As Ozzie rants the house is crumbling. Oh had he only ranted louder in the off season while KW was making these less than stellar moves. The Sox need two things to happen to stay in this race.

1) Make major moves.

1a) Cut Jim Thome. The time has come. He has no trade value and why in the world would you give him another contract? Put JD in the DH spot and start shopping for an outfielder. The biggest problem with shopping now is that they will be forced to cough up a pitcher. They have nothing else to offer. Maybe give Fields a chance in Thome's slot. The only thing to look forward to with big Jim are the banners egging him on to 600 homers over the next few years.

1b) Everyone was complaining about Podsednik and Erstad?? Nick Swisher hasn't exactly set this team on fire! When I think about the outfield the Sox could have had I shutter. The White Sox realistically could have had a Cabrera, Fukedome, Quentin outfield! The Yanks would have easily surrendered Melky for Garland and KW should have paid Fukedome. That would have been an unbelievable set of moves.

1c) Uribe, Cabrera, & Ozuna. About the only thing remaining to be figured out here is which one is Moe, Larry, and Curly. What a shame/waste to have only gotten OCab for Garland. We lost out on greater possibilities there. What do you do with these guys? If this organization stays with these three amigos they will sink with them.

2) Pray that the AL Central morphs into the NL Central. If this division bogs down near .500 they may stay alive for an extended period of time.

I leave you with the lineup that should have been,

C: AJ; 1B Konerko; 2B Iguchi; SS Eckstein; 3B Crede

LF Quentin; CF Cabrera; RF Fukedome; DH Dye

The season is young but there is already a foreboding presence about this club. The middle of the defensive lineup is akin to a AAA roster. When the Cabrera deal was announced some months ago there was little to look forward to. Yes, it's early and one stellar outing by Garland doesn't mean he's on his way to a Cy Young award but this deal has a very good chance to turn into KW's biggest boondoggle to date.

We needed a change at shortstop but OCab adds little to that change.  As much as I am no fan of Uribe we would be in a stronger position today with Iguchi at 2nd and the sheriff back at SS. Trading a solid pitcher like Garland for a has been SS is absurd.

If KW had to trade Garland for a Cabrera it should have been one named Melky. The Yanks were willing to part with Melky and a couple of extras during the Santana sweeps. They probably would have bit on a one for one swap for Garland. From the Yanks perspective Jon would have been perfect as a Mussina replacement and a lot cheaper. Melky could have at least given us respectability in CF.

The Sox got robbed by the Angels. This will become clearer as the season progresses. So we now have a load at SS to balance the load at 2B and even more load in CF, just to keep that balance. How the front office allowed this to happen is criminal.

I hope I'm dead wrong but this team will struggle to match last year's win total.

As a lifelong Sox fan it pains me to write this but it has become crystal clear that the 2005 championship season was nothing more than a flash in the pan. This was not, is not, and gives no indication in the near future of being a championship organization. What defines a championship organization? I'm sure there are many answers to that one but I believe consistency is near the top of the list. Teams that come to mind are the Yankees of the late 1990s, the Jays of the early 90s, the Yanks again, the Reds, and the A's in the 70s.

It was great to see them win in '05 but it was surreal. Following a near collapse in late August/early September they "flashed" as everyone else just folded in their path. Look at the season Cotts and Politte had as they "flashed" before us. The starting rotation flashed through opposing lineups with ease. The defense was on top of the ball in a "flash." Ozzie would shoot his mouth off in a "flash." If '05 wasn't a flash in the pan can anyone explain it differently?

Neither the management nor the players have been consistent. Compare the Sox with the Tigers organization and you begin to see the differences. The Tigers are building something that appears to be headed in the direction of a championship, possibly more than one. They have shown consistency over the past two seasons and they have a good mix of young and experienced players that are producing. They added the right veterans and more importantly they are led by a man who obviously believes in the merit of using his brain more than his mouth. You can sense there is a foundation for good things to come. Even if they don't win it all this season, Tiger fans have much to look forward to and be confident that it won't just "flash" away. I envy them.

Looking at this club and thinking about who has been consistent is a tough one. Offensively maybe AJ has been the most consistent when looking at '05, '06, & '07? Iguchi next in line? There just hasn't been consistency offensively. Starting pitching maybe Garland? The bullpen, anybody?

Where do you start? You can run through the list of current players and keep this guy, get rid of the next one but that isn't the answer. It needs to start at the top before you ever check the player list. The Sox organization needs major changes to ever hope to build a consistent championship worthy organization. That must start with the GM and field manager. If those changes are not made it will only lend hope to the diehards in KC that there is a way out of the cellar! I have my doubts and fears it may be another 88 years to wait for that "flash" in the pan.

The Sox need to make a serious effort to sign Roger Clemens for '07. This guy may be 44 years old but he had a 2.33 ERA in '06. For those nay sayers out there who will whine that he pitched in the NL, let's tack on a full point for the transition to the AL. He still comes in sub 3.50. This is head over heels better than anything we have now. Unload Garcia and sign Clemens to a 1 or 2 year deal. Maybe even try to include Petite in the deal as well????

The other weaknesses are CF and SS. Try to include one of these holes in the Garcia deal.

The Tigers have a strong chance at being more difficult in '07 than '06. You are fooling yourself if you minimize the Sheffield acquisition by the Tigers. This is big for them.

If the Sox pitching staff delivers another stellar performance as they did this past season then we can kiss another year away. The pitching staff needs a shot in the arm that Clemens could deliver.

The team that was a giant killer on paper fizzled fast. Here is my take on the team.

Management
Ozzie: His management by the book cost the Sox many games. I've said this before, Ozzie is hugely overrated as a manager. I would vote for Ozzie's dismissal. Replacement with Tim Raines.

Coop: If he takes accolades for last year's success, he is first in line for this year's flop. I would give him another chance.

Cora: I have never, in my entire life, witnessed a 3rd base coach kill as many rallies as Cora did in 2006. There is a huge difference between being aggressive and being stupid, Cora was/is the latter. I vote for Cora's dismissal. Tim Raines, who was a base running master should have been at 3rd. Another reason for Ozzie to go.

Review By Position
LF: Scott Podsednik: His failure as a lead off batter was devastating to the offense. His defense wasn't much better. We need a replacement. I vote Pod's go.

Anybody else that was put in LF wasn't any better.

CF: This position cost the Sox more games than any other fielding position. This is from both an offensive and defensive perspective. This is a tough one, you could argue to give BA another shot. Mack can stay but only as a utility infielder or DH.

RF: JD was the sunshine of the outfield. Not perfect defensively but awesome with the bat. He stays.

NOTE: Did a Sox outfielder throw anyone out at home this year? I honestly can't remember one.

3B: Crede had a grat year. If the Sox trade Crede they are insane. I don't care who they have on the farm. Joe stays.

SS: I am so sick of hearing DJ tell us that Uribe can carry this team offensively if he gets hot. Juan couldn't carry a bucket of water! Unload him. Go after the Orioles' Tejada.

2B: Iguchi wasn't bad. He stays.

1B: PK had an off season HR wise and hit into too many DPs. If the price is right I would deal him, especially to the NL.

Catcher: AJ had a decent year. Keep him. Did we actually give up someone for Alomar? If so that is criminal. Would have been no worse off holding on to Widger. Alomar really handled Buehrle well!

DH: Thome had impressive numbers on paper but had too many Ks and too few clutch HRs. One more shot, keep him.

Pitching
This was by far the biggest disappointment. There were two and only two bright spots this season and both were in the pen. Jenks for the first 2/3's of the season and who would have guessed it, Thorton. You could make the case that Thorton was our pitching MVP. Is he a starter next season?

Contreas: He is mediocre at best but I would hold him one more season.

Buehrle: Trade him to the NL, replace with Thorton.

Garcia: Trade him anywhere.

Garland: Keeper.

Vasquez: Showed some life late in season. Give him one more try.

MacCarthy: Most overrated pitcher on the club. They should have traded him in July when he had an inflated value. Unload.

Cotts: Even though disappointing I would hold on.

MacDougal: Good pitcher, but why do you think that KC unloaded him? Too many injuries.

I hate to say it but I believe that this season shows that we are in for another long drought before a World Series trophy is hoisted in a White Sox clubhouse.

If Hawk is right about the intensity thing I don't know what could motivate these guys any more. This is additional proof that a major shakeup is needed.

Looking back over the 2006 season I am convinced that had Aaron Rowand been in CF we would have a half dozen more wins than we currently have. BA's overall weak offensive output and the continual platooning of Mack have cost the Sox dearly. Having the stability that Rowand provides from both a defensive and offensive standpoint would, I believe, have us in first place today.

Now to have Rownad in CF that means we don't have Thome as DH. It is easy to say this now but it is becoming clearer each day that we would have been better off staying with Frank Thomas. Thomas started out slowly, but as DJ likes to continually remind us about Uribe's capabilities, is carrying the A's into the post season.

I do not have the stats to prove the following statement but I would wager they are true. HR for HR I believe more of Thomas' homers have been game changing than Thome's. This is no attack on big Jim, he has had a remarkable season but is it just me or are a large number of Thome's HRs non-game chamging? So often he has failed to deliver one when we needed it!

KW was wrong on this on. Depending on Thomas for production this season was a gamble but then again trading away probably your best defensive position player was a gamble as well. Now had we received a quality arm in exchange then a case could be made. The cold hard facts are that Thomas has been every bit the offense machine as Thome. Oh to have that production along with Rowand in CF. What a thought. If the Sox finish out without making the post season the gamble will be a losing one.

KW really needs to deal Ozzie. This would be the best thing for the White Sox organization, period. Ozzie is an extremely overrated manager. The 2005 White Sox had the right mix of players, excellent pitching, and uncanny timely hitting. They won the 2005 title in spite of Ozzie. Ozzie, most of the time, over manages, has the maturity level and vocabulary of a 12-year old, and is a disgrace to the organization.

Ozzie's antics are not making the White Sox a feared team but rather a hated team. I hear it fans all over the US. Hated because of their manager! What a statement.

Ozzie was an average player who is nothing, and I mean nothing more than an average manager. He has consistently diverted attention away from the club with his childish behavior. He is obviously someone who feeds on being the center of attention. When I think about a class guy like Leyland and compare him with Ozzie it is a joke.

The season isn't over and it's not too late, yet. But we are running out of time. So I propose a trade, Garcia/Vazquez/ & a manger to be named later, not too much later, for Mr. Zito.

Just a thought. Would the Sox be in a better position having not made the Thome for Rowand deal?

No question both teams have benefited. But what if the Sox had just kept Rowand and Everett? Rowand and Everett currently have a combined 20 HRs and 66 RBIs compared to Thome's 31/80. Granted their BAs are lower but how many games have been blown, by the Sox, due to defensive lapses in CF? I know it is more than a handful. Now most have not been by Anderson, but even Anderson at times looks tentative.

The White Sox miss Rowand big time. How many of Thome's HRs have been game winners? We lose his services in NL parks. I have nothing against Thome but we need Rowand back.

Today's game demonstrated that Ozzie needs to spend a bit more time concentrating on strategy and managerial duties instead of shooting off that cocky childish mouth of his.

It was a shame that while the Sox were in the midst of their longest win streak of the year the biggest story was not the team's success but the manager's big mouth. It was big national sports news and nothing was even mentioned in any of these stroies about the success of the team.

Ozzie obviously has a problem with not being the center of attention and unfortunately the team suffers for it.

I have been a Sox fan since 1972 and suffered through the lean years, as many of you have. It is a shame that since the tide has turned we have to put up with a spoiled brat of a manager.

All during the 2005 ALDS, ALCS, & WS whenever the networks had a between inning interview with Ozzie about 95% of the time he had to interject his little go Venezuela line. Ozzie lacks professionalism and he needs to acknowledge that and do something about it.

Then in spring training he is shooting his mouth off about A-Rod supposedly kissing the Dominicans doopa because he couldn't make up his mind about who to play for in the WBC. What a hypocrite! Why didn't Ozzie show up at the White House? Because he was too busy kissing his beloved President's (That nut case Hugo Chavez's) doopa.

Mariano Duncan's comments that Ozzie is hurting the image of Latino managerial candidates is not far fetched. It is sad to see that the White Sox are not becoming a team to be feared or respected but rather a team that is hated because of their spoiled little manager.

Jerry Reinsdorf was right, firing Tony LaRussa was the worst decision of his life. Tony may not have a World Series ring but he has something Ozzie probably never will, class.

Greetings to all from NY! I am a former Chicagoan and long time White Sox fan.

Is it just my imagination or has Joey Cora made a number of bad judgement calls as 3B coach? Last night Konerko probably would have been thrown out except for the cutoff. I also seem to remember that Joey waved Thome home a couple of weeks ago but JT decided to put the brakes on and hold up himself. I know there are a few other instances as well that I cannot specifically recall at the moment.

Personally I am a little uneasy with his decisions to send runners so far this year. Maybe I'm just a nervous Nellie!