Black Sox Faction

Professor Grif

Kenny finally got his guy. He's been persuing Grif for years and finally added him to the Sox. I do not note this as a major trade. The Sox basically picked him up for free. Although nick Masset was a good pitcher and the bullpen will be thinned out because of his loss, he wasn't a team changer. And Danny Richar is last years experiment to try and develop a replacement for Juan Uribe - already done w/ the superior basball player Alexie Ramirez.

To me, Grif is replacing Konerko. Konerko has show no signs of beaking out of his - well, two year -slump, and that dead area needed to be addressed. Paulie was on his way to duplicating his great erformnce of a few years back when he hit 18 hr and had 65 rbi over an entire eason. Make no bones about it, that was where he is headed. I was sick of his and Thomes slow starts - but Thome has come out of his slump nicely.

I feel good about Swisher on first instead of Konerko. When Paul was on the DL earlier, the Sox went 13-7. So, the Sox are basically replacing one slow righty power hitter with another slow lefty power hitter. The difference is, Grif is having a decent year. Konerko is having a disaster of a yar.

Not a bad trade. W/ the starting pitching above all now beginning to be the main focus of concer, the additionof Grif was a suprise. But, I'll welcome him here. And though were not expecting 56 hr's from him - it'll be better than 18 with 65 rbi.