KenWo's Corner- Disappointed
by KenWo4LiFe on Sep 3, 2011 3:26 AM CDT
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PrintAfter last night, the window for the 2011 White Sox closed a little bit more. While I still think there is an opportunity for the boys to make the magic happen and enter the post season, with each passing day that hope slowly fades. These past two games have been absolutely atrocious. On Wednesday, the whole Ozzie in full sabotage mode ordeal took a lot of the wind out of my sail, as did the brutal Jake Peavy start. After the Tigers loss to the Royals on Thursday, some of that hope came back. I looked forward to last evenings game all day, and like Wednesday it was over before I got comfortable. Alejandro De Aza couldn't squeeze a long drive and John Danks couldn't limit the damage and the Sox found themselves in a 3-0 hole early. Most of us knew right then that the ballgame was over. I watched a little while longer as the Tigers scored 5 more times before I finally got upset enough to do the unthinkable. I handed the remote over to my wife. We proceeded to watch a Dateline NBC murder special, and surprisingly enough, that wasn't as sad as the Sox game was.
For all of the times we have said "today is a must win game"... today actually is a must win game. They cannot afford to drop this series to the Tigers, especially when Brad Penny is on the bump. Penny is 9-10 with an ERA of 5.07. He is 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA against the Sox this year. That is inexcusable, but we should be used to that. Many of the Sox performances this year have been inexcusable. With the pitching that has been out there for us all year, it is a travesty that they are one game above .500. You just don't get pitching like this very often. Mark Buehrle has been outstanding. The bullpen has been on shutdown mode for the last 4 months. This year should have went so much differently.
We all should be used to such disappointment. In my lifetime there have been plenty of seasons that could make you feel sick. In 1984, the Sox went from 99 wins to 74 and finished in 5th place. In 1991, the Sox dropped from 94 wins to 87. In 1994, the strike cost us a playoff birth, and potentially a World Series appearance, mostly due to our very own owner. The 1997 team picked up the biggest free agent on the market in Albert Belle and finished 80-81. The 2001 team, fresh off of a 95 win season, lost Frank Thomas early and ended up with 83 wins in 3rd place. The 2003 team should have been more successful, but finished a distant 2nd to the Twins. The 2006 team looked primed to repeat, but fell flat in the 2nd half and ended up with 90 wins- and a 3rd place finish.
This 2011 team is right there. Between the Alex Rios and Adam Dunn struggles, the Ozzie stuff, the Dayan situation, Williams playing a good game of hide and seek and the inability to have success for any extended amount of time, make this season rank very high on the list.
Is it possible to still fulfill our destiny and win this garbage division with pitching that could carry us through the postseason? Sure, it is possible. The 1995 Mariners were 6 games back on September 12th and were tied by September 20th. But any hope that I hold on to will disappear with one more Brad Penny victory later on this afternoon.
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2007
Jim Thome sponsor(s) this page.
Highly underrated, Mark Kotsay became the best defensive designated hitter in American League history in 2010.
by onlysoxfaninbasel on Sep 3, 2011 3:45 AM CDT reply actions
I'm not sure
My expectations weren’t that high in 2007, and after ‘05 and ’06 it was pretty hard to act indignant and angry. There were injuries and rookies and such, and it wasn’t like this year where management acted like they were trying to ruin the team.
by Pumpkin McPastry on Sep 3, 2011 8:34 AM CDT up reply actions
I didn't realize we were so statistically bad in '07
Hard to be disappointed in that since as Pumpkin said there were injuries and such.
3 things in life I care about
Sox, Colts, and Hawks.
Lifetime banners: '05, '07, '10
disheartened. the word, kenwo, is disheartened.
ozzie guillen can kiss my fucking ass, right downtown, and print it.
"michael gilhaney is an example of a man that is nearly banjaxed from the principal of the atomic theory. would it astonish you to hear that he is nearly half a bicycle?" ~~ sergeant pluck
it's not a matter of following trends
it’s a matter of descriptive accuracy!
"michael gilhaney is an example of a man that is nearly banjaxed from the principal of the atomic theory. would it astonish you to hear that he is nearly half a bicycle?" ~~ sergeant pluck
It has to be 1994
That was their world series team. To have that ripped away by Selig/Fehr….argh.
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
This was my choice too.
We were easily the best team in the league and with that rotation, our playoff run would have made 2005 look like 2000.
3 things in life I care about
Sox, Colts, and Hawks.
Lifetime banners: '05, '07, '10
I'm all for hyperbole, but damn son.
"That might be how you roll at Camp Anawanna, Budnick. But where I come from, we only salute Old Glory." -moroots on May 23rd
by South Side Expat on Sep 3, 2011 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions
94 was my pick as well
For similar reasons. Granted, 94 ultimately destroyed the Expos, but I’ll always think it radically altered the trajectory of Sox history. All that success that flowed the Indians way- some of that could have been ours.
Plus, on the personal side, I was 16, and shit just stings more when you’re young and hormonal.
I hate to be that guy...
but had the season played to the very end…‘94 would have been a heartbreaker. Cleveland would have lapped ’em sometime in August/September. The strike delayed the Indians’ arrival by a year.
OTOH, you would have had a packed house in 1995, instead of a pissed off fanbase that stayed away for 11 years.
What?! I ain't no Professor Pickles!
come on, if you're calling a heart breaker for 94 it was the Yankees to keep them from the Series
and the Expos were bad ass in the NL
I live in a simpler place. I speak the language. ~ U-God
Even if Cleveland passed them
the Wild Card was comfortably in hand. But that would’ve been one helluva 1st round match, Yankees vs Sox.
FifthFeather.com
by El Duque's Raft on Sep 3, 2011 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions
fifthded
I was pissed for six months and stewed for about four years until I started looking at box scores again.
White Sox 2011: The season of extraneous body parts.
I stayed away until the Baldwin/Eldred 2000 staff
They were phenomenal in the first half. ‘course Eldred didn’t really pitch in the second half and Baldwin stopped having a .262 babip against but whatever. Was still fun.
1967
Trying to score runs with Juan Pierre as your leadoff hitter is like trying to suture a wound in a moving car. You might still be successful -- but why make it so hard on yourself?
Boy you're old!
That was the year the Red Sox won the pennant and my freshmen year in college in Boston. I remember my Boston native roommate giving this puzzled, sneering, questioning look when I explained that I was a Sox fan too – the White Sox.
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain
eddie stanky agreed
Sox coming into the last five games of the season one game out, on an 8-2 run, scheduled to play those games against two teams 47 games below .500 (KC/35, WAS/12). they lost every one of those last five.
the pugnacious stanky was never the same.
by tommyjoepeters on Sep 3, 2011 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions
This team just breaks you
Ivan Drago stye. I agree that the pitching has been rock solid all year and we’ve just wasted it. And, I feel like we’ve got a staff of # 2 starters like Danks, Floyd and Buehrle who just can’t measure up to an ace like Verlander. In fairness though, I think Buehrle would have kept us in it last night. When we picked up Peavy, we expected him to deliver performances like Verlander did last night. That mediocrity from our supposed ace has been a dagger to the heart of this team. Well, that and the ineptitude of Dunn and Rios.
When we picked up Peavy, we expected him to deliver performances like Verlander did last night.
Anyone who was expecting this was almost certainly setting themselves up for disappointment.
a VERY AVERAGE Sox Machine refugee
holding a shitty baseball team to 1 run on 7 hits and a walk really isn't asking all that much from a good pitcher.
it’s not like verlander was uber-dominant last night.
OK. I didn't think his meaning was "I expected a guy who is like Verlander on an off night"
Since he said “supposed ace” I inferred he meant that Peavy was expected to be, if not as good as 2011 Verlander, at least the best pitcher on this staff and the guy you would want to give you the best chance against a guy like Verlander. Maybe I misinterpreted his meaning, though.
a VERY AVERAGE Sox Machine refugee
detroit played much better defense than i would expect them to.
inge is on the verge of making an error every time he gets near the ball (no matter what hawk says). ordonez and peralta are butchers but both made some good plays. young is brutal.
the sox hit a lot of balls either pretty well or in a spot that i would usually expect it to have been a hit against detroit’s defense but no luck last night.
"michael gilhaney is an example of a man that is nearly banjaxed from the principal of the atomic theory. would it astonish you to hear that he is nearly half a bicycle?" ~~ sergeant pluck
I was more disappointed at the loss against der Twain on Wed
than last night’s loss. My expectations for a victory against Verlander aren’t high. We could have won the game on Wed with a little more actual managing and a little less (fewer?) money motioning.
White Sox 2011: The season of extraneous body parts.
I have a "should have"
trading account for my financial affairs.
I’m neck and neck with Warren Buffet for the richest person in America.
My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations.
LET’S GO YOU WHITE SOX!!!!!
2006 for me
1994 a very close 2nd
Interesting article came out today about kenny Williams and Greg Walker getting in a heated exchange supposidly due to the way gordon beckham has been handled.
2003
That team just decided they didn’t want to win. The 2006 team was more unlucky imo. That was a fun year over all… 2003, they were better than the rest of the division but were totally unfun to watch. Yuck. Still pissed the choked when it mattered that year.
The 1994 was sad since we didn’t get the chance to see what they could have done.
we were so close
The frustration stemming from the shortage of production from Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Gordon Beckham recently reached a boiling point between general manager Ken Williams and hitting coach Greg Walker.
Walker took issue with Williams’ comments about Beckham’s swing, and after he and Williams exchanged heated words in the tunnel leading to the Sox clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field, Williams told Walker to clean out his locker, a source said.
When chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was made aware of what happened, things were smoothed over.
thank goodness my man walk dodged a bullet!
screw kenny williams! back in the 80s at least walker could hit the ball! dammit!
Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.
i think we still are, just need to wait a few more weeks..
Jim Thome sponsor(s) this page.
Highly underrated, Mark Kotsay became the best defensive designated hitter in American League history in 2010.
by onlysoxfaninbasel on Sep 3, 2011 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions
The last comments used in the article read to me like a man not expecting to be back
But I’m not the story. I’m just a hitting coach. It’s an important role but in the big picture it’s way down the food chain.’’
To me, that’s him pointing his finger back up the chain. Those aren’t words of self preservation, at least if he’s expecting people up the chain of command to be around.
walk looks really tired of all this
Just sounded very resigned. He said that if he’s in the news, that’s almost never a good thing. Sounded like a guy really tired of being in the news.
by Chet Lemonhead on Sep 3, 2011 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
that weirdo williams said he liked gordon beckhams cock.
Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.
That doesn't sound like much of a backing for Kenny Williams
Curious that Reinsdorf wouldn’t let his general manager pull the trigger on that. I could certainly be off-base with that observation.
FifthFeather.com
by El Duque's Raft on Sep 3, 2011 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions
It might explain why Walk's stuck around for as long as he has.
Not that the Sox offense has performed to its potential in the past, oh, 5 years or so.
"That baseball is the smartest thing out on that field." —Hawk Harrelson
Deal with it at the end of the season
That could be what the “smoothing over” by JR amounted to.
But it’s not exactly encouraging when a GM has to back off a firing that is within his power.
Good Bye Kenny (somewhat sadly)
Good Bye Ozzie (hopefully)
Good Bye Walker (hopefully)
Hello Rick (cool)
Hello new manager (yay!)
Hello new hitting coach (there is almost no way you can be worse, yay!)
also remember to duct tape
herm and coop to their respective benches for the offseason. no leaving for those two!
Brad Penny
You’d think he’s the type of pitcher the Sox would have success against. Maybe todays the day.
1995 was a real disappointment as well.
yah you're right. 1995 was bad bad news. i should have added it.
but i think i was so disappointed from 1994 that i forgot all about 95.
Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.
for those who like inside baseball stuff
jim bowden on various agents, including MB’s:
CAA has a collaborative culture that draws on the information gathered from the five leaders of its baseball division. Jeff Berry most likely will be the lead agent in the Buehrle negotiations with the White Sox, but there will be influence from other co-leaders, including Nez Balelo and Joe Urbon from its Los Angeles office and Brodie Van Wagenen and Greg Landry from its New York office. Like all agencies, information is power in free agency, and behind the scenes the contract research and analysis will be led by Ryan Galla, nicknamed "El Diablo" by the industry because of his reputation as the statistical devil. Galla is an MIT graduate with a degree in computer science.
…
CAA’s trademark in recent years has been its individualized presentations that include statistical analysis, valuations and benefits to the targeted club. I am told it has already prepared Buehrle’s valuation book, pending his final 2011 statistics, with more 50 exhibits.
Its negotiating style is private and not through the press. It’ll never embarrass a GM or front office executive publicly or privately even if it is warranted. Its press strategy always focuses on the clients and never itself.
Would love to get in that industry. I wouldn't even mind working over 25 hours a week doing that.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
by MarketMaker on Sep 3, 2011 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
This guy Galla sounds like a bit of a bad ass.
Pretty much everyone in the business employs their own Galla-types, who arm the Hahns, that this guy picks up that nickname- that says something to me.
I don’t know that it would have made a difference, but I do sometimes wish people growing up had the foresight to tell me that math would be the most important thing in the world.
for those who care
CAA also represents quentin, danks, lucy, lillibridge, jon gilmore. so dennis gilberts, rick hahn (if still here) and so on will be talking to these guys a lot in a couple months.
what do you think the dynamic is in that room
when they are negotiating with the white sox? I mean, insofar as besides Hahn, is there anyone in the organization doing their own numbers crunching to present their argument? Would I be wrong in thinking that Ozzie’s ignore-the-stats mentality permeates the higher ups in the organization?
CAA's office is over on Michigan and Illinois.
I ran into Dwyane Wade last summer outside the building while he was doing his FA facade.
Nice enough guy, though who wouldn’t be while you go around getting your ass kissed by people trying to give you tens of millions annually?
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
I'm gonna go 2006
That team absolutely pounded the shit out of the opposition….until the All Star Break. I thought they were on their way to another trip to the post-season.
What?! I ain't no Professor Pickles!
2003
and for me, it’s not even close. 2 games up on September 9th. Tied for first on September 14th. 6 games out ten days later. That team gave you the hope they were going to win it and just shat all over themselves after the Paniagua incident.
Truly heart-breaking stuff.
FifthFeather.com
by El Duque's Raft on Sep 3, 2011 10:52 AM CDT reply actions
Then they hired Ozzie to prevent future September fades
Problem solved!
What?! I ain't no Professor Pickles!
The pinch-hitting Adam Dunn in the ninth of 2003.
Whales! Squids! Sharks! They're everywhere! Hello, I am Poseidon! Now, when people told me I was crazy that thinly sliced roast beef would be a delicious fast-food option, I knew it was the greatest idea, and you can thank me later for Arby's.
by Jim Margalus on Sep 3, 2011 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions
i gotta say i have a newfound respect for williams if he's banging toni braxton.
maybe he should stay around. thats getting it done. lol
Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.
what happened to you in 1991 that has kept your mind there ever since?
I live in a simpler place. I speak the language. ~ U-God
by e-gus on Sep 3, 2011 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
i was on top of the world with my multiple mvp's and championships brother.
but shes still pretty good man.
Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.
It's kinda sad when people peak early, but you topped out so young. Age 12?
You and Webster and Arnold Drummond. Tough company.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
by MarketMaker on Sep 3, 2011 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
nah i was still on top at 16.
its been all downhill from there.
It was a good run though.
Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.
"Whoever hits the best is going to play."
Ozzie has to cool off Flowers.
If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
day game after night game.
though it is curious considering diamond is scheduled for the night game on monday.
I went with 2006.
I remember going to the game against the Astros where Scatty Pads hit his grand slam, and every hitter in the lineup except BA was hitting over .300. Thome (4.6 WAR) was crushing balls to right field on a regular basis, and Konerko (3.2), Dye (3.1) and Crede (4.2, thanks to incredible defense) were no slouches either.
That was a team that just couldn’t close the deal, in more ways than one. Every time they made a comeback, they’d come up just short, like when the Sox were down 9-2 in the 8th, only to have Iguchi hit a 3-run homer in the 8th and a grand slam in the 9th. Or when Dye had that long at-bat that ended in a two-run bomb to tie the game with 2 outs in the 9th. Both times, the Sox ended up losing the game. And even though they hit everything in the first half, they couldn’t hit anything in the second half. Meanwhile, the bullpen that had been lights out in 2005 got lit up, particularly Cotts and Politte (who got cut midseason), meaning a lot of late leads were lost.
That team still won 90 games, but finished in 3rd place because the Twins and Tigers were suddenly winning everything. With Vazquez and Thome the major additions to a club that was otherwise the same, the Sox were supposed to be even better than in 2005, but the magic just wasn’t there anymore. And that’s what makes it disappointing: after that amazing season, when it seemed like we had a better team that could repeat, everything came crashing down back to earth.
/long story
"That baseball is the smartest thing out on that field." —Hawk Harrelson
My reaction is the opposite of this.
This was a relatively enjoyable third-place finish. It was just a good division that year. The only time an ALC team has won the wild card since it was introduced.
And that’s what makes it disappointing: after that amazing season, when it seemed like we had a better team that could repeat, everything came crashing down back to earth.
I think this is what gets people in trouble. A lot of things broke the right way for them in 2005, and a lot of the fanbase saw the off-season improvements but didn’t see the areas where things might get worse, so a 90-win season became a disappointment.
a VERY AVERAGE Sox Machine refugee
I see your point.
I think I just saw the potential for them to have won a lot more than 90 games, since it felt like a lot went wrong. But you’re right; nothing good comes out of expecting continued success.
"That baseball is the smartest thing out on that field." —Hawk Harrelson
So with Ballantini saying KW wanted AJ gone and Reinsdorf trumping that move,
and hearing today that KW tried to fire Walker and Reinsdorf again intervened, I don’t know what to say.
I’ve never been a JR guy, but this is very disconcerting. How much involvement does JR have on day to day decisions?
We really don’t need people sabotaging this team on every level. Players, manager, general manager…owner?
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
seems like JR was kind of right about AJ.
so far.
and the walker thing may just have been the adult in the room settling everyone down. which, i would note, is probably what JR needs to do with KW and ozzie. and maybe he did. and it didn’t work. i think the offseason will say a lot about where JR is on this stuff.
i’d also note, i’m not sure a GM should be going over his manager’s head regarding the manager’s coaching staff.
AJ, sure. Not a bad move, but who knows the ripple effects.
And were it KW firing Ozzie in a fit of rage, I’d say sure, let’s sort it out first.
But I don’t think cooler heads need prevail when it comes to Walker. His dismissal is long past overdue.
I mean, damn, have fun with that hitting coach resume.
Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.
i don't disagree with whether walker should go.
but that’s not a decision you make without consulting your manager – whatever your relationship with that manager is. it’s not like he was arrested for raping a child or something. KW is disagreeing with how a guy is being coached.
also
the understanding this offseason regarding AJ was that KW thought he didn’t have the money for AJ (or, more precisely, didn’t have the money for all the stuff left on his shopping list if he signed AJ). may have been a smokescreen of course but the story was that JR made a last minute decision that he could reach deeper into his pocket to get AJ re-signed. i.e., gave KW a higher budget ceiling.
If JR isn't sick of having to be the grown up for this group, he has the patience of Job
He may love these guys, but if I were in his shoes I’d be feeling like I need them to go away in order to keep loving them.
I'd correct Padilla, but...
Reinsdorf told ESPNChicago.com’s Bruce Levine that loud exchanges between his management team are not of the norm in the organization.
“I can’t tell you how many times Kenny has had loud exchanges with Don Cooper our pitching coach,” Reinsdorf said.
Whales! Squids! Sharks! They're everywhere! Hello, I am Poseidon! Now, when people told me I was crazy that thinly sliced roast beef would be a delicious fast-food option, I knew it was the greatest idea, and you can thank me later for Arby's.
by Jim Margalus on Sep 3, 2011 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Remember, Kenny wants to work for the Raiders.
A meddling owner is his ideal work environment.
by mechanical turk on Sep 3, 2011 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions
good call in to white sox weekly.
some woman was against the adam dunn signing from the beginning. she wanted the sox to sign dewayne wise.
"michael gilhaney is an example of a man that is nearly banjaxed from the principal of the atomic theory. would it astonish you to hear that he is nearly half a bicycle?" ~~ sergeant pluck
by BuehrleMan on Sep 3, 2011 1:53 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
it's actually hard to find a player who has had substantial playing time who has been worse than dunn.
but she did it.
her competition was one guy who was all pissed off because the sox didn't trade edwin jackson for rasmus straight up
and the other guy who was pissed that quentin wasn’t traded for beachy. or maybe that was just one guy. i don’t recall.
i know, i know, this is what i get for listening.
"michael gilhaney is an example of a man that is nearly banjaxed from the principal of the atomic theory. would it astonish you to hear that he is nearly half a bicycle?" ~~ sergeant pluck
he homered today. did dunn?
boom. sirloin steak.
I live in a simpler place. I speak the language. ~ U-God
Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.
The policeman who jumps from a bridge to a plane is Detective John McClane, a.k.a. Bruce Willis. He’s just the star of the whole movie series and stuff, no big deal or anything. -Cruiser
Is it too late to change my vote?
"That baseball is the smartest thing out on that field." —Hawk Harrelson
Cause I think I'm going with 2011.
"That baseball is the smartest thing out on that field." —Hawk Harrelson
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