greg775

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Oct 23, 2014 -> 04:39 AM) It will be insane, especially if Gameday is there. Fingers crossed that it will be a top ten matchup. When are they gonna announce game time for that game? I got to know when to order hotel rooms depending on time of day.

Man Victor declined a 15 million dollar qualifying offer? Again, I don't give a flying f*** about Jerry's wallet, but I'd hate to get saddled with another Dunn. Now I realize Victor had an AMAZING season. Do the Sox risk it, however. He could become Pujols. He certainly could flop rather quickly. He'd look good in the Sox lineup obviously and would seem a good fit in the Cell. He'll like hitting in there. The question is ... do the Sox pay him that kinda jack? 16-20 million a year? Wowsie. Is Colby Rasmus any good? He got benched last season all of September. Luke G seems like he's another guy to try in the pen. My love or hatred of him will depend on how he does in a Sox uniform. I'm not going to fall for any hype on relief pitchers.

I'm surprised the media doesn't know who Hahn is targeting. You know he has a plan

Ugh. Brother Rice lost to Naperville Central tonight. I still say that spread offense is too sloppy for high school. Rice had a great season but it's not smash mouth high school football. Good season for the boys, though. Maybe they can get hot and win the Prep Bowl playoff thingie.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 31, 2014 -> 02:06 AM) Because he: 1) Pitched a career high in innings (I think it was 257), and has been at 200+ every year since 2008...which, as you know from Mark Buehrle's career, it's a VERY VERY select group who have consistently been able to put up 200 innings for two or three consecutive years, let alone seven. 2) ...had a kidney stone pass during the series with BALT. 3) ...faced a very dangerous offense in the Orioles, probably the best in baseball. Yes, a 6+ ERA for the post-season is unacceptable, but it's not going to prevent Jake Peavy from getting $10-12 million per year from someone in 2015, and it's not going to prevent Shields from getting $80-110 million and 4-5 years. It MIGHT have clipped his years down from 5 to 4 and overall contract from the $100+ million territory he was shooting for (Greinke's $147 million deal with LAD), but he won't be hurting financially. I guess we're at the stage now in baseball they make excuses for pitchers who suck in the postseason who have a good track record, blaming innings. It's more of the "blame the manager, pitching coach" game than blame the players for anything. I mean, my gawd, Peavy was trash, simply trash in his last start. I mean he gets 12 million a year next year. I guess we're assuming his arm will be all fresh up until the postseason. I mean seriously his pitches screamed "HIT ME" at the top of their lungs vs. KCR.

I hope the Cubs get whacked pretty good on this. They have embarrassed and left a good man hanging in the breeze in Renteria. I hope the new commish whacks the Cubs silly. They ought to give the Rays a choice of one player off their current 40 man roster and two minor leaguers. That would be crazy to lose a stud player over a manager.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 10:24 PM) Just a reminder, Tim Hudson, while old, has won 214 games in his career with an ERA of 3.45. He posted a 3.57 ERA this year. Either he was completely out of gas in the WS or he's finished, cause he looked like he was throwing batting practice pitching vs. KC.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 09:23 PM) About half a dozen would do so. Is 17 to 20 million considered cheap now? I'm asking in a serious tone. Cause if I'm a scout ... the James Shields that pitched this postseason was a Jeremie Guthrie clone. He was not the old James Shields that is for sure.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 11:03 PM) Sanburn That would be awesome if Dunn brought us a star. I'd forgive Dunn for his Ks if this guy is the next superstar in the pen.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 28, 2014 -> 01:11 PM) This is something we've been saying all season greg. What team has the money to throw around that they'd pay an aging average (projection) pitcher like Shields 17 to 20 mill a year?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 04:56 PM) It doesn't matter if the Cubs win 100 games or lose 100 games. Time has shown us that there is only way for the Sox to become relevant in Chicago. Win playoff series. That's it. This town has enough casual fans to support both teams, the Sox just don't have the allure the Cubs do when they aren't in the playoffs. QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 05:54 PM) I don't disagree with you at all. In some ways that's the point I was trying to make - start winning in order to avoid becoming irrelevant. I have very vivid memories of the mid to late 80s when the Cubs were super popular (even though they weren't winning, they were still very popular vis-a-vis Harry Caray) and the Sox were not winning and how completely irrelevant the team seemed back then. It wasn't a particularly pleasant period to be a Sox fan, and I would really like to avoid going back to that type of environment, if at all possible. You guys are both correct. This is great news for us Sox fans. The Sox now have to make some great moves this winter. They are really in danger now in terms of falling into oblivion media wise and fan wise. This team simply has no chance, as currently constructed, to win games against teams that have been owning them in the Central Division. Hahn now has to go crazy with the 30-40 million bucks he has to work with and get some exciting players, who on paper, can get the Sox going. Can you imagine if the Sox are 10 under after six weeks next season? That is truly a possibility. Last year to the Sox credit they kept within .500 for a few months. This Cub move adds urgency to the Sox front office I'd bet you.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 07:18 PM) If I have to keep reminding people that the 2008 Rays took their worst-of-all-time bullpen and turned it into a positive in one offseason, I'll keep doing it. So: the 2008 Rays took their worst-of-all-time bullpen and turned it into a positive in one offseason. Bullpens can be quick to shape up. As for team speed, the three LCS teams besides the Royals were 28th, 29th, and 30th in stolen bases, and six of the ten playoff teams were below average at baserunning. The playoffs included both the best baserunning team in the majors (Washington) and the worst (Cardinals). It's nice but not essential. The defensive gap is a real concern and KC will have a very strong defense again next year, especially if they let Aoki go and Dyson sees more time. Yes but aside from closer, our bullpen has been rotten for a long long time. Think of all the lousy relievers the Sox have had since winning the WS cept for closer. And now there is no viable closer either.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 07:32 PM) Watch CSN Sports Talk Live. Watch the sports segments on the local stations. Even Gordon W. the Sun Times Cubs beat writer is hopping on the Maddon bandwagon. He was the one who kept saying the Cubs were toast. The Sun Times had him on the front page of their paper on Saturday when he opted out, before he ever came to the Cubs. If you read and/or watch and/or listen to Chicago media, you wouldn't think there is the slightest possibility Joe Maddon could have managed a team that lost 85 games in 2014. MLB manager is the most overrated head position in professional sports. Maddon's really good, but he's not the difference between winning 90+ and 75. Yep, folks, the cliche train can't be slowed down. Maddon is god because he's a Sabes guy and that's the way it is. He's a hero and the Cubs made a great marketing move. Like I said, the word is that he's god and that's the way it is. I'll give credit to the folks on this board who said the Sox had to can Ventura and hire Maddon. That would have been a similarly amazing marketing move by the South Side team. Cubs are gonna be the darlings of baseball's advanced stat people. It's cool to love Maddon and the Cubs now are cool again.

So what have we learned? A team with one good starting pitcher (Sale listening?) can win the World Series. But they did have a good bullpen, very good DEFENSE and some grinders who are willing to hit to the opposite field. How the hell are the Giants champions? What have we learned from KC? A team with great team speed, amazing defense, fantastic bullpen and average starting pitching can win the AL. As far as starters they had two good starters (Shields, Ventura), two hacks who are smart and know how to win games in the Central (Guthrie, Vargas) and one decent starter (Duffy). The bullpen is so good it's scary. The manager didn't exactly use the team speed in the WS as much as the playoffs. There were a lot of World Series oddities. How bout this one? Can you believe the two stiffs who started Game 7 of a WS? Guthrie vs. Hudson?? Seriously, that's like starting some of the No. 5 guys the Sox have been trotting out there, like Carroll. Baseball is one, crazy sport.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 03:40 PM) Especially if Shields leaves KC, the gap between the White Sox isn't as large as you might think. I think the gap is huge because they can play defense and have great pitching all around. The White Sox bullpen is just plain putrid; the Sox defense is very poor and the Sox team speed can't match KC's. Frankly they are going to own us head to head again next year.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 06:13 AM) If Cain comes back 100% next year, they're going to be tough to knock off...and they still have to figure out what to do with Lincecum, who's guaranteed $18 million for next season. LOL at Lincecum contract; how many of these GMs will continue to make these mistakes?

Tough loss for the Royals. They had no chance against Baumgarner. Couldn't lay off his high stuff like Frank Thomas said in the postgame. Frank is really intelligent IMO. Would be excellent analyst/manager/hitting coach/whatever. When that ball skipped by the center fielder, I thought Gordon would scoot all the way around the bases. That was KC's only chance. Had Gordon somehow scored, KC would have won the World Series. Now they start all over next April. Right now they are light years ahead of the White Sox. I pity myself and our fanbase cause Detroit and KC figure to remain way better than our Sox, who also have no easy time beating Cleveland and/or Minnie. We better hope KC misses Shields and fails to get a good slugger to replace Butler. Without some more hitting, KC's lineup will remain abysmal. They need Colon to enter the lineup somewhere and be a star. He does look good. Once again, the last laugh is on the AL. The AL gets homefield and still can't win the WS. The Royals looked like s*** the three games in the NL park. This AL supremacy talk grows old when we do not dominate the WS at all.

It's all cliche. So Maddon is regarded as a great manager. A genius. Big deal. All these managers are basically the same. They make moves that get torn apart. How bout Boche tonight. He should be lauded forever for the way he set that up. They get the lead and Baumgarner is ready to mow down KC for five more innings. Hilarious. Nobody could have orchestrated it better. Meanwhile KC has a perceived buffoon managing the team and they are one Alex Gordon sprint home from tying it and winning it in extras. It's all cliche I tell you. Maddon is just another man. He's no magic elixir. Players win games though I will admit being partial to one, Ozzie Guillen.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 05:12 AM) WHY? They believe (at least internally) Finnegan could one day be comparable to Sale in the rotation going forward. That gives them Ventura, Duffy (one of the most underrated lefties in baseball statistically), Finnegan, Guthrie and Vargas. (Also, a nice balance with three quality lefties and two righties). A lot of that's OBVIOUSLY predicated on Finnegan developing, just like the White Sox with Rodon. With the injury in the AFL to Kyle Zimmer, that does put a little bit of a dimmer on their future...but they also have Liam Hendricks, Lamb coming back from rehab/injury....as well as Binford, who pitched very well in the minors this season and made himself into a solid prospect. The Royals can easily afford to let Shields go....although I doubt they'll get into the Scherzer/Lester sweepstakes, they definitely will be looking at guys like Liriano and Volquez that they can pay a lot less for AAV and for years and still continue to plug in their young prospects. A lot of this depends on how serious the Zimmer injury/situation is... Thing is, the Royals are still cheap and with the fans not clamoring to re-sign Shields or Butler, it's easy decision to let both walk. KC still needs some pop in its lineup so I bet they make some moves. They need a slugger.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 07:32 PM) I've said it before, and will say it again, there will be a LOT of pressure for the Royals to re-sign Shields that would not have been there if they had flamed out early or missed the playoffs. Nah. Fans here think he's old news. They don't care bout keeping him or Butler

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 29, 2014 -> 07:31 PM) It's also because they don't know it yet. If pieces fit just right, I could see them around $110 million. If they don't, I could just as easily see them around $75 million. They'll spend some money but it's hard to know on just what exactly. If Hahn can win at 75 million bless him. I just want to win and win now. Frankly the Royals are gonna be difficult to knock off their pedastal for upcoming years as they become the Detroit of our division. If they make some smart moves by replacing Shields and Butler with capable players they only figure to get better. Watching the Royals defense and pitching makes me cringe about the Sox condition. Think of all the great plays they've made in the outfield that would fall in our left and rightfield corners. GO SOX! Change the roster significantly Mr. Hahn! But I do think Mark B should be included in the retooling.

Bingo on Hosmer being a dick. He and Moustakas are very rude, mean individuals. I better add IMO lest I get in trouble. I know people that have had run-ins. Billy Butler on the other hand ... gem of a person.

Bill James is THE BEST. He'll eat the Sabes people alive cause he is THE expert on real Sabes. I've met him and love the guy. He will not tolerate stupidity and recognizes ability.

Look, Paulie is gone; Mark is a White Sox true and true. Time to bring him back ... now! In 2-3 years he'll be wearing another World Series ring. With his example, our staff will be rockin.

Back to the topic. Shields is going to be grossly overpaid next season if you folks are correct. His resume is now screaming, "Don't sign me. I'm aging and faltering."