hogan873

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ May 3, 2016 -> 08:39 AM) I guess people buy into the new age stats a lot more than I thought they would. Traditionally MVP's of the leagues have been guys who put up big power numbers with a high or at least decent batting average or pitchers who had outstanding years. If a pitcher is bad no amount of defense can save him (see Danks ) Sale is Sale and Q is Q and good defense from the whole team not just Eaton has contributed to his fine start but it's still mostly Sale. I just don't think great defense alone gets you MVP. I mean give me an OBP above .400, OPS around .800, lots of steals, leading the team in some other categories. If you go 1-4/ 2-5 and make all the routine plays but nothing spectacular which is what happens on most days how valuable is that ? I know I am fighting a losing battle here just like on pitch framing but seriously bWar is not the end all be all . Guys like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Miquel Cabrera , Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays , guys who contributed defensively and offensively are MVP's not guys like Heyward or Kiermeier. I can agree about the new age stats. I still don't really know what some of them are. I tend to look at their production numbers first. Then, for lack of a better term, it's the eye test. What else does the player bring to the team? A guy like Eaton is just doing it all right now. He's the ideal lead-off guy with a great glove, and he's made some spectacular plays. Frazier is another guy who has been extremely valuable. Offensively he's doing what we expected him to do, but he's doing it at clutch moments. Add to that his glove (how awesome is it to have a real third baseman again?) and the fact that he has quickly become a leader of this team, makes him an MVP-caliber player. So, withOUT looking at the stats (WAR, etc.), I put Frazier and Eaton on top of the April MVP rankings, with Frazier inching out Eaton only because of the clutch hits. Maybe the stats support this, maybe they don't. But the numbers and the eye test lead me to this conclusion.

It's hard to not recognize Eaton with his defense. Of course his moving to right field was due to the Jackson signing. It's so nice to have two center fielders prowling the outfield. Frazier has to be up there, too. A good number of his hits and RBIs have come late in games. His ability to get the clutch hits is very reminiscent of Crede. Lawrie has been pretty awesome as well. His bat has stayed hot all month, and his defense has been better than advertised. Finally the pitching. Sale is as good as he's ever been. Quintana just keeps getting better. Latos has been a very pleasant surprise. And the bullpen has been amazing. All that being said, I would give it to Frazier. The biggest reason being that there have been quite a few games where the Sox had scored only a run or two and were either tied or down late in the game, and Frazier came through with a clutch hit. His hitting and the energy he has brought to this team make the 2016 Sox look like a completely different team.

He's quickly becoming a favorite player of mine. I love his intensity, and I think it's having a positive impact on the team. I know there was that Cubs homer saying he's pissing everyone off, but I don't think that could be further from the truth. That sort of passion and intensity is what the Sox have been missing for years. On top of all of that, he's hitting well and playing in the field well. He's got some surprising power. I wouldn't be surprised to see 15-20 HRs from him. As far as his glove, we can probably not worry anymore about his transition to second base.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 28, 2016 -> 09:09 AM) The Sox have not lost in 7 days. John Danks has not pitched in 7 days. I may have to consult an actuary to verify, but I think that is a significant statistic.

I would believe that Renteria is a part of it along with the addition of guys like Frazier and Jackson. The outfield is so much better this year, and that has been mainly due to Jackson. Eaton has been great in right, and Melky has stepped up his game. Frazier is really good at third...it is so fun watching a game with a glove like his there. One of the biggest surprises to me has been Lawrie. He's been solid at second, plus he's had some amazing plays there. I think when players with big personalities come in, the entire team can be affected. In this case, the additions of Frazier, Latos, Lawrie, and Jackson have done wonders for this team.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Apr 25, 2016 -> 10:03 AM) Erik Johnson Got it. Thanks

Maybe towards the end of the season Hawk will be in the booth when an umpire has a bad day, and then he can go on the tirade of tirades and then retire.

I apologize if this has been asked and answered, but was someone sent down to make room for Gonzalez?

To me it's not so much that Jason is better than Hawk, but the combination of Jason and Stone is SO much better than Hawk and Stone. The banter between Jason and Steve is refreshing compared to the stilted, uncomfortable dialogue between Hawk and Stone. There was a game last week when the Sox were losing, and there were moments of silence that lasted a minute or more. When things are going good, Hawk is good...entertaining. When things are going bad, Hawk is really bad.

QUOTE (Scoots @ Apr 20, 2016 -> 02:12 PM) What is tootblan... It's what happens when you eat too much polish sausage and drink too many Miller Lites, coupled with having to walk quickly down a flight of stairs while carrying a bag of groceries.

QUOTE (3GamesToLove @ Apr 7, 2016 -> 02:44 PM) I don't care if they're family. Violence isn't the answer. #FamilyFirst

Petition Signees Steve9347 Soxfan2014 pittshoganerkoff

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 4, 2016 -> 10:14 AM) I know it is only on HULU, but 11.22.63 was an amazing series. There were a few deviations from the book, but I was really impressed. Glad they did it over 8 episodes instead of trying to cram it into a movie. I agree. I loved the book, and I think it's one of the best I've read. But I think they did a good job with the series so that it could be enjoyed by anyone. I particularly liked how they kept the ending essentially the same...that was important.

Really good episode of The Walking Dead last night. Negan's entrance was awesome, and the last 15 minutes of the episode were so intense. I'm okay with the way they left it. We know someone in the group met Lucille. I just hope they don't end up taking the easy road and make it one of the "secondary" characters. It really needs to be Glenn or Daryll or even Abraham.

This is all Drake LaRoche's fault.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 1, 2016 -> 02:46 PM) Is this official or just going by the website? The website has been incorrect for a couple of days. Although that Sands fan may have inside info. I just think it you are going by the 25 man roster on the website, it's wrong. They still have that minor league LHP on there. That was my thought, too. I guess we'll have to wait and see for the official word. It just seems strange to not take the LH bat in Ishikawa...not that he's the answer.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Apr 1, 2016 -> 10:06 AM) Sandoval's father was the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and his mother a Teletubby. Sandoval wears a pool cover for a raincoat. Sandoval's scale weight looks like a phone number that ends with ' to be continued '. Sandoval ate Old Country Buffet out of business in one sitting. Eminor's avatar is actually a portrait of Sandoval smiling. Almost spit coffee all over my computer there. The real reason Sandoval has been benched is that he has developed his own gravitational pull, and they fear that the short stop could be pulled out of position during critical plays.

QUOTE (glangon @ Apr 1, 2016 -> 07:15 AM) The problem we have is that we don't have a bench big enough for Panda. It would need to be re-enforced and have a branch of McDonalds next to the bench for Panda to agree the move. That and the uniform budget would increase dramatically. "Okay, JR, we can get a uniform for Panda, but either we increase the budget or Sale, Eaton, Jackson, and Rollins aren't getting jerseys."

QUOTE (Dunt @ Mar 30, 2016 -> 11:02 AM) Will probably still beat the Reds major league team Indeed. We're going to be passing through Cincinnati while on vacation, so I figured we'd stop to see a Reds game. Lower level seats are being sold on Vivid Seats for as little as $10. I guess there's not much interest in watching a team that traded away most of their stars.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 30, 2016 -> 10:21 AM) ahh you have 2 different scenario's here. i will deal the the obvious. st gives hope for those who want to impress the coaches and managers, esp those in the major league team. now, they, the prospects will need to take that success and build on it, show they are capable of maintaining the good part of st and can last in the long haul. while the experience will need that time to wipe the rust off and get the timing down. I agree. I was talking about from the fan's perspective, but you're right. There is always a group of players (for the most part a big chunk of that 25 man roster) that have guaranteed spots. So, in reality, a team has 2-5 spots that are "up for grabs", and there are a bunch of players fighting for those spots. Obviously there are plenty of guys who are invited to spring training who have no chance to make the 25-man, but they're invited to get some experience and allow the coaches to check them out...for the future. It's those guys like Sanchez and Davidson (this year at least) that now have an opportunity to go back to AAA where they'll play every day, and they'll either continue to do well or it will be obvious that their spring training numbers were a fluke.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 30, 2016 -> 09:55 AM) It always amazes me how much some put into spring training numbers despite years and years of showing they usually don't mean too much. On the other hand, if they are so important, Avi should be in the MVP discussion this year. Well, the numbers matter if they're good (like this year), but they don't matter if they aren't good. It's just spring training, we say. I'm being somewhat sarcastic, because I think (hope) that we all realize that spring training numbers don't necessarily translate to real life. However, it is nice to see the HRs and the improvement in some of the guys we're going to need to step up. We'll see how everything goes once they start playing in 45-50 degree weather and swirling winds.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Mar 30, 2016 -> 09:52 AM) I like Lawrie and his potential still. If he hits .270 with 18-20 HRs that'll work right? I like Sanchez but he doesn't have enough power for me because we're already lacking power. I know we've hit 47 HRs this spring but last year really lacked it in the lineup. I'm not sure he'll hit .270, but I think 18-20 HRs is definitely possible. Regardless, he's an upgrade over what the Sox have had at 2B for a while.

Better Call Saul is so well done. I was watching the most recent episode (where we might have seen Saul Goodman emerging), and I was thinking how difficult it must be to come up with a origin story for a supporting character from another show. The writers, and Bob Odenkirk for that matter, so a great job developing this guy we knew as a sleazy, crooked lawyer. On a side note, I can't believe there are only three episodes left this season.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 29, 2016 -> 10:01 AM) I don't get the fascination with Ishikawa at all. No way should he be your DH and batting 6th to start the season. You're absolutely right. But unless the Sox make a trade or sign a Venable or Murphy, it's what they have. If LaRoche hadn't quit, he'd be your opening day DH and batting 6th. Would that be any better based on last year's performance?

vs. RH Eaton Rollins Abreu Frazier Cabrera Ishikawa Lawrie Avila Jackson vs. LH Eaton Rollins Abreu Frazier Cabrera Lawrie Garcia Navarro Jackson Rotation Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Latos, Danks Bullpen Albers, Petricka, Duke, Jennings, Putnam, Jones, Robertson Bench Avila/Navarro, Ishikawa/Garcia, Saladino, Shuck