Balta1701

Des Moines register poll still shows Mittens and Hates-everyone out in front, but appears to catch a Santorum Surge in the past day or two.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 03:12 PM) Chances Infante makes the bullpen with Frasor out? i'd say it's at least decent now.

The Rick Perry campaign appears to have entered the blame game-pointing fingers-CYA phase.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:48 PM) What's the payroll sitting at now? I wonder if Kenny is done trimming. We're at about $97 million in commitments, then another $6 million or so in league-minimum guys to fill out the roster, then there's a $4 million buyout for Peavy at the end of the year.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:46 PM) I think what I am most upset about is the complete lack of firm and understandeable direction and the willingness to overlook past fiascos made by our GM. Yeah. That GM should have offered to resign.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:43 PM) See Liriano, Francisco for an example...Nathan and Bonser were a lot more polished at the time and seemed the primary targets. My other more recent example is the Casey Blake for Carlos Santana trade. The Dodgers gave up Carlos Santana for Casey ****ing Blake, because they traded him away as a 22 year old in A-ball.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:42 PM) If you would have read what I posted, I'm not mad at this particular trade, but some are going to make these "prospects" out to be far more than they really are. For Quentin, I'm not upset they traded him, it was very obvious it would happen. I think the return is like this return. Nothing. I believe he should be worth a little more than that. Carlos Quentin might well have been worth less than Frasor, if you consider how much each of them are getting paid next year.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:39 PM) Are his salary raises in years 4-6 based on his contract numbers preceding it (not being able to cut more than 15%, etc.) or based on a statistical formula for what guys all around baseball SHOULD be making in those years, such as Danks/Quentin/Crede/Jenks, etc., when they were with the Sox and going back and forth with just one year deals and no long-term extensions? What would/could we predict Viciedo's 2014 salary at? It can't be based on the increase from his small (relatively) salary next year...? I'm almost certain that it's based on his previous year's salary until he reaches arbitration-eligibility.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:38 PM) Trading away mediocre major league talent brings back mediocre, if not projectable minor league talent, that's what's gone down the last 2 days. What exactly are you b****ing about? The one good thing about this kind of deal, targeting guys who have issues or are really low in an organization, is that just as the Sox can't project them very well...neither can the team giving the players up. Sometimes, that's how you get a real steal: you target a guy who is low enough that even the team which currently holds him doesn't know what they have.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:28 PM) You don't think that Lillibridge, Oswaldo Martinez, Tyler Kuhn or Escobar could fill that role? Or you want a more experienced/seasoned guy? Right now, Lillibridge is my backup OF, and Jordan Danks doesn't belong on the roster in that role. Martinez, Kuhn, or Escobar all might be options, but I'm not sure the team is ready to commit to any of them. Escobar could probably benefit from 1 more year at AAA, Martinez I haven't seen at all so I can't comment although the job might be his to lose, and the Org. seems to have made it clear that they have no urge to commit playing time, or even consistent time at AAA, to Kuhn.

QUOTE (Cali @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:26 PM) Baseball is such a funny sport. You can have a MAJOR flaw in your game, like control issues as a pitcher -- which I'd say is the ONE thing most pitchers need to have to make it -- and still get drafted. Can you imagine a QB that overthrew his receivers all the time getting picked?

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:03 PM) So he sang it as is? No, he decided he was better than John Lennon and could write a better song, so he changed the "No Religion Too" line to "and all religions are true". Because he has earned the right to correct John Lennon. Clearly that's a mistake anyway, Lennon can't possibly have meant it.

What a pass/catch by brees/Colston.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:14 PM) We need to start bringing players that can play on our 25 man roster, we have lost 8 players that was on our team last season. Well, we can then add De Aza, Viciedo, Reed, Axelrod, Flowers, and maybe 1 more bullpen guy like Infante or just give up on Stewart as a starter and put him there. Maybe Santiago thrown in as well if we can clear a spot for a LHP in the bullpen. We could use a backup IF.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:17 PM) I would also trade Thornton, AJ, Ohman and Crain Still don't see any realistic destination for AJ.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 02:20 PM) According to Sickels, these guys aren't in Toronto's top 25, so while there is always a chance either could pan out, they probably won't, which indicates to me, salary dump. Both of them are down at A ball/recent draftees, so even if they wind up being great pitchers, they woulnd't be highly ranked yet.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 01:43 PM) Salary dump 101 is on bigtime. THis is not a "Bigtime salary dump". It's clearing out a guy who was slightly overpaid.

19 year old, 17th round draft pick, 21 year old guy in A ball with a ton of walks on his record.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 01:18 PM) I am sorry but I don't agree with Balta that this trade had to happen. Shedding salary is one thing, but KW said we would be only trading for major league ready prospects. These two guys aren't it. Maybe Kenny needs a lesson on how to rebuild and remain competitive? I am very dissapointed to say the least. We had a real good player in CQ. He swings a good bat with power. He is a hardnosed player. We basicaly gave him away. We did not have a real good player in Carlos Quentin. We had a player who has been an average player over his entire stint with teh White Sox.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 01:22 PM) Someone please f***ing bench Hester!!!!!! What happened? And if the Bears are losing, isn't that a good thing?

Lebron James is engaged.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 12:20 PM) I see the Packers are resting Rodgers, Clay, Jennings, and Woodson. I understand why they are doing that but I would at least play them for a quarter or a half. 2 weeks of no actual games could create rust, IMO. Guess there is a reason I am not an NFL coach. I'm much more surprised the Texans are resting people than the Packers. The Packers have been here before, the Texans haven't. Go Chiefs.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 09:55 AM) If Cespedes gets $50 million from someone, for how many years would it likely be? The last 3 big guys to sign in this sort of pattern out of Cuba (Alexei, Viciedo, Chapman) signed contracts that were basically "rookie" contracts, where the team commits x number of dollars, but then has control of that player until they would normally become free agents. So, the team would get 6-7 years of control of the player once he gets to the big leagues. A team could always write the deal to allow them to become a FA earlier, but the recent trend has been against that. That's what the Yankees did with Contreras's original deal; the team was required to cut him loose after the deal ended regardless of accumulated service time. That has not been the case with these last guys. So, if a team signed him, kept him in the minors for 1.5 years, called him up mid-2013, they'd have him under control until ~2019 assuming they offered him arbitration every year.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 04:32 AM) Looking like a Hobbit-y Bat-riffic summer. You left one out. This failure will be Avenged.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 1, 2012 -> 12:10 AM) It's bizarre to me that competing in 2012 is so important. The goal is sustained excellence. Doesn't the phrase "Sustained excellence" require that you also compete in 2012? Because otherwise you're not "Sustaining" excellence, you've taken a year off from it.