Let's Play GM: It's Time to Put Paulie On the DL

While the White Sox have won five in a row, and are back in first place in the AL Central, not everything is quite right just yet. The offense blew up for 13 runs yesterday afternoon, but there just still isn't any consistency to the lineup right now. Though, I don't know how much of a coincidence it is that ever since Ozzie finally changed the lineup around, the Sox are 5-0.

Remember, there were plenty of fans and media folk alike saying that the Sox had to make lineup changes, and that chatter helped lead to Ozzie's rant against the Cubs and the way the Sox are treated. Well, he finally listened, and things have turned out pretty well?

So with that in mind, I have some more advice for the White Sox in general. I was going to write about it on Friday, but didn't have time, though after I discussed it a bit with Silvio over the weekend it's still fresh in my mind.

Paul Konerko has been struggling big time over the last month. As a result, he was moved down from the clean-up spot to the sixth spot in the lineup (fifth over the weekend in San Fran). The reason for Paulie's horrible hitting can be mostly attributed to a pretty bad bone bruise he has on his right hand that probably makes hitting a baseball one of the most painful things on earth.

It hurts just watching Paul swing right now. How many times do I have to see him pop up to first base, and then walk to the dugout with his right arm hanging lifeless at his side. The pain from the bone bruise in his hand shooting all the way up his arm.

It doesn't look fun.

So that's why the Sox should place Konerko on the disabled list as soon as possible. I'm not sure two weeks would be long enough for the hand to heal, but I am sure it's not going to heal if he keeps playing with it everyday.

Plus, moving Paulie to the DL right now could help the Sox in other areas as well. The biggest reason the Sox have so much trouble scoring runs now isn't the fact they can't hit, as they've been hitting again, but it's the fact that they're probably the slowest baseball team ever assembled. They need speed.

So Kenny Williams, if you're reading, here's what I think you should do. At least consider it.

After placing Paul on the disabled list, call up Jerry Owens from Charlotte. I know his bat has cooled down considerably down there, but he has speed the team desperately needs. Jerry doesn't need to play everyday, and I don't want him to. Instead, you can platoon him in center with Brian Anderson, and automatically the Sox defense has improved tremendously.

Nick Swisher can then be moved to first base in the interim.

Then give Charlotte another call and tell them that you want to start playing Josh Fields at first base. Give him a few weeks over there to get a feel for the position. I honestly don't think it will be that hard of a transition for him, because if you can play third base, you can play first.

This will set the team up pretty well for this season and the future, in my opinion. If Fields adapts to first base, Paulie then becomes expendable. You can try to move him at the deadline for some pitching or second base help. If you can't move him at the deadline, let Josh stay at first down in Charlotte for the rest of the season. Then move Konerko in the offseason. The money you save on Paulie's contract can then be put to use re-signing Joe Crede. That extra cash you have that you may have used on Crede, can then be put towards signing a pitcher this off-season (Roy Halladay would be nice, but that's probably just a pipe dream).

Then next season you have Crede at third and Fields at first.

I'm not done yet, though. Right now in Charlotte, Lance Broadway has been outstanding. He's 5-1 with a 1.67 ERA, and his stock has never been hire. Trade him at the deadline.

I know a bunch of you are reading that and wondering why you would trade a young pitcher that could be a part of the rotation next season. It's a good question because you don't want to trade young pitching in this league.

But to that I ask you this: When was the last time a home-grown pitcher worked out for the White Sox? If you look at the entire White Sox pitching staff right now, how many of them were actually drafted by the White Sox? Three: Mark Buehrle, Ehren Wasserman, and Boone Logan.

Other than those three, every pitcher on the roster came from another organization.

The Sox just don't have good luck with pitching, so frankly, I'd rather trade Broadway now while his value is high instead of watching him not work out. You can probably use him as part of a deal to land a second baseman like Brian Roberts (not that name again!) from Baltimore.

Just think about it, Kenny.

Lou Piniella Is Worried About the Kids

St. Patrick's Day may be an official holiday here at Foul Balls, but it isn't at FanHouse where I am writing today

If you're anything like me, not only are you extremely good looking, but you're also fully aware that the regular season starts two weeks from today. Those two weeks couldn't go by fast enough, because frankly, I'm getting pretty bored with spring training. It's the same stories every day. Somebody got injured, somebody is going to get traded, and Joe Girardi is going to instruct his players to carry knives around the basepaths.

As a Chicagoan, one of the stories I know I'm tired of hearing about is the ongoing saga of the Brian Roberts trade. Is it going to happen? Has it already happened? Why hasn't it happened yet!?

Continue reading at FanHouse

Do the Cubs Hate Felix Pie?

Is it just me or has there been a rumor that the Cubs are after every single centerfielder in all of baseball? Coco Crisp, Ryan Freel, Marlon Byrd, Reggie Willits....if you're a 4th outfielder on your team's roster, and you can play centerfield, odds are the Cubs want you.

But why?

Does the team dislike Felix Pie that much? For years we've all been told about what a phenom Pie was, and how great he'd become once he reached the Majors.

Yet at the same time, it seems that the team takes every chance they get to delay his arrival.

Last year they signed Alfonso Soriano with the original intent of having him play in center, but that experiment obviously didn't work. Now this season they're trying to add anybody to the roster to take time away from him.

As Paul Sullivan writes in the Tribune today, Pie has been playing well this spring and is the front runner for the starting job right now. So why won't they let him have it? Can't they afford to?

The Cubs lineup is strong enough right now to deal with any growing pains Pie may experience this season. Soriano, Fukudome, D-Lee, and Aramis will provide plenty of pop, so the team can sacrifice some offense if it has to for Pie's defense.

I mean, when you think about it, what the hell is the difference between Pie and Coco Crisp? Both are better defensive players than offensive, and Pie has more room to grow, so you'd think that logically he's the better choice.

So why are the Cubs doing everything in their power to take Felix's job away? It's pretty simple, really. For months now there's been talk that the Cubs and Orioles are working on a deal for Brian Roberts, but for some reason, they just can't get it done.

Anybody want to bet that it's because the Orioles want Pie in return and that the Cubs just aren't ready to part with him until they find a replacement first? If the Cubs do land Crisp, Freel, Byrd, or Willits, you can expect to hear an announcement about their new second baseman and lead-off hitter as well.

Surprised and Disappointed

Okay, so now that I got my concern for Tom Coughlin out of the way, I guess I can move on to actually talking about the games yesterday.

Honestly, I don't really have that much to say about the AFC Championship game. The game played out exactly how I thought it would play out, with the only surprise being LaDainian Tomlinson only getting two carries. Obviously, the lack of Tomlinson didn't help San Diego's cause, but I doubt he would have made much of a difference had he played.

The Patriots have been the best team in football all season, and they weren't going to lose yesterday. I mean, Tom Brady played more like Rex Grossman yesterday, and the Patriots still won. It's not fair.

And now, the only team standing in the way of the Patriots pursuit of an undefeated season is the same team that tried to stop them from having an undefeated regular season: the New York Giants.

I was shocked that the Giants beat the Packers. Shocked. I really didn't feel as though the Giants would keep it close. I know they'd won their last nine road games, and I know that they were playing better the last three weeks than they had been all year, but I still didn't think they had a shot.

There was just no way that Eli Manning, who has been horrible in cold weather throughout his career, was going to be able to out duel the great Brett Favre. Not in his storybook comeback season!

But instead the great Favre morphed back into the Favre we saw the last few seasons, making bad decisions and worse throws. Favre had no excuse either.

Sure, his offensive line did a horrible job of giving Ryan Grant and the Packers run game any room to operate, which forced Green Bay to completely ditch it's running game (one of many mistakes Green Bay made yesterday), but they did a fantastic job in pass protection. The Giants lead the entire free world in sacks, yet they never got to Favre once yesterday.

Eli Manning, on the other hand, looked like a quarterback that had been there a hundred times before. Moving his team down the field time after time for scores during the second half. If Lawrence Tynes was as good at kicking 37-yard field goals as he is kicking 47-yard field goals, this game never would have even gone into overtime.

I don't want to take away from what Eli has done this postseason, because he really has played great, but I can't help but be disappointed by the Giants victory. I wasn't really rooting for the Packers yesterday, and if you're a real Bears fan you weren't either, but I preferred that they won. I wanted the Super Bowl to feature Tom Brady and Brett Favre. The two quarterbacks who sucked yesterday.

Not to mention that I caught a lot of crap from Packers fans after the Bears lost in the Super Bowl last season, so I wouldn't have minded returning the favor this season after Green Bay lost to New England.

Instead we're stuck with the same old story we're always stuck with. New York vs. Boston.


Fantastic.

I'm surprised the collective boner of everybody at ESPN didn't block the sunrise this morning.

Foul Balls

Trade Ben Gordon - This is just something I've been thinking the last few days while watching the Bulls. Trade Ben Gordon, and do it soon. I have nothing against Ben, and in fact I'm very grateful for all those points he's scored these last few years, but I think it's time for him to move on.

I mean, I'd rather trade Kirk Hinrich, but I don't think he'll be anywhere near as easy to trade, nor will he bring back as much in return. I just think that the Bulls will be better off with Thabo Sefolosha playing the 2-guard right now. Thabo has played terrific basketball the last few weeks, and I'd like to see him as much on the court as possible.

So the Bulls should trade Gordon now because he can be used in a package to get somebody like Pau Gasol (there's that name again) and Ben won't be back next season anyway. So you may as well get something for him now, instead of nothing for him later.

What's the worst that can happen? We miss the playoffs?

Lou Piniella Doesn't Want Brian Roberts - I've understood why the Cubs are interested in Brian Roberts this winter, they would like a real lead-off hitter, and moving Alfonso Soriano down to the three-spot would be beneficial to the offense, but I've been against the trade all along. Mostly because I'm just a real big Mark DeRosa fan.

Thankfully, Lou Piniella feels the same way as I do. At the Cubs convention over the weekend, Piniella said he doesn't expect the team to complete the deal for Roberts, and that would be fine with him.

"I don't think we're going to do anything, to be honest with you," Piniella said before Friday's opening ceremonies. "And I think if we do [acquire someone] it'll be in the outfield. I'm very comfortable with our club the way it is."

"[A trade for a right-handed centerfielder to platoon with Felix Pie] probably a possibility, as opposed to the other things that you all have been hearing about," he said, adding again he's "perfectly content with [Mark] DeRosa at second base."

Hopefully Jim Hendry got the message.

FanHouse: Jon Lieber Is a Chicago Cub Again

Jon Lieber is coming home again, as the Cubs signed the veteran this afternoon. Lieber went 48-34 as a Cub from 1999-2002, and I know Silvio is happy to have him back. He always had an unhealthy man crush.

What this trade means though is that the Brian Roberts trade is finally going to happen now, as Lieber gives the Cubs enough security to move some younger pitching.

Also, in the spirit of Chicago baseball team's pursuing their former pitchers, I've nothing concrete but I'm told that the White Sox may go after Bartolo Colon.

To Hell With Thinking

I don't know what it is about today, but there's just nothing going on in the world of sports right now that I feel like dedicating a lot of time too. I'm working on a Conversations With God for Roger Clemens, but I don't like where it's going right now, and I'm unsure whether I'll finish it up and use it.

As I said in the Diaries, I was going to write about the Bulls today, but I'm sick of complaining about things and after last night's collapse, complaining is all I could do.

So instead I'm just going to do an extended version of the Foul Balls I put at the end of every column I write here now.

It's quick, easy, and to the point. Plus I don't have to think as much, which is always a bonus.

Get Ready For Brian Roberts - Sure he's named in the Mitchell Report, and so what if the Cubs already have my favorite player on the team at second base in Mark DeRosa, they're still going after Baltimore's Brian Roberts and it looks like the trade can be completed any second now.

If it does happen, it won't be cheap.

On hold over much of the last month, the Brian Roberts talks are on again between the Cubs and Baltimore Orioles. This deal is almost certainly going to happen -- the only question is when and how much it is going to cost the Cubs.

The feeling among major league executives is soon, and a lot. Don't be surprised if the trade is finalized later this week -- perhaps even Wednesday -- and the deal includes pitchers Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher and Ronny Cedeno.

Giving up Marshall and Gallagher could be a high price, especially when you consider that it means Jason Marquis will likely have to man the 5th spot in the rotation all season. Not just the first half when he's actually serviceable. I'm never a fan of a team thinning out it's pitching rotation, but the Cubs seem set on doing it this offseason.

The positives of getting Roberts though most revolve around the fact the Cubs will finally be able to move Alfonso Soriano out of the lead-off spot. Of course, I'm not sure Alfonso will see that as a positive, but for $18 million a year he should play naked if the team tells him to.

The Falcons Would Like To Waste Their Time - At this point I have no idea why anybody would want to take over the head coaching job for the Falcons. The team was destroyed last season when Mike Vick went to jail, and now needs to be completely blown up and built again.

Arthur Blank thought he had Bill Parcells ready to fix things before finding out that Tuna was only using Atlanta to drive up his price in Miami, and now Arthur's setting his sights on somebody else who wouldn't leave his job for Atlanta unless you put a shotgun in his mouth.

USC's Pete Carroll.

Multiple sources told ESPN.com late Tuesday night that the Falcons are pursuing Pete Carroll for an interview. If Carroll agrees, and the logistics can be arranged, the Southern California coach could huddle with Atlanta owner Arthur Blank by the weekend. Carroll, who has previously been a head coach in the NFL with the New York Jets and New England Patriots, would certainly become the biggest name on the list of Atlanta candidates.

If I'm Pete Carroll, I don't even answer Atlanta's phone calls, let alone set up an interview with them. Generally in the world of coaching, a move from the college ranks to the NFL is considered a step forward in a coaches career. This would not be one of those times. I'm not even convinced the Falcons could beat USC on a neutral field right now.

Besides, Carroll's already been in the NFL twice and things didn't work out. He's perfectly suited for coaching in college, and he has a wonderful thing going in southern California, where it's important to remember there is no NFL team. So basically, he's already the top dog in a huge market. Why ruin it?

Josh Brown To Wear Hot Pants In Green Bay - Seattle Seahawks kicker Josh Brown is some kind of super genius on the MacGuyver level. He realizes that when the Seahawks play the Packers this weekend at Lambeau Field, it's probably going to be cold. So that's why he's invented some cool new pants to keep warm on the sidelines while waiting to kick that game-winning field goal.

Brown says he has equipped his pants with battery-powered heaters for the calves, thighs and hamstrings.

Brown told KIRO Radio that no matter how low the temperature drops, his legs will be 75 degrees.

Here's hoping that some of the snow that's going to be falling melts on his pants, shorts something, and then we all see Josh Brown running across the field with his legs on fire.

Kirk Hinrich Lost His Jock - This play took place at a point in the game where the Bulls were firmly in control of the Knicks, but in the end it was kind of a perfect example of how the game ended last night.

Seriously, Jamal Crawford. That was nice. There aren't many times during an NBA game where every single person in the building goes "Wooo!" simultaneously, but this was one of them.

It's Time To Bench Kirk Hinrich

The Bulls beat the Bobcats for the second time in a little over a week last night in Charlotte. Watching the game I noticed three things that the Bulls could do to help themselves get on the right track.

Their first move would be to petition the NBA to allow them to play the Bobcats 82 times a season. Somehow, I just don't see David Stern going along with that plan.

So the second move would be to used the lineup that worked so well last night more often in the next few games, and see if it was a one-time deal, or if there's actual chemistry between the five Bulls that owned the fourth quarter last night.

I've never been a huge fan of Chris Duhon, but he clearly did a better job of running the team in the final quarter last night than Kirk Hinrich has done all season. Which leads me to the third move the Bulls can make.

Bench Kirk Hinrich.

Last night's 0-point effort was just one in a series of horrible performances by Hinrich this season. Kirk played 17 minutes and aside from being shutout while on the court, he also could only manage 1 assist and three personal fouls. The Bulls have played 16 games this season, and in half of those games Hinrich has failed to score in double digits.

Now it's not like Hinrich has to be a big time scorer for the Bulls to win, but it's certainly a lot easier on the team when he's playing well. He hasn't done that at all this season.

Kirk is averaging only 10.7 points per game this season, while shooting only 35% from the field, and 21% from three-point range. All of this for only $11.25 million this season. He does lead the team in assists at 5.4 a game, but if Kirk is going to be such a lost cause scoring-wise, he needs to be dishing out at least 8 or 9 assists a night and committing less turnovers.

His current assist to turnover ratio is 1.76:1 which is nowhere near acceptable. Compare that number to other point guards around the league.

• Jose Calderon -5.59:1
• Chauncey Billups - 3.56:1
• Jason Terry - 3.55:1
• Chris Paul - 3.23:1
• Steve Nash - 3.03:1

Chris Duhon currently has a ratio of 3.14:1.

So in other words, Hinrich has become a liability both scoring and distributing the ball. Other than those two things, what's a point guard supposed to do? Hinrich is still a solid defender, but he's not nearly good enough to deserve more playing time because of it.

Whether or not a light is going to suddenly get turned on in Kirk's head, and he'll go back to playing like the guy that he's been the last few years, I don't know. All I know is that right now, the best point guard for this team is Chris Duhon, and he should be the starter.

This way Scott Skiles can try to help Hinrich get his game back by bringing him in off the bench and hoping he can help run the Bulls second unit. If Kirk can't get his game in line after that, John Paxson can use him as part of any deal the Bulls might make to get a low-post scorer like Pau Gasol to Chicago.

He's miserable in Memphis right now, and could probably be had for a lot cheaper than Memphis has asked for in the past.

Foul Balls

The Cubs Eye Brian Roberts - I'm not sure why the Cubs are going after so many middle infielders this winter, because I like the combination of Ryan Theriot and Mark DeRosa, but they are. First it was Colorado's Kaz Matsui, and now it's Baltimore's Brian Roberts.

A source close to the Cubs confirmed a Baltimore Sun report about their interest in Roberts, and a second baseball source said one package discussed for Roberts included a starting pitcher and at least one other player. Roberts, 30, is under contract for two more years and provides an ideal second left-handed bat the Cubs are seeking, along with Japanese free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome.

It's believed the deal would be Roberts for Matt Murton and Sean Gallagher. If that's all the Orioles want, I say go for it.

Adding Roberts would provide the Cubs with another left handed bat, and it might finally be enough to convince Alfonso Soriano to get out of the lead-off spot. The Cubs could then just move DeRosa to right field.

If the deal falls through though, I think the Cubs should just send Murton to Kansas City for Mark Teahen. Teahen is the same type of player Murton is, but he's a left-handed bat as well with a lot of power potential. So in other words, making that deal would have absolutely no risk and the potential for a very high reward.

Kenny Williams Has No Tolerance For Snitches - Kenny Williams has had it pretty rough lately, but I'm not bothered by it too much. As a White Sox fan, it hasn't exactly been easy for me either. In previous years, if the Sox were hopelessly out of contention by August, I could stop watching if I wanted to. Or at the very least, watch a lot less.

I don't have that option anymore because I'm paid to watch this team now, and it's hard. So I don't mind if Kenny is getting ripped everywhere you look because right now he deserves most of it.

As Kenny has said repeatedly though, the criticism doesn't bother him that much. What's pissing him off right now are all those damn snitches around the front offices of MLB teams.

He also said he was fed up with other teams he believes were leaking information to reporters about the Sox's targets.

"There are too many executives in Major League Baseball offices who have loose lips," Williams said. "If they didn't have loose lips, you guys wouldn't know about it and the rumors wouldn't get out.

"Of course they affect how you do business and whether you're able to do business. It's a lot easier to do business when you don't have to deal with the public debate."

So that wasn't you telling everybody about how Torii Hunter was your #1 target this offseason? I don't think that was much of a secret there, Kenny. Much like it was no secret that no matter what the White Sox said about their pursuit of Hunter, we all knew all along that they'd never actually sign him.

Other than that I don't know what you're talking about. I don't remember hearing any insider information about the Linebrink signing, or the Quentin deal. Those gems just came out of nowhere.

Chicago Bears Spread Em - I don't know if you're aware of it, but the Bears do have a game tonight. If they win in Washington tonight they'll still have a 5% chance of making the playoffs, so it's a very important game.

What worries me tonight is that the Bears have given up 100 yards rushing in their last 8 games, and for the most part they've done it against mediocre running backs. Clinton Portis is capable of putting up 175 yards and 2 touchdowns on his own against our defense.

I would like to see the Bears use more no-huddle tonight, especially if it's working, but I don't want them to do it every drive as some people have suggested. I'd also like to see the Bears let Rex air it out a bit tonight.

Let's face facts here, Sean Taylor's death was tragic and all, but this is a football game. A dead safety presents matchup problems for Washington's defense, so let's use it. I've noticed lately that when Rex misses deep he's overthrowing his receivers.

That's a good thing. He used to underthrow those same receivers which resulted in a lot of his interceptions.

As for my pick, I'll take the Bears +3 tonight. They lost last week, so that means they'll win this week. It's what they've done all season.