chitownsportsfan

Yea, if Frank comes back in August last year he's probably still healthy and still on the team. I'm not saying the Sox staff did a bad job rushing him back, but extreme caution is what Frank needs now. That and milk. Hell, with his weight, maybe some calcium fortified soy milk should be his milk beverage of choice--low cal and high in protein! That a way to sell non-dairy milk in Frank Thomas post...

Hmm, I don't think Frank is "done" by any means. I think that he just needs to realize that he isn't 27 anymore. And if he can't or won't, well I'm damn sure Billy Beane will make him realize it by platooning him at DH with Swisher or whoever. I agree with you Balta, I think Frank should be limited to around 300 AB's in the regular season to make sure he's healthy for the post-season. The A's are stacked, and only injuries (IMO) will prevent them from making the postseason. With that in mind, they should save Frank for the postseason when the will need him the most. I'm no Frank apoligist, but I think he has one or two more limited seasons in him. It's a shame his ego is as big as his frame though. He's not a bad clubhouse guy, but his attitude otherwise is complete s***.

This roster spot between Gload/Borchard is going to be seeing the OF 2/3 times a week? God, I hope not. I hear your point on the injury risk with Thome playing 1B Jordan. I don't think it's enough of a concern to give much merit to though, in light of the other roster needs. It is something to be taken into consideration though for sure.

I'm glad the distinction between Gload's value to a team that needs a backup 1B and his value to the Sox is being made. Like others have said, it isn't that Gload isn't a useful player to have on the bench for only $350,000, it's that he isn't useful to a team as deep at 1B as the Sox are. IMO, the utility in keeping Borchard around is much greater than the utility in keeping Gload around.

I just don't understand this "flat out hit" and "he can run". Where does it come from? A career ops in 373 PA's of .765. Good enough for an OPS+ of 94. If that is "flat out hitting" I'd love to see the words you'd choose to describe Pujols--"demi god", or maybe just "God"? Speed? He's 0/3 in career stolen bases. Yep, speedy alright. I'll even concede he's a good defensive 1B. But let me repeat: he plays the easiest position on the field. So lets say this: he's a below average hitter by league standards, much worse by position standards, and plays a good 1B, something not that important in the grand scheme of things. He will be 30 years old this season, and barring a miracle, has already peaked as a player. The two players in front of him at 1B, Kong and Thome, also happen to be the two best sluggers on the team. Tell me, what use does Gload have on this team? RF? Oh but the same scouting report from STATS INC that says he's a good defensive 1B also says he's got a noodle arm, that won't help in RF one bit. Notice that I don't ask the question "what value does Gload have in general", because yes, he probably could make a roster that needs a backup 1B. The Sox are not that team.

Gload is a good hitter...for a 2B, CF, or SS. He's a mediocre hitter for the positions he "plays". I put that in quotes because Gload is a stone in the field. I don't want any part of him on the roster. Stuff him in AAA or spin him off for a mid level LHP prospect. I doubt he's even worth that. Guys like Gload are a dime a dozen, and like it was said: the addition of Thome makes him superflous. Given that Borchard is out of options and can play CF or LF in a pinch, I'd take him over Gload. And unlike Gload, Borchard still has potential, not alot granted, but potential to be a 265/320/480 guy, IMO at least that makes him valuable as a 4/5 outfielder.

I can picture the offseason chats between Ozzie and KW: "Oz, we were in the bottom half of the league in OBP last year, what do you think about bringing in a high OBP guy like Thome?" "Kenny, I thought OBP was Uribespeak for well endowed Latino women"

Ozzie was quoted in the Sun Times today saying that since Thome walks alot and has a good OBP, he should be in front of Kong and Dye. Hey, has Ozzie been brushing up on his Bill James?

I'm much more concerned about Jim Thome's back then any prognastication from the mainstream media. PECOTA I'll raise an eyebrow over--Buster Olney or Jason Stark no.

I agree with your conclusion about loyalty elrockinMT, but I don't think that necessarily hurts the game. I think we've seen the evolution of the game from player based to team based.

Mags was a great player when he was with the Sox and one of my favorites. He was a quiet guy that lead by posting an OPS north of .900 for 4 straight seasons from 2000-2003. He got injured in 2004 and suddenly became a pariah. He rightfully had reason to argue he was not "injury prone" and demand the the market value for his services. Was he wrong to be secretive about his injury and not take a hometown discount? Not in my estimation. I won't fault a guy in a capitalist society--which is built on the "faireness" of the market--for taking what the market would give him. However, I will fault him for complaining after the fact. He took the money and ran, nobody but the most optimistic could have forcasted what the Sox did in 2005. Mags should look at his bank account and smile, not worry about what could have been.

Interesting reads. I think BP just did their's with PECOTA's projected WARPS. Pythag is flawed in general, but it's the best correlation we have, so I like it.

Great pics, thanks guys. Did you take any of them yourselves ?

You live in the Chi Honda?

Yea, no reason for you to know, he wasn't anything special, just another hard working Iowa kid. I've got some relatives in Iowa, it's a pretty boring place, but I the people are friendly imo.

Ames eh? On a personal note, when I was in HS a few years ago we had a transfer student from Ames, he was straight up the best athlete I had the priviledge of playing baseball with. He was in the mold of 6-2 190 SS's with a cannon arm and good hit. He and I were captains of the team our junior and senior years--he was a great teamate and competitor. He played a year for Albion here in MI then hung it up due to differences with the coach. I have great respect for Iowa and Ames' athletes because of him.

I agree completely. In fact, Hermie, Cotts and Politte each posted HR as percent of flies numbers that will be nearly impossible to duplicate. Cotts has straight up nasty control, but I'm worried about Politte and Hermie--not terribly worried, but worried enough that the might cost us a few more wins than they did last year.

Heads: love that counter. ONLY 42 DAYS TILL BASEBALL!

Yea, I did sorta ignore the good news from Hermie. Still, is anyone predicting Hermie to have an ERA under 3? I know I'm not. He shined last year, and thank him for it, but this year I see a bounceback.

Ah, spring training: where even the celler dwellers get good writeups and the WS champs--well they get the benefit of the doubt lets say. Am I the only one already sick of these puff pieces that say "blah, blah, go Sox, blah?" The only real piece of news in this article is that the Sox won't pidgeonhole themselves into taking a 2nd left, which given the options for 2nd lefty, seems like the reasonable thing to do.

I heart Mark Buehrle.

As someone vaguely familiar with the charms of cocaine, I wouldn't say that. I would say "PCP" however.

Given how many times Buehrle took the ND or L last year in a good performance, I don't blame him. Although calling a pitcher's win/loss record "personal" is a known "no no" around me!

I like Coop's philosophy of pitching: be aggressive and get ahead in the count. And if you don't get ahead in the count, don't be afraid to challenge guys. It's nothing revolutionary, but the players believe in it when they take the mound and that is important.

This is good to hear. I'm more worried about his back than the elbow. It's not like he's going to be playing that field that often, but his back could flare up at any time. I just hope it's something minor like muscle spasms (relatively minor anyway) and he only misses a few weeks if it does happen.