southsideirish71

QUOTE(SoxWS05 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 11:56 AM) Not denying Fields will probably one day become a 40HR, 100RBI guy who k's 150+ per season and carries about a .330OBP. But he should ultimately become a first baseman. He is not better then Crede now, so Crede will start in '08. It's simple. If Crede is on the team he will start. As we know you love Joe. What exactly is the years and salary of a contract that you think the sox and Joe will iron out to keep Brooks here for the next 4 to 5 years. What would you give him per year.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 11:50 AM) but but but, intangibles, things not on paper or stats, grinderisms......... I tell you, I know that a lot of people like this Arod character. But on the field today, is what I can say is the living represenation of Brooks Robinson, Joe Crede. How many rings does Arod have, huh. I mean did Arod hit a homer off of Riske in September. No. In fact I would take all of our players including Timo over any player on any team in the history of baseball.

QUOTE(SoxWS05 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 11:29 AM) Oh Sorry would Richie Sexson be better for you. Well Crede's comparables according to stats are Pedro Feliz, Morgan Ensberg, and Ty Wiggington. I would rather have Richie Sexson.

QUOTE(SoxWS05 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 11:22 AM) Wow. Hate to burst your bubble but Fields is the next coming of a poor man's Adam Dunne. And Crede is Brooks Robinson. Gotcha.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 11:12 AM) I'm glad to see the rays of sunshine that is getting blown out of people's asses in this thread. Let's just move the damn team to Tampa and get it over with, since they suck so bad in March. Oh wait a minute, that was almost tried once before... Granted, it's not totally rosey, but it's certainly not the "let's blow everything up", yet. We can at least wait until May 1 for that, can't we? It has nothing to do with if the team is bad or not. I think that Fields and Anderson/Quentin gives them a better chance at competing over Crede and Owens.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 11:07 AM) I have to believe it'll take a season worse than last years for Williams to rebuild. Even winning 73 games is some improvement! Our most important route for improvment, because I doubt we're worse than last year, is the draft. We can't miss. It has to be a stud. Considering the amount of time that has passed since we've been in the Top 10 (and the players who were selected), it should go a ways towards building a contender. I'm not discounting later rounds, either. The first round just holds the most certainty. Really, what other avenues for improvement do we have? Trade the prospects we don't have, or break mold and outspend other teams for top-tier talent? My expectations for the upcoming draft will be so ridiculous you'll crap yourself. If any team selecting after our first pick and before our second drafts a player, even one previously injured or unknown, that ultimately becomes a better player than our draftee I'll blame the scouting staff. This, mind you, will cover 80 picks. Whoever is involved with the draft should be monitoring players with their jobs on the line. I'm expecting someone in the Tim Lincecum, Scott Kazmir, Clay Buchholz, Cole Hamels, Dan Haren mode for a pitcher; or Chase Utley, David Wright, Joey Votto, Adam Jones mold for a positional player. I think you will be disappointed. Lets look at it like this. How much of the top tier draft talent signs Boras as an agent. We will keep within the slot allocations and we will pass over any Boras clients. Hell we had Porcello fall into our laps, and as much as anyone drools over Poreda, Porcello as a high school product has a near equal fastball with better secondary pitches. Porcello is already ranked in the top 20 and is getting compared to Verlander and Beckett. Could he fail, sure. But he sure does have the pedigree. He made the mistake of picking Boras so that equals pass and let him go to the Tigers. So all Boras clients are eliminated. Anyone wanting more than slot = elminated. We will get a talented guy, just like we got Poreda last year. But it will be less of a polished product.

QUOTE(SoxWS05 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 10:56 AM) QUOTE(IowaSoxFan @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 10:50 AM) * I think that lineup finishes First in the division. There I fixed it for you. Take a look at the tigers offense, and please tell me if you could replace the entire whitesox offense with the entire tigers offense you wouldnt do it right now. I am having flashbacks to asking this question with Johan verus Mark Buerhle when a poster that you remind me of said he would rather have Buerhle.

QUOTE(Reddy @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 10:44 AM) and we dont HAVE that type of money! jeez what don't you get about this? we dont have the money to be the yankees, we can't just throw money at FA's and call that rebuilding. You NEED prospects for the future. You NEED a system. Sure most won't pan out. but you'd rather wait and rely on other teams cultivating these players then paying top dollar for them? i think i'd rather cultivate them myself and have them cheap. if Jenks were a FA how much do you think he'd make? How would our 3rd base situation look if we had the prospects this offseason to get Cabrera at 3rd. Crede's crew would be talking about Crede's silver slugger and how we should trade Cabrera, but lets get back to reality. But alas, its all about winning now. Winning today. Screw prospects, they never get us anything. Well unless we had prospects and then sometimes you can get a pretty damn good player. Thank god we won a few more games last year. That number 3 pick overall is so overrated, you can get the same dude at 8. I mean Alvarez = Jordan Danks anyway. LOL

QUOTE(SoxWS05 @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 10:41 AM) And how many times have the yankees missed the playoffs in the last 15 years? Maybe once. WOW. Uh you might want to check out the payroll differences between the Yankees and the rest of the earth.

QUOTE(Princess Dye @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 10:33 AM) aka trading him at midseason after a strong extended showing? There's more longterm value in getting more arms in the system than there is getting playing time for the 25 yr old Fields. What kind of compensation are you going to extract from a team for a pure rental that gains you no compensation of picks. I would say something on the likes of a 24 year old Class A pitcher, or a 25 year old AA pitcher who was a converted OF.

QUOTE(Princess Dye @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 10:29 AM) If you think attempting winning in 2008 is pointless, then you probably believe we'll be bad fast, and Fields will be UP HERE ANYWAY by midseason. Furthermore, does Fields playing in AAA another year really "stunt" his progress? My belief is talent comes to the forefront or it doesnt. He's 25. The talent in the International League is weak to say the least. From last year alone. Richar hit near .350 with a .556 slugging percentage. He had a .400 OBP. .956 OPS how exactly did he transition when he came up. Did he hit near it, or was there an adjustment period. I mean he is talented, but even with talent there is a difference between the AAA and the show. Bourgeois hit .311 with a .813 OPS Bukvich has a 2.89 ERA Printz had a .56 ERA. Floyd had a 3.12 ERA. And lets look at some history down there. Felix Diaz looked like Cy Freakin Young in AAA. He was unhittable. He comes up here, and now is pitching in Japan. Jeremey Reed looked like Wade Boggs. How is he doing. Brian Anderson hit over 300 before he came up the first time.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 10:14 AM) I'd also like to say that I think the Swisher deal was idiotic considering we traded our 3 best prospects for a left fielder when we had traded our best hitting prospect for Quentin, who basically is now blocked from starting. My belief is KW thought Swisher would be able to play CF, but we quickly realized he's a disaster out there. Swisher not playing center is more with Ozzie wanting a bantam weight track star to jump start his marlinlike offense than Swisher. I would rather have Swisher in left and Anderson in center or Swisher in center and Quentin in LF than Pods JR out there.

QUOTE(Princess Dye @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 09:16 AM) I'm no huge Crede guy, but the pitching staff really is going to need some glovework out there this year. I mean, if the book is already closed on this year, then fine hate on this move. But if we're awful by June, you'll see Fields up and playing anyway, so who cares? Because we have a rookie who hit 23 home runs last year, and needs to progress against major league pitching. I am worried about retarding his growth. That league is the same league where Brian Anderson is a 300 hitter. Where Jeremy Reed looked like Wade Boggs, and Felix Diaz was Cy Young.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 11:00 PM) You seriously believe he could just rear back and throw that hard if he wanted to? I understand movement and all these things, taking off the ball, but if you have 100 MPH heat you use it. He doesn't have that anymore, until we see it again. That isn't to say he isn't a fine closer, because he is. This is the MO for Cooper projects. They give up some velocity to get better strike zone control. Jenks had pretty damn good control on that 95 mph fastball and is becoming more of a pitcher. Matt Anderson and Kyle Farnsworth are 2 examples of chuck and duck guys who just threw their fastball at 100 uncontrollably. How good of pitchers are they. As far as hitting 100, how far fetched is it. He hit 97 and 98 on occasions last year. Its not like he is throwing 91 and then saying, well I can reach 100.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 19, 2008 -> 09:09 AM) Why am I not surprised? On the bright side, Fields could never touch a C.C. pitch, so at least Crede would likely have better at-bats on opening day. And the funny thing is for a team that can't hit lefties we send down a guy who hit well against them. Over/Under of Crede pop ups to the 2nd baseman on opening day. I am going with 2.

And the Crede Crew coalition has simultaneously orgasmed.

QUOTE(Wanne @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 04:13 PM) I understand what you're sayin' shack...but it just doesn't make sense to me to move Paulie at this point...not with the production you'd be losing in the lineup...especially just to clear some space for an outfielder essentially. This team would be better obviously moving Crede...but in addition to him any of the following are expendible IMO for the right return: Uribe, Richar, Owens, Broadway, Haeger, Thornton...and probably Logan (but I've really like what I've seen from him so far this year). I agree that Quentin's upside is too great to even consider moving him. And you're right...it is a tough situation...but one of strength which is nice for a change. That's why Kenny gets the big buckos. The reason you move Konerko is the fact that in May he becomes a 10 and 5 guy and basically a no-trade clause for the life of his contract.

QUOTE(joesaiditstrue @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 03:12 PM) Danks K's Khalil Greene with a 3-2 changeup (@_@), 2 down runners on 2nd and 3rd I said it last year, and I will say it again. Danks needs to use his change more. His change is a legitimate out pitch. He should get fastball strike one, then dig in with cutters making him foul the ball off, then go to the change away when he gets 2 strikes.

Danks is getting behind everyone after the K.

QUOTE(shipps @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 10:27 AM) I just joined a gym in the south loop and Iam very pleased with it.There is free parking(downtown its great to have),there is more than enough equipment for everyone but not so much you get lost in a sea of it,and the locker room is prestine.This gym also has services like raquetball,towel service,basketball court,swimming pool,yoga sessions,and a big seperate area for your kids.Although I may never use any of these other things it sold me on joining just to know I have those kind of options. Sounds like what I belong to now. I belonged to Bally's for the longest time. However when I moved to Downers there was no Bally's close to me, so I started to look around. After a while we went with what is probably one of the more expensive options and the at is Lifetime Fitness in Burr Ridge. Comparing what I had at Bally's to what I have at lifetime is impossible. Bally's was cheaper, but when I got to lifetime it feels like a country club. To me its money well spent. Its very family oriented as they have a childrens area, and they have kids hours for the pool and such. Pools ( 4 lane lap pool, indoor zero depth pool with a indoor 2 tube water slide, outdoor pool ) One of the largest cardio equipment areas I have seen. All have large TVs with individual FM requencies so you can tune in to what you want. Massage Service ( for a fee) Sandwich shop Nice Free weights, plus large indexed by body part workout machines. They have a row for abs, a row for arms, a row for legs. Rock Climbing wall 2 large basketball courts, racketball, etc. Considering I spent 2 hours there a day its important that I have a place that I like and my family likes.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 18, 2008 -> 09:19 AM) They should have tried him at 2B last year. He probably would be a better 2B than LF, they could have seen if he would be at least adequate, but it is too late now. Why exactly would they have moved him to 2nd base last year when we have no one in the minors ready to go at 3rd and a Boras Client entering his walk year.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Mar 17, 2008 -> 10:51 PM) Sorry, but Josh Fields is How is it hard to fathom that we are looking to get rid of Crede when he is represented by a man that the GM refuses to deal with, avoids his players like the plague and has his assistant GM deal with on year to year contracts. He is coming off an injury, and is going to provide no compensation as a type A or B free agent. We have someone waiting in the wings to take over, and his name is Josh. You dont need more players waiting in the wings, when you have a number 1 draft pick you feel high about ready to take over. Kenny has stated over and over that if Crede is on the team, Josh will be at AAA. Why is that, thats because they play the same position. If they really were going to approach moving him around dont you think for a second that Josh would be getting playing time at other positions. Maybe he would of played some winter league ball in that position. I have a hard time believing that they would have them both playing 3rd base and then with a week or so left, switcheroo on Josh to say X position.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Mar 17, 2008 -> 05:37 PM) I don't want to tell SouthsiderIrish that Fields error led to 3 unearned runs. So someone else please do so for me. B) OMG he made an error, in a meaningless spring training game. For the love of god someone should put him out of his misery.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Mar 17, 2008 -> 09:40 PM) Slav, I truly hope you are being sarcastic. Jenks is a stud and if his arm stays healthy he'll be the best closer in Sox history and one of the best in baseball history. Slav was being sarcastic. He was just making fun of some comments that were made about the large round one last year. In fact how many velocity reports do we remember seeing. Oh he cant pitch with a 95 mph fastball, oh he lost velocity. Thats a lot of maturity shown from a talented kid. Hopefully he can keep healthy and we have a great one for a long time.

QUOTE(Leonard Zelig @ Mar 17, 2008 -> 04:48 PM) Would you prefer to trade him for horses*** or send fields down? I prefer that we move him to catcher, then see if we can move Uribe to 1st, trade Paul Konerko, move Swisher to SS, and send Cabrera and Dye to AAA. Exactly what bounty of goods do you think you are going to get at the deadline for Mr. Boras's client in his FA walk year with no comp. I mean is it a number 3 or 4 starter, or maybe their number 1 stud in the minors. What is a fair exchange for Brooks Robinson Jr.