I like the guy (excruciating pop-ups forgiven) so in a way it sucks that he’ll be moving on…but business is business.

Is it Fields at 3B next year with Uribe as insurance? I wouldn’t mind that at all.

/ducks

He can catch on somewhere maybe for a starting gig.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/gameflash/2008/09/13/19199_recap.html

Yikes — 138 pitches for him yesterday? I certainly hope Bochy and co. know what the hell they’re doing…

when he played well everyone said “well, he’s healthy” and when he played like shit everyone said “his back must be hurting him”.
does anyone really know how good of a player he is?
personally, i think he is pretty much exactly what we saw this year, a slightly below average hitter with pretty good pop, a bad obp, who’s streaky offensively but plays better than average defense.
was he part of some good memories? yes. am i gonna miss him? not really.

The constant injuries were a drag, and 2005 heroics can only get you so far (see Konerko, Paulie). I’m gonna miss his awesome dives on defense and pop outs on offense, but I think the Sox can manage with Uribe/Fields next year.

Thanks for the memories

Fuck you, Denard Span…

Denard Span hit two homers to lead the Twins 12-2 over the Orioles in the first part of a doubleheader Saturday.
Span hit a solo shot in the third inning and a three-run blast in the ninth. Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, Brian Buscher, and Carlos Gomez also drove in runs. Gomez actually finished with four RBI and the Twins coasted behind an offensive explosion. Span is hitting .306 with six home runs and 40 RBI this season.

Seems to me Crede deserved better from his career and from some of these posts. He was a good player for us for years. In 05 and 06, he was clearly one of the best third basemen in the league, with above average offense and defense. Those guys don’t grow on trees. Throw in the Joe Clutch heroics and he is one of the players that really helped the Sox win games in the 00s.

Of course, the biggest thing was the back injury. Those are tough for anyone, much less a third baseman. Its just idle speculation, but I’d bet that if Crede had a normal spine, he’d be a multiple all-star. Yes, the back kept him from playing every day and over the last two seasons, it has been frustrating to see him miss so many games, but from 03-06, he was a consistent regular and I think people have forgotten that to some degree.

One of the things that endears Crede to me is that he is the only regular on the team who was drafted and brought up by the Sox. Its a strange kind of tribute to Kenny that the Sox are comprised almost entirely of free agents or trades. Crede was different. I remember reading about him in Baseball America and getting excited about his call-ups in 01 and 02 and 03. He collected all kinds of best prospect or best defender awards in the minors so we knew he had a chance. He was going to be Ventura’s heir at third and, while he never reached those heights, he was a fine player.

Anyway, I’m sorry to see him go. He’s never gotten a really big payday (by ball player standards) and Boras appears to be looking out for him as best he can. I’d guess he’ll have to take an incentive heavy deal or a one-year make good contract for someone, but maybe with a Winter of rehab and some good medical exams, he can score a good deal. He’s got the right agent for that.

Good luck Joe. Thanks for wearing the colors.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8071

DL: What are your views on pitch counts and pitcher usage?

OG: Pitch counts are important when the game is not on the line. But if the game is on the line and I see that the guy is throwing the ball well, that’s a guy I’m going to leave in. In the minor league system they don’t let the guys pitch very much, and then all of a sudden they’re in the big leagues and they can only pitch six innings; that’s it. You can’t ask them for any more. But I always go with my gut feeling. One thing, my priority as a manager is to make sure I keep those pitchers healthy for as long as I can—don’t overuse them. I want to make sure that the guys pitching on my ballclub are there in September and October, that they’re ready to complete the last month of the season. To me, that’s important.

DL: How much does your pitching coach, Don Cooper, influence your decisions when it comes to pitcher usage?

OG: I pull the trigger. It’s easy for me, because he’s been my pitching coach for five years. If I want a lefty warming up, I don’t even have to tell him that I want this guy or that guy; he knows exactly what I want. That makes it easy for me.

DL: Are you concerned with how much your relievers are working in the bullpen, regardless of whether they come into the game?

OG: You have to be careful, and that’s Don Cooper’s job, to make sure to tell me that we didn’t bring this guy into the game, but he was hot the last two games. Then we have to take into consideration that we may not use him the next day.

verlander-vazquez, then rogers-danks.

He was a big contributor in 05 and 06 and I always liked the guy. Always nice to have a product from your own farm system do well.

Ahh well, goodbye Joe and thanks for all the memories

the bears look good