World Series 2005 Discussion. White Sox vs. Houston.

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

Well.. I'm not sure what the ratings will be like but I'll be watching more so than that Marlins/Yankees disaster.

As far as the match up.. Yes, they both have very good starting pitching but Houston's is a tad better. I know some of you will poin to the fact that Backe is a huge weakness but I just love Clemens/Oswalt/Andy in the big games.

I also like the bullpen of the Astros better even though Pujols jacked that shit to hell in game 5 but hey, it's Pujols.

The edge for the White Sox is the lineup and the home field..

To me, it's a "pick em" series.. I'm going w/ the White Sox in 7.

pp2

Whoever is calling balls and strikes when Contreras is pitching is going to determine how effective he is too. In game 1 against Boston he was being given a low strike zone, and that forkball was just eating up the BoSox. In both starts against California the strike zones were a bit higher so he had to work the corners more.

No one has paid much attention to the Sox this year anyway, so keep picking Houston. Think their starters are better? Cool, disregard what they did in the ALCS. Bullpen too? Ok, not like the pen got in more than 7 pitches in the ALCS anyway.

I too like well pitched games, so I'm hoping for more good stuff here. I don't mind the occassional barrage of runs, but I'll take well played and well pitched baseball over some rube hanging breaking pitches every time. While I don't expect every game to be low scoring, I do suspect we will be treated to excellent pitching from both sides.

Whether the masses as a whole watch or not I don't care, its going to be a great Series for people who love well played baseball. I'm still not ruling out Garner pulling some crap though.

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

Hold on a sec..

We are talking about Clemens/Oswalt/Andy. Yes, to me they are a tad better.

Look at what the two guys in front of Lidge have done for the bullpen too. I know one is Wheeler, can't remember the other guy off the top of my head but they've been incredible. You gonna give Marte and Jenks the edge?

I know they'll have Hernandez too but still.. it doesn't matter, I picked the White Sox in 7 regardless of Houston having the better pitching. Houston won't be able to score runs outside o that joke of a ballpark and the Sox will manufacture enough runs and get the 3 run homer enough to win the series.

pp2

When considering the Sox bullpen, totally disregard Marte and Vizcaino. The lefty is Neil Cotts (good), then you have guys like Cliff Politte and Dustin Hermanson who had very good years and have been consistent. Don't forget El Duque for long relief, here's hoping he still has that playoff magic in him. Jenx is still a wild card imo, he's still unproven. He does bring the heat though and seems to be pretty collected out there even after he's gotten knocked around a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for Houston and their players. Their manager? Notsomuch. But they have the horses to win it, no doubt. I'm just saying that the Sox have been overlooked in general most of the year. Most people didn't start talking about them til Cleveland was playing out of their minds and cutting into the 15 game lead. The story in round 1 was all about Boston. The story in round 2 was all about the Angels and that great bullpen...that got tagged with I believe 3 of the 4 losses in the series. So in the WS? Pretty much the same.

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

The Sox need to do something after this is all over though.. They can't just let Konerko walk after this season. Maybe they'll never beas popular as the Cubs, but they could be close if they keep in serious contention year after year..

I'm glad they are back because baseball was mising them.

pp2

If Konerko walks it will be ugly out here. He's already said he wants to stay, and Kenny Williams (easily Exec of the Year imo) said he screwed up not taking care of this in spring training.

I mentioned this before already, but the Sox have always said they can't afford to pay players big money unless the fans come out. The fans wouldn't come out because they wouldn't pay players big money to bring them/keep them here. Total catch-22.

This year the Sox recorded their 4th highest attendance ever. No matter what Konerko is asking, there's no excuse not to sign him. He's been a fan favorite since he got here in 2000 and by all accounts a great guy to have as a teammate. He says it like it is, doesn't make excuses when he's playing bad (like 2 years ago), hits for situations rather than hitting for stats, and has become an outstanding fielder too.

Dr. Giganto

Sox in 7...

Mr. Kennedy

Since others are giving predictions, I will go with the Astros in 7.

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pp2

I'm still not offering a prediction lol. I still have the same feeling of nervous apprehension I did for the last 2 series.

I think the only reason more people are paying attention to the Sox now is that they have no choice...there's only 2 teams left.

All I will predict is a good series, should be exciting. Just wish I could afford tickets.

Dr. Giganto

To go into more detail, I think the Astros "Big 3" is better than the Sox "Big 3". but, with Garcia and Duque, I think the Sox are deeper. So, the Sox will have a big advantage in Game 4 (Garcia vs. Backe) and if one game ends up being a slugfest and the teams need a long reliever, the Sox have a HUGE advantage having Duque coming out of the pen.

I give Houston the edge in the closer category too...Lidge is a Top 5 closer, Jenks is unproven. I don't know much about the rest of their bullpens though. I do know, however, that Wheeler has been pretty good for Houston.

I think Chicago has a better line-up than Houston. They've got speed with Podsednik, power with Konerko, and a bunch of other guys who, although they are unspectacular, can get the job done.

Houston has struggled to score runs all year long. Biggio is still a quality player, plus Berkman and Ensberg are long-ball threats, but who else really scares anybody on this team? Not Bagwell anymore. Mike Lamb? Adam Everett?

So, I think that in a hard-fought, well-pitched, low-scoring series, the Sox will emerge victorious

Red Sox in '04...White Sox in '05...Cubs in '06?!?!