SI1020

Tell Dad to be strong and I'm sure you and the family will be there for him. I'm wishing all the best.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 4, 2016 -> 09:48 PM) Why is it when the teams sucks, the manager gets blamed, the hitting coach gets blamed, and when it's good, they really don't get much credit. Yet, with Cooper it is exactly the opposite. He gets credit for all their success, no no blame for their failure. The bloom has been off the rose for Cooper a long time now. He gets lots of criticism for the failures of his pitchers and his carping about Sox fans and attendance.

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 10:43 PM) Furious turning apathetic. Me too.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 02:36 AM) Of course. He's the best fan ever. Good to see Avi show some emotion. Avi isn't very good. He's a great fan. I feel guilty disagreeing with him. I can't have the attitude that he does but I respect him for it.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 1, 2016 -> 07:30 PM) Blown saves does not tell you anything about how good or bad a bullpen is. It's a pretty useless stat for evaluation. Blown saves can occur late in games for a variety of reasons, and it treats all the same which makes it really noisy. The bullpen is bad, but the blown saves measure doesn't tell us that. Honestly in this day of age of stat deconstruction I don't know what stat or stats matter anymore. I look forward to the day when wins and losses no longer matter and titles are given based on Pythagorean wins or SRS because nothing real seems to carry weight. The bullpen is bad and blown saves helps us figure it all out. That and watching so many late inning nightmares. Another thing what is this deep love for FIP? You can go back years and find stat geeks who don't like FIP. To me the whole premise behind FIP is absurd. Some really good pitchers are going to come across not so good and others not so good are going to look better. It is a very selective and flawed stat.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 26, 2016 -> 09:54 PM) The irony of course being when I hit google, the only person I could find referring to fans as whiny, was you. I don't know what words you used to search but I found some. Q: What is the difference between a White Sox fan and a baby? A: The baby will stop whining after awhile. source: http://www.jokes4us.com/sportsjokes/mlbjok...tesoxjokes.html http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/colum...319-column.html Still, the White Sox fans trudge on, unapologetic or whiny, and seemingly ready to win whenever the time comes. - Source https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0067VB1RW/ref=dp...UTF8&btkr=1 White Sox fans about the 1983 season is that wewentout whining and crying, ... Source https://www.amazon.com/Ron-Kittles-Tales-Wh...t/dp/1582615438 Kevin M. wrote, "At least Cub fans stick with their team. Sox fans may not whine verbally, however, they are nowhere to be found unless they are in first place or playing the Yankees. I've seen games where they have been a couple of games out of first place, playing against a contender on a warm July night and they only draw 18,000. I guess they whine with their wallets. A point of clarification: White Sox fans are among the greatest whiners in the history of sport. Source for the above two http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/dail...1015-story.html I'm sure I could find more.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 31, 2016 -> 11:38 PM) He's another bust. He blows. I never thought he'd be as bad as Dayan, but he is. He is isn't he? I actually thought he might turn out to be good. Not one of my better prognostications.

QUOTE (captain54 @ Aug 31, 2016 -> 05:26 AM) The Internet also is an easy place to speak one's mind, call out other posters, question their fandom, and not have to deal with the consequences of a face to face confrontation I think I'm pretty mild as posters go. I can be extremely intense and opinionated but I try to be fair and respectful. Whatever I post I am old school and would never post anything to any of you that I wouldn't be willing to look you directly in the eye and say. Also since I'm on a roll here ordinary masculinity is totally out of style in the modern world and some men try to compensate by being keyboard warriors. I've been here off and on with some long off periods since at least 2002. This place has only my best wishes and sometimes I wish I had just stuck around continuously.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Aug 24, 2016 -> 11:59 PM) I've never been so apathetic about this team as I've been this year. Between all the ridiculous embarrassments coming from the LaRoche saga, Sale being an overgrown baby, our inability to develop talent, make decent trades, or even have ONE GM IN CHARGE... I mean that was already enough... but now THIS? I just.... I just can't with this team right now. If you wanted to see a masterclass on how to run a team straight into the ground, you're getting a good one. Another good one. The truth hurts but this is the way it is now in White Sox land.

QUOTE (CWSpalehoseCWS @ Aug 24, 2016 -> 11:20 PM) Gotta love the genius who thought it would be a great idea to put a logo with a downward pointing arrow all over the ballpark. Anyone who has any basic design/marketing background knows you NEVER associate negative images with your brand. That arrow may work when talking low mortgage rates but it's a terrible idea associating it with a competitive baseball team. Subliminal messages stick, especially when it accurately defines the current state of the organization, haha. Thank you.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 23, 2016 -> 06:30 PM) Realistically the Sox have only a few options here. Taking him out of the rotation now is the worst of the moves. Your biggest goal is to pitch him until he gets through whatever is messing him up. Taking him out of the rotation makes that much harder. If you can get him into some sort of a stable recovery mode, then you either have a solid starting pitcher, or you have a trade asset. At this point I think letting him pitch at all is the worst possible option. This is just epic bad. I can't remember any SP having two spectacularly bad stretches like Shields has had this year. Opponents hitting .452 against him in August!! 17.36 ERA!! That is mind boggling.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Aug 20, 2016 -> 02:32 AM) How about we hope Shields gets FIXED He is more than likely not fixable.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Aug 10, 2016 -> 07:22 PM) In 2002, not 2012 Dan Wright threw nearly 200 innings with a FIP- of 106 (just slightly worse than league average) and an xFIP- of 100 (right at league average). That was good for 1.7 fWAR. So yes, Dan Wright was a pretty valuable member of the 2002 Sox though it had nothing to with his win total. Do you really believe that? Did you watch him pitch? He was bloody awful. Since you seem to be cherry picking saber stats how about his -1.1 JAWS and career WAR. Ranking him 3209th in the pantheon of MLB starting pitchers. At least he did come in at 0.0 in 2002. The Sox lack of SP depth cost them dearly from 2001-04 and Dan Wright was part of that problem. I will grant you that 2002 was his "best" season. As for the topic David Robertson has at least for me been a major disappointment. Like last season he started the year Rivera like and then regressed. I feel my stomach churning and pulse rising when he comes in to close a game.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 5, 2016 -> 06:34 PM) I think the bolded is a myth. The issue isn't that these guys themselves come up and struggle a bit. The issue is that these guys are placed in a position where a team designed to be competitive needs them to succeed in order to actually be competitive. This creates an atmosphere where the organization, the team, the player and the fans are placing so much reliance on the prospect to immediately contribute that it sort of ruins the entire mood for everyone. If we were to rebuild, I think there would be an acceptance for struggles and growing pains because of reduced expectations that simply doesn't exist when you are trying to compete year in and year out. Excellent analysis.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 5, 2016 -> 04:15 AM) We waited forever for Viciedo to learn to draw a walk. Sometimes it doesn't happen. Just like we're waiting a long time for Avi to reach his alleged potential.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 08:29 PM) Nobody's crucifying him. He's had 200 at bats and it's fair to comment on those. My guess is since he won't take a walk, he'll be an OK ballplayer, nothing special, never an all-star or anything. Just another guy at about .245 ceiling, 65 ribbies, maybe more if he gets his home run total past 15 a year. I'd say he'll normally hit .245 tops; .220 bottom, 15 HRS, 65 RBI type player. I agree with this post except I think he can hit better than that. I also don't think he will realize his potential (I think he can hit in the .260 or so range) if he doesn't move those walk totals up a tad. He needs to do that plain and simple and to me that is just reality.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Aug 4, 2016 -> 02:56 AM) At this point I bet even Albers could own the White Sox if he had to pitch to them. Thanks. You gave me a much needed laugh.

At me to the chorus. That was a damn fine post by HeGone 7.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 3, 2016 -> 12:58 AM) Any chance this convinces anyone who was talking about how well Shields was pitching and blasting anybody mentioning his peripherals to reconsider? I think Shields is probably finished, just not a big fan of peripherals or saber in general. What kind of peripherals did Mark Buehrle carry most of the time? I hate the one size fits all of Saber and the made up formulas. Yeah I know, I'm an idiot. In the meantime more carnage on the field for the Sox.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 2, 2016 -> 06:02 PM) Remember when people were trying to say that Sox fans weren't bitter and angry... I remember the first time I set foot in old Comiskey. I was all of 7 years old. The ball park was like a magical place to me. The fans had a robustness about them and the place was full of Damon Runyon like characters. The Sox dropped a double header to Cleveland that day but I was hooked. On everything, the park, atmosphere and the team. The following year we went back and this time the Sox beat the Tribe twice and later that year won the pennant to boot. The next year I went to my first Cubs game. Wrigley was dreary, although the grass and ivy were nice and there was a cool breeze off the lake. Attendance was sparse, including nice ladies from Iowa who came on tour buses and high toned ones from the North Shore. Cub scout troops who yelled incessantly "We want a hit!" every time the Cubs were at bat. No Damon Runyon like characters, all so polite nice and pollyana like. I was glad to be a kid who was a Sox fan. Even then I liked the gritty reality of a Sox game over the oh so nice experience of Wrigley Field. Even the roar of the crowd when the home team did something sounded different. I've always felt more at home with the passion Sox fans bring, including the b****ing and moaning when things go badly. Sox fans are among the most loyal, but they want to win, even though the history of the franchise is mostly one of frustration and failure. We never would have called our team "lovable losers." Now things have changed, just like life in general. Well I retain my right to root for the Sox and to call this ownership group out for the out of touch floundering organization that it is. Apparently some think this should be illegal.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Aug 2, 2016 -> 10:20 PM) Lip I think there were some pretty good years between 1968-1980. 72-73-74 with Dick Allen and the Winnning Ugly of 77 were exciting years. People were charged up1973 and 74 were good years? Neither were winning seasons and the combined record is 157-165. They fell off a cliff in 1973 and their star player quit on them before the end of the season in 1974.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Aug 1, 2016 -> 08:10 PM) I look forward to another year of a 3-5th place .500 team! They haven't been above .500 since 2012. Six losing seasons in the last 9, probably going to be 7 in the last 10. A .500 team would look pretty good.

Again words just fail me. I'm terribly sorry. He will be a part of your family always. I wish I knew you and your wife better so I could do something more tangible than just words. Be strong both of you.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 27, 2016 -> 05:53 PM) There's nothing wrong with actually analyzing the situation as well. There is nothing wrong with realizing that FIP is a bulls*** stat. xFIP not quite as bad. The whole idea of "fielding independent" is faulty IMHO. All that aside even the saber crowd recognizes the limitations of FIP. http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/13019...endent-pitching I still go by my original contention. I hate that stat.

I never know what to say at a time like this. You search for some perfect magical words and they're just not there. I hope you and your wife can take comfort in knowing you have a lot of backup on this site. Including from this old man. Stay strong and all the best hopes and wishes from your boy from me.