poppysox

That away to go Rick.

He has me talking to the TV. I don't care how good he is I don't want him ever on the Sox. Stone is talking about his rhythm being slow. I think he's worse than slow.

Looked pretty good all in all. Has some rust to knock off after 10 day lay off. Stuff looks good.

JR is a very actively involved owner. He doesn't hire a guy and say go get me a championship. He is actively involved with the day to day player moves unlike most owners. Part of his loyalty to these guys is because he is part of the trio involved in player acquisition. He believes in group think management.

It would be prohibitively expensive to retrofit existing stadiums. Your idea of making it mandatory for future new construction is the way to go. JR's group won't be here long enough to recoup the cost. Guess we'll have to wait.

Five tool players are rare. Tim is really flashing all the tools this year.

It will happen some day.

I like Nicky as a person but he has looked just as bad as Eloy if not worse.

Very interested in how well Giolito bounces back. He really looked good before being taken out of the game.

Between his being made of glass and his agent (Boris) I'd get what I could and move on. Just want to end up empty handed. His value would be pretty good since he has several more years of control. Just seems guys like this go from one issue to the next.

100% agree!

yes

I think we have plenty of positives to take away from early play this year as relates to the rebuild. Performance of Moncada, Anderson, McCann, Abreu, Lopez, Giolito, Colome, Herrera & Banuelos have been at or above expectation. The disappointments so far are Jimenez & Rondon and I'm not overly worried about them. When Cease, Kopech, Madrigal & Robert get here this thing will pull together. Still have Adolfo, Basabe, Rutherford and others along with this years 1st rounder. Another few pitchers and we're read to go.

Hope Giolito comes back the same pitcher he was the night of his injury. He looked great that game.

I was surprised the hitter wasn't McCann instead of Rondon. Also, Eaton showed us why people have a hard time giving up on him. His defense and speed are elite.

Second guessing the manager is part of being a fan. I haven't really liked any manager since Al Lopez. The only reason I liked him was all the grownups told me he was a genius. Seriously, when the manager calls for a play that works the players get credit. When the same play doesn't work the managers an idiot. Nobody looks good when you lose.

Five tool players like Moncada, Anderson & Roberts spoil it for all the mere mortals. Guys like McCann & Madrigal are obviously good players who have natural positions. Players like Abreu & Jimenez are considered stars for their hitting both for both average and power. This last type of guy needs to find and be tutored in a position he can be adequate playing. Who wouldn't prefer the players to come from the first two groups...I know I would. I don't like the Vaughn talk for just this reason. DH can be filled rotating through the everyday players giving them a chance for a DH day once per week. Keep everybody fresh.

I agree with you that Jimenez doesn't have gracefulness as an outfielder. He can learn to be serviceable and I think he will. As long as Abreu and Alonso are on this team Jimenez will be in left field.

Good point.

Early extensions for Sale, Q, Eaton & Anderson have been a real strength on Hahn's resume. His only miss was Danks. He added a lot of extra value to the Sale, Q & Eaton deals. With Anderson & Jimenez … I hope we follow his example with Moncada, Kopeck, Robert, Cease & Madrigal to build the nucleus for numerous championship runs. Others will remind me that half a dozen others might be added to that list as the next year or so evolves. Great problem to have.

I agree! Not at all encouraging "go for it". Just observing the natural order of things is on the rise.

This would be a great day to win two and get back to .500 and start the push to the Central Division title. Been playing much better lately with improved lineup as we discover McCann is an offensive force along with Abreu, Moncada, Anderson, etc. With Robert, Cease & Madrigal available when needed … we just need to stay close to Minnesota and Cleveland for the next couple of months. The corner has been turned I think. I know this is optimistic but that's the point. Looking forward to each game instead of giving up is what I choose.

I agree with almost everything you said other than framing remark. He might not have prior years rep as a framer but I like his framing. He has a very subtle easing back into the zone. My eye test says he's save a number of strikes. It's only a month but I have really liked this guy. His hitting hasn't smelled of luck either.

I would love to bring Robert and Madrigal up as early as possible. Add a couple of additional coaches on the major league team in order to have one on one tutoring. If the big league has the organizations best coaches it makes sense our most prized resources train with them.

A good series with Minnesota and we'll be right in this thing.