Kalapse

These announcers are f***tards. Apparently Crede is a free agent after this season. DO SOME f***ING RESEARCH!

John Danks now has the Kalapse full endorsement for the 5th starter spot. This should make him a virtual lock for the role.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 11:09 PM) I only consider it a mancrush when people severely overrate players. For example, tons of Cub fans have mancrushes on Rich Hill and Angel Guzman despite them having several shortcomings. Sox fans have mancrushes over Rob Mackowiak (because he's a Cub killer, whatever that means), Jeff Baj, and Boone Logan. Yeah that's some bulls*** right there. Apparently a whole lot of scouts and members of the media also have man crushes on Rich Hill because he's been touted as one of the better pitcher prospects currently in the bigs (despite being 27). And to say that anyone who like Rob Mackowiak as a player simply has a man crush on him -- and because he's a Cub killer? -- is just ridiculous. I like him because he's pretty good at baseball why the hell does that have to be a man crush? What about the people who irrationally dislike players like Mackowiak what's that all about? What's the opposite of a man crush.

Why is it that every time someone wants a player to make the team or is cheering for an underdog it's immediately written off as a 'man crush'. Must everything be either a man crush or sarcastically critiqued with ridiculous hyperbole?

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 10:43 PM) If Logan makes the team, I'm going to be worried. Seems like people have the same mancrush over him like they did with Jeff B. Seems like completely different situations to me. People like Boone because he's a 22 year old with excellent stuff who has produced in both Spring Training and his first time around in AAA. Aside from that it seems like a good amount of fans aren't exactly infatuated with his personality. Baj has meh stuff, a high 80's straight fastball and no real secondary pitches which really didn't project well to the next level despite his pretty impressive numbers at AAA. Fans tended to root for him because he really seems like one of the good guys. Logan actually projects fairly well at the next level unlike Baj.

If it goes Pods and Erstad 1 & 2... The White Sox will score considerably less runs than they would with a more optimized lineup. You know one that doesn't feature 2 of the worst OBP hitters on the team hitting at the top as a part of a ridiculous all lefty 1-3.

Is it just me or is Gustavo Molina terrible? He looked like Victor Martinez behind the plate earlier in the game and he hasn't done a damn thing at the plate in the 2 years or so he's been participating in Spring Training games.

Well Brian just made Ozzie's job that much easier.

That wasn't a baseball that fell, it was a paper cup.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 04:42 PM) I don't have numbers to back this up, it just seemed to me that people were backing away from rules like that, that pitchers were creeping up in drafts. I've seen a few pieces arguing that the top pitchers were going (roughly) one round too low, given the production. As for Webb in particular, I don't think wins are a big problem -- 16 in a year in which noone in the majors won 20 shouldn't bump a guy down. And the strikeouts, sure, they could be better, but his k rate is close to Carpenter's and well above Halladay's, and it doesn't hurt them much. But if people want to let him slip to the fifth, I'll be grateful. And Webb has been selected right around Carpenter and Halladay as well. As for the 16 wins, that seemed to be a best case scenario for him, in by far his best game as a pro, a year in which he won a Cy Young he still only managed 16 which wasn't bad considering the win totals of others in baseball but from all accounts Webb is almost certainly destined for a bit of regression this season bringing that win total down a bit more. I personally like Brandon Webb but I wouldn't take him any higher than the 5th round same goes for any pitcher not named Santana, Oswalt or Zambrano.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 03:41 PM) Actually, when I check Yahoo's adp, it seems those slots aren't very unusual. I'm just surprised. I guess I think a lot more highly of Webb than most. Anyway, looks like a solid team to me. Well as a general rule you don't typically draft pitchers before the 5th inning unless they are ultra elite. Brandon Webb doesn't strike out that many hitters ~170 and even after having a career year last season he still only won 16 games. 5th round seems about right to me.

It would be nice if Hawk would just say the name Podsednik. He's calling out the bottom of the order for being piss poor offensively last season but he refuses to mention the fact that the Sox had the worst leadoff hitter in baseball last year. Atleast Uribe brought power to the table, Pods provided nothing.

Not a lot of players can pull off the goatee, most look completely ridiculous. Jose sports that s*** nicely. And yes Hawk needs to give Gio his hat back.

The Pepper Mill takes on his former team for the very first time. This has all the makings of a classic.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 12:20 PM) I'm relaying what I heard Cooper say. and that he's in the mix. Well, you said you didn't know anything about him so I thought I'd give you a real simple scouting report.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 05:49 PM) Oh, I did think about that, but I count 5 guys who would often go in the top 3 rounds of a 12-team league (Utley, Crawford, Bay, Zambrano, and Webb). I don't know how you get all those players even in a 10-team league -- especially drafting deep in the 5th round. Well in Soxtalk League 1 for example Chase Utley went in the top 5 but Crawford fell to the mid second round where I grabbed him, I drafted Zambrano in the mid 3rd round and Brandon Webb ended up going in the early 5th. So it's not totally out of the question, you just need a little luck and a few odd picks ahead of you.

Bukvich is nothing, he's a career scrub and will not be making the team out of spring training. He's pitched well but he's not very good at baseball and there are like 12 better options than his 350 pound ass.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Mar 17, 2007 -> 01:47 AM) Pods has a fan club? Me and? lol If Brian Anderson can have some ridiculous hyperbolic fan club then why can't Podsednik?

I gotta say that was one of the best episodes of the season thus far. It had an excellent flow to it and the humor seemed to fit in with past episodes not of the current season. Well done.

He was also caught stealing and looked insanely slow but yeah outside of that he was outstanding today. The members of the Scott Podsednik is god fan club might want to overlook these minute details. I love how Ozzie attempts to be vague while at the same time he totally shows his hand. Just a week ago Ozzie says Scott Podsednik is his starting LF on Opening Day as long as he is healthy and today he says he'll be using Darin Erstad as an everyday player. So Erstad plays 5 positions tops, DH, 1B, LF, CF and RF. RF is Dye's, 1B is Kong's, DH is Thome's and LF is Pods' while CF is completely up for grabs. Hmm I wonder what the hell position Erstad will be starting at come opening day. Ozzie seriously needs to learn the nuances of subtlety.

I'd say that's about the best case scenario right there.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 05:40 PM) Mack has been getting fewer reps in ST this year than a lot of other outfielders (less AB's than Anderson, Erstad, Ozuna or Sweeney) . That's because he is not auditioning for a job, with this or any other team. There is reason behind that. He isn't going to get traded, unless an offer comes out of left field (figuratively). Therefore, I think Hall, Mack and Cintron are locks. Ozuna is a virtual lock, unless he is sent off in a trade of some sort (which, if Pods is healthy, is a possibility). Erstad is making the roster, either as the starting CF or a bench OF. That leaves one slot for... Anderson Terrero Perez I think Perez is the least likely of the three, since he's a pretty lousy outfielder, and that's what they are really looking for. 1B is solid with PK, Thome, and in a pinch, Mack or others. I think that its Terrero or Anderson, both of whom are having solid springs. if Pods isn't ready opening day, maybe both are on the roster, then one is sent down. The only wildcard is a trade - which is possible for any of the names above, except Hall, Erstad and probably Mack (who are all very unlikely). It is looking like Pods is going to be good to go for opening day which was probably Anderson's last opportunity to make the team. It would have been Erstad, Anderson and Perez more than likely with Pods on the DL. With a healthy Podsednik you'll more than likely see Pods in LF and Erstad in CF with Terrero making the team as the 4th OF, leaving Anderson and Perez out in the cold. So in other words I think Anderson's chances of making the team have gone from slim to nil in the past week despite his excellent play.

QUOTE(bmags @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 04:32 PM) i can't find video anywhere...darn it. It's on MLB.tv I just watched it for old times sake, chills and goosebumps. Such a great moment.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 04:09 PM) Do you know roughly when in the season that game was. I'd like to see that clip. Also, 'grinderish' means: "of or pertaining to lame slogans a marketing department s***s out" "Sox Fever: These young grinder kids and medium-aged veterans wear black and can play!" Outstanding. June 9th, 2006 9th inning I believe. I think there were 2 men on for hafner and 2 outs. Anderson got his first ever standing ovation. Such a great moment.

Do the Sox have the most injury prone starting OF in baseball? How about one of the oldest? How many teams have three 31+ year old outfielders? (31,33,33) Outside of the Giants of course.