NorthSideSox72

Carl Everett is innocent. There are no steroids in the Bible.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Dec 13, 2007 -> 12:43 PM) Yeah, but Clemens and Bonds are much, much better than McGwire and Canseco. If you don't vote those two in, you may as well skip the whole era. Agree they are much better. Disagree about skipping the whole era. As with any situation of analysis, you judge on the data in front of you. The data does not say all were tainted. It does say some people were. Your judgement is effected, for those people.

Look at the recent Hall votes for McG and Canseco. You bet your ass the Hall voters take this into account - in fact I think because Selig lacks testicular fortitude, the HOF voting may be the area MOST impacted by this report. Guys on that list like Clemens may suddenly have a hard time getting in.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 13, 2007 -> 11:25 AM) Please don't use Kenny going to Stanford as evidence he is smart. He went to play sports. He didn't graduate and I think was only there for a year or so. Stanford is not UNLV. Even the athletes that go there are going to be non-stupid. Its an elite school, and even a ballplayer going there will have to be above average academically.

Reason to doubt that list - at least one player's name is misspelled. I doubt that if this was taken directly from the report, that there would be any of those. Sox players from that list: Belle, Cordero, Canseco, Everett, Sosa Also, do you figure that the Jerry Hairston on that list is Sr or Jr? That list seems like all the obvious suspects to me. Therefore, I tend to doubt its the correct list.

QUOTE(ptatc @ Dec 13, 2007 -> 11:19 AM) They probably didn't consider either worth keeping. If Hernandez was protected, he probably would have been the one non-tendered instead of Gonzalez. Either way both would be gone from the system as it appears they have other plans for that roster spot. So it really doesn't matter who was protected and who wasn't, they were both on the bottom of the totem pole. I agree with them both being at the bottom. Though they couldn't have known for SURE then that they'd need the spot. I will try to stop beating this into the ground, and just say this. They are probably both nothing players in the grand scheme. But whereas Andy G had his shot at AAA and MLB and was miserable at both, Hernandez hadn't even had the chance to try it yet. So even if both are seen as marginal, to me, you keep Hernandez.

Mark Prior, huh? I had a feeling his name would come up.

QUOTE(ptatc @ Dec 13, 2007 -> 09:55 AM) Maybe because they didn't believe the guys taken in the Rule 5 draft were worth keeping. I do understand that you can't protect everyone. But I'd like to know why you choose to protect Andy Gonzalez over Fernando Hernandez.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 08:09 PM) Hey Northside -- can you be a pal and try actually reading what I wrote? Pretty please? I said this: "I guarantee Jerry Owens will NEVER have a season where he's a league average hitter or better in a significant amount of at-bats. " I'm sorry that you still believe when I say "league average hitter", you think that means batting average. I read, and took from it the most apparent meaning. league average, I figured, meant league AVERAGE. How silly of me.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 11:19 PM) I think it looks like the post-script to a failed FA signing. Or that. Still doesn't explain keeing Andy around. I just don't get it.

Wouldn't it be ironic, if the team signed Emil Brown, who basically lost his job at one point to Ross Gload?

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 09:07 PM) The Gonzalez thing is good, but could this have been done prior to the Rule 5 draft? Yes it could have. The Sox could have protected Hernandez, or signed Wing even. Either would have been better than Andy G taking up a slot. But, this sure does look like a prelude to a move.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 06:30 PM) I guarantee Jerry Owens will NEVER have a season where he's a league average hitter or better in a significant amount of at-bats. Now that's funny. You GUARANTEE that a rookie, who hit .278 in his 2nd half callup and .267 on the year, will NEVER hit for a .268 average? Saying you don't think he'll do better than that I can understand. Guaranteeing he will never add .001 to his average during his entire career is just hilarious.

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 04:39 PM) Josh Hamilton would be my number one anyways... unfortunately we haven't been linked to him. Luckily, that means nothing.

QUOTE(SoxFanInDallas @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 04:37 PM) Yeah? But how do you explain the approach to FA this year? Miss out on TH because outbid. Miss out on Rowand because don't want to pay that kind of money. Trade Garland to free up cash to sign TH, but still don't get him. The payroll is because of past spending, but I guarantee you they are thinking 'We spent a lot of money in the past. We need to reign things in this year.' Guarantee it, huh? And a top 5 payroll is small market, huh? Have you actually been watching the team? I would have liked Hunter or Rowand too, but at their contracts (particularly Hunter), if they signed one of them, the team would have been saddled with an albatross of a contract that could have made future years that much worse.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 04:26 PM) I just don't see how these negative attacks will help her. He admitted to drug use many years ago in his first book. Americans like to hear the truth and he hasn't lied about it or tried to cover it up. They probably won't work in the Dem primaries. But, I think the guy is right that this argument WILL play with a certain crowd in the full elections, should Obama win the nomination. Sad though it is. And I think he's trying to leverage it from that viewpoint - that Obama isn't electable in the national election. Nevermind that its Clinton and her super-high negatives that needs to be worrying about the national.

On the list of desired CF's, in order of preference... Hunter Fukudome Rowand Hamilton Ramirez Crisp Owens Pierre Yikes. Running out of possible improvement players.

Recap of the debate today in Iowa, the last before the caucus.

QUOTE(Cknolls @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 04:05 PM) Can you say MANIPULATION. Your random sentence fragments make for strange posts. What are you talking about?

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 04:08 PM) Clinton campaign is in complete desperation mode. This should guarantee her 3rd place finish in Iowa. http://tinyurl.com/2foztl *dons tinfoil hat* If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a back door way of painting Obama as the bad stereotype of a black male. /tinfoil

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 04:08 PM) Clinton campaign is in complete desperation mode. This should guarantee her 3rd place finish in Iowa. http://tinyurl.com/2foztl The Sqwert Returneth!

Hm. I was thinking, and hoping, he'd come here. But if its 5 years and huge money, maybe its best this way. Kenny, I'm hoping you can pull off something for Hamilton or Ramirez in CF. Or something no one has thought of. And please for the love of Mary, do not trade for Pierre.

For a 1 year deal, I think it would be worth considering.

QUOTE(lostfan @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 01:52 PM) Actually I'm a big Jerry Owens fan and I like what he brings to the lineup, I (like most) just don't feel like he's a reliable everyday MLB leadoff hitter, at least yet. And I don't want to pin all my hopes on him hitting his ceiling as a player. But you're probably right, at the pace he was going last year, he could EASILY have stolen 50 bases with a full season's ABs. If he was a better hitter and got on base at around a .370 clip, he could probably steal 70. But if this team did sign Rowand, who would lead off? Owens is really the only one... Cabrera is the next best thing but he really isn't a leadoff guy. We'd still be in bad shape. Having a prototypical leadoff hitter is nice, but I am more concerned with just improving the lineup overall. Rowand is a pretty big improvement over Owens, IMO. Cabrera can lead off.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 01:48 PM) Phil Rogers stating that the Cubs could possibly get Roberts for Gallagher, Petrick, and Murton. What in the hell makes Gallagher so attractive for the Orioles? He's absolutely awful. I think Gio, Richar and Uribe beats that offer.