*Official* 4/7/06 Postgame Thread

[oeo]

Originally Posted by PaulDrake

I'm too lazy to look it up but I think the list of teams that started out 1-3 and didn't win anything would be a little longer.

Well yeah, a lot of bad teams will start out 1-3. The whole point is, we are not a bad team, and there are a ton of good teams that started 1-3 and succeeded. 1-3 means absolutely nothing...it's not like no one is going to have this kind of game against us this year, every team has its bad games. Every team in baseball will have their fair share of bad games, you cannot say, "we need to win these games now," it's only a three game losing streak. If we'd have lost these last three games midseason, it woudn't be a big deal to you guys, but you feel that we have to win every single game. We got off to a fast start last year, you shouldn't have gotten your hopes up that we were going to do the same this year. Actually, there's still time to have a fast start...who's to say we won't win our next 10 games?

We will be fine.

[JoeClutch24]

I am not blaming this loss on anything, but I was at the game last night, and you guys don't know how cold and windy it really was. Not that we haven't played in that weather before, but this was terrible. If Pods was playin last night we don't miss that fly ball that Pablo dropped and the Royals never get 5 runs that inning, probably 2 runs would've scored. So we'll just get'em today in Javy's debut.

[SOecks]

The game was frustrating to watch, but I don't mind this team get a couple of humbling ass kickings to get their priorities straight from the start of the year.

[Jurr]

Originally Posted by SOecks

The game was frustrating to watch, but I don't mind this team get a couple of humbling ass kickings to get their priorities straight from the start of the year.

Exactly. They need an enema to clean out all of the good ju-ju. Then, they can bust out those black alternate tops and get nasty like they always do.

[MarySwiss]

Originally Posted by Jurr

It's so funny...every year, I have to remove this big black scuff area off of one place on my wall, because my habit after bad losses is to throw shoes.
It wasn't until September last year that the scuffed spot got bad. It was soothing to break it in tonight.

Baseball's back. WSI is coming back to earth a little, too. I love it.

Whenever I get the urge to throw something bad--like a hammer--Mr.Mary Swiss knows it's his job to take it away and give me something good to throw--like a paperback book or a pillow. I mean, why destroy a perfectly good big-screen TV?

However, I'm not sure having a big-screen TV is all it's cracked up to be anyway. It just seems to make miserable games like last night's harder to watch.

I get to miss most of today's game due to volleyball practice, and I plan on remembering last night's game every time I take a swing. Good therapy!

[voodoochile]

Originally Posted by PaulDrake

I'm too lazy to look it up but I think the list of teams that started out 1-3 and didn't win anything would be a little longer.

Well let's see...

For the first 68 years of existence, the AL sent exactly ONE team to the playoffs every year. With an average of 8 teams in the league over that stretch, the odds are good that about 3 every year averaged a 1-3 start or worse.

Then the league expanded to 12 teams and started sending 2 teams to the playoffs every year and the odds are that 4 teams got off to a 1-3 or worse start. This period lasted for about 25 years.

Now there are 14 teams and 4 playoff positions, so there are still 5 teams a year averaging a 1-3 start or worse. This has been the case for the last 13 years with no playoffs in one of them - call it 12 years.

That means there were a minimum of 136+50+12 = 198 teams that started out that way and didn't make the playoffs (if every single team who had a poor start after 4 games DID make it that is).

So what's my point?

I don't have one, but neither do you and neither did the guy who pointed out that the list of teams who made it after 1-3 starts.

The point is that you cannot predict one damned thing about the way the season will go 4 games into the season. It's just not possible, PERIOD.

Everyone needs to step back from the ledge, take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. Last year was fun, right? Right now the Bears haven't even had the chance to lose their first game. The Sox are the equivalent of 5 minutes into the second quarter of the first game of the season in the NFL. I know some people are pessimists, but seems a bit extreme to jump off the bandwagon or even freak out at that point in the season to me...

[Taliesinrk]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

Well let's see...

For the first 68 years of existence, the AL sent exactly ONE team to the playoffs every year. With an average of 8 teams in the league over that stretch, the odds are good that about 3 every year averaged a 1-3 start or worse.

Then the league expanded to 12 teams and started sending 2 teams to the playoffs every year and the odds are that 4 teams got off to a 1-3 or worse start. This period lasted for about 25 years.

Now there are 14 teams and 4 playoff positions, so there are still 5 teams a year averaging a 1-3 start or worse. This has been the case for the last 13 years with no playoffs in one of them - call it 12 years.

That means there were a minimum of 136+50+12 = 198 teams that started out that way and didn't make the playoffs (if every single team who had a poor start after 4 games DID make it that is).

So what's my point?

I don't have one, but neither do you and neither did the guy who pointed out that the list of teams who made it after 1-3 starts.

The point is that you cannot predict one damned thing about the way the season will go 4 games into the season. It's just not possible, PERIOD.

Everyone needs to step back from the ledge, take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. Last year was fun, right? Right now the Bears haven't even had the chance to lose their first game. The Sox are the equivalent of 5 minutes into the second quarter of the first game of the season in the NFL. I know some people are pessimists, but seems a bit extreme to jump off the bandwagon or even freak out at that point in the season to me...

Yeah.. something like that.. look, maybe I go against your point here; but if people are looking for reasons to come back off the ledge until may (or like june it their case) look to how the Astros started out last year. Granted, they were smoked by some other team in the WS, but they still made it. We'll be alright for a while guys. I know I was as frustrated as the next guy last night... but today's a new day!!!!

[oeo]

Originally Posted by Taliesinrk

Yeah.. something like that.. look, maybe I go against your point here; but if people are looking for reasons to come back off the ledge until may (or like june it their case) look to how the Astros started out last year. Granted, they were smoked by some other team in the WS, but they still made it. We'll be alright for a while guys. I know I was as frustrated as the next guy last night... but today's a new day!!!!

Exactly, this team is built to win a lot of games, don't let a few games get to you. Not only will we win a lot of games, but we will get stronger as the season moves on...unlike other teams like the Indians whose pitching will falter. We're a great team, and we're going to win the division...hang in there and stop whining.

[MarySwiss]

Originally Posted by oeo

Exactly, this team is built to win a lot of games, don't let a few games get to you. Not only will we win a lot of games, but we will get stronger as the season moves on...unlike other teams like the Indians whose pitching will faulter. We're a great team, and we're going to win the division...hang in there and stop whining.

I think that for the most part, the posts in this thread have been measured. There's nothing wrong with saying the Sox played a piss-poor game last night; they did. There will always be a few people who freak out completely--especially in a group the size of this one--but all in all, most of us know baseball, we know our team is solid, and we know it is wayyyy too early to panic. In fact, I'm hoping to track down my Indians fan friend soon, so I can sucker him into a bet! Couldn't get him to bite last year--despite all his crap about us choking down the stretch--but he's probably awash in that Cleveland kool-aid right now and should be a pushover.

[Lip Man 1]

Voodoo:

Can't argue with your post. My biggest concern though is the WAY they are losing games. Something just isn't right and I can't pinpoint it yet.

Konerko was right, this is not last year's team.

My hope is that this version doesn't turn out to be like the 1973, 1984 or 1995 version.

Historically the Sox do not seem to play well when they are the hunted and not the hunter. Maybe that's because so few times has the franchise in fact been the hunted.

We'll see... but there are some real issues right now that have to be worked through. From a slew of minor nagging injuries that didn't seem to happen until last July, to lousy friggin' weather (although BOTH teams have to play in it..) to a bullpen that in my opinion is worse then last season to 'championship hangover...'

Lip

[goon]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

We'll see... but there are some real issues right now that have to be worked through. From a slew of minor nagging injuries that didn't seem to happen until last July, to lousy friggin' weather (although BOTH teams have to play in it..) to a bullpen that in my opinion is worse then last season to 'championship hangover...'

Lip

i think the most important thing we need to stop doing is comparing this season to last season. i know it's difficult considering the sox won the series last year, but just because there are injuries in the beginning of this season unlike last season doesn't really equate into anything. it's just a different situation, as is the case every year.

post script: i think our bullpen looks pretty damn good. unproven yes, but damn good.

[voodoochile]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

Voodoo:

Can't argue with your post. My biggest concern though is the WAY they are losing games. Something just isn't right and I can't pinpoint it yet.

Konerko was right, this is not last year's team.

My hope is that this version doesn't turn out to be like the 1973, 1984 or 1995 version.

Historically the Sox do not seem to play well when they are the hunted and not the hunter. Maybe that's because so few times has the franchise in fact been the hunted.

We'll see... but there are some real issues right now that have to be worked through. From a slew of minor nagging injuries that didn't seem to happen until last July, to lousy friggin' weather (although BOTH teams have to play in it..) to a bullpen that in my opinion is worse then last season to 'championship hangover...'

Lip

Well the hangover will cure itself eventually. Maybe it will take longer than we expected, but it will eventually get better. If the starting pitching continues to pitch like crap, the team is screwed. The only guy who pitched up to his capabilities so far is Contreras. So, if Buehrle, Garcia and Garland all continue to pitch like crap, the Sox will falter. I wouldn't put a lot of money on that happening though...

[champagne030]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

Voodoo:

Can't argue with your post. My biggest concern though is the WAY they are losing games. Something just isn't right and I can't pinpoint it yet.

Konerko was right, this is not last year's team.

My hope is that this version doesn't turn out to be like the 1973, 1984 or 1995 version.

Historically the Sox do not seem to play well when they are the hunted and not the hunter. Maybe that's because so few times has the franchise in fact been the hunted.

We'll see... but there are some real issues right now that have to be worked through. From a slew of minor nagging injuries that didn't seem to happen until last July, to lousy friggin' weather (although BOTH teams have to play in it..) to a bullpen that in my opinion is worse then last season to 'championship hangover...'

Lip

The two issues that worry me the most are the bullpen and the sub OF's. We know that Ozzie uses the bench more than most and we really have 3 utility IF's, a catcher and a backup 1st basemen as our bench. Pablo and Gload are not OF's, period. Cintron is purely an IF guy and Mack is adequate at best in the OF. He's a nice athlete that won't totally embarrass you in the OF, but is, at best, an average OF defensively. I couldn't stand Timo, but I'm worried that the offense we gain with Mack will be given back by his defense. Mack failed to make at least two catchable balls in game 2, lost his mind on a runner going for third and failed to backup Anderson last night (a move you're told about in tee-ball). He made a great catch on a ball down the line, but I'm concerned that he'll make some great plays, but fail to make the routine. We hurt our defense significantly when Pod's, Dye or Anderson are on the bench. The bullpen needs to shake itself out, but we are weaker than last year. Boone has no business pitching in anything other than a 5 run game unless we are out of pitchers.