hogan873

I always feel like I need a drink after watching an episode of American Horror Story.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 31, 2013 -> 02:33 AM) I could "handle" giving Beckham the proverbial one more year IF he's the backup to Semien at 2B and fills in once in a while at 3B for what I hope will be a new third baseman. I really truly want to see Kepp and Gillaspie gone and I've had my share of Beckham as a starter. If he's a Lillibridge type utility guy, fine. Out of Beckham, Keppinger, and Gillespie, I'd keep Gillepsie. Keppinger was a major letdown, and Beckham has had his chances. I'd keep Gillespie as the bench guy depending on who the Sox find for third base...if anyone.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 30, 2013 -> 02:14 AM) He still hit lefties well. He's still a great fielder. There are arguments to keep going (if healthy). This has been debated over and over. I think everyone (at least most everyone) can agree that Konerko is not a great fielder. He does not have good range, and that has only gotten worse as he's aged and has been hurt. His greatest asset as a first baseman is his ability to pick badly thrown baseballs. Granted, that's a needed skill, but that's far from what would make him a great fielder. Adam Dunn played a lot more first base than he had in the past because he was better at that position than Konerko was in 2013. Think about that. I love Paulie, but unless he signs a very minor deal to come back as a bench player and (very) occasional spot starter, he will not be back.

Nice vague answer about Konerko's future with the Sox. Sounds like he was always keeping in touch with Konerko about the signing.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Oct 28, 2013 -> 12:11 PM) This is an awesome article, not just because of the conclusion. Very detailed. I like the analysis, and looking at the gifs, I'd say Abreu has a great swing. I'm thinking (and hoping) that in a year or so, many are going to look back and realize that Abreu at an average of $11 million a year is a bargain.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 29, 2013 -> 01:31 AM) Can Abreu play LF? I'd rather have Paulie at first and Abreu in LF (if he is OK out there) and trade Dayan. How bout a Dayan/Beckham package to somebody for a 3B and set up man. If Abreu can't play left then have him split time between DH and first and give Paulie and Dunn breaks. Abreu was signed to play first base. Not to be bounced around from position to position to make room for someone who might be retiring or moving on. I like Konerko, but unless he signs to come back as a bench player and to give the occasional break to Dunn/Abreu, he's not going to be part of the Sox in 2014. It's time to move on. Stop with the crazy ideas.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 28, 2013 -> 06:01 PM) Good post IMO until the final sentence. From reading the Ventura comments this season, I thought most on here agreed managers have very little effect on games. Hmmm Ozzie led the Sox into underachievement cause of his ego? Maybe the players let him down as the did Robin? Yay. Eminor gives Greg a vote of confidence of sorts a few days before Halloween. Greg, this is why you get attacked when you talk about Ozzie. Make up your mind. Does the manager have a big impact on the game or not? Or is it only Ozzie that has a big impact when things are good and not much of an impact when things are bad?

QUOTE (Tex @ Oct 24, 2013 -> 03:15 PM) OMG this is comedy gold from the Slammers! That is classic. But, they better be careful about offering to cover ALL fines.

QUOTE (Tex @ Oct 24, 2013 -> 03:13 PM) THAT would be awesome. Canseco was offered a players contract with our local team. Against what is basically PE coaches and Walmart clerk he went 1-11 and retired again. I think it would do wonders for ticket sales.

Oh Christ. The Joliet Slammers are trying to bring Ozzie in as manager. http://jolietslammers.com/archives/8650?ut...w-field-manager

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 24, 2013 -> 03:03 PM) Yep and that's why he's cooked. No more jobs for Ozzie. Hope he's saved his money unless he can keep landing broadcast gigs. Maybe if a close buddy gets a managing job they'll bring him in as 3B coach. Asst coaches don't do much talking to media or they don't last a week. I like Leyland; no disagreement there. I'm just thanking oz for getting it done in the Sox one and only trip to the WS. We could have lost that series and our streak of futility would be looking very very very bad right now. There's no sign in sight we can even win our division again the way we play in divisional games much less get back in the WS. I mean if you had to bet your life savings would you predict we get back in the WS in the next 10 years? Next 20? Odds aren't good as we start over. I'd give anything to have Leyland take over the Sox helm tomorrow. The Sox could have lost the ALCS had it not been for AJ. And they could have lost the WS had it not been for Konerko, Dye, Jenks, Podsednik, etc... Hey, I thank Ozzie, too, but after the World Series he wasn't nearly as good a manager...and he was pretty damn bad the last year or two.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 24, 2013 -> 02:20 PM) This may sound blasphemous to some, but Mark is a better pitcher than Q and will have the better career. Q is good and I like him, but Mark is the master. He's been damn amazing. We'll have to wait about 10 years to see if this is true. Right now, Quintana is a better pitcher, but if you compare their careers so far, it's not even close...mainly because Buehrle has pitched a lot longer than Qunitana has. Quintana has the potential to be good to very good, and I think he could end up having a career like Mark's.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 24, 2013 -> 02:32 PM) I could list 20 reasons why Ozzie is a good fit to coach again, but you probably don't want to hear them. Don't discount the value of a guy who has won the big prize. As good as Leyland is, he couldn't get a ring with the Tigers though he got one earlier than that. Ron Washington? It's not easy to do. At least when Ozzie got to the big series, the World Series, he took care of business. Had we not won in our one-and-done appearance we'd still be without a WS title since the dark ages with none in sight. Personally I respect the ring and Mr. Mouth has one!!!! No matter what u guys think of him. And he's not begging for a job; he's smart to answer questions pointing out he wants back in. Give me Jim Leyland, Ron Gardenhire, and Clint Hurdle any day over Ozzie. He was the manager when the Sox won the World Series, but giving him as much credit as you are, and implying that a ring and only a ring makes one a good manager, is ridiculous.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 23, 2013 -> 04:10 PM) I nominate this for post of the year if we still do that. I second that.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 24, 2013 -> 01:19 AM) I think we should start a thread Santiago trade value. I'd rather trade him than Q. Could Santiago get the Sox Lawrie? Straight up? Santiago and Gillaspie for Laurie. Right now I think Quintana is more valuable, maybe a lot more valuable. Santiago seems a bit more raw, but I think he will only be getting better. Personally, I'd like to Sox to hold onto both of them unless a can't-pass-up deal comes along. I know they need to fill a couple gaping holes, but I'm not sure Lawrie fills one of those holes adequately enough to give up a very good, inexpensive left-handed pitcher.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 05:24 PM) Black List is fantastic. It's worth watching for Spader alone. I wish it had a more overall story rather than a problem of the week setup, but thats a problem with a lot network tv shows. Other than that, it's a great show. I think there's a bit of an overall story building with the mystery behind Lizzie's husband. It will be interesting to see how that's handled. And, I'm glad to see someone else agrees about Spader in this series.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 01:19 PM) My thinking is that once Carrie called her dad and told him to contact Saul, that Saul cooked up this plan for Carrie to accept the weird guy's offer, so she could get out, and then they would use his info against him. I don't think it was planned from the beginning otherwise she wouldn't have been acting so crazy when she was alone (unless you mean it was Saul's plan the whole time and Carrie wasn't in on it until the end). The more I think about it, I tend to agree. It wasn't like she was acting crazy only around other people.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 09:27 AM) The vests? I'd like the vests back. What about the shorts and collared shirts? That'd be sweet.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 08:20 AM) lol at this post When did James Spader become a fantastic character actor? I didn't say he was a fantastic character actor. I meant that his character on this show is great...much better than his Robert California disaster on The Office and different than his character on Boston Legal. Way to take a post and turn it so you could make a smartass remark.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 06:45 AM) Sox that Homeland twist That was great. My question was

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 12:21 AM) Alright, I have the first 5 episodes of The Blacklist sitting on the DVR. Is this worth starting? Absolutely. I'm really enjoying it. One of the best characters for James Spader in quite a while.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 02:59 PM) You think they're going to add $50m+ in 2014 payroll over the offseason though? That would be a stretch. That'd be like adding McCann and Ellsbury and then some small pieces.

I just looked at the free agent class for catchers. Ugh...very thin. Beyond McCann, Salty, AJ, and Suzuki there's not much at all.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 11:47 AM) Would you rather spend $10-12 million a year on McCann for the next 6 years or $12-14 on AJ for the next two? $10-$12 million for McCann is not realistic. More like $15-$18 million.

I don't see a McCann signing happening, but we can hope. No matter the length of the contract, he'll be getting at least $15 million per year. Saltalamacchia is a possibility, and he'd be significantly cheaper. But I wouldn't rule out AJ coming back for a year. He would be a left-handed bat the Sox need, and he'd be relatively cheap. If the Sox can fill the 3B hole, and they spend the money there, AJ filling in for a year makes sense.