Balta1701

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 08:34 PM) But we lost a contact guy (A.J) and a guy who takes a lot of pitches (Youkilis). The net effect is pretty nothing. I do think Sanchez will be given a chance pretty quickly if Beckham struggles out of the gate and that would definitely give the bottom of the lineup more contact and OBP. Actually, the effect could be pretty substantial. We only had Youkilis for 1/2 of a season, and even when we had him, he really wasn't the "high OBP" guy Boston had. Over the whole season, the Sox averaged a .286 OBP out of their 3b slot last year, and that's including the time Youk was there. Flowers could hit .180 and still match the OBP that the Sox got out of 3b last year, and Keppinger ought to match AJ pretty well on that mark, if not beat it.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 06:18 PM) The Sox were 7th in runs scored in all of baseball last year. 7 of the 9 starters are returning. Of the two spots with new starters, only catcher is a clear downgrade. The opening day ages for our current lineup is 29, 33, 33, 37, 32, 24, 31, 27, & 26. So based on this info, we have one spot where we should definitely expect less production (catcher). We have another spot (1B), where age would suggest at least some regression and possibly a significant decline in production. We have four other guys at the tail-end of their primes, who have provided inconsistent production over recent years. Two of these guys are coming off great years, two are coming off below-average years. As a group, it's reasonable to expect them to be a little worse next year, but I wouldn't expect a significant decline overall. So the question becomes how much better will Viciedo, De Aza, & Beckham be next year and can Flowers exceed expectations? Can these four guys offset some of the likely declines in production mentioned above. IMO, I don't see the offense as a whole being that much worse next year unless Rios or Dunn have another historically bad season or if Konerko finally falls victim of age. In terms of total runs, I'd expect them to score less, but not significantly less. The real problem with our offense isn't gross output, but it's how streaky and inconsistent it can be at times. Unfortunately, that will require more contact & OBP. More OBP and more contact, btw, is exactly what we've changed by the 2 guys swapped out. We've added a guy who takes a lot of pitches and a contact guy.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 06:27 PM) The White Sox do not have depth in the rotation. They need to add to the rotation before any kind of subtraction takes place. Yes, that's why they've been taking calls on Gavin Floyd for 2-3 years. Sigh.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 06:09 PM) The argument isn't whether google making it faster to research is the problem, it's the critical thinking aspect that's the problem. In my field (law) it's obviously 1000 times easier to do legal research via online databases than physically picking up books from a library shelf. The issue becomes when I start relying on secondary sources where other people have done the step of reviewing the cases for me. I start relying on what other people think and write and stop doing the work myself. That can happen in school environments constantly and it's setting up kids to not think about what they're doing because they can rely on someone else to do that for them. This is a good insight and it makes me think of the next question...does "picking up an encyclopedia" really develop critical thinking skills more than going to Wikipedia/Google? I'd say the answer is probably no. Being able to turn around information on those sources might well be even more useful at developing critical thinking skills, because you're interpreting data more quickly....but either way, critical thinking development is a different tack from having to go to a book.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 06:06 PM) Why...............because it is not a lineup that would challenge Detroit in any way, shape or form as it is constructed today. I'd believe that more if the Sox hadn't outscored Detroit last year. So whatever it was that made up those 3 games...it wasn't the offense. So somehow, the team that scored fewer runs won the division last year.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 05:45 PM) Except that any trade for Zobrist means you are probably dealing with some good talent evaluators and some pretty tough negotiators... I have no problem with that...we actually have guys in the minor leagues who might be of the quality they'd shoot for in a deal with Zobrist...I'd think the bigger problem is that the place where we have depth that we could sacrifice 2-3 players is starting pitching, and I don't think the Rays would be interested in adding that kind of depth. They could actually have a real use for De Aza, if they considered shuttling one of their OF's to their DH slot. Sanchez might tempt them as well also.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 05:30 PM) That's a bit like asking Konerko to hit .340. If he hadn't had that wrist issue last year, I think he would have.

QUOTE (Lamar Johnson 23 @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 05:15 PM) Maybe trade Beckham and Floyd and prospects for Chase Headley??? Probably have to throw in Viciedo too. Why on Earth would the Padres want either of those guys? To spend extra money on people who won't be with them a year from now? Floyd in particular is worth less than nothing to the Padres. They'd probably take him in exchange for nothing if the ChiSox paid 2/3 of his contract. If you want to get Headley back for Floyd and Beckham, you need to add in Sale.

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 05:15 PM) This is relying on last year to repeat, and off years to bounce back. We do this every year and it's never that easy. Most often times, you get, lets say, a Rios returning to earth and a different one has a production spike. And you cant reliably predict which ones will go up or down, so it's all hopefulness. Viciedo is such a total x-factor. Who knows what effing column to put him in. The eternal wait for Beckham to "screw his head on straight" makes me think....the screw is badly, permanently stripped. May be time to nail him to a wall, no less. But take a look. We hit 211 home runs last year. We outhomered the Rangers. Yes, we lost AJ...but the guy replacing him is pretty darn powerful. For a person to say "We're not a terrifyingly powerful lineup" basically means that he's projected them all to fall apart. Why he gets to do that while trying to be down on this team, I have no idea. Yes, some guys are likely to be down. Rios and Dunn might step back a bit on the power side, but we have a number of guys who can add to their numbers to make up for it. It's just crazy to say this isn't a powerful team on paper. That's the one thing they're still really good at on paper.

QUOTE (rippedsounds @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 04:57 PM) It's not a terrifyingly powerful lineup and it is a little rusty but I'm basing our success this year on our pitching rotation more than anything. If this lineup can produce four runs a game, which I think it can (and it might even be improved a little bit by the time we get to opening day) we have a good shot at the wild card and a decent shot to upset the Tigers if our pitching staff achieves its potential. Not a terrifyingly powerful lineup? Compared to last year, they've subtracted Pierzynski, who hit a lot of HR, but replaced him with a guy who, if he can ever make contact, has every ability to match that HR production in flowers. Viciedo, Alexei, maybe Konerko if his bone chip has been dealt with, maybe Beckham if his head ever gets screwed on right, also have the ability to add in some HR. They got 15 HR out of third base last year, mostly by Youk, and instead replaced with the 9 HR hit by Keppinger, maybe down to 6-7 if he has a more normal year for him. Those small decreases might be a problem...if we hadn't hit the 3rd most HR in the AL last year already. So we lose a few going from Youk to Kep...we also have a power upside, with Viciedo, Flowers, and the middle-infield capable of increasing HR. If that's not a "terrifyingly powerful lineup", then Texas didn't have a terrifyingly powerful lineup last year either, since the Sox outhomered them by 11 last year.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 04:47 PM) Still December and hope changes are made before spring training because lineup is not very good. Why?

QUOTE (Lamar Johnson 23 @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 03:49 PM) DeAza, Ramirez, Flowers and/or Beckham could be #9 hitters. And based on their career numbers in comparison to the rest of the league, they could be #1 hitters, #6, #7, #8, or #9 hitters. Anyone who put up a >.700 OPS would have been an above average #7 hitter last year. Gordon Beckham's rotten 2010 season would ahve put him as an average #7 hitter last year. ADA would have been one of the best #7 hitters in the AL last year, the 2nd best #8 hitter, and far and away better than any other #9 hitter in the league. So yeah, they could be in those roles, but man you've got a great offense when you're doing that.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 03:37 PM) Target has a doctor's office? A number of places like Target, CVS, and Walgreens are developing small, cheap facilities, staffed usually by nurse practitioners, who can provide basic services like lab tests, flu shots, physicals, etc. They're quite useful, particularly if you don't have an existing relationship with a physician.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 03:30 PM) The three hitter hit .204 and struck out a s***ton of times. The average OPS of #3 hitters in the AL was .800. The White sox got an... .800 OPS out of their #3 spot, exactly. They were also #5 in the league in runs scored and RBI by their #3 hitter.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 11:11 AM) Well, Apple does put the "Posted from my iDevice" thing at the bottom of your emails when you send it on your iDevice by default. Let everybody know! You can remove/edit that in your mail settings if it bothers you.

(You should add the word "Toronto" to the thread header so that anyone who has been there might see the thread and jump in)

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 12:54 PM) He's pretty lucky he didn't get countersued with sexual harrassment, and not discrimination. The texts and comments were absurd. I believe I've read that he still likely will be.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 01:53 PM) By the way, it was revealed that the CT shooter only used handguns and left his .223 Bushmaster in the trunk. So much for HIGHLY DETACHABLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC BULLET HOSE ASSAULT CLIPS INVENTED TO MURDER CHILDREN story we've been hearing, the guy used guns you could've bought during the 94 ban. Well, since you didn't bother providing a source, I went through to the Google to see if there was a new statement on the rifle posted from the last 24-48 hours. I certainly couldn't find one. There was, of course, an incorrect report from the first 24-48 hours after the massacre that the shooter had left the assault rifle in the car. This was incorrect, and once the autopsy statements came forward that was made clear. The weapon that was left in the trunk of the car, based on previous, repeated police reports, was the shotgun that he also brought. The shooter carried 3 weapons with him into the building, leaving the shotgun in the car. According to all statements from the authorities I could find. the assault rifle was the weapon of choice. This was confirmed by the medical examiner and by police. Since you did not provide any link to any new source reporting that the previous statements on record by officials investigating the murders were incorrect, nor did you provide any reason why a ME might have mistaken small arms wounds for those by an assault rifle, I'm going to assume you're simply going off the initial reports which said that the rifle was left in the car, reports which turned out to be inaccurate.

QUOTE (forrestg @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 02:49 PM) I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin. I think one player on this team who has a no trade clause is our 37 year old Konerko. I believe he may be an asset to many teams. He can still play an adequate first base, can hit for power and average. To me he is the face of out whitesox but if he were to agree to a trade that had a 1st baseman a year away could they allow us to pry away another needed piece or lh hitting player that could be used to fill in some of our many holes especially 3rd base. Like I said yesterday...Paul Konerko is a 37 year old RH power hitter who plays 1b and benefits from some time at DH. He's also expensive, and under contract for exactly 1 year. So, if you want to trade him for the hypothetical magical wonderful prospect, you need a trade partner who needs 1b help, is in the AL, has money to spend, has no one to take over 1b, that Konerko would accept a trade to, who is ready to contend this year, is not too RH heavy themselves, and has some high level prospect they'd be happy to give up in exchange for him. Why do I feel like the reason people suggest trading Konerko without suggesting a trade partner is that they have no idea who he could realistically go to, they just want to be mad at the org. for not doing something?

QUOTE (Lamar Johnson 23 @ Dec 27, 2012 -> 02:49 PM) On the "bright side", the team has a stockpile of #9 hitters! The average American League team got a .640 OPS out of its #9 hitters last year. Even the guys from that lineup who had the worst years with the bats last year would be excellent #9 hitters compared to what the average team gets from that spot.

OF course, the other way to look at that lineup is...it's actually a lineup with a fair amount of talent at almost every position. The #8 hitter has a legit shot at 30+ home runs in a full season. The #9 hitter was a top 10 draft pick. The #7 hitter won a silver slugger in 2010. If your hitting coach and training staff can get good performances out of that lineup...it could be quite effective. Heck, that #2 hitter is a major position upgrade: for the 2012 season as a whole, the White Sox got a .600 OPS out of their 3b. A .700 OPS is a major upgrade at that spot. Yes, the catcher's spot has downgraded, but there's your direct tradeoff...and that's starting with the #4 offense in the AL.

Fun times

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 26, 2012 -> 07:19 PM) Why did he need more time off? You want to criticize him foe making a decision that wasn't his to make. The fact that he could answer e bell for so many games is something to admire, like Buehrle going 200 innings every year.why didn't anyone ever post what a selfish asshole Buehle was for making his starts? It wouldn't take much for AJ to beg out of a start. He didn't do that. A guy going 0/8 when he could have taken a day off is no more useful than a starter giving up 8 runs in 2 innings because his arm is wearing out. You know, I really hate this. I liked AJ. But I get why they let him go, and so I wind up having to reply to these crazed statements about why he's irreplaceable and we're doomed now. So, I'm stuck having to point out how a guy who was key to winning us a ring wasn't God's gift to baseball, and being the negative guy on him.

If twitter is any indication, pretty soon...Microsoft is going to be selling a whole lot of "Surface" tablets at a loss. The iPad seems to have out-tweeted it by 50-1 over XMas.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 26, 2012 -> 07:08 PM) Again AJ didn't make out the line up card. So he gets credit for going out there so often, but we can't criticize him if he should have taken more time off?