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QUOTE (Sleepy Harold @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 12:41 PM) Jeff Passan @JeffPassan now There is significant concern inside the Cardinals' organization that Alex Reyes, their star pitching prospect, needs Tommy John surgery. More speculation coming now, we shall see how the Cards react. It would be tempting to trade for him and send Q to St. Louis. Q helps them win now. The Sox get a potential better pitcher next year. The odds are highly likely that he returns to form after the surgery. It is a gamble but not really much of one.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 01:33 PM) It amazes me that the White Sox push their top starters harder than most any other team in baseball, yet they always have so many less injuries than anyone else does. It is kind of amazing. There are really two factors IMO. The first is outlined really well in the Herm article about the proactive "pre-hab." The other part is Cooper really de-emphazing velocity. He preaches to back off how hard you throw to increase movement. These will go a long way to decreasing stress on the throwing motion.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 04:47 PM) Lopez's delivery reminds me a lot of Peavy. Very much so.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 03:40 PM) It kind of scares me that the process is so personal. Basically, when Herm goes, we lose this. It's just people trusting him and him being organized and responsible. That's an incredible heap of praise, but you'd like something a bit more institutional. It kind of seems the same with Coop. He just seems to have a great eye/emphasis on getting pitchers out when their mechanics get out of whack. The assistant is very similar. He has learned under Herm just as the article discusses how he learned. While Herm is excellent at what he does, there is an "institutional" component as you say because they follow it in the minors as well.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 02:16 PM) It could be valid. He's a smallish guy for a pitcher so there are questions about his durability but his repertoire is pretty good as is his stuff. If you haven't seen it yet here's a little video and story on that 11 K game he had with the Nats. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/196369140/re...in-over-braves/ Still not a fan of that upright, lack of follow through. It does help with command however. He's one that will be interesting to follow his injury history.

Interesting that Lopez is higher than Kopech. This list must be higher on floors and proximity to MLB than potential.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 01:45 PM) Jethro Tull on the list at #96. Snot is running down his nose.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Feb 12, 2017 -> 11:44 AM) And again it wasn't Ed DeBartolo who committed a felony crime. Just saying. Regarding the most money comment, JR's desire to destroy the MLBPA and impose his idea of a salary structure failed miserably, cost MLB a lot in 94-95 and neutered his own team's chances of potentially getting to the World Series. To me that doesn't sound like a solid business plan. But that's just me. JR like everyone has had an interesting life and controversial run as owner. He's done some things everyone can be proud of (including his substantial charitable contributions) but he's also done some things that make you wonder 'what was he thinking?' This comment when he took over the team turned out to be very prophetic: Jerry Reinsdorf was a “source of intrigue” and in the future could become a “source of controversy.” –From a story by reporter Linda Kay, Chicago Tribune January 30, 1981. Mark No, but it was the family and the group together. The kid was just the guy out front. He was in with the kid with the racetracks and everything else, similar to the Cubs and their current group. The kid is out front but they all have a stake and are involved.

QUOTE (Two-Gun Pete @ Feb 12, 2017 -> 12:40 PM) (Look, I respect you, & I think you're a good poster, but) LOL, wut???? Much of JR's actions have been driven by him being self-serving and personally greedy: 1. Sportsvision. This was ALL about getting EVERY LAST PENNY out of you & me, without adding not one iota of value to the product or to you or I, the paying customer. 2. Everything about New Comiskey Park, from trying to swindle the taxpayer, to trying to get it built on his own land, to threatening to move, to pushing costs to build it onto the hotel industry, to the s***ty design was all about him getting the MOST MONEY for himself. 3. Colluding to pay less to players was a way to pay others less, while keeping more for himself. 4. Not competing in the international market for decades, and not competing with draft signing bonuses was again, a way to pay others less. 5. Moving the MiLB affiliates as close as possible to each other was, again, a way to do things on the cheap. 6. The lockout was a scheme intended to pay others less. 7. The White Flag Trade was the right thing to do, but his public response to the trade was self-serving. 8.Never competing for the top FAs, going back to Albert Belle. 9. Keeping an incompetent team president employed, likely because he's either too cheap, or that KW is a livng reminder of JR once having been a younger man. (And JR having taken a personal role in chasing KW as a draftee.) [EDIT] 10. Despite having easily the best lease in north American sports, the cost to attend games is routinely among the most expensive in MLB, as an effort to suppress attendance, thus lowering/eliminating any rent to pay, all while having an inferior product in most seasons. Now, JR's done all of this, and more, all while losing much more than this team has won. We're also expected as taxpayers and paying customers to be OK with his personal greed on the one hand, and at the same time, accept this club operating like a small market team on the other hand. By contrast, at a minimum, the DeBartolos may have been greedy, but at least they passed their thievings onto their paying customers with the 49ers. Neither JR, nor Ilitch deserve praise as owners of their MLB clubs, in all honesty, IMO. And ive yet to see any evidence of JR making this anything other than an exercise to get HIM the most, or to pay others less. Nearly everything you said here makes my point of him working behind the scenes to work on keeping the cost of the game under control so it's not "he who has the most money wins." You see it all as self serving, i see much of it being him working with others owners to control the costs of the game so that all teams have a shot not just the Yankees, red sox and dodgers.

QUOTE (Two-Gun Pete @ Feb 12, 2017 -> 10:23 AM) And JR was involved in colluding to illegally suppress player salaries, so it isn't as though JR is a saint, either. YMMV. JR isn't a saint he is not by far the best owner in the league but he isn't evil incarnate who has single handedly destroyed the White sox organization either. What he did is not a felony crime. What he has done is try different ways to keep baseball from becoming a "he has the most money wins."

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 11:46 PM) That was his son. The sale to the father was turned down for some reasons that were a little nebulous at best. The owners and commissioner Bowie Kuhn felt that DeBartolo had "connections" to underworld characters, had gambling /interests, wasn't actually living in Chicago and couldn't be relied upon in their opinions. In fact the Galbraith family who owned the Pirates and George Steinbrenner had horse racing interests and owned race tracks. DeBartolo said he would move 20% of his business interests to Chicago and promised he would spend a certain amount of time in the city. That fell on deaf ears. Later after the Sox signed Floyd Bannister to what was considered a huge contract for it's time, Steinbrenner publicly said that he "regretted" not voting for DeBartolo. So the dad then used his resources to buy the 49'ers...and win a bunch of Super Bowls. Mark I worked for deBartolo at one of the local racetracks. It was later purchased by Steinbrenner. All of them were into the gambling scene. The DeBartolo's were the only ones convicted of felony bribery. As long as they win all is forgiven, i guess.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 06:07 PM) That's good because I have some old rock n roll concert posters that need framing. My wife frames her own stitching projects. She's an excellent framer. I'm not sure the Sox would pay the price though.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Feb 11, 2017 -> 10:32 AM) The same Bill Veeck who actually tried to sell the team to Edward DeBartolo, who had the vast resources to not only keep the Sox in Chicago, but in a competitive way worthy of a big market team. And if not for a few "no" votes from some other obviously threatened AL owners in 1980, the team would have been sold to DeBartolo, and not to the Reinsdorf/Einhorn group. Often wonder what the past 36 years would have looked like for our beleaguered franchise had the sale to DeBartolo gone through! Is this the same DeBartolo who was forced to give up the 49ers due to being convicted of a felony for bribing government officials for gambling licenses? One thing sure sure is that the ownership wouldn't have lasted long as he would've been forced to sell the sox as well. Maybe the MLB owners knew enough not to allow him to buy it.

QUOTE (Sox-35th @ Feb 8, 2017 -> 08:18 AM) Is there a test for CTE that can be run on living subjects? No. But there is some evidence that certain sclera (scar tissue type) that can be found may be an early indicator. The research is in it's very early stages but the people hyping up the CTE for NFL players (to get the grant money) are starting to push it.

QUOTE (Con te Giolito @ Jan 26, 2017 -> 12:05 AM) That's one-time Soxtalk poster Chris Rongey. He was such an asshole to callers on the postgame show who had even the slightest complaint about the Sox direction (reminds me of some...). He really made a lot of enemies with that, which is weird because by all accounts he was a pretty good guy off the air. He is a good guy. But just like anyone else who hears nothing but negativity and complaints, it wore him down after awhile. you could tell it got to him having to liten to caller after caller bash Ventura even after wins.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 10, 2017 -> 10:56 AM) I wasn't really trying to advocate it. I meant just in general for any team. I would rather have an open spot for in-house options or a higher upside signing to flip. Agreed.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 10, 2017 -> 07:06 AM) Alvarez is out there and put up .7 WAR. He could be a very cheap signing as well. But why pay for a .7 WAR guy when someone from the minors would be nearly as good? .7 of a win is not worth spending money on.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 9, 2017 -> 02:12 PM) Miami is definitely better than the Sox. San Diego and Philadelphia are the only ones that are definitely worse IMO. 1. Anderson SS 2. Abreu 1B 3. Cabrera LF 4. Frazier 3B 5. Davidson DH 6. Lawrie 2B 7. Garcia RF 8. Soto C 9. Tilson CF That's a bad offense. I would put Atlanta in the group as well. Miami probably is better. However, as I said they will not be the worst offense in MLB. I'm still predicting there will be at least 5 teams that score fewer runs than the Sox.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 9, 2017 -> 01:29 PM) Which offenses are worse? Off the top of my head San Diego, Atlanta and Philadelphia, Oakland. I'm sure once I look closely there will be a few others as well. edit: Probably Milwaukee and Miami too.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 9, 2017 -> 01:04 PM) I think they will challenge for worst offense in baseball. They'll hit some homers because of Frazier and Abreu. They won't be on base often enough to sustain anything though. They have a #1 starter. A #3 starter (with tremendous upside) 2 #5 starters and Shields who is probably toast. The offense won't be that bad. There will be 6-7 teams which score fewer runs. They have 4-5 professional hitters. I agree with the starters except Gonzalez is closer to a 4 than 5. Hopefully, Rodon improves again and can be a 2. It's still decent. Don't forget the pen which will probably be the default strength of the team.

QUOTE (Sox-35th @ Feb 9, 2017 -> 11:13 AM) Joe Flacco shouldn't be allowed near the hall of fame. He's made good money. He can buy a ticket.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 9, 2017 -> 12:22 PM) They are absolutely one of the 5 worst teams in baseball. Why do people think otherwise? Because some disagree with your evaluations. They have 4-5 MLB hitters, 3 decent starters and a decent bullpen. That's more than many of the bottom tier teams. No one is saying they are any good but they have more talent than more than a few teams. Plus they fired Robin who is the primary cause of their issues last year.

71-91

QUOTE (Al Lopez's Ghost @ Feb 8, 2017 -> 12:16 PM) I think that was truer in the past, but with interleague play there's less mystery in changing leagues. He's talking about a fundamental change in his approach which may not even be warranted. Didn't he have the worst BABIP last year, suggesting he was horribly unlucky? However he does it I hope he has a great year, because he seems to be a great guy. And of course a candidate to be flipped mid season. Very true. but I still think there are just too many different pitchers and team with different approaches that it take the majority of the first year to adjust.

QUOTE (Al Lopez's Ghost @ Feb 7, 2017 -> 07:44 PM) His adjustment might - might - last one time around the league. Then pitchers will start jamming him, he'll get frustrated, and go back "to what always worked for me in the past". Not that I dislike the guy. I just don't believe what guys say in the offseason. In one time around the league, he will learn and understand the tendencies of the entire pitching staff and get comfortable in all the different ballparks? most hitters will tell it takes the first year before getting comfortable with the change. This usually shows for most hitters.