Balta1701

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 01:27 PM) Scenario, as per usual, nailed this one. We can't keep going into the season with obvious flaws, while hoping for miracles. I want a solid roster through and through. This really isn't true. Every team goes into the season with obvious flaws. Even the $200 million team had weaknesses in middle relief, corner OF, starting rotation depth, and age.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Sep 16, 2010 -> 01:02 AM) You want to beat Minnesota? 1-Get guys who can catch the damn baseball 2-Get guys who play smart 3-Pitch well 4-Play aggressive on the base paths I think 3 and 4 we're probably decent on...#2 is not great and #1 is disaster zone. Imagine how much BETTER our pitching would be if we didn't have jesters in our lineup playing soccer instead of baseball? I have to totally disagree...we're terrible on #4. We're way the Hell too aggressive. It gives away inning after inning.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 06:06 PM) Just stood out to me how you manipulated the numbers to show your point. In one post you call 7th middle of the pack and in the other you say 8th is well into the back part of the league, when really they are equidistant from the median. Ah, I see what you're saying...let me explain why the phrasing is different. In OBP...there is a large packing of teams with team OBP between .330 and .340. 6 teams fall in that range. 2 teams are notably higher; the Yankees kill everyone and the Twins are at .344. No other team is above .323...therefore, the White Sox fall in the cluster that isn't really distinguished from each other; Boston's OBP of .338 is above the Sox at .332...but the total difference there is a fairly small number of baserunners (22 baserunners over the same number of at bats). On the other hand, in Sacrifice bunts...there are 4 teams that are in the 40's, including the Sox, 7 team's in the 30's, 1 team with 29, and then 2 teams that are anomalously low. The Sox are 2nd, the Twins are in the middle of the pack in the 30's. I think the raw values there provides a useful discriminant as there is different types of clustering in the case of the 2 stats.

THEY FINALLY THREW THE LEFT A BONE! YAY!

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 05:34 PM) It's aggravating to watch the Twins handle the Sox year after year with a much smaller payroll. Worth noting...the exact numbers are hard to figure because of the large sums of money coming along with Juan Pierre and anything like insurance costs/insurance payments on guys like Morneau and Peavy...Kalapse's sheet had us around $100 million prior to adding Manroid's $4 million and the couple million Jackson had left. The Twins started the season at $97 million and have added Matt Capps and Brian Fuentes to that roster. The Twins have at best a "Slightly" smaller payroll than the White Sox these days.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 05:26 PM) I vote for a better relationship between the GM and manager -- regardless of who fills either office. Don't see how the franchise can move forward with the continuous hissing contests that have existed this year. Don't think they have the same vision for what kind of team they prefer. And as for the young pitchers, having a starter (or two) making the minimum is a very valuable commodity. And the Sox have dealt away three of those guys. With the season officially ending last night, it's time to vent. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing for the manager and the GM to have opposing visions for the type of player that they prefer...there's no single way to put together a winning baseball team, and as such, a mix of player types and evaluations could well be a good thing. I do have to agree with you though that the "Hissing contests" as you describe them have been absolutely intolerable and they needed to stop before they started.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 04:36 PM) Ozzie is far more clever than people give him credit for. He's orchestrated a classic "right where we want them" strategy. Having lulled the Twins into contentment, he will now unleash his FULL managerial skills, the ones he's been hiding for the last 6 months. Get ready to be dazzled! "...and Brian Duensing throws the first ever perfect game in MLB history where all 27 outs were recorded on failed bunt attempts..."

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 04:34 PM) What about acquiring Danks and Floyd? Trading for Quentin, drafting Beckham, signing Viciedo and Alexei

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 04:02 PM) I wasn't thrilled with trading Hudson, but there was no point in expressing it, because everybody thought Dunn would be on his way to Chicago. Really? I sure didn't think that Dunn was on his way to Chicago.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 03:43 PM) Yeah, the move didn't pay off, but I would make that move 100 times out of 100. It's not a waste of money because of Manny's production, it's a waste of money because of the team's performance. Well...to be fair...for the time he's been here, he's been a part of that team's performance...and he failed in the at bat that was perhaps our last chance to salvage the season last night.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 03:57 PM) They did spend money and unfortunately they are stuck with bad contracts. Yet they need to balls to fire the GM who dug that hole. You've got to remember there though...the GM did exactly what he was supposed to do at the time...his assignment was to make that team competitive for the playoffs so that it could be sold as a playoff-competitive team by the Tribune Company. He did his job for his employer.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 03:46 PM) I wasn't sure what you had meant, thanks for clarifying. But, are you implying anything with the bolded part of your statement? Before we ask people to elaborate...I probably ought to offer a reminder that occasionally people from the organization do drop by here...and we have no idea how high up those people might be. Just something to think about for your own personal benefit.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 03:36 PM) What? How is this stupid? Are you being serious here? You're going to rise to the defense of locker room sexual harassment of a reporter?

A few points to make in reply. First, the Giants average payroll from 2006-2008 was $93 million. It was $103 million for the White Sox. The Braves..$92 million. The Angels...$114 million. We consistently spend more money than the Mariners, Braves, or Giants. The only team that you mention that is close to the Sox in total payroll is St. Louis...and they've gotten by with some of the biggest bargains in the game for the last 5+ years. But...if they manage to resign Pujols...they're talking about a $10+ million boost in yearly salary, combined with potentially having guys like Wainright and Carpenter having their salaries go up as well (Carpenter has a $12 million 2012 option, Wainright's contract is backloaded and starts shooting up next year). St Louis though...has had plenty of stinkers when it comes to contracts (Mark Mulder is the first name that comes to mind). When we start getting down to the numbers...in terms of cost per win, the Sox have been in the middle of the pack for the last decade...but the only team that has spent less per win than us and still won a world series is the Marlins (The epic outlier team). This is a good read in terms of placing the Sox management in terms of overall effectiveness.

Republicans officially to roll out ~$4 trillion tax cut proposal.

QUOTE (Cali @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 03:15 PM) As far as emulating the Twins is concerned, I wouldn't want to. I would be equally as frustrated to finish in second every season as I would be to make the playoffs every season and get bumped in the ALDS in 3-4 games. So basically we want to be a mid-market payroll team with reasonable ticket prices that makes the playoffs every year and is nearly unstoppable once they get there every time, and we're going to call for management reorganizations until that happens?

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 03:20 PM) I just picture a sloppy guy sitting in the dugout scratching his balls when I hear him described as a bum. Somewhere in here there's a steroid comment...

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 02:57 PM) And if you dont know how well a team would perform with said player, than wouldnt the raw stats then be the best way to determine how much of an impact that player really was. Then the problem you run into is one of positioning/defense as well.

One of my favorite subjects makes a return.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 02:07 PM) He was? Because I am pretty sure he has played in more than half the games this year. So, really, he hasn't been hurt for even HALF the year, let alone ALL year. Ok, so that was an exaggeration...but you ought to get my point. At the current rate, it's impossible for him to play 100 games...and at least a portion of those, he was playing while not 100%.

So...for whatever it's worth...after last night's primaries...every single Republican on the ballot for a Senate Seat in November is on the record as a global climate change denier, or at the very least is a signatory on a "do-nothing" pledge.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 01:32 PM) You realize the Red Sox have a limitless budget and were almost 30 million more than us this year, yes? And that the "genius" GM they have signed Lackey and Cameron this past offseason. And the "genius" over at Tampa Bay had roughly 64 #1-3 draft picks. I had to check on this post because $30 million sounded small. At least based on the numbers I can find...it's way, way too small. The Bosox are somewhere up over $160 million. We're down around $100 million (and it's worth remembering that we have good chunks of money coming from places like LAD to cover that). You've underestimated the strength of your own point.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 12:38 PM) Manny has obviously been a waste of money, but mainly because this team is too far out with too little games to play. But to think Manny is done and needs to retire? Absolutely hilarious. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Manroid did retire at the end of this season. He was hurt all year, he's going to find very limited contract offers this offseason, he's either off his helpful juice or he's risking a 100 game suspension, he's going to have to take a gigantic pay cut, and wherever he goes, he's not going to be the center of attention any more.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 01:21 PM) Peavy, when heathy, isn't pissing away money. Line and Teahen aren't exactly on A-rod contracts. I don't want big-time moves. I don't want to sign Mark Texeria for 45 years at 180 million dollars. I don't want to sign prince fielder for 10 years and 200 million. These massive long-term "big time" deals are going to be absolute disasters at the tail end when we realized 37 year old players who are not on steroids simply can't do it anymore. Once ALL teams realize that, then maybe we can get back to realistic contracts where a team can actually expect solid performance for 4-5 years; these 8+ year contracts are ridiculous. Bah...these 8+ year contracts may be ridiculous...but like it or not, that's the going rate for a top, regular-MVP level player these days. That number isn't going down.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 15, 2010 -> 10:48 AM) TV show numbers can be for small portions of a program as well. They "Can" be but I think I'm right here and Rex is comparing apples and oranges by saying that NPR's 20 million audience is larger than O'Reilly's 1.5 million audience.