Rex Hudler

The old guy is just trying to get you to think a little, do some homework.... he expects big things from you, damnit. Let's work on this so you don't disappoint the Godfather!

Smith will not make it before Bajenaru. Not unless Baj gets hurt. Period. End of Story.

how do you gush quietly?

In all reality, Ruddy Yan was not a real prospect.

Opinions vary, I guess. I think it was the smartest thing KW has done (or not done, technically) so far.

Haven't seen this in print yet, but I got this info from a friend affiliated with the Sox org.

Baseball America looks at age and potential impact along with performance. In a situation where performance doesn't match up, long term impact is often given more weight. They also look at what tools give a player a chance for greater impact as well as the lack of tools they may have that could limit them (see Spidale's arm). In my opinion, Rogowski could make the top 10, but Spidale's chances are much smaller. My best guess is Michael will end up around 18th-20th in their top 30 in the Prospect Handbook.

I shall repeat one of my posts from earlier in this thread. It does not apply 100% to you, but the basic premise is pretty much the same. If you want to read the whole conversation, scroll back. The "facts" you seem to want to throw out there with nothing to back them up, is "profit". You seem convinced the Sox are making money hand over fist. I do not, nor have I ever seen ANY evidence to the contrary. Sure the Sox have been mired in mediocrity for a long time, but should it really shock anyone that their payroll in comparison to other teams is pretty damned close to the same ratio as Sox attendance to the other clubs??? Get over it. The Sox more than doubled their payroll in 2001, yet did the fans show up in big numbers? NOPE The Sox payroll went up last year, KW went out and got Garcia, Contreras, etc. Did attendance rise?? NOPE The Sox payroll will never change drastically unless somehow the support happens to do so. That will not happen unless they are able to put together a team that surprises and wins without a big free agent star. Then, the bandwagon fans will jump on and maybe things will change. The bottom line is, the Chicago White Sox, like all MLB teams are investments for their owners. Just throwing money at the hottest free agents and hoping that will lead the team to victory and riches would be a very high risk proposition. Let's not act like the Yankees would be doing what they do now with the Sox revenue streams. Life is different with some teams. You CHOOSE to be a Chicago White Sox fan. Stop being naive and wake up to the fact that the circumstances behind YOUR team and others that spend more money are vastly different. You don't have to like it. But try coming up with a new argument about "making huge profits" and "lining their profits" next time. Maybe some people will listen???

I gotta disagree Steff. I might agree that maybe he should not have been hired in the first place, but since he had already been employed by the D'backs and they didn't seem to mind then, I think it is ridiculous that they caved in to pressure. The D'backs hired the guy because of his fiery personality/style. Three days later things come out about him that weren't all that secret if they had their eyes open. A day later they say they are going to stand behind him. A day later they change their minds because of a lack of a spine. My timeline may be off a day or so here. Argue that he never should have been hired if you want, but the D'backs screwed this one up, not Wally. Once they hired him, and they decided they would stand behind him, they should have done so.

I'm pretty sure the Sox can make it without you. Good riddance! Hopefully, when you want to come back, the bandwagon will be full and there will be no room for your ass.

I understand where you are coming from...... and I understand frustration. But I have a hard time emotion ruling over logic. That's just me. I'd love to see the Sox win the WS too, but I try to be objective about things. I played baseball through college, so I have never been a big rah-rah guy (at least outwardly), so I sit back and enjoy the game through thinking about what is happening more than just rooting for my team. Make sense? Oh, and congrats on the job, wife and house you don't deserve. Some guys play well up a league or two. Sounds like you are holding your own. ;-)

Define it for me then. I'm all ears!

The "facts" you seem to want to throw out there with nothing to back them up, is "profit". You seem convinced the Sox are making money hand over fist. I do not, nor have I ever seen ANY evidence to the contrary. Sure the Sox have been mired in mediocrity for a long time, but should it really shock anyone that their payroll in comparison to other teams is pretty damned close to the same ratio as Sox attendance to the other clubs??? Get over it. The Sox more than doubled their payroll in 2001, yet did the fans show up in big numbers? NOPE The Sox payroll went up last year, KW went out and got Garcia, Contreras, etc. Did attendance rise?? NOPE The Sox payroll will never change drastically unless somehow the support happens to do so. That will not happen unless they are able to put together a team that surprises and wins without a big free agent star. Then, the bandwagon fans will jump on and maybe things will change. The bottom line is, the Chicago White Sox, like all MLB teams are investments for their owners. Just throwing money at the hottest free agents and hoping that will lead the team to victory and riches would be a very high risk proposition. Let's not act like the Yankees would be doing what they do now with the Sox revenue streams. Life is different with some teams. You CHOOSE to be a Chicago White Sox fan. Stop being naive and wake up to the fact that the circumstances behind YOUR team and others that spend more money are vastly different. You don't have to like it. But try coming up with a new argument about "making huge profits" and "lining their profits" next time. Maybe some people will listen???

Past, your act gets old and tired sometimes. You are like a broken record, making accusations without facts.

You can have Guillen. I don't see any reason to poison this team. It is already fragile enough.

Hating mediocrity and only supporting the team when it wins, pretty much defines bandwagon fans, Josh. Obviously you are not one. But I think it is hard to deny the fact that unfortunately, for the Sox to succeed at the box office, they have to rely on the bandwagon jumpers.

The thing I find ironic about that statement is that it came from Bill James, the one guy who has created new stats to measure players, yet it was their intangibles he is speaking so highly about. Whether Bill James is right or not, I can flat ass guarantee you all the OPS, OBP, Zone Rating and any other stats you want to throw out there, meant s*** when they were down 3-0. That is when internal fortitude matters. Granted they had to have the talent to be in that position, but all the talent in the world doesn't always get you there. INTANGIBLES DO MATTER!

Where he happened to play against one Rex Hudler. I'm SURE he would remember me.

So you are saying the Sox have nothing but bandwagon fans??

Actually 2002 was a pretty solid year. 2003 he was hurt and played less than half a season. 2001 was indeed a bad year. If he was lazy and so inconsistent, why are Cleveland fans so sad to see him go? Omar has a top notch reputation for being a hard worker, a positive influence on a club and one that will work with and help younger players. He handles the bat very well, makes contact and still plays excellent defense. That is why the Sox wanted him and why the Giants outbid them for him. If you want to look at numbers and make judgements on a player's character, then go right ahead. But that just shows how little you know about the real world.

Vizquel lazy? I find it hilarious that you want Guzman for tha tmoney, but didn't want to pick up Vizquel at all? Sorry, but that just shows your lack of knowledge. Vizquel is anything BUT lazy.

Jason Kendall 2002: $6.0M (+$4.0M signing bonus, half deferred without interest) 2003: $8.0M 2004: $8.0M 2005: $10.0M 2006: $11.0M 2007: $13.0M -$0.5M each year deferred with interest -Includes complete no-trade clause -Possible $475K each year in award bonuses (added to next year's salary)

That's funny............ I was just about to post that I originally left out things like secure the hookers, lie to the wife, etc. LOL

No thanks to Kenny Lofton. Lofton's effort is extremely spotty, yet he has no problem cashing those paychecks regularly.

I don't want to sound like I am pro-Boras/agent here, but agents do a lot more than most think. They do much more than handle contract negotiations. Many agents handle some or all of the player's finances. They handle their taxes, or at least keep everything in order so an accountant can finish them, if the agent doesn't have an accountant on staff. Agents handle PR appearances for the player outside what is directly club-related. They secure endorsements, signing deals, etc, for the players to allow them additional income. They handle bat, shoe and glove contracts and make sure the player is in full supply. They also do all the research necessary to support their arguments during negotiations and/or arbitration hearings. There are probably a ton of other things too, that I am not aware of. If people have the impression that an agent simply negotiates with a club for a player by having a few meetings and signing a contract and that is it, then they are mistaken.