Balta1701

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 11:28 AM) How can anybody bad-mouth him after he saved the Buehrle game? Which I happened to be AT, yo. I believe "The Catch" is still printed on the LF wall, right? After they made the heinous decision to take off all the Sox HOF players and simply put their numbers under the Stadium Club? Lame. No, I believe "The catch" was removed.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 05:25 PM) Has anybody watched a lot of Thompson this year? I wonder if the power and k's are down because they changed his swing. I've seen him 3 times now but I didn't see him before this season so I can't tell you if anything's changed. He still has some legit, serious power. He was in a slump early in the year and I could see what was wrong there, he was very in-between on his timing, which is one of those things that do happen when you move up to better pitching at AA - better fastballs and better offspeed stuff show up. I saw him last week and I couldn't figure out that he was in a slump. He looked quite good and hit at least 1 ball 380 to LF.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 05:26 PM) Rick FTW Dan Hayes ‏@DanHayesCSN 9m Rick Hahn asked about ARod and didn't want to comment. Said "You've seen how this team has played: I've got 99 problems and ARod isn't one."

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 05:16 PM) You guys are going to have your minds blown here - but Earl Bennett is injured!!! I don't believe it! Seriously, cut this loser. Yeah, if you cut him, that'll teach him the lesson not to have a concussion. Or at least to toughen up and not report the symptoms.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 05:01 PM) True, what's the record for all time losses in a row? I'd assume we lose all 3 weather permitting, so that's 13. That would have to be the record?? Not even close. The longest is 2x that long, 26 in a row, but that was from 1889. In the more modern era it's 23 in a row by the Phillies.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 04:53 PM) Danks has never shown the power and run producing potential that Thompson has. I also think Danks fielding was overplayed where Thompson is a gazelle out there. Another important detail is that Thompson has been cutting his K-rate as he's moved upwards.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 04:03 PM) And the results have been underwhelming. He's certainly not a reason not to acquire an OF'er. No, the fact that we already have too many OF's is the reason not to acquire one. We are going to probably have to move an OF to first base to clear a space for Garcia, and that's on top of having OF talent sitting at AA right now.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:51 PM) They have not been patient with Thompson? Sometimes Balta, players aren't going to cut it no matter how many AB's they get. He arrived in AA last year at age 21. He got the same 19 year old aggressive slotting in Kannapolis that people have complained about with Hawkins this year. They've pushed him quite aggressively upwards.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:47 PM) Interesting, I figured it would be more secretive due to the legality and what not. I still don't think his locker room presence would prevent players from doing them, plus with all the roster turnaround every year, it's not like it was the same 25 guys every season. I think another way you can see the effect of it being done in the locker rooms is in the way there seem to be certain "Circles" where a lot of people in the locker room were using, and even using the same supplier. Canseco got the locker room in Oakland hooked and it stayed hooked for a decade. He then got the locker room in Texas hooked and it stayed hooked for a decade. Tejada and Palmeiro wound up being guys on Canseco's steroid tree, right down to the same "B-12 shots". Take a look at this list and note all the Yankee connections. ARoid, Cervelli, Montero, Melky Cabrera, and then throw in a couple guys who happen to play for the Mets while you're at it.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:40 PM) What's Frank gonna do, beat a teammate up for using steroids? This isn't junior high. Plus, you don't do that stuff in the clubhouse in front of your team, you do it on your own. If that's the difference between you being sent to AAA or signing a multi-year deal, do you really care what Frank Thomas is gonna say? It's your livelihood on the line. There have been a ton of reports of guys juicing in the locker room over the years. For some reason that really seems to have been a major place where it was done and where guys showed other people on the team how to do it.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:37 PM) I just don't get the Trayce love. He's never come close to dominating any level. He doesn't get on base too well and strikes out a ton. Has nice tools but just once I'd like to see him do more than barely hold his own for a year. That's not how the White Sox operate. If they wanted a guy to do more than barely hold their own, they'd be more patient with them. They push them aggressively to the point where they're very unlikely to do anything more than barely hold their own at every level.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:28 PM) I think it would be very naive to think the White Sox had a much smaller percentage of their players juicing over the years than other teams. One possible reason why they would have been cleaner wore #35 and was somewhat tall.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:29 PM) Why wait for Thompson? Get an OF'er for 2014 and when De Aza is traded and/or Viciedo fails you backfill with Jacobs and if Thompson is ready by mid-2015, dump the OF'er picked up this winter. You're the one who said that the team won't be playoff-ready until 2016, Thompson ought to be in good shape by then as a 2nd year player.

QUOTE (Jillian Michaels' Abs @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:22 PM) I believe his positive test and suspension occured after 2005, right? When he was with the Phillies? Was Ozuna in the Mitchell report? I believe you're right that his suspension was when he was in the Phillies minor leagues, but I'd guess he'd been on something for a while at that time. Go take a look at his 2006 numbers.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:17 PM) We were pretty clean in the Mitchell report iirc. Ozuna

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:08 PM) A-Rod officially suspended for 211 games. Rest of 2013 starting Thursday and all of 2014. So basically, they announced the suspensions the day after the Sox finished a series with Peralta (and he made a game-saving catch in extras yesterday) and ARod's suspension starts the day after he finishes a series with us.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:04 PM) Which means they've been better off without Keppinger. Depending on the position adjustments of course. And the Sox likely got by far his worst in April out of the gate.

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 02:07 PM) I'm curious if we'll hear the actual evidence that got them all caught. It had to be more than just names written in a notebook. I'd like to hear the science of it, and how they didn't fail tests. MLB was only using urine tests and those are pretty easy to beat.

I hope the crowd does us proud with some solid boos.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 01:31 PM) I really don't think the Yankees can either. I'm not entirely certain of how luxury tax problems work, but I'm guessing that, if the Yankees assuming Rios' contract, they will be stuck with his full luxury cap hit this year, even if they only pay 1/3 of his salary. Pretty sure $12.5 mill puts the Yankees over the luxury tax, so they can't afford him either. Even if that's not the case, it's still another $4+ mill at this point plus another $12.5 mill next year against the tax too. On top of that, I'm quite sure the Rangers could afford him if necessary. All that said, I think he will clear waivers, if he hasn't already. It depends a whole lot on how MLB treats Soriano's salary and Wells's salary, actually (and well, ARoid's also). The Cubs are paying all but about $5 million next year and the Angels are paying almost everything Wells is owed. The Yankees have a ton of money to spend. They have something less than $100 million committed next year, they literally have $100 million coming off the books. They're going to have to spend $25 million a year on Cano, they're probably going to have to spend $25 million on free agent pitchers and a closer, maybe a bit more. That would put them in the range of $150. If they have to count the $30 million+ that the Cubs and angels are paying and ARoid's salary, then they'd be right on the border of the tax next year. If they don't have to count those numbers, then they can still make a big free agent haul and have a lot of extra money to play with.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 11:01 AM) He was just pointing out that it was insane that all four starters threw all of those complete games. It's the only time it has ever happened in history -- so he acknowledged the exception to his rule. That quote refers to "Staying healthy through the entire season" which is very different from throwing 4 consecutive complete games.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 10:54 AM) So is he just on a hot streak or is he legit? It's just a concern I have, and really placing him right next to Snodgress is fair imo. I have high hopes that both will fit in our rotation the next few years. He has legit stuff. He can get major league hitters out. But like nearly all pitchers who come up, his long term usefulness will be determined by how he learns to use that stuff as the book gets out on him. His stuff is good enough to get him to the big leagues, now he will need to learn how to pitch.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 10:48 AM) As of today, he is tied with Maicer Izturis for the lowest WAR in the entire Major Leagues, with -1.8. I cannot imagine any reason that any team would want to acquire that, much less at more than league minimum. What do the Yankees need a -1.8 WAR utility infielder for? The Yankees have gotten -1 WAR out of 3rd base and -1.5 WAR out of their shortstop spot.

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 10:27 AM) Next year would be a perfect season to give Semien a shot to play everyday. I hope he gets an opportunity to make the team in spring training. I hope he does not get that opportunity, I hope he goes to AAA to start the year, as he should, and earns an opportunity to take over a position by midseason.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 10:22 AM) Yeah, this years Rios's salary only, not the whole team. Ah, ok, my misread.