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No news regarding Kopech, but I just wanted to say that I think this guy is going to be a stud in the big leagues. He seems to have some of the best work ethic on the team, and from what I can tell, the injury has brought new perspective when it comes to pitching. I personally hope they start him in Charlotte just to get him used to facing live batters again, but when he comes up, assuming he starts in AAA, I think he is going to make a tremendous impact on this ball club.

Jake lost 50 lbs and is in the best shape of his life. He recently achieved the world's highest score ever on Warcraft III.

I'm just not that interested in a college bat at this stage though. I hope they go younger in round 1 or take a college starting pitcher.

Look at all that equipment in the back! God it feels good that this organization is finally catching up to the times. Still not quite there yet, but it's a hell of a start.

Shit, if Buck Weaver and Shoeless Joe Jackson are still banned, WTF aren't the Houston players also banned for life? (Yes, I get the players union angle, but why aren't the players union also sticking up for players that may have been wrongly punished in the past?) Otherwise, why aren't Weaver/Jackson made eligible for reinstatement, and thus, enshrinement in Cooperstown? This is some high bullshit, IMO.

If Puig is available for next to nothing, and he really is nowhere near the clubhouse problem he is made out to be, isn’t it astonishing no team has signed him? I think there is way more to it than people on both sides of the argument want to believe. Maybe he isn’t as bad as many of us believe clubhouse wise, but maybe he is still asking for significant money and a situation where he is pretty much guaranteed every day at bats. Or maybe he is willing to play for next to nothing but is as bad in the clubhouse as many think. There is evidence to suggest playing for a contract isn’t all that big of a deal for him.I postedthe video of him walking back to the dugout after putting a ball in play. Yes, he would have been out anyway, but it is a very bad look considering your reputation, being on your 3rd team in less than a year, and less than a month from free agency.

It doesn't work like that. Your agent works on getting you paid by the position you play. Not how Jack Parkman thinks it should be done

He's so dreamy.

I was holding my breathe when I saw this thread title. Thank God.

Stone said nothing wrong. He said the game teaches life lessons and Anderson just added that there could be a ton of black kids who can play it at a high level if given the financial resources.

He's looking right in the camera and lying. If they really want to give a sincere apology, send the trophy to Cooperstown where they can keep it in storage for a few decades, take down any signage regarding the 2017 Championship, donate the amount all of the playoff share money from 2017 to charity, and no future team sponsored celebrations of the 2017 season. If they want to keep their rings they won unfairly, they can do it, but nobody really thinks they earned it.

at some point in MLB, someone is going to press charges against a pitcher for throwing at a batter. It meets all legal definitions of assault. I wonder if this could be the year.

Wow Correa and the Astros still won’t shut tf up. Endless digging. Unreal.

Soon-to-be top 5 prospect in the Sox system...

Listening to Kris Bryant go off on the Astros. Pretty impressive dude.

Giolio, Gio Gonzalez, and Grandal all with minor injuries. Expected to miss the first week of spring games but not much more. Not sure about GG but I believe the other two participated in normal team work outs. At Soxfest there was mention of Burger reporting to AZ in a few weeks but nothing more specific that I can recall. No one seems to be saying much about where he's at in rehab or timetable etc.

Grandal, Giolito, and Gio Gonzalez will all miss first week of ST games. Will be fine for regular season. We’ll be lucky to ever see Burger in a major league game.

Can't wait to see him up agaim If he can reach what he was destined to be and join Giolito, we can have co-aces Not to mention MiLB Pitcher of the Year Dylan Cease who's been compared to Verlander or ReyLo who has flashed pure dominance Rodon, Dunning, Lambert await too https://memes.yarn.co/yarn-clip/b71fd181-dec7-4e27-a463-5493c66a19be#2kkEl_lVE.copy

Bellinger just ripped Crane a new one and said Altuve stole the MVP. The hatred for the Astros is real around the league.

Anybody else looking forward to the first time the Dodgers and Astros face each other this season? Those should be some very interesting games with some of the things the Dodgers have been saying. Yankees vs. Astros should be another one.

The Houston Astros are the New England Patriots of MLB, using technology to gain an unfair competitive advantage over their opponents that resulted in unprecedented and unearned success for their respective franchises. Both of those franchises' championships should be removed from the record books (just don't have a champion for those years), the trophies should be taken from the respective organizations, and the individuals involved in the cheating should be banned for life. It appears, however, that both Roger Goodell and Rob Manfred lack the courage to do what is right for the integrity of their sport. What both the Astros and Patriots did in their respective sports is worse, in my opinion, than what the 1919 White Sox did, and there are people still banned from baseball over 100 years later for what that team did. At least they only fixed an outcome so that they lost. The Astros and Patriots fixed outcomes so that they won.

I think it’s funny how people are appalled by the idea of signing Puig but are okay with Engel getting at bats in RF against lefties. Sign Puig for next to nothing, provide starting OF coverage for your corner outfielders, one of which gets injured a lot, and let him platoon with Mazara in the meantime. If he acts like a dick, cut his ass.

You will be able to start a franchise on release day if you choose. Which is awesome. I wouldn't go so far to say they will never be made again. The need for new, additional players is always going to be there. Regardless, I got you covered for the Sox - I always post guys to the vault individually.

Thank goodness on the three batter rule. A small positive step for fan-kind. I despise pitchers coming in for one batter.

"Thats something the pitcher need to work on. He gotta work on how to control his feelings." Best line of the interview by far. F*ck pitchers and f*ck verlander especially.

He should be batting 2nd anyways.

I'd be fine always going advanced college first round if they always experimented with preps in 2nd/3rd/4th like last year

If he’s willing to sign an extension, bat him wherever the fuck he wants.

If not, I feel like it'll be similar to last year where we took the BPA, a college player, and go HS heavy the rest of Draft Good way to sustain a deep system, and the LatAm signings that appear to be happening

Yeah, and I hate making these things political in nature because they don't feel political to me. I am a former conservative - who still leans that way financially but I lean that way based on historical conservatism which I don't feel exists today the same way it did 20 years ago - who now is a moderate who has voted D more often of late. I don't really think there are a lot of politicians on either side of the aisle that care about you and me, sadly. Same to you; have a great time with the family this weekend - and the wife - and go Sox. The greatness of athletics is it brings people together from all walks of life based on a common bond that helps you to understand that we're not all that different - the messaging we have received just varies. The key to advancement is moving outside of your bubble and being open to changing our minds or beliefs when presented with reasonable discourse. We may not agree, but we can at least understand the position without anger and hostility. Decency still exists, despite the narrative that it is fleeting.

A sincere thank you, Ray, and I'm glad it meant so much to you. Our overall end goals might not change, but it's great to talk to people who disagree with our perspectives. I am still and probably always will be ardently conservative, but that does not mean I am not willing to listen to others and hash these things out and even rethink things (in some circumstances, anyway). If you can't discuss your beliefs in a rational manner, they're not beliefs worth having. Have a great weekend, and happy Valentine's Day to you and your wife!

I just wanted to say, the discussion Lane and I had via PM's after this conversation was not only cordial, but it gives me hope for a lot of people. Messaging is huge in these discussions; lane isn't a bad person just because he feels the way he feels. In fact, due to the messaging given to those who disagree with many I understand completely why lane feels the way he does. The fact that he was not only willing to listen to my point, but even agree with my angle despite disagreeing with the premise prior to our discussion is why I love these conversations. The key to life isn't telling those who don't see things the way you do that they are idiots; the key is informing them that just because they benefited from things does not mean they didn't earn them through hard work; the point I made is that everyone should just have that same opportunity and sadly they still do not. Lane, great conversation and I really appreciated your thoughts and feelings on all of this. I understand the frustration of thinking people were saying you were handed something because you were white, or because of your parents, when you know you worked really hard to get where you are. I told lane about experiences I have witnessed my wife have - who is a native Colombian - and how it breaks my heart to see her judged for her accent, culture and etc. My wife is a brilliant woman - with an engineering degree - but she doesn't always get the same opportunities that I may get because of her cultural background. All I ask is for everyone to be on an even playing field, and for the fortunate ones among us to understand that not everyone had loving parents... or parents that could be home because they may have had to work two jobs to support their families. At the end of the day, we're all human beings, and we're frequently a product of our environments. I am hopeful we can get to a place where all kids feel supported and an equal opportunity to succeed; a place in which the environment for all is one of opportunity and not survival. Crime is higher in low income neighborhoods not because they are evil people, but because desperation breeds a survival instinct in humans and people do whatever they have to when survival is involved. I don't judge those from backgrounds that I can't understand, but if we support each other we can build up the bottom which greatly benefits the middle and the top. Good discussion all around, and I am immensely grateful for the cordial nature of this discussion. It shows me that we are all still capable of respectful conversation. Have a great weekend, fellas.

I think the Sox are going high school in round 1 and more prep focused overall. Hopefully these college guys push preps down the board.

This is the crux of my view as well. With a butcher already committed to in LF, bringing in a statue like Mazara is a problem that can't be bridged easily. Giving Mazara the starting RF role is a mistake, IMO. Adding in a 37 year old Encarnacion effectively "blocks" Mazara from being hidden at DH, and it constipates the 1B/DH depth chart. By contrast, Puig's issues can be bridged by: 1. The "makeable incentives" part of a contract to help keep him in line, [i.e. cash to him and to his charitable foundation if he toes the line], 2. Insuring the contract [i.e. if he steps out of line/is released, Lloyd's of London covers some of the contract], 3. Signing redundancy in the 26 man [i.e. a Corner OF/DH type that can play some corner OF, instead of yet another 1B/DH type like Encarnacion], 4. Trusting that men can evolve and mature [i.e. the issues from when he was 22 won't pop up now that he's 29 & with 3 kids], 5. Trusting that Abreu and Grandal are in fact good leaders that have vouched for who he is NOW, 6. Trusting that Ricky can do what he does best, which is to keep a harmonious and engaged clubhouse, and 7. [EDIT] Trusting/verifying that he's been humbled by the past few years and the lack of suitors this offseason. I'm not sure there are [EDIT] 7 ways to bridge Mazara's 59 wrc+ v. LHP, nor his ineptitude at defense, nor Encarnacion's inevitable date with Father Time.

Old news, but unlike the absolutely awful proposed changes to the playoffs, these (minor) changes are all very good IMO.

Hopefully before there are any more hints at Steve Stone being racist without any evidence.

Thanks, I've been waiting to share some tips. I'd recommend staying in Tempe if you're younger or single. It's about a 30 minute drive from Camelback but at night you can walk to Mill street and enjoy the nightlife and scenery. If you want something quieter Scottsdale is nice and has a number of resorts. Driving is easy in the valley for the most part. I wouldn't worry about being "too far" from anything. If you rent a cheap car you can get to everywhere you need to be in under an hour. As far as seeing the games outside the Sox, I'd recommend hitting up Talking Stick that place actually feels like a MLB park. If you have kids it's a must as they have a huge kids area. Great beer selection as well. Peoria sports complex is...interesting. There is a place outside there that is a must visit IMO called the "moon saloon" that has some of the cheapest drinks around. Think they had $2 beers and $4 well drinks when we went there prior to the Mariners game. I haven't been to the Cubs' stadium but it's supposed to be on the best. Tickets are usually pretty pricey tho. I usually like to go the first week of March. The weather is milder (usually about 70-75 day and 45-55 at night) and you have a better chance of seeing both the main guys and the youngsters. By mid march most of the young camp invites will be sent to their affiliate and many of the regulars will be getting rest days already. Don't bother to purchase tickets in advance unless you're in a large group. And don't bother with anything other than "lawn" or "general admission". The ushers are VERY relaxed in spring training, especially at Camelback. You can slide up right behind home plate about anytime after the 2nd inning. For autographs at camelback usually the Sox players sign on the 1st base lawn side starting about an hour before the game and then when the guys get pulled they will often sign on their way back to the clubhouse. For stuff to do outside baseball I'd recommend climbing Camelback mountain (steep but short and a great view) and if you're into hiking Tom's Thumb is a great hike a bit outside the city of moderate difficulty. For food in Tempe I recommend NCounter, Pedal House brewery and La Bocca. La Bocca is a really great wine and pizza bar. A bit pricey but excellent food and service. Eating outside there with a glass of wine and a solid piece of pizza after a day in the sun and baseball is pure joy if you're coming from a harsh winter.

It's like someone accidentally forgot to turn a layer off in Photoshop and then made the entire line like that. Absolutely awful. A few of them are cool, but the White Sox one honestly might be the worst of the set

That literally looks EXACTLY like off brand white sox hat that you would buy at Shipshewana (or another amish flea market) LOLL