Chisoxfn

Paiml isn't a prospect either.

QUOTE (DBAH0 @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 06:52 AM) For anyone in NY, I've had John's and Patsy's thin slice pizza, and I thought both were amazing. Pizza is so much better over here than what you get in Australia. You must try Lombardi's in New York. Absolutely the greatest Pizza I've ever had!!!!

QUOTE (DBAH0 @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 08:36 AM) I think I am going to go to Giordano's here for the Deep Dish Pizza, seems to be well rated by mostly everyone, even if it isn't the favourite. Is there 1 in the Loop which is better than the others, the one on South Wabash is probably the closest for me. Depending on when you go, I'm sure I'm gonna do some pizza at one point or another.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 06:17 AM) What's interesting to me is, they moved Escobar up to Kanny, and had previously moved Miranda back down to Kanny. Miranda has been playing a little SS, but mostly 2B, 3B and DH, while Escobar is at short. I am not sure if that means that the org is higher on Escobar than Miranda, or if they just think Miranda needs to focus on hitting. I am really interested to see what the various SS's in the system do as the year goes on, and where they start next year. Beckham, Escobar, Silverio, Miranda, Paiml... I wonder if they will all still even be in the org next year. The org is much much higher on Escobar than they are on Miranda. Miranda is an organizational player, imo.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 09:48 PM) I was kind of going from memory on that one (it wasn't really a main point to my argument), I remember reading an article some time in early June on how much improved Daniel Cabrera's control had been this season. And looking at his gamelogs right now it appears during the first 2 months of the season he was keeping his walks to a minimum (for him at least); sporting a 3.35 BB/9 over his first 13 starts. That wildness is definitely back though since then he's walked 25 batters over 43 IP which is a BB/9 of 5.25. Yep, he's been on the decline and I thought I had read somewhere a while back that the O's had become frustrated with him and were getting to the point that they would start to consider dealing him. Bottom line you can only sell your fans on hype/potential for so long. A change of scenery could be exactly what the doctor ordered as its one of those things that gives Cabrera a fresh mindset.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 09:36 PM) I haven't seen major progress yet. His ERA has improved by over a point thus far, but there hasn't been anything drastic that has changed amongst any of his peripherals. He could end the year with an ERA below 5, but I would bet a good amount of money that it's closer to 5 than it is to 4. Mediocre K/9, BB/9, H/9, his GO/AO isn't anything special at 1.65 (opposed to 1.56 last season), HR/9 has stayed about the same...I'd suggest he's been lucky to have his ERA where it is rather than a pitcher progressing. Splitting hairs aside, I agree with you - the Orioles have no reason to give him up whatsoever. If they were flat out sick of him, I could understand it, but he has put up a good ERA this year (whether it sticks remains to be seen). The Sox really shouldn't have much interest in him outside of the phone call in to see what they're looking for. Depends on the Orioles timeline. I'd say the smartest thing the O's could do is put together enough guys that will be able to develop and grow with the franchise when the Wieters and company are ready for the show. Cabrera will be a free agent and walking prior to the O's truly being ready to take the next step (just my 2 cents and based on his production I highly doubt he's the type of guy the O's would want to invest in). I think a change of scenery would be well suited, assuming the O's could get what they'd consider a couple valuable pieces. Again, they have no reason to be forced into any deal so they would have to get guys that they liked and would believe would turn into starters on there squad for the next 4-6 years.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 08:53 PM) When you run through Joe Crede's negatives do you list "pops out to SS/2B in 50% of his ABs"? Because I'd seriously like to know what the difference is between a strikeout and a lazy popout to a middle infielder. The concept is that putting a ball in play gives you a better chance at getting a hit than not putting a ball in play. By the way, Adam Dunn is a far superior player than Joe Crede.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 07:04 AM) who plays center then? bay? i wouldnt mind going after dejesus....he seems like hed be a solid fit for this team, but i dont see us benching pauly or really making him a part time player...at least not at 12 mil a year That right there is what everyone is going to have to realize. Unless the Sox lose a starting position player to injury you will not see them make a significant upgrade to the starting lineup (maybe a bench player, but thats it). The only exception is if they move one of there position players in a trade for a starting pitcher and than have a roster spot.

QUOTE (DBAH0 @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 06:57 AM) I actually think if you went out and signed Garcia if he was healthy, the Sox should target an upgrade at an OF (Jason Bay?) spot possibly (but then what do you do with Konerko I guess, because Swisher would most likely move to 1B). But that's the thing where the Sox are at right now. They don't DESPERATELY need anything. The rotation for the most part has been good (except for Vaz and JC in the last month), the bullpen has been excellent (but has faltered a little lately), while the offense is beginning to heat up. Right now, I think standing pat as we did in 2005, is very well what we could end up doing, or just making a minor move to improve a bench spot maybe. The only legitimate way you can upgrade the outfield is if the Sox move Konerko or someone goes down with a season ending injury. The Sox aren't going to acquire someone and not have any idea whether they can move Paulie (and thus be stuck eating the remainder of his contract). Plus I still reiterate that its far too early to write Konerko off. He's just came back on the DL and is finally healthy for the first time this season. His bat speed looks better and we'll see him get things straightened out. Thats not to say the Sox don't consider trading at least one of Paulie/Thome in the off-season (Thome's option will exercise) and as of now I'd be a proponent of moving Paulie (I'm a big believer of getting some payroll relief this off-season as it will give the club the finances to target a couple good young players that they could trade for and extend).

QUOTE (BobDylan @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 02:50 AM) How does that statement support Beane's move? "It was a solid package"??? Whether the Cubs were deep enough or not to make the trade has nothing to do with what Beane got back, at least in the context you put it in. Again, Sean Gallagher is far better than most people on here realize. The guy will win more games over the next 5 years than Harden and Chacin will.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 02:36 AM) I don't know why you all think we'd move Fields.... Because the Sox upper management isn't near as high on Fields as many think.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 07:31 AM) Problem is, he may be looking for a major league contract. He may only sign with a team that will not send him down. That is a commitment, and one I pesonally wouldn't make with Freddy at this point. There is no way he's going to make his debut at the major league level. He'd obviously be signing a major league deal, but he'd be getting numerous rehab stints at the minor league level and you can use those stints as part of the evaluation process. If he doesn't meet your standards, have a deal with Freddy that you release him before August 31st, so that he has time to sign on with another team and potentially make there post season roster (usually you wouldn't do this, but the Sox and Garcia have a good working relationship and it would be the right thing to do).

QUOTE (shipps @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 07:11 AM) Its not soo much the money,its the commitment.He will never be the Garcia from 05' again and I dont want to see him in the rotation.We dodged the bullet once already with him, lets not get in front of the gun again. He'd have to first prove himself in AAA. If he doesn't hit the right velocity and show good stuff in AAA you don't even bring him to the majors.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 15, 2008 -> 06:38 AM) He's throwing 84-87 mph, according to his agent. In agent talk, that means he threw 87 mph once on a fast gun, and he's in the 82-85 mph range. Considering he's yet to really throw off a mound or make starts, if he's hitting 87 on occasion it wouldn't be a bad sign. There is no reason you can't see him adding another 2-5MPH on his fastball from that point as he continues to regain the strength in his arm.

Saw on bottom line that Barry Bonds agent indicated that the odds are slim that Bonds will play this season. It sucks cause he definitely is good enough to help numerous contending teams. I still think the Angels/Dodgers, who both could clearly use a legit power bat in there lineup, are fools for not at least considering bringing in Bonds.

Thats right, its rumor time and everyone's favorite forum has been brought back for what should be yet another interesting deadline. Please post all trade speculation (whether rumors or suggestions) within here.

http://mlbtr.blogs.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/view/8691437 If the Sox don't want to make a trade and are concerned with Contreras or how the young arms will hold up down the stretch, Garcia would be the best option. He's scheduled to throw off a mound towards the end of this month which means you are talking about a late August return. Again there is a lot of risk in such a signing given that you still don't know the status of his health (until he pitches, you don't know jack, imo) plus your talking about at least a month rehab.

Jenks gave up 3 singles in his one inning stint throwing 18 pitches (11 strikes).

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 08:43 PM) Let me start off by saying that I'm in the middle on this guy. His OBP is around .380 and his power numbers are obviously there, but his BA obviously is horrible. I heard this on 670 the other morning around 9 so I'm not familiar with who said it because I don't like listening to that dopey station. He is a FA after this year and Thome may be gone due to I'm not sure he'll reach 1100 plate appearances or whatever. I'm not so sure on bringing Dunn in (another reason) because I think he'll want too much per. I just want to see what you guys thought about him possibly DHing for us next year given the fact that he doesn't want a huge amount per. I should also point out that he'll get 12-16M per year if I were to guess. He's clearly not a complete ballplayer (poor defensively, can't hit for average, strikeouts a lot) but he gets on baseball with the best of them and obviously has about as good of power as any player in the majors. He's also still young so you are talking about having him for what I'd consider a good chunk of his "prime". I also don't consider him a major injury risk.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 08:43 PM) Let me start off by saying that I'm in the middle on this guy. His OBP is around .380 and his power numbers are obviously there, but his BA obviously is horrible. I heard this on 670 the other morning around 9 so I'm not familiar with who said it because I don't like listening to that dopey station. He is a FA after this year and Thome may be gone due to I'm not sure he'll reach 1100 plate appearances or whatever. I'm not so sure on bringing Dunn in (another reason) because I think he'll want too much per. I just want to see what you guys thought about him possibly DHing for us next year given the fact that he doesn't want a huge amount per. If Thome stays healthy, his option will vest. As big of a Dunn hater as I am, I wouldn't have a problem signing him if the Sox made some other wholesale changes to the roster (ie, getting rid of Konerko, Crede, Contreras, Cabrera, etc) and getting one more starter (and relying on a youth movement in the infield). If the Sox got rid of Konerko and Thome than I'd say Dunn would be a must sign (having that presence in the middle of the lineup is necessary).

I'm not going to lie, Wrigley could be a pretty cool place for an all star game (the HR derby could be cool, ie, would we see a rooftop shot).

He didn't blow the whistle on anything. Everyone and there brother knew the company was in trouble, the problem was it wasn't going bankrupt. He put information out there which put concerns on the going concern of the company to the point that people put a run on the bank and they weren't able to cover that run and thus the liquidity issues put em under. It may have eventually happened, but the company should have had the opportunity to save itself from some bad business deals it made. The company wasn't committing fraud or anything along those lines, it was just getting hammered because of the Alt A loans they had on there books. Again, no one is going to convince me they don't go under a year from now or 2 months from now, but the senator prevented the business nature of that to happen and instead created an unneeded panic that put a run on the bank (no different than what happened in the great depression to the banking industry, except this was tied to just one bank). Hell, this isn't the first time the government has grand-standed and screwed up businesses. Just ask everyone who ever worked at Arthur Anderson or talk about the BearSterns disaster. Worse yet there is a lot of speculation that there was a large contingent of investors from New York (with significant funds) who were shorting IndyMac and saw a great windfall so there could be some shenanigans involved with this (although it is more likely some New York grandstanding at its finest, kind of like that jackass Spitzer did in numerous public suits which really didn't help anyone, rather just drew up publicity).

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 07:25 PM) The most memorable HR derby performances in recent memory for me was Big Mac in Boston, Sosa in Atlanta/Milwaukee, and the entire HR Derby at the Cell. I think Hamilton's will be one I don't forget though. Completely agree with you. I remember Mark hitting those bombs over the coke bottle. This will easily go down in the same breath as those derby's.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 08:17 PM) You had me until the bolded. He's been playing for over 3 months now, it doesn't take THAT long to get back to being comfortable playing. The players who voted Crede in also voted Jason Varitek and his .218 batting average and .653 OPS into the game too, so that doesn't matter. It's possible Crede is just in a slump of course, but anytime he slumps with his back history, people are going to wonder about it and I think that's a fair concern. Ever seen Adam Dunn during one of his hot streaks? Batting average is the most overrated mainstream stat in baseball (if not the most overrated stat in general period), outside of wins for pitchers and ERA's for pitchers out of the bullpen. Wow, Dunn on a hot streak. Dunn is a great 5 hole hitter, anything more than that and I'd say he's over-rated. The amount of money he will get will be far too much too. Average is not at all over-rated, its probably become as under-rated a stat as there is in baseball. What's next, people are going to start telling me ERA is underrated too. The object of hitting is to get hits and the object of pitching is to prevent runs. Obviously that is a bit simplistic of an approach and peripheals are important in evaluating what guys is more productive or who is more likely having a fluke type season but the reality is that is a hitter's job (and by hitting for an average you are likely going to be able to drive in runs, although there are obviously exceptions to that philosphy and again that is why OBP and OPS are definitely important, but if you can't hit for average, you can't play on a team I'm running, unless you are a shutdown catcher).

I was writing in another post and talking with my old man tonight and we were talking back about our visit to Yankee stadium when I was 16 (went on a roadtrip on the East Coast for my 16th and we saw Cooperstown, Old Tiger Stadium, Toronto, Philly, Pitt, Cincy, Cleveland, Yankee Stadium, Fenway, and Camden Yrads) and it made me think, why do I love baseball so much. The more I thought about it, what makes me love baseball is that its one of the things that has been the glue of my relationship with my dad (and grandpa until he passed away). I remember going to game after game with him and taking road trip after road trip with him as a kid to see new stadiums and various things (going to Cooperstown was one of the most amazing things I'll ever remember). Than I thought back to 98 (what a season for baseball, steroids or not) and all the Sunday night family dinners we'd have watching Sosa and Big Mac hammer homers (while putting up with Morgan/Miller). On top of that, the joys of actually seeing some baseball milestones. A perfect game (El Presidente, Dennis Martinez against the Dodgers), a no-hitter (Mark Langston/Mike Witt combined no no thrown by the Angels), Henderson's 3000th hit, Bonds tying Aaron, and Henderson breaking the all time runs scored record. Man I love baseball (from all the joys of playing it, to all the great memories I've had watching it).