CWSGuy406

Rex: In an age where a guy like Willie Harris can be a 25th man because he sucks up almost everything hit his way at second, how the hell could this guy still be in the minors? I'm not doubting you, but even if he hit like .200, it'd be passable, especially if his defense were as advertised. That's some damn high regard your giving that kid, and I'm not doubting it one bit -- just wondering how the hell this kid hasn't cracked a big league roster, regardless of what he's done at the plate.

QUOTE(Middle Buffalo @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 04:47 AM) Totally agree. MLB needs some kind of salary cap that puts teams on an even playing field. I'm so tired of the Yankees. Hope they're enjoying the WS. You realize that the Sox and Astros rank something like 13th and 14th in the majors in payroll, yes?

RV23 -- is there any chance you could get Rooney/Farmer's calls on the DVD, rather than Fox? That would be the ultimate joy, but it's understandable if that can't be done...

QUOTE(WinninUgly @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 04:22 AM) Sweet!!! A Home Run - $1 A Home Run in the post season - $10 A Walk off Home Run in the WS - $1,000,000 The faces of Cubs fans watching a Pods Walk off Home Run in the WS - Priceless I think it's pretty pathetic you're thinking about the Cubs after a game-winning, walk off homer in the World Series to go up 2-0. At this point, I'm waaaay past that. JMO, though.

3E8, me, you, and Cheat -- one month ban, no talking bad about Scotty Podsednik...

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Oct 23, 2005 -> 04:35 PM) I think it's a bit ironic that we are in the World Series, winners of game one and looking like a powerhouse ourselves and there is alreay talk of breaking up the team. Of course every player on any team, but especially a winner, that is seen as good always appears headed for the Yankmees. Hopefully it doesn't happen and we keep our group intact and have a healthy Frank Thomas back next year. That would be just like making a big trade. No one is talking about breaking up the team. In fact, looking at it realistically, you can probably safely say that seven of the nine positions are already filled (Pierzynski, Iguchi, Uribe, Crede, Podsednik, Rowand/Anderson, Dye -- at 1B or RF). But, they need to get better offensively. Our rotation is set (Buehrle/Garland/Contreras/Garcia/B-Mac), much of our bullpen is set (Hermy/Cotts/Jenks/Politte, with Marte probably being traded), so they have to use the money that's going to come in and get some strong offensive players in here; and Sheffield is a strong offensive player.

I might be tempted into doing Rowand/Marte for Sheffield... He was right around where Konerko was offensively this year, more OBP, less SLG (actually -- Sheff had four more OBP percentage points, I thought the margin was a lot bigger). Then again, I'd rather just keep the former two, deal Marte in another trade, and sign Brian Giles, but who knows.

Fox you f***ing suck.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 20, 2005 -> 05:20 PM) Exactly Also another reason to like this World Series. 2005 payrolls But - but - but -- I thought there's no parity in baseball? I thought that you needed a $150 million dollar payroll to win a championship? :rolly

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Oct 22, 2005 -> 03:29 AM) Well I was under the assumption that you felt a batter should do the best he can do in an at-bat everytime he goes up to the plate. I guess I was wrong with that assumption. Well, if you're swinging out of your shoes for the fences every AB, I don't think that's doing your best, or giving your best effort. I don't see what this has to do with my point, though. The best outcome to an AB for a hitter in ANY given AB is a homer, which is true. It is what it is -- I'm not trying to think below the surface or anything here, i.e. hitter's mindset, whatever...

QUOTE(Randar68 @ Oct 21, 2005 -> 10:15 PM) He's giving those runs back when moving to one of the smallest CF's in the majors? Really? Not buying that one... he's giving back 20 HR's and 30+ RBI's and a .200 points of OPS? If you want to argue durability, have at it, but that other argument holds as much water as a seive... No, not most of them -- but he gives back a good portion of them, regardless of it being a small OF. I still don't like Griffey for this team, because he makes us worse defensively, and this team doesn't need an aging, injury prone, and very pricey player. If you want a left handed bat, give Brian Giles his money. Or, make a play for Adam Dunn or Chad Tracy. A guy at Beyond the Box Score gave his thoughts on what he'd do this off-season... I'm in half agreement.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Oct 22, 2005 -> 01:41 AM) I really hate this line of thinking. Do you honestly believe that every batter should go up to the plate trying to hit a home run because it's "the best thing that a hitter can do in a given AB?" No -- where did I say that a hitter should go up, looking to swing out of his shoes just so he can knock one in the seats? I didn't... But, the best outcome in any given AB is a homerun -- it guarantees you a run.

QUOTE(Randar68 @ Oct 21, 2005 -> 10:27 PM) You're right, Sizemore's solo HR's (15 of his 22) and lack of pressure on the basepaths are perfect for leadoff. Ok -- are you trying to tell me homeruns, the best thing that a hitter can do in a given AB, are bad? I'll take homers wherever they come in the lineup, and it's even better when you can get them from a guy who also has a .348 OBP. Ok, so now it's if both were on the same team... Flip, flop, flip, flop. If I had to choose one or the other to be my leadoff man of my team, I choose Sizemore. Pretty easy call for me. Offensive contributions? Umm, well, when comparing Scott Podsednik and Grady Sizemore, I see that they're AVG and OBP are similar, while Sizemore slugs over 130 more than Podsednik does. But right -- Scotty makes the pitcher throw over a couple times, and he steals bases, so he's the better leadoff hitter. Instant offense with a homer? Nah, I'll take the single, and then the possibility that Podsednik might steal a base, and all the while, put pressure on the defense. Because, a homer doesn't put any pressure on the defense -- it puts a run on the board, but who gives a damn, right? :rolly You calling someone ignorant... that's funny.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 21, 2005 -> 04:33 PM) $15 a ticket doesn't bug me at all because it all is going to the teams charities. I am going to have to think about going to one of them. I'll probably head down to at least one as well... Perhaps a mini-Soxtalk meet-up?

QUOTE(Randar68 @ Oct 21, 2005 -> 03:36 PM) The only guys I'd even consider on this list an "upgrade" over Pods would be MARGINALLY Ichiro, Damon, and Figgins. Grady Sizemore would never hit leadoff for me unless it was a dire necessity, he's too valuable elsewhere in the order. LOL!!!! Grady Sizemore ANYWHERE in the lineup is better than Scott Podsednik. You know what, I'm sure Grady Sizemore's 22 HRs, 37 doubles, and 11 triples did a much better job at 'putting pressure on the defense' -- or, I should say, contributing to a successful offense -- than Podsednik's total of 29 x-tra basehits and 59 SBs -- not to mention he was caught 23 times, and probably picked off another three-five times, thus wiping out any chance whatsoever of his run scoring. Podsednik as a leadoff man over Sizemore? "Hilarious". QUOTE(Randar68 @ Oct 21, 2005 -> 04:27 PM) ok, I won't use the word disruptive if you don't use "stats"... talk about a complete asinine way to totally disregard something... can you be more ignorant? Pot, meet kettle. You're ignorant to anything you don't understand. 'Oh, Win Shares? Stat geek. Haha, take your eyes off the spreadsheet, geek!" :rolly

QUOTE(Randar68 @ Oct 21, 2005 -> 02:43 PM) That being said, adding a LH'd .300-35-100 hitter to the #3 hole who would lead the team in OBP and OPS to what we already have in place of Rowand is not an improvement? Wow, you've been listening to Hawk too much or you just forgot to take your meds... one or the other... Offensively, yes. Defensively, he's giving a heckuva lot of those runs right back. And, I don't care what metric you use, your eyes, stats, whatever -- Griffey is an awful fielder at this point in his career. But yes, I agree with your main point (before, again, ya had to throw that slap in there) that a good LH hitter would do this offense a helluva lot of good.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Oct 21, 2005 -> 03:12 AM) Many teams only carry 24 players and only make one player change in the offseason. That lineup is marginally better than this year's one. I shudder at the thought of having Everett as the DH for a whole 'nother year. And, when you factor in defense -- according to BP's RAA, which I believe is Runs Above Average -- has Rowand at something like 23 runs better than Griffey defensively (Rowand at a +7, Griffey at a -16). Another metric (UZR), IIRC, I thought I read had Griffey as the second worst CF'er in all of baseball (it might have been just the NL). Pretty much, there's little to no improvement on that team.

QUOTE(Randar68 @ Oct 20, 2005 -> 10:28 PM) We have a leadoff hitter for the first time since Lance Johnson and people are ready to ship him out of town because he doesn't hit for enough power or some other kind of stat-geek reason that makes utterly no sense. Sorry, guys, but being a disruptive force like Eckstein, Figgins, Podsednik... THAT is the name of the game at the top of the order. Look at all the good leadoff hitters in the game... almost all of them were in the playoffs... Damon, Eckstein, Pods, Figgins, Furcal... those guys are major disruptions to the pitcher and defense (Damon to a lesser extent than the other 3), but you get my point, I hope... You can't just plug numbers into a role and expect it to come out as the "best option"... you have to consider what role that player will have in the context of the entire order... Well, if Podsednik is making the minimum, that's fine, but pretty soon he's going to command a raise, and sorry, I don't think it's worth a whole lot more than $1.5-2 million Of course, it's pointless arguing with you -- I'll bring up a stat, and it'll be, "Oh, stat geek, stat geek". So I'll leave it at this -- I don't think Podsednik is that great. I'm happy about what he did this season -- and my only complaint really is that he should have been shut down on the basepaths down the stretch, when it was clear that he was still injured and wasn't getting good jumps/running right. I hope that going into the off-season, management realizes that our offense needs a heckuva lot of improvement. That's not to say Podsednik was the reason for our mediocre/average offense, but I think the spot can be improved -- and I'd gladly put Iguchi in the leadoff spot.

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Oct 20, 2005 -> 08:18 PM) No...The Rally Sock! No, even better -- Authentic Timo Perez Signed Rally Panties!

QUOTE(Randar68 @ Oct 20, 2005 -> 05:40 AM) Yet he's nowhere near that old. People can make all the age excuses they want about why it should weigh so heavily, but if a guy is legitimately inexperienced and is not dominating a level of competition based on his physical maturity, what the hell is the difference how old he is? We all get excited by the plethora of OF prospects, but please tell me who is going to be hitting #1 and #2 on that team... Good leadoff hitters are CRUCIAL parts of the puzzle... you can't put players together with total disregard for how the pieces fit together... And, since Owens isn't likely to hit .330 in the majors -- more like, .270-.310, that's going to bring his OBP down, and his slugging down. If he develops power, fine, but -- and this is where our opinions differ -- I'm not a huge fan of the Scott Podsednik-like, .290/.350/.360 guys. I can deal with it if the OBP is closer to .380/.390 -- and if Owens can do that, great -- but I don't know if he'll be able to. We shall see.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Oct 20, 2005 -> 03:40 AM) Me too. My favorite AL team (obviously) and my favorite NL team both break huge WS droughts in the same season. What are the odds? A buddy of mine (sort of) down at U of I put down money at the All-Star Break on Houston and Chicago getting to the World Series. He was getting great odds for both, but specifically Houston -- something like 60-to-1. He's getting $600 large, IIR him telling me correctly.

I don't mean to come off in such a jackass-like tone, but for a groundball pitcher, Tracey's 1.22 GB/FB ratio isn't very good...

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Oct 19, 2005 -> 04:42 AM) How did Khabi look? Not the greatest start for him, but hopefully he'll pick it up. Vancouver away would be one of the hardest road trips in Hockey though. Vorobiev looks like a keeper though, 2 more points tonight. I'd say several of the goals should lie on the shoulders of the defenseman. And, Duncan Keith isn't playing very well right now either. He tried to clear one off of a Khabi save, and the 'Nucks d-man knocked the puck down (still in the zone) -- Jovanoski (sp?), I think it was -- he sent it back down towards the net and they scored again (not off of his shot, he passed it). OTOH, I will say this -- Brent Seabrook right now has played like the best defenseman. He's made some mistakes, but he's physically ready, and he's playing confidently. I'm glad he's on the big club, and he should dress every single night -- and, if that means that slowass Todd Simpson needs to sit in the pressbox, so beit.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Oct 19, 2005 -> 01:45 AM) Maybe that has something to do with a thing called the Salary Cap? No, "Dollar Bill" should spend a ga-bajillion dollars on his roster! Who cares about the cap! Blah blah blah, yada yad yada! :rolly

QUOTE(qwerty @ Oct 18, 2005 -> 10:38 PM) I am willing to bet a .62 differential from average to obp is right around league average for lead-off hitters if not better. Maybe later i will look into it more in depth... Oh, I know that. But, like I said, I doubt he'd be able to hit .330. He can probably hit in the area from .270-.300 (if he develops properly), but that would still leave his OBP in the area of .330-.360. That's right around where Podsednik's is; and, I'm not the biggest Podsednik fan. Essentially, he seems to be what Scott Podsednik is (without looking at Pods' minor-league numbers) -- a good OBP, low slugging speedster. For you and me, though, qwerty, let's hope he gets better reads than Scott does.