NorthSideSox72

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 06:55 PM) I don't think so. If the US pulls out early AQ could claim victory and show that US will abandon you, so do not dare oppose AQ or any terrorist group. That's a good point, as I am sure they would spin things either way to look good. But ultimately, blood on the streets is better for them than a victory, in my view.

And sure enough, Senator Craig has filed to withdraw the plea. Again, this is a legal manuever that very rarely succeeds. And I don't see how he can convince the judge that he was somehow a victim of panic or intimidation, when there was a month and a half between the arrest and his plea adjudication. This dude is just making life difficult for everyone around him at this point.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 02:49 PM) LOL. If you are going to pander, at least pander right! Yeah, while I am proud of Richardson on a personal level for pointing that out, I don't think it will help him politically.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 02:18 PM) You could be right about pursuing more bench strength. However, I think Cintron is just fine playing the role he was supposed to play and that's back up 2b and SS. You won't get a .300 average/30 homer man on the bench. Guys like Alex and Gonalzez and Pablo were signed to fill in as needed and not play everyday. Of course that isn't to say we don't need better or wouldn't benefit from better. Bourgeois could fill the same role, probably provide both better offense and better defense (I admit I know little about his D, but he is athletic enough to play all over the field and Cintron is awful), and for a lot cheaper.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 02:20 PM) Leave it to the bloggers to provide a little more information on this... http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/drilling-for-justice.htm Hopefully, as time goes on, more of the people in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries will realize how inhumane their government would be if it was allowed to be guided by such absurdly hard-line principles as those promoted by AQ and the like. That could make things much, much better all over the world.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 02:15 PM) So, who said this? What does that quote have to do with evidence of the surge actually working? I'm going to guess that some Democrat said that, and that it somehow justifies your anger that they changed their mind. That does nothing to address the issue of the surge and security, which is what Sqwert was talking about.

In case some weren't aware, there was a debate on Sunday, which was translated to Spanish and focused on issues effecting Hispanics, among the Dem candidates. The GOP apparently turned down an offer to have a similar debate. One interesting thing not noted in the MSM about the debate, but brought up here - the two candidates who actually speak Spanish (Richardson and Dodd) were specifically prohibited from doing so during the debate. This caused an interesting turn - Richardson accused Univision of an English-only bias.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 01:21 PM) I think baseball needs to just purge all this at once. Dump as much as they know, get aggressive and put it to bed. The public will get over it. A couple years of this b.s. is the alternative. QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 01:35 PM) With a complete lack of cooperation this is how we are going to get our news, which is way worse for baseball, because instead of one big headline, it is headline, after headline, after headline... That about sums it up. It would be great if MLB just brought the FBI in and said "clean up this house". But that ain't gonna happen. Instead, baseball will limp along like this, unless/until attendance starts dropping (or TV ratings). Then and only then, the owners may force the issue.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 12:50 PM) Alex Cintron for Jeff Bajenaru. I think we were all pretty thrilled with that one. Troy Glaus for Orlando Hudson and Miguel Batista. Yeah, I do remember being surprised the Sox landed Cintron for Baj. Uh oh.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 01:52 PM) IMO, the money will simply not be right. The only way I think that the money for either of those 2 would make sense is if we could deal Garland and pick up a young SS like Hu, Escobar, or Aybar. But then again, I still say priority #1 is a new SS. I tend to agree that SS should be first priority. If Crede is healthy, then the OF (with Fields in it) is set at the corners, and CF is the question mark. But, if Crede is not going to be healthy and ready, then that causes a problem, and the OF suddenly becomes more important. In any case, all the more reason to settle the SS position first.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 01:06 PM) Just to add ot the discussion, I piled up all of the cumulative OBP's this year by people with at least 250 at bats in the leadoff spot. If Jerry Owens could put up a .350 OBP for a full season, with his speed, that would put him IMO well into the group of "Better leadoff hitters" in the league. He'd be in the upper half of OBP, and his speed would be making up for some of the lack of slugging. But of course...that is a big if. But then again...if the other options are things like they would have been last year...spending $10 million a season on a Dave Roberts or on a Juan Pierre (.323 OBP this year)...you can guess which option I think would be the bigger gamble. That's kind of what I was thinking. I'd sure rather see Hunter/Rowand out there patrolling CF, if the money is right. but if its not, or if it means spending $10M on a Juan Pierre, I'd much rather stick with Owens.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 12:48 PM) I'll repeat what I've said several times -- if Jerry Owens is a starter on Opening Day for the 2008 White Sox, something will have gone horribly, horribly wrong this winter. And if, by saying"Owens will probably do OK", you mean that Owens will hit .260/.315/.300, that's fine. I don't consider that "okay". That's awful, and it's keeping the same BS low standards we've had since Podsednik came aboard. And no, Owens hitting .260/.315/.300 wouldn't be acceptable if he was hitting ninth, either -- we're already going to be carrying one (relatively) weak bat next season at 2B in Richar, we can't afford another. Richar is, or should be, our one and only "experiment" for 2008 -- the other spots need to be filled with good prospects (like Josh Fields) or solid FA performers (Andruw Jones). Like I said, I certainly prefer other players to Owens. But when I say "OK", I am saying I think Owens can get on base at a .330-.350 clip, which is only slightly higher than what he is doing since his July callup (which is .327). Add to that some significant speed and basestealing talent, and good defense in CF (other than a sub-standard arm), and if he is your Plan C or D, that ain't too bad. Let's just hope we don't get to Plan D. That seems to be where we differ - you think he can get on base at .315, I think he can do 20 or 30 more points than that in his first full season. His hitting keeps improving, and he is taking more walks also. That isn't spectacular, but a significant improvement from what we've gotten out of the position in recent years (especially when you tack on the stolen bases). And I disagree with whomever said he isn't a CF. He looks pretty decent out there to me, and his arm has been bothered by a slight injury. He's is certainly no Rowand or Hunter or Anderson, but he's about league average and he's improving as time goes on.

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 12:06 PM) Indy 4 has a title: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. It was annouced during the VMA's last night by Shia Lebouf, but has since been confirmed. Here is the annoucement on the official web-site: http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html And here's the logo: I'm sitting on the fence right now...I don't know what to think. What a horribly bad title.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 12:00 PM) Probably the worst thing that could happen for this team. Oh come on now. I know people here aren't big Owens fans for the most part, but jeez, the guy has done pretty well since his recent call-up, continues to improve his hitting and has been a pleasant surprise on defense. It amazes me that people wanted BA to keep playing all year while never reaching .200, and some of those same people wrote off Owens before he even got here (despite that he has been far more productive than Anderson was his first year). Believe me, I'd rather have Rowand or Hunter or someone else high caliber out there in CF in 2008, and have Owens as the 4th OF, if that situation can work. But if we can't get that done, I think Owens will probably do OK in a full season out there. He would probably be better than we got out of the CF position offensively in 2005, 2006 or 2007.

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 10:34 AM) Actually what gets it in front of people is the Sox' advertising budget, whether the agency is big or small (and what media they intend to buy). I don't understand why a local team would need a large agency like BBDO. That is only partially true. A firm like BBDO will have access to certain media at a negotiated rate, whereas a smaller firm wouldn't, and might not get access at all. This depends of course on how the Sox handle their marketing (meaning, how directly they channel it). Also, by broad appeal, I didn't mean outside the Chicago area necessarily. I meant broader advertising bandwidth locally. More types of media, more types of advertising, more targetted stuff. Maybe I wasn't clear on that. And by the way, at this point, the Sox are not looking to advertise to you. You are not the target audience for ad campaigns. You as a relatively involved fan already are more sensitive to the product on the field, conditions at the park, price of tickets, etc. Those are not part of the advertising campaign (that is a different part of marketing). The ad campaigns are targeting new, marginal or casual fans. So its their opinions that matter, not ours.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 10:51 AM) Kap is correct in questioning every bit of information especially polls. Bottom line is, it makes perfect sense to me that the average Iraqi does not want a war in their living room. Duh. Pick the worst neighborhood imaginable in the US. Then start bombing it, have an army tossing grenades and other weapons around, and tell me the average citizen will think it's better. They are now living in a war zone with a foreign country controlling their lives. Well duh they are unhappy. Back to the good news - bad news thing. The "out party" always benefits from bad news. Nixon benefited from Vietnam f*** ups. Reagan benefited from Iran seizing hostages. Clinton benefited from Bush problems. Questioning is all good. Kap isn't questioning here - he is saying its B.S. because somewhere, someone might have a counterpoint. In that way, anything anyone ever says can be made into a pile of steaming crap. It makes it pointless to have a discussion about it. If there is a counterpoint, let's see it. Instead of just immediately saying its B.S.

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 10:08 AM) LOL! Talk about re-arranging the deck chairs. When I first heard this I thought: huh? I think the Sox ad campaigns over the past few years have been brilliant, especially the ads this year with the super-slo-mo black and white photography. If there was one thing I WOULDn'T change, it'd be the ad agency. You know, if it ain't broke.... Thumbs down on this boneheaded idea. I tend to agree that the current firm, and for the last few years, has done some very slick work. So I'll miss that. But, keep in mind, a huge part of advertising isn't the quality of the product - its how many people it gets in front of. BBDO being a larger firm probably excels at getting better reach. So I guess I'm on the fence on this one - let's wait and see what things look like.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 09:43 AM) Let's say for argument sakes that 20/25 of those players on the active roster (before September 1st) return. I'd consider that a significant amount. Now, let's put it together -- perhaps we'll have a new SS and CF, UTL MIF, a bullpen arm, and maybe one additional SP if Garland or Contreras is traded. This is fairly accurate, wouldn't you say? I don't believe such changes would be enough to compete for a playoff birth. It's going to be quite funny to listen to management try and convince Sox fans they're going to contend next season. That's why I believe Williams is only digging himself further into the ground. He would be better off rebuilding with the few players who hold value rather than giving everyone the impression this team will compete, then when they don't, having to look ridiculous. Atleast we'd expect hardships with a rebuilding effort. What will the excuse be in 2008 if it's similar to this season? Reading articles which suggest David Eckstein is our number 1 offseason target is ridiculous. So is overpaying for Torii Hunter or Aaron Rowand. We're in a real bind. Only way we're getting talent is trading SP prospects, which is not the way to go with an organization void of many high ceiling players. 1. 20 players won't be back. From the current 25, I can name 7 players highly unlikely to return: Cintron, Uribe, Bukvich, Podsednik, MMac/Thornton (one of the two), Garland, Gonzalez. Then you can pretty much figure that one or two others will go in trades, that aren't what people thought - could be Contreras, Hall, heck anyone else really is possible. That is 9+ guys right there. 2. You are forgetting that they already moved numerous players from the roster that weren't contributing when the team fell out of contention - Gooch, various relievers, etc. That's another few. 3. Making changes at the biggest holes - SS, CF, maybe RP... those are the places that changes have the biggest value. If for example they made major upgrades to SS, CF and one RP spot... those 3 changes alone can make a huge difference. Sometimes, just a couple or three guys can be a big change. 4. Your constant diatribe about the lousy farm system is really only accurate for position players. This organization has quite a bit of pitching talent depth. It would be hard to believe that KW and Co wouldn't leverage that this offseason to start getting more position player prospects. Add that to the fact that a number of our draftees from this year are already doing well at GF or elsewhere in the system (Gallagher, Miranda, etc.), plus the very high draft pick they are likely to get in 2008, and now it looks like they are actually improving things. I know that may be hard for you to believe, but the signs are there. 5. Are you seriously going to convert a sports writer's comments about Eckstein being "target #1" into fact? Despite the fact that there are all sorts of indications that they are aiming much higher than that? 6. None of this even touches on the fact that they organization KNOWS that attendance will take a hit in 2008 - its just a question of how much of one. And they aren't going to sit idly by and watch that revenue slink away. For these and other reasons it seems obvious to me the organization is going to make a lot of significant changes this offseason. Now, as to whether or not those changes result in a contender in 2008, I can't even guess at that until the dust settles.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 09:28 AM) I emailed the Bristol beat writer twice (once I posted in here, and another time about 2 weeks ago), and both times, he said Lin was in the mid 80's. Oh yeah, I see that now. Sorry, missed that somehow. Well, maybe they can put this 20 year old on a strength program for the offseason.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 09:28 AM) And quite a few accounts on the ground counters that OPINION poll. It just depends on where you are. But hey, if these further your cause, then it must be true. I haven't seen anything positive yet that wasn't scrubbed. All I've seen and read, including Nuke's posts, suggests that some areas are getting better, but others are getting worse. They are just moving from one place to another. Also, Sqwert provided an actual poll. Where are these "quite a few accounts" you refer to countering that opinion? And I don't mean quotes from administrators that have been scrubbed by 10 layers of federal eyes.

The White Sox have chosen a new ad agency of record - BBDO Chicago. This is interesting because, as I recall, the Sox had been working with a small local firm called TwoByFour (the ones who came up with all the grinder stuff, and some of the cool posters and what not). Now, they have elected to go with a large firm with national name recognition (though still a Chicago firm). Seems maybe they are thinking bigger ad budget in 2008? Probably will need it.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Sep 8, 2007 -> 10:04 PM) Iowa might beat ISU by 142 next week. Seriously, this Chizik guy seems to be doing his best Jim Walden impersonation.

If that is true of the D-Backs, then I like them even more. I've been following them a lot the last couple years anyway, they've sort of become my 2nd favorite team. This just reinforces it.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 06:40 PM) nearly the entire roster will be back. I'd wager against that.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 09:12 PM) Lin doesn't have a chance if he is in the middle eighties in the minors. I haven't been able to find anything about his velocity this year at Bristol. We all know he was touted as low 90's with ridiculous movement, then showed up in ST with low 80's. The question is, given his success at Bristol, did he find some velocity again? If anyone has any info on his speed during the season, that would be great to have.