Jordan4life_2007

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 04:02 PM) JD Drew has put up .900+ OPS's each of the past 2 seasons, and an .890+ OPS in 3 out of the past 4 seasons and an 8.1 UZR/150 over the past 3 years. He's consistently banged up (137+ GP in 3 of the past 4 years isn't too bad) but he's one hell of a baseball player. I'd say he's better than Quentin given just how much Quentin has to prove and what JD Drew has produced over the course of his career. Ellsbury put up a .350 OBP, .770 OPS and 70 SB with an 85% SB% last year in the AL EAST at the age of 25. Those are awesome numbers. The last time Juan Pierre had anything near a .355+ OBP in a full season's worth of PA? 2004. A .770+ OPS? 2004. 70 SB? He had 64 in 2007 with an 81% SB% but he holds a career 75% SB% compared to Ellsbury's 85%, Juan is consistently in the mid 70's, there's a huge difference between that and mid 80's. Now Juan is 32 and has put up a .289/.334/.364/.698 line over the past 5 seasons (and that's including his obviously anomalous 2009 season) Pierre just can't compete with the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury who is a significantly more valuable offensive ballplayer. Total agreement that there's no comparison between Pierre/Ellsbury right now. However, I don't think using career SB% as a point for Ellsbury applies considering the massive difference in sample size.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 10:52 PM) I love how this thread has become about Lebron being a douche, vs about the Bulls being crap. Dude, what's up with you? It was 96-93 before Lebron went nuts. That's crap? It took an extraordinary performance by an extraordinary player for a clearly superior team to pull away from an 8th seed tonight.. I actually wouldn't be shocked if the Bulls were to take two at home. Surprised. But not shocked. Role players historically play better at home. So I expect guys like Miller/Hinrich to play better. That's basically what has to happen for us to win anyway. Rose and Noah can't do it alone, obviously. Luol played a really good game tonight as well.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 08:20 PM) They also have an empty stadium and no payroll, along with a team that has sucked for years. I kinda doubt Sox fans would put up with that for years. They were a win away from the World Series just three years ago. The attendance/payroll issues go hand in hand. Which makes it even more important for them to build through the farm (ala Rays). And you're right about Sox fans. Our fanbase is ass fickle as they come. We have to win the World Series to register sell-out crowds with any regularity. It's funny, though. We've been to the playoffs a whopping 5 times in the last 26 years, and Sox fans act like they're above and beyond any kind of "rebuilding" project. Like it's cool to finish in third every year as long as we're spending 100+ million. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather not have to go that route. But if you told me that we'd suffer a down year or two but the reward would, or at least could be, a 3-5 year run in which we legitimately contended (not just hope we can contend due to the division being weak), I wouldn't be that against it.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 06:43 PM) Jordan Danks with his 6th double. Love it. I've been very impressed with JD to this point.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 04:28 AM) Indians don't really scare me because of their bullpen....their idiotic trade of Franklin Gutierrez and bringing in Kerry Wood...I don't know, without Hafner and an ailing Sizemore, they're just not as dangerous to me. Cabrera looks like he could be a keeper...but for every Choo, there's a Peralta, Hafner, Marte or Josh Barfield behind them. They're going to need a lot more quality pitching, and that takes time to develop. Westbrook won't be around much longer, and Carmona's been inconsistent (good this year, but 2/3 starts were against us). Losing Lee and Sabathia really set them back. Masterson's looked very good for them. You're right, they really replenished their minor league system with all those trades (DeRosa and V-Mart too), but I'm not seeing them coming close to Minnesota, simply because their woeful attendance will depress their payroll and put them into the same situation the A's are in with young talent getting into years 4-5-6. That said, I think they have a much brigher long-term future than the Tigers, who are a veteran ballclub but they also have Austin Jackson, Sizemore, Raburn, Clete Thomas, Ryan Perry, Porcello....a lot more good, young talent than the Sox I'm afraid. I was talking, more or less, 2-3 years from now. Not necessarily 2010. Shapiro has done an amazing job over the last few years in turning older, past their prime vets and all-star caliber players they were sure to lose through FA into young/cheap talent that you can legitimately move forward with into the future. You mentioned the Gutierrez trade and the Wood signing. The former obviously being a bad trade. Wood is gone after this year. So that's nothing to dwell on. But what about the doozies Shaprio has been able to pull off? Eduardo Perez for Asdrubal Cabrera. Ben Broussard for Shin Chin Choo and some other scrub I can't remember. Casey Blake for Carlos Santana and another player that escapes my memory. Mark Derosa for Chris Perez. We've seen first hand how good Cabrera/Choo are. Carlos Santana for Casey Blake was a steal of epic proportions. Santana, along with Posey/Montero, are the 3 best catching prospects in baseball. And Chris Perez for an aging Mark Derosa is another tremendous value. They got premium talent in the Sabathia/Lee/Martinez trades. Matt Laporta, Michael Brantley, Justin Masterson, Jason Knapp, Nick Hagadone and Carlos Carrasco are all considered very good to elite prospects. They've also drafted well the last few years. Alex White at #15 was considered a steal. And he's already been impressive at high A (though it's a small sample size). They're just really stacked. Of course, like all farm systems, you'll have guys that produce and guys that flame out. But if even half of these guys come through for them, they'll be a force again sooner rather than later.

Well, the Rays just completed their smackdown of the Red Sox to the tune of a 4-game sweep in Boston. They now have the same record as the **gulp** White Sox.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 08:33 AM) None of that seems necessary. If the shoe fits.

QUOTE (T R U @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 03:02 AM) This pods lovefest is just sickening He really needs to come back down to earth so we can stop hearing about this.. "We could use's Pods' multi-hit potential right now. The guy has some pop in his bat." f***in gag me.. Thing is it's not even a lovefest. Nobody was thinking about Pods before the season. But since we're off to a bad start and JP is struggling, the crybabies have made it their daily mission to check Royals box scores hoping Pods did well so they can say, "hahahaha. Pods is the s***. Pierre sucks. Way to go, KW!." And as soon as Pods comes back to earth, and he will, the little girls will find something else. Maybe Juan Uribe goes on a hot streak and the crybabies will start a "Uribe" thread tracking his every at-bat so they can say, "hahahahaha. KW strikes again! We could've had Uribe for nothing. But noooo!!" QUOTE (SoxAce @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 03:19 AM) Your tellin me. When did Scott Podsednik become a good player? Sample sizes are affecting people's judgment here. The comparing of two terrible players (Pods and Pierre) is brutal as it is. Its like comparing taking a hard, solid s*** hurting your asshole or dropping diarrhea liquid bombs hurting your stomach. Either way, it will suck. I like the former better. Sure it hurts. But it's a nice feeling when you feel 5-10 pounds lighter.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 01:34 AM) I guess we just have different versions of "success" 2000-2009 Twins- 5 postseason appearances, 6 PS wins, 1 DS win 'Hose- 3 postseason appearances, 11 PS wins, 1 DS win, 1 pennant, 1 ring I know, I know, 2005 doesn't count anymore. But really, 2 more appearances and 1/2 the number of wins is "success"? I've always viewed success as winning championships, not divisional crowns in a s*** division. And lets also remember that they will have at least 25% of their payroll dedicated to one player (yes he's a top 3 in the game) and unless they plan on being in the 9 figure range for the next 8 years, that's quite a big risk for them. Forget 2000. Start from the beginning of the KW era. That's 5-2 in favor of the Twins (and we needed an extra game at home that we didn't deserve in 2008. A coin-flip should not determine something as critical as homefield advantage in a do-or-die game). And you're being kinda silly in saying people are claiming 2005 "doesn't count." 2005 is what it is. A season in which we got career years from basically the entire pitching staff, were relatively healthy and took advantage of every break that came our way. Do these facts minimize that season? No. It was the greatest sports year of my life (along with the Illini's run to the title game). But one year, even one in which you win a title, doesn't equal putting yourself in a position to contend for titles EVERY year. By your logic, what we did in 2005 is as impressive as the Braves' run from '91-2005. Afterall, they only won one title. And even with Mauer's contract, the Twins are going to be able to ride the momentum of their new stadium (beautiful park by the way) for a while. So payroll shouldn't be much of an issue. Kind of off-topic. But I don't think the Twins are going to be the only team to center on going forward. The Indians could be a real player soon (no, not just because they've waxed our asses so far). They've got a farm system, mainly due to the Blake/Sabathia/Lee/Martinez trades, that is as deep/talented as any in baseball. They've already got a solid offensive core to build around (Choo is a f***ing stud). And Carlos Santana looks like a star C in waiting.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 10:36 AM) The more I see how inconsistent all Sox teams are, talking about from season to season, it is clear that we put too much money into the 25-man roster and not enough into the other aspects: drafting, scouting and foreign free agents. Look at the top teams of the past decade in terms of consistent success, they all build mostly from within; Twins, As, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies and Braves. The Yankees are an obvious exception, but are also an MLB anomaly. I would much rather have $10 million less in payroll per year if that means we increase our draft budget, get better scouts and scour the foreign free agent market better (and clearly that whole Dominican scandal set us back much). But look at the Twins who are considered up until this year a small-market team, they always have a smaller payroll than us, but also have higher draft budgets most years. Here's a quick comparison: Sox 2005: $2.7 million 2006: $2.9 million 2007: $2.8 million 2008: $4.7 million 2009: $4.2 million Twins 2005: $5.2 million 2006: $3.9 million 2007: $2.2 million 2008: $7.3 million 2009: $4.7 million I would guess further back this trend continues as well. Every year but one they outpay us in the draft. A quick check of the As, Phillies, Red Sox, Dodgers and Braves all show much higher draft budgets. I am going to say this is the main reason the Sox can't ever get that sustained success: drafting. We all know we draft poorly and KW has done a good job of turning poor draft picks into MLB players. But part of the bad drafting is the ownerships' aversion to spend money on top prospects that slip in the first round and then not selecting signability risks later (although Thompson was a nice change). Looking back, I would much have seen payrolls $10 million less and the money appropriated to better drafting. Unless you are the Yankees you will not build a strong team on a year-to-year basis without building through your farm and I think KW has proven this by his philosophy. Sometimes I kinda wish Rick Hahn were in charge because I believe he would revamp the organization philosophy. Thoughts? Excellent post. I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, we have such a fickle/bandwagon fan base, that a potential "down" period in which we committed more to the draft and rebuilding the farm could be a PR disaster. I actually embraced this concept after 2007. The future never looked so bleak. Now to Kenny's credit, he made some terrific moves that led to an unexpected division title in 2008. However, last year and the start of this year is proving once again that the philosophy this team has adopted during the KW era is no recipe for sustained success.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 12:28 AM) Joe Crede for Ervin Santana and Chone Figgins. I remember this trade being rumored in 2007 I think. And with the way Crede's health has been since, this would have been a no-brainer. Having Figgins gives you your lead off man (allowing Pierre to bat 9th), and Santana could be a strong 5th starter, or traded to clear room for Hudson. I don't remember this one at all. Was this a rumor before or after the '07 season? If before, I wouldn't have done it. Crede was coming off a career year prior to 2007. And at that time there was no way of knowing the back problems would be reoccuring. If this trade was proposed after 2007, yes, this would've been a no-brainer. This would've been one of those hindsight trades. Hirsch and Bucholz were pretty highly touted prospects at the time. And Willy T appeared to have great upside. I can't say it would've been a bad deal at the time. I was never a big Garland fan. He had one good year sandwiched between a pile of mediocrity. But he's never sniffed the DL and can give you 200+ innings with relative ease. Totally dropped the ball here. I bumped the Dye/Bailey thread from 2008 a month ago or so. Classic case of hanging on to an aging/declining vet a year too late. Now to be fair, I'm not sure it's ever come out why the deal didn't go down. I know KW wanted another prospect+Bailey. If that's the case then he f***ed up.

I'm so excited that baseball is back that I haven't been able to get too down about the slow start. Overall, I've become much more of a "baseball" fan the last few years. Up until that point it was all Sox all the time (and cheering anybody who played the Cubs). So I don't dwell on bad stretches or even bad seasons like I used to. After the game yesterday, I just turned right to the Giants/Dodgers (I've got the Extra Innings Package) so I could watch my favorite non-Sox pitcher, Clayton Kershaw. Made me kinda forget about the loss. Don't get me wrong now. I bleed White Sox. It just helps to watch other players and teams. For me, anyway.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 04:57 PM) cub should have been swept at home by the astros and should have lost two of three to the brewers all at home. They honestly could be in worse shape then the Sox and is my silver lining. The cubs have no fire sale material the Sox have enough fire material in their pen as well as with Konerko especially if the powere stays in there....cub nothing. They'll be "in it" well past the deadline. That's how bad that division is. But they definitely have some valuable assets should they decide (I don't think they would) to go that route.

Has the ROY ever been all but decided two weeks into a season (hell, he might get some MVP votes)? Just give it to Heyward right now. Nice to see a "brotha" takin' over.

The offense was encouraging the last 4 innings. It's just a matter of time before we start scoring some runs. But there's no way to spin this series into a positive. Bad, bad performance all-around. Glad we have a day off tomorrow.

CQ smoked that one. We just can't get a break.

QUOTE (beckham15 @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 03:05 PM) you and me both we aren't giving ourselves a chance only letting a pitcher throw 9-10 pitches in the inning That's a sign of players trying to do to much when things are going bad.

Choo is some kinda player.

JP has had a great day at the plate.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 03:01 PM) Welcome to the 2010 season Alexei! Although that defensive error would have been unforgivable in a close game. No runs scored. So who cares.

It'll be nice once we can put this outstanding bullpen to use.

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 01:32 PM) Blue Jays about to be swept by LAA. But they are playing good baseball. They're down 1-0 in the 7th and you've all but deemed the game over. You're getting kinda pathetic.

Let's get this out of the way early. HAHAHAHA! This offense f***ing sucks! Season over. The Twins are going to win the division by 77 games. Scott Podsednik got on base 5 times today. Can Pierre do that? We could've had Thome. lol@this pathetic offense. We f***ing suck. If we were like the Twins, we'd be in first place by now. lol@kw. lol@ozzie. God look at how breathtaking the Twins are. AHAHAHAHAHA@this team. Nobody is going to come to the park this summer because we f***ing suck! God I'm so glad I didn't get season tickets. gehpgsdb[ifa[bgg[@this team. Why can't we be like the Twins? SDHDHFHF@us paying Rios.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 12:10 AM) Dude can stroke it, but his Basketball I.Q. still leaves alot to be desired. Damn Melo.. why you gotta drop 42 on them like that?! BTW.. Garnett is a serious b****. Melo's game has taken off (he was already really good) since they got Billups. Other than Lebron, he's the most unguardable player in the league. And KG was cool until he won that title. I don't know what's happened to him. Still one of the best players I've ever seen, though.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 17, 2010 -> 11:58 PM) Everyone also seemed to sort of think we'd be OK because of our great starting staff. Read the prediction thread for the season. Lots of high win totals in there. Deep down most figured we'd be a reasonably good team with any offense at all. And this could still be the case. They're 150 games left in the season.