ILMOU

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 13, 2015 -> 01:40 PM) LOL at wanting Boni and/or Soto to pinch hit. Both guys are not big league caliber players. QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 13, 2015 -> 11:43 AM) and you are nitpicking on little items to make a point. Yes, they suck. But substantial career numbers against LHP says they suck far, far less than Flowers/Sanchez in that situation. About 200 OPS points each, but who cares, right? We're bad precisely because of the "little things" that other teams do that we don't - and this is among them. The little things add up. Is baserunning a little thing? Ours is the worst we've ever seen. Look, I'm an optimist generally, but I'm becoming resigned to a certain attitude that sticks in my gut - the org won't make the sweeping changes needed until the old man kicks it or otherwise relinquishes control. This upcoming offseason needs to be a watershed, but as the Chairman ages, he'll likely become more and more resistant to drastic change. And it will remind me more and more of the Hawks from back in the Dollar Bill days. Sorry for rant. We have different definitions of nitpicking.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 13, 2015 -> 07:29 AM) now, RV was not here, he didn't make the lineup, so, any more harsh notes on RV and is lack of managing skills?? Yeah, sure. He trusts a guy as his bench coach who doesn't even have the sense to pinch hit Soto OR Boni vs. LHRP, instead staying with Flowers and Sanchez (who while being a switch "hitter" ostensibly, has never hit lefties well) What does that say about the staff and their strategies? Also, replacing the struggling Melky in the two hole with Lexi is such a typical treading water move for this crew. Putting a terrible OBP guy in that position because of some vague idea of "bat handling" or whatever it is they're thinking, is just plain stupid, again. Avi should have been moved to the two hole - that's what Maddon and most good modern managers would do in this situation. The fundamental truth is you score runs by bunching up your hits, not by spreading them out. Do our guys even get this?

Should have been Soto and Boni there in the 8-9, WTF? Stupidity runs deep within this staff.

Happy Birthday Avi! 24 today, keep it going, kid.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Jun 6, 2015 -> 04:46 AM) Very glad to see and past due. As I said in another thread, his resistance to make lineup changes has been my biggest pet peeve with him. The better move, though, would be moving Avi into the 2 hole, and I doubt we'll see that. Surprise me, Robin. And as far as pet peeves go, the complete lack of preparation on a seasonal and nightly basis does it for me.

This belongs in the Ventura thread perhaps, but aren't we all sick of the need for "wake up calls "? Let me explain. We started the season needing a wake up to play with the intensity required for games that actually count. And while comeback victories are nice, we seemingly need to pull our heads out of it constantly in the first few innings of every damn game, starting to play with purpose only after digging a hole. IMO, this goes directly to lack of preparedness from the staff. Too much of a pattern to be much else.

QUOTE (staxx @ May 18, 2015 -> 05:25 PM) Let's go Sox! I need an entertaining game to help de-stress and distract me from finals studying. Good luck on the finals, but I try to avoid the Sox, personally, if I need to de-stress. I find the games to be ulcer inducing. Usually watch with a large jug of Pepto at my side.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 18, 2015 -> 05:05 PM) He did go through a stop sign the other night. One thing I have noticed, is Avi seems to be playing better defense the last week or so. IMO, it would behuge if he could be average with that arm. The defensive improvement is a big positive sign for AvI and the OF defense. It really went south with all the bulk he was carrying last year, but I've always thought he was capable of competence or better, as long as he can move with some agility.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 18, 2015 -> 04:43 PM) I disagree. Overly aggressive, trying to make too much happen. It was dumb, but not a lack of urgency. The exact opposite IMO. In fact one of the things Levine mentioned in the new hands on approach was green lights were being taken away from some players. Eaton and Sanchez turned routine singles into doubles yesterday. I didn't clarify properly - they are now, imo, in a state of over compensation for the too-aggressive early blunders, and it's just a bad baserunning team of a different type. Still potentially costly. And I don't associate the over-aggression with urgency, just stupidity. By urgency, I'm meaning "these games count now - time to bring it" What I saw was "extended spring training". And yes, Eaton, at least may be snapping out of it.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 18, 2015 -> 04:12 PM) Lack of urgency? Were you watching the games? Haha, and yes. And since you brought it up, they still haven't achieved a proper level of baserunning aggression. More hesitation/too-timid blunders to come undoubtedly.

I could see them possibly itching to get a look at Drabek. Perhaps they have him working on something at Charlotte that has yielded the better results.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ May 15, 2015 -> 05:15 PM) Figured this could go here: some love for the state of the systems' ballparks from BA: http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/best-ballparks-minors/ Impressive that all but Kanny placed in the top 25 overall.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ May 18, 2015 -> 01:01 PM) Absolutely. And this causes nervous men to react like children. There was a lot of hype coming into the season so a bit of frustration was warranted, but since we have such a cool-headed man at the helm, the calm fan knew it was only a matter of time. Robin is good. The players are relaxed now. Recent good play does not excuse the total lack of urgency, preparedness, intelligence and focus, in comparison to our divisional rivals, that the ream exhibited early on, after 40 days of ST.. AND those games count just the same, and may well prevent a playoff appearance in 2015. The ledger has not indicated that Robin is good - and I'm not talking only about W-L.

I wonder if the next man up to enter or return to the rotation at this point for a spot start or injury (Baltimore double header?) will be Noesi, Drabek or Beck? - the latter 2 pitching well, Noesi already on the 25. I'd rather see one of them instead of Hector, I think. What say you?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 18, 2015 -> 01:16 AM) It's going to take more than 6 weeks for Trey to pass a consensus Top 50-75 MILB prospect. More like mid 2016 before that happens. For sure, Anderson will be rated higher for the ceiling that his athleticism and playing of a MI position dictate - I think, though, that his fleas are numerous, and he's unlikely to get anywhere close to that ceiling, and I hope and pray to be wrong, but it's a combination of things that has me not super-confident. The walk rate, and the disappearance of power are scary, and yeah, he's raw, but show me a guy our system made un-raw. Where he winds up on D is still up in the air. K rate may get scary if h tries to generate more power. Too many fleas for my taste. Trey, after looking overmatched early, has shown a lot of growth, improving power, and nothing too frightening in the stat line - while way young for the league. Have heard differing reports on D, but optimistic. I'm saying that Trey is the most likely, imo, to be a positive significant contributor at the MLB level among the position prospects EDIT: That fielding % will need to improve, and may not be athletic enough for other valuable positions. Screw it. I don't have confidence in any of them.

Really starting to get excited about Trey. Won't surprise me if he is considered our best position prospect soon. Yes, even including Anderson. He seems to have adjusted quickly to early struggles - a great sign at his age.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ May 17, 2015 -> 12:17 PM) The offense will be fine in the long run no matter who is at 2b, I couldn't/can't say the same thing about the defense. The D needed the greatest attention in this case, granted, but the offense being "fine" will frequently not be "enough", depending upon the pitching. Agreed that the move was necessary, and will help , but Carlos is a utility guy imo. If his BA was accompanied by a general OBP skill, I'd feel differently.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ May 17, 2015 -> 10:24 AM) This team needs a glove that's why I wanted Sanchez starting from the beginning. Nothing against Micah but Carlos is a better fit for this particular team imo. Well, the team needs a glove AND a bat or two, but Micah's D needs to be at a higher level or he can't play in the middle infield. But this IS a compromise, because Carlos has a very limited offensive upside. Semien may be the giant 2B-of-the-future regret, if Micah doesn't get it together.

Excellent outing for Danks, and should at least start the 7th. Now let's get another win.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 16, 2015 -> 08:51 PM) Avi just has trouble offensively and defensively reacting instinctively. Not sure he can ever overcome that. Doesnt mean he cant be a good player, but its going to be a serious limitation. A lot of this crap can, and should, be coached.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 16, 2015 -> 08:48 PM) Alexei with ANOTHER double play. Avi not getting to 2nd on a wild pitch that went 60 feet away from catcher comes back to hurt the Sox. The baserunning confidence is below zero and is resulting in an overcompensation and lack of aggression to a fault. Will it get fixed?

The Manager should bear some responsibility for managing the dumbest team in 125 years of baseball history, should he not?

Dumbest team ever. Certainly the worst at baserunning I've ever seen. Comeback killer. s*** has to change.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 15, 2015 -> 11:32 PM) Our SB percentage is pathetic, stop running please Yeah, just add it to the 10,000 other things Robin still hasn't learned in his 4 year OJT.

Nice comeback!!