greg775

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 25, 2017 -> 03:12 PM) And this is the exact downside to "blow it up". If it fails, we are talking years more of problems. Amen. Of course you are right. Blowing it up is not the right thing to do for the Sox franchise. There are other ways to rebuild. Like spend spend spend for proven players and make a few smart trades.

I disagree with almost everything written in this thread by posters so I will refrain from commenting unless you really wanna hear my opinion. I'll spare you of it since I disagree with almost all posts nowadays during the alleged rebuild.

This board is like America ... changing. So many people want cookie cutter announcers now and actually think Hawk is lousy. My gawd. Hawk does not speak in an annoying announcer voice. Same with Stoney. He is not a plastic announcer. He's real. I must admit I thought Benetti did a nice job last year and had a good rapport with Stone. Sox did a good job of picking Benetti who doesn't seem to be a corporate tool either. So in a nutshell, we've got people on this board wanting the Sox to lose every game. Check. We've got people who do not want to see our best prospects for a long long time on the big league team lest they be "rushed" and "flop like Beckham did." Check. Sad state of affairs. Give me Hawk. Give me rebuilds like the Yankees (spend spend spend and never be lousy!) Give me winning baseball not the crap the Sox have spewed out there in the Robin era.

So it's 6 years 25 million? That's nothing, even if he is a bust. Hopefully he'll build on last season. He looked pretty amazing except for the penchant to swing at everything. If he doesn't learn to take a walk, does his upside look like .270 with 25 homers and 100 RBI per season? And a bad on base percentage? If he does learn to take a walk is he gonna be a HOF player?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 18, 2017 -> 04:14 AM) Hawk should have left years ago. Did Hawk really say he's quitting? He is the best. Period.

How can anybody who professes to be a Sox fan criticize Hawk Harrelson?? He is an icon and I want him in the booth. HOWEVER I can see why he isn't up for the rebuild. Only doing road games is ridiculous. All the Sox do on the road is lose, lose, lose. And Hawk's schtick is being a homer.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Mar 17, 2017 -> 02:33 AM) Hawk is not stupid. He realizes this is going to be a train wreck of a team for at least the next 2 seasons. It's not any fun being a announcer for a team thats going to lose 100 games a year for the next couple of seasons. He's not meant to broadcast games for a team that is going nowhere. There will be so many meaningless games the next 5-10 seasons. His heart can't be in it, especially doing only road games. The Sox might not even have a winning road trip period in the next 5 seasons. He'll be Mr. Grouch broadcasting meaningless ballgames IMO.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 14, 2017 -> 12:27 PM) Yes Greg. The best thing for this franchise moving forward is to lose a s***load of baseball games this year. Rick Hahn wants to lose 100 games. So does Kenny Williams. It's the whole point of doing this. The way to rebuild is to spend, spend, spend. Three to five years of being terrible will turn the Sox franchise into irrelevance in Chicago possibly forever. Sell the team, Jerry.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Mar 14, 2017 -> 06:16 AM) Never go full Greg. You aren't concerned? Let's say opening day Frazier hits a three run homer to put us up late and Robertson gets a save by striking out the side. How sad to read ... "GOOD now we can trade Frazier especially if he can hit 20 home runs by June 10!" "GOOD, Robertson looks good this year. We can surely move him soon!!" Ugh. Me thinks you won't have greg around much this season to all your delights. Our announcers should just copy the fans' lead and talk incessantly about trades and needing to lose. "The pitch to Frazier ... you can put it on the board.... yes! This is gonna help build Frazier's trade value Stone Pony. You know if he keeps this up we could get 2-3 good prospects even though he's a free agent to be." Pony: "Amen Hawk. However it would be nice if the Sox found a way to lose this game. We don't need to be winning games. The draft is the important thing for this rebuild. Nice home run by Frazier, but I'd be OK with a bullpen implosion about now!"

This thread is a perfect example of why the mods have to be concerned about the tone of this board this season. It seems to me every thread is going to turn into a "good, now we can move this guy" if a player does well; a player such as Saladino. There will be very annoying game threads with the posters wanting us to lose every game. Far be it from me to tell u how to run a message board. I know people get sick of me repeating themes such as Hillary sucks, Bernie baby, I want to win every game, the draftniks are ridiculous, etc. But Saladino is a very very very good hitter and I think a big leaguer. So if he makes the team and does well every thread is gonna be, "GOOD NOW WE CAN MOVE HIM." I implore the rebuildniks to calm down and re-assess their posts. Is this board really going to be calling for Frazier to be traded every time he hits a home run rather than celebrating the home run and possible victory? Me says YES. Don't like it.

I think Sox would be a perfect fit for Vegas if Vegas built a new indoor stadium. Great uniforms to market, in fact the best uniforms in baseball. Have a billionaire owner and you'd have quite a match. Probably would take a while to build such a stadium.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Mar 12, 2017 -> 05:22 PM) I don't call it a rebuild. I call it having one of the lowest if not lowest payroll in MLB. I fully expect the team to be sold after the 2018 season. It's much easier to sell a team with a low payroll and no long term contracts on the books. That's how I see this. If anybody thinks JR cares about anything else but money, I think they're misreading him entirely. I could be wrong. Time will tell. I'm in your corner on this. There's no reason to have that low a payroll when you are a big league franchise playing in Chicago. Very sad. At least tickets should be dirt cheap for the best seats on the secondary ticket market sites this year if anybody wants to see The Cell once or twice a summer despite the product.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Mar 12, 2017 -> 03:03 AM) Alvarez signed a minor league deal with Baltimore. 2M base with 3.5M worth in incentives. Disgraceful that the Sox didn't offer a similar deal earlier since we need a DH badly.

Since this is the Trump thread, rate his performance so far. I'd give him a 5 out of 10. Despite all the screaming from never-ever Trumpers who would never give him a chance, he hasn't done anything despicable yet, though the new healthcare plan might be even worse than Obamacare. I could give him a 3.5 or 4 after that comes out. I'd give Trump a 9-10 as a businessman. I read somewhere he's worth $3.7 billion. That's a lot of loot. p.s. I'd give Obama a 5-10 as President. As a person I'd give Obama a 9-10. Seems like a great man.

QUOTE (miracleon35th @ Mar 7, 2017 -> 09:44 PM) Shields may be cut before Opening Day. It almost looks like he is intentionally pitching poorly so he can get an early paid retirement. It is really hard to watch his nonchalant attitude and lack of competitive demeanor. That is what the Padres Owner got angry with him about in the first place. No way should the Sox have traded for him. So please, go ahead and cut Shields. That would actually help the pitching staff by not having to cover the remaining innings in games where he gets the hook early. Quntana, Rodon, Miguel Gonzales, Giolito, Lopez, Fulmer, and Holland (and maybe others) are all better options than Shields for the starting rotation. And unlike Shields, every one of them truly wants to win every game they pitch. The Sox made a mistake last season by having John Danks in the rotation to start the season because they were reticient to cut a guy they owed millions of dollars to. So they eventually had to cut him and pay him, but Danks left us with several losses to boot, including the Opening Day loss. Don't make the same mistake. Bite the bullet, eat his salary, and release him. The White Sox should reprimand all scouts who had any say in acquiring Shields. As cheap as the Sox are, they sure throw away a lot of money due to bad decisions. QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Mar 8, 2017 -> 12:00 AM) Shields' job in 2017 is to get f***ing shelled every start and allow the young pitchers to develop in the minors. I don't care if the Sox make him start every other game, he's crucial in the tanking effort. Then why not let you pitch or Fathom or Caulfield? Just sign some independent league guys to make sure we lose. I can't imagine anybody with a brain paying money to go to any game Shields pitches at the Cell. Same with Holland for that matter. Why would you pay good money to see those stiffs pitch?? I can't believe those of you who love the draft trust our front office to draft impact player(s). There have been so many busts in the past or guys not worthy of being a No. 1 pick. Just look at the Sox history.

Great post. You know what I'm going to say. They COULD have been way better if after only making the two trades starting the rebuild they decided to spend a little bit of money and acquire a free agent catcher and somebody like the Royals got in Soler, plus maybe sign the best of the free agent crop of pitchers. I've said it before but our infield is actually good with Frazier, Anderson, Saladino and Abreu and our outfield "could" be 2/3s OK if Melky has a bit better year than last year and Quentin (I mean Avi) finally puts it together at the plate and the guy we got from the Cardinals is OK in center. There's no reason to have as many vets as we have and not try to win. I know I repeat myself, but I didn't start the thread, either. Do u all agree with me?? GO SOX!

Do any of you partake in Lent? If so a.) did you get ashes and if so, what church? b.) What will u give up for Lent. My answer: Yes I got ashes at St. John in Lawrence, Ks. b.) I cannot reveal but it has to do with not cussing and not criticizing people behind their backs.

QUOTE (Sleepy Harold @ Mar 1, 2017 -> 11:32 PM) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Clyde This is just one name that came to mind for me, as I'm sure there are plenty of others out there. While this is true in certain sports (NHL, NBA {NCAAF is practically the minor leagues}), baseball isn't one of those. Players are all different, some learn and adjust significantly quicker than others, some take much longer to develop, but each case would be unique and needs to be handled individually. Putting someone in a situation that they aren't necessarily ready for would be detrimental to development and confidence. Not everyone can be thrown to the wolves because "you can either hit big league pitching or you can't". So how old do you have to be? The Royals have some slugger, Peter O'Brien, that was a second round pick and they acquired him this offseason from the Dbacks. He's 26. And I was reading he needs another full year in the minors. At 26?? Geez, you either can do it or you can't. Do people really believe Beckham was ruined by being rushed? I mean cmon. If that's true, that's pretty crazy. He's had a ton of MLB experience and frankly, he sucks. He every so often got on a tear when he ripped to all fields. Most of the time he was abysmal. If it is because he was rushed I'm amazed. Actually Beckham's best year might have been the 430 plate appearances he got at age 22. He hit .270 with a .347 OBP. 63 RBIs. After that initial burst he pretty much stunk. Either the scouts blew it on him or his refusal to hit to all fields turned him into a stiff.

Avi is a likeable player, albeit a bust so far. It'd be cool if he actually got real good. Seems like he busts his ass out there for the team. I know nothing about him personally, but he seems like he truly hustles.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Mar 1, 2017 -> 03:09 PM) Ah yes, the Gordon Beckham approach to handling and developing young, supposedly elite talent. Screw that development time in the minors! Bring 'em all up ASAP and let's get this thing going at the MLB level immediately! Terrific idea!! The Beckham topic is a pet peeve for me. I think it's totally absurd to blame Beckham's lousy career on rushing him. This is a tired cliche. I mean some sports you don't need any time in a "minor league." Have any sabes people done studies on whether this "rushing a player" phenomenon actually has ruined players' careers? I mean you either can hit big-league pitching or you can't. Beckham sadly fizzed. If he's smart though he's set for life. He made enough dough to be set for life.

Don't you naysayers at least LOVE the fact Trump is optimistic and a huge supporter of our great nation?? The man is an American through and through and doesn't apologize like some PC people always do. I mean isn't that SOMETHING to be optimistic about?? Don't you get sick of negativity all the time? p.s. I realize this is coming from a guy who is so so pessimistic about the Sox. I guess I need to work on that.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 10:00 PM) If I was going to say any of those guys took a bit longer, I'd have pegged it to be Moncada. That said, I still say it would be dissapointing if they weren't all on the major league roster come the summer. That's cool you say this. I agree. You are out on a limb here, though. My feeling reading the board is very few people want our prospects anywhere near the major league roster anytime soon.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 07:51 PM) Do you even know who you're talking about anymore? Yes. At least Alvarez is a former high draft pick. If you can sign him for 5 million, why not?? In our snail's pace rebuild we might surprise and be .500 at the break and then try to go for it. QUOTE (GreenSox @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 11:12 PM) 3 trades in 2 trading periods, from a team with 8-10 players that need to be moved. Maybe not a snail, but not a greyhound either. Vindication! That's what I'm saying. QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 1, 2017 -> 12:36 AM) For someone who didn't like Adam Dunn, you would absolutely loathe Alvarez. All or nothing swings? Check Strikeouts galore? Check And greg's #1 pet peeve, swinging for Homers when the shift gives you a huge hole? Check. I do advocate bunting when the shift is on. It's absolutely absurd to not plop a bunt to third and take the gift base hit. QUOTE (daggins @ Mar 1, 2017 -> 12:54 AM) He isn't blocking any stud prospects and he has a track record of being decent. Exactly, but the Sox are counting their penny savings during the rebuild I guess. Remember that when you buy your 8 dollar hot dog and down it in 3 bites.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 27, 2017 -> 02:14 AM) Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, Trump eats his steak well done. With ketchup! I know u are joking, but some people probably think Trump is an animal for eating meat. People are not always tolerant when they are vegetarian and others eat meat. I say we need a kinder gentler nation. I'm sick of all the negativity even though I am very very negative these days about the White Sox owner and front office re. the future of our team.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 07:02 PM) What's so hard to understand? Even if they traded all those guys, it's not like the rebuild would be over. There was no market for most of them this off-season. Have patience man. How can you have patience when Hahn has said they knew last year's fast start was a mirage and they'd be rebuilding. They could have traded Frazier and Melky and Robertson last year if their value allegedly would plummet to nothing. QUOTE (steveno89 @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 07:10 PM) What does Alvarez do for us though? He is marginally better than replacement level with limited upside Our intention is to TANK the next 2 seasons, why bother making additions like him? We acquire pitchers all the time and Coop fixes them. Alvarez was a top draft pick and so many people on here are convinced if we tank we'll get top draft picks who will excel. More draft picks flop than excel. QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 28, 2017 -> 07:36 PM) I'm definitely on board with this rebuild but Hahn can't force teams to trade for the Sox hot garbage. At this point there's no market for Melky, Frazier, Robertson, Shields etc. No choice but to play them and hope to trade them later. Who acquired this hot garbage to begin with? You guys trust our front office way more than I do. Sell the team, JR, please.