MLB Spring Training 2006

[Chris D]

It's the offseason no longer! Nothing like going to the mailbox on Saturday and getting an envelope with box seat tickets inside. I can smell the grilling onions now!

Let's get rolling with Frank Thomas still having the crying towel out. Get over it, lard ass. You got $8 million a year the last two years for not much value added.

From the AP:

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Angry and disgusted with the latest comments from former slugger Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams fired back Sunday, calling the two-time MVP "an idiot."

"He's an idiot. He's selfish. That's why we don't miss him," Williams said, responding to a Thomas interview that appeared in The Daily Southtown, a newspaper in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, Ill.

Since signing with the Oakland Athletics last month, Thomas has made it clear that he didn't appreciate the way his 16-year run with the White Sox ended, saying that chairman Jerry Reinsdorf didn't call him to tell him he wasn't coming back.

The greatest hitter in White Sox history reiterated that point in his latest interview, touching on several subjects and adding that he and Williams didn't see eye-to-eye after Williams became GM following the 2000 season.

At the time, Thomas was unhappy that his next-to-last deal with the White Sox contained a "diminished skills" clause. He said the White Sox should have traded him after the playoffs that season.

He also repeated that had he known last fall the team wasn't going to bring him back -- they later gave him a $3.5 million buyout -- he wouldn't have participated in a couple ceremonial functions during the postseason. Unable to play because of an injury, he threw out a first pitch during the playoffs. Later he was given the opportunity to address the crowd at the end of the White Sox's victory parade.


Williams said he was most irate over Thomas' comments about Reinsdorf.

"I've got a lot of respect for Jerry Reinsdorf, I do. But I really thought, the relationship we had over the last 16 years, he would have picked up the phone to say, 'Big guy, we're moving forward. We're going somewhere different. We don't know your situation or what's going to happen.' I can live with that, I really can," Thomas said.

"But treating me like some passing-by-player. I've got no respect for that," he said.

Thomas said he wasn't bitter or angry and had joined the A's with an open mind.

But Williams was fed up that Thomas was still making remarks about his former team and the way he was treated.

"Jerry has done everything over the course of 16 years to protect that man, to make accommodations for him, concessions for him. He loaned him money, at times, when he needed money," Williams said.

"If he was any kind of a man, he would quit talking about things in the paper and return a phone call or come knock on someone's door. If I had the kind of problems evidently he had with me, I would go knock on his door," he said.

“ We don't miss him, by the way. If you go out there and ask any one of my players or staff members, we don't miss him. We don't miss his attitude. We don't miss the whining. We don't miss it. Good riddance. See you later. ”

[Mingus]

Originally Posted by Chris D

Let's get rolling with Frank Thomas still having the crying towel out. Get over it, lard ass. You got $8 million a year the last two years for not much value added.

From the AP:

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Angry and disgusted with the latest comments from former slugger Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams fired back Sunday, calling the two-time MVP "an idiot."

"He's an idiot. He's selfish. That's why we don't miss him," Williams said, ...

"If he was any kind of a man, he would quit talking about things in the paper and return a phone call or come knock on someone's door. If I had the kind of problems evidently he had with me, I would go knock on his door," he said.

“ We don't miss him, by the way. If you go out there and ask any one of my players or staff members, we don't miss him. We don't miss his attitude. We don't miss the whining. We don't miss it. Good riddance. See you later. ”

Do you still stand by your claim that he's a good teammate and misunderstood by the press??

[Enforcer]

The Big Always Hurt.

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by Mingus

Do you still stand by your claim that he's a good teammate and misunderstood by the press??

Put it this way, I'm not so sure.

[Mingus]

Originally Posted by Chris D

Put it this way, I'm not so sure.

It takes a big man, to admit he's not so sure.

meanwhile, the continuing saga of Pedro's Big Toe

[crawjo]

I don't know, to me Williams is just as suspect as Thomas in this flare-up. He's bitching to the press about Thomas complaining to the press. Williams's comments are pretty classless, in my opinion, especially mentioning that they had loaned Thomas money, and that everybody is glad he's gone. C'mon, this is one of the best players in the history of the franchise (the best?...well, maybe Eddie Collins...) regardless of whether or not he's a selfish jerk, Thomas deserves better. But the whole ethos of the Sox organization now seems to be to fight fire with fire, and engage in petty feuds with former players (see: Magglio Ordonez.) It's entertaining, but I don't think Williams or Guillen are necessarily more mature individuals than Thomas or Magglio.

[Enforcer]

Well, it finally looks like the Tigers are in position to win a championship this year.

OK, let me back off that slightly: It looks like the Tigers might not lose 90 games this year.

[BFrank]

Combined age - 120

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by Face of the Bass

I don't know, to me Williams is just as suspect as Thomas in this flare-up. He's bitching to the press about Thomas complaining to the press. Williams's comments are pretty classless, in my opinion, especially mentioning that they had loaned Thomas money, and that everybody is glad he's gone.

Frank is reaping what he has sown. The organization basically let all that stuff roll off for a long time, and they tried their best to give him the golden carpet treatment. It seems Williams lost it only after Frank went after Reinsdorf.

From another local column:

At SoxFest, Williams said he was mostly aggravated because he had tried so hard to stick up for Thomas, and that Thomas seems to have forgotten all that was done for his betterment.

When it was pointed out that the attack by Thomas just before SoxFest wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last, Williams replied, “Oh, believe me, I know. Anyone who wants to put a quarter in him is going to get this stuff all year.

“At some point, in June or July,’’ Williams laughed, “maybe people will get bored with it.’’

As Mingus noted,I've done more than my share of sticknig up for Frank. No more. Stick it in his ear, Buehrle!

[Chris D]

So after all the stories on the Negro Leagues committee and how it will enshrine Buck O'Neil and/or Minnie Minoso, the list of enshrinees comes out and ...

No Buck O'Neil or Minne Minoso.

Face o' Bass, where you involved at all with the committee or its work through your Hall of Fame and scholarly endeavors?

[crawjo]

Originally Posted by Chris D

So after all the stories on the Negro Leagues committee and how it will enshrine Buck O'Neil and/or Minnie Minoso, the list of enshrinees comes out and ...

No Buck O'Neil or Minne Minoso.

Face o' Bass, where you involved at all with the committee or its work through your Hall of Fame and scholarly endeavors?

Nope, although I would have loved to have been involved, except that I don't have a lot of respect for the Hall of Fame as an organization anymore, based on how they've treated friends of mine over the years.

Aside from leaving out Minoso, which is inexcusable, it's a great list, including the first woman to be elected to the Hall, Effa Manley, owner of the Newark Eagles.

As much as he's a great guy, Buck O'Neil wasn't a good enough player to merit inclusion in the Hall, in my opinion.

[crawjo]

Originally Posted by Chris D

As Mingus noted,I've done more than my share of sticknig up for Frank. No more. Stick it in his ear, Buehrle!

Funny that this realization occurs just when Frank leaves the team.

[Surfer]

Originally Posted by Face of the Bass

I don't know, to me Williams is just as suspect as Thomas in this flare-up. He's bitching to the press about Thomas complaining to the press. Williams's comments are pretty classless, in my opinion, especially mentioning that they had loaned Thomas money, and that everybody is glad he's gone. C'mon, this is one of the best players in the history of the franchise (the best?...well, maybe Eddie Collins...) regardless of whether or not he's a selfish jerk, Thomas deserves better. But the whole ethos of the Sox organization now seems to be to fight fire with fire, and engage in petty feuds with former players (see: Magglio Ordonez.) It's entertaining, but I don't think Williams or Guillen are necessarily more mature individuals than Thomas or Magglio.

Word.

Also, Frank's MRI was good.

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by Face of the Bass

Funny that this realization occurs just when Frank leaves the team.

Yes, it is indeed convenient timing. As long as there was the promise of him returning hitterish, I was willing to cut a lot of slack to the best player I'd seen wear the uniform -- not the favorite, that would be the man on the card to the left.

In the end, though, with Frank it is all about Frank.

It's quite true that the post-Veeck White Sox have a tradition of players leaving on the sour: Fisk, Guillen himself, Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez, Wilson Alvarez (although the last two basically ate their way out of productive careers, and the Sox bailed on them just in time).

The weird thing is that those guys HAVE essentially been done when they left. The one exception is Robin Ventura, and he legitimately got too expensive for them. Robin did rightly feel sold out when he rehabbed so hard to come back from a ghastly spring training ankle break only to have them spring the White Flag trade on him in '97. (Another most likely will be Maggs; I'd be shocked if he didn't come back to .300-30-100 if he plays a ful season.)

Frank's still bitter over the dangling of the diminished skills clause over him, but he agreed to the damn thing. He also lost his early fortune through record biz pipe dreams and a nasty divorce. It sounds like he and Williams have basically seethed at each other since KW took over for Ron Schueler at the end of the 2000 season.

But these things never end well with aging stars, do they? I mean, look at Houston and Bagwell. Frank and Bags, born on the same day, careers so mirrored, together again.

Frank could well have a monster year. He also might be DL'ed for the season May 1.

Either way, it just ain't our cross to bear.

[Gordon B]

Jack Wilson, who ranked 28th in VORP in the BP shortstop rankings, just got a $20M/3 year contract extension from the Pirates. His OBA was .294 and his SLG was .363.

Wilson's numbers were remarkably similar to Kaz Matsui's.

[bobetterblues]

Originally Posted by Chris D

Frank could well have a monster year. He also might be DL'ed for the season May 1.

Call me crazy, but I'm betting on the latter

[crawjo]

Originally Posted by Gordon B

Jack Wilson, who ranked 28th in VORP in the BP shortstop rankings, just got a $20M/3 year contract extension from the Pirates. His OBA was .294 and his SLG was .363.

Wilson's numbers were remarkably similar to Kaz Matsui's.

But isn't he a much better defensive shortstop than Matsui?

[Chris D]

There was a story in today's paper about Chris Singleton being force fed procedure for his coming gig as the White Sox radio analyst. (They air the first pre-season game today, and it's the first time in AGES the Sox will be back on 670, a nice, powerful AM signal.) Seems they had to teach him how to keep score. We have a whole generation coming of age not knowing what "3U" or "6-4-3" or the backwards "K" means. That's sad. Reverse the trend! Teach your younguns to keep score!

[Surfer]

Not even sure I could come up with a caption that is worthy of this.

[Surfer]

Randy Winn, 3 years, 22 mil.

Personally I think that's way too much.

[Jon Abbey]

Bret Boone retires for good, one of the more obvious juicers in recent years. Rotoworld's comments (after Boone's quote):

========================

"At the end of the day, physically I think I could still do it," Boone said. "It wasn't as easy as three or four years ago to get out there every day, but to me, I just lost it. I lost the edge."

Many believe he lost his edge the day steroid testing began.

[Mingus]

Originally Posted by Surfer

Not even sure I could come up with a caption that is worthy of this.

Looking to reverse years of disfigurement caused by steroid abuse, Barry Bonds turns to estrogen supplements and immediately sprouts a set of man-boobs.

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Face of the Bass

But isn't he a much better defensive shortstop than Matsui?

Yes, he's an excellent defensive player and Matsui is awful. That doesn't justify his big contract, though. Wilson did have a good hitting 2004, but that was the one fluke year in his career.

[crawjo]

I don't think three years at less than 7 million per year is that big a contract, personally. It also wraps him up for his prime 28, 29, and 30-age seasons. Doesn't seem like that bad a deal to me.

[Borat Pri Hagafen]

Wilson's very good defensively, and he's offensively somewhere between his '04 and last year's production. It might not be horrible, but it's just funny to me that the Pirates have no money, yet when they choose to spend it, it's on Matt Lawton and Jack Wilson.

Randy Winn's contract made me think that maybe Damon's awful deal isn't entirely as horrible as i think. Of course, if Winn can put up a complete season as strong as he was down the stretch last year, it'll be a bargain. Realistically, that won't happen though.

I can see how excited everyone is about the World Baseball Classic based on the buzz on this thread.

[Chris D]

Originally Posted by Borat Pri Hagafen

I can see how excited everyone is about the World Baseball Classic based on the buzz on this thread.

Set to the chauvinistic "U-S-A" chant:

"Don't get hurt! Don't get hurt!"

[Jon Abbey]

Originally Posted by Borat Pri Hagafen

Randy Winn's contract made me think that maybe Damon's awful deal isn't entirely as horrible as i think.

I don't think it's especially bad, plus it cost Boston Andy Marte, who was ranked as the best prospect in all of baseball last offseason. I still don't understand why they didn't get Beltran when he was begging to come there, except that they seemed to be brainlocked all of that offseason (Tony Womack and Jaret Wright being the top two examples).

[Chris D]

Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, Kerry Wood returns to the operating table. Over/under on Prior's first DL: May 1.

Wood to have knee surgery

By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter

March 3, 2006, 2:18 PM CST


PEORIA, Ariz. -- Kerry Wood will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday to repair damage to a torn medial meniscus, the Cubs announced Friday.

General manager Jim Hendry called it a "minor" setback for the injury-plagued right-hander who currently is rehabbing his right shoulder after arthroscopic surgery last August. Though no timetable was given for his return, Wood was expected to be back from the shoulder problem in late April.



"I'm not expecting to miss more than a couple weeks," Wood said.

Wood came to the Cubs about three days ago and told trainer Mark O'Neal he was feeling discomfort in the knee. Wood said an MRI revealed the tear, and he will travel to Los Angeles to have surgery by Dr. Lewis Yocum. Wood was still able to throw a bullpen session on Friday and will have another bullpen session on Monday, the day before the surgery.

[crawjo]

I think the World Baseball Classic could be interesting. The U.S. has to be the heavy favorite, based on their bullpen, since the pitchers are being held to pitch counts.

I expect the WBC to become more important over the years, and they'll figure out a way to make it work better in the future. (Having it in November would work better than March, for starters...)

[Jon Abbey]

the real reason the US should be overwhelming favorites is that the format is essentially fixed to get them into the finals. here are the two halves, the US doesn't have to play anyone in the second half until a potential final game:

US, Mexico, South Africa, Canada, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, China

Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Italy, Australia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Panama, Netherlands

probably four of the best five teams are in the bottom half, Japan is probably the second best team on the top. could that be more obviously fixed? not really.

I also don't agree that November is much better than March, no one wants more games at that point in the season, especially the players in the postseason. the only possibility is a midseason break, and cut the damn regular season down to 140 games or so (which they should do anyway). if they are going to make it in November next time, they may have to think about allowing uppers again.