hogan873

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 4, 2013 -> 10:15 AM) Good character re-appearance in Walking Dead And in Shameless, now that I think about it. Im starting to really not like Jimmy though Yeah, he's showing how selfish he can be. And that's all besides the fact that he's hiding his other life from Fiona. But his being upset about Fiona becoming a guardian to the kids made him look like a whiny douchebag.

QUOTE (southside_hitman @ Mar 1, 2013 -> 05:41 AM) I am not stretching anything, bud. I do not respond to every comment by every anonymous poster, especially if they lack substance, do not appear to be from a genuine Sox fan or are otherwise rude or mean spirited. The fact is that Flowers has hit for a low average and that has not only been during September call-ups. Of course, teams that are out of the Division race call up minor league pitching so what information would a .200 average against that level of pitching tell you? You come off like I am the only Sox fan that is concerned that Flowers may not be able to cut down on his strike-outs, make contact and hit for a decent average given what we have seen from him over time. Or you like to pick straw man arguments with some anonymous "dude." Sorry, I'm not biting. Carry on. Flowers splits So, the only pitchers Flowers has faced are September call-ups? Come on. None of us know how Flowers is going to perform with consistent playing time. However, history has shown that a hitter's performance cannot be judged on sporadic opportunities. Flowers' ability to work pitch counts and his power potential point to him being at least somewhat better with consistent at bats. I don't think anyone here is saying Flowers is going to hit .300, but there's a better chance that he hits .250 with 25 HRs than .200 with 200 Ks.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 28, 2013 -> 11:55 AM) you and a messageboard complaining about his performance is a hell of a lot different than speculation that he was gonna be cut Using this logic, just about everyone was "close to being cut" last year.

QUOTE (southside_hitman @ Feb 28, 2013 -> 07:33 AM) Want to talk trends? In four seasons Flowers has had 410 major league at bats, roughly one full season worth of at-bats for a starting catcher. In 410 major league at-bats Flowers has hit .205 with 160 strike-outs. Yes, trends. Flowers has no trend yet as he has not had a chance to play consistently at the major league level. His random at bats over the past few years sin't enough evidence to show that he's a .205 hitter. I highly doubt Flowers will hit only .205. I think with consistent play he can be a .250 hitter with good power (25+ HRs). Plus his defense, I'll take that AND the ability to re-sign Peavy.

QUOTE (southside_hitman @ Feb 28, 2013 -> 07:09 AM) He had a fine year but he also might be getting better with age. AJ hit 17 home runs in '05 so hitting 9 more last season is not exactly like a PED power explosion. His batting average last season was .278. He hit .300 or above three times in his career, hit fpor a better average in 2011, and is a lifetime .284 hitter. There are a lot of people and primarily Cub fans that dislike AJ, but that is all the more reason for Sox fans to admire his competitiveness and desire to defeat opponents. I would have let Peavy go, signed AJ and traded Flowers. Flowers is a lumbering ox, a big guy that is prone to weight gain and may not prove to be durable over the course of an entire season behind the plate. Just to compare body types, Fisk was also tall, but he was light and like a cat behind the plate. And Phegley seems to be left out in these conversations, but he may prove to be better than Flowers over the long haul. Flowers talks a big game so it is time for him to show us what he can do. I have heard some sportscasters suggest that his defense alone justifies starting him. A .225 batting average with 150+ K's coupled with slightly better than average defense is not going to cut it. And he is a load on the base path. AJ hit 18 HRs in 2005. Then in the next 6 years he hit 16, 14, 13, 13, 9, and 8. If anything, he was trending downwards in power. 2012 was a freak year for AJ in the power department. He may have altered his approach, but I would be surprised to see him hit more than 16 or 18 HRs this year. As far as Flowers, he's not as much of a base clogger as you suggest. Plus, he's young and has potential. Who knows how much longer AJ has in the majors as a catcher. The Sox made the right choice by not signing AJ to a multi-year contract worth $7 million per year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 27, 2013 -> 08:57 AM) I understand the reasoning, I just think AJ has altered his approach and should hit for more power from here on out. If Flowers struggles and the Sox are short a LH bat, and AJ puts up good numbers, even some praising the move now will call him an idiot. The thing is, if the choice was AJ or Peavy, Hahn took the bigger gamble. Peavy was more than $20 million more expensive. Monetary value alone. There's a risk with both; AJ with his age and possible (probable) regression, and Peavy with his health. I think the Peavy move made more sense, and if he pitches like he did last year (which seems reasonable), he's more than worth the money.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Feb 26, 2013 -> 10:58 PM) Justified was awesome best episode of yr so far tonight! QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 27, 2013 -> 08:28 AM) This season has been tremendous. It amazes me that there are shows that are so good (Justified, Shameless, etc.) while there are so many shows that are just terrible. A lot of the credit has to go to the writers, obviously. With Justified, Timothy Olyphant plays that character so well, and before the show he wasn't thought of as much of an actor. And William H. Macy just completely disappears into his character on Shameless.

QUOTE (southside_hitman @ Feb 27, 2013 -> 08:09 AM) If the Gila monster keeps hitting and can handle the hot corner defensively, this will prove to be Hahn's best move yet. My only issue with what Rick H. has done is the decision to let AJ go. This all came back to me yesterday when I saw AJ's interview after the Texas game. He seemed pretty sad about the whole situation and mentioned the Sox fans who he will always have a connection to. There is just a lot of mutual admiration. I don't understand why the Sox would not sign AJ to a one year deal. I know, it was a lot of money and he is near the end of his career. But consider the numbers he put up last season. And I am tired of hearing people knock AJ's defense while understating his offense. He handled the pitching staff well and improved a bit last season in terms of throwing out runners. AJ was one of the most clutch hitters we have had. In late innings he would seldom strike out when we needed him to put the ball in play. He was a Cub killer in the Crosstown Series. Now can Flowers battle up there when we simply need him to put the bat on the ball? Or is he simply an Adam Dunn from the Right side? My opinion is that AJ would really have helped us this season. Beyond the financial and other considerations that went into the decision, I hate when a team lets a player like AJ go, a guy who has created so much fan interest and allegiance over a long period of time. It makes it seem like the team lacks loyalty to its players, after expecting and receiving the same loyalty from them for so many years. And to some, it just makes them look cheap. You cannot look at AJ's performance last year as anything but an outlier. True, it would have been nice to have AJ back, but not for $7 million or so. And him being a Cub killer, that's great, but that doesn't matter for 158 games this year. I like that Flowers is going to get the opportunity to a starter. If he can hit .250ish while belting 30+ HRs, along with his defense he will be one of the better catchers in the league.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 26, 2013 -> 05:11 PM) I think it is a real injury that they just incorporated into the show, and just said nothing about it They made a brief comment about him injuring his ACL playing basketball. I do think it's a real injury written in, though.

The trouble with judging the host's performance is that beyond the opening monologue/skits, they don't do much else. A couple comments here and there, and a few commercial segues. I thought the opening was good with a few standouts (the sock puppet re-enactment, the boob song, the Shatner skit). Overall, the show was boring, and some of the presenters' banter was forced and not very funny. Overall, it's way too long and pretty boring.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Feb 25, 2013 -> 12:03 PM) We Saw your boobs was pretty awesome. That was funny, but I thought the sock-puppet version of Flight was the best.

The show is so boring and way too long. I know a lot goes into making a movie, but the general public doesn't care about costume design, visual effects, and the other "technical" awards. Trim the show down to about 1.5 hours and broadcast only the major awards. I watched the beginning, and then I occasionally looked in to see what award was being presented. Then I just said to hell with it and checked the internet at 11:00.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 25, 2013 -> 07:25 AM) Frank passing the drug test, OMG I was speechless. The entire episode was, as usual, fantastic. The scenes with Kevin, V, and her mother were hysterical.

Monday Mornings on TNT is pretty good so far. A typical David E. Kelly show, except in a hospital instead of a courtroom.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 18, 2013 -> 06:08 AM) Did someone big die? Seems that is the only way that show gets a reaction. Yes, everyone died and they are all zombies now. Zombie Rick and Zombie Andrea got married and their wedding cake was made from the parts of Carl, Glenn, and Maggie. Hershel ate his other leg. Shane came back only to be killed again, this time by Zombie Daryl.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 17, 2013 -> 11:56 PM) Fantastic episode of Walking Dead tonight. It started off slow, and I was actually thinking "what the hell?" Then, holy s***. Great episode.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 15, 2013 -> 10:47 AM) Watched the Following Pilot episode last night, wow. This has the chance to be a great show. It has maintained the suspense and overall creepiness so far. Very well done show.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 14, 2013 -> 06:57 AM) Not happy to be here? Ventura worked harder in his one year, than Guillen did in his eight years combined as Sox manager. I get people like to freak out and all, but can we quit making stuff up, please? Yeah, a manager doesn't have to be screaming and yelling all the time to be good. I think Robin did a great job last year, and apparently the Sox thought so, too. He definitely worked hard and was a better manager than Guillen was over his last 2 or 3 years. I don't blame Ventura for turning down the extension, and his reasoning is probably at least half sincere. But, if the Sox have another good year with him at the helm, the Sox could be offering him a multi-year extension next offseason. And I'm sure that nugget is in the back of his mind.

Looking at what the Sox lost during the offseason, I don't see a substantial drop in wins for 2013. The starting pitching could (and should) be as good or better. The bullpen looks very solid. Third base is at least a minor upgrade. Catcher might be the only big drop off, and that's only because of AJ's outlier of a year. Realistically, I think Flowers and AJ have similar years in 2013. If Rios, Konerko, and Dunn don't have major regressions, the power department should be adequate. And truthfully, Dunn didn't have a terrific year. The HRs were good, but his BA was poor. If he makes any sort of adjustment, we could see a few less HRs and a few added points to his BA. The bench is a bit of a concern, and I hope another move or two is made to solidify it. All that being said, I don't believe the Sox have the team to catch the Tigers. On paper, that is. Last year, we didn't think they would compete like they did, either. I see another 84-87 win season, taking second place behind Detroit.

I'm way behind on movies, so these might fit the 2012 thread better. But... Premium Rush was a decent flick. Michael Shannon was great as a dirty cop with "impulse control issues." Reminded me of his tirade where he burnt the guy's face in Boardwalk Empire. Finally got around to watching The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Good movie. I haven't read the book yet, but I certainly will now.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 12, 2013 -> 07:53 AM) spring training is f***ing long... I believe spring training is way too long. But, at least there will be some more stuff to talk about over the next 6 weeks. Ugh, that's depressing. Six weeks until meaningful baseball.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 8, 2013 -> 09:44 AM) This statement implies that it was good last week. Okay, sorry. I'll rephrase. In my opinion, The Americans was good again this week. Better?

The Americans was very good again this week.

I didn't want to start another thread to ask this question, but I had a question about the bleacher seats. Do all or only some of the bleacher seats have backs? I saw the bleacher seats once, but I didn't take a close look. I'm looking at getting some tickets to a game this summer, and I noticed the bleacher seats are pretty reasonable. Thanks for any input.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 01:32 PM) Predicted Standings 2013 1. Detroit Tigers (95-67) 2. Kansas City Royals (82-80) 3. Chicago White Sox (79-83) 4. Cleveland Indians (74-88) 5. Minnesota Twins (65-97) The Tigers remain the class of the AL Central, and after needing a strong late-season push to overcome the White Sox last season I expect them to run away with the division this year. The Royals have completely overhauled their starting rotation with the additions of James Shields, Wade Davis and Ervin Santana as well as the re-signing of Jeremy Guthrie. If their young hitters can take another step forward combined with the new staff they could put together their first winning season since 2003. The White Sox collapsed down the stretch last year to miss out on the postseason, and there is always the threat of guys like Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy regressing after bounce-back seasons last year. The Indians added some solid veteran pieces this offseason, highlighted by Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds and Brett Myers and that should make for a solid upgrade over their 68 wins from last year and put some distance between themselves and the Twins for last place. Per Bleacher report I think 95 wins for the Tigers is a bit high, but around 90 seems likely. And then I would flip flop the Royals and Sox and boost the Sox wins to maybe 85 or so.