vilehoopster

I agree with this guy. It definitely happens. Plus getting away from the damn Cubs has to immediately have a positive impact on anybody.

So many people on this forum discuss Kopech like he's a sure thing. Kopech is far, far from that. We all have great hopes and expectations for him, but assuming that he'll be in AAA for a month and then come up and be awesome strikes me as silly. I could happen, and I would love to see it, but the guy has a lot of issues. Plus Cease is far from a sure thing also. Is that even open for debate? I do suffer from nostalgia with Quintana. It was so enjoyable watching him pitch in that White Sox uniform. I would like to see him get another chance to do it again. I say bring him in, let him compete against all the other guys through spring training and then let's see what we got. If Cease and Kopech are better, and if everyone else stays healthy (a huge if) he can go and be long relief. But remember last year. . . . Before last year started, the feeling on this board was that the Sox were set with at least five quality starting pitchers with the addition of Keuchel and a returning healthy Rodon. But then Kopech decided to sit out; Lopez went into the tank: Cease became more shaky as the season wore on, and Rodon did what he always seems to do (I'm so glad his sorry ass is gone), and what happens. Even with the addition of Dunning; by the time all was said and done and the playoffs were here, the Sox only had two starters worth a damn for the playoffs. So bring in Quintana, a guy who is a vet and can work a lot of innings, and let's see what he has and let him compete for a starting job and be some good insurance. Let's be realistic here: It's hard for me to imagine the White Sox having a rotation where they have five starters better than even a mediocre Quintana.

I think you have to be extremely naive to not think Nelson Cruz is on PEDs. The fact that he is having far and away his best years after he turned 32 just reeks of PED use. Look at the article from FanGraphs. Look whom it compares him to. It's all but saying he's on PEDs. From there, Cruz hasn’t looked back. Since beginning his age-33 season in Baltimore, he has batted .283/.359/.553 with 235 homers, good for a 147 wRC+ and 182.5 offensive runs above average. Before turning 33, he was worth a total of just 44 offensive runs above average for his career. For context, just 20 players in history have accumulated more offensive runs above average after their age-32 season than Cruz, 15 of which are in the Hall of Fame, with three others being connected to the Steroid Era (Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Rafael Palmeiro). Meanwhile, 829 players compiled more offensive runs above average than Cruz through their age-32 seasons. For nine seasons, he was essentially equal in offensive value to Marcus Giles. Since then, he’s been Manny Ramirez, and it doesn’t appear he’s slowing down soon. This article is from 2019, but look at the names it compares him to, all famous PED users. I just think it's ridiculous not to believe Cruz is on something and has been for years. Yet to my knowledge, he has never flunked a drug test. For his suspension in 2013, it was (to my reading up on it) because he was included in the records of the Biogenesis Lab, not for ever failing a drug test. The Biogenesis thing is what caught Braun and A-Rod. I just don't quite get it. Why can't MLB catch him at it? You have to think he's being tested continually. And I understand that it's a contest of science: One side masking the drug use and the other side trying to detect the drug use. But still . . . . Like I said, if MLB can catch Robinson Cano, twice, why can't it catch Cruz. My example of how a guy can avoid detection for years is Lance Armstrong. He was winning all those Tour de France titles in the 90's and everyone knew he was on PEDs and continually testing him, yet he didn't get completely exposed and confess until around 2010. So clearly, there is the science to mask and hide drug testing. I just find it very frustrating that MLB can't catch Cruz and others like him.

No I won't. Don't hire cheaters !!!!! Never. I don't care how many titles. If you cheat, it means you're admitting you're not good enough to win without cheating. To the Belichick guy who made the comparison, I would rather go 0 and 16 than 16 and 0 with a known cheater like Belichick. There is zero pride in cheater, zero. Any success done with cheating is not real and you the person that cheated knows it more than anyone. Again, you're admitting you can't win without cheating.

Well, one of my arguments that it wasn't RR but the front office is what happened to Alonso last year. The guy kept being put in the line up day after day, and to make it more frustrating, he was batting cleanup most of the time, maybe 5th if I'm remembering correctly. And he kept being put in the lineup. Why would Ricky do that? He had to be as frustrated as we were watching Alonso ground out to the shift time after time. I think the front office, signing the brother-in-law, didn't want to look as ridiculous as they ended up looking, so they forced Ricky to keep playing him in hopes that he'd come around and justify the signing. He was never really benched. But then all of a sudden, the Sox released him, just let him go. Now that makes no sense to me unless the front office told RR that he had to keep playing Alonso until a certain time and if he didn't come around, (front office) "we'll just dump him". Didn't that occur to anyone else when Alonso just so suddenly cut? Again, does anyone else remember that tweet by Stone on this subject?

This is my big question for the last two years: Is it all on RR??? Didn't Stone put out a tweet about how RR was forced to play certain players. Does anyone remember that tweet? And I don't know but I just have to feel that RR didn't want to be playing EE and Mazara at all after a while and certainly not when and where he batted them. I can't believe he wanted to be playing Yonder Alonso all those times. RR is a competitive guy or he wouldn't be in baseball. No competitive guy puts out people with such terrible stats unless directed by their boss. I have to believe that he was told by the front office to play EE, Mazara, and Yonder in the hope that the front office wouldn't look stupid for signing them.

I'm not exaggerating. I would much rather have Yolmer at DH than Encarnacion. I am so sick of watching him come up to bat as his .165 batting average continues to spiral downward.

I don't think your comparing his to Avi is valid at all. Avi actually did have one good year, an all-star year. But I don't remember Rodon ever, and I mean ever being really good. I know the Sox and their publicity tells us how good he is or how good he was back when he was healthy. If I hear Jason B. tell us about his wipe-out slider, I think I'm going to throw something through my TV screen. The only thing that slider every wiped out was a Sox lead. But I don't remember him ever really good. He was for a long time one of the less-bad options on a bad pitching staff. But even when he was good, he only slightly above average. Well, I don't know: his 1st year, 2015, he was 9 & 6 with a 3.75 ERA. But since then he's been bad. And that's when he was healthy. Now he's never healthy. I was upset to see Avi go, but I am soooo ready to move beyond Rodon.

I am not too worried about Frank, but what about Stone? Don't you think he's starting to get on real thin ice? However 100% justified his comments were. I would hate to lose Stone in the booth.

As long as you've decided to make this personal and imply that for your opinion you're better person than I. Let me make my reply also personal. First of all anyone who starts a typed statement with "Dude" loses ALL credibility. Second, you're a official. One of those guys, not good enough to have really played and been part of a real locker room and team and understand what I'm talking about, but you still want to be involved in sports so he becomes an official. LOL, Dude.

Way to take my comments and take them to a ridiculous extreme and then make a sarcastic comment on your ridiculous take to prove your point. That's a logical and intelligent way to put forth your point. Let me return the favor: So you're saying that you believe that on any team it should always be "every man for himself" and you think the goal of all sports is get yours and screw the team. Oh, okay, I now agree with you. See how that goes. Also, I wouldn't want a parent like you to have a kid on my team because you're one of those parents who thinks is okay for kids to miss practice for a haircut or to go shopping with the family because family comes first. On you second comment. I know we can't, but I would bet you big money and even give you odds that Stievers and Crochet (not sure how to spell their names and don't feel like looking it up) don't throw a pitch in the post season. And when Kopech starts out next year with an extended stay in the minors, can I come on her and say I told you so.

I was talking about Mazara as the one being savaged on this board.

Let me make one more comment, whether you agree with me or not. I think the White Sox administration agrees with me also, no matter what they may be saying on the topic. I just saw that Crochet just got called up. And Stievers being called up last week? You don't think that's the Sox administration sending a message to Kopech. I think it is.

It's hard for me to debate all the responses, but let me tackle a few. "For one this is the age of COVID .You wanna opt out; you opt out! Second if there are family issues or mental issues you opt out. If anybody complains they are the ones with the problem." Now this is all great and makes sense, EXCEPT, the Sox have two players who did not decide to sit out in this time of Covid. In fact, they caught covid and chose to play anyway. Both of these two players are suffering still from the effects. One of whom is being continually savaged on this board. Don't you think their teammates appreciate their sacrifice for the team, putting the team before themselves. And again, make no mistake, their decision to play shows that teammate mentality that I mentioned in my first post. Yes, you think what Kopech did is okay and others might too, but there will be guys not happy with Kopech next spring. Especially, if a young pitcher, not Kopech with Kopech's stuff, gets shelled in a game that keeps the Sox out of the World Series. That is the nature of sports. "What is your similar situation? How much money have you earned by playing a sport professionally, as your career? " What does money have to do for or against my point? I'm talking about being in a locker room with teammates and knowing that you can trust and depend on each other. Money has nothing to do with it. In fact, money corrupts this ideal because today, pro athletes abandon their teammates all the time for money. Also, what does money matter? Kopech and his teammates will be millionaires whether he played this summer or not. But his teammates might not have a World Series ring this fall because he chose to sit out. His teammates are aware of this. To the guy who said he shared my mentality in high school and played with ACL injuries and regrets it. Of course you do. ACL injuries is a completely different thing that what Kopech chose to do. No coach should have ever let you play if you had ACL injuries or even suspected knee problems. To the guy who talked about his small business and all the pressure and the big money and how yet, they still can take time off. Yes, I'm sure there's desire for success there and pressure to succeed. But that doesn't even start to compare to a kid who's a junior in high school shooting a free throw with 30 seconds left in a championship game with every relative he has in the state watching in the stands and everyone in his school watching. It's not the same, not the same world. That's why missing is not accepted in sports while it still is in your corporate world. To the guy who said he played on state champion teams in football and said I was wrong. I am a dubious of your claim. If you really were on state champion teams or even teams that competed for state championships, the mentality I described was absolutely a part of what you saw in practice and in the summer or there's no way the team you were on was a state contender.

Are the White Sox players not teammates, real teammates, who are sacrificing a lot (like getting up early) and putting personal desires aside so that they can help their team, the entire team have success? I think that they are. As one who has been in a similar situation, I think I do know them, or at least I understand why they're having so much success this season. So I think I have a pretty good idea. I am confident I understand them better than you. No irony there at all.

I understand commentators on here saying that Kopech had to take care of himself and how he owes nothing to the fans and then there are the people on here who talk about how they took time off from work, ten weeks for mental health or paternity and how that perfectly fine with their business or boss or whatever. But I'm sorry, sports and being a teammate is completely, completely different. I just saw that video on here of Eloy getting up early to work like Jose A. does. Eloy does that so he can look Jose in the eye and they both know that they're both doing doing every thing they can to win. That's what teammates do! They both know they do that stuff so that (like yesterday) Jose can bust his ass down the line and beat out a infield single to tie the game. And Eloy does it so he can see a pitch a little better and hit drive in the game winning run that clinches a playoff spot. It's completely different than showing up for a job and if you need a mental day or two months, just take the time off. Do you think guys giving all that extra effort to win are really going to be completely forgiving a teammate who takes a season off for whatever reason? People who think what Kopech did was perfectly fine have never REALLY been in a locker room with teammates. You must not know what it's like to run sprints to build speed on a summer morning before it gets too hot, or to be with your teammates shooting free throws, out of season, so that maybe, just maybe, you will make one more basket and win for you and your teammates a tournament or sectional. And for God Damn sake, you don't take the time off during the season. You suck it up and play to help your teammates. When I played and then coached, you never missed a practice. If a player did, you knew, beyond any doubt, he was really, really sick. That's being on a team. The player didn't miss because was taking a mental health day, or a mental health summer off. You guys can all talk about how things are more important than sports, and of course, some things are. But one absolute thing that sports teach, (and being in combat is the only thing I can think that compares to it) is the importance of team and sacrificing for the benefit of all. Yes, putting the team before yourself, having something bigger than yourself, that's what sports teaches. If you're a true and good teammate, you're at the very least, expected to be there if you can. Now, again, I know some others are again going to preach bigger issues and take a high (but completely abstract) moral ground. But again. I don't think you know what it's like to be in a locker room and be a real teammate. And also, know this, the other White Sox players may be saying all the right things like they want what's best for Michael, but make no mistake. When he comes back next year, Kopech is going to have to work really hard to prove himself to a lot, I would even say the majority of his teammates. One more thing, you're right, Kopech or any athlete owes nothing to the fans, but the door swings both ways, we then owe nothing to that athlete, certainly not the loyalty he didn't show to us.

So I guess that the "completely blind" includes Giolito? I I would bet that if you gave our other younger pitchers a choice, (I can't prove it, of course), but I would bet the majority of them would also pick McCann. So I don't think your statement has any validity at all, at all. What bothers me is you guys who make these absolute statements that Grandal is better than McCann as if it beyond doubt or debate. Certainly you can make a strong argument that Grandal is better, looking at his past work and the odd aspects of this shortened season. But you can't totally dismiss the evidence in front of you about what's happening right now. McCann is obviously better than Grandal, both offensively and defensively, this year. It's an obvious observable reality. You can't just ignore that reality and make some blanket statement that has no credibility. It is a topic with strong points on both sides. To say Grandal is better, period, you're like Snoopy in this comic.

"The stuff is there". The often repeated phrase to justify why Dylan Covey was put out here time after time for three years while he built a 6 and 29 record. When he was finally cut, I was never so glad to see a player cut so that his "stuff" could leave with him. I'm not saying Burdi is that bad. I'm not making that comparison. It's just when I hear about someone having good "stuff" while getting hit hard, I will always think of Covey and cringe.

I agree. He was outstanding for the White Sox. I would love for that renaissance to happen for him. If he could escape the Cubs, things could be great for him. Of course, you could say that about any player.

I agree. Go the bullpen day with Foster and Detwiler. I think that gives us a great chance to win. Starting Lopez is all but giving the game to the Cubs. Seriously, with Lopez going against Hendricks, what do you think the odds are the Sox win this game? 1 in 5? I think it's closer to 1 in 10? Yes, Lopez might surprise me and us other doubters, but the odds of that seem really low to me.

That may, even probably, is true about Grandal. But right now, when it comes to both hitting and defense, Grandal is the 2nd best catcher on the Sox. With that said, there's no reasonable way that McCann will be on the Sox next year.

If the Cubs are pitching their best starters, shouldn't we start our best starter(s)? By that I mean we should do a game where we start Foster for two innings and then bring in Detwiler for four or so innings. Those two have been our best pitchers so far this year. If I remember correctly, neither one has given up a run. In fact, I've watched most of our games this year and I don't remember either one ever letting anyone even get to 2nd base. I don't understand why the Sox (Renteria) hasn't gone with this combination as an opener/ starter combo yet. It seems so obvious to me.

With Rodon looking scary, we better keep getting runs.

Yeah, we're gonna get one of those guys. Give me a break. Plus I don't think Joc is better than Avi.

You guys kill me making fun of Avi. Offensively or defensively, we haven't had a right fielder close to as good as Avi since he left. And we won't have one this year either.