Chisoxfn

Maybe Mannely thinks if he spends more time on football, he might be able to land a more lucrative tv gig?

Long break for the Bulls. Hopefully it is helpful and they can get some good practices (along with rest) in. I would have to think Dunleavy gets back and Dougie would start to get some minutes?

QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Feb 2, 2015 -> 08:44 AM) Given recent NFL events, I could understand an avoidance of Terry Tate-style "violence as comedy" gags, but there have been countless funny Super Bowl commercials in the past that didn't rely on that type of humor. This year's crop was just godawful. Terry Tate is a legend.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 2, 2015 -> 08:47 AM) But that's not an extreme example! In that NYT article there are schools in California with about that ratio of unvaccinated. And I understand "punishing the kids", but it's not like they just can't get a vaccine for the rest of their lives. I know of schools in my county where the rates are at and below 50%. I am an ahole and I make comments to people I know that have this belief and tell them to do some homework so they can educate themselves instead of abusing their kids. Scary what decisions people will make because other mom's / parents are doing it or they hear so and so celebrity doing it. Especially in the affluent sector. You want to know where the best vacinnation rates are in my county, the more diverse (wealthy or poor) parts of the county. This is basically an affluent white people problem (by my mass generalization).

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 2, 2015 -> 07:42 AM) Jenny McCarthy had an autistic son and instead of embracing his condition she claims it happened because of a vaccine and went on a media campaign to make people not vaccinate. I believe McCarthy has finally apologized / realized that the connection does not exist. I might be mistaken on this, however, you are right that if you were going to point the movement of the cause to any one person, it would be Jenny McCarthy.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 2, 2015 -> 05:50 AM) Has something happened in the last year or so that has made this a topic of conversation? Don't remember it ever being controversial or seeing so many anti-vaccine folks before. It has became a pretty mainstream thing to do in the wealthier / more elite / affluent circles. With the outbreak of measles, people are seeing the effects of the lower overall vaccine rates and how a disease that has been wiped up is putting others at risk. Worse yet, these parents are not just putting their kids at risk, they are putting all of us at risk, especially little kids and the older population (as well as those with impacted immune systems). Its downright deplorable. The part that makes me mad is the thought behind it is based upon a medical journal report which was completely fraudulent and resulted in the practitioner losing his license. There has been no scientific causation between autism and vaccines.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 31, 2015 -> 11:29 AM) Yikes, under 30 groups plurality in favor of letting parents decide on vaccines I don't fall into that camp. I think people who don't vaccinate are abusing their children. However, I also have a hard time punishing the children, which is what happens when doctors stop admitting them as patients and they can't go to school. That said, I don't want my kids going to a school where half the kids are vaccinated (I'm making an extreme example here, however, there are certain schools where I live where they are pretty close to this level). Damn yuppies.

It seemed like their was a whole theme to all the commercials regarding "family". I am going to presume NFL sent a message to advertisers they didn't want people pushing the envelope?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 03:45 PM) We put something new and pretty cool over in the FS forum just now - a whole new thing for us, courtesy of Quinarvy. Go check it out. The link for those of you that are lazy. http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94478

Embedded for you!

On a sidenote, when I look at the models and what it spits out and go through the list of players, I basically come to the conclusion that on paper, they are wrong about the White Sox. I'd say on paper this is around an 85 win team (+ / 7 or so games). If all goes well, it can win a few more games and if it doesn't go well, they might drop into that 78 win category. I also think if this team makes the playoffs, their odds improve as they are pretty well built for the post-season, with what looks to be a strong back-end of the pen and a strong front-end of the rotation, surrounded by a pretty strong top of the order. Team defense is still the piece that makes you go yuck and may end up hindering the effectiveness of our top 3 in the rotation (as well as the back-end of the pen).

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 12:32 PM) I would disagree with this based on the concept that the algorithm is biased. Their results over the past few years show how inaccurate they are. They only thing they really matter for is to create discussion, which they've done. Their are inherent biases in the algorithm which will tend to favor certain teams, thus making where you fall, relatively biased based upon the team you have. I'd tell you right now...in my line of work, which is heavily focused on plan & analysis, I'd be pretty flipping pissed off if I consistently saw the plan vs. actual results that these models have historically predicted for our Sox and to be frank, I'd probably be without a job. Note: I'm not saying they are biased against the Sox, rather, biased against certain types of rosters, etc (and I'd argue the Sox have a lot of guys who historically fall into some of these scales which drive this). The fact that your metrics can consistently be so wrong on specific teams is pretty alarming as well. Hard to confirm overall validity when you have such wide disparities and almost consistently. The statistic significance of the data becomes far more limited when you look at the deviations from the predictive model and realize you have some pretty extensive deviations (on both sides of the equation; Both in # (Total Win Variations) and in count (e.g., # of teams who have significant deviations).

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 12:29 PM) I agree. A big problem is the players see what is going on, know Thibs is becoming lame duck, and it begins to snowball. And I don't even know if it really is tuning him out that is happening. Rose and Noah had been on minutes restrictions. Just about everyone else has been banged up and missed time. I saw a graphic the other day than Noah and Rose have only both been in the line up 33% of the time the last fews years, and at full strength, probably not at least half of that. Gar Forman bothers me for some reason. Maybe it is because he was a Tim Floyd assistant at ISU. I think he got into a lot of trouble when he was coaching in college. I think Thibs is great. People complain all the time about his minutes. Look at the minutes Phil Jackson used to play Pip and MJ, and Rodman and Grant. He rode them hard. No one moaned. Completely agree with everything you said and I do think the injuries are a factor that hasn't been counted on. Yes, the Bulls had injuries the past couple of years and still got by with Thibbs (albeit, we have a much better winning percentage this year than those years). I think the injury factor that hasn't been considered has really been the fact that this year, more than other years, we've had a lot more consistent in's / out's due to injuries (vs. the more extended injuries) and that has meant a lot less time for the players to actually gel with each other. We've seen Rose and Butler struggle to play with each other just like we have seen similar struggles with Noah / Gasol and I think this is largely driven by the general lack of consistent minutes these guys have had. Ultimately the energy is concerning but I think the injuries and how the injuries have occurred have really played a more significant factor and resulted in some periods of "ugly" flow both on the offensive and defensive side and it almost snowballs from there so to speak (you play good on offense, you get some easy buckets, other team doesn't get transition buckets, you are in a better half court set...benefit...on flip side, better defense you play, more transition buckets you get on the other side which again benefits your defense). I also think that while Pax can be hard headed, he is generally a very good guy and probably more willing to look past things. Gar is clearly smart (and our front office has clearly made a lot of wise basketball decisions...including hiring Thibbs in the first place) but I just don't think Gar gets the interpersonal stuff which is critical. I've long thought Thibbs really got it and he is so good in how he handles the media (you'll never see him directly call anyone out but he will consistently push his message but he also gives players a ton of credit where due, etc). Really Thibbs is one of my favorite coaches in all sports. I just love his overall attitude, etc. And I think the minutes stuff gets so overblown by people who never play the sport and look into too much. Do minutes matter, sure, but you can play more and than less at different points depending on where we are in the game, etc. And the good players tend to play a lot of minutes. Whether the Bulls teams, or Lebron's minutes or even Duncan for a good part of his career (maybe not now but for a long time he did).

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 11:40 AM) Having been around a lot of basketball teams over a lot of years, this usually tells me if a team is coach motivated or not. If they only get it up for big games, it is a big red flag for me. It usually means they are tuning out the coach. The wild card is here is would appear management is telling the players to tune out the coach vs. the players independently tuning out the coach. That is my problem in all of this. It is the front office, who I largely respect, taking too much of an ownership in the coaching, all while we have one of the best and most respected coaches in the league. Its disgraceful. It is the type of thing where you need JR to put everyone in a room and tell them to STFU. I would hope JR has learned from the Krause / PJax fiasco and really, Reinsdorf (maybe Paxson...depending on his overall feelings and how much he sides with Gar..presumably he does given their relationship) is the one guy who could make it all better and quick. After the STFU, Paxson and Gar should make a statement that he thinks Thibbs is doing a fantastic job and he has our full support. Right now, Gar just gives luke warm responses and does not say Thibbs is doing a really good job or anything like that. Rumors can hurt and sometimes you need to make those statements...even if the reality is the situation is still icy..let the disagreements reside in-house, don't let this get hashed out in the media.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 10:32 AM) Can I say that Thibs isn't really having a great year? I know they have had injuries, but how many games have we given away to sub .500 teams this year? I wouldn't be as upset about it, but we are still beating really good teams meaning they can play like that on every night... but aren't. So what is the deal? How much of that is because the players think that they don't have to play hard, an idea that has been drilled into them because of management stepping into the territory and pushing an agenda? All that said, I think someone said that Nick Friedell indicated the players were on the side of management. Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Joakim Noah all saw their careers soar to new levels with Thibbs. I can't buy for one minute that they would be on the side of management in these situations. These guys love Thibbs. I also kind of think Rose does, although I could see him also siding with management. Gasol probably would side with management. Bottom line, given the players who would side with Thibbs, I think at a minimum you are talking a split and as long as Thibbs has Noah / Taj / Butler on his side that should help (and really no reason Rose shouldn't be at least comfortable with him). I think it is more the whispers that drove the wedge early and the team is slowly realizing Thibbs is right. This is part of why I'd like Deng back. He'd add another extremely calming force to the lockeroom who would back Thibbs and shut things up. Worst thing in all of this is, if it is so bad, the GM needs to fix things because it is clearly impacting the team and the success. End of the day, winning is most important and Gar has his ego in the way. Its his ego that started this whole thing. Thibbs just wants to coach so of all coaches, he's probably the one guy that can grind through something like this, but it is still pure crap.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 10:26 AM) But even what they are saying should happen is open to debate. I like BP. I get it every year. In fact, it was delivered yesterday. But I don't know what makes their projection something we should hold up on a pedestal. At the end of the day, if they project the White Sox to win 60 or 95 ,it doesn't matter, and that has been my point all along. Your best bet is to combine projections and analyzst expectations, etc, and you'd probably get to something relatively accurate. Or you could analyze the projections done by BP, point out the flaws, make adjustments, re-run and see where we fall out.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 08:45 AM) I'd subscribe because more information and more inputs are always better than less, especially if you can properly contextualize the information. Also, I'm not basing my excitement for the White Sox on a 78 win projection. I'm basing my excitement on the White Sox because I think they are going to have a really good and fun team. On top of thinking Garcia is going to have a good year, I also think Micah Johnson is going to win the 2B job and be a 1.5-2 WAR player, I honestly do not mind Gordon Beckham being on the roster as long as he's not the starter (or if he is, hopefully it's because he's finally hitting well), I'm really excited for what should be a much improved bullpen, and I'm really hoping Rodon can come in and be a shot in the arm and great back of the rotation starter. More and more inputs are not always better. More good inputs are better. I think PECOTA is great for plans and is a data point but the real question is what do the top MLB exec's and front office people think of them. How flawed are they? It would appear given the overall volatility in production, etc, that you'd have a hard time using PECOTA as a benchmark or a good data set. It is more an interesting thing for fans to look at that is based upon assumptions, some of which are pretty significant. Star players will consistently have their values under rated due to overall regression components while young players will in average, probably be accurate, but specific players can be all over the map in terms of progression / regression and thus again you could have a pretty wide variant on any particular team. Part of which is driven by level of talent of those players as the "talent" is not an assumption that can be applied. Basically put, I have no idea why people have gotten so we are a 79 win team because of X. I personally think these are just something to talk about, but certainly not something to write home about or get overly excited / depressed about.

I have renamed the title and unpinned.

Pathetic effort but would someone please tell me why we stopped giving Butler the ball in the 1st OT. We took so many stupid shots. Poor energy, etc. Noah looked pretty solid again though and Rose missed a million cookies and refs blew some calls (again). We probably should have been at the line 50 times the way the Lakers were fouling last night. All that said, disgraceful effort. I'm sick of Forman causing this stir. He should be fired. Thibbs is way too good and he's largely right. You can't win in this league without playing and playing with energy, you just can't. The great teams played with energy way more often than not.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 02:56 PM) Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 3m3 minutes ago ESPN sources say Jimmy Butler has been selected as a Eastern Conference All-Star reserve Steve...where is my shirt!!!!

I'll be at tomorrow's game.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 08:33 AM) I can't buy Rondon above Saladino. He was a near lock for the club. That changed yesterday but he's still probably the first position player up. Of course I'd probably Rondon outside the top 25 unless he can hit even just a little. You can probably blame me for where Rondon sits. I had him ranked higher than anyone (#7 prospect in my list). He's an elite defensive shortstop who has made strides with his bat and has great wheels. Plays a premium defensive position and in this current era, the value of defense has never been higher. Worse case, Rondon is a glove first utility guy. Best case, his bat grows (and he has made progress and is still young for his respected levels) and you are talking about a guy who is a potential gold glove starting shortstop who can also steal some bases (has to improve his reads, however, the speed is there). Upside on Rondon, given his respective position, is very high in my eyes. Saladino is a guy who at best is a utility guy, imo (and I think that is really Rondon's floor). I personally have the same opinion of Carlos Sanchez. I'm not knocking them but I think it is highly likely they end up as quality utility guys and I think Rondon's upside is far better than that.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 02:37 PM) I am worried about the Cavs in the playoffs a lot more than Wizards or Hawks. 20-6 in the last 26 games Lebron played, tons of shooters, improving team defensively, and one of the few teams that could legitimately out rebound us. We're pretty evenly matched with the Wiz and there's a chance Hawks will cool off, but Cavs will always be the tougher matchup. Cavs are cruising. They are going to be there in the end and very well might be playing the best basketball in the east at that point.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 01:22 PM) He'd be a great fit defensively, but what contract/s would fit under the cap? I have no idea. I don't know if the Bulls have any TPE's or anything that would work or if there were enough fillers who could help get you to the amount where you could take on $10M. Or could you get a 3rd team in it with cap space who would buy draft picks and had an exemption to throw in. CBA is so darn complicated but I presume if you had McDermott, Snell, and a 1st rounder or something, you might be able to entice someone who is rebuilding. That said, I presume Miami won't want to trade Deng.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 01:19 PM) Except Rick Hahn. Nah, he's got another move in store for an OF bat.