greg775

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 03:03 PM) Greg, what you seek is not an upgrade but a named player for a piece of mind. Simple as that. What I don't understand is how you were ok with making Thompson an every day outfielder and labeling him a "star" based on two months in the majors but your not ok with Saladino at SS. Look up their respective minor league numbers some time, you might be surprised at how similar they are with the bat. Both players are known for their defense with a few question marks in regards to their bats. If a fan was fine with the idea of letting Thompson have a chance at playing everyday ( I'm one of them) then I see no difference in letting Saladino have a chance to play everyday at SS. You are probably right about the first point. I prefer the name player in this case, Alexei. I feel like Saladino did not show enough in his 250 at bats last year to get a shot at a starting spot. Maybe Trayce will stink as well. I don't know why I liked him much more.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 04:37 AM) Alexei did right by the White Sox and he will be missed but let's face it, he's slowing down with age. It happens. Alexei's range and arm strength will continue to diminish just like any other aging SS. Saladino should give the Sox more range at SS with a younger arm. The question is will Saladino be able to hit well enough to stick? That's the gamble but then again, so is keeping an aging veteran at a position that relies heavily on range and arm strength. I'm telling you, we need an upgrade at ss. Anybody out there?? An infield of Frazier, Lexi, Lawrie and MVP excites me as far as potential. An infield of Frazier, Offensive Black Hole/Defensive question mark, Lawrie and MVP is scary. I thought we wanted to contend. To keep Lexi it would have only taken 6-8 mill for one fricking year. I don't understand lest we sign Desmond.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 05:05 AM) They would have worst SS either way If he's in his 30s, he'll have a bounceback year. Minnie's death ruined him. I never understand why fans think certain guys can bounce back (hopes for Dunn back in the day and now LaRoche and many assume Melky will return to stardom) but some guys can't return to greatness (Lexi)?

QUOTE (blackmooncreeping @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 04:55 AM) I dont see the Sox as being a weaker team without Lexi. The additions of Frazier and Lawrie outweigh the loss of Lexi and it's projected as such. I see it differently. I see it as Sox having worst shortstop in AL Central now. And 2B and 3B could go either way. Hopefully both will rake to go with MVP at 1B.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 04:41 AM) I think Saladino will have a higher WAR I hope you are right. You are a thoroughly knowledgeable fan. Don't you see the real possibility Saladino will choke and be miserable defensively at the key position of ss? Not everybody can handle the pressure. Again, it's not like Saladino is proven. I'm concerned. Again ... why upgrade 3B and 2B for good money and let affordable Lexi walk?? Makes zero sense.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 04:35 AM) I love me some Alexei, and I will miss him. But it was time to move on. Alexei isn't the most intelligent baseball player of all time, and he's the type of guy the Sox need to shed themselves of to play winning baseball. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Alexei raked for the Pads in 2016. Only reason to not sign him to a one year deal (bargain) is if he truly is over 40. He does look kinda old in the face lending some doubt. Nobody can deny the team is weaker without Lexi right now. SS took a hit today.

This saddens me. You can jump on Greg for his opinions on this but here they are. ... We just had a nice upgrade at third and second and kind of nullify it with this move. Why not sign Lexi for one year?? We take a hit offensively now at ss and it's not as if Saladino is a certain Luis Aparicio defensively. You guys can educate me but is Saladino a SURE BET to be a defensive dandy at short? Lexi had some pop in his bat. We're going to miss him, folks, you wait and see. Infield just took a severe hit. Unless Lexi truly is about 44 years old this makes NO SENSE for a contender. One year 5-6 million and Lexi with a lot to prove. Hope Saladino can handle the pressure. Yes, Lexi booted a lot of grounders but he was not a defensive liability and could stroke a key hit or two. Good for Lexi though. He won't have to battle the cold weather of April/May.

QUOTE (reiks12 @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 04:21 AM) if im a cubs fan im buying a ton of merchandise and tickets right now they are so excited and for good reason You know you are a Sox fan (me) when the Cubs make all these moves and I still have ZERO desire to watch any of their games cept the games vs. the Sox. And I actually look forward to watching our Sox games still.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 06:50 AM) Does it make you a terrible person? No, I think that's a stretch. Does it make you naive, uneducated, and ignorant to some? Probably. The reason people seem to pile on you is your lines of "What's the worst that can happen if Trump takes over for four years? He can't be worse than Ol'Hilly." You completely undercut the importance of the position of President, which would tell many you don't have a great grasp of what is actually required to run the most powerful country in the world. Then, you go on to say you don't believe really anything Trump says, but all politicians lie, so it's OK. Everyone does it. So by that logic, anything Trump says or does has no barring on your vote, he has it no matter what happens, because "Hey, I don't think Obama has done a good job, and Trump is the exact opposite, so he should give being President the ol' college try." You summed up my feelings not perfectly but at least you get the drift of what I'm thinking and saying unlike most. I feel like Obama got very little done. There's so little cooperation between congress and President yes I feel Prez can get very little done. So yes I do feel that way and why not give ol Trump a try? The position of president kinda has been brought to its knees by lack of cooperation between parties. As far as the lying issue ... I believe Hillary, Bill have lied a ton. Obama too. Of course Trump. So yes lying doesn't concern me too much of Trump. How bout a ticket of Trump and McCain? Or Trump and Jeb? Let Donald do it with a real politician to help him a bit. Look I have more important problems like living in a state with Brownback. He's so bad it's laughable and the idiots just recently rewarded him and reelected him just cause he has an R by his name. So yes, gimme four years of Trump over Hilly!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 07:22 AM) http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/...016-season-last From these quotes, looks like it might be Harrelson's last season (despite the two-year deal) unless the White Sox are much more competitive this year... I'm glad Hawk said that stuff. It's kind of embarrassing for the players and Robin that they've been so horses*** it might drive him to quit rather than watch that awful play -- bad fundamentals, horrible baseball basically. It never hurts to get called out and Hawk called them out in a nice way, a perfect way, by basically saying he's not going to watch Robin-ball much longer. Frankly guys, I see little out of Robin aside from his first year to think his teams are gonna finish over .500. Hope I'm wrong.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 14, 2016 -> 12:33 AM) Listen those guys cheering at mussolini speeches weren't that bad, they just like his anti-pc tone! Also I said terrible, not evil. I take it you are concerned about his stance of kicking out non US citizens out of the country. You know, a lot of Americans are very concerned about ISIS assholes sneaking up on them and uh, chopping off their heads or heads of a loved one. Or blowing up bombs at parades and in churches and all over the place. Our system has checks and balances and no Hitler type is going to succeed in America. What specifically bothers you about Trump. I put in the link recently about all his positions on issues. Yes I believe he'd be WAY BETTER than Hillary as president. I do. Does that make me a terrible person as I've been accused?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 05:05 PM) This is crap. I hate Trump and would never in a million years vote for him, but if people "like" him or "support" him in a competition between a douche and a turd sandwich, so be it. That doesn't make them terrible people. Do you "like" Bill Clinton? FDR? Teddy? Any of the founding fathers? They've all done (and said) deplorable/immoral/disgusting things in their lives, yet they have SOME redeeming qualities that we all "like" and even celebrate. edit: and i'm not saying I find Trump to have any redeeming qualities, just that others may beyond the outlandish crap he says. Thanks Jenks. I can't believe some people are of the opinion just because you like a candidate you are evil. That doesn't add up to me.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 12:19 AM) Saying a bunch of racist, misogynistic, bigoted things is not a nice thing to do, and supporting someone who's said what Trump has is pretty terrible. Where is the line between "misguided" and "actively a bad person" for you? I think anyone supports Trump crossed that line months ago. OK I have to get meaner here and quit being so polite. So you are saying all the people who like Trump are bad people?? Trump has more than 6 percent of the populace way more than 6 percent supporting him. So millions and millions of Americans are bad people? Is that what you guys are saying? Then you believe that TONS of Americans are bad people? I've never criticized our own people like that. Like I said, Hilly and Bill have lied PLENTY just like Trump. I've never called you a BAD PERSON for supporting them. This is all relative. Trump is not going to expel all foreigners; he's not going to build any wall. Yes he's lying. The fact I still like him somewhat compared to the old political machine types does not make me BAD person. I see a real decline in the American dream and I want people to start making some money again. I'm not confident any of the regular traditional politicos can do this for America. I say give Trump a shot at it. If he fails, big deal, expel him in four years. America is full of all types of people. Do you think people are BAD people who for decades have gone in the booth and voted for ALL Republicans on each individual ballot without knowing anything about many of them? People in this state do that all the time. I would not say they are BAD people even though I disagree with their actions in that regard. I mean what if a person gave millions to the poor, helped old ladies cross the street every day, visited prisoners, gave gifts to the needy on a regular basis and happened to support Trump heavily. Is that person a BAD person? I say of course not.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 05:18 PM) This is absurd. You think that half of republicans are just terrible people? I think they are misguided people and I cant say I understand how anyone could vote for him, but to just assume they are terrible is absurd too. But yes, if my only two choices on the ballot were Trump or Hillary, I'd vote Hillary. In reality, if Trump is on the ticket, I'll write in a candidate. I can buy this fully. Anybody can think I'm misguided and that's fine. I could of course be misguided on this issue of Trump. But I don't think we are all "terrible people" who like Trump. I mean I haven't heard all his speeches and his tone every time. I am not crazy bout Donnie. But I've explained why I like him and hate traditional politics. I think calling us Trumpies "terrible people" is not a nice thing to do. I am not perfect but I'm not a backstabbing jerk like a lot of people I've encountered in my everyday life.

I am a believer that some people in the medical profession don't care and truly are quacks (too many horror stories from people about their treatments/incorrect diagosis, improper things said to them, etc.) but I will say this ... If you have an excellent doctor, who happens to care about her/his patients greatly, I believe I am in favor of assisted suicide. I do think doctors (in many instances; maybe all instances?) do know when a patient has no chance and is about to die. For instance when my dad was in the hospital as the cancer took over his lungs, (too much water in there, etc., with no chance of being cured after 2.5 years of chemo and all the regular cancer protocol treatments, etc) the doctor told my brother my dad would likely die at 4:15 a.m. As it hit 4 o'clock we all woke up and were in the hospital room and sure enough he died at 4:15 a.m. It made me think doctors are pretty damn sure (unless they are quacks) when we are finished. That doctor knew the case history and what was going on and knew the exact time he'd die. My dad was on so much morphine he was fine, in no pain, but let's say there is no morphine available for whatever reason, or not enough dosage to keep the patient comfortable? In that case, I think I might be in favor of assisted suicide. If it's time to go and there's no hope, why not let us go on our own terms, with all family present? Something to think about anyway. Now maybe you could get one second opinion or something if you suspect the doctor is a quack, but that guy knew my dad was done and perhaps he should have been allowed to die many hours earlier. Just thinking out loud mainly, here.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 06:07 AM) So what is Trumps plans to "Protect our homeland?" Ya know, since he's lying about everything. I don't get into politics but I've started to take an interest and isn't it the "Lying" that people are fed up with over politics? Because his lies are so extreme that makes him different? This reeks of the same type of love you had for Ozzie, because he's controversial. I just don't understand how Trump really is a thing right now. I fear for this nation if he gets elected. I don't back Trump as much as I did Ozzie, cause in the final analysis it probably is really bad he's out and out lying about all this stuff. I'm just trying to point out why people (yes people like me) like him when compared to some of the other candidates. I had much more to say about Ozzie cause I knew more about what I was talking about. But still read the Time Magazine story if you think Trump is a fly by night candidate.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 07:52 PM) If you think "hey let's create an immigration enforcement gestapo and block anyone from a certain religion from entering this country" is a way of shaking this country up, then who cares what causes you support, you're terrible. Trump may be a bit extreme. So what's your stance on protecting our homeland from all the wackos who want you and me dead? Tell the family members of 9/11 and the Boston Marathon people who lost limbs your plan to protect our homeland, please. Trump's not going to build any wall or go against the constitution. Of course he's lying about that. But a lot of people are fed up with politics. If you think I'm crazy, read this month's Time Magazine cover story on Trump. They maintain a ton of people prefer him over the pathetic group of candidates out there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 08:53 PM) So you're fond for a person lying to you by your own admission? And you think that disgusting lies are ok because they're lies. Congrats, that's awful. "It's all lies. But they're lies about people who look wrong. And in the end, isn't that the real truth?" He's not going to build any wall. He's not going to chase people out of the country. So yes, he's lying. But they all lie. Hilly and Bill haven't lied?? Right now I prefer a.) Trump. b.) Bernie. c.) that's about it right now.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 9, 2016 -> 09:38 PM) Yeah I think I can. They breathe with their mouths, root for the Packers, and chant USA in large groups. Just the worst kind of people. No. I like Trump because he's outspoken and says whatever he wants then he denies saying it later. He's like a parody of politics. Most of what he says I feel he doesn't even believe. I'm not saying he's perfect. I am saying a lot of good people just are sick of politics and don't want 8 years of Hillary or Jeb, etc. People also want to feel safe and want to be able to make some money in life. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 9, 2016 -> 10:50 PM) Greg, let me put this another way. Would Jesus build a giant wall to separate himself from either non-believers or sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes (let's just say they represent the "rapists" in Mexico)? Or would he welcome them and work even harder to accommodate/bring them into the fold? Would Jesus be afraid of, intimidated or threatened by the Jewish as well as Roman leaders? Or would he attempt to constructively engage with them rationally, intellectually and morally? Right now, Trump is much closer to Hitler in the 1930's or Joseph McCarthy in the 1950's than the being you get upset that fewer and fewer are turning out to worship every Sunday. I'm not into the Jesus analogy today. Trump's never going to build that wall. It's all hyperbole. Like I said he makes s*** up. Who cares? They all lie. Including Hillary. QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 01:59 AM) Nah pretty much by definition if you support someone who is saying what he is saying you are a terrible person. There are lots of terrible people so it isn't exactly surprising. You are also using non sequitur wrong. I disagree. I live life by the Golden Rule and try to be a good person at all times. And I like Trump. I don't think I'm despicable because of fondness for Trump's style.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 9, 2016 -> 05:40 PM) You don't have to be an idiot to support trump, but you do need to be a terrible person. This is a nonsequitir. Millions of people support Trump and millions are "terrible" people? I would venture to say thousands of people who like/support Trump are good people. I bet they donate to great causes, etc. I don't think you need to be a terrible person to support Trump. Some people flat out are sick of politics and definitely want a change and right now Trump is the only candidate certain to shake it all up. You can't tell me some Trump supporters are not, in fact, great individuals.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 06:15 PM) How Michigan literally poisoned an entire city to save a few bucks Kinda speechless over that item. It's pretty sad we've come to this in America. Saving money?? For whom? Just do the morally right thing in your lives, people!

QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 07:58 PM) What positive concrete plans has Trump put out there? The Wall? He still hasn't explained how itll get paid for. Here are his positions on issues. How can you not want him to give it a shot? Again ... can it be any worse? http://www.ontheissues.org/Donald_Trump.htm I will say this bout Obama. He is a likeable guy. He's a Sox fan and wears it proudly and b.) his appearance on Comedians and Cars getting coffee with Seinfeld is AWESOME. I saw it online but couldn't find the link. It was damn funny. I do like Obama, but he got very little done unfortunately.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 09:25 PM) Greg, where are you getting $30 million from? The only rumors are the White Sox offered 4/$80 and the Cardinals were roughly in the same ballpark as the Royals but clearly unwilling to go five years. Much like the Heyward situation (Cubs vs. StL), we're talking likely differences of $5-15 million in all likelihood and nothing close to $30 million or the player's association/union really would have had an issue with it for depressing FA salaries. That's well beyond a hometown discount. Caulfield, I had no knowledge. I was trying to make the point when it was said Gordon was getting 4 years at 72 million total from KC, that if somebody offered 20 mill for five years that would mean he gave up 20 mill the final year plus two mill a year for five years which is 10 more mill for a total of 30 million. How much could Gordon have made elsewhere? That's what I want to know or was KC's offer the largest he received? I'm just saying that most people on this board don't EVER see a case a player would leave money on the table to stay with his current team. I'm not discounting the fact I could be wrong, but if ever there would be a guy to do so, it would be Gordon. He went to Nebraska, is very aloof with media, has a strict daily regimen. If ever a guy loved his current situation and current REGIMEN it's Gordon. He's now assured Len Dawson status in this town, not quite Brett status but right up there. As an old ballplayer, he doesnt have to "worry" about getting booed out of Boston or New York or be the latest Angels' flop if he declines. ... I'm saying when you make 72 million the next four years, just forget about what you might have made elsewhere. 72 million is enough for Gordon and future generations of Gordons to be set for LIFE. I realize my position is unpopular and I admit I could be mistaken if indeed all players are out to attain every nickle they can attain. I'm not saying I'm right.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 08:06 PM) The only thing I saw was the White Sox offer was 3 years. Maybe a team offered him more, but not significantly more. If a team offered him $30 million more he would have a lot of union pressure because he basically would be suppressing the future earnings of a lot more players than himself. Yeah, the union pressure thing has to be considered too. All reports are Gordon is a pretty intense guy in his preparation and I'd just think when you get an ultra fair offer like 18 mill a year for four years (if that's true) and you are a legend in that town forever, just take the cash and don't even think about how you could have made 20-30 million more going to some city where at 32 years old you'll be way out of your comfort zone as your skills decline.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 07:56 PM) If a team offered him 5/$100 million, he wouldn't have re-signed with the Royals. If he's all about winning and life and not about cash, he probably has enough in the bank to live a sweet rest of his life, or he could take $10 million a year, and be fine, and tell the Royals to spend the rest on other players. He, Paulie, who was in the exact same boat when he was a free agent after the White Sox won the WS, will take a discount to a certain point. Did the Royals actually make the best offer? I stand by the premise of my post. Yes I'd leave 30 million on the table to stay with a team I just won a WS with, where I was totally comfortable with my routine, the way the team does things, the way I like to prepare for games, not having to prove myself to new fans and a new, big city. The reason? Cause I got 18 mil a year for four years from the team I'm comfy with, and that frankly, is enough in my mind. Now if the Royals offer was indeed the best he could have gotten, my bad. If the Royals actually won some sort of bidding war, again, my bad.