NorthSideSox72

Sox weren't likely to do much before PK decided anyway, so the idea that the team is complete as-is has no foundation in reality. I suppose it is possible they make no more moves - but I'd say that is highly unlikely.

I'll be talking with Chris on Thursday (tomorrow). Last chance to get your questions in!

I've said before, I love his approach, and I think he's ready or nearly ready. But starting 2014 in AAA won't hurt.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 10:41 AM) Yeah, I had the same question. For which team might he be a fit? I personally think that's a bad idea, and not likely to happen. You'd have to ship some money with him, for one, which the Sox virtually never do. For another, despite people despising his K totals, he was one of the couple most productive hitters in the lineup. Finally, who plays DH instead as the starter? Konerko? Seems like a bad idea. Andy Wilkins? Dan Black? Even best case neither of those guys will touch Dunn's production, at least not in 2014. Keppinger? Ha!

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 10:06 AM) Yup. Yup? Like, yup, gonna happen? Or, yup, hope it happens?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 09:56 AM) Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine 2m Konerko was told that he would be a DH verses some Left handed pitching and help Abreau as a backup at first . Contract $2.5 That makes the most sense. And if they can resolve the other bench issues and maybe get rid of Keppinger, it actually looks like a good move to me. Giving Abreu a 120-130 game slate instead of 150 is probably a good idea in his first year, plus he can learn from Paulie. Paulie rakes lefties, Dunn doesn't. In a vacuum at 1B/DH, it is pretty perfect.

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 09:54 AM) I don't like Leury Garcia. Why is he going to be our utility IF? Because he is a plus defender for at least 2 skill IF positions and possibly a third, he's young and cheap, and needs more time to develop the bat. Also has plus speed, can PR well. Why don't you like him? He's pretty much the ideal utility IF.

I see these as the most likely next scenarios due to PK's return (assuming Dunn and PK stay with the team, which I think they will), in order of likelihood... 1. Keppinger and/or Gillaspie are traded, bench becomes Garcia, Danks, PK14, C 1a. If both are traded, Semien at 3B, else Semien at AAA 2. Sox break camp with only 11 pitchers, keep Keppinger. 3. A more major trade is coming involving Beckham or Alexei. 4. Dunn is traded.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 08:17 AM) The fact the website is largely working pretty well now is a pretty good argument that the problem wasn't 'government' or the concept itself, but that it should have been started 3-6 months earlier and then the roll-out would have essentially been fine. No, no, no. This was executive and administrative incompetence, period. I agree it is not an indictment solely of government, but the way the government does many things played a big hand here. I am not among those who say all things government are bad, or anything close to that. But this one is indeed a good example of problems caused by typical government thinking. The way the contracting process went, the way the rules were changing up to the last minute, the obvious lack of communication internally... this falls under corporate/executive control and government patterns.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 09:29 AM) Hopefully they use a righty/lefty platoon with PK and Dunn, with the occasional day off for Abreu. It is worth noting that the Cuban baseball season is only 90 games long. It probably isn't a bad idea to get the guy a day off every week to week and a half to make sure he doesn't crash at the end of the summer from fatigue. He doesn't exactly look like the most fit guy out there. That can work, and would likely be a formidible group. But you still need to have to cover the OF and skill IF positions with two guys, or alternately shorten up the bullpen to 6. I think more moves are coming.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 09:06 AM) Leury SS Sanchez 2B Semien 3B Morel- they probably don't care That looks right. But I have a feeling Keppinger or Gillaspie are gone. QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 09:07 AM) I think it would mean someone like the guy they claimed on waivers from Houston has a shot. I think Konerko gets Jordan Danks spot. You can plug infielders into the OF for a few innings if needed, but not the other way around. You can't go into the season without a 4th OF. They play a lot more than a few innings.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 09:06 AM) That actually makes a ton of sense. Sox would likely have to chip in a lot of his remaining deal. Agreed and agreed. This could make the whole thing more clear. Garcia and JorDanks as the non 1B/C bench can work.

Also, unless Gillaspie is moved, I think Semien is starting in AAA. And probably he should be, though I think he is very close to ready for MLB.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 08:54 AM) Yeah, I'm trying to figure this out also Starters: DH Dunn C Flowers 1B Abreu 2B Beckham SS Ramirez 3B Gillaspie OR Semien LF Viciedo CF DeAza RF AGarcia Bench: DH/1B Konerko C Phegley IF LGarcia OF Danks That squeezes out Keppinger unless you cut one from the pitching staff. This really does mess with the bench. I'd assume we're stuck with Keppinger, but he can't play SS, which means there is no backup shortstop unless Garcia is on the team. Seems at this point that either Keppinger is traded/released, or he learns to play SS. Or maybe, just maybe, they go with a 5 man bench and 6 man bullpen. I suppose that is possible. If they do, then it can work. What else am I missing? Is there some way to make the bench work otherwise? My instinct here is, there are a number of moves coming soon. Almost has to be the case.

Working on one more prospect interview before the end of the year: Chris Bassitt. Taking suggestions for questions to ask. Post here.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Dec 2, 2013 -> 01:43 PM) Jack Morris is solely on his epic post season performances. Don Mattingly simply because he played for the Yankees when the Yankees sucked. Partially true for Morris, though I think his overall case is pretty strong. Not at all true for Mattingly, at least for me, since I despise the Yankees.

I think Morris falls short, and they go Maddux, Glavine Thomas to get in. Too bad Dale Murphy dropped off, he's my crusade. My ballot would be: Maddux, Thomas, Glavine, Morris, Biggio, Raines, McGriff, Mattingly, Trammel, Martinez. Hard to leave it at 10, would love to add Smith, Mussina and Walker. Piazza is also an iffy case, PED-wise, so that's a tough one.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 29, 2013 -> 03:37 PM) http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/11/r...cation-notices/ NYC is about to do what we were promised every time weve compromised on guns would never happen. Never register, never buy at a place that requires a background check. Here comes the round up. Jurisprudence from Miller all the way to the most recent SCOTUS looks have all made clear that states and localities have the ability to pass laws regulating guns, including banning certain types of weapons. There are restrictions as to how far those can go, for example the recent City of Chicago cases which mean the end of their handgun bans. But there are still regulations that are allowed. This is not new. If the weapons to be confiscated are illegal, and have been illegal, and the law has standing (which it does), I fail to see how this is some scary government conspiracy to pry your guns from your cold dead hands. They are choosing to do targeted enforcement of existing laws. I do agree with you though about registration being a bad thing. I don't like it at all.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 26, 2013 -> 09:27 AM) http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/08...k-as-a-pitcher/ FS and Cubs Den had a brief back and forth, one of the CUbs Den writers said he found out later that report was exaggerated. More like 89-92, but with a potentially good breaking ball.

QUOTE (flavum @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 09:34 PM) Never heard of him, but he's had some number seasons in the past. Pitched a little for the Cubs org last year too. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/p...id=chavez001yoh Are you saying the Sox signed him? Or that you want them to?

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 04:30 PM) that's exactly my point. Really? Anyway, saying social security will be gone when you retire is only slightly less silly than suggesting we shouldn't use solar power because the sun could go supernova. Both are highly unlikely in your lifetime, and in both cases, if it happened, that means a lot of other things have gone horribly awry and none of it will matter.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 01:52 PM) It is also the spot where the team is deepest in the farm system. I'm not sure that is true anymore. That is stronger than some areas to be sure, but I think middle infield stands out as the strongest right now.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 10:28 AM) Can't give you advice on what kind of laptop to buy, be it Dell, Asus, Lenovo, etc...as depending on exactly which specification you go with, you may or may not like one model over another, and you may find others that recommend one over the other, but there will never be a standout opinion as to why one is better than the others. This is like Ford vs Chrysler vs VW, etc...they all have good models and bad, depending on which you choose...and even then, some people love their bad models. I'd simply say a few factors you should keep an eye on when it comes to laptops: battery life, weight, warranty, memory expandability, and screen resolution. Most modern processor/gfx specs will go hand in hand with the resolution your laptop can handle. Higher resolutions require better cpu/gfx hardware by proxy. As for Windows 7 vs 8, it's a daunting and sometimes confusing change, even for technically savvy people like myself. Windows 8.1 is slick, and looks very modern, not to mention it's fast and visually appealing, but say goodbye to everything you know about how previous versions of windows worked. The start bar, even in 8.1 is NOT the same as your old start bar. You can hack one back on, but if that's your goal, just use 7 instead of trying to work against how 8 was designed to work. A lot of things are not where they once were, and you will have to find them all over again. That said, most of what you need configured is rather simple to get going. IMO, 8.1 is STILL a work in progress. For example, it has 2 control panels, it shouldn't. They need to finish unifying everything. BUT, it is a very nice OS, and I'd recommending moving to it simply to stay current, even if it will throw you a few curveballs at first. Thanks. I actually work in software, but not PC stuff and I am not a hardware guy, so my knowledge is spotty. All the factors you mentioned are on my radar. As for 7 vs 8, I am leaning 7, as I still run XP on my current laptop and am comfortable with it. I haven't read anything about 8, tools-wise, that I'd be excited about or need to have. I'm a functional guy more than a form guy, and I don't do a lot of slick stuff. I email, web, MS office stuff, WebConnect to work, Quicken, occasional movies, iTunes, and basic photo stuff. The only "fancy" stuff I do is mapping software that I use for outdoor expeditions, and I will check with those guys to see what OS's they can run on.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 24, 2013 -> 09:31 PM) Oh, come on. Let's be honest. You just can't help yourself with me. Ok, you want the answer to why I don't feel I'm leeching the system? Very simple as well. 1) I'm not going to get social security, so I might as well get something out of the gov't seeing as how I'm paying for the retirement of all the baby boomers but won't see a dime of it myself. 2) If/When I become successful - whether in acting or otherwise - I'll be putting my money back into the system. And being as I'm a good person, if I ever had ANY semblance of notoriety I would absolutely use that power to help other people where and when I could. Does this happen for everyone? No. But people like JK Rowling for example are a perfect model of why government assistance can be a boon to society. It's a long term investment, and when it pays off, it pays off in a big way. where do you get the idea of #1? I mean, I'd like to see SS shored up too, and stop the practice of IOU's against it... but it will be solvent for a few more decades even without changes, and much longer with even small tweaks. And I don't believe there is any real chance they let it fail.

After researching my original plan of having a monster 2 TB base machine and then an advanced tablet to go around with... it is just too expensive and complicated to pull off. I won't bother downloading all my movies at this time. Instead, going to just get a new laptop, and a cradle/dock for it to live in when it is on the desk (the dock is key, so I don't have to re-plug power, two monitor cables, USB, etc. every time). Looking for a 1 TB (or even slightly less) laptop, something nice and light with a 15" screen or so (a little smaller even is fine), easy to get around, that responds quickly to being docked, and a blue-ray drive is a must. Any advice from people on laptop brands? I won't buy an HP again, period. Looked so far at Dell, Lenovo, Asus. Any advice on Windows 7 versus 8? Thanks!