hogan873

My wife and I did the Ancestry DNA thing a while back. The results for me weren't a huge surprise. I knew I was Irish, German, Welsh, and Polish. The results pretty much showed that, except the percentage of Irish was higher than I thought. I used the 30-day free trial to build as much of a family tree as possible. I did so for my wife's family and mine. It was really fascinating to dig way back and see when our ancestors immigrated from Europe. I was able to go back as far as the late 1600s on my dad's side of the family and as far back as the mid 1700s for my mom's. I've been tempted to pay for another month and do more digging, but I'd have to dedicate a lot of time to it to make it worth the cost.

No. Even if he performed well enough in the minors for us to think he deserved it, there would be no reason to call him up. Eloy was destroying baseballs last year, and he probably deserved to come up, but he didn't. If they're serious about Madrigal being the 2B of the future, he needs a full year of development. No reason to rush him.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the improvements in guys like Moncada, Anderson, and Lopez. I'm very hesitantly hoping for a bounce-back season from Giolito. Other than that, I'm excited to see how some of the prospects develop. There's a lot of talent in the minors and some real potential. Them doing well will help ease the pain of a likely rough season.

So much for Harper recruiting him to the Phillies in a couple years. Looks like a great deal for both sides, especially the Angels. He's worth more than that, probably.

Jimenez has said he intends to wear number 74, as he does in spring training. In an interview last year he stated that he liked the number because no one else wears it, and he wants to "create that number". https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/eloy-jimenez-on-his-white-sox-future-and-the-first-hell-accomplish-on-day-1/

Billy Koch, Rob Mackowiak, Nick Swisher

Yeah. Spot on, and he never backed down from what he said. I'm not sure about the Eloy rumor. It could still be true but not entirely accurate as he's stating it. Options, etc. could ultimately make it a 10 year/$100M+ deal.

I used to fish a lot more than I do now. I grew up living within walking distance of the ocean in NC and spent two years in Juneau, AK, so I would spend nearly all of my free time fishing. I've made it a goal each year to get out fishing more, but my busy spring and summer schedules (kids' activities, coaching baseball, etc.) limits how much I can get out. Plus, I haven't found many great fishing spots. I've been looking for spots SW of Chicago, and I've found a few that are okay but nothing real exciting. I'm making it a goal again this year to get out as much as I can. Hopefully I can actually do it this year.

I believe we've hit bottom. The problem is that we may spend quite a while at the bottom. 2019 looking better and 2020 and beyond being competitive years currently hinges on all or most of the prospects living up to their potential. It was shown this off season that the team cannot compete in the big FA sweepstakes, so there's no reason to believe that they will be signing a big name next off season. I was thinking at the end of last season that the Sox could be a surprise contender in 2019. Now I don't think it's a possibility until 2021 at the earliest...and that may be a stretch.

In my opinion, Anderson is underrated. His defense is improving, and he's already shown that he can make some very difficult plays at SS. He was a 20/20 guy last season, I don't see any reason why he won't be a perennial 20/20 guy. I'm not a big WAR guy, but it you want to look at it, he was at 2.5 last season. As you pointed out, is he ends up being a 3+ WAR player year after year, he'd be exceeding expectations...at least expectations of folks other than rabid fans who demand he be the best SS in the game. He's not a concern for the Sox right now. I believe that as the team around him improves, he will be even more valuable.

King Kong Bundy, 61. He was one of the best wrestling heels in the 80s.

Lopez was one of the bright spots last year. He showed flashes of being an exceptional pitcher, and pitched well overall. As you pointed out, he's young and has plenty of room to grow. I would expect a stronger year from him in 2019.

Moncada will have a much better year, and his move to 3rd base will make him even more valuable. I feel that he'll be a perennial 20/20 guy, possibly hitting 30+ HRs eventually. He needs to be more aggressive and swing at the close pitches, especially when he's down in the count. I think that is he can hit .260+ this year, he'll continue to get better. I think Luis Robert has the potential to be a superstar. His speed alone is going to make him a menace for other teams. He's shown that he has huge raw power. That HR he hit the other day looked like he barely swung the bat. If he lives up to his potential, he'll be a force. If he lives up to some of his potential, he'll still be a difference maker. Like Robert, I think Eloy can be a star. Obviously doesn't have the speed or defensive tools that Robert has, but the hit and power tools are scary. He's another one that has to realize just some of his potential to be good. I don't know enough about a lot of the other guys. But I like Madrigal's chances to be a solid second baseman for the Sox. This year will be very telling for a good number of the prospects.

The criticism is obviously getting to them. KW comes out and days something, but he says the wrong thing. Like, totally wrong. Hahn seems to speak a little more honestly, but he's still not saying anything that is going to make the fans respect them more. If they were not willing to spend what was necessary from the beginning, then they shouldn't have said anything eluding to them pursuing one of the big two.

Ultimately I think it comes down to Jerry not authorizing the money. But KW needs to shut the hell up. Stop with the whining about how the Sox are perceived and do something about it.

I'm not happy with the front office and their failure to sign one of the big two. However, I watch the games for the players. I'll still watch as many games as possible, and I'll go to a game or two. I have more Sox stuff in my closet than anything else, and that won't change. I don't have as high hopes as I did a few months ago, but I'm still excited to see what our prospects can do.

Three year opt out, too.

But over 10 years?

I guess they're spending their stupid money. Thank god it's over.

Not really called a squad. I guess we just say it's the 25-man roster, or the "25-man". Even though the roster is finalized the day before, we know most of who will make it now, and we'll know all but a spot or two several days before opening day.

I think that when he finally does sign, the deal will be more than we think the Sox should offer. If he ends up signing for 10/$330 or less, that will be concerning...unless he takes less to play in LA.

That definitely won't get it done. He's probably going to end up getting about $70M more than that.

Remember a month or so ago when it was speculated that this could drag into March and we scoffed at the idea. Well, here we are. Something's gotta give soon...hopefully.

I really enjoyed it, too. As a huge Queen fan myself, I loved the music. Rami Malek did an outstanding job re-enacting everything for the live performances. I know there were some inaccuracies in the story, but it was a very good movie.

Give him a "swell-opt" opportunity after every game. "Dude, I'm gonna need more money to play with these clowns tomorrow."