"2006 White Sox staff equal to any in Baseball history"

The Mets are good at making big splashes....blockbuster signings and trades. They just aren't good at winning.......sell the Mets, but the Sox are a better bet.

Fastball, I agree. The Mets still don't have enough front line pitching. THe Natioanl League doesn't have a clear favorite going into next year in my opinion.

Most improved National League teams in 2006 should be the Pirates and the Brewers, both in the Central division.

Adios Cubbies.

White Sox take the top prize again in 2006.

Beenthere, maybe the Brewers. The Pirates? The Cardinals are still the class of the National League Central.

No none has stepped up in the NL. The Cards and Astros will be weaker in '06. The best team will be the healthiest team or the team who has the most players have career years.

Baseball ingeneral will not be great FOR THE MOST PART in '06.

Fastball, I again have to disagree with you. People said the Cardinals and Astros wouldn't be good again in 05, but they both made post season for the second straight season. Baseball will be as strong as ever again in 2006.

The Cards have one thing other teams do not have-- LaRussa in the dugout--they will be in the hunt

Attendance was up last season and will rise even more this year

Being a huge Cardinal's Fan, I have to say that I am suspect of Walt Jockety's efforts. However, he has never let us down yet and I'm sure he has some type of plan. I can't, at this point, say that the Cardinals have improved themselves. I do suspect that we will be weaker at 2nd base.

Naturally, the factor none of us know is injury. It certainly hurt the Cubs this past year. Pujos is as healthy as that heal. When it hurts the entire Cardinal's organization hurts. The Astros had several injuries this year as well and so... I don't follow the American League and so, I can't comment on any of those teams. I despise the Yankees so much that I refuse to pay any attention to that league. Not rational I know.

Coach, having Larussa in the dugout gives the Cardinals atleast 8 to 10 more wins per season. The difference of going 82-80 and 90-72 is eight games. That's usually the difference between 3rd place and 1st place. Maybe the Cardinals won't run away from the rest of the division like they've done the last two seasons. Although they should still be considered the favorites. The lineup is still the best in the division, good defense, and a great manager = another playoff appearance in October of 2006.

When is LaRussa's genuis going to show up in the playoffs? He hasn't been worth a single win there.

FBDad...huh? I saw him do very well in 2004.

Can't blame him for the Red Sox dominating an inferior team!

Fastball, LaRussa took the Cardinals to the World Series in 2004, and last year won another playoff round before the Astros knocked them off. Winning the whole thing is tough. Being from Chicago we should all realize that. Winning division championships and having some success in post season would be very much appreciated here in Chicago each year. The Cardinals payroll is not even close to the Cubs, Mets, and Braves. Though they compete every year, and will probably be the NL central favorites again this year, whether we like it or not.

Just think that the Cards have not gone as far as they should have overall. Yeah, they have been the best team in the NL Central but have underachieved overall in the postseason.

Fastball, I disagree with you on that. Once you get to the post season anything can happen. Now I would say the Atlanta Braves have underachieved in post season throughout the years. Early 1st round exits for Bobby Cox and the Braves. The Cardinals have made it to the World Series two years ago, and last year won a playoff round. If anything I think they might have overachieved. If that's underachieving then I wish the Cubs would start to underachieve and win consecutive division titles and make it to the world series every once in awhile.

Correction!

The cubs and world series do not belong in the same sentence.

The Braves lack of winning the WS more than once stems from one thing IMO. They for years did not respect the importance of a closer....they spent a lot of money, but not there.

Cubs World Series.

Cubs Fall Classic.

Cubs World Championship.

Starting all over again in April.....Cubs will resume their dominance of the Chicago Baseball Scene.

Fastball...Dream on.

Lousy offseason for them so far. Lousy "manager". Lots of fans from out of town. Dilapidated venue. Nothing to look forward to until 2067.

White Sox will win it again in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Not sure what the WS will do but in my mind the Cubs are going backwards

Beenthere...thats "Charming Venue"

We are lucky in Chicago...two great parks...if you want to sit in a great place to see a game in a beautifull stadium with all kinds of babes walking around you've got Wrigley Field. If you want a sausage with peppers and onions go to The Cell. Not much to look at but the food is good.

If Bill Veeck had not planted the ivy, wrigley could be mistaken for a landfill!

Babes?....in that neighborhood those were more likely transvestites!

Veeck did a lot of things......from A to Z some better than the others. He did at least one good thing working for the Cubs. What's wrong with transvestites? Anyway most men would rather go that way than what you see at the Cell.

And Soxnole, I resolved to try to get along with and be more respectful of Sox fans. You are making that difficult.

Sox no doubt the better team right now but when it comes to the "sights to see" at the ballpark Wrigley is tops here by a longshot.
I'd even rate the transvestites at Wrigley in a dead heat with some of the sights at the Cell. Heck, since the Cubs bought Ron "Woo-Woo" Wickers his new teeth I bet if he put on a dress he'd get plenty of attention & catcalls at the Cell. Just (somewhat) kidding here Sox fans.
I would still take the better baseball & food which the Sox definitely have.

All Ronnie would have to do is wear a womens' wig made up to resemble that 70's BIG southside hair that the local's like so much and the hootin' and hollerin' would rival a Blackhawks' game.

He could never replace, however, that cutting edge southside mascot that was so revered for so many year, Andy the Clown. May He Rest In Peace.

The Cubs hit rock bottom last year. They will be improved jsut because they can't possibly have the same number of injuries as they did last year. With Zambrano, Prior, Wood, Maddux, Rusch and Williams their pitching staff is equal to that on the South Side, and considering the name of this thread thats saying a lot. Keep in mind most of the Sox staff has been up and down their whole careers and Garland and defintely McCarthy still have a lot to prove in terms of longevity.

With Ram back healthy, Cedeno at SS and a couple of good choices for 2b and Lee at 1st, the Cub infield is superior to that on the South Side. Barrett is P-ski's equal behind the plate and is a better hitter. New star Merton in lf, Juan Pierre (premier cf) and a platoon in rf will equal or surpass the Sox OF.... If the new bullpen members play up to their career averages, the Cubs will be ahead there as well.

Remember, 2 years ago no one thought the Sox were going anywhere and everyone thought the Cubs were on the verge of the WS. Things change fast. The Sox should be good.....but watch out for letdowns and injuries. Ozzie won't be nearly so fun when things go wrong.

fball, I agree that both teams look good on paper, lets see who stays healthy. As far as garland everone keeps saying lets see how he does this year, I think he will do great as he finally learned how to pitch as he gets ahead in the count works faster and doesn't let things bother him as much. Also has a great pitching coach. Infield, I like both line-ups but I do like the way Uribe plays ss, a little different at times but he was one of the most underated players on the sox last year. Just think if we had all those errors from valentine the previous year, I think all those 1 run wins would have been a turned out a little different. Don't discount Anderson in the outfield for the sox great speed and some power, if they hit him in the 2 hole should see a lot of fb with Scotty on 1b. As far as Pierre, should be a good pick-up, little weak in the arm for cf but I sure like to wacth him play, good lead-off also. I sometime wonder about the cubs starting rotation and the injuries, makes me wonder about the pitching coach. I don't know how much they can teach to some of these guys but it has been a lot of injuries. Sox fan here but I take any chicago winner.

Garland takes the ball every 5th day for 5 years. Prior and Wood are completely unreliable. Madddox is well on the downside. Garcia, Buhrle, have been studs for several years, and also have not been injured. No one can predict the future, but I'll take my chances with proven durable players than with a staff that has never showed up consistently. Only Cub fans would compare the staffs. You won't hear that from any ESPN guys or in the newsapaper. Only on a site like this.

And I thought that Chi-Town was right now a Bears town

Proven? 2005 was the first year the Sox staff was anything special. Garcia doesn't qualify as a stud. Garland has taken the mound every 5 games for 5 years...4 of them mediocre at best. They had magic in 05...we'll see about next year. One of those guys is still going to be traded anyway.

If a staff wins with 4 complete games and loses by 1 when the starter went 8 1/3 in the playoffs for the penant, they are good enough for me. What more do they have to do to "prove" themselves. That is proving yourself, winning it all PERIOD. Forget that they went 11-1. The White Sox won the World Series with that pitching. Enough said.

They did and that was last year. The highway of baseball history is littered with the roadkill of teams that looked like sure things to repeat, let alone flawed teams who managed to put it all together for one year.

FBDad....your beginning to win me over. First was the inference that the tv's are ok, followed by obviously sincere respect for the best team in Chicago. I like the way you cub fan's are thinking these days.

rosy...Andy was a great guy and made every one of my boy's feel like they were part of the adventure!

TR.....Sox town now...with a whole new younger generation able to determine on thier own which Chicago baseball team deserves to be first in thier hearts.

Soxnole

One great season does not a nation make--ask the Red Sox fans

And there is something wrong if ChiTown is not a Bears city right now--they should be cheering them one

Soxnole.....no I didn't say TV's are Ok...just better than what you are likely to find at the Cell! I do respect what the Sox did LAST YEAR!

And it should be a Bears town and really is for the most part..

The Bosox were one season and one team wonders.

The White Sox improved their team in the offseason...

White Sox again in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Beenthere, that's a great point. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, and then let Pedro leave for N.Y. The White Sox won it all in 2005, and now have six starting pitchers not just five. Great teams continue to add on and not settle. The White Sox are showing their committment to continuing to try and win.

Beenthere

You are beginning to sound "loopy"--no way a team in this day and age wins 5 years in arow

Gradnslam1, If Schilling and Foulke were 100%, 2005 may well have been a completely different season for both pairs of Sox. If you look at the records, Wells, Clement and, later, Papelbon, produced more or less the same results as Lowe and Martinez.

This is the year the Red Sox apparently decided to throw in the towel.

Until the 2006 season is over we will not know if the CHISOX were "one year wonders"

They can go the way of the Red ox just as easily as not

Being injury free is a big plus and some times "fat cats" show up the year after the title season-- ask the Red Sox Nation--they were there

The REAL Sox will have no fat cat's.

Tome joins Konerko who is chemistry personified.

Ozzie would not allow any Manny ****.