hogan873

Outstanding. Great to have Peavy back for multiple years at that $. Let's hope Floyd is more good Gavin next year.

Ah, beer. I think fall and winter make up the best time of the year for beer. I try to sample as many Oktoberfests and Pumpkin beers I can find. One of the best was Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale, but I haven't been able to find it this year. Otherwise, Sam Adams' Octoberfest and Harvest Pumpkin are very good. Some winter beers are showing up now. Again, Sam Adams makes a good Winter Lager. Their 12-pack sampler always pleases with the Old Fezziwig, Holiday Porter, and the devilishly good Chocolate Bock.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 29, 2012 -> 11:47 AM) Am I the only one here who would pick up Youk's option? I like Youk, but the option is just too much for a guy who is aging, starting to fall apart, and is now a question mark. $5 or $6 million, I'd say it's a no brainer. But as it is, I think it's too much of a risk for a team with a limited payroll and a big chunk of it already committed.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Oct 19, 2012 -> 02:48 PM) No asterisk, however unlike you I don't think it's good strategy to strive to be the 7th best team in the league going forward. I doubt anyone is saying let's shoot for 7th best every year. What Dick (and many others here) is saying is that the Tigers (the 7th best team in the AL) going to the World Series is proof that anything can happen in the playoffs. The fact of the matter is that the AL Central is not a strong division. Typically, there are couple teams better than the best team from the AL Central. Had the Sox been the 7th best team in the AL, they could have been in the position the Tigers are in right now. Harping on the fact that the Sox were the 8th best team in the AL is useless. That's not what mattered. What mattered was that the Sox couldn't hold the division at the end. But throughout the season, the Sox played some good baseball and beat some good teams. They ended up falling short because they had trouble beating teams within their own division. The goal for teams going into the season is to make it to the playoffs. What matters first is winning the division, and that's what teams strive for from day one. If the Sox win the division next year (or any year for that matter), being the best in the AL or the 3rd best or the 7th best is secondary.

I'm not sure the lower ticket prices point towards a significantly lower payroll. I still imagine a payroll similar to last year's, but I certainly don't expect them to add much. I could see Peavy and AJ returning on multi-year deals. I still doubt Youk's option will be picked up, and I don't expect him to sign for much less. As far as Rios and/or Dunn being traded? I doubt it, but if one were to be traded, I'd expect it to be Rios.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 18, 2012 -> 01:20 PM) It's all good (news). Even dropping parking from 23 to 20 is smart. You flip them a 20 dollar bill; what's with the extra 3 bucks? Now the Sox should publicize all this A LOT. Forget marketing slogans; just talk about prices; even compare them to Cubs prices if they have to, but get the word out. Maybe even a mass mailing to anybody who has ever bought a ticket that they have on file. It should be all over their webpage as well all offseason. They should definitely start publicizing the lower prices now. Those couple of bucks here and there make a difference.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 18, 2012 -> 08:55 AM) If episode 1 is any indication, this season will be much better than last year's. I liked last season, but I like the direction this one seems to be going better. There's a ton of potential with a haunted insane asylum vs. the haunted house. Plus, the multiple storylines (including the time split) should offer more.

I thought the first episode of American Horror Story was pretty solid last night. Even though it's a completely different story from last season, they manage to keep the creepy factor pretty high. There are some genuinely scary parts, but over it's just creepy.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 16, 2012 -> 12:34 PM) I think baseball generally is so unaffordable for the average Joe that it's just not an option anymore. People don't take the effort to hunt for the cheaper tickets. They've just pretty much eliminated baseball as an entertainment option. It would take several seasons of reduced prices to make a dent in that. Even if a college kid and his buddies in suburbia or a dad and his wife and kids wanted to search for deals on tickets, they still are looking at parking costs and food and drink. After years of not wanting to do that, it's just been crossed off their 'to-do' list for summertime fun. Maybe suck it up and go to one game a year, whereas many years ago, the same people might have gone to 10-30 games cause it was fun and affordable back then. If I were the Sox, I'd cut parking to 10 bucks all of next season, take a bath on that, do a heavy advertising campaign on how the Sox are making an effort to work with their fans during the depression. Instead of "appreciate the game" do a whole marketing thing on reduced parking. I think a lot of people would rather be hit in the head with a hammer than pay more than 20 bucks to park their car. Maybe that doesn't matter to the Sox, but like caufield wrote, good luck when these older rich fans die and these younger kids are the older people and have never gone to baseball games. I think baseball attendance will pretty much die in the next 20-30 years because of the economy. It won't die as a sport because of the rich TV deals. Great post, Greg. You're right that many fans (especially those with a family) are crossing off going to a Sox game from their summer list of things to do. They can spend about the same amount of money and go to Six Flags for the day (just as an example). Many people (myself included) are not making the effort to find cheap tickets on-line. The mindset of "it's too expensive" has set in, and it's going to take an effort by the Sox to rid people of that mindset. I'm not sure an advertising campaign around parking would be the way to go. Now, lower prices all around (even by a little), and run a campaign around that...you might have something. Appreciate The Game was neat, but I can appreciate the game from my couch. I'm no financial genius, but I recognize that the Sox cannot lower prices dramatically and make money. But lowering prices just a bit and then adding a bunch of cool, promotions would go a long way. I'm not saying the fans would return in droves, but walk-ups could increase and season ticket sales could increase. The fact of the matter is that there are two baseball teams in Chicago, and the Sox are the second-most popular. Unless the Sox win a couple division titles in a row, and maybe even grab another WS title, attendance at The Cell will be lower than at Wrigley. So, why even compare the two. Many fans at a Sox game are there to watch baseball. Many fans at a Cubs game are there because it's cool to go to a Cubs game. Finally, I believe there is just no comparison to attendance at a Sox game vs. a Bears game. 8 games a season vs. 81 games a season. That one Bears game you might go to has a much bigger impact on the season than the one, two, or three Sox games you might go to. Plus, there's only been one football team in Chicago since 1960.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Oct 15, 2012 -> 10:20 AM) If it fits in the White Sox budget you do it without a doubt. I would agree. If NY wants to take on a huge chunk of the contract, I'd say go for it. I just don't see it happening, though.

The Walking Dead really brought it last night. There were some truly gruesome scenes, but the end took the prize. I like how Rick is treating his wife like s*** considering how she treated him at the end of last season.

Lower prices for games and parking for sure. I'm sure we can all agree on that. Lower prices on concessions. More promotions like half-price days, discounted beers, 2-for-1 deals, etc. Other than that, what can they do? Put a better product on the field? The Sox had a pretty decent product on the field that was in first place for most of the season. That didn't seem to help. People are not going to spend a ton of money to go to many games in this econmoy.

Brings up some interesting questions. Would the Sox try to sign Sale to a multi-year deal now? If so, what type of deal would/should he get? I'm okay with buying out Youkilis and Peavy (although re-sogning Peavy to an affordable multi-year deal would be nice). I'd like to see AJ back on a two year deal, but not for more than $7M per. Regardless of what happens this offseason, I'm thinking that the 2013 offseason could see a lot more changes. Depending on what happens during the 2013 season, we could certainly see more of a rebuilding year in 2014.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 10, 2012 -> 01:23 PM) No baseball player "leaves a lot of money on the table." He can be just as happy somewhere else, believe me. I doubt most baseball players would even leave $1 million on the table.Some might not let it get to that point, however. Some might sign extensions or their first big contracts quietly and not let it get to free agency. More than one baseball player has "left money on the table" in the past. Konerko and Buehrle have for the Sox alone. And I'm sure plenty of baseball players would leave $1 million, especially if you're talking about $15M vs. $14M if they felt they'd have a better chance at success with the team paying less.

The Hell on Wheels finale was good. A couple surprises. Bohannan had absolutely nothing go right for him.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 9, 2012 -> 01:44 AM) Just wanted to say I'm done being negative about the past season. I've said enough regarding my disappointment over what I considered a pretty s***ty collapse. The only negativity you'll be seeing from me will be my continued support of Ozzie. On to the offseason. I'm sick of fretting about the past season. It's ova and I'm done b****ing about it. Oddly worded, yet it works. Negative = Ozzie.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 7, 2012 -> 08:22 PM) It's OK that they are bringing everybody back, but tell the truth: Manto did no better than Walker and Robin did no better than Ozzie. Just new faces. And Coop is OK, he is no guru. If he was a guru, then Thornton and Myers would not have given up so many big hits. And our starters would not have fallen apart late. Manto seemed to reach more players, especially Rios and Dunn. Overall, the hitting seemed to be better, so I would disagree that Manto was no better than Walker. Robin did a much better job than Ozzie. If you just compare what Robin did with the 2012 Sox and what Ozzie di with the 2012 Marlins, there's no contest. Ozzie did a terrible job down there, and he got himself in trouble with his mouth right away. The kind of stuff that Ozzie does away from the field does affect a team. He wanted a fresh start, he got it, and he squandered it. Robin did a good job with another of KW's Frankenstein's monster teams. The players respected him, he made a lot of good decisions, and he brought a level of sanity to the clubhouse that has been missing for a few years. No, Robin is not perfect. He made some bad decisions, and he needs to manage his pitchers better. But was he better than Ozzie? Yes, by far. Cooper seems to have a better effect on younger pitchers. There's no doubt that Quintana, Axelrod, Santiago, and Sale benefited from him. Thornton and Myers are both older pitchers that have been losing their stuff for a while now. I'm not sure how much of an effect Cooper had on them or could have had on them. And as far as the starters "falling apart", Quintana and Sale pitched many more innings than they ever have in the past. They got tired, worn down. Quintana was forced into his roll with Danks going down. Santiago was bounced around (he probably should have never been the clsoer), but he seemed to have settled down and could be a decent starter next year. Floyd...I'm not a fan of his, but he went through some injury issues.

Konerko: (B) - Great first half, really fell off towards the end, but he was obviously playing hurt Beckham: (C-) - Very good defense, overall poor offense...again. Youkilis: (B-) - Brought some nice veteran leadership, had a lot of key hits early, starting falling apart towards the end Alexei: (C+) - Good defense, offensive production was down Tank: (B) - Good first full year, shows a lot of potential, defense was better than expected De Aza: (B+) - Good leadoff guy, good defense Rios: (A-) - Finally played like he is capable ofplaying AJ: (A-) - Where did all that power come from? Dunn: (B) - Huge rebound, nice power, many key HRs, needs to get that BA up a bit and strike out a little less Peavy: (B+) - Another nice rebound year, pitched his ass off Sale: (A-) - An ace that got tired towards the end, huge future for this guy Floyd: (C-) - Not a fan of this guy, could not step up when he was needed Quintana: (B) - Another guy that tired out, has a good future...hopefully Liriano: © - He was the pitcher we knew he was: Good stuff, no control Wise: (B+) - Great pick-up Jor. Danks: © - Didn't get a lot of chances, good defense, less than stellar offense Flowers: © - Not sure his offense will ever be good enough Hudson: (D) - Ugh Olmedo: © - Didn't get a lot of chances, not impressed Bullpen: (B) - Good overall performance by a lot of rookies Robin: (B) - Good first year, needs to work on pitcher management KW: (A-) - Arguably one of his best years as far as trades and pickups Team: (B-) - Almost had it, fell apart at the end, usually failed to take advantage of Detroit's mis-steps, could not beat the damn Royals!

I'm not sure Flowers is ready, or ever will be...at least offensively. I'd love to see AJ back, but I'm afraid he'd have to give a discount for the Sox to sign him. He might get some big 1-year offers and maybe a couple sizeable 2-year offers. I think his age will keep many teams from offering too much for too long. I'd like to see him back for 2/$15M tops. Much more than that, and I couldn't see the Sox paying. I couldn't see them making a 1-year offer for more than $7M or $8M, either. He could certainly get some 8-figure 1-year offers.

I started watching Revolution last night. I like it. It's not the type of show that blows you away (has there been one of those on one of the major networks in the past few years?), but it kept my interest. Seems similar to Jericho. I hope the mystery as to why the power went out doesn't take over the show...sort of the way The Event did. At the same time, I would hope we get occasional clues as to what happened. My DVR is filling up with all of the new shows I want to try. Last Resort, 666 Park Place, Chicago Fire starting next week...I'm sure I'll want to stick with some of them. If most or all keep my interest, I'm going to need to find more time in the week.

"I’ve gotta hell of a fantasy league team in my head. I’m telling you. But you’ll never see it on that field.” Don't we all, Kenny. It would be interesting to see what type of team he'd like to build. It seems like he's always put together a bit of a Frankenstein's monster type of team. This year was no exception with a ton of rookies and some true veteran talent mixed in. As far as his moves this year, I believe he made some of the best in his career. Granted Youkilis started getting beat up and Liriano was as wild as ever. But without Youkilis, Wise, and to a lesser extend Myers, this team wouldn't have been where they were. The off season should be an exciting one. It will be nice to see what direction Hahn (and KW) will go with building the 2013 team.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 4, 2012 -> 06:40 AM) I think Dan Johnson has shown that he can be a valuable bench bat for an NL team, and if it's not the Cubs, I'll wish him well. There just isn't a place on an AL bench for a guy who can only play 1B/DH. Can't he play in the OF, too?

What about Frank Thomas? He called some games with Hawk in the past. I don't listen to the games on the radio much, but I've found DJ and Farmer to be rather amusing. I'm not sure how a Hawk/DJ pairing would be again. I always got the impression that Hawk didn't like/respect DJ. And I don't think Hawk goes for the silliness that DJ brings.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 3, 2012 -> 02:11 PM) Well, if Dunn and Rios are staying and Paulie is staying, the Sox might as well sign AJ and go with the core group again and do a little bit of tinkering to try and overcome the Tigers. Cause those contracts will prevent the Sox from getting real creative. I agree. Even if the Sox decide to up payroll a bit to say $115M-$120M, there won't be a lot of room for big names. And I don't see the payroll being much higher than it was this year.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 3, 2012 -> 01:21 PM) Rios, Dunn, Danks are horrific contracts IMO. Lexi's is bad, too because he has not taken the next step and won't. Thornton is just another arm and isn't worth that kind of loot IMO. I don't think he's tradeable either. Nobody's going to take him for that kind of money. Horrific contracts, no. Rios is an unknown. Will he be 2012 Alex next year or will he be more like 2011? My guess is somewhere in between but closer to his 2012 numbers. So, I don't think he's grossly overpaid. Dunn...boy, I just don't know. His 41 HRs and 90+ RBIs are worth a lot, especially considering how many of those HRs came at times when they were needed. If his BA was 20 points higher (closer to his career average), his contract is fine. I think we'll see a slight improvement next year in his BA, and his power numbers will likely be steady or drop a bit. So, maybe a slight overpay. Who knows with Danks. If he returns and pitches like the John Danks we've seen before then I'm perfectly fine with his deal. If he remains injury-plagued, then it's a bad contract. Rios and Ramirez might be tradeable, but unless the Sox are rebuilding (doubtful) the Sox would need to get a nice return for either one. I don't believe anyone would come seriously knocking for Dunn. And even if some team did inquire, the Sox's demands for him would be too high. I expect all three to be part of the 2013 White Sox.