LDF

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 05:15 PM) I don't approve of facial hair and the long hair some wear. Mainly because I don't see it as aerodynamically advantageous that is the best one liner i have heard in a very long time. nice.

QUOTE (Douglas Rome @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:21 PM) my original thought got lost in the rhetoric, can a manager impose appearance code? The owner/boss wants some semblance of class befitting an elite member of society. It was many many years ago we were staying at the Drake hotel downtown and the Pistons were in town and staying there. Those guys looked and dressed like they took pride in their game and team and not like a bunch of slobs. If I was manager, as long as you had a uniform on, clean shaven, no jewelry, short hair GI cut preferred. When not in uniform you still had a code when in public. I know members here will say as long as they perform, they can look like clowns is okay, not the point. thanks, douglas i think that union would have something to say on those standards, you wish to impose.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:33 PM) The team make up absolutely brought in fans. The make up is a team that had been to the world series in 2010 and 2012. Their payroll has pretty much doubled from 2009 to 2015. and of course that too.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:17 PM) In 2013 the Giants brought in over $100 million more dollars in revenue than the White Sox did, at $316 million. http://www.forbes.com/teams/san-francisco-giants/ but the team makeup did not entice the fans. spending money is one thing, spending money with a good person at the helm who can direct the team in another. the fans needs to believe in the team. the fans needs to have faith.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:16 PM) People don't have to agree with me, WAR doesn't agree with me, but I'll say this every single time and I'll go to my grave believing this. The White Sox win the 2006 AL Central if Mackowiak plays CF for like 5 games or fewer. He was that bad out there. Every single game he was out there it cost us at least a run, maybe 2. Worse yet, you could see how it hit the pitchers - every game, somewhere in the middle innings, there was at least one ball where you'd say "Anderson would have had that". It would almost always lead to a multi run inning. Because that ball wasn't caught, the pitcher would give up an extra run or two and have to throw another 20, 25 high stress pitches because now they're in trouble and throwing from the stretch. Suddenly the starting pitchers are worse, they're going fewer innings, their ERAs are higher, the bullpen is more heavily taxed, and the rest of the team gets depressed and sloppy because plays weren't being made. Rob Mackowiak in CF was a virus. It went untreated and during the 2nd half of the season the whole team got sick. I totally get...nothing has to agree with me. Advanced stats don't. But that was the season I watched, and I will never stop believing that. good one, at least you stand by comment.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:10 PM) There could have been a little *something* that was putting a little pep in their step too. do you mean other than good coaching?? well i never....

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:08 PM) I have no idea what has changed. Have pitchers/catchers gotten better at holding players on? I doubt that. Vince Coleman stole at like an 85% clip during his first 3 years when he was stealing 100+, so even the craziest sabermetric person would say "run like crazy" to a player who's succeeding at that rate. The only thing I can guess that might have changed is that the 100+ steal guys were all on steroids or some other drugs. Maybe something became available in the late 70s/early 80s that really worked to keep those guys bodies from falling apart? i don't know, the game is changing and becoming more specialize. the catchers are being coach differently, the pitchers are becoming more aware, the idea of studying the opponents more and yes, and i will laugh this off, drug testing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:04 PM) I'm much less confident in this set of statements than I am in saying we'd have won the 06 Central had Mackowiak never played CF, but I thought Anderson could have had a much better shot had the team developed him better. Between not getting him at bats to struggle through in 2006 and being inconsistent with his playing time afterwards, they never gave him a real solid chance to turn into a big league hitter. There was at least one spring training, I think it was 08? where he looked very different at the plate. More compact approach, more compact swing, then he sat for >2 weeks at the start of the year and by the time he was back in the box he looked like he did the previous years, standing back up with a much longer, slower swing. Never good get into a groove when they would occasionally get into an approach taht worked. yeah, even if that was done better he might well still have busted. Some guys do party their way out of the league, some guys are too stubborn to learn and think they can get by on athleticism alone because that's what they've always done. Still would have had fewer complaints if I thought they did a better job working him. a nice point, i know when i am out of my depth. .... either way. a nice point.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:01 PM) Who is being smart with their spending? Of the teams mentioned recently within this thread, I'd say the Yankees have been the most diligent, which is awfully strange to say, and they are only being diligent because they have a ton of other bad contracts still on the books. yeah you are right, that is why i mention the yanks of the 90's, b/c they spent and spent to get a team they hope will win it all. you are right about the yanks not spending. i was surprise this offseason, refraining to spurge. but i was mentioning SF gaints being smart and not to drive into and spend on salary.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:58 PM) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hot%20take Perhaps that's incorrect though. This may be a strong take instead. And if it's not apparent, I think greg's post is so obviously over the top absurd, ridiculous, and wrong that I decided to not even bother with an actual response as it appears to me to be more trolling for responses than it does an actual opinion. Here is my actual response: if you feel that it's so damn easy greg, quit your current job and go do it, because teams would gladly pay you millions of dollars a year if you can isolate and identify the top players in the country who will then develop into the top players in the MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL. either way, that is 1 great pict. photoshop at its best. with the ref to the other, wow, i wish i was smarter. don't get me wrong, i like the response.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:36 PM) Technique can be taught, but if you are really going to steal a ton of bases, you have natural speed, some natural instinct, and you have to be pretty tough with a high pain tolerance. Guys that steal a lot get pretty beat up. Vince Coleman's pointers aren't going to make Adam Eaton a 75 SB guy. They can help for sure. Rickey Henderson was every bit of a freak as a baserunner as Nolan Ryan was as a pitcher. i know, the body takes a huge beating, and with the dogs days of summer, (Aug) those players really need to be in shape. what i try to compare, is the players of yesteryear, what we, as fans takes for granted.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:52 PM) That's the thing I keep finding amazing about these 100 steal guys...how in the world did they stay healthy for multiple seasons? i am feeling my age, but do you ever think mlb will see that kind of a player who will do that again.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:49 PM) Those teams spend because of their media opportunities that the Giants simply don't have regardless of how much they win. but they are being smart on their spending. coming out of nl west, who do you think it will be??

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:42 PM) David Robertson Zach Duke That's your short list of guys who are guaranteed spots in the bullpen. thanks. this maybe the strongest this pen has been, how would you compare it to the 2005 pen.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:21 PM) i love the pict.... is that from the hobbit pict?? but for me, i don't get it, with ref to greg's post. my bad.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 02:05 PM) Vince Coleman specifically mentioned Johnson (along with Adam Eaton) as a guy that he'd be working with this Spring. Coleman also said that he (Coleman) would be working out of Chicago all year after Spring Training, so... there's that. at least he will be a hands on type of coach. no matter what, he can help the team.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:19 PM) They have won 3 World Series in 5 years, of course they are excited. Going by ESPN's attendance tracker, they have been at 99.2% capacity or higher every season from 2011-2014. and in this situation, continuing to spend, while not a lot of money on salary, compared to what the dodgers or red sox or the yanks (90's). the money spent is worth it. they are still banking a huge profit.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:16 PM) If healthy and effective, he ideally would be your RH 8th inning set-up guy. thanks still brings up a interesting question, i wonder as of right now, who are on the short list to go north when the team breaks for the start of the season.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 03:16 PM) Right, but unless it's the most extreme of cases (Rodon), I think penciling guys in at any point is the wrong idea anyways. I'm extremely excited about the prospects of Tim Anderson, but penciling him in as a starter at the MLB level 2 or 3 years from now is still a stretch. He'll likely get a chance, but we have no idea what anything holds. That's why building the farm system up to have tons of depth is so important, because these guys will bust and having back up plans in place in the event they do is very important. excellent, and to put a whole amount of trust that a player / prospect will develop is a fans approach. but there are too many intangibles that will side rail a prospect. the thing is, here, on the sox minor league, these prospects who does not develop, hits the whole org, b/c lack of depth. the sox will have expiring contracts in key positions within the next 3 yrs. hopefully whatever little depth the sox have, they will step up.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 01:18 PM) are you sure that comes in your size, Brian? nice.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:59 AM) Brawl was false. well i fell for that one.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 10:33 PM) I guess as a reliever. i guess i was wondering with all the other pitchers targeted for the pen, where in the order does anyone see him. ex... short rp, long rp. further, can anyone see him start throwing game situation by the end of spring training.

QUOTE (Jake @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 12:59 PM) I disagree with the idea that Micah has a high floor. He's a guy with a questionable bat, bad defense, and constant injury concerns. He isn't exactly stuffed to the gills with MLB skills, at least as far as we can tell. I think Sanchez is the higher floor player for sure, which may be why he wins the job. you may be right, but i am willing to give him, and all prospects a chance to show what they have. his past several yrs has been incomplete due to injuries. my opinion.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 06:55 AM) http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Giant...ing-6097453.php Since this is sort of the de-facto "financial issues of MLB/Sox" thread, Why the SF Giants don't want to overspend...(they're currently at $164 million with the luxury mark at $187 but with $400 million committed to Posey/Cain/Pence) if i read this right, SF Gaints has future contracts on their books in the care of Posey/Cain/Pence. now the real question i can think of is, how many times in the future can they make the playoff and are the fans really excited about their success to date. meaning attendance, and all that comes from it. their owners what to be able to banks some of that money and reel in the rest for a nice hefty profit. however the bottom line is they have won the World Series how many times in the past, let say 10 yrs??

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 12:40 PM) FutureSox (FS): Your speed has gotten a lot of attention, but how much of your success in stealing bases would you say is raw speed, versus technique or analyzing pitchers? Micah Johnson (MJ): At the beginning of the season it was probably like 80% just speed and good jumps. But as teams started figuring it out, and pitchers adjusted, now it is more about being smart. I'm not the fastest guy in the league, so especially now that they know me, I have to be smarter. Keeping in mind he was talking about Kannapolis/SALLY/Low-A, in terms of his stolen base totals. http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?sh...p;#entry3119553 at least he has the knowledge or idea that he will need to make the necessary adjustment to become better.