spiderman

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Nov 5, 2007 -> 03:21 PM) Duh. I guess they got the Sunday Trib? When Jesse Rogers is one of your baseball insiders, I think the answer to your question is 'Yes'

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Nov 5, 2007 -> 06:46 PM) Laurence Holmes mentioned Emil Brown as a guy the Sox are targeting in free agency. The only problem is; from what I can figure Emil Brown is not a free agent, he still has 1 year of arb eligibility remaining. I suppose KW could be looking to make a trade for the 33 year old Brown. Not exactly an exciting proposition. I think Holmes got that from the Chicago Tribune.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Nov 5, 2007 -> 04:16 PM) Bruce Levine reports from GM meetings that White Sox have made Torii Hunter their #1 priority. This means either that: 1) This info was disseminated to Levine in order to help negotiations in acquiring a different CF (Rowand, Damon, Crisp, Jones, Cameron). or 2) Getting Torii Hunter is their #1 priority. Nothing really new with the Chicago Tribune also reporting this last week. I think they are going to hard after him, but within limits since I don't think view Aaron Rowand as a bad 2nd option.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Nov 3, 2007 -> 08:30 AM) Musharraf declares state of emergency. With all this talk about Iran we are dropping the ball on Pakistan, a country that already has nuclear weapons. What else was Biden right about ?

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 3, 2007 -> 06:25 PM) I completely agree with this. I'll be surprised if he's with the organization at this point next week. Hopefully he's traded for Pat Burrell or Damon, and not some AAAA pitcher. What are the contractual status' of both Burrell and Damon ? I have little interest in either guy....Burrell strikes out way too often, and Damon seems to be breaking down and both make in excess of 10 million dollars. I am in favor of keeping Crede for next season at 3B, but if we do move him, I'm hoping it's for a possible starting pitcher and/or a dependable relief pitcher.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 30, 2007 -> 08:34 PM) Wow. Hahn is staying, Erstad and Myers are going, Geoff Jenkins is available... good day for the Sox! Why do you want Jenkins ?

Williams: Forget deal for A-Rod WHITE SOX | GM knows economics don't allow it Alex Rodriguez is ready to hit the free-agent market after revealing Sunday that he was opting out of his Yankees contract. And don't think for one second that the hair on the back of Ken Williams' neck didn't stand up for a brief moment as the White Sox general manager once again had visions of pursing the all-world infielder. Rodriguez was on Williams' radar as far back as the 2000-01 offseason, the GM's first months on the job, and again when Rodriguez was traded by the Texas Rangers before the '04 season. He wound up with the Yankees and is walking out on the final three years of his 10-year, $252 million contract. This time around, it didn't take long for Williams to come back down to earth. ''When I heard the number ... put it this way: I heard that number, and I haven't spent one minute thinking about it,'' Williams said. ''For our purposes, we would very quickly run the average fan out of our ballpark ... our economic situation wouldn't allow for something like that.'' Passing on Rodriguez doesn't mean that Williams won't be looking at other big-name free agents. With the conclusion of the World Series, he was awaiting the early list of free agents who already have filed, with the recruiting process about to begin. ''Full go,'' Williams said when asked about his offseason mind-set. ''As we speak, I'm waiting for contact from [assistant GM] Rick [Hahn] on the list of free agents. As they start to trickle in, I'll start making some visits to people.'' The postseason was a painful one for Williams. He watched most of it from his sofa, flipping channels when the anxiety grew to a point of intolerance. ''We have unfinished business,'' Williams said. ''I didn't like the taste I had in my mouth watching from my couch.'' The first order of business is expected to come swiftly, with the club having to make decisions on the contract options of outfielder Darin Erstad, reliever Mike Myers and shortstop Juan Uribe. Williams expects to inform Erstad and Myers quickly of the decision. The call on Uribe could come next week, with the deadline looming

Trickle-down could affect Crede, Fields Chicago Tribune Link Alex Rodriguez probably is too costly for Ken Williams' off-season wish list, but the White Sox general manager just might benefit from Rodriguez's free agency. If Rodriguez leaves, the Yankees could seek a third baseman unless they stick with perennial prospect Wilson Betemit, and the Sox may need to move one of their third basemen—Joe Crede or even Josh Fields—to shore up a shoddy bullpen in addition to fortifying the top of the lineup and stabilizing the outfield. The Yankees have a surplus of young power arms, and the Sox's evaluation of the Yankees' prospects started last summer and continues into the Arizona Fall League. Here's a look at whom Williams may consider buying and/or selling: David Eckstein This could be a case of one-stop shopping, with free agent Eckstein fulfilling the leadoff and shortstop duties. Eckstein provides a perfect fit with his bunting and hit-and-run capabilities. But Eckstein will turn 33 in January and has been nagged by back problems. Juan Uribe In a conference call with reporters, manager Ozzie Guillen said the team was undecided whether to stick with Uribe or get "someone else." The Sox could give Uribe a $300,000 buyout within 15 days of the end of the World Series and try to re-sign him for less if they can't upgrade. With no prospects ahead of 16-year-old Juan Silverio, the Sox could trade for a younger shortstop until Silverio is ready. For all the criticism levied at Uribe's lack of patience at the plate, his 34 walks were fifth best on the Sox in 2007. The Sox may need a veteran to play second base and help mentor Danny Richar. Uribe helped Richar acclimate to the majors in the final two months of the 2007. Aaron Rowand Rowand's unselfish play would help spark a team lacking a vocal leader as well as help regain the fans' faith, and his willingness to bat anywhere would give Guillen some flexibility in a pedestrian lineup. But Eric Byrnes' three-year, $30 million contract helped raise Rowand's value after a career-best season. Torii Hunter In an interview with Fox Sports North, Hunter, 32, confirmed he was seeking a longer deal than the three-year, $45 million offer from Minnesota he rejected late last season. The $21.3 million that Texas saves by Rodriguez opting out of his contract with the Yankees (stemming from a 2004 trade) could be applied toward Hunter. Finances to acquire a marquee free agent might not be a problem, but the Sox already have seven players 30 or order signed through 2009. That doesn't include Jim Thome, 37, whose $13 million option for 2009 will become vested if he stays healthy next season. Carl Crawford It's hard to believe Crawford batted leadoff in only seven games for Tampa Bay. Teammate Rocco Baldelli would be a cheaper alternative who can fill the Sox's needs in center and leadoff, but he has played only 127 games over the last two seasons because of injuries. Tampa Bay, however, could be enticed by some of the Sox's struggling relievers who may need a change of scenery. Boston's Coco Crisp, who haunted the Sox during his Cleveland days, could be expendable with the emergence of Jacoby Ellsbury. Boston and the Sox are familiar with each organization's talent because of trade talks last summer involving Mark Buehrle and Jermaine Dye. Jon Garland Aside from Paul Konerko, whose full no-trade rights go into effect next May, Garland would bring back the most value. Philadelphia, in the market for starting pitching, was among the teams that scouted Garland in late September. He will earn $12 million next season and is one of the most durable pitchers in the majors. Garland has grown accustomed to trade talks, and getting a Willy Taveras-style player, a serviceable reliever and a major-league-ready position player could move Williams' off-season in the right direction.

Is it worth a shot to give him a 1 year deal with incentives and give Richar some compeititon ?

Why is John Denks considered to be a prize prospect ? He doesn't blow people away, and while I think he'll get better, am I wrong to think he's, at best, a #3 starter a few seasons down the road ? What am I missing - why is Denks considered a prized pitcher when acquired by the White Sox ?

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 04:29 PM) I have an innocent yet what I feel is valid question. Why doesn't Hahn get any of the blame for the failing of the team. Was he not the Asst GM of a terrible $100M payroll...... BTW, I like Hahn and think he did/does a great job. For those 80's/90's Bears fans, Hahn seems to be the Ted Phillips of this organization more than the Jerry Vanisi (sp?) but I could be very wrong. It's a valid question - I don't think anyone has answered the key question - "Why is he a good candidate for a GM job - what has he done to become a major candidate ?" I'm not against Hahn at all - obviously St. Louis feels he's qualified, but it's hard to find concrete answers to this question.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 07:56 AM) I really think when and if Hahn gets another job, its really going to hurt the White Sox more than you would think an assitant GM leaving would hurt. I would rank Hahn the second brightest individual in the organization, second to JR. What moves have Hahn made to make you think this ? Why is he so bright in your opinion - please provide examples.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 08:37 AM) There really isn't much substance in that article. Its kind of disappointing from Rozner. That has more a Kotex-boy feel to it, with a lot of "should"'s and not a lot of real depth. Hopefully he knows something, but it sure didn't seem like it. You are correct - just pure speculation with no evidence of this being correct.

QUOTE(Al Lopez's Ghost @ Oct 16, 2007 -> 07:14 AM) First of all, how do you know that he made it up? Second, early in this thread some people thought that Stoneman's refusal to trade younger players for older players was the reason this trade would not be made. If that fact is true, then his leaving would make it more likely that it would be made. But, who knows - time will tell. Because it's Terry Boers and he all of the key components of the trade named so he was leading us to believe that this was a deal that could be likely done fast early on in the off-season.

Considering that Stoneman made the decisions for the Angels, I would assume that this is the puts to rest that Terry Boers has any inside knowledge on this rumor he made up ?

Do we know how much money has been contributed by MoveOn to each of the Democratic Candidates ?

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 29, 2007 -> 12:50 PM) All I have to say to that is: .288 .355 .385 .740 .229 .302 .301 .603 Those are the splits of the 2 guys in question this season against left handers. Myers, 38, has limited left-handed hitters to a .222 batting average (6-for-27). In his 55 games with the New York Yankees, left-handers batted .312 against him before he was released. The White Sox only care about what Myers has done for them as a lefty specialist. I think his performance here will outweigh his struggles with the Yankees this season.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 29, 2007 -> 12:44 PM) I don't think I can put into words how silly it would seem to me to be to put Mike Myers into next year's bullpen ahead of Boone Logan as our LOOGY with the way each of them has performed this year and the cost associated with both of them. They would probably tell you that Myers brings experience, and is strictly a specialst. Logan can make the team if he earns it.

I don't think the White Sox are going to overhaul their bullpen this off-season. We may see another veteran added, or maybe some more young arms acquired for competition, but it looks like we could have: Bobby Jenks Mike MacDougle - he's under contract Matt Thorton - he's under contract Mike Myers - he's been ok vs lefties, and the White Sox want some more experience in the pen next season Wassermann - most don't believe he's for real, but he'll be in the mix in camp Then we have a collection of maybe's in guys like Boone Logan, Nick Masset (who's now a starter), H.Phillips, Aardsma, Buckvich... I think, depending on Wassermann and Myers, we will have 2 or 3 spots open for competition/free agency/trades.... I can see a Garland trade where they get an experienced bullpen arm back, and then maybe some other moves where more competition is added, but I really can't see a brand new bullpen next season. I'd be satisfied if they can land a dependable setup option with experience, but it's hard to predict what these guys can do year to year, so even that's a difficult thing to acquire.

QUOTE(Mplssoxfan @ Sep 27, 2007 -> 07:27 AM) I'm not a fan, but did she make these comments during the Evening News or in another forum? It was in another forum.

Katie Couric speaking on Tuesday about Iraq: "Everyone in this room would agree that people in this country were misled in terms of the rationale of this war," said Couric, adding that it is "pretty much accepted" that the war in Iraq was a mistake. "I've never understood why [invading Iraq] was so high on the administration's agenda when terrorism was going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that [iraq] had no true connection with al Qaeda." Further, Couric said the Bush administration botched the war effort, calling it "accepted truths" that it erred by"disbanding the Iraq military, and leaving 100,000 Sunni men feeling marginalized and angry...[and] whether there were enough boots on the ground, the feeling that we'd be welcomed as liberators and didn't need to focus as much on security." She added "I'd feel totally comfortable saying any of that at some point, if required, on television." “The whole culture of wearing flags on our lapel and saying ‘we’ when referring to the United States and, even the ‘shock and awe’ of the initial stages, it was just too jubilant and just a little uncomfortable. And I remember feeling, when I was anchoring the ‘Today’ show, this inevitable march towards war and kind of feeling like, ‘Will anybody put the brakes on this?’ And is this really being properly challenged by the right people? And I think, at the time, anyone who questioned the administration was considered unpatriotic and it was a very difficult position to be in.”

QUOTE(Texsox @ Sep 24, 2007 -> 12:44 PM) Newt would be an interesting candidate. I think he would be about the smartest candidate in the GOP field. I think he'd be the smartest candidate in either party, but he's probably too polarizing. Given that the 3rd quarter is typically a tough fundraising period (when compared to the first two), there's no way in hell he comes close to that $30 million.

Group Points Out O'Reilly Race Comments After eating dinner at a famed Harlem restaurant recently, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly told a radio audience he "couldn't get over the fact" that there was no difference between the black-run Sylvia's and other restaurants. "It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun," he said. "And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all." O'Reilly said his fellow patrons were tremendously respectful as he ate dinner with civil rights activist Al Sharpton. The comments were made during O'Reilly's nationally syndicated radio broadcast last week. The liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America called attention to them by distributing a transcript and audio clip on the Internet. "This is nothing more than left-wing outlets stirring up false racism accusations for ratings," said Bill Shine, senior vice president for programming at Fox News Channel. "It's sad." O'Reilly spoke during a general discussion about racial relations with Fox News analyst Juan Williams. O'Reilly said he believed black Americans were "starting to think more and more for themselves" and backing away from a race-based culture encouraged by Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. He said he treated Sharpton to dinner to thank him for appearing on his Fox News Channel show. O'Reilly pointed to the lack of difference between Sylvia's and other restaurants as a marker of racial progress. He also noted that he went to an Anita Baker concert recently where the audience was evenly mixed between blacks and whites. "The band was excellent, but they were dressed in tuxedoes, and this is what white America doesn't know, particularly people who don't have a lot of interaction with black Americans," he said. "They think the culture is dominated by Twista, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg." Williams concurred that too many people believe there's little else in black culture beyond profane rap. "That's right," O'Reilly said. "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, `M.F.-er, I want more iced tea." Sharpton said he was taken aback that anyone would be surprised at how blacks acted at Sylvia's and will ask O'Reilly on "The O'Reilly Factor" Wednesday to explain what he meant. Nothing O'Reilly said at the dinner was offensive, said Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger. Karl Frisch, a spokesman for Media Matters, called O'Reilly's comments "ignorant and racially charged."

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 31, 2007 -> 09:45 PM) http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines No Sweeney because of too many outfielders. This is just comical right now. I guess we can't take away time from Erstad's spot-starts. This might be the least impressive list of call-ups any team will have. Shouldn't Sweeney have to earn the spot ? I understand that Erstad and Podsednik aren't part of next year's plan, but what has Sweeney done to deserve that opportunity ? With all the talk of signing a CF, and Fields most likely playing LF (and Dye in RF), Owens in at least one OF reserve, I don't necessarily see how's earned a spot unless he begins to play better, and there's only one left.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 2, 2007 -> 03:57 PM) All but 2 years of his career, Aaron Rowand has not been better than a #8 or so hitter in the AL. Then I'd question signing him to that sort of contract if you didn't think he'd be able to bat higher in the order. Can't our money be spent better than on a #8 hitter ?