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There's no need to be a dick. Jesus christ man. Grow the fuck up.

Yeah, if there's not a season until mid-August. We have bigger problems than trying to open at the Field of Dreams.

So nationalize the companies or at least take an equity stake and claw back stockholder payments and executive bonuses. Stop privatizing all the profits and socializing all the losses.

Congratulations Soxtalk we have now successfully upgraded this thread into the MLB forum because this is the worst possible universe every time. And given all the options I’m going with “he is an expert on injections” and I’m done and going to go light the nearby playground kids keep using on fire.

This is one of the dumbest posts I've seen on the whole internet.

His gum lines aren't nearly receded enough from rampant chewing tobacco use. He's got to step up his abuse of chewing tobacco game before he gets on that level.

Myself and James welcome Matt Spiegel to the program to get his thoughts on the latest news related to the MLB draft. Spiegs also gives his opinion on Rob Manfred and didn’t hold back. We had fun recording this. I hope you enjoy.

I think they will have better data on how to manage the virus by summer time and at that point, they'll play, but with no fans, possibly to your point, we might have each sport play an almost entire season (if not whole season) without fans. That said, ratings will be HUUUGE.

You remember how you couldn’t figure out how touching a plastic feature could allow you to transmit a disease? You are the germ warfare.

That seems really optimistic to me. At this point, I’d be shocked if the MLB season started before June 1st. I think it’s possible that the entire season is cancelled.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/27/trump-malaria-coronavirus-152498 They’ve pulled doctors and FEMA and management officials off of other tasks to manage their malaria drug fantasy. They are offering doctors monetary bonuses for trying them on patients.

I received a call today from my rep with the local minor league team letting me know that their season is going to start Friday May 15th. He said "things may change" but he thinks this date is solid. It makes sense for MLB to relaunch baseball at all levels on the same date so my guess is that the 15th is the target date for MLB as well. Source: Random guy on the internet that is a season ticket holder for the local minor league team and runs a business that sponsored the local minor league team in previous seasons.

Normally hiring is constant throughout the late spring and summer as teachers move, retire, take different positions, or whatever. This year I honestly don't know. There may be less movement from teaching to non academic positions.

Mid August. To start the season with Field of Dreams sounds great on paper. Not sure how the logistics work out. Construction on the stadium is not completed yet and I'm not sure how the virus is affecting its progress. If the season starts sometime in June, which sounds like the hope right now, I'm unsure if the site would be ready. If the season isnt able to be underway until August, I'm not sure we'll even have a season at all.

Good luck with that comrade.

That’s right, I totally forgot about that. I guess we’ll have to see the specifics then, because it seems crazy that someone optioned would automatically get a year of service time. But then again, this is all unprecedented territory so who really knows.

Yeah, I would hope they don't wait until fans can be there. If they wait that long it might be too late in the year to start the season. Maybe limit the amount of tickets that can be sold for a while? Don't cram everyone in one section, spread it out a bit.

There will be a small popularity aspect to it but much more important will be the relationship or lack thereof the area scout established with the player. It will be much more difficult for the teams who fired their scouts to sign these guys.

He was on the MLB IL so he did. He currently has 1.041 years of service. But he was also option already so I don't think he would get the service time.

He got a full year last year. He was on the major league DL

I've talked to some folks today and this is what Im expecting. Many scouts and one former director still think that this year's draft will be 10 rounds. In that scenario: HS kids that get their number will still go pro, college juniors who are drafted will go pro. College juniors not drafted will return to school. Most seniors will take the $20K in UDFA. That's more than many of them get anyway. Draft will be 20 rounds in 2021 and likely 20-25 going forward. This is a money saver but not by much. The biggest takeaway is that MLB will wipe out many low level affiliates such as Great Falls. More senior types will end up in INDY ball. A team like the Sox could easily just add another AZL team to get guys playing time. I'm working on bonus pool amounts right now.

America owes $1.5 trillion in student loan debt.

I find spiegel highly annoying and a terrible sounding radio person. fortunately the link didn’t open.

We must revive the old chant. Dick-man! Dick-man!

Okay, Larry Kudlow. Just kidding. Well, I haven’t sold anything (except last summer at DJIA 27k) for twenty years...can you tell us which day and we can just pretend it’s $100,000 or $1,000,000 for argument’s sake for easy analysis??? Fwiw, those who tried to short the market on unemployment numbers got massacred yesterday. China has ordered no short selling, period. Even with active control, we might be facing around 81,000 deaths by July according to a new detailed analysis from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. ..... Our for-profit health care system rakes in money on disease, not on health. Instead, we have a system that works for the rich, instead of a public health system for all Americans that readily anticipates and controls new pathogens through testing, contact tracing, and quarantine. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/opinions/us-most-confirmed-cases-sachs/index.html Publication date: March 26, 2020 Assuming Strong Social Distancing, This Wave of the Pandemic Could End in the US in June SEATTLE – In a forecast based on new data analyses, researchers find demand for ventilators and beds in US hospital intensive care units (ICUs) will far exceed capacity for COVID-19 patients as early as the second week of April. Deaths related to the current wave of COVID-19 in the US are likely to persist into July, even assuming people protect themselves and their communities by strongly adhering to social distancing measures and by taking other precautions advised by public health officials. “Our estimated trajectory of COVID-19 deaths assumes continued and uninterrupted vigilance by the general public, hospital and health workers, and government agencies,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. “The trajectory of the pandemic will change – and dramatically for the worse – if people ease up on social distancing or relax with other precautions. We encourage everyone to adhere to those precautions to help save lives.” IHME’s analysis, based on observed death rates, estimates that over the next four months in the US, approximately 81,000 people will die from the virus. Estimates range between 38,000 and 162,000 US deaths. http://www.healthdata.org/news-release/new-covid-19-forecasts-us-hospitals-could-be-overwhelmed-second-week-april-demand-icu

The arrangement is a travesty. The union needs to really consider amateur players and always keep them in mind. If they continue not to include them, the health of the game will be in grave danger.

But that's okay since none of the benefits are going to the Trump Organization, right?

The CDC (not Google) was supposed to be working on this. Hospital by hospital across the country...all the patients testing positive, critical/severe, ICU admissions, equipment needs, etc. Not all information would be made available for public consumption (and you can be sure the withheld information will be fought for by the press via lawsuits over FOIA.)

Yes, the government "disappeared" 2-3 citizen reporters who were reporting directly from and outside the hospitals in late January. Yes, we know all about Dr. Li Wenliang, the whistleblower. He's from my neighborhood, and went to Wuhan University with my wife (well, he went to medical school, but same age and school.) Yes, a number of cases (hundreds probably) in the beginning where people died weren't yet diagnosed as COVID-19, but natural causes or pneumonia. Of course, the same thing has been happening in the US (see Kirkland Life Care Center)...and we'll never know unless they autopsy everyone who's died in the US since late December or early January. Yes, there were rumors about sulphur dioxide clouds being captured from the crematoriums, in lieu of the normal pollution from factories. In the end, people are already back to work this week, if they have their own cars. The airport and subway are back online Saturday. On the subway or Metro, there's three yellow tape lines for what used to be a longer 5-7 person metal seat, social distancing. She will go back to work on Monday. Schools (KG-middle or junior school) are still looking at a May start, after draconian measures from January 23rd until that time. High schools (at least seniors) are supposedly going back a bit earlier, sometime between April 15th and the end of the month because every senior in the country has to take the Gao Kao examination on June 7th/8th (same test, same exact time for every student in whole country) and it's not fair to kids in our province if they aren't provided as much time as possible to study with their teachers in-school when most of the rest of China has reopened at least 4-6 weeks earlier.

This dude is going to get so many people killed jfc.

Genuinely curious what happens when States defy his claim that it's ok to come outside and he starts getting really nervous about the economy. I'm expecting a lot of twitter shit talking towards governors when that bridge is crossed

There might as well be zero data at this point for us idiot-level humans to look at. Who knows who gets a test in any of these countries and USA doesn’t even test etc. Mortality rate is pointless without blanket testing for antibodies. JMO

Trump can talk all he wants about this but states have taken the lead and continue to do so. My guess is if the medical community is saying we're not ready by Easter, Cuomo, Pritzker, Newsom, etc. will extend the shelter-in-place orders.

nearly 700 new cases in Illinois today. Hopefully this was with a huge increase in testing, but we are definitely in the exponential growth. Have to hope by next wednesday we start to see some stabilization.

Its funny, if we were talking about illegal immigrants getting stimulus money there would be massive outrage about money going out of the country. These are quite literally foreign companies operating in a matter to evade our laws and regulations, so where is the outrage?

1-0 baby. Man I straight up can't imagine watching TV in the like before 2008 quality (whenever HD was normal)

May be the best pitcher the White Sox have ever had.

Sale brought so many good times to us Sox fans. I wish him the best in his recovery.

So 24 of 35 picks on catchers and 2nd basemen and trading your top HR hitter while playing Russian roulette with the bullpen. LOL that's some weird GMing . How does a GM even do that with draft picks ? That's just loco. What's up with this sim? Anyway keep up the good work . I'm enjoying it.

June 1: Off Day. RoboHahn used this opportunity to send down Ian Hamilton and Matt Foster for Jace Fry and Zack Burdi. Across town, the Cubs made actual moves, trading C Victor Caratini and minor leaguer Brailyn Marquez to Tampa for Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow is 1-5 with a 6.18 ERA. Sure. The Cubs are 34-27, and apparently they think Glasnow is what is missing. Oh, and Jose Quintana tore his UCL. June 2: Royals 8, White Sox 7. Once upon a time, the Sox were up 5-0 in this one. And 7-5. And while Dylan Cease had another good start (5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 5 K; 2.88 ERA for the year) bur RoboHahn's latest bullpen "fixes" Zack Burdi (2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K) and Ian Hamilton (2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, HBP, 0 BB, K) would give up 5 runs in relief, teaming up with Kelvin Herrera (1.2 IP, H, R, K, HR; 7.76 ERA) to make sure the Sox didn't win this one. Abreu (13) and Mendick (5) went deep in this one. Abreu and Robert (.243) also had three hit games. And remember that David Freitas trade I made fun of earlier this year? He went deep. At least Heuer has been activated from the IL and sent on rehab, I guess. Can we please win tomorrow? 28-33 June 3: White Sox 5, Royals 1. Maybe I just need to ask in the future. Home runs by Abreu (14) and Jimenez (9) helped pace the Sox as Michael Kopech easily had one of his best starts as a Sox pitcher (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 6 K). The only Royal run would come after a Salvador Perez (!) triple. He would be knocked in by an Alex Gordon single. The Sox lineup is still middling however, due to subpar batting averages out of the likes of Moncada (.225), Encarnacion (.257), Jimenez (.252), Abreu (.233), Grandal (.240), Fisher (.250) and Robert (.244, which, granted, is way better than it used to be). I guess some small solace would be some regression to the mean out of some of these guys, especially Moncada, would bump the record up a bit. 29-33 June 4: White Sox 8, Royals 5. Two in a row? Why not. I think the 7th inning grand slam (10) out of Eloy Jimenez helped in this one, as well as the two run shot (6) out of Danny Mendick, but it was another strong start out of Dallas Keuchel (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K; 7-1, 3.16 ERA) that got the Sox off to a strong start in this one. A three run outburst out of the Royals against Bennett Sousa in the eighth made the game as tight as it was. Luis Robert has also ascended to second in the lineup, and he responded with a two hit performance. Abreu, Anderson and Mendick also had two hits. So did Cheslor Cuthbert, but, sadly, he came in after Yoan Moncada was injured throwing a baseball. Moncada is day to day with some wrist soreness. Lets try for another win tomorrow? Please? 30-33 ROBOHAHN BREAKING NEWS RoboHahn has had a big few days. On June 4, the first year player amateur draft occurred, with the White Sox selecting NC State catcher Patrick Bailey with the 11th pick. Bailey is hitting .266 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI for the Wolfpack. For some reason, RoboHahn spent 14 of 35 picks on catchers, and 10 more picks on second baseman. It appears there was a strategy this year, I guess. RoboHahn has also been taking notice of some criticism that he might be asleep at the wheel, sending down Alex McRae, Bennett Sousa and Adam Engel for Kodi Medeiros, Seby Zavala and Jace Fry. He also sent Ross Detweiler from Charlotte to Winston-Salem for some reason. BUT THAT WASN'T ALL. He would send Edwin Encarnacion and $700,000 to the San Diego Padres for Brian Dozier. Dozier is making league minimum for the Padres and was hitting .194 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI in 33 games. Maybe RoboHahn was told to cut salary? June 5: Tigers 6, White Sox 5. The shakeup didn't shake up much. The Sox would jump out to a 3-1 lead after 4 on the strength of an Abreu solo shot (15) and a 2 RBI double from Danny Mendick,but the bullpen would provide the letdown after a decent start from Reynaldo Lopez (5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, 3 BB, 6 K). Jace Fry would face three batters - and no retire one, and Kelvin Hererra would let all three score, plus another run the next inning (7.80 ERA on the year) to saddle the Sox with another loss. Nomar Mazara would get the start at DH in this one, and Seby Zavala would go 1-3 in his 2020 debut. 30-34 June 6: White Sox 7, Tigers 6 (10). Gracias, Eloy. A tenth inning blast would prove to be the difference after another blown lead by the Sox bullpen. It was a bullpen day anyways, for the Sox, with Ian Hamilton getting the start (1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 0 K, 2 HR) and after Hamilton and Jace Fry allowed five runs in the first two innings, the rest of the pen was nails until Alex Colome blew the save in the ninth. Thankfully, Eloy would prove the difference. He was aided along by dongs from Derek Fisher (11), and two from Zach Collins (6), who got the start at DH. Brian Dozier also ingratiated himself to his new squad with two doubles. It was an iffy win, but a win nonetheless for a team that needed one. After the game, Fry would get sent to AAA for Bennett Sousa. In other news, Christian Yelich is out for six weeks with a fractured finger. 31-34 June 7: White Sox 7, Tigers 1. This is better. Home runs from Tim Anderson 2 (7) and Brian Dozier (1) were more than enough for the Sox as they faced former Sox starter Ivan Nova. Anderson would go 3-4 with 4 RBI, and Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert would also have two hit games. Dylan Cease was masterful in this one (5.2 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 9 K) and Bennet Sousa and Aaron Bummer would allow one baserunner the rest of the way. Luis Robert was caught stealing twice, however. After the game, Kodi Medeiros would be sent down to make room for Codi Heuer. 32-34 June 8: OFF DAY

5 U of Tampa students test positive after returning from spring break. They should quarantine all the spring break fools in FL since their governor took his sweet ass time doing anything about it.

We are in need of mandated manufacturing of supplies. The stricken numbers will soon be accelerating.

Gatherings canceled: Gatherings of 250 or more people have been banned in Singapore until the end of June to stop the virus from spreading, the Health Ministry announced Friday. For events with less than 250 participants, organizers are required to keep people at least 1 meter (3.3 feet) apart, according to the report.

Apparently Tony Gwynn taught us nothing.