Jordan4life_2007

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Sep 23, 2009 -> 08:13 PM) The Cardinals are a contending team so your comparison doesn't mean anything. The Padres have nothing to play for and are rebuilding, and they're not going to compete until Gonzalez is a free agent and they won't be able to afford him then. Therefore it makes total sense for them to trade him. It's not about being a contending team. Teams like to gauge what kinda package they can get for players all the time. Doesn't mean they're even close to being ready to make a trade. And you're right. They are rebuilding. And how does a team like the Padres rebuild? By getting proven ML players and premium minor league talent for whatever legitimate players they have. And for a player the caliber of Gonzalez at his current cost there would be a monumental price to pay. And I'm pretty sure there's not a team out there that would give the Padres what they would require. I'm not going to sit here, as you have, and try to predict what will come of prospects. What's the point? You can read Baseball America from sun up to sun down, look at stats, go through scouting reports until you pass out, ect. Nobody will know a thing until they get out there on the field and show us. Still, you don't gut your system to that extent for any one player not named Pujols, Lincecum, or maybe Felix Hernandez. I don't follow you here. Adding 40 HR and .400 OBP to our lineup for 2010-2011 is worth all that because we won't be able to afford this rotation forever? All 4 of our starters are either under contract or under control for the next 2-4 years. What does Gonzalez have to do with our pitching? And you contradict yourself because you say you'd have no problem giving up our #1 SP prospect. Which is not something you want to do if, as you say, we won't be able to afford this rotation forever. And yes, I have no problem trading minor league talent for proven ML talent. But like with anything in life, there's a line. There's no way even Kenny would give that much up for one guy. And it probably wouldn't be enough anyway.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Sep 23, 2009 -> 07:55 PM) Great post. No what? No, the Padres never shopped him? Yes they did. No he's not elite? Yes he is. No he's not worth that much talent? Yes, he is. No, we don't have enough to get him? Maybe not. Did they shop him? Don't know and don't care. The Cardinals could shop Pujols and it wouldn't mean anything. Yes, he is elite. And he's ridiculously cheap (which is why there's no reason in the world to trade him unless you're getting some beyond earth shattering in return). No, he's not worth Flowers, Viciedo, Danks, Hudson and more. That's a ridiculous comment.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Sep 23, 2009 -> 07:47 PM) The Padres were shopping him at the deadline and since they're the Padres it's a given he'll be available. It's going to take even more than a Bedard package to get him, but if we had a chance, I'd sell the farm for him. Flowers, Viciedo, Hudson, Danks, and then I'd give them more. Gonzalez is elite. Umm, no.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Sep 23, 2009 -> 06:31 PM) My perfect 2010 lineup: Sign Abreu or Damon, trade for Cody Ross, send Paulie out, sell the farm for Adrian Gonzalez L Getz 2B R Beckham 3B L Adrian Gonzalez 1B R Quentin LF L Bobby Abreu or Johnny Damon DH R Ramirez SS L Pierzynski C R Rios CF R Cody Ross RF Nix UT Kotsay 1B/OF Backup C for minimum Backup SS/CF for minimum (bring in some guys to compete with Lillibridge) A nice L/R mix of speed, power, OBP, contact, and bat-handling skills, plus a much better defense 2009 You need to forget about Adrian Gonzalez. He's under the Padres control through 2011 (5.5 million club option that will obviously be picked up). He's one of the better bargains in baseball. It would take a Bedard like package for the Padres to even consider trading him.

Listen to Rex, sonik. The last thing you want to do is go around thinking you're invincible now. The ultimate challenge truly is to maintain. I myself have had a few problems the last 6 weeks or so as far as motivation goes. For like 8 months I was obsessed. I just wanted the weight off as quickly as possible. No matter the cost. And I lost even more than I had planned (82 pounds to be exact). Now that it's off, my motivation is up and down. I used to go to the gym 5 days a week. No questions asked. Lately I've been going maybe 2 days a week, 3 tops. And I've definitely been feasting on a little too much Crazy Bread/Pancakes/other high calorie, high fat stuff of late. I should've listened to Rex when he said to mix in cheat days/meals with my diet. That way you won't feel so deprived. For 8 months I was the healthiest eating motherf***er on the planet. Now I'm getting this ridiculous cravings of late (and it's not for baked chicken, salad or veggies). I haven't gained any weight back. But it's always in the back of my mind. Hey, Rex, did you see my pic? http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74559 That's from about a month ago. I've got a couple before pics of when I was 232. I'm going to get them up soon as I can. You won't believe the difference. If I do say so myself.

QUOTE (dpd9189 @ Sep 22, 2009 -> 07:49 PM) I don't think they need a major overhaul, but I can see them making a few minor moves that they couldn't do this year because of the management situation. They have had the same issues that we've had this year.....some underproducing hitters and late inning bullpen issues. I beg to differ. They kinda remind me of where we were at in 2007. A team full of aging/declining players at multiple positions with no minor league system to speak of. Their only saving grace is that they're in the NL. But they're quite a ways away from being able to run with the Cardinals (this is assuming Matt Ruth I mean Holliday is back).

IF any of this is true (and this has been reported nowhere besides the Tribune), we won't be in the running. The Rays are in a very enviable position right now. This is what happens when your minor league system is overflowing with premium prospects. It doesn't matter that Crawford is a FA after 2010. They can and probably will demand a big haul. If they can't get what they want, they can go ahead and let him play out 2010, and you know he'll be super motivated with it being his FA year. They can attempt to resign him, of course. If they can't, no big loss for them. They'll just slide Desmond Jennings, who has all the makings to be even better than Crawford, right in. They'll also obviously get compensation for him signing with another team. They'd be fools to even dangle Upton. I don't care what he's done to this point. With his combination of youth/skill/athleticism, you just don't give up on a guy like that. And as has been mentioned, he's not a FA for a few years. Again, this hasn't been brought up anywhere except the Tribune. So it could be nothing. Honestly, I was looking forward to a Crawford, Upton, Jennings OF next year. That would have to be undoubtedly the most athletic OF combination ever.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Sep 22, 2009 -> 01:20 AM) I agree the Cardinals are a great team, hell they have the TWO best 1-2 punches in the game which is just frightening but that Derosa trade isn't a clear cut winner, he's been just awful in a Cardinals uniform. You know what, you're right about Derosa. I thought he had been producing more. He did go off last night (2 HR, 4 RBI).

QUOTE (scotty22hotty @ Sep 22, 2009 -> 01:04 AM) Jenks(arb.), Linebrink(10.5M), Alexi(2.2M) For Big Z(53M), Bradley(21M) & 21M Assuming Jenks takes a 14M/2 deal. Sox take on around ~25M (Cubs shed ~5M) Losing Alexi hurts, but I can see the Cubs taking this offer... OH.MY.GOD. I'm pretty sure you're kidding. That's probably the second worse trade proposal I've seen this year. Nothing will top the proposal in which the Dodgers were supposed to trade Clayton Kershaw in an attempt to land Cliff Lee.

Somebody lock this thread. We've got 4 guys in our rotation who could be all-stars in any given year. A 5th starter (assuming we pick up the option) that any team in the league would be happy with. A potential young stud who just recently finished obliterating every level of the minor leagues waiting in the wings. And adding an overrated, overpaid, lazy, injury prone, underachiever (who's also a headcase and, well, a moron) that's due more than 55 million bucks the next 3 years makes sense in what way? Again, this thread needs to be locked.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 10:17 PM) Cross the top three off of your list right away. We aren't trading for expensive starting pitchers, nor are we trading for middle of the line up plodders. Crawford and Figgins are the only guys on that list that make sense. I'm seriously going to snap the next time somebody suggests we add starting pitching. Especially extremely expensive starting pitching (and when I say expensive I mean in both money and players). We're absolutely set with the starting rotation for the next 3-5 years, at least.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 10:34 PM) And they lost because they ran out of time. 47 minutes time of possession for the Fins, 13 minutes for the Colts. And the Colts won. That's remarkable. I thought you were exaggerating ( the Miami TOP was actually 45:07). But it's mind-boggling that a team could lose a game controlling the ball at that rate. I didn't see the game. The Miami defense must've been deplorable.

The Cardinals are f***ing good. Talk about making IMPACT trades. This is what the trade deadline is all about. How often do we see big trades made that make minimal, and in some cases, no difference at all? The Cards made three outstanding ones. Derosa/Holliday/Lugo have elevated them from slightly above average (by NL standards) to WS favorite, IMO. They've got the top 1-2 punch in baseball (at least the best in the NL) heading their rotation. A murderers' row type lineup. An underrated bullpen. They play good defense. They're the total package.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Sep 20, 2009 -> 09:12 PM) Wow, Villanova is pretty much their Viciedo. He's a really big deal in their system. Something of a bust, but with great potential. Holy s***. I was skimming through MLB.COM and saw something that said a Giants prospect was a suspected of murder. I assumed it was a no-name nobody (not that it would be any less serious). But like Thunderbolt said, this dude is considered an elite prospect by many.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 10:21 PM) Josh Fields had problems long before he got to Chicago. I know I felt the strikeout numbers would kill him at the major league level. Guys like Fields and Brian Anderson are beyond help. If either becomes even serviceable at the ML level with another organization I'll demand that a mod bans me from this site for a year. I'm not kidding.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 10:14 PM) Then I wish Jerry would speak up more and blast the players or something and remind everybody of Oz's and KW's excellence. It doesn't hurt to remind the lumbering players that the boss fully supports the top two guns. I don't want KW or Oz to leave ever. I'm just saying at some point the guys in charge are the ones who should be booed. Oz and KW should be moderately ashamed at some of these performances the second half. I know you live in Kansas, so you don't get a chance to read the Chicago papers. But I can't think of a manager or GM in baseball that takes more responsibility for the performance (Ozzie) and the product (KW) of the the team than those two. Ozzie has repeatedly said things like "I'm the manager. If we don't get it done, I should be fired" and KW has said countless times "The buck stops at my desk." Those two guys don't hide behind a thing when the team underachieves. Jerry doesn't have to say a thing.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 09:59 PM) Do you think the 1st half vs. 2nd half splits in the pen are a result of aging arms wearing down. We rely a lot on Linebrink and Dotel, at least in 2008 and Ozzie carried that trend over into 2009. With both those guys have a ton of innings on their amrs is it to our suprise they were both night and day when you compare their performance in the first half to the second. They are showing the signs of age, am I wrong? That's a fine point. Could very well be.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 10:02 PM) Walker should flip flop jobs with somebody in the organization. Let him keep a job somewhere, but make a change at hitting coach for change's sake. Is Buddy Bell a candidate? I really don't think it'll matter much but it's time for change for change sake. The new hitting coach will be the scapegoat if we suck at the plate again. But these cliches in baseball must be addressed from time to time and with the Sox, it's time. I love Oz, but nobody in baseball has a lifetime contract. We have a lot of "name" position players and pitchers and on paper shouldn't be this bad. I prefer to blame the players but it's his team. If the team sucks again next year, I'd suspect the Oz era may be in jeopardy. I guess the fans may keep coming out. I'd think some ticket holders might be reconsidering unless they just love going out to the Cell each and every summer. So many of these home games have been hitting disasters. I would think some of these fans would pass on a repeat of these type games next year. Ozzie and KW are here until they decide to quit. JR for better or worse is one of the most loyal owners in pro sports. Jerry Krause, one of the worst GMs in NBA history, would still be with the Bulls had he not stepped aside.

QUOTE (Friend of Nordhagen @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 09:46 PM) Same offensive shortcomings, year after year, and the players often change. A lot is Williams's fault for finding guys uniquely qualified to be fundamentally lousy, no question. But, please consider: 1) These players do not hit situationally and haven't for years. It looks like they try; they don't know how. Someone, like the hitting coach, should provide some assistance here. 2) These players are flabbergasted by pitchers they haven't seen before. I sorta think the hitting coach ought to be of some assistance on that one. 3) These players cannot hit left-handed pitchers with changeups. Why is this always a team-wide phenomenon? Perhaps a coaching approach might help there, too. If the answer on each of these is no, then I am not sure what a hitting coach is supposed to do, nor why they would ever, under any circumstance, be held accountable. I think it's otherwise. We could debate this subject forever. And I really don't feel like it. Hey, if there's somebody out there that's going to somehow transform these guys into better hitters (and for those that want Walker fired. I've never heard one person, not one, come up with a potential replacement that could do a better job), then go for it. Other than the 2005 Indians, I can't think of a single situation in which a hitting coach was replaced and the offense from that point caught fire. If anybody else can feel free to throw it out there. I just think this is a classic case of not being able to fire or trade a bunch of hitters. So may as well can the coach.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 09:44 PM) Things that you can probably pin on walker: 1. These terrifically bad games against guys we haven't seen before. 2. Fields's lack of development. His swing needed improvement and it just never showed. 3. Rios. The guy needs some major mechanical work right now. That's a hitting coach's job. 4. JD. I still don't know what's wrong with him, I think it has to be injury related, but if it's not, then the hitting coach needs to kick his ass. 5. Some of the really long slumps our guys got in to. Ramirez to start the season, Getz in June. Those really hampered us too. I agree with #1. There has to be some accountability there. The rest? I just don't see it. Fields is just bad. I don't care what anybody says. Rios was having a down year before he got here. It's just gotten worse. I don't believe he's anywhere close to being this bad. So I'll reserve judgement there. Other than the first half of 2007, JD has produced at an all-star level since he's been here. And he was having a pretty good first half this year. It could be a case of a 36 year old finally starting to decline. I don't agree with #5. You got guys from every team in baseball that go into slumps. Guys with proven track records. I think Ian Kinsler had a 2 or 3 month stretch this year where he hit like .200. And the Rangers offense, which is supposed to be pretty potent, has had a down year across the board. I don't think they're going to fire Rudy Jaramillo. Just happens. Ramirez did that last year and was a runner-up for the ROY. And I don't think Getz is an everyday player.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 09:43 PM) I heard a report that AJP will either be the third or fourth player to have an above .300 average (500+ abs) in Walker's tenure or something like that. Not surprising considering the type of hitters he's had during his time here. We haven't exactly had a bunch of Ichiro's the last 5 years.

QUOTE (Friend of Nordhagen @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 09:33 PM) And the coaches are all great, too. Stone was just saying something to that effect. Now Hawk chimes in to support Walker. Hey, I'm for putting the blame on the hitters, too -- but, on Walker, c'mon. There has to be some accountability. And from where I sit, it's either Walker or the General Manager who put together a team of guys who take such a lousy approach at the plate. Can we really blame Walker for CQ's struggles (which are injury related) and Dye turning into a replacement level player the last three months? Not to mention we went big chunks of the season with Fields, Lillibridge and Wise in the lineup. And Rios has obviously been bad to this point. I fail to see how any of this can be on Walker's head. Konerko/AJ/Pods/Beckham have all matched or exceeded expectations. Alexei after a slow start has been alright. Thome was Thome. No hitting coach would make a difference there. Would Getz be a better hitter with somebody other than Walker as the hitting coach? Doubtful. Again, I just don't see why Walker should take the fall.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 09:22 PM) No one admits this just isn't a very good team, and the only position players that overachieved this year were Pods and AJP. The Rios claim is such a disaster in that it's likely going to make it a lot harder to upgrade spots where we're lacking next year. I agree with all this except the Rios claim being a disaster. And it remains to be seen if he will keep this team from upgrading at other positions. Until proven otherwise, I have to give KW the benefit of the doubt in this particular case.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 09:20 PM) No he wouldnt. For all of you guys clamoring for Uribe let me put it pretty simple. If Uribe is on the team Beckham is in the minors still working on his craft. The reason Beckham was brought up was due to Josh "can't" Fields being so bad. Remember, if Beckham is up we are in trouble. Beckham >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Uribe Uribe is having your classic fluke season anyway. The only thing that's up for him is his BABIP. All his other rates are the same.

C'mon, guys. This season didn't go down the toilet because we didn't have Juan Uribe. Just as 2006 didn't fall apart because we didn't have Rowand. Let's not b**** just to b****.