Balta1701

Just remember...the oil company has a vested interest in getting you to change the oil more often. Ford doesn't exactly have a great interest in having your car break down rapidly.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 19, 2013 -> 10:05 AM) he was suspended from the show: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/18/showbiz/duck...sty-suspension/ I guess it's A&E's brand image to manage, but I dunno about kicking him off of the air over this. Supposedly he sort of hates doing the show and wanted out anyway, so maybe it's ultimately what he wanted. They're probably in the "no such thing as bad publicity" area. A "suspension" might well just make viewers more focused/interested since it's the evil media unfairly coming down on him for his deeply held beliefs.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 19, 2013 -> 09:57 AM) He can be Carlos Lee part 2. A converted 3B, who will never be a very good LF, but he can throw and that has offset at least some shortcomings defensively. Obviously, getting to CLee's level offensively is going to be tough, but look at CLee's walk rate as a youngster. The talent is there, it's just a question of whether or not he will put it together. Not unlike several of the players everyone is excited to have added to the roster. Was Lee's arm anywhere near Viciedo's? I don't recall it being that way, and if I'm right then if Viciedo could catch the ball as often as Carlos Lee, he'd be a much more effective fielder because he'd pick up some extra assists and he'd cut down on a lot of people taking extra bases.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Dec 19, 2013 -> 12:56 AM) As I've said, Viciedo has more value to us as a DH than a LF. Not only does he hurt us defensively, but I think as solely a DH, he may be a better hitter than he is now, focusing 100% on being a better hitter, not a better fielder. And after this season, he moves right in to that DH role with no one else in our system in line to fill it. Wait until AFTER 2015 to decide what to do with Tank. If he thrives as a fulltime DH, great. If not, then cross that bridge. I'd say wait until at least 2014 to decide whether to move him to DH as well. He was, like almost everyone else on this team, a more reliable fielder in 2012 than in 2013. Usually 23 year olds don't obviously get worse in the field when they get to their 2nd year at a position, they're expected to get better. He didn't, but then again he was on a team where it seemed like everyone in the field also got worse. Even if he doesn't have good range, his throwing arm makes up for quite a few mistakes out there. He can be an average defender in LF or RF if he has poor range and a great throwing arm. If he keeps getting worse out there...fine, move him to DH once Dunn is out of the way...but we should also ask who in the world is coaching this kid if he keeps getting worse in the field as he gets more experience, because that's not how it's supposed to go.

That'd be a very solid fit for the bullpen's needs. Left handed, in his late 30's, veteran, played for a number of different teams.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 19, 2013 -> 12:40 AM) Consider where Salty decided to play though. He's from South Florida. I feel like some posters just think if we offered 3/24 instead of 3/21 then we would get him. I really doubt that that is the case. I don't think the problem with Salty was nearly as much "him not wanting to play here" as it was "most of baseball thinking he'll never replicate his numbers from last year". If baseball thought he was the player the Red Sox got last year, he's a much more expensive signing than what the Marlins got. I'd wager a strong guess the White Sox showed tepid interest and don't think he's a reliable catcher.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 10:04 PM) I just don't know how that would go down with the Yankees though. With Cano, he could use the Yankees as leverage. Choo doesn't get that luxury here The Yankees pretty clearly weren't going beyond $175 million and Seattle upped their $200 million offer anyway.

Paul Rudd cast as Henry Pym in upcoming Ant-Man movie.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 09:46 PM) Pacers only up 1 game in the standings and they're going balls out every night while Miami is coasting. The talent gap is just too large. They should try adding Noah. Or Hinrich. Or Deng. Or Taj. Please?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 07:19 PM) Arod? Wait, you're right, Canos deal wasn't boras. Doh. Anyway, that's how Canos deal went down.

QUOTE (Waygodai @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 07:57 PM) btw Balta just to be clear: not advocating dumping either Ramirez or Dunn just for the sake of it, if Sox have to pay most of their salary or part with a top prospect. rather, if there's an ol' "out-of-town-stupid" GM out there, an opportunity presents itself to Hahn to free up some major payroll space with those 2.... go for it, Rick. (And while it may not look like it now, recent history attests there is still plenty OOTS out there, hearing Tanaka may get 150 mill + posting fee or that Stanley Fischer may have to get appointed as Vice-Chair of Robinson Cano. Say what you will about Reisdorf, he was unto something; for the $$$ I'd trust Gavin Floyd's repaired elbow over Matt Garza's at this point.) But yeah, if Dunn and Ramirez both show up in March in top shape -- Dunn smaller, Lexei bigger -- I'd have no problem with that either. If that makes any sense. I'd absolutely hate moving Alexei right now. By all accounts Davidson is a poor defender. maybe he gets better with time, but for right now we could seriously benefit from having a guy next to Davidson who has really good range and in fact probably plays a little too close to 3b anyway. Davidson needs to learn to hit first. If he has a solid defender next to him, that should make things a whole lot easier.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 05:56 PM) Are they going to have a $60M payroll in 2017? Are they going to develop 0 starting pitchers before 2017?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 05:53 PM) Have you seen the Sox future payroll obligations? Yes. Are we going to let everyone who is arbitration-eligible walk?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 05:51 PM) Spend money because a player is available who could set you up for contention for years to come. Have you seen the Sox payroll obligations for the next 6 years, Tanaka wouldn't prevent them from competing even if he turned out to be awful. Prevent? No. "Make it so that they had zero margin for error and every single decision they made had to turn out right, which is typically very unlikely in baseball"? Yeah, it would do that.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 05:45 PM) You're argument must be that Tanaka isn't a top-of-the-rotation starter because the idea that the Sox couldn't absorb a 7yr/$150M deal given their their payroll obligations going forward just isn't a good one. How about "There's a risk that Tanaka isn't a top-of-the-rotation starter and if that were the case then a 7/$150 deal would be an enormously bad, franchise-crippling deal for the White Sox. Thus, you must be 100% absolutely certain that he's an ace right out of the gate because the downside risk is enormous". It's like putting all your retirement money on red. It might work...but you better darn well know it's going to come up red.

Let's not forget that in the last Boras mega-deal, they turned down the offer, the team pulled its offer, and then the team came back with $25 million more to get the deal done.

QUOTE (Waygodai @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 05:26 PM) There is a lot more to baserunning than just SB; over his 6 year career the only guy with more lapses in that dept than Ramirez may be De Aza, lulz mercy! (76% SB not including pickoffs is actually pretty solid though I'd like it over 80 at the Cell.... but that's again more function of his still blazing speed than any apparent new technique or focus. Because neither translated to other areas of his game, which regressed.) Alexei knows what he can do and has shows flashes of brilliance. It's just a matter of consistency, concentration and effort that's often not there imo. YMMV. But you also said he never makes an adjustment. Right there we've watched him learn a new skill that adds significant value to his game. Yes he needs to work on his focus, although it's also very interesting that his errors and bonehead plays dropped a ton in 2012 when the whole team seemed like they were focused (or in my writing, well-coached) and shot back up in 2013 when the entire team looked like they forgot what you were supposed to do when that white sphere comes at you.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 05:03 PM) Someone brought up the idea that they have Max Stassi in AAA this year that may make them more willing to move Castro, although I agree that they would probably be unlikely to move Castro. I'd be down for trading them Quintana if it got us Castro and Altuve in return. I wouldn't like that deal for the Sox very much on the grounds that they seem like they have multiple candidates who could fill in the middle-infield (2b) position very soon in their system as it is. On top of that, we've already depleted the starting pitching some, I think we're at a good position for this year and probably should wait to see what Beck and the guys in AAA do this year before pushing that even lower.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 04:46 PM) http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television...-phil-robertson Can't say I disagree.

High viscosity fluids are definitely bad for moving parts.

Alexei Ramirez was 30/39 in stolen bases last year. That was by far his best season and it was on top of a previous best season the year beforehand. He's gotten massively more dangerous on the basepaths in the last 2 years. That's all technique also, that's 100% learning how to steal bases because he simply has not gotten faster over the last 2 years.

Eventually the weather in Mordor has to get annoying.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 12:13 PM) When is the deadline that we have to have insurance by before the fine kicks in? My wife has still heard nothing from her employer on whether they are going to offer insurance next year or not. According to press reports, March 31 is the deadline as of n ow.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 10:46 AM) damn, he is doing to media tour today. The Score this morning, ESPN this afternoon Better now than next week when no one's listening.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 10:40 AM) Keep in mind many of the injuries are occurring because the helmet is being used as a weapon, not because the helmet isn't protecting people enough in normal collisions. I think I read in one of these articles that the incidences of these severe injuries are much less common in rugby and Australian rules football. I think for a long time, the NFL was really pushing people towards worse and worse tackling form because a guy getting "Jacked up!" makes a great highlight.