daa84

does anyone know what the numbers in japan are like? that is....is it a pitching dominated game like it was here at various points in time? or an offensive game like it is here now?

coaching help from the royals and pirates....thats kinda like what KW did with the bullpen this year....haha just kidding...these moves are fine by me

QUOTE(Steff @ Oct 10, 2007 -> 10:33 PM) That story, as well as many others on the widespread usage back in the mid and late 70's, has been around a long time. It's not hard to believe. yeah i believe that it is true, i just didnt wanna go around slinging mud on something i had heard somewhat offhand

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Oct 10, 2007 -> 12:49 PM) Bodybuilding has been using it for decades, why not major sports? not that this is even close to being a concrete rumor...but someone once told me jack buck accused mike schmidt (who admitted to using amphetamines) of using steroids and buck believed that they crept their way into the game even since that era.....not a fact, but wouldnt doubt it, and as you said, the stuff isnt new...i believe the prevalence of it and the "designer drug" nature of it is a newer phenomenon

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Oct 10, 2007 -> 10:24 AM) Remember when Pettite leaves Joba is stepping right in to the rotation. and hughes is becoming a forgotten name in that mix....it was only a few months ago that many considered hughes to be one of the top few pitching prospects in the game along with bailey and lincecum

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Oct 9, 2007 -> 03:03 PM) Well Cleveland has a much better starting rotation, a much better bullpen, is a better defensive team (although that's not saying much, Cleveland isn't great and NY is awful), and has a lineup that can at least tread water with the Yanks. But besides those small details, the Yankees obviously choked. One day people will get the fact that talent, not payroll, determines the best teams. cleveland really got a boost from their pen....it was a huge issue for them coming into the year and starting the year....but guys like rafael perez and jensen lewis (who is a buddy of mine from college) have really brought a stabilizing force to that pen...if only wedge could see leaving borowski in to close is gonna haunt him at some point, but i guess you can't screw around with that kind of thing this late in the year

its a very compelling yankee offseason for sure....the yankees recommitted to their farm system and they have some terrific young players even outside of the ones weve already seen...itll be interesting to see if they continue to shift towards younger players or if they sign some vets to bad contracts...my guess is posada and rivera resign...posada will get more than he should you are right about that...especially at his age, but if arod walks they really have some offensive production to fill, given that abreu posada and even jeter a little bit appear to be on the downswing...the pitching can probably withstand the pettitte hit, its just the question of whether or not the boss will be willing to count on wang mussina and 3 of hughes/kennedy/chamberlain/igawa

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Oct 9, 2007 -> 08:02 PM) Off year? His OPS was down a little bit, but the dude is 31 -- this is just a guess, but PK doesn't strike me as a guy who's going to age gracefully. Over the next three years, I'd bet that Konerko's OPS is closer to his 2007 numbers than to his 2005-2006 numbers. Slugging percentage takes what you mentioned into account, so I don't see what significance that holds -- maybe that Kotchman's .296 BA was unsustainable? //goes and checks baseball-reference. Yeah -- Kotchman's BAPIP was just over .300. That's reasonable, so it tells me all the singles he was hitting weren't very fluke-y at all. BTW, I think a Kotchman-for-Konerko deal would be done for the money as much as (if not more) than it would be just to get Kotchman (bleh, talk about a choppy sentence). Thirty-six million off the books while, at the same time, becoming a younger club? Sign me up. CWSguy, youve nailed this on the head imo....its not that i think kotchman is the superior baseball player, (though in a year or two thats a differnet story) its about the fact that hes not 11 million dollars worse than konerko...... kotchman getting better each year +11 mil per year >konerko gettin worse each year

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Oct 9, 2007 -> 07:48 PM) Sure he has -- Konerko's slugging percentage was all of 20 points higher than Kotchman's (their OPS' were identical, with Kotchman's being more valuable do to a higher OBP). One played half his games in a spacious stadium while the other played half of his in a bandbox. One is 24, the other is 31. I think I've said this before... if Stoneman offered Kotchman straight up for Konerko I'd probably take that deal. Also -- when JO puts up an OBP above .340 in a season's worth of at-bats, maybe then we can talk of him as our future leadoff man. The only reason JO put up such good numbers in September because his BAPIP was ridiculously -- and unsustainably -- high. Also... when a great month constitutes a .767 OPS, you're not a very good player. great post....agreed with this just about 100%, not sure if id do pauly for kotchman straight up, but thats more indicative of the emotional attachment i have for a guy like konerko than the difference in the two as baseball players

KW waited too long to attempt to deal buerhle (the market was so low because we waited til the middle of the year when he had only 2 month left that KW just resigned him). If garland is gonna go at the end of hte year (which i think its at least a decent bet that we dont bring him back) i wouldnt mind seeing him leave now. In addition its always better to trade a guy like pauly a year early than a year late

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Oct 9, 2007 -> 07:42 PM) Well is it fair to say we've seen Figgins ceiling? Is it really a good idea for us to give up one of our steadiest pitchers and probably our best hitter over the past several years and a good defensive 1B for a player that may have peaked, a reliever who may be in decline and a prospect that hasnt shown the power potential yet to be a great 1B. It just isnt an even deal IMO. As much as I would LIKE those players, its not worth giving up Konerko and Garland even for the financial flexibility. i also wouldnt underestimate that financial flexability...assuming KW spends it properly....we freed up 10 mil in 05 and got el duque, AJ and iguchi...not to say that i expect 10 mil to go that far again (that was really a good job by KW and a bit of good luck) but we can add another piece or two in addition to the three coming back to help fill the holes of PK and garland

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Oct 9, 2007 -> 07:33 PM) Then why not use Jerry Owens who is cheaper, younger and already here? He was almost at that OBP from his callup. The big knock about him on this board was his ability to SLG and get extra base hits. i will say i was a big owens detractor at the time of his callup....i was certainly scared of the fact that he hit .260 with a .328 in AAA in 2006, but he did have a .360 obp in charlotte in 07 and he was impressive for a month or so....still i think if owens pans out to his ceiling (which is unlikely) he becomes the player figgins was pre-2007, and i would be willing to put alot of money on the table that says he never has a year like figgins had in 07...in addition owens doesn't switch hit like figgins does and doesn't have the defensive verstaility.... i really think the piece of this that people are overlooking is casey kotchman

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Oct 9, 2007 -> 06:15 PM) A few days ago they were talking on TBS about organizations that do baseball a certain way -- I believe they mentioned the Angels and the Twins, and I would add the Braves, offhand, to organizations that stress fundamentals from the lowest depths of the system all the way to the top, indoctrinating their players from the beginning. Clearly these organizations value defense, fundamental baserunning, opposite field hitting, good approaches at the plate, etc. etc. And it got me thinking: do the White Sox have a system? A White Sox way? I know some, including good friends of mine, argue in defense of Greg Walker by saying, "I'm sure he's the one who tells the hitters to close their eyes and swing as hard as they can." It's a good point, no? But then you look at our system, from the minor leagues up, and you think about our defenders, our hitters, our baserunning -- it's abysmal, and so I really wonder how coherent our organization is. Do we stress things from the beginning all the way to the top? If we do, if we really do, putting much emphasis on these things, then why do we suck so bad at most of them? Why are we now and have for the longest time a terrible offensive team beyond the homerun? Do players tune out the coaches or are they never taught? Whichever it is is an unhappy reality, right? I mean, if players don't listen, then what does that say about them? If our coaches aren't competent, what does that say? I just wish I didn't have to associate my team's system with softball. I guess I'm happy with the Buddy Bell signing, as a result, but only if it's a serious beginning to a complete and drastic overhaul of the way this organization does things. I don't have high hopes, as I question this organization's leadership, but we'll see. i know what you are saying, but i certainly don't think the sox don't value defense....ive actually been fairly impressed with the defense of many of our youngsters (fields being the main exception, but lets be realistic, hes not on the major league team cuz he can catch the ball....as far as a pitching aspect goes, it has seemed clear to me that the sox value starters who can throw strikes and put movement on their fastballs (sinkers or two seamers: ie broadway, mculloch poreda, egbert, danks etc) and have their big time power arms for the bullpen....it also seems to me that as an organization an emphasis has been placed on starters with quality or changeups, or at least trying to develop changeups (gio, danks, egbert, broadway garland a few years back) in terms of offense i have no idea....the sox certainly dont value plate discipline like they should

like the deal....alot....we basically cut 2 huge contracts (24 million next year) and an expiring contract next year in garland, while acquiring shields who is under contract through 2010 for a reasonable 5 mil per, figgins for 4.5 million (one year left), and kotchman who basically makes league minimum and we would have control over for cheap for a few years.... so we fill a huge spot in the pen (the second half for shields is an outlier, unless he is hurt and we don't know about it, the guy has a legit proven track record), add a leadoff hitter who can not only play CF, but play all over the field. While Figgins is unlikely to reproduce .330 .393 .432 (which would have been our team's third highest OPS) id say hes close to a lock for .290 .355 .400 while swipping 40 + bases. then kotchman who ranked by baseball america as the 6th best prospect in baseball in 2005, is still 24, had a .371 obp this year, with more BB than Ks (something remarkable for a white sox) hit a combined .370 in AA and AAA as a 21 year old in 2004...the only thing missing with him is power, and Id be willing to bet he gets 20 HR a year when its all said and done...basically he has a great shot to be john olerud. we give up garland who we probably wont resign at seasons end anyways, and an aging konerko who by 2010 (and arguably right now) won't be worth the 12 mil we will have to pay him with all the supposed rumors of KW thinking big i wouldnt doubt one bit if he would use that extra 14 million cleared by this deal to either go after arod this year, or go after santana when he hits the market next year. obviously garland and konerko departing leave big holes, but i believe that the money cleared would go towards filling those holes, if not with one of those two previously mentioned players, but some other impact type bat like one of this years CFers

horrifically overrated.....fun on occasion? yes, but gets old...decent excuse to drink, but some people take it like its their lives....yeah btw its been around for years....i believe it has its true roots from cincinnati...its ok at a tailgate, but i often just prefer throwing a football or a baseball

QUOTE(StatManDu @ Oct 7, 2007 -> 10:30 AM) With the “right” Sox leading 4-2, Manny Ramirez led off the sixth with a homer and then loaded the bases. damn manny is good....HR and loaded the bases in the same inning.....

is this meant to be a rumor? or is it something that should have just gone into the diamond club?

my biggest gripe isnt necessarily with owens personally....i just dont like this organizations infatuation with players whose only good tool is speed..... speed is nice, but its kind of like boobs when you are looking for a wife...good boobs alone wont get it done, you gotta have personality character etc...boobs are just a bonus....if you can run, but only get on base at an average clip while hitting for absolutely 0 power...id file you more under the 1 night stand category...gotta be able to do the other more important things than run first...

i am also still wondering about the stories of the two minor league players referred to by steff....i mean if the stories came from them posting on here in the past why can't it be posted now? from an objective view point i also agree with 29th that it is extremely frustrating when people post inside info like it is fact and then dont clarify on it....i guess i just dont see it being all that "hurtful to the organization"

at the time of that trade, there were certainly people who thought chris young was a better prospect than brian anderson, but the gap between the two wasnt that big........anderson was projected as a 25 HR guy and nobody would have predicted when this trade was made that in just a year young would be hitting 35 HR in the majors....now was KW at fault for thinking so highly of anderson? sure, i mean he was was wrong about the guy, but he wasnt the only one who liked him...major publications also thought he was a legit major league CF........the real b**** of this whole this is just how poorly we have drafted and developed other players

i wouldnt at all be surprised if KW goes after arod, but i think the $$s are gonna keep us from nabbinghim....now i know kenny and boras dont get along, but in terms of free agents i read an article recently that Boras deals with the owners, and not the GMs... as far as bonds goes....i hate bonds more than any other single player in the majors, but my love for the white sox >> my hate for bonds....so in no way shape of form would i stop rooting for the sox if they signed him

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Sep 29, 2007 -> 08:48 PM) LJ has flat out sucked this year and it is not that easy against SD. It's AGAIN a bad matchup for LJ. Now after this week, he should start getting some good yardage again (I hope). johnson peterson are must starts.....i have the same problem picking between leonard and ward (love working that waiver wire) for this week....im leaning toward leonard simply because last week ward didnt get the goal line carries......leonard is a hoss, and if the rams can get near the end zone theyll look to him

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Sep 30, 2007 -> 01:42 AM) Me either. Who cares if you forgot the Big 10. They suck a substantial amount of balls. Although, I am rather pumped. Just over a month til ISU opens the exhibition bball season. yeah youre right, the big 12 is much better especially considering oklahoma pounded laughing stock colorado and the second best team pummeled K state at home, and nebraska easily won against laughing stock ball state....... oh wait

i said after broadway made his last relief appearance that i was way more impressed with his stuff than i thought i would have been....his changeup, which didnt really appear in his scouting reports too much, looks to be an above average major league pitch...to me broadway, at least stuff wise...looked like brandon mccarthy with movement on his fastball (maybe not as good of command).....

QUOTE(danman31 @ Sep 25, 2007 -> 11:56 AM) This is old to bring it back, but I realized that everytime I switch between my home and school wireless and go on here it logs me out. So I'll be on Soxtalk at my apartment and then check it during class and it will log me out. I'll have to log in again when I go back home and check it. If I don't check here during class I stay logged in. It's weird. same thing happens to me and its incredibly frustrating....