heirdog

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 08:36 PM) Thank God. LOL. Take it easy on the guy...astralPandas are almost extinct.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 03:27 PM) Crede is definitely overrated. Good player. Not God. Not better than Aramis Ramirez or even Morgan Ensberg. I agree Crede is a good player not God too but that doesn't preclude him from being underrated. Some people think he is an average player...he is definitely better than average. His glove is elite and his bat is good (he is very clutch so it makes up for some of the lower stats for all the number-loving guys).

No Otsuka, please! Danks, Hurley or Masset fine...but no Otsuka. While we're at it, no Osuna either....Ozuna fine but no Osuna.

Crede is not overrated, he is underrated...did not win Gold Glove?!? Boras is doing his job. Agents are around to maximize money, incentives, etc for their clients or else players would do it themselves. You can hate the institution of the "agent" as a job that has become very important in sports but how can you say someone that gets the most for his clients is a "jackass?" If you are an investor, you look for the best returns and find fund managers that can get you that so why wouldn't players do the same? I think Crede will be around in 2007 with another 1 year deal but will be gone next off-season. Cintron will be back as expected and our bench will be as strong as ever (Cintron, Mac, Ozuna, Gload back-up catcher, back-up CF/4th OF).

I think Gio will be in the rotation in 2008 as the lefty that replaces Mark Buehrle. He will go 12 - 7 in his rookie year with a 3.78 ERA but will spend some time on the DL, which will help some other player edge him out in the Rookie of the Year voting. He will win 16 games in 2009 and will win a Cy Young award once in his career (with the 2011 White Sox). He will go on to win 132 games in his career and will be traded to another team before the 2013 season.

QUOTE(chisoxfan79 @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 04:17 PM) You know what if Kenny wants to think about the future he should call the Dodgers and see what he can get for JD because they are in the market for a corner outfielder with power I bet he could get Loney and Billingsly. If he trades Buerhle and Crede for ARod and Melky, you just might see this deal. Slot ARod in at Dye's spot in the lineup and get Sweeney, Fields or some other young players filtered into the lineup. There is no way that Dye takes another discounted deal and his value will never be higher than after his 2005 post-season and follow-up 2006 season so...KW probably has something more up his sleeve. QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 04:32 PM) THat 2005 team was built on pitching, so i dont see why we didnt go after a guy like danks or another top flite prospect who could lead the rotation with broadway, mccarthy, haegar, mccuollugh, etc backing them up. I think KW believes that Gio is that guy in the mold of Santana or Zito. I bet he tried to get a Volquez (or Hurley, Diamond) and Danks from Texas but after signing Padilla, Texas probably balked. I think the Floyd and Gio trade is comparable to the one above. Gio is a stud...just wait and see.

QUOTE(joeynach @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 02:44 PM) I think he could have waited a littel while and got a better deal. Even if the sox had to give Garcia + 1 prospect to get santana that would have been better. More major league ready, less hit or miss. So you want to give up a prospect instead of picking up two near ready ones that the White Sox scouts really like? BMAC is in our rotation next year in place of Garcia so its not like we needed a guy to plug into the rotation next year in the deal for Garcia. I think KW tried for Santana so that he could then move another starter for some future studs that he could ship to the farm but when that fell through, he went for the next best deal. But I don't think we need to sweeten the pot when we are the ones giving up a top of the rotation starter.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 02:18 PM) You seem to be missing my point. Williams said that Floyd is fixable. That means that he is basing his evaluation on Floyd's ability to be coached, not his talent level. The entire coaching is dependent on Cooper. As an example: I have no problem with the Sox acquiring Gio and other players who do not need to be "fixed" without asking their pitching coach. But when they are giving up one of our starters in the belief that our pitching coach can fix him, I think that it would be common sense to ask the pitching coach whether or not he thinks that there is a problem that can be fixed. Agree completely. This is not about talent evaluation (scout/ GM job), this is about fixing mechanics (pitching coaches job). Final decision = GM / Majority owner but consult the guy that is supposed to fix him, if for nothing else...piece of mind. We gave up a horse so at least know that we aren't getting damaged goods. QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 02:24 PM) That's how it works. There would never be any changes in protocol if this was the credo everyone followed. However, we know that SOP changes all the time so I don't buy the "that's how it works" argument. There are evolving metrics in judging talent and there can be evolving procedures in obtaining a former 1st round pick that hasn't lived up to his potential (ahh yes, the Sox acquired one last off-season (Thornton) and consulted Coop so I guess it could work a different way too).

I think "ShoulderGate" (Sirotka for David Wells) from 2001 will prevent us from any Vernon Wells deals. Maybe we can give them Joe Crede for Troy Glaus and have "BackGate" 2006.

QUOTE(watchtower41 @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 02:06 PM) That's what the "nevermind" was for You think the Braves went to Leo Mazzone before they dumped guys like Maddux, Avery, Glavine, ect?? No, Mazzone took the rebulding tools that they gave him and won more divisions. I dont' think we need to look at other teams as benchmarks for what the Sox should do. The point is that KW supposedly reviewed film "all day" on Gavin Floyd and thought that they could fix some mechanical issue. Well, Coop is the guy that will do the fixing so it makes sense that they would consult him to see 1) if he could fix him and 2) how quickly he thinks he could be ready to help the major league club...before making the deal. It only makes sense that the final decision makers (KW, JR et al) use all the resources at the disposal before making a deal for an unknown commodity.

I was at the Whitesox/Yanks game on Sunday and in that first inning Freddy was zipping them in there at 88 mph. Having just taken batting practice, Jeter and ARod welcomed some extra BP and promptly drilled the balls over the fence. Freddy looked like he had no answers out there but what hurt the Sox in that game was no clutch hitting or rally killing flyballs/pop-ups.

QUOTE(beautox @ Jul 6, 2006 -> 01:12 PM) lol nuke i don't think Montero and the word keeper belong in the same sentence. So I take it, Montero won't be on your 2008 White Sox squad?

QUOTE(SouthSide2004 @ Jul 3, 2006 -> 01:41 PM) Well, if this watered-down discussion is so annoying then why don't you try to ignore it and not be such an asshole. Try going outside where running your mouth like that is going to lead to some serious consequences. It's not healthy for a 19 year old boy to be spending all his free time on the internet anyways. How are you helping resolve these silly issues with comments like this? Let them die out on their own without pseudo-threatening comments.

After he went 0-for in his first 4 at-bats last night, Thome should have switched and batted righty. That way, the pitcher might have been confused if they could still pitch him inside and put it out over the plate...Oh I can't even finish writing this. People please, even the great Albert Pujols has days like Thome did last night and Hall of Famers go into slumps too. Please save this thread for the time when Thome is 2 for his last 30 and batting .250.

QUOTE(Jim Spencer @ Jun 22, 2006 -> 01:57 PM) Lesson learned. I still thought Ozzie could have sent someone else out there to hit Blaylock instead of the Rookie. Maybe Jenks 100 mph fastball in the hip, now that would have really sent a message Ummm, I think Thornton would have been a better choice. He's a veteran lefty (to face Blalock), throws 98 mph, has a history of wildness and isn't the closer. That would be much easier to defend, "Hey, I brought in the situational lefty to face a lefty and he is known to be wild...oops!" Sure, Jenks wasn't going to be needed that game since we were down big but you don't want to risk suspension of your closer for future games. Plus, Jenks is still pretty much a rookie as he is only closing in on his first full year so you don't want anything getting in his head (if he messes up, if a brawl ensues, etc.).

QUOTE(Contreras @ Jun 22, 2006 -> 10:43 AM) I made a yahoo address ([email protected]) and sent it. You can support Jay's crusade to have every Chicago sports franchise leave the city, too: [email protected] Chuckie Carr, is that you?

Rowand gives it his all on every play but sometimes he finds himself out of position. He gets great jumps and makes some gritty catches. He hits the cut-off man and has an adequate arm. Even though this is not a defensive point, he makes mental errors running the bases. Brian gives it his all on every play and always seems to be positioned correctly to make a play. He gets great jumps and has better speed and makes some spectacular plays. He makes mental errors when hitting the cut-off men when the other team is running the bases but his stronger arm allows him to make some solid throws. Given the similarities, I would take Brian due to age, speed, arm strength and salary.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 08:52 AM) That would be the ultimate payback for the Doyle Alexander/John Smoltz deal. I wouldn't call that payback. I would call that history repeating itself. Doyle Alexander was the established vet and Smoltz was the young pitcher who had promise. If Detroit dealt Zumaya for Smoltz, they would cry again as Zumaya goes on to be a star for the next 15 or so years. Again, the caveat is that if Smoltz leads them to a WS ring (unlikely in my mind with the White Sox and Yanks amongst others standing in their way), then the trade-off might be worth it but he would have to be one of the main reasons they won.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 11:35 AM) Actually, the Cubs have some good young talent besides Z and Lee...Cedeno at short, Murton in OF and even that hosebag Barrett should all be kept. Dump Walker, Ramirez, wait out the Jones contract, unless someone REALLY wants him, ride out Pierre and you've got a lineup... the pitching staff, though? Shambles. Cut bait and move on. What is this, Cubstalk.com? They are in a world of hurt because they have terrible ownership, a terrible GM, a terrible coach, a bunch of over-paid FAs, a thin farm system and an overrated injury-prone pitching staff. I wouldn't know where to start with that team...I guess Zambrano and Lee are the stars to build around and maybe Ramirez (since it took them 35 years to find another 3B after Santo).

QUOTE(knightni @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 01:41 AM) 3006 White Sox LF - Reanimated cadaver of Carlos Lee CF - A 12 foot robot with Rudy Law's DNA inside RF - Harold Baines' fossilized remains (actually quicker than the original HB) C - Don Wakamatsu the DXLVIIIth 1b - Paul Konerko's clone that merged with a 7 foot tall snail. 2b - Mini-Godzilla SS - A large chunk of chewing tobacco that evolved from Juan Uribe. 3b - Rally Crede SP - Jon Garland's sideburns attached to a sentient ape SP - Floyd Bannister's living toupee SP - Lamarr Hoyt's brain in a mayonaise container SP - Charlie Hough's knuckle bones held by a grad student SP - Jose Contreras CL - Bobby Thigpen's mullet Frickin' hilarious! QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Jun 19, 2006 -> 03:49 PM) I seriously doubt New York lets David Wright go. Good point. He will be a robust 37 and ready for his prime so we may have to look elsewhere or coerce Joe Crede to get a 9th vertebrae fusion surgery and lace them up again before his 42nd birthday.

Your 2020 Chicago Whitesox: LF: Playing in grade school somewhere CF: Brian Nicola Anderson RF: Sweeney 3B: David Wright (signed as Free agent in 2019 off-season) SS: Valido 2B: Robbie Alomar III 1B: Playing stickball in the streets of the Dominican Republic right now C: F. Hernandez DH: Konerko ...

All good points about clearing up salary space to sign other players. I just think that the Sox brass is a little higher on Pods (still) than people here are making it seem. Sure they would like him to make less errors, get more hits and steal more bases (like he did in early '05) but they know that he is a catalyst for their offense and that we are a better team with him. Luckily his slumps this year have been covered up by Ozuna's successes but I don't think KW will let Pods go so that Ozzie can play Ozuna full-time next year, since Ozuna, when he is on fire, is like a Pods but we can't consistently depend on that. If we get a guy like Crawford, then I am all for kicking Pods to the curb but until then, I'll take my chances with him...especially if AJ gets into it again.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jun 19, 2006 -> 02:26 PM) It doesn't seem you've followed Crawford all that closely either, he's WAY better than you portray him to be. The guy is only 24 years old and already has a world of experience, he's improved upon his OBP big time this year, he's began taking more pitches and working counts nicely and thus has an OBP 41 points higher than his AVG which is quite an improvement for him. 2 things that will come with age for him is power (already has 10 HRs this year, it's amazing how his power has been improving over the past few seasons, 10 then 15 now he's on pace for over 20 also with age he is gaining plate discipline. As he continues to get ABs he's learning to work counts and take walks. The guy is turning into an absolute stud with an incredibly affordable long term contract, he'll be much more valuable than a guy like Santana in the long run if both of thier career paths go about according to plan. Nicely put. People may think Crawford is close to 30 because it seems like he's been in the league for a while but the guy is very young and a stud...that is only getting better.

I love ARow but would rather have Anderson...you can see he is a possible future all-star...he may not become a superstar but he has a much higher ceiling than ARow. So no way I would trade BMac to replace Anderson in center, its counterintuitive.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jun 19, 2006 -> 02:04 PM) I have always had the feeling the organization wasn't that high on Pods, and its becoming very obvious as the 06 season goes on.... We traded away a guy that could have brought back a lot more in return in Carlos "El Caballo" Lee in order to get Pods (along with Viz) so I think there was at least some point in time when the organization was high on him. How soon we forget the 2005 post-season with his clutch hits...now Pods is supposedly waiver fodder for the organization. So that they can bring up someone else from Triple A and let them "learn" how to field a new position and battle through a sub-.200 BA while getting used to the majors. Not going to happen.