be so surprised that this years team is playing as poorly as it is. Its the same team that played 10 games under .500 after the allstar break last year minus a 17 game pitcher. Sox fans are smarter than to believe that the bullpen would be great with all the additions they made and that someone would somehow when at least 17 games as a starter. Of course swinging the bats like they are utility poles can't help much either. Kenny William's ego got the best of him which has set this franchise back 3 years. I have taken the easy way out and refused to even watch them anymore. They put me to sleep when I do. When do the Bears & Bulls start up?

Bryant, that post was a magnificent! I am chuckling as I type! Just Beautiful work.

Fellow Soxfans, I was listening to ESPN radio and they couldn't even find a year when the Whitesox were not a competive team. We have had teams that didn't make the playoffs, and teams that fell short in the playoffs, but NEVER a team that have had the run we are now experiencing. What that means is we have ALWAYS had nothing but good ball on the Southside. We are fortunate almost have every season come down to the last month. It hurts and stings, but it needs to in order for this organization to come out of the clouds and get back to the basics. I am confident that we will find our way, if not...I trust this organization to not play around with those guilty. Its a drag to have to let go of championship aspirations, but we got a ship, and have a blueprint of success. We are not waiting to catch lightning in a bottle. We have the type of organization that wouldn't surprise ANYONE if we were back in the Championship game.

thomas, would you rather have Thome or the Big Idiot?

Joe H. If its Walkers fault about the hitting then you have to fire cooper too because the bullpen has to shoulder at least some of the blame

jim hendry--spoken like a typical cub fan. especialy when the Cubs aint much better. As for Ozzie's .250 average, some of the greatest managers of all time didnt hit that much
Tony LaRussa
Tom LaSorda was a terrible pitcher
Billy Martin
Earl Weaver never made it to the majors

Hi Linda: Sounds like you already know when the cubs won the world series and guess you realize the sox are bad so why exactly should I shut up? And until who wins, the cubs or the sox? Maybe the league will change the drug testing policy again and the sox will sneak another series win, could happen. Hope your grandfather got to see the sox win and not just have memories of 1919. Have fun at the fireworks!!!

Blame Kenny Williams. The demise of the Sox started with Kenny's over-evaluation of 3 players: Konerko, Thome, & Vazquez.

Konerko has always been prone to month long slumps.

Thome's back problems in Phil put up red flags they were going to get worse. Being a DH wasn't going to help that.

Vazquez did not show enough consistency in his return to AZ to make us believe he wouldn't falter again in the AL.

The price paid? El Duque & Chris Young to AZ for Vazquez, the failure to sign Carlos Lee as a free agent, & the loss of the only legitimate CF in the organization: Rowand.

Would the Sox be better with Thomas, Rowand, El Duque, Young, & Lee on the time? Definitely.

Rowand reminds me of Valentin at SS. His weakness is that he occasionally muffs the routine play but more often than not it doesn't hurt the team. His strength is that he often makes web gems that greatly help pitchers get out of tough situations. He's not a bad hitter either.

El Duque's gutsy effort in the Boston series was worthy of keeping him. His only weakness was health & he has shown time and again the ability to bounce back & regain his form. Mentally there are few who match up to El Duque. The smart move in 2006 was to re-sign Brandon & let him compete with El Duque for the 5th spot. Chris Young is a future all-star in AZ.

Thomas played a pivotal role over an important stretch in 2005 to help pad the Sox lead in the AL Central. Without Thomas' boppers in that stretch the Tribe probably would have caught the Sox. He should have been rewarded for that. There was no reason to believe that with a full off-season he would not be able to improve on that. His words showed a willingness to re-sign with the Sox for far less money than Thome was going to cost. Health-wise chronic back pain is a much higher risk in MLB than a bad foot. Thomas represented a lower risk. Emotionally Thomas was probably in the best spirits with the team since he signed the new contract.

The fiscally responsible Astros signed Lee to a 100/6 deal this off-season. That's all you need to know about his worth. Lee's words to reporters expressed a desire to return to the Sox. Despite harsh criticisms from Ozzie & Kenny, Lee simply played harder & expressed how much he loves Chicago. Pods had a bad injury-ridden year in 2006 so replacing him with Lee was the smart move.

Tony J your correct..Cooper isn't exactly doing a great job either. I'm glad or the sox players & coaches should be glad I'm not in charge. Many would be making moving plans.Total team of under achievers coaches,players,GM & the blizzard errr wizard.

All I can say is THANK GOD for 2005. This team is nothing close to the charisma and pride that was shown everyday by every player on the roster. This years squad is soooooooo boring. There is no team speed to speak of and we look so tired running station to station. It seems like we never have the lead off man get on base, and when we do have baserunners, we usually follow it up with a strikeout or a popout.

I thought we had a great minor league system. Don't we have any Freddie Lynn's down in the system. I'd take a Freddie Mercury.

I suggest that Ozzie Guillen should do what Billy Martin did once when the Yankee's were struggling. Put your line-up in a hat and maybe there could be some magic from it. It can't hurt. Whats the worse that could happen, Paul Konerko could bat ninth. We already having batting sixth.

I like Kenny Williams, I like Ozzie Guillen, I hate the chemistry of this team. It seems like we have too many players who are talking about playing for other teams.

GO BLACKHAWKS! NOT

Ozzie ,I like him, but he was way wrong on Uribe, the guy, cannot run, swings at everything, has a bad swing, never walks, does not charge the ball, head is somewhere else, cannot bunt at all, give everyone a break and dump this guy.

Note to Keith "the lifetme southsider Sox fan": You and/or ESPN didn't look
very far in the past to find some pretty bad/losing teams. My experience
goes back to 1948 (yep, there was a Chicago and a White Sox team back then. I'm not sure about the Cubs; I believe there was a minor league team playing
in one of the suburbs using the Cubs name and log). Anyway, to get back to 1948 and the Sox: Luke Appling was their SS, and sometime around the early '50s, a little guy named Nellie Fox was obtained to play 2B. One of their best pitchers was lefty Billy Pierce. To make the rest of the story short, the Sox were a bad team and usually finished in 7th place (in those days, both the AL and the NL were each 8 team leagues. In the AL, the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox were usually the two best teams, although in a few years the St. Louis Browns (perenial 8th place team, which provided a cushion for our Sox in their annual dive)would get a new owner and were transformed into
the Baltimore Orioles, which then became an AL power. Getting back to the
White Sox: they were so bad that their owner (Comiskey) refused to pay for
the travel of their game announcer, so that he could broadcast away games.
Instead, Bob Elson sat by a teletype machine and received a play-by-play
account of the game, which he, in turn, turned into a play-by-play on the
radio. He was pretty good at this masquerade, which was diminished only
by the occasional faint sounds of the teletype rattling along. Only rarely
did the "commander" (Elson) pipe in crowd noises. Usually, his "stadium"
was quieter than a library.

Finally, what ails the Sox this year? My guess is that the players are
angry at something, most likely management, which narrows the guess down
to Reinsdorf and Williams. There is NO WAY that established pros like
Konerko, Dye, Thome and Crede would unlearn how to hit a baseball, or that
pro pitchers like Buehrle and Garland, and to some extent Vasquez and
Contreras, would unlearn how to throw to specific spots in the strike
zone, or slightly outside of the zone. No, the Sox are playing just hard
enough so that knowledgeable people don't just come out with it and accuse
them of throwing each game. Watch and see: if certain players are traded,
its a certainty that they will turn their performances around BIG TIME.

Meanwhile, it's a damn shame what they are doing to their fans and supporters, not only in the Chicago area, but all over the country and
the World. I have seen "SOX" caps and jerseys being worn by boys and men,
and a few girls, in several foreign countries, including some in the Mid-
east. In my own case, they are breaking my aged heart. Even in the bad
old days, NO Sox team has played this poorly. Wouldn't it be nice if
Reinsdorf would hold a "players only" meeting in an effort to get to the
source of the malaise, and to synthesize a fix. If he and Williams wait
much longer, they will get next to nothing for tradable players, and
exactly nothing for free-agents to be.

Someone made a deal with the devil to get a WS. This is the payment.

Roman responds: First smile of the day. Thanks.

Trade Conteras,Iguchi,Dye and Vazquez. Get Crawford from Tampa Bay and some prospects.Sign Buerhle for 5 years and Ozzie for 10.

That's it - it's over - the energy has shifted. JD, please see above.

Someone is doing a poor job at re-writing the Sox's team history. As I know, from 1951 to 1967 the Sox were very competitive and usually played well above .500. But it so happened that they were playing in the American League, where the Yankees were the scourge of all teams. There is no possible comparison between the old and the current Yankees. but even so, the Sox wrestled away the 1959 pennant from the Yanks (the only other team to do so, the '54 Cleveland Indians). It should also be mentioned that in 1964 they lost the AL pennant to the Yanks by one game, and this happened in the final game, when a chopper to the infield hit a pebble and took a bad bounce, and the opposing team won the game. The 1951-1967 Sox teams relied on pitching, running, good defense, baseball fundamentals and good managing. Big sluggers most always went to the the Yankees and other teams who could purchase them or had better scouts. In summary, after 1950, the Sox ceased to be the sorrowful bunch that the Cubs became after 1945. In 1968-1973, or thereabouts, they took a slump but then made a come back, usually taking a step back and too steps ahead until 1983, when they had a great year. The cake was iced in 2005 when, due to a combination of good playing and good luck, the Sox won it all.

There are no baseball dinasties any longer, and we cannot expect the Sox to win ten pennants. A good ball club may quickly succumb to age, injuries and declining abilities of its players. This year, some Sox players have become injured or have become older or shown that they cannot play any better than they have been doing. I cannot fault Guillen or his General Manager, because the simple truth is that it may take a couple of years before the Sox may become competitive again. In my hinsight view, the major errors made by Williams were: (1) re-signing Vazquez and (2) trading Rowand to the Phillies. Also, at this point, I am concerned about Uribe's weight and his lackadaisical attitude at the plate. His concentration may be ediminished or he may be too contented, because of financial security. Otherwise, in my opinion, the Sox' major Achilles heel is their bullpen, and it is not Williams's fault that guys with strong arms cannot throw strikes or are afraid to face hitters.

Lets keep supporting the Sox. They'll be back.

Go Sox!!!
Go, Luis Aparicio, wherever you are!!!

You live by the trade and you die without it.

Kenny Williams is so quick to build in season on a winner.
However, he is absolutely a deer-in-the-headlights when it
comes to stopping the bleeding and turning this thing around.
The Sox are only 9 1/2 games back. Not 20 not 25 games out.
For cryin' out loud, Adam Dunn and Gagne or Otsaka and we've got left field and bullpen help. Why not try for Alex Gonzalez from
the Reds, too? Then we've addressed all three need positions with two trades!

Back up the truck? Forget it. Bring in the Calvary and win this thing!

I, like the many disgruntled Sox fans, am extremely disappointed at the way this season has gone so far. It is time to replace Ozzie and possibly Williams for his questionable moves during the off-season.
It is bad when there is talk in the pre-season that the Sox lacked hitting and pitching. It still confuses me as to why management felt that after the Sox won the World Series that a change needed to be made. Ozzie managed a style of baseball that year that had everyone that they faced confused as to what to expect. He called it 'small ball'. I called it a great style of baseball, the way that baseball is meant to be played- SMART.

Now the Sox are looking at a possibilty of being in last place before the All-Star game, possible trades that will not make since and a lot of finger pointing. The team has become an emarassment (Ozzie and Williams included) and they need to fix the holes in the ship quickly or the season will be over and the Sox fans should demand answers.

Magglio Ordonez, .367
Aaron Rowand, .318
Carlos Lee, 300
enough said. Kenny Williams is a failure!

All of a sudden I'm reading about being competitve, as being the goal. You can't win 10 pennants in a row? Maybe not, but two isn't too much to ask. If competitve is all you want you should have kept Jerry Manual. He was great at hanging around and losing in the end. Didn't Atlanta win something like 15 divion titles in a row? One championship in 90 years is not acceptable and certainly not something to brag about.

It looks like my Sox fan brethren are really sounding off. It is well deserved bashing no doubt. But let's all take a deep breath and make sure we're being fair before pointing any fingers as to why the Sox are off to this horrid start in 2007. Sure, any chances at the postseason this year are all but dead. But let's for a moment consider the position the Sox are in. All through the month of May and the beginning of April, I held out hope that the Sox would come out of the funk and get back in the AL Central race, probably even win it. But I am resigned to the fact that we are not going to get it done this year. And quite honestly, I am at peace with it. I am a lot more concerned right now with what moves Kenny is going to make. I sincerely think we need to find a way to resign Buehrle. He looks pretty good this year most of the time and will be fresh next year as Ozzie is sure to keep his innings down with nothing at stake. I had hoped about 4 weeks ago that the Yanks would continue to stumble and run A-Rod out of town in a deal that would send him here. I don't care what they think of him in NY but he is absolutely the most gifted offensive player in baseball and would thrive on the South Side. It does not look like that is going to happen though, for now at least. Dye will be one of those last minute deals and we have to get some kind of impact position player/prospect in return because we're watching a once very good offensive lineup turn overnight into a very bad one. Frankly, our starting pitching, as solid as it is, just isn't good enough to overcome this week lineup, especially in the AL Central where the Indians and Tigers are loaded. If there is anything I am really disappointed in Kenny for, it's that we haven't produced any position players from our system that have had any impact whatsoever for more than a few years now. Where's our Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, or Justin Morneau? I know those guys can and will win MVP's but I'd settle for a young player to just step in and cement himself as a reliable everyday player and not allow his job to be taken from him. Our guys step in and know that 2 weeks later they'll be back down in Triple A. That's a trend that needs to stop. But in order for that happen, I think we need an infusion of some top minor league (position player) talent. So deal away Kenny. It doesn't really matter what positions you focus on either because the only positions I feel reasonably good at is 1B and catcher. But I would appreciate if the man could start with the middle infield, particularly SS.

As for pointing fingers, I still think Kenny did a good job this past offseason, as well as heading into 2007. He had no reason to believe that these teams would fall short like they have because of player personnel. And as I have said before I am not a subsciber to the theory that it's all about the team chemistry being gone. It's just a function of playing poorly. If you want to blame anyone for that, look at Ozzie. As much as I like the guy (most of the time) we are going to have to look at hime next year if they continue to fail as that would be 3 years of underperformance. At some point there is going to need to be some accountability for the loss of momentum following that 2005 WS run.

First things first though. Let's get rich in the next few weeks as we see guys like Dye, Iguchi, Contreras, and possibly even Podsednik, Uribe, and Erstad go. Let's not forget the possibility of dealing some of our minor league talent get included in the trades either. Crede will probably be back with the Sox now but that is not a good thing for us as his back issue is likely to remain an issue forever. This back surgery is serious business and it seems like a lose-lose if we keep him or trade him.

Hey Roman, thanks for providing the outlet for some good, ol' fashioned Sox whining. Ask and you shall receive.

First off, let's get off Ozzie and Kenny's case. Yes this team has been a disaster, but they also put up a WS winner 2 years ago, and I, for one, will give them at least through next year as a grace period for bringing a title to Chicago. Think about it. The last GM and coach to do this was over 80 years ago!!!! They've both made some bad choices (particularly Kenny), but they deserve some time to get this ship turned around.

What has to change, IMO, is the minor league system....the scouts and those preparing the players for the majors. Kenny alluded to it in the offseason and I completely agree. I think that's been our single biggest failing as a franchise over the past 15 years or so (since thomas, ventura, mcdowell, etc). Granted players like Owens, Fields and Sweeney need to be given a bit of time to prove their worth, but when's the last time anyone has come up from the Sox' system that has impressed?? It's been awhile. Why are Atlanta, Oakland and Minnesota always competitive? Because they produce their own talent. That would be my #1 goal as the Sox GM or president. Of course I have no idea how it would be done, but Kenny needs to do something about it.

There's no way Kenny could predict the amount of injuries to the team and this impotent offense and bullpen, so I can't sit here and say he's done a terrible job when I thought his moves were good when they were done.

What I'd do at this point is trade any of our position players that could bring back solid, young position player talent. Because at the moment we have VERY FEW positions players in the minors that look good. We need youth, speed, energy and talent. What we have is aged, slow, non energetic players that just aren't living up to their skill level (which they do have). I'd listen to offers for anyone on our team, minus Garland, Buehrle (I REALLY think we need to resign him...you don't trade a perennially healthy good reliable relatively young starting pitcher) and Jenks. Everyone else is expendable and replaceable IMO. Retool with good young players and sign good vets in the offseason. But keep the main core of the pitching staff, because that's the #2 priority IMO (after getting minor league development system on track).

Keep Cooper. I know we're struggling in the 'pen, but our starters have been pretty good...so it's not like our whole pitching staff has been atrocious. just the 'pen. Not as sure about Walker. While I don't think the hitting is his fault, someone is going to have to get fired this year and take the blame, and ultimately I think it'll be him. It really is unreal how bad our hitting has been. I would have bet just about anything in the beginning of the year that we wouldn't be hitting in the mid .230s as a team in mid June. It's a pathetic display, and possibly a new coach could bring in some new ideas.

Anyway, his whole season has been just terrible and the players have been horrible. I feel like when I can actually muster the courage to watch, that by the time I turn off the game I get the urge to ralph. How many times can we be disappointed in 2.5 months of baseball? Is this what it's like to be a Cubs fan? If so, I owe my dad a much bigger Father's Day gift next year for taking me to all those Sox games as a kid...

As a side note, I ultimately like the trades of Garcia and McCarthy this offseason. I think Gio Gonzalez is going to be a good starter, as is Danks. And Masset will be a servicable if not solid bullpen arm, and Floyd may be OK someday too. If nothing else we got good, young arms for an old, aging Garcia, and 2 arms for McCarthy. I say well done Kenny.

Why were the Sox picked by Vegas and most analysts to finish 3rd/4th in the division this year? Because just like in 2005 they didn't believe the White Sox had a good bullpen. They didn't believe Thorton, MacDougal, or Sisko would turn the corner with the White Sox.

The truth is that we won the championship in 2005 because the guys in our bullpen had unexpected career years. They quickly fell back to Earth after that. Their performance was a fluke. That bullpen was built through trades precipitated to save money on near free agent players.

I tell Cub fans the same thing every year. Don't even bother thinking about Oct unless you have one of the best bullpens in the game. You can't win a championship in Chicago with anything less.

Sean, I think you are over valuing these guys. The guy with the most value is Mark Buehrle. In my opinion he is also the face and the heart of the team. If you don't pay him, you send a message that we will not pay market value for anyone. if you want to take less, like Konerko, to stay, fine.

The rest of the guys probably won't bring much. Uribe sucks. Contreres is old and starting to show it. Dye had a career year last year that he will never come close to repeating. Not to mention knee problems. And Erstad and Podsednik quarentee one thing. That they will be on the DL for a good portion of every year. So, things look bleak.

Juan Uribe...your written English is much better than your spoken English....it's great how much you've learned! ;) And I completely agree with your sentiments. I think the bullpen is the hardest thing to build, but a good one is essential for success in today's game. It's crazy how inconsistent bullpen pitchers are year to year though. Would you disagree that you thought at least Jenks, MacDougal and Thorton would create a very solid top 3, with at least one or two of pitchers from Sisco, Masset, Aardsma, Logan stepping it up and being pretty good? I thought so, but man, besides Jenks we have no one that's been consistently good.

Thanks for the compliment Keith Lifetime Southsider.....I did try and deliver the whine that was expected.

But seriously, did we really just lose 2 of 3 to the Pirates?? The Pirates? I mean is this the Matrix? Because realistically speaking I can't believe that in "actuality" we just lost 2 of 3 to the Pirates...um ok(losing it here)...Maybe Morpheus can find our Bullpen, cuz they obviously took the wrong damn pill.

I can stomach losing to Philly, or even the Asstros(heheheheh insert typical Beavis laugh here)..... :) but the Pirates? You mean to tell me that Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom just beat the crap out of us?

Ok wait, I am getting confused.....Sox "Fever Pitch" has got me falling in love with Drew Barrymore.....What in the hell does that even mean?

ARGH!!! The Sox are making me lose my freaking mind!!!!!

Speaking of mind, I didn't "mind" seeing Jessica Alba in FF2. You know, when she wasn't all "invisible like" and stuff. Cuz you can't see things when they are invisible.......

......YOU KNOW LIKE THE FREAKING WHITE SOX OFFENSE! DID THEY GET CAUGHT IN AN COSMIC RADIATION STORM AND DEVELOP THEIR SUPER POWER OF BEING HORRIBLE BASEBALL HITTERS?

Man I am tweaking.....I am seriously tweaking. My left eye is twitching, and it's not because a stupid, annoying, loud, and obnoxious cicada just flew into it. Ok maybe it is. I have officially gone crazy over the Sox.

The problem lies with the hitting coach..he is not motivating the club. Transfer him to coach some minor league team..don't have to fire him. Now the pitching is also starting to stink...we need to trade for a quality pitcher and reliever.

The problem lies with the hitting coach..he is not motivating the club. Transfer him to coach some minor league team..don't have to fire him. Now the pitching is also starting to stink...we need to trade for a quality pitcher and reliever.

I am sorry people, but its hard to complain when I still have championship stuff all around me. You can run the stats if you want to, but franchise wise, its VERY difficult to find many franchises with better overall results than the Whitesox. Who, the Yankees, Nope. Boston? Nope. Minnesota? Nope. Tigers? uh uh. And definitely not Cleveland. Sox have been feasting on these jokers. Its been like California on the Southside. So we are finally having our rainy day. Some clubs have had much more rain than us.

We are too old and slow. It's Kenny's fault, but I don't blame him for trying to sqeeze another title out of this group. Time for them to hug and depart. The run is over. Quite Frankly speaking, we mortgaged our future studs for the title and it was WORTH it!!!! I keep our STARTING pitching core in tact, but EVERYONE that cannot beat Pablo in a 40 has to go. So long, Dye, Crede, Konerko, Thome. I keep Juan, Gooch, Podsenik because they have enough speed to play small ball. Like Mr. Burns, I release the hounds on the relievers. Jenks is the only man I keep. And I go out and get some kids in here that can flat out get after it. Minnesota, Cleveland, and Detroit are young and spry. Thats the difference.

I will NOT Whine!

I will NOT say White Flag!

I will NOT give up on the White Sox!

I will support my side of the town
baseball team until another loser
team can prove they are more
worthy. Seems like all the
North side team has to do
is fight with one another
and opposing players.

You know when the coach, the captain
of the team get suspended before
82 games of the season is
played life must be
terrible on the North Side.
No wonder there is so many
bars and taverns on that side
of town....*Sheesh*

Go White Sox. Get on a roll
Hell, I have until at
least August before I
start whining.

Go Go White Sox!!

If you are a true White
Sox fan, quit your
belly-aching already.

Last year was a good
year, two teams were simply
better by a few games. This
is the first drop-off since
the 2005 World Championship.

Lets Go White Sox!!

I told you yesterday: the energy has shifted. The pendulum is swinging back the other way - far, far the other way.

- JD, see above.

And, I don't know who's in charge here, but my name's NOT don!

Roman responds: Sorry Don .. I mean Susan ... but the name is underneath the post.

I am two things, and two things shall I remain.

1) White Sox fan FOREVER

2) An optimist

I just find it hard to believe that a team of solid players is having the stretch of poor play from TOP TO BOTTOM at this particular pace. Granted, the bullpen is a major disappointment, but the starters have been so-so at best and the bats have been M.I.A. from 1 to 9. Mathematics, along with my strong heart in faith refuses to believe we can't finish strong and still slip in. Until then, I'll just keep my life-jacket close by and hope this ship avoids disaster. It's gonna take all hands on deck to make it right, hopefully sooner than later.

Where's the FIRE Oz!

I know this is intended to be a forum for general complaining about the White Sox. But I need to get specific about my companining this time around.

Just what exactly are we waiting for before getting Podsednik and Erstad back on the field? I know they were both hurt and need time to recover. But when I hear Ozzie and the players themselves making comments about "not wanting to rush back" and "making sure I am 100% ready to go so there is no return to the DL" I just scratch my head. Just what planet do these 3 live on where they think we have this luxury? This season is on life support already and they should be rushing themselves back at any cost. It's not like either of them are prized pitching prospects and we want to avoid a premature return that could hurt their careers. And even if they take all the time in the world to recover they could still find themselves back on the DL a day later, particularly when considering their track records with injury. Erstad has plenty of years under his belt and should be making comments about wanting to get back at any cost to help his team stay within striking distance. The same thing applies to Podsednik as well. If he's playing this many games on a rehab assignment, I am confused as to why he couldn't be back up here with the big league club. I am beginning to think maybe Kenny is trying to showcase some of these minor league players to be included in deals. I can't think of any other reason for the delay. If there was some serious risk to their health like they were in cardiac rehab then I would understand. But the possibility of reinjuring an ankle, groin, or whatever nagging ailment they suffer from is well worth the risk to help the Sox get back on track and possibly stay within shouting distance of the AL Central leaders. If they come back and get hurt again and 2 weeks from now the Sox are still 12 games back, then you can just shut them down for the season. Who knows, maybe Kenny is actually keeping them off the field in the hopes that "the possibility" of a healthy Erstad and Podsednik presents the team with a few trade bargaining chips. As bad as Podsednik played last year, there will always be a market for a top of the order guy that gets on base and runs the bases well, especially when considering he hit fairly well thus far in 2007. And I am sure Erstad would be a nice complement to any playoff bound team. I don't think either are in the long term plans of the club so that might be what they're thinking. Anyway, it's disappointng to see this little discussion about getting them back asap in light of how things have been going the last 3 weeks and how badly they are needed. Any way I look at it, it's an indirect admission by Sox brass that 2007 is over.

White Sox web page. VOTE NOW. HAHA, do they think we are stupid or just really loyal? I won't vote for a single player on that lousy roster even for a chance to win free tickets to see a lousy team play on the south side. GO WHITE SOX in 08

Some bad off-season moves set this year up. The pitching isn't as strong as it should be because the Sox keep throwing it away rather than giving players a raise. While I am a Thome fan, I think the cost (Rowand) was too high, especially when they had a player of that quality already on the team (Thomas). Since there is nobody on the current team that is hitting his own weight nearing the All-Star break, it is time to do something. The usual White Sox solution: unload everybody. That way, the team may still suck, but it will suck cheaply. Besides, one world series a century is all the Sox need to stay in front of the Cubs. Nobody expects the Sox to make the playoffs more than once a decade anyway, right?

Its official Sox fans...Cubs are better than the Sox. They have beaten us in BOTH series, and look to sweep us in our own house. We are still a good team, but one that is performing poorly. And what's weird is its not exclusively just the lack of speed, execution, Bullpen, pitching or hitting or coaching, but just baaaaaaaad chemistry. When we pitch well, no hits. When we hit well enough...no bullpen. And when we have men on base...no execution. Just bad.

William K. I AGREE. Rowand and Frank was the price we paid for Thome. We are simply too old and slow. Injury bug has hit us hard too. Gotta get rid of some of these slow guys with cold bats. Its killing us. We have to go in a different direction next year.