chitownsportsfan

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 3, 2015 -> 05:12 PM) There is plenty of room for fluke in a 50 game sample. Look at the other end of the spectrum at who is in first place. Does anyone really think that Houston is a 101 win team? That is the pace they are on. Is Minnesota a 95 win team? That is the pace they are on. I think is pretty clear you will see some significant regression from those teams, just as there are high odds that you will see some significant improvement out of the White Sox. The odds are they aren't a playoff team. http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-meaning-o...ord-in-mid-may/

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 3, 2015 -> 04:12 PM) There's an Adam Dunn joke in here somewhere Certainly. The Sox need to get the leaded coffee back in the clubhouse.

according to Mays' GF's twitter he was feeling a little better last night. Seems like maybe they escaped a worst case scenario. Anderson with some bruises and May with a concussion.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 3, 2015 -> 03:50 PM) Good thing everybody knew Fielder was good. That's all it took to get him out. You asked for an example and I gave one. I don't think I'm the only one a bit puzzled they kept throwing him heat over the plate like he was Carlos Sanchez.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2015 -> 02:27 PM) There used to be times when Walker was here, I remember a couple against Detroit, where it seemed like the whole roster came into a game with a plan. "We're all going to take a couple extra pitches and get Verlander out of here" or "We're going to wait on his fastball". I can't remember the last time I've felt like that, particularly against someone who is actually a challenge. Maybe they go into the game with the plan but it quickly goes out the window. Guys are certainly pressing, trying to make too much happen with every AB instead of just simply looking to take the ball up the middle, get a base hit, and move the order along. Avi, bless his heart, has come through quite a bit this year, but he's also been one of the main culprits in not letting the pitcher get himself in trouble. It's common sense: the guy has just thrown 5 straight balls, he's walked the last hitter -- don't f***ing go up looking for a strike on first pitch. Again, goes back to trying to do too much IMO. It's a vicious cycle. This is a radical solution but if I was RV I would consider telling everyone not named Abreu or LaRoche to take until they get a strike the first time through. At least see a few more pitches, get the pitch count a little higher, and try and see if the starter will get himself into trouble.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 3, 2015 -> 02:24 PM) Sox brought in plenty this past September/October? Why do you think otherwise? Well we could start with the fact that apparently nobody knew that Gallo is pretty f***ing good. Or maybe Shark's ego just told him to challenge the talented rookie.

Great post South Sider. It's a stale orginization that needs new blood all throughout the system, not just at the top or bottom but the minor leagues, the roving instructors, advance scouts, the whole org top to bottom needs a thorough reboot. Hahn is only one man and at the end of the day so if RV. The structure and (don't laugh) "the White Sox way" hasn't worked for close to a decade now. It's time to broom IMO.

The whole "meeting with RV about how to do things better" begs the f***ing question: WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG? I mean, shouldn't you be going over this s*** in the spring? WTF were they doing down in Camelback anyways? It clearly didn't prepare them to start the season in any of the areas KW mentioned. There's a general aura of sloppiness around the team and it really shouldn't take a poor start to jump start people into action.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 3, 2015 -> 10:25 AM) The broadcast with Swirsky is just awful if you listen to it on a regular basis. It worked for a game or two, but the guy is literally just filling a chair. He can't follow a ball in flight. He can't tell you pitch type was thrown. He can't even tell you if a ball is hit hard or not. All he does is try to make Steve Stone talk. I even caught once last night after the game was a laugher where Stone said something to the effect of "This is where you start telling stories to fill time Chuck." Of course Swirsky laughed and asked Steve another question. Honestly, I wish they would bring in one of the ex players, you know Wimpy, Rowand, McDowell, Huff.... someone. Let Stone do PBP, and let the other guy talk about the game and do color. The broadcast would be 10 X's better. Don't get me wrong, Swirsky is a great basketball guy, he just has no baseball background at all, and it really really shows if you listen to it for any amount of time. Yea he's a pro but after a week of him he's almost like Gus Johnson on soccer, he's a great voice, knows exactly how to setup his partner, but just knows nothing about the sport he's calling and it affects the quality of the broadcast because he can't get basic things like pitch recognition or tracking the ball off the bat. When Gus was doing soccer he'd get excited at routine stuff but then a guy would send a 60 yard cross into a teller window on the wing and nary a word -- that's a world class pass and should be recognized as such. When Sale throws a nasty slider I really want the play by play guy to at least know what it looks like. Swirsky just doesn't know enough baseball even tell a good slider from a bad one or knowing how hard a ball is hit.

Solid stuff from Jim over at SSS this morning: More at the link: http://www.southsidesox.com/2015/6/3/87175...holding-pattern

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 3, 2015 -> 01:37 AM) I don't think we know that. I think it's definitely PLAUSIBLE that the coaching staff is not putting the players in a position to win, but I don't think any of us have any evidence to suggest it's the case. The players seem to like the coaches, reporters seem to think that the coaches are putting in a lot of effort, the reporters are indicating that the team is practicing plenty. Beyond that, what can we evaluate as fans? Why was Abreu awesome under these coaches last year, but just solid now? Why were Sale and Quintana the same way? How did our "legendary" pitching coaches turn Samardzija into crap when they turned crap into gold every year previous? And that's the issue. This board in general is quick to pin it on the coaches because they want to pin it on someone, but we have nothing to suggest that firing the coaches would actually fix the problem. It MIGHT, but Occam's Razor finds a different explanation that is simpler and more likely: the players are failing. RV is 244-292 as a manager. We don't need anything else. Prima Facie, RV and his staff aren't good. You are what your record says you are. Don't get me wrong, I'm far from 100% convinced that RV is a bad manager, but the odds are greater he never manages again then "the next ____" Middle case he's an average manager, of well, fire him anyways. Shake it up, what do you have to lose except more games?

this team is not good. It's June, the evidence just keeps mounting. Even with a good staff and good bullpen this is a .500 team. You can't score more than 4 f***ING RUNS A GAME ON A CONSISTENT BASIS YOU AREN'T GONNA WIN s***. When FA aquisitions, year, after year, after year, continually under perform their projections you have to make changes to the coaching staff. Until those changes are made I don't really think anything will change. Sad to see another summer gone before last July or August. Damn it.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 2, 2015 -> 04:27 PM) HardballTalk ‏@HardballTalk Josh Hamilton is out of the #Rangers' lineup with an injury http://wp.me/p14QSL-2mKC That didn't take long. Honestly at this point the question on Hamilton is more "can he stay healthy" then "can he stay sober"?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 2, 2015 -> 03:05 PM) Because the balls-out/rebuild model is obsolete. Practically every team in baseball is moving to one where they shoot for 85 wins every year now because it makes sense under the current post-season structure. Yep, a point I made as well.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 2, 2015 -> 03:01 PM) Then spending $100 million of additional funds on this roster with veterans over 30 who you expect to gradually get worse and more likely to be injured each year and trading for a major addition with 1 year on his contract was absolutely foolhardy. If your team isn't ready to compete right now, why on Earth are you spending money on free agents? Why on Earth are you trading players for a guy who won't be here in a year? Well you do have to fill out a roster and as you said above, 10 teams now make the playoffs. That gives teams that are hovering around 77-80 wins, like the Sox, the incentive to try and get around 83-85 wins (on paper). The problem so far is that all the projections had this team as around 77-80 wins AFTER they signed everyone and what do you know, those projections look accurate However, I will continue to point out the absolute train wreck of a club Hahn took over. Other than Sale and Q there wasn't a single premium talent anywhere in site either in MLB or on the farm. Hahn talked a lot about how the plan was "to compete in 16" but they felt they were close enough to try this year. Well, they were (probably) wrong, but I'm not going to throw up my arms and say they made a bunch of bad moves. The moves looked fine on paper and frankly the contracts do to. There isn't a single guy they couldn't move if they wanted, including La Roche and Melky. I want to emphasize there are no "Adam Dunns" or "Alex Rios" or "Jake Peavy" contracts on this team anymore, guys that are so not worth their deal they clear waivers. If Laroche or Melky was DFA'd today I would bet almost anything they'd be claimed in an instant.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 2, 2015 -> 12:51 PM) i am at work so my response may come and go as this day finishes. but the other point i wanted to add is, for me and than maybe it is me, you don't throw your own people under the bus, or hang them out to dry. what happen to meetings behind close doors. this was just a bad move on the bosses of the org. Well I don't agree with throwing an individual under the bus I don't really mind if KW says the play of the team has been "embarrassing". I'd prefer if he just declined interviews but I don't have any beef with him calling it as he sees it. The play has been embarrassing a times. As to SouthSider2k's point about how the entire lineup other than Avi is underperforming -- hey, goes back to my argument -- broom the coaching staff because you can't fire 12 position players.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 09:49 PM) Lord knows inspirational speeches help you hit a baseball better. It's just like football, you just have to try harder. Luckily, only RV gives the speeches. I'm imaging Chevy Chase's character in Caddyshack.

Melky is going to have a 260/300/380 season is what it is at this point. THe key will be getting something out of 2B, SS, C and Rodon/Danks. If they can get a turnaround at 3 of those 4 positions, I think they have enough elsewhere to make a run. Big if on that production though, especially at 2B and C.

thanks a lot for these. maybe one day one of these guys will actually be a starting caliber position player! If that Chalas guy ever throws even one productive inning for Chicago, good job Hahn. De Aza had his hot streak with the Os but it's obvious in retrospect they cut bait on him at the right time.

We'll see who's in charge if they win 70 games this year, that's for sure. If you look at the Bulls and how JR runs them -- you can't help but wonder if the same circus has infected the Sox' decision making. I'm curious, for those of you that also carefully follow the Bulls -- how would you describe the general sense of "order" within that FO? I'd be shocked if anyone described it as "ideal". In fact, it was recently reveilved during Thibs' hiring that Paxson and Gar wouldn't even speak to each other in the meeting and in fact seemed to be completely at odds. This is also the same Paxson that decided to punch VDN. We'll see what comes about if they fail to meet expectations and someone gets the axe. Everyone will be in CYA mode.

I am honestly puzzled as to why Hahn would stick around if this is the arrangement. It really seemed he was the "hot candidate" back in 2012 and could have had a GM job at a handful of places not named Chicago and not with KW hanging over his head like an overzealous parent. Maybe he's making bank.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 04:43 PM) Glad I'm not the only one. Yea it's awful.

KW really needs to go away IMO, and (obviously based on my avatar) I used to be a pretty big fan but this: isn't a good look. The Sox are dead last in baserunning and his hand picked coach is at the head of it all. Not good. Probably should have just stuck with whatever the hell they were doing previously.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 02:42 PM) At this point you just need to wait it out. The offense will click at some point, but this is the problem when you add multiple guys to a lineup in a season. I think mid July you look at the team and where they are and see what marketable assets you have that won't be contributing in two seasons and start looking to move them. I do think this team is close to going on a run, they have all the right parts just have not been able to get them all working together at the same time. As bad as they've played at times the 2nd wild card means that by the deadline you're still going to have 2/3 of hte teams in the league thinking they can make the playoffs. I agree, wait it out and if the team is really bad (say 10 under) or half way good (say 5 over) then you make a move. If they are +-3 of .500 just stand pat. Those would be my general rules but I can see scenarios where they'd want to consider other strategies.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 01:01 PM) Which is why it took us years to rebuild our Latin American presence. indeed, what a disaster. Set the Sox back at least a decade.