Balta1701

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 10:57 AM) Ever time Owens' name is mentioned as a serious starter, 5 puppies DIE. Then we better have a box of about 810 puppies. Because it will be a cold day in Hell before Brian Anderson is a regular everyday starter for ozzie.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:41 AM) So, is there going to be a special election to fill the vacant seat? Will Jessie Jackson Jr be the Democrat nominee? Oh man, all the GOP would have to do is get a decent candidate in the race and they could very well win. But thats asking a lot of the Illinois GOP, remember the Alan Keys fiasco. There are 2 things that could happen. Either: 1. The Illinois legislature will pass a bill saying that the Senate seat will be decided by a special election rather than the governor's appointment. I have no idea if this will need the governor's signature or what the rules are on overriding a veto in Illinois. 2. Blago will officially resign at some point in the near future, his Lt. Gov will take over, and will name a Senator untouched by this controversy (i.e. Candidate #5 would be pretty much out) who will take the seat without much debate. I think the first option is more likely, but that depends on the turnaround time of the Illinois Legislature. The one thing that will not happen is you will not have a Senator named by Blagojevich, because the Senate will refuse to seat him/her.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 10:47 AM) That is up for serious debate. You may not like Anderson/Owens and Getz/Lillibridge/Nix, but if the reality is we don't have the money to make a move on Furcal or Hudson barring a trade of another highly salaried player, the choices are between: SS Lexi CF Anderson Owens 2b G/L/N versus CF Lexi SS Getz 2b Lillibridge/Nix or 2b Lexi CF Anderson Owens SS Getz

They tell me Alexei's best position is at SS. His bat is ridiculously valuable there, and we have other options for 2b and CF. Put him at short until he proves its' a mistake.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:51 AM) If you add a backup catcher then that is 40. Still, Jerry Owens and Lance Broadway are both unnecessarily on this roster and it makes my skin crawl. They could have added someone with those spots. Or, if they didn't think anyone in the draft was worthy of a roster spot, then they could have called a press conference to announce that Owens and Broadway aren't either and have been traded to Japan. It's looking more and more like Jerry Owens will be your starting CF and leadoff man next year.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:43 AM) Yup, and with a trade, you lose 1 and acquire maybe 3. Trade Dye for Bailey straight up and sign Abreu and that would be 39. And that's not taking in to account adding any additional folks to the roster, i.e. Beckham or Poreda. (although pretty much everyone else but them and Viciedo that I think might be up this year is already there).

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:43 AM) I don't know if it's been mentioned but I think Abreu is particularly attractive because although he's a type A, he was not offered arb so we won't lose a draft pick. Was Dunn?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:39 AM) I personally think Dunn would be a horrible fit to put in a lineup with Thome and Konerko. He brings nothing new to the table, whereas Abreu can still run and hit for a much much higher average. I agree, and out of the 2 I'd take Abreu. But considering Thome probably walks after 09, adding in Dunn keeps you having the gigantic lefty power/OBP machine in the lineup after TCQ, which is a very useful thing for a number of reasons.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:38 AM) Our spots in our 40 man are going to be filled, just not yet. Viciedo and Contreras would bring us to 38.

QUOTE (Sox It To Em @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:38 AM) I'd much rather sign Dunn, who is younger and better, but I won't throw a fit if we sign Abreu instead. A high OBP near the top of the order was something this team greatly missed last year. Since he's reportedly good friends with Ozzie, I wouldn't be surprised if he's willing to sign with us at a slight discount. That's another thing worth keeping in mind...if we were to trade Dye first...and then somehow BAb slips thorugh our fingers, we still have another option or two at similar dollars, perhaps with an added year or two.

KB Toys files for bankruptcy. Merry X-Mas!

QUOTE (striker62704 @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:30 AM) I'm not a fan of Owens leading off. I'm fine with him in CF batting 9th but I'd prefer Getz over Owens leading off. Getz, Abreu then Quentin could give you three straight guys with OBP over .370. Owens has speed but doesn't have the OBP capabilities Getz has. I think this one reason we were in the top 5 in HRs and bottom 5 in runs scored (or something like that) because with Swisher/Cabrera leading off and Wise/Pierzynski batting second, we had terrible OBP out of our first two spots in the lineup. I realize you don't write the lineup I'm just commenting for arguments sake. I'm still not exactly sure what to say about Owens in the OBP term, because his walk numbers are actually reasonably good for a generic leadoff man in the minors and in his late majors stint in 07. Problem is, he's been bloody inconsistent with the batting average, which is something that shouldn't happen to a guy who's a slap hitter as much as it does for him, since ideally even if he's slumping he should still be beating out hits. Typically he's been a 1 walk/10 or so plate appearances guy at most of his stops, except it takes him a bit of time to get to that point his first year at a new level. With a reasonable, .280 or so batting average, that winds up with an OBP for him of .340-.350, which is in the range I'd be happy with for him given his speed. (If he's healthy enough to be a base stealing threat, that is)

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:22 AM) If you can get something a bit more valuable than Homer Bailey, and are SURE that Abreu will sign, then trade Dye right now and get this all over with. I have no problem with that line of moves if it happens, and I'm sure the vast majority of people here would agree. Abreu brings a lot more versatility than Dye does, and is probably the better player at this point in time. If the price for Abreu was reasonable enough (Like a base 3/$24-$27, maybe a little more if the 3rd year is an option year) then I'd make that move even if I felt like we weren't getting totally fair value for JD, because of what it does for the team long term.

Somehow...I think that he is a worthy successor to Tejada.

QUOTE (quickman @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:14 AM) I don't understand this quite frankly. They are virtually going to be a wash in salary. Maybe the sox will save 2 million which is not that much. They are both old. The only additional comment I would add is Abreu is from Ozzies country. Ozzie may want him or he might be thinking back to when Abreu schooled the sox this summer. Anyway, this doesn't seem like the greates of moves to me. I agree it depends on what Dye brings us via trade, but I don't see how this fits the younger stronger, faster cheaper plan. If you get a pitcher out of it, then it's worth it.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 06:41 PM) Am I the only one who isn't overly excited about Carrasco. He was stellar for us given the situation last year but his stuff isn't that good. I like him a lot as a depth guy we have in the minors but not as a reliever on a playoff team. Bottom line I'm comfortable with Jenks/Dotel/Linebrink/Thornton (when all are healthy) and I have faith in Richard because he flashed quite a bit at the major league level. Poreda has a freaking stud arm so I don't opposed him and than there is Link who the Sox seem to really rave about. Personally speaking, I wouldn't be opposed at all to the Sox picking up a reliever. Carrasco is useful even if he puts up an ERA of 4.5 in that right now, he's our best long-man out of the bullpen. Assuming Richard/Poreda are treated as Ozzie's 2nd lefty, they're not going to be used very often to pitch 3+ innings. For a game where one of our youngish starters implodes or a game that goes extras, if all Carrasco does is go 5 innings and give up 2-3 runs, that's more than tolerable, because he gave you 5 innings.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 09:09 AM) I want to become more environmentally conscious. What should I do with the huge pile of tires I've been collecting and my vintage collection of mercury based thermometers? Break the tires down in to chips, learn how to do your own vulcanization of rubber, mold them in to your own modern version of the terra cotta army. Harness the mercury from the thermometers. Pour it in to a moat to surround yourself. You wind up with the most wonderful tomb in the last 4000 years or so. And it's all done with recycled materials.

This is the kind of move that the Brewers ought to be making. They take a bit of a chance, but clear some salary and get a guy they can hang on to for longer who has good upside. Not a bad idea for the Yankees. Dramatic defensive upgrade. And in terms of the Yankees, we really need to try to sign someone they'd be interested in grabbing for their big league team next offseason. Maybe we can rehabilitate Nix and turn him in to a 20 home run guy this season? Because as soon as they sign one more pitcher, then all of a sudden I think we can expect Hughes and Kennedy to be available next offseason after they struggle with inconsistent playing time this year, and I'd like a piece of that.

I believe this also clears some room for LaPorta.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 10:51 PM) Yep, and I'll keep it simple. Have a burn barrel? You know, one of those garbage can type things you burn leaves in? Dispose of the evidence there with a nice fire, clean up the car, and make sure the ashes are never found. I've found strong acids to be a much more effective means of disposing of human remains than fire.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 06:00 AM) A letter to Soxtalk My boyfriend wants to pretend to make a porn film. He has all the lights and a camera in his room. He promises there will not be any film in the camera. What should I do? Cover yourself in Neodymium magnets and give the camera a lap dance.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 05:41 AM) So I am a guy who has policital asperations in his hometown. The economics teacher at my own high school has asked me to come in and give a talk the trading industry and on the banking crisis, but I don't want to bore the kids to death. What can I do to entertain the kids, and maybe help to make them vote for me in the future? Tell them they've all been hired as part of the corporate board for the new bank/political action committee you're starting. They can expect bonuses totaling roughly $4 million in about 3 weeks if they pay close attention.

I want a Senate seat.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 06:02 AM) Any chance that Dad was doing this behind Jr.'s back? From the limited time I've seen Jr. he does seem a lot different than his father. It wouldn't be easy, but I could be open to Dad's lust for power trying to be the puppet master for his son. Well, to this point, Candidate #5 has supposedly been assured by the Feds that he is not a target of this investigation. So what exactly went on behind closed doors with them is something we currently don't understand. Jr. may have not understood that he was being shaken down, he may not have understood the offer, he may not have directly had all of the information, he may not have responded favorably, etc. It is at least a decent sign for him that the Feds have so far said he's not a target of the investigation.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 06:35 PM) I'd go as far as say Link just has to show good big league stuff at spring training and he'll have a spot. He pitched where, AA last year? I dunno, I could see them go either way with him/Russell. There's certainly benefits for a reliever pitching at AAA in a hitter's park, not to mention the arbitration delay.