Balta1701

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 10:04 AM) I swear i heard on the radio yesterday that NBA contracts cannot be reworked like that per the current CBA. You get what you get, players and teams alike That was just a hypothetical to illustrate why giving up a first round pick for Asik is nuts.

If he was going to be fired for the way the team played it should have been last year.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 09:28 AM) I thought Asik was more revered around these parts. He's still owed $15 million this year and is a free agent next year. The Rockets got the 2 cheap years out of him and someone else is paying the expensive year, and the rockets get a first rounder on top of that. They were able to sign Howard in no small part because Asik's first 2 years were cheap. Imagine the Bulls rework Gibson's contract so he's free this year, a max level next year, and the Bulls trade him for a first round pick and use that money to sign Anthony, have Gibson play for peanuts this year and contribute, and then trade Gibson away next year with the other team taking on the full salary for both seasons.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 09:19 AM) Yes. It was a worthwhile signing, but sometimes these things happen. I was only asking because IIRC Heath is on the 40 man but Surkamp is not, so the Sox would need an open spot to call up the lefty. If it took until Downs was released to clear the spot that could have been a problem.

If the DFA Downs, it immediately clears a 40 man roster spot right?

QUOTE (Tex @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 10:21 PM) As I've read the numbers the negative income tax rate includes the employer contribution. Basically the employee winds up with what the employer sent in. Most of who we call undocumented use fraudulent social security numbers. Most of the illegal workers are not working for cash. Which by the way happens a lot for retired people trying to circumvent social security and other pension rules. When someone applies for a job and has the necessary paperwork, it is hard to find fault in the human resource department. The worker avoids filing a return because two returns on the same account sends up flags and is more traceable. I am told there are even people who will "lend" their social security number to someone and file the taxes as if they worked the job. They add social security wages and quarters to their retirement benefits, and pick up the refund. Our immigration system is set up to hire $75,000 workers, not minimum wage workers. We don't mind when someone comes here and takes a high paying job but they damn well better hire an American to be their gardener or nanny. Can you back up the claim "Most"? Because I would have guessed it was actually a very small fraction of them. Oh, and our immigration system hates $75k workers too.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 08:56 AM) Ehh. Melo would be an idiot to go to Houston. That team wouldn't even go to the Western Conference Finals. They'd give up 140 a game and last time I checked aren't allowed to play with 2 basketballs. Melo would get 10 shots a night with Harden there. Has howard really regressed that much?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 08:58 AM) I have to imagine it will be Heath. ISn't he a righty?

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 08:45 AM) http://www.csnchicago.com/white-sox/hahn-c...x-rotation-2015 "Take less money and sign now so that we can offer the rest to that 32nd round pick guy".

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 08:12 AM) I think 3 players, one similar to Avisail, on similar to Montas who was the second piece, and then instead of 2 longshots at the end you have someone in between the Avisail and Montas types, maybe an MLB reliever or a good prospect, something like that. Montas was a clear 2nd piece? I certainly didn't think so at the time.

Well at least no worries about him hitting his vesting option.

Lol, last looked at the score early in the 8th.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 07:17 PM) Matt Lindstrom wasn't a strength. He was names the closer by default. The Giants won the WS losing their closer early in 2012 and the Yankees overcame Mariano Rivera getting hurt to win 95 games that same year. Jones and Lindstrom aren't even in the same league as those guys. And with the volatility of relievers what good does finding a diamond in the rough do you going forward? Would it surprise anyone if Putnam and Petricka become gas cans next season. And your entire reply simply supports the statement that THIS IS A REBUILDING YEAR. You are comparing the rebuilding white sox to teams that won 95 games and wondering why our bullpen wouldn't measure up even when people were healthy. It should not have done so. This is a rebuilding year. We are rebuilding. This is what the people who wanted to sell off veterans and develop young talent wanted. Again, rebuilding.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 06:56 PM) There also was the 2013 Red Sox. It is Matt Lindstrom and Nate Jones. If losing those guys makes you the worst in baseball, it wasn't nearly good enough to begin with. Well yeah, it wasn't good enough to begin with, that's a consequence of this being a rebuilding year. That bullpen was designed to set us up to potentially compete next year. Give time to some young guys who have promise but no experience, run a couple tryouts to find a diamond or two in the rough who we can control for several years, and pitch the couple assets we have at the back of the bullpen to potentially build their trade value or get them experience in the closer's role. Unfortunately, the last part of that, the guys who should be the strength, have been injured, but we have succeeded on the "getting experience for several guys" and "finding a diamond or two in the rough" part already.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 05:46 PM) Felton and Chandler going to the Mavericks it looks like. Calderón, Dalembert, Shane Larkin, and Ellington to NY. Party like it's 2011 Cuban. There aren't many players in the league I'd want less than Felton. Don't know what it means for Melo, but probably doesn't help the Knicks. Makes them a worse team right now but does shed some salary (Dalembert has an option/buyout) so that's something. Still won't put them under the cap far enough to add many players next to Melo and probably makes him look and say he'd have even less around him next year.

Sounds like deal about to go down between New York and Dallas. Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton to Dallas, Knicks get Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalebert, Shane Larkin, No. 34 and No. 51 in the draft. So they are actually adding 2015 salary in order to clear max cap space next year.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 04:25 PM) Phegley replaced 2 days ago and benched yesterday, Kevan Smith sitting out today... might be nothing (particularly since Birmingham had a day game after a night game) but would like to see Smith in Charlotte. I think Smith needs to have time taken with him to work on defense.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:59 PM) I think the Bulls work out a trade for Love tomorrow night and everyone wins. Melo can say he was seriously considering the Bulls when he's at his Knicks press conference, getting him off the hook for saying it's not about the money, when it was about the money, and we will get to hear Lebron say he was really, really interested in joining DRose. The Bulls still get their guy and the other guys can claim they would have seriously considered playing for less in order to win with the Bulls. It will also save all of us Bulls fans from the usual just missed we seem to have been now programmed to expect with Gar/Pax. Sporting News writer

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:39 PM) The bullpen was bad when Lindstrom was healthy. To say an average bullpen is one Nate Jones injury away from being the worst is a little far-fetched, IMO. The ninth inning is a different story, but if the current bullpen is loaded with guys that can only pitch the 6th inning, or only pitch the 7th inning, an overhaul is needed badly. Belisario and Lindstrom both got the closer role mostly based on previous experience. And besides, you would have to be very lucky to go an entire year without injuries to your pitching staff. Part of that though was Lindstrom having no spring training and so he basically was outmatched his first few times out. The bullpen hit a good enough groove right around the end of April when Lindstrom was healthy and finally warmed up into the season that they had several really good weeks and, for a time, dragged themselves out of the cellar. Then Lindstrom went down and that alone was a major blow. I don't remember the exact numbers but there was a stretch at the end of April/early may where, over several weeks, the bullpen was putting up good, consistent numbers and actually not giving up runs. Then Lindstrom got hurt.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:42 PM) That's been a question for me as well. If he was originally a 3B, a la Andy Wilkins, you'd think he would be a good candidate to do well at 1B. But that is only a guess. Balta was at a couple BHAM games this year, maybe he can comment? He didn't do anything obviously wrong but as I'm sure you can guess it's hard to judge things like "range of a 1b" in a couple games since there are very few balls that go his way. Nothing got past him on throws to first, but I don't believe I saw anything in the dirt or anything too difficult those days.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:33 PM) Yes. Could the Bulls have had contact with Phil regarding a sign and trade for Anthony involving those picks even if they aren't allowed to directly talk to Anthony? Such that the Knicks could say "if you drafted person X we might be more likely to consider this deal but we cannot guarantee that Carmelo would be into it".

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:28 PM) The problem is though, none of the Sox prospects are close to a lock at being able to stay at SS. Saladino has played there the most but probably isn't an everyday MLB guy. Ackley could slide into LF next season and you can hope that a change of scenery and Severson can pull the tools that made him a big time prospect out of him. I would have no problem taking Ackley, Smoak, and Franklin back in a deal depending on what the Sox are giving up, they are all buy low candidates and if one of them can put it together you made a steal. Even with that though...it may well be that the only way we can find out whether any of the guys we have can stick as a major league SS is to play them at SS in the major leagues, maybe even for longer than a year. Sanchez and Saladino are both hitting well enough at Charlotte right now to be considered as getting a shot to hold down that position and it wouldn't be surprising for them to take a while to adapt to big league pitching. So, if you acquire another middle IF, that just makes it even harder to find playing time for those guys to see if they could hold down the position.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:22 PM) Not under the rules. They can't even talk to Anthony until July 1st. So in other words, it's really, really tough to trade those draft picks for him. Could they trade them for Love/Afflalo before the draft since those guys are under contract? That works right?

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:05 PM) I would hope their draft plans are based around bringing in a super star. If the Bulls do trade their 1st rounders, I am not sure who the team receiving them selects matters. Would the Bulls actually be able to get a deal done before the draft for someone like Anthony who has already indicated he's opting out? That's a bunch of rules I have no idea about.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 02:55 PM) Yes, but Lindstrom wasn't exactly adored around here. Nate Jones has had his moments, but is he the difference from being ranked last to at least middle of the pack? How is this fixed? Is it just luck? No one complained when Hahn signed Belisario and Downs. Cleto, Francisco, all that garbage were thought to below risk/high reward moves, and applauded. Putnam and Petricka have been way better than anyone could have thought. Moving forward, do you spend big money on the bullpen? Last time it was this awful, Linebrink and Dotel were brought in. Or do you develop your own and hope you are lucky? The facts are, we often say the Sox are pretty good at developing pitchers. A lot of people praised Hahn's moves, including the bullpen moves, and we often hear about the magic of Don Cooper. Yet, last in baseball. If relievers are really a dime a dozen, is it just going to be dumb luck when they have a good bullpen, and just bad luck when it's awful? You can't get away with a mediocre bullpen anymore. Some will say the Sox really weren't trying to compete this year, but Hahn did spend money on his bullpen, and there is no way he was thinking they would be as bad as they have been, and no way he is fine with it. Yes, I think if you take the 8th and 9th inning guys out of a bullpen completely, that's pretty much the difference between dead last and somewhere in the middle of the pack. This bullpen is completely up in the air because it lost those guys, that pushed everyone else into roles they weren't comfortable with, and we're watching the results right now. With how those guys would have been used, they probably would have picked up 1/3 of the bullpen innings or more if they were here for the full season.