ptatc

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 01:24 PM) At a glance, the only difference in his productivity is that he simply started hitting homers. The only thing I can see in his peripherals is that he's swinging at more pitches -- both good and bad -- than he did at the beginning of his career. So to become a better hitter he became less patient and stopped trying to go the other way. He's becoming more of just a pull hitter.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 11:50 AM) You didn't hear California and Nevada fell into the ocean as a result of a 17 point earthquake that lasted 13 minutes? Jeez... Where have all you people been? ps: PTATC! I have to fly to Anaheim to present a paper in February. Dang airlines must be covering up the quake to keep my money!!!! Edit: it's as good as any of these other speculations/theories these past pages.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 11:03 AM) I mentioned new guys next year- Ivan Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and Vlad Guerrero. Guess I should have included Jorge Posada too, but I hope he falls off quick. Omar Vizquel is going to be an interesting case in a few years. He has so much support for whatever reason. Posada will be around for awhile due to the yankee championship ties.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 11:29 AM) Rumor has it that his assistant actually signed for him as a result of forgetting said pin. Assistant rumored to be fired. Replacement may be sought. Source: a 1,257 pound tuna caught off the coast of Utah. Salt Lake tuna? At least it is well preserved.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 10:53 AM) But, due to the fact he did agree to come back, there's at least a 50% chance they exercise it as long as he's still productive. The likelihood of that happening in KC is much higher than with any other team. It will be strictly due to "if he is still productive" and if he is it may be worth it. Regardless, it is not a "5 year 91 million dollar deal" for the royals.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 10:44 AM) Ken Griffey Jr. is “the second-best left-handed hitting, left-handed throwing outfielder ever born in Donora, Pennsylvania on November 21.” What a great article. I love those "relating eras" pieces.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 10:15 AM) Lol. The Royals gave Gordon $91 at five years. No. The 5th year is a mutual option. They can leave at 4. The 5th is not guaranteed.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 08:29 AM) One of the big Bucs writers and local radio host here in Tampa is saying Lovie was never asked to change his staff. It has to be about not wanting to lose Koetter. Sounds like Koetter was going to get a HC job somewhere and the Bucs don't want to lose that relationship between him and Winston. Maybe Mike Smith as his DC. The is an article on bleacher report suggesting part of the move was because the defense has stars on it yet has been regressing every year. It suggested that they believe the cover 2 is dated and he wouldn't change.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 08:30 AM) Are you still in the camp that really believes we're getting Cespedes or Upton? I'll ask this. Other than maybe 2005-2007, when has the White Sox payroll expanded 10-15% over two consecutive seasons...in this case, losing seasons where the team profits were low or marginal compared to that time period? 2009, when we added Peavy and Rios, we were coming off a playoff appearance. 2011, we were coming off a season where we led the division for a large chunk of time. The only other time would have to have been 2013-2014 with Abreu (and then last offseason), but I'm pretty sure overall payroll decreased significantly despite that addition as we shed a lot of payroll throughout a disappointing 2013. NASCAR

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 07:20 PM) I haven't looked into this in detail (as I'm not yet eligible for any deferred comp, but something I will consider in time as a way to potentially manage taxes + another potential option to stagger for long-term future in regards to helping kids with college), that said, my understanding from a high level read I did of my companies policy lead me to believe what you mention above is true. Not sure how it works in terms of government employees though. I'm curious what happened for some of the counties in the country that have BK'd (if deferred comp was lost). Is their someone within the state who you could discuss with in more detail? I'm going to do that once the semester gets going again. I was curious if anyone here knew.

Here is something I came across while thinking about investing more. We were looking at increasing 401K vs. deferred income. I read that deferred income is not guaranteed. It is a promise to pay in the future. however, if the company declares bankruptcy they can just say there is no money to pay it. My questions is: did I interpret this correctly and being a state employee how would this apply to a government agency. Any help wold be appreciated. With two kids getting close to college, we were thinking the deferred income may help with decreasing FAFSA income assests.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 05:01 PM) I really hope the Sox can sign Cespedes or Upton or some of the comments made on this board are going to be unbearable. Come on. That's really the fun of this board. It's like watching NASCAR or preschool dance recitals. They are mostly boring but you just wait for the crashes.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 03:46 PM) Ozuna was a four plus WAR guy just two years ago, is still under control for a long time and can play CF. Like Inciarte, it's going to take more than Adams "plus" to get him. We just don't have enough quality minor league depth remaining to not have to surrender Anderson or Fulmer. If you're all in, it means trading Anderson and having no long-term deal in sight for SS or catcher. The other teams with top 10-20 systems are better positioned for this move. They are not all in to the pint of trading anderson or fulmer. If RH wouldn't trade them in the Frazier package, he wouldn't do it for ozuna. If the mlbtr texas package is to believed than a package centered around adams may work. Not syaing it will but it's another option to explore.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 03:41 PM) Erik Johnson for Ozuna and then sign a starting pitcher That works too.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 03:24 PM) I guess ozuna trade talks are heating up and Span might be signing soon. I guess we should know hopefully by the end of week if the Sox do something. How about trading for ozuna? On mlbtr they are said to be looking for a young pitcher. This is a guy I would trade Adams and maybe another piece for.

QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:53 PM) Start getting ready to have that thought all the time my friend. I would imagine everyone on here has these thoughts as you watch yourself age in comparison to players. Age 16-18: You start seeing those real young prospects and have the moment you just did where you are shocked that these guys are younger than you, but have so much potential. Age 19-22: You start seeing some of the superstar prospects make appearances in the major leagues and you start to wonder why you never were better at baseball. Age 23-26: You see most of the guys who make it to MLB come up and it hits you even though it was always obvious. You will never play in the major leagues. You'll stop having daydream fantasies about somehow becoming an MLB player. Age 27-30: You start to think about how the players your age are in their MLB prime. Then you evaluate your own physical condition and question if this is your prime. Age 31-35: You start seeing guys your age who had good careers, but are starting to fizzle out of baseball. You think about how young the new rookies look, even though it felt like just yesterday that they were your age. You'll start saying things like, "Oh to be 23 again". Age 36-40: You rarely see guys your age playing anymore. Than you once again have the feeling that you know you can never be a MLB player. I would imagine it keeps going from there. I bet you get to a point where you have all these feelings again, but instead of about you, you're comparing the player to your kid. Age 50+: You see managers getting hired and think, I remember him in the minors.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:52 PM) In the years before Maggs, the Sox had a stretch where they did a good job with a rent a RF. DJ, then Burks. Tartabull had a decent year. I miss those days when they had no problem finding hitters. No kidding.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:44 PM) There are so many "what ifs" that can be associated with that plan. But like you said I'll make sure to mark it down and revisit later. Please do. This is the plan that makes the most sense for a long term competitive team.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:40 PM) He's making $1.5 million. That's literally the exact same amount the Dodgers signed Beachy for - except it's non-guaranteed for Beachy (with options). Given $1.5 million to play with, the White Sox signed Turner and the Dodgers signed Beachy,. Didn't Beachy have two UCL replacement surgeries? If so, the Sox made the correct choice.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:37 PM) The White Sox know what they need as much as anyone. They didn't get Gordon. As long as KC was willing to pay up, they and every other team weren't going to get Gordon. Now it's on to their next target. If that fails, the next one. Eventually they will have another OF. Hahn has admitted as much. Who knows, sometimes, your 2nd or 3rd or 4th choice works out better than choice #1. I would have loved it if they signed Gordon, but it didn't happen. There are other teams that could use his services that didn't sign him either. No need to panic, there are more than a few guys left that give the White Sox a pretty solid upgrade. This is the way i look at it as well. sign the deal that makes the most sense for this year while keeping the future in mind. They need to start building a consistent winner, not just look to this year.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:36 PM) I'm not arguing the value of what they got in return for the prospects. I'm saying that labeling Frazier as a stop gap is actually pretty insulting to what he can actually do on the field. I'm using the term stop gap only in reference to the plan for the Sox. He is here for 2 years until Trey M. is ready. He will not be re-signed at the end of 2 years unless Trey has majors issues going forward. I wasn't using the term as an implication of his talent. I really like him as a player.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:29 PM) Or 3 of your better prospects. They will get someone to play the OF and hit a bit. I'm not too worried about that. I don't think the "prospect" were all that much for the quality they received. I also agree that they will find a new OF. I'm just not sure if the price for cepedes will make they correct choice.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:29 PM) Then why not just have Mike Olt sit out there until he's ready? That would of saved the team prospects. Because RH found a cheap way to improve the position. If the Reds price was too high and would have impacted the future, they wouldn't have made the trade. You have to admit, everyone is touting the new All-star 3B but the sox paid very little for him.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:27 PM) Then one of the other options, Fowler, or someone like that, needs to be brought in instead, or Fulmer/Anderson traded for an OF. This roster can't go into 2016 with an OF of Melky, Eaton, Garcia. I agree they should find someone to replace Garcia. Ideally, it will be Cepedes, if the price is right. If not, they will find someone else.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 01:20 PM) I agree with this and I agree that you can't trade for Frazier and do nothing else. I just hate going after a FA who just had a career year, to me you are setting yourself up for a large financial commitment that won't work out and stump us for years. I also understand get why we are going for Cespedes, I just don't see that deal working out for us. Then they shouldn't sign it.