NorthSideSox72

So now that oil prices are plunging even more than anticipated, this puts Saudi Arabia in an awkward position. The prices fell too fast, so other OPEC countries haven't dropped out as fully as they wanted. They are starting to implement budgetary changes that their populace won't like, in order to plug the gap. If they cut down supply now, it may not be enough to drive the prices back up in a big way anymore, so they'd just be throwing away money. If they keep up this path, they'll run out of cash quicker than planned. Not a great place for them to be.

Our latest player-written guest piece is from right-hander Brad Goldberg, who just graduated from Ohio State. What he covers is something a lot of minor leaguers go through, but you hear almost nothing about - trying to finish school while playing pro ball. It's a good read, he's a surprisingly good writer. By the way, for the prospect hounds, look at the photo I used for the article. Now go find pictures of him at draft time. He's dropped like 40 pounds, and by the way added quite a few clicks to his fastball this past season, so he may jump back onto the radar in 2016.

I'd have a hard time even listing them, so I'll do a slightly modified list... really good movies that get better the more often you watch them (not in order, just what pops into my head)... Jaws The Hunt for Red October The first 95% of The Abyss (I'm still bitter he had a fantastic film and stabbed it in the back with the super-goofy ending scenes) Sneakers Memento The Game The original Indiana Jones movie Inside Man The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Again, that's just off the top of my head, and specifically movies that I appreciate more and more over time, which I think is a hallmark of a very good film. But I'm also sure that other titles are slipping my mind that are even better.

I just can't understand Raines being left out again. Makes no sense to me. The other guys who missed I can see some sort of argument for why (even if I disagree), but Raines? Don't get it.

One of the great hilarities in this whole Oregon thing is, they are so focused on "unwinding" (their word) the land deals that ended in the current federal ownership of the NWR. This is laughable for so many reasons, but three primarily... 1. The federal ownership means ranchers get to lease the land for cheaper than it would be to maintain it if they owned it. So they mostly don't want to anyway! 2. If you want to "unwind" it to the first time the feds acquired it, you'd end up with a million-plus acre Indian Reservation (Pauite or Klamath I think, I read it this morning). That tribe now has a tiny fraction of that, a larger fraction is the NWR, and the rest did indeed go to private owners, so there is more private ownership today than historically. At no point, from what I've read, did ranchers ever legally own any land (in this case) that was taken by the federal government. So if their efforts succeeded, they would accomplish the opposite of what they supposedly want. 3. As stated already here, the locals they supposedly are standing up for don't want any of this. The whole thing is a farce. It's really about just one thing - they want less government presence. Which in itself isn't a problem- there are lots of good reasons for that. But these dolts are apparently, blissfully unaware of how things work, not to mention the whole armed sedition thing. If I was someone in favor of finding ways to roll back federal land ownership in the West, I'd be screaming at these morons to get off my side.

First big OF domino down. The other two should follow soon.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 07:33 AM) I wouldn't hold Edgar being a DH against him. It has been a position for over 40 years. And it isn't a position a lot of guys have been able to excel. Adam LaRoche isn't the first guy to struggle DHing. Voters need to deal with it. I do think, if you are going to hold guys out of the HOF on suspicion of PED use, however, he has to be on that list. You have to suspect based on the numbers. The bolded I have a problem with. I'm one of the people saying keep Bonds and Clemens out, but it's because there is significant evidence they used. Numbers are not evidence of anything - it's just too derivative. It's like saying someone was DUI based purely on the speed on a radar gun; yes the result is effected, but no, it doesn't work the other direction. It doesn't follow logically and doesn't stand up to typical legal scrutiny as useful evidence.

There were a number of White Sox major and minor leaguers playing in the various Caribbean Leagues this winter. The regular seasons are all over now, so here is a recap of how some of them did in the Islands.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 5, 2016 -> 01:32 PM) I really disliked that movie. Maybe I'm just used to him as a comedian. I liked it a lot. But it's quirky, I could see it being love or hate. I thought the three or four leads all put in great performances, and the storyline was fun.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jan 5, 2016 -> 01:06 PM) That puts him at the bottom of the top 1/4 of SS. That's what an org is looking for out of their top prospect? I'm looking for an all star, frankly. And if 3 WAR is what his is, that's certainly not worth the combined value of Montas, Thompson and Micah who will assuredly exceed that. (they'll likely exceed Frazier's WAR as well). Bottom of the top 1/4? That is a really tortured way to make a top quartile player sound somehow bad. You're looking for an all star? Yeah we'd all like that, but come on. He might become that, but you're dismissing him if he isn't an All Star makes zero sense. A 3 WAR/year shortstop for pre-arb dollars for three years and arb dollars another three is worth a heck of a lot. Of course we are talking prospects so one never knows, but Micah and Thompson are seen by a lot of people as not even major league starters. Montas is probably a reliever. I'll take that 3 WAR/YR shortstop every time.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jan 5, 2016 -> 09:45 AM) I should have put "scouts" in quotes, referring to how the board is generally dismissive toward all but the best prospects. I really wasn't referring to you. I appreciate and respect your hard work. Hopefully Anderson can develop some patience. That will be the difference between a great SS and another Alexei. No worries, just wasn't what you were referring to. Patience is a key for TA, but I think his defense at SS is even more important. That said, "another Alexei" would be fantastic.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 4, 2016 -> 06:53 PM) I can't stand Tarantino movies. Just like I can't stand Will Ferrell movies (where he is the main character). Have you seen Stranger than Fiction? Farrell's most subdued role, and IMO his best performance.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 5, 2016 -> 08:51 AM) I got the opposite impression of the teams. OU is more of a one man show, while KU is a better and deeper team. Hield is a monster and they are definitely more dominated by a single player. But OU also worked better as a team, in my view, and made the right use of the rest of the lineup. Kansas seemed too loose, and frankly, not as well coached. If OU gets more equal calls during regulation, it never goes to OT.

Who else watched any of the KU/OU game? I only caught most of regulation, missed the OT's and the end (and beginning) of regulation. Sure seemed to me (and I have no horse in this race) that KU was getting a lot of favorable help from the officiating crew. And were playing at home. I feel pretty confident this Oklahoma team is better than Kansas.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Jan 5, 2016 -> 07:46 AM) But dee turk err jarbs! For the most part, changes in the ranching and timber industries took the local jobs. Now, part of that is government regulation - that is a valid point. But here's the thing - the regulations that contributed to making it harder for timber and ranching jobs to stay as strong were not the designation of a wilderness area. In fact the opposite is true - all else equal, having slightly less land in circulation (in a state where there is still a metric ton of it everywhere open to grazing) would in fact only increase value from their operations as it removes some competition. There are valid concerns about the effect of federal land policy in the west having negative consequences for some industries. That's not some made up thing. but these guys have a really warped sense of how it works, and the locals know that which is why they have no interest in these actions.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jan 4, 2016 -> 09:39 PM) We'll see. The scouts on this board assured us he was a 4th OF. Who "assured" you of that? What I've said, and I've seen other FS writers say (if that is what you mean by "scouts on this board), is that he's a 4th OF right now for sure, with a chance for more. How much of a chance is debatable.

Blah blah blah Fox News, who cares which outlets are covering this more? Fox New is covering it, I've seen it. CNN and everyone else is too. I really don't think this matters. What matters is how to handle the sedition. I think the Feds are right to wait it out a bit, then go in carefully to negotiate these guys out. They're scum who should be federally prosecuted, but that doesn't mean you want a gunfight. Now, if this drags on for weeks or months, and all peaceful efforts fail, at some point, you need to go in there and get them out. Preferably you use tear gas or something and do an HRT-style thing as opposed to a military action. But I sure as heck wouldn't want to do anything that puts federal officers or soldiers in danger, so if it comes to that, these idiots in the refuge can go screw themselves. I have little sympathy for the outcome for them. The worst part of this is, the locals don't want them there, nor does the state, nor do the people they are supposedly acting on behalf of. They aren't patriots, they're thugs.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 4, 2016 -> 02:11 PM) NS, I feel like there was a lot of buzz around C Carlos Perez (?) in july of last year. Is he worth following? He is, but like a lot of guys from the 2014 and 2015 signing classes, we don't yet have a lot of scouting information to go on.

There's a crowd of interesting LatAm guys who, at least for me, are currently in the 20-40 range in the system - but with potential for much higher if things pan out. Guys like Amado Nunez, Fernando Tatis Jr, Franklin Reyes, Yosmer Solorzano, Johan Cruz and Maiker Feliz are all guys who will be in or close to the 15-30 range in our deeper list coming out soon. Add that to Adolfo, and that's a pretty nice talent pool. Doesn't even include some other guys lower down but also with potential, like Carlos Perez. This is what I mean when I say the "back end" of the list is filling in nicely. Johan Cruz is a guy who may even be in the mid-teens in the system.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 4, 2016 -> 10:39 AM) I was just wondering. I honestly had no idea if it was long enough or not, but I thought they might have been off of the rankings, even if they hadn't been dealt. Micah was still eligible as a prospect, barely. Same with Thompson.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jan 4, 2016 -> 10:02 AM) While I agree the elite talent drops off after 3, the system looks pretty well stocked with arms at this point and if they can add some solid upside with these 3 picks in the top 50 next season, the system will be looking pretty good. The depth of potentially interesting talent is still good, but that key T10 talent has slid back.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jan 4, 2016 -> 09:00 AM) For everyone that bashes our system, I think that's a pretty nice top 10. Eh, after the top 3, it's pretty mediocre. System has taken a step back since summer, due to graduations, trades, etc. Talent there, especially in the younger ranks, but weakened in the 4 to 15 range.

Not shocked at #10. Now #5, that to me is a huge reach.

QUOTE (HoosierCPA @ Jan 3, 2016 -> 09:14 PM) Long time reader, first time poster. Question for ya, if Micker Adolfo hadn't gotten injured, do you think he would have had a chance at Kannapolis? I just watched some scouting videos from the past few years and he definitely passes the eye test. He's already our #6 prospect and has had this written about him: "The White Sox have been rebuilding their Latin American program since a bonus-skimming scandal ruined it in 2008, and their biggest move since then came in July 2013. Chicago landed Zapata, MLBPipeline.com's No. 2-ranked international prospect, for $1.6 million. He's still just 18, and scouts inside and outside the organization speculate that he could have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 Draft if he were a U.S. high school senior." Also, can anyone shed some light into the "bonus-skimming scandal"? I also read Merkin's article and it looks like he might have the 'it' factor. Then again, we thought that with Gordon... Welcome aboard! I think Adolfo likely stayed in AZL either way. He wasn't lighting the world on fire, and was still just 18 and pretty raw. I also suspect he'll be in Ext ST and rookie ball again this year, though if he tees off he could maybe get a late taste at Kanny. The scandal they are referring to is the Wilder business. There have been many long articles written about it, and in fact this very website ended up being the outlet that "outed" the federal investigation into Dave Wilder (that's a story in itself). In short, Dave Wilder was KW's main man in LatAm, and it turns out him and some of his guys were doing a lot of bad things. Skimming bonuses over the top of LatAm kids, inflating scouting reports to get more money, falsifying ages, etc. Wilder is now in jail I believe. It absolutely racked the White Sox LatAm operations, to the point where from about 2007 to 2011, the pipeline was virtually dry. That's a killer in the modern game. Things have improved a lot the last few years.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 3, 2016 -> 03:47 PM) The FBI's definition of domestic terrorism: "Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law; and Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S." https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/te...rism-definition Seems pretty much in line with the bolded. FBI's definition will at all times be broad, though the actual definition is narrower, by the nature of the role of the FBI. Dictionary definition of terrorism: 1. the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal 2. the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Dictionary definition of sedition: 1. the crime of saying, writing, or doing something that encourages people to disobey their government 2. incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority The latter, to me, is much more accurate in this scenario. It is less terror and fear within "the people", and more rebellion against government. I can see your point, but to me, this is sedition.