hogan873

As a "new" Sox fan (I moved to the area in 1999 and quickly became a fan), I'm not as familiar with some of the stars of the past. I even wasn't a fan yet when Frank Thomas was in his prime. For me, it's guys like Crede, Konerko, and Buehrle that are the "greats" from the (near) past. But it is amazing what Chris Sale is doing. And he makes it look easy, this year for sure. If he doesn't have some sort of debilitating injury or somehow fall off dramatically, he'll be a guy who will be talked about 20 years from now as one of the greatest. Watching him pitch is a joy. We'll be able to tell our grand-kids about the time he struck out Mark Trumbo on a pitch that hit him on the knee and about how many left-handed hitters he made corkscrew themselves into the ground. Some of the other guys that have a chance to be those that we talk about include Abreu, Eaton, and Frazier. If Abreu can get back to where he was the past two years and stay there, he'll be one of the best hitters the Sox have had. Eaton with his glove, ability to get on base, and energy will be remembered fondly. Frazier, if he ends up staying with the Sox beyond next season, could be remembered like we remember Crede.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ May 17, 2016 -> 11:31 AM) I can't believe this thread has reached 3 pages. It's reached three pages, and we're no longer talking about Jason Bourgeois. There might have been 6 or 7 posts about the actual trade.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 12, 2016 -> 11:29 AM) The catching depth is in shambles right now. Is that going to a consideration at the deadline? Or more realistically come draft time? If Avila or Navarro don't get hurt, it won't be a concern, but Avila's already been hurt and neither guy is that young.

QUOTE (chw42 @ May 11, 2016 -> 02:57 PM) That was awesome. Didn't he hit a bomb afterwards too? I think it was his next at bat.

QUOTE (chw42 @ May 11, 2016 -> 02:55 PM) Frazier got 5 stitches on lower lip. Day to day. Bum. When Konerko got plugged in the face with a fastball he stayed in the game.

Provided Frazier's injury is "just" his teeth going through his lip, that's good news. And Hawk going to check on him is awesome. He can be tiresome in the booth, but the guy cares.

The introduction of instant replay has either made the umpires lazy or they were just not that good to begin with. I'm not sure of the percentage of times calls are overturned, but it's too high. I'm not sure about an automated strike zone, but it has seemed that the strikes zones have gotten bad. If you watch a game with a pitch tracker, you can see a lot of pitches not being called correctly. It would be okay if the calls were consistent, but they're not. You see the same pitch called a ball and a strike a lot, especially the close ones. Maybe it's something they could test in spring training one year, like football did with the extra points.

There's been a lot of talk about how valuable Jackson has been to the Sox. Not only does he provide outstanding defense in center field, having him on the team has allowed Eaton to move to and thrive in right field. He doesn't have a great bat, but to me his defense more than makes up for that. So, what are the chances the Sox try to sign him to an extension? And if the Sox are interested in doing so, is he interested in staying with the Sox? I know it's early, but it would be hard to imagine taking a step backward next year in the outfield.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 6, 2016 -> 09:57 AM) A rising tide raises all ships. Is funny how everyone seems to play better when the team is winning. When we hit that 2-8 streak the true steady cornerstone players will emerge. If he plays steady through those downturns, lock him up. Good point. Winning and losing are contagious, and playing well and playing poorly are contagious as well. I hope that guys like Lawrie and Frazier (among others) are the type that continue to play well when things are not going well. Those are the type of players you need. They can turn a team around with the right attitude.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ May 6, 2016 -> 09:13 AM) I really, really, really hope the Sox lock up Lawrie long term. The guy is the prototypical dirtbag player that the Sox have lacked for years. He fits the personality of the team to a tee. I'd like to see him extended, too. He is definitely what this team needed.

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.