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QUOTE (WCSox @ Nov 6, 2009 -> 02:02 PM) One typically wants more range in LF than RF, as more balls are hit there. That's why Quentin's UZR is so much higher in RF (most right fielders are slower than left fielders). I don't understand why somebody who "doesn't know where to throw the ball after making a play" is OK in LF, but a big no-no in RF. If that's your argument, he shouldn't be playing anywhere in the outfield. National league putouts... 2000- Left - 4768 --- Right - 5425 2001- Left - 4719 --- Right - 5225 2002- Left - 4765 --- Right - 5135 2003- Left - 4756 --- Right - 5206 2004- Left - 4616 --- Right - 5201 2005- Left - 4823 --- Right - 5235 2006- Left - 4927 --- Right - 5280 2007- Left - 5016 --- Right - 5473 2008- Left - 5473 --- Right - 5283 Dating back from 1959 until 2008... Left - 199620 --- Right - 209284 American league putouts... 2000- Left - 4692 --- Right - 4678 2001- Left - 4673 --- Right - 4531 2002- Left - 4674 --- Right - 4601 2003- Left - 4722 --- Right - 4595 2004- Left - 4466 --- Right - 4837 2005- Left - 4578 --- Right - 4624 2006- Left - 4431 --- Right - 4771 2007- Left - 4605 --- Right - 4508 2008- Left - 4473 --- Right - 4683 Dating back from 195 until 2008... Left - 219785 --- Right - 218861 So since 1959, excluding this past season... There have been 419405 putouts in left and 428145 in right. QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 9, 2009 -> 01:20 AM) Exactly. The other thing is there are certain players who make web gems quite often because they take poor routes to the ball but are still athletic enough to catch the ball if they can get to it. Meanwhile, you've got guys like BA who were so good at getting jumps that they made almost every play look so easy. Brian got to all sorts of balls easily that 90% of other OFers would have had to dive at. I truly believe due to our other options in center during anderson's tenure being so bad that anderson just looked drastically better that he really is to white sox fans in general. Don't get me wrong, he is a solid defender, but he is not a stud. If he were that good, and is that good, teams would bite the bullet offensively, while he should more than make up for it defensively. Overall, defensively, anderson is slightly above average.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 09:15 PM) What does that have to do with anything? Nothing other than he is an idiot, he likes to keep us reminded of that very fact, here and there.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 8, 2009 -> 01:05 AM) My gosh, Bolt. If you lived in Kansas City you'd be mocked for your comments on Mark. He is considered kind of a joke around here. Not a good fielder; strikes out a ton. The excuse you could make (which would be an excuse) is he got moved around too much, no good players around him blah blah blah. We can hope, but this is not like we've acquired anybody good. It was basically us trading average to below average talent to the Royals for average to below average talent. Both sides hoping lightning will strike. To Teahen's credit, he is regarded as a guy who plays hard and when hurt and is good with media and teammates. This is by far the wisest statement you have ever said.

QUOTE (SoIL @ Nov 6, 2009 -> 02:58 PM) I thought about him when I saw he was released. I don't know much about him, but it's an interesting idea. He was not released, he is a free agent. Since byrd has been in texas... 2007- Home- 224 PA - .356/.438/.538 Away- 230 PA - .259/.304/.410 2008- Home- 238 PA - .299/.398/.512 Away- 224 PA - .297/.362/.411 2009- Home- 312 PA - .282/.336/.538 Away- 287 PA - .285/.322/.419 Pretty significant difference.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Nov 6, 2009 -> 05:52 AM) I agree with this. For a team with a couple dubious-to-bad contracts already (Rios, Linebrink), trading a cheap, mediocre (but with upside) player like Getz for a much more expensive mediocre player like Teahen makes little sense to me. The Sox are going to need to cut back at some point. If Teahen isn't dealt as a part of a larger deal, I'm pretty sure that Bobby is dealt/released this winter. Release jenks? You really think he is potentially worth nothing whatsoever? Unless he does something extremely severe in his personal life, there is zero chance they would release him. For what it is worth i highly dislike this unconfirmed trade, as it hinders us rather than benefits us, is multiple ways.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 5, 2009 -> 04:41 PM) I know we've done this before, and the deadh horse is really starting to stink, right now, but i'll always contend that there's nothing in Getzs' major and minor league track record that says he'll ever have an OBP above .340. His trends suggest this. I alos don't see the solid D, or .300 or for that matter. I could see a consistent .280 not being out of the realm of chance. I do agree with you on his base-running and speed, but i don't think that outweights his deficiencies as a player QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 5, 2009 -> 05:05 PM) Throw out the college stats, i'm not interested in metal bat fueled numbers. Getz's career minor league OBP is .362. Over two years in AA Getz put up .326 and .382 , In AAA .366. Averaging out Getz's OBP is the upper levels of the system we put his OBP around .350. Now, Getz put up a .324 OPB in the majors ,after dealing with a broken wrist which could just sap him of a lot of his strength and quickness. Now, given Getzs' complete lack of pop it's likely he will be pitched too rather then around. Allowing for major league improvement and an approach rather then a match of his minor league numbers, i'd suggest that .340 is very possible, if not probable. QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 5, 2009 -> 07:06 PM) I said there's a chance he could get to .340. Would you like to write an actual rebuttal or focus on minute issues? I contend that mid 330's is likely, and that .340 is not out of the realm. I've always been consistent about this You have been arguing for a long time about the difference between a obp in the .330's (what you think getz can get on base at) and one at .340 (something that you think is out of the realm of possibilty). That in itself is minute. You are the main person beating the so called horse to death. At 4:41 you claim getz will never have a chance to post a .340 obp or higher. Just 24 minutes later, at 5:05, you state that .340 is very possible, if not probable. That lacks consistency.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 5, 2009 -> 05:10 PM) um what? are you now saying that Getz is likely to have an OBP of .340? I shook my head at that last statement of his. Talk about flip flopping.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Nov 2, 2009 -> 09:31 PM) I dislike Ortiz, mostly because he's overrated. Five straight years being in the top five in mvp voting? He was pretty damn good for that stretch. Ortiz was just as good and scary for those five years as just about anyone around.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Nov 3, 2009 -> 01:05 PM) You are right. I don't remember seeing Damon bounce a ball off his head instead of catching it. Damon isn't afraid of the wall in the outfield as well. Its not like Damon is a great OF and all, but come on now Greg do you really think that Pods is good in the OF. Pods is a joke defensively. He thinks dye is a plus defender, you have to remember that.

QUOTE (striker62704 @ Nov 1, 2009 -> 08:35 AM) How does a player playing part of the season in the minors affect his salary and his arbtitration eligibility? For instance, Lillibridge. He made $402,500 but was he paid that much since he spent some of the season in the minors? Does a player have to play 3 years in the majors for a certain amount of time to become arbitration eligible? Could a player like Lillibridge be pre-arb for 4 or 5 years based on his major league service time? The contract was negotiated before the season began, his salary ($402,500) would have remained the same if he never played a game in the majors this season. The sox would have to pick up the entire contract regardless. This should answer your question.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Nov 1, 2009 -> 02:59 AM) I've always enjoyed movies that rely more on psychological terrors than someone merely hacking people together one after another. My favorites would include: Suspiria, Full Circle (a VERY underrated movie and scary as hell), Don't Look Now, Session 9, In the Mouth of Madness It's too bad suspiria is being remade, they just need to leave some things alone, but the movie industry will end up butchering every single movie people love if you give them long enough.

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 1, 2009 -> 11:32 AM) Did anyone watch the movie that I posted above? No, but coffin joe is the man. José mojica marins is pretty talented in his own right, he has done some pretty bizarre things.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 29, 2009 -> 10:57 AM) Bullpens are such a crapshoot though, I would be loathe to spend big bucks on 2 bullpen arms. I'd be more likely to want one new one, and work within what we have in-system for the rest. But I agree fully on the bats. DH needs to be high priority, probably higher than any other single thing. We need to add power in the OF as well. The IF will provide an above average amount, I think. As i said, we need arms in the pen one way or another, i don't care how they are acquired. I would also say relievers in general are a crapshoot, bullpens as a whole do not have to be. There are many relievers around the majors that you know pretty well what you are gonna get year in year out. That is not to say those relievers cannot have a down season here or there. The key is finding those consistent relievers. A team cannot go into a season having almost everyone in the pen a question mark, and hoping they live up to their potential. It rarely works, and if and when it does, it doesn't last exceptionally long. A good bullpen is a key, making a game practically over after 6-7 innings compared to 9 innings is a nice luxury to have. The angels and twins have been doing it for years, among others. I'm not saying it's easy, but it can be done.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 29, 2009 -> 09:45 AM) I agree the budget is a major concern , however that just means that one of the high priced vets might have to be moved and unfortunately the most likely candidate is Mark Buehrle . Replacing MB with Hudson would be a huge risk especially with Garcia on his last legs. I wonder if the Nationals would be interesting in moving John Lannan and Nyger Morgan. Would take a decent package of say Buehrle + part of his salary , Getz , Hudson ..more ? I know , I know how could I even think of sending MB to the Nationals of all places ? I have no idea what the salaries of Lannan and Morgan are so I don't know how much salary could be freed up by such a deal. Too bad it seems like we're stuck with Rios. Lannan has two years of service time and morgan roughly a year and third. Both make peanuts. Lannan would post a 4 plus in the american league, it's not like he is some stud. For the nationals to even consider taking on a player that makes 14 million a season, i cannot see them asking for less then half to be paid. Hudson very well could put up similar numbers to lannan, for less money, while being younger (will be 23 next season). Basically you are proposing to trade our abundance of starting pitching for a lesser pitcher and nyjer morgan. We would no longer have the luxury of sliding hudson into the rotation when someone goes down. Once more we would be back to the old revolving door of fifth starters. No thank you.

QUOTE (T R U @ Oct 27, 2009 -> 01:55 AM) man I LOVE bloons I would like to take this time to call you a f*** face. You got me straight addicted to bloons the past two days, i even had a dream that i was popping damn balloons. I wish i never came across that post of yours, damn you.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 29, 2009 -> 10:25 AM) This is what I thought as well, but I wasn't certain. Don't they call their zone with much more consistency as well (less variation from umpire to umpire)? 100% correct. There is less variation because npb umpires stay in just one league. Ever since 2000 (when game calling went to s***) umpires call games in both leagues and there are clearly two different strike zones in the american league and national league, which is the reasoning for the lack of consistency. It's hard to appease both leagues at once... and from what i have heard many umps had a hard time dealing with it. The mlb zone has never been quite as big as this decade, that is for damn sure.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 29, 2009 -> 09:14 AM) I think finding a DH should be way down the Sox list of Sox needs. Pitching and defense will take them a long way. The development of Beckham , Quentin being injury free , Rios showing signs of having a pulse and a deep bench would go a long way towards rotating the DH position among those on the 25 man roster. This would also give regulars decent amounts of rest in an age when they no longer have the use of uppers to get them through what is a long grind of a season. Our starting rotation is clearly set, something that not many teams, if any, can match, as it stands at this point. A good dh is absolutely vital to the white sox success. I would argue we need to above average bats to come in this off-season plus at least two arms down in the pen. Konerko will likely never hit much more than 30 in a season again. As far as i am concerned quentin is nothing more a question mark, we cannot bank on his 2008 numbers, as much as everyone here wants to. A happy medium of his 2008 and 2009 season is much more realistic. We lack any legit thunder in the line-up at this point. Replacing dye and thome's production is gonna be quite the task, what they have done while playing in chicago has been taken for granted. How many people in the pen is anyone exactly confident to get outs on a consistent basis? If you add them all up, you may come to about two and a half. Very big problem we have in regards to the bullpen as it stands. There is a reason there is a strong correlation to a good bullpen and in season + post season success. Unless the sox starters go 7+ all season long while limiting the opposition to 3 or less, we would be in just fine and dandy shape. Too bad that is just not gonna happen. Kw has a lot of work to do this off-season to field a championship caliber team, which i cannot see done without four players brought in one way or another (hudson in the pen would drastically help... potentially that is).

The japanese league strike zone is most definitely smaller. They give almost nothing inside, less outside than in the mlb, and they do not call strikes at the letters. Strikes at the letters would drastically cut down on walk rates, which is not the case. Matsuzaka was excited to come to the states to take advantage of the fact that he could work both the inside and outside edges better. I have followed japanese baseball rather closely for roughly eight years now... and for a fact their strike zone being larger compared to ours is just a myth. I have heard from people too close to the game (as in they literally attend the games) say as much to believe otherwise.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 24, 2009 -> 10:21 AM) If there was a way we could get him in for a measurement, I would bet you everything I have he isn't 6 feet tall with no shoes on and heels on the ground. Even Doug Collins said he wasn't a centimeter over 5'10". His pre draft measurement was 6'1", and he was probably on his toes. Should have just said he was only 5'10 in the first place, would have been more amusing. Gordon was 5'10 with shoes on according to collins i'm sure? Shoes off? Doug collins may be the only person in the world to make such a claim (which i have never seen or heard... but i will take your word for it). No league in the world tacks on five inches to a players actual height, for any sport. Three inches is already highly stretching it. Things like 3-5 inches in height differential seems like it would be slightly more noticeable to everyone other than yourself, well, and of course good ol' doug. You go right ahead and believe in your tippy toe theory, because after all it's only logical.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 24, 2009 -> 08:13 AM) Listed height doesn't mean he really is that tall. I can tell you Jose Contreras isn't 6'4". I also think if you had a guy on the street who says he's 6'2" and walked up next to Buerhle, he would be a little taller than him. Not 3 inches but an inch or so. Ben Gordon, and of course the NBA stretches it a lot, isn't 6 feet and he's listed at 6'3". I have no idea how tall CJ is, but little guys are fun to have around. Everyone in the nba is measured with their shoes on unlike the euroleague, australia, and the olympics. The average shoe will increase a players height by no more than 2 inches. Generally, shoes add anywhere from 1.25-1.75 inches... this would be according to pre-draft measurements which date back quite aways. There is no chance gordon is under 6 feet. Zero.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 22, 2009 -> 03:49 PM) Getz has played 3B before. Not saying he'd make a good one but if CJ Retheford eventually develops Getz does have the ability to play multiple positions defensively and thus move into a utility role (not saying he'd be a plus defender at multiple positions, more that he's capable of doing it). Nix has the ability to play multiple positions also, i just think he would hurt us more at third and short than i think he would benefit us. I've said such since his first game when everyone became enamored with him. Sadly, we are stuck with both nix and getz next season, something i am not exactly looking forward to. The upside is beckham will likely play 150, ramirez 145-150, and getz around 135-140. Hopefully nix will not be able to sneak in on the left side of the infield too often to hurt us, barring an injury.

Uzr means very little year from one year to the next, which is stated in practically every uzr related article ever created. You have to look at a several years worth of data to truly know what you have on your hands, neither of which getz or nix currently posses. Throwing uzr out the window i would give nix the benefit of the doubt defensively for the future. It's not too often that you see a player touted as highly as he was defensively to suddenly drop off the face of the planet and become just average, or below average for that matter. Offensively? It happens every day. While in the minors i have seen getz's defense hyped anywhere from slightly above average, to slightly below average. Getz just so happened to be slightly below average this past season, it's not the end of the world, as there is still room for improvement. How much room? I couldn't tell you. Getz arm is strong enough, he gets the ball off quick enough for the most part (on a double play), though his range seemed to lack some. This is not me just spewing some garbage, others seem to think his range has room for improvement also. Nix has gotten to balls at second with ease that would be a diving play for getz, and it's not just simply positioning, considering the two of them should be positioned very similarly. Nix also just so happened to turn an excellent double play while at second. I am fairly certain nix's defensive ability upside at second is much more superior to that of chris getz. People have said that nix was utilized correctly to succeed offensively this past season (bad pitchers, lefties, etc). Due to minor league splits which date back to 2005... nix hit .256/.325/.385 449 at-bats against lefties and .276/.333/.431 in 1096 at-bats against right handers. Any explanation for this phenomena? That being said, getz will be the opening day starter, unless he another hernia pops up right before game time. I envision the sox hoping getz pans out to be that .300 hitter (roughly) and nix being the super sub. Truth be told, i do not care for either very much, as both have big flaws, on both sides of the ball.

Kenny hates prospects is right on. Wells has and never will be worthy of his contract. On 12/06 wells received a six year contract of 0.5, 1.5, 12.5, 23, 21, 21, and an additional 21 million. 25.5 million dollar signing bonus on top of a full no-trade clause? That was in no way a good deal then, and is working out just like many people thought it would. I don't care what the market was at the time, many people were still left shaking their heads. There is always the possibility wells pities the blue jays and opts out after 2011 because he feels downright awful for stealing as much money from the blue jays as he has... right? Right?

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Oct 17, 2009 -> 09:26 AM) I'm not convinced that's bread — I think it's latex props, or wax, or something else. Big loaves of bread would rip off of those meat hooks I bet. On the other hand, if it really is bread, the guy is really good. It's definitely not too often that you see shiny bread, that is for damn sure.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Oct 17, 2009 -> 12:47 AM) I didn't see this thread till this morning, but I figured that I would chime is because I ran the Chicago Marathon this past Sunday. I must say that it was the most worthwhile experience of my life. As a majority of you know (if you've been reading the SLaM forum) that I've been trying to figure out what to major in and what to do with my life's work. Since I transferred home from EIU, I not only have found a new hobby in running, but also something that I can do at my next school, run cross country while interning and completing my degree at St. Ambrose University. After my pathetic breakup last December, I thought about doing something amazing and out of the ordinary. So I signed up for the marathon, since I had already been running 5 days a week for about 45-1 hr per day. The training itself was not that difficult once you really start getting into it and running on a consistent basis. I trained from Hal Higdon's novice program, meaning I ran Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and had my long run on Saturday. He suggests that you do cross training on Sunday but I am too lazy for that so I had off-days on Sunday, Monday and Friday. The most mileage that I ran in training was 20 miles. Though it was cold (33 degrees at the start of the race), conditions for the race were ideal. With the adrenaline flowing and by wearing three layers (one of which I discarded), I was able to run the race at a good pace. I would highly recommend starting off with your name written on you in several places so that people can cheer for you. I added time onto my overall time by stopping to have a guy write my name on my arms and throw-away shirt's chest. Nevertheless, it's great hearing people scream, "Go Ross!!!" My favorite memories of the race were running along the lakefront, through the energetic crowds, through Addison (where I saw my support group), through boys town (it actually was entertaining), by U.S. Cellular Field, getting handed a beer at mile 4, running by IIT and UIC, and at the finish line. If anyone wants to train together for it next summer and are in the northwest suburbs, I'd love to do it again and improve on my finishing time of 4:00.32. P.S. I ran that race with peroneal tendonitis. Did you drink the beer?