chitownsportsfan

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 03:05 PM) Because the balls-out/rebuild model is obsolete.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.

Yea Semien has come down to earth hard. Down to a 118 wRC+ and 1.0 fWAR on the year. He's lost like .7fWAR in the past two weeks. I'm still not convinced he's a MLB infielder, let alone a SS.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 12:57 PM) There is way too much tin foil in that post for me. Unless they could connect back to the higher ups in the organization, there is no point in giving them a penalty. Do teams get an additional penalty when someone tests positive for steroids? No. The penalty of suspension is enough. Same thing here. The real damage wasn't even through any official sanction but all the whispers from the buscones about the unscrupulous Sox.

Until I see a Sox position player, home grown, put up more than 2 fWAR in a season, I don't care how highly the farm system is ranked. Produce wins at the MLB level, that is the point of the farm system -- not winning prospect rankings. And the premise of this thread -- a Dayton Moore book -- is laughable. Moore is a bottom 1/3 GM, that his Royals club took advantage of the new playoff rules to squeak into a WS says little if anything about his prowess in evaluating "the will to win". I think it's more "suck for almost a decade, reap the top 5 picks, and eventually enough will come through". I agree with Dick here, quoting Moore as an authority on team building is absurd.

lol, here come the "Danks is turning a corner!" folks. It's like the sun coming up. We'll see if he can continue a 100% strand rate the next time he gives up 10 hits. Come on folks, he is what his last 500 post injury innings say he is -- a .5 WAR starter.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 31, 2015 -> 03:39 PM) Also, I frankly like the "I don't know what I'm talking about STeve, so why don't you explain this a bit more" schtick. I liked when he challenged STone on the Batting Average, it was an interesting exchange. I have started counting the number of times Hawk talks over Stone during the game. It's usually at least once per inning. Stone is too nice of a guy to stop him. Hawk needs to go, ASAP.

QUOTE (kev211 @ May 31, 2015 -> 03:32 PM) Chuck and stone are very enjoyable to listen to. Chuck is a great pro. I'm liking him more and more . Swirsky is in his 50's but compared to Hawk he's a spring chicken. Nice to see some youthful energy in the booth.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ May 30, 2015 -> 06:04 PM) +1 The list of grievances against Robin is greater then the number of runs this team scores in a week. Bad Baserunning over his tenure is just one of many. Playing LaRoche against so many LHP is another

wow.

Had a really long ass day at work, was f***ing 82 and humid in Seattle today and my shop was hot as balls (not used to heat anymore at all living here) and come home to this s***. At least I got about 8 good beers and some company later on. Sox aren't doing it for me. Have a good one guys, maybe this ship will turn around, probably f***ing not.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 29, 2015 -> 10:43 PM) I'm with ya, give me a min. Let's go tandem. I'm ready