Stating the seemingly obvious

by The Cheat on Aug 18, 2007 1:26 AM CDT in News Comment 9 comments

The White Sox are in a tie for last place, have scored the fewest runs in the American League, and have the second largest (negative) run differential in all of baseball. They are a terrible baseball team.

While I couldn't have predicted they would be this bad, I wasn't even remotely optimistic about the season. Before the Sox had even played a game that counted, I was saying things like this...

Ugh. I could go on. It just sucks that I feel so poorly about the season when it hasn't even started yet.

Now I can imagine what Gleeman felt like last year with Liriano opening in the pen, Lohse in the rotation, and the left side of the infield [filled] with immobile out-makers.

If only the White Sox were quickly able to recognize their errors and have the minor league talent available to quickly fill the holes they've created by relying on a bunch of talentless grinders.

What's worse is that those in charge were unable to see the poor roster construction, and have been unable to quickly react to the complete dearth of major league talent on the current roster. And if these quotes from Ozzie say anything about the about the future, it's to expect more of the same.

"This year, I take the blame because we thought we had a great ballclub and we didn't play the way we thought we were going to play. When we lose, I take the blame. When we win, it's the players."

You have to worry about the future of the franchise if Ozzie is to be believed.

"Like I've said, we're not going backward, we're not going with kids," Guillen said. "Kenny told me we're getting a team together to compete."

If they're using the same talent evaluators...

who think that Scott Podsednik, Darin Erstad, and Jerry Owens are good ballplayers
who were unable to see that Alex Cintron was begging to be DFA'd as soon as he couldn't throw a ball in spring training, and still carry him on the roster to be substituted for Jim Thome to bat in the 9th inning of a 1-run game
who compiled a bullpen full of potential, light on substance. (even though we thought it was a good pen at the time)
who couldn't find room for the recently waived Nick Masset on the 40-man in the middle of the '05 season, but 18 months later thought he was a key piece of the '07 club despite having only a very brief run of success in the minors.

...we're in trouble.

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Bottom line is....

This team will suck for a long time. Unless KW goes nuts with Jerry's money in free agency, this team will be 3rd place at best in the central. Pretty sad after that momentum from 2005.

I know KW does his best Stuart Smalley imitation by saying repeatedly that this team has talent but sooner or later, he has to wake up to reality.

From the 2nd half of last year, we've had a pathetic record. I ask this: What were the big moves to address this? MacDougall? Erstad? YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS.

I know I am going to heaven because I go through 3 hours of hell everynight. Abu Gharib doesn't sound so bad.

by LVSoxFan on Aug 18, 2007 1:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Kenny and Ozzie are those talent evaluators

Guillen's absolutely baffling use of position players drives me nuts. Why Cintron, Pods and Erstad still receive playing time and why Gonzalez isn't allowed in the infield are baffling. That he also thinks "kids = crap" is a bad sign too (not that the Sox minor leaguers have proved him wrong yet).

Right now, I would say that the best case is that Kenny and Ozzie are a disfunctional pairing. If you squint, it's possible to see a good GM that brought in some guys that he thought would good bench players (mistakenly) and the manager just plays/played them way too much and in the wrong way. Mack (always in the OF) was one of the greatest wastes of a .360 OBP I've ever seen.

But the reality seems to be worse. That KW thought Pods & Erstad were a good starting twosome & that Ozzie is not forcing KW to keep Cintron on the roster seem likely and telling.

It would be easier to be optimistic if KW had made some move this season that involved removing a bad player. Other than the bullpen shuffle, he hasn't.

In my mind, the litmus test will be the 2008 roster. If Jerry Owens and/or Erstad are on it, someone needs to be fired. Giving either guy to Guillen is like giving matches to a pyromaniac.

by hitlesswonder on Aug 18, 2007 4:04 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Part of the problem is that we don't

know how to value what anyone says. Cowley is basically a PR man and Mark Gonzalez either is or is an idiot, one of the two. So, in addition to the smart things Kenny says, we have what Ozzie says and what we read in the papers, which creates a very mixed up picture. It doesn't help when Kenny's words are followed up with the acquisition of guys like Erstad.

My suspicion is that Ozzie and Kenny are at odds when it comes to player deployment and it could be the thing that gets Ozzie fired, but it also seems that Kenny and Ozzie are pretty chummy and friendly. So it's really on this fulcrum that the future of the Sox swings. And boy is that depressing.

by colintj on Aug 18, 2007 9:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They're going to be terrible next season

as well.

Honestly, does anyone forsee a large change in the roster? I imagine that, maybe, we'll have a new SS and CF. That's it. Fields will be in LF and Crede at 3B. All the remaining cast will still be here.

Williams will sell us on 2005 again and how this team has the "talent" to compete with those within the division. Even though we all know that's a lie.

I'd honestly have more respect for this organization if they just started from scratch right now. I'm not looking forward to all the lies which will be thrown out these next few seasons. It'll be like 2001-2004 all over again -- mediocre ballclub after mediocre ballclub. We need talent (blue chip talent) to compete. It's time for Williams to produce this. Jerry Owens and Andy Gonzalez isn't enough.

by TheKMan1 on Aug 18, 2007 4:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I smell mutiny

I believe the collective mindset of SSS has finally reached the breaking point. There's been plenty of negative posts this year, but now we're talking utter blackness.

Sox management better have their ear to the ground, this is serious. They're very close to barfing up every bit of goodwill they created in 2005.

But seriously, I always love speed.

by ChicagoPete on Aug 18, 2007 8:25 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

We deserve better than this.

The intelligent Sox fans are being treated to the Owens/Erstad fellatio spectacular so the Sox can sell tickets to people who are supposedly falling for the PR crap. Why not get pissed?

by colintj on Aug 18, 2007 9:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The dreaded west coast swing

This is like Napoleon's retreat from Russia. Game thread posts have gone from 96 to 80 to 50 to 20. Every ugly flaw has been revealed on this trip, yuk.

Jeeves, where the hell are you? I predicted you'd snap by the end of this road trip.

But seriously, I always love speed.

by ChicagoPete on Aug 18, 2007 12:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm still here

Can't watch all the games ([un]fortunately), I'm on the East Coast for work, so unless I'm on for the game I watch 'em the next day when I get back from work.

This has been a demoralizing roadie, but what can you expect out west? I'll still be watching though, if only to see Fields, Richar, Danks, Floyd, and Contreras

-Jeeves Life in the Cell, a Sweet Home Sports site

by jeeves on Aug 19, 2007 7:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs