hogan873

It looks like Conor is physically unable to smile. He tried, but it ended up looking like he was ready to sneeze.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 14, 2014 -> 09:03 AM) I think the White Sox should have protested the game. Make MLB come out and say the rule was interpreted correctly. That was my thought, too. More attention needs to be called to this rule and its interpretation.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 07:27 AM) Has anyone been watching Tyrant? I'm really enjoying that show I wasn't sure about it before I started watching it, but it drew me in right away. Thoroughly enjoying it.

QUOTE (kev211 @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 11:12 AM) What was he doing before the glasses? Was he just going with his regular bad vision? Or was he wearing contacts? I don't see how switching from contacts to glasses would help any. QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 11:18 AM) Contacts, and I don't see how it would help either, but it does. QUOTE (kev211 @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 11:22 AM) In fact I think it would make it worse. I usually wear contacts because it's more convenient, but I do see better with my glasses. I'm not saying that's the case with Flowers, but you never know.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 06:27 AM) He's hitting .252 with a .380 BABIP, he will not settle in at .250ish. I disagree. It may be the glasses, or he may have changed his approach, but it's not looking like luck. I think there's a real possibility he could level out around .250.

if he ends up settling in at .250ish with moderate power (by moderate I mean number of HRs, not shear power...because the dude is strong) and decent defense, he'll be fine as the starting catcher.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 11:36 AM) Good post. It acknowledges Hahn's putting together a horrific bullpen, but also has a possible solution at the end. Dick Allen is right, though. Lindstrom has become a lot better reliever to people now that he's been out of sight a long time. I personally think he's just another body and probably would be hated by all by now had he kept pitching. We'll never know about Nate Jones. I never liked him; a lot of you and probably Hahn thought he'd be a dynamite closer. I'm not sure anyone here thought that Jones would be a dynamite closer. I think the overall consensus was that he has the stuff to be closer, and he was the best option going into the season. Now we won't know for quite a while...maybe ever.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 12:09 AM) Yes it is his fault, completely. You don't trade a suitable reliever in Reed when you have NOTHING left over. It's like he wanted to lose 99 games again. This bullpen on paper was pathetic. I don't see why GM's get a free pass. OK. He projected Nate to be the answer. And Lindstrom and Downs were supposed to be good. And Bella serviceable. Nate is hurt which isn't the GM's fault, but I'm not convinced Nate is to be great anyway. Lindstrom was OK til he got hurt (though I didn't like him much) and Downs was miserable. Bella is horrific. I need not mention all of the horrific pieces of this bullpen. This is on the GM. The team like you said would be contending with a decent bullpen. I can't forgive him for trading a closer for some guy sucking in AAA. Very very bad job by Hahn and is a negative on his resume. Yes, he's made some great moves as well. But this is inexcusable and on him. There are bad bullpens, but this one is worthy of last place which is still where the Sox could wind up. Team has avoided the collapse so far. Do we have the usual 10-game September road trip coming up where a 1-9 is possible again? There is so much wrong with this post it's difficult to know where to start. First of all, Reed was traded for a potential future third baseman for years to come. Just because Davidson is not tearing it up in AAA doesn't mean he won't be the guy they're hoping he will be. And the Reed trade didn't leave "nothing". You say yourself that Jones, Lindstrom, Downs, and Belisario were all projected to be decent enough. How is that Hahn's fault that Jones and Lindstrom got hurt and Downs and Belisario suck? Other posters have pointed out that both of those guys had good seasons lately. And getting back to your constant talk about the Reed situation, a good closer does not a bullpen make. Even if the Sox had a true closer (and Reed isn't exactly great, by the way), it doesn't matter when the rest of the bullpen just goes out there and throws BP stuff.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 09:43 PM) I truly don't think teams care about Dunn's stats and perceived value. They think about the reality of having Adam Dunn around and the idea of that does not sit well with them. If you were a contender would you want to risk Dunn going in a 1-for-30 with 20 strikeouts? A GM can't take that risk; he'd be run out of his town by irate fans. Teams will look at a player's stats and perceived value before they look at it emotionally. I personally think there's a decent chance that Dunn gets claimed and will be dealt. The Sox probably won't get much (or anything) for him, but his salary would be gone, and the Sox could start planning for the next DH. We all know you don't like Dunn (it's eerily like your hate for Rios when he was here), but he's not having a terrible year. He would be a good piece for a team looking for a bat to play against right-handed pitching.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 08:20 AM) AL DH OPS: Sox: .856 (2nd) Yankees: .678 (11th) A's: .675 (12th) Mariners: .545 (14th) If Dunn is not on one of these teams by the end of the day, I will be shocked. I can't imagine it would take a lot to get him, since the Sox gain little by keeping him. EDIT: Pittsburgh and Milwaukee are 13th and 14th in the NL in 1B OPS, so they really ought to be looking at Dunn as well. His defense isn't bad enough to overcome a 150 point improvement in OPS. Good point. Dunn would be a decent add for any of those teams, and he wouldn't cost much at all.

I said one. I think it'll be one of Danks, Dunn, or Beckham...if a trade is made. The Sox are not really "in" it. They have a far outside chance at the second wildcard, and a lot of things will have to go right for that to happen. At the same time, the Sox aren't way out of it, either. I don't see the Sox shipping Danks off unless they get a decent enough return. Dunn or Beckham could be dealt for less, and there are guys who can fill their spots. This is looking lilke a boring trade deadline.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 02:31 PM) I see a lot of hating on Dunn, but little about the actual deal. People simply say it made sense at the time. Do you deny this? I'd say a majority of the posts on Danks mention getting "rid of him now" and disdain about the money he makes and wanting to free it up. I don't mind Danks at all. I think he's had a fine season. He's the least of the Sox problems. Sale, Danks and Q are a great 3/5s of a rotation I think. After the performance last night you wonder why Sox aren't winning more with 4/5s of it sometimes doing well. The difference between Dunn and Danks is that there will be teams interested in Danks. I'm not saying the return will be great, but there's still a decent chance Danks can be dealt. There really never has been a time when Dunn could have been traded. People are saying deal Danks now because a deal could actually happen.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 02:15 PM) I just laugh at the way some Sox fans on here want the Sox to have a payroll of about 10 million bucks total and the way they are so inconsistent. There's outrage on here over Danks, but so little over Dunn's deal. People say, "the deal made sense at the time." Sometimes I think people hated Ozzie so much now that he's gone they are so happy they give Hahn, Kenny, everybody a free pass. I laugh at baseball for giving a guy like Danks what he makes but when the Sox payroll is so low, I could give a s***. I don't want to dump him just because of what he makes. The Dunn and Rios contracts are so laughable. The Fielder contract. On and on. I'm talking about baseball as an industry. You can't deny football is awesome the way they can dump players at any time and not pay them any more. Ignoring the requisite Ozzie love and Kenny/Hahn bashing, there's not a lot of outrage over Danks' deal. Before he got hurt, it looked like a decent deal. Even now with him returning to form, it still doesn't look too bad, especially when you consider some of the other deals out there. There's much more outrage over Dunn's deal, and you know it.

Is Howard one of those guys who a "change of scenery" will help, or is he just really bad?

Napoli shotgunning a canned ham was pretty funny.

Sox finish 77-85 Abreu .295 48 HRs 114 RBIs Sale 15-7 2.10 ERA Beckham, Viciedo, and Dunn are traded A couple decent prospects are brought in, but overall Soxtalk is unimpressed Oddball prediction: Konerko hits a walk-off grand slam in his last home game

My son and I met Axelrod during a tour of US Cellular (part of a perk from a BullsSox Academy camp). We then went to a game a few days later, and Axelrod was the starter. He actually pitched well, and the Sox won on a walk-off single by Youkilis.

That's awesome. I'm not sure Gillaspie likes anyone. Always looks like he's plotting to murder someone.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jul 17, 2014 -> 05:56 AM) MLB doesn't allow 2 Hectors on one pitching staff so no. And according to rule 162.51B, if there "were at any time two Hectors on one team, the aforementioned team must keep the Hector whose last name comes first alphabetically." So there you go. Noesi > Santiago.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 16, 2014 -> 02:25 PM) Where are people coming up with 3B as a position that needs upgrading? After 1B (Abreu), it's probably the position that least needs upgrading. Yeah, Gillaspie is doing fine there, plus there's Davidson when (if) he's ready. Pitching and catching would be where I think we need the help.

Great article. I've taken an increased interest in the catcher position lately. My son catches (he's only 11), and has been getting pretty good. He studies catchers on TV, and I'll see him trying things he sees. After watching a Sox game, I saw him placing his right hand along his right calf vs. behind his back...much like Flowers does. I think the catcher position, even though thought of as important, is not as valued as it should be. Take a look at the catcher corp in the majors right now. There are not many elite catchers and only slightly more very good ones. I know Flowers sucks as a hitter, but it's pretty obvious he's good behind the plate. That sort of guy is valued by a team, and I suppose that's one of the things the Sox like about Flowers. I've been telling my son that if he wants to have a good chance to play high school and college baseball (he wants to play in the majors, of course) that he should stick to catching and keep perfecting his game. Aside from a left-handed pitcher, I think catcher is a position that is sought after by schools.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 16, 2014 -> 07:37 AM) Exactly. I still don't get why it was a big deal that the game in Miller Park tied, anyway. I miss when they used to "goof around" and have fun during the All-Star Game. The NHL and NBA do All-Star festivities right. Also, MLB needs to find something other than this conventional HR derby. Did anyone sit through that 4 hours? I watched the first round (and luckily saw that 510' bomb by Stanton), but I was done after that. As far as the game, I agree it should not count for anything. It should just be a showcase of the (supposed) best players in the game. Even though no teams are mathematically eliminated yet, there are teams that have no chance to make the post season. What are the players of those teams playing for? I'm not saying the guys aren't going to try, but I would imagine there are all different mindsets in that game.

Okay...so does anyone else notice something different about the board? Everything is centered. No path of where you are at the top. Or is just me?

I would think that if Sale hadn't been the final vote he might have been added anyway due to Tanaka's injury.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 11, 2014 -> 12:01 AM) I'm still trying to figure out how Sale didn't make it originally. He's one of the top 2-3 pitchers in all of baseball. Weird. Could have been the DL stint. Or just basic dumbassedness.