NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 01:45 PM) I sure hope Tyler Flowers can hit because this is one of those offseasons where the Sox are doing nothing. Keppinger for Youkilis is a blah move on paper. And Flowers for AJP is a downgrade as well, except for defense. And AJ's throwing ability was better last season for whatever reason. Looking at minor league numbers for Flowers, knowing he'll get regular reps, and looking at AJ's career numbers and his age... I'd say there is a pretty good chance Flowers hits as well as AJ does overall in 2013. Might not happen, call it 50/50. And "except defense" is kind of a big deal for catchers. Also, AJP's throwing really wasn't much better - pitchers adjusted on the Sox is primarily what happened. All this for $500k instead of $4-5M. And Keppinger for Youk is probably a downgrade offensively (but not necessarily - Youk may be fading, and Keppinger is just coming into his own), but an upgrade defensively, and freed up some $8M for using elsewhere on the team. Also, you aren't just going Youk to Keppinger - you are going Morel/Hudson/Youk to Keppinger, when looking at season-over-season. That is probably an upgrade.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 11:33 AM) Solar Panels For Every Home I've said a zillion times before... a distributed system like this makes a ton of sense. I'd love to see that any money going to Alt Energy rebates and deductions and what not, go to the utilities for load balancing transferrance systems, but the money for actual solar cells should be targeted at homeowners and businesses. Whenever my current house reaches a point where we need to re-do the shingles, I'll be looking seriously at solar shingles. Their technology has come a long way, and they actually look like normal roof shingles now. Plus ComEd does net billing too.

I've worried about this before, with my Sox season ticket group. We end up selling about half our tickets in any given year. Some to friends, and on sites like this one... but probably about 30% of the games, we sell via Stub Hub. Hopefully they don't consider us to be scalpers.

Just to throw a wrench into the catchers' market... multiple reports on Twitter are indicating a possible problem with the Napoli signing. Could be nothing, could be a deal modification due to a medical report find, could be the deal falls through. But that would change things.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 12, 2012 -> 01:33 AM) James Bond movies are supposed to be fanciful and outlandish. They've gotten rid of that. I haven't seen the one that is out now, but I've seen all the rest... and that is one of the few things I' dsay they have definitely kept. Did that suddenly vanish in the new one?

QUOTE (YASNY @ Dec 12, 2012 -> 01:10 AM) Youk filled the role he was acquired to fill for the time he was expected to fill it. Thanks Youk and good luck. That pretty much says it. Youk was a ringer, and he did the job asked of him. Beyond that... see ya later.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Dec 12, 2012 -> 07:53 AM) I don't know who TDog is but he has posted minor league news (I think promotion-type stuff) before it was reported by the media. He knows his stuff. He could even be a minor league player. I'll echo this. TDog has shown multiple times before to be in the know, specifically about Charlotte players. That said, FS is trying to get confirmation via the Knights, but haven't heard back yet.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 01:03 PM) LOL, 45 huh? When are the next 20,000 letter going out? The entire ticket base is scalpers. 45 accounts, some of which hold as many as 40 seats. Probably a thousand seats they are talking about here.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 09:28 PM) It was a very flat story; too bare-bones to be a James Bond movie. The Bourne movies have been better. Too flat and bare-bones a story... and the Bourne movies have been better? I hope those two lines weren't supposed to be related. I enjoyed the Bourne movies, but the story lines are as simple as they come.

People seem to be conflating "Republicans" with "The national Republican Party leadership". Not the same thing.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 04:27 PM) Every year people think the Sox will have a good bullpen and it annually sucks. Sox don't have any reliable relievers who get on a roll where they are unhittable. We're dead if our starters come out in the sixth cause that means way too many relievers will pitch that night. If the Sox go with 4 relievers on a given night you can bet one or two of them will suck. What are you talking about? The Sox bullpen has been a strength most years, for a number of years. 2012 was a down year... with a handful of guys that wite mentioned that won't be around doing much of the damage, and oh-by-the-way throwing 10 rookies out there. Guys like Reed, Jones, Omogrosso, etc. are very likely to improve. Crain is pretty reliable, year in and year out. Veal was a revelation. The only guy who looks likely to return right now is Thornton, who may very well get traded. QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 04:31 PM) I like Reed very much. The rest of our relievers I personally believe are blah. I simply hate Jones' delivery. Reed struggled a lot more than Jones last year, in my view. But they are both young.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 09:34 PM) Jose Lopez is still with the Sox? Cool. Actually he isn't, as far as I can tell. I think he is a free agent. But as he hasn't yet signed anywhere else, I figured I'd throw him in there.

If AJ can be had on a 1+1 type deal, in the range of $5M per or less... then I think you have to jump at that. You platoon him with Flowers. AJ plays 2/3 at first, and slowly change it as needed or based on how they are doing. Get Flowers some DH chances here and there to increase AB's. if AJ doesn't fade, then it was just another year to get Flowers a little more playing time. If Aj fades, then it becomes Flowers 2/3 by the end of the year.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 01:54 PM) FWIW, I am pretty sure Flowers wasn't going to play winter ball because of his injury. Also Anthony Carter signed with the Red Sox after the White Sox released him from the 40 man roster. I thought Flowers was going to play, just starting late. And I forgot about Carter. QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 02:43 PM) Conor Jackson signed a minor league deal with Baltimore I didn't have any idea what Jackson's deal was, so I figured I'd put him in there. Thanks.

Updates on a few players so far down south (be wary of small sample sizes here)... VENEZUELA... Carlos Sanchez (6 games, 17 AB): .353/.421/.529/.950 Brandon Short (7 G, 25 AB): .160/.192/.280/.472 Jose Martinez (16 G, 51 AB): .275/.315/.353/.668 Ray Olmedo (24 G, 44 AB): .182/.234/.205/.472 Miguel Gonzalez (30 G, 66 AB): .273/.380/.364/.743 Jose Lopez (34 G, 131 AB): .290/.369/.420/.789 Hector Gimenez (24 G, 92 AB): .261/.349/.478/.827 Ryan Kussmaul (6 G): 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K ***Dan Remenowsky and Wilce Nieves are on rosters in VZ, but haven't appeared yet DOMINICAN... Conor Jackson (3 G): .400/.455/.700/1.155 Leyson Septimo (6 G): 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K Santos Rodriguez (6 G): 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Jhan Marinez (11 G): 7.2 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 7 K ***Tyler Flowers and Juan Silverio are on rosters but haven't played yet PUERTO RICO... Hector Santiago (5 G): 29 IP, 22 H, 6 ER, 13 BB, 24 K Anthony Santiago (3 G): 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K Anthony Carter (10 G): 12.2 P, 13 H, 6 ER

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 07:02 PM) Ugh. This coming from the guy who, about Rob Mackowiak, was quoted as saying, "Everyone thought we got him as an insurance policy for Joe Crede at third base, but you know what? This guy can really play some center field.'' Hahn said that?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 07:59 AM) If the Sox are going to significantly improve the bullpen, it will happen because guys like Reed, Jones, Veal, Omo, etc., are no longer rookies. Thank you - that is what I was getting at. I see lots of reason to believe the bullpen improves - because it was the most rookie-heavy pen in all of baseball. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 08:02 AM) Our bullpen was almost entirely rookies for good chunks of the season as well. I am also curious who this mystery "veteran arm who might close" is? Adams is the guy I've seen talked about, but who knows who else they may be shopping for. I just don't see it as a good use of resources, unless they are just not able to upgrade elsewhere at all.

Rumor posted that Charlie is headed to Korea for professional baseball in 2013. Working to get confirmation from the Knights.

For the majority, who fit here.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 04:17 PM) What SP depth? Look around the league. Might only be a few other teams with as much, or more, starting depth than the Sox have. I know you have a hard time believing that, but in case you need more proof... notice that when GM's call the Sox, they are calling about the pitching depth. Are they all blind?

Parents and sister were all Cubs fans, grew up north side... but my grandfather (Dad's side), who died 9 months before I was born, was a big Sox fan. My father was always concerned about my sister and I growing up in the bubble of the north suburbs, so we went to the city a lot, and would take trains or drive surface streets from Wilmette. And he made sure we saw one game a year each at Wrigley and Comiskey. At some point in the late 70's or maybe very early 80's, I chose the Sox, and I don't remember why. But Carlton Fisk, and then the 1983 team, really iced it for me. It was all about geography. My grandfather lived in Englewood, and my father was born there too, but they moved up to the NW side when my Dad was about years old (when the neighborhood changed dramatically). So for my grandfather, he was a south side guy, so he was a Sox fan. My Dad mostly grew up north side, so he was a Cubs fan.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 08:41 AM) Would you disagree that part of the reason why the bench was weak was that the guys on it never got playing time? That was my impression for a chunk of the year too. I agree with this an harped on it all year... but there is a circular argument here. Did they not play much because they weren't good options, or were they not good options because they didn't play enough? By bolstering the bench for 2013, Hahn ends the cycle, and we're see if Robin learns a lesson.

Upgrading the pen with a more experienced arm isn't a bad thing, but it should be way down the list of priorities.

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Dec 8, 2012 -> 09:03 AM) I would think that's largely due to the ticket policy for the postseason. Whatever the reason is, it's great news. No. The Sox sent out playoff ticket invoices in 2011 and 2012, since they were in theoretical contention both times. Still had to pay for playoff tickets to keep your spot, both years. Some of it may be what others said earlier, the less die-hard crowd may have been bigger the year before. But I doubt it was THAT much so. 90%+ vs 50%+ is a huge difference. And that doesn't include all the new plans people are buying. I'm starting to think the season ticket base may actually grow a fair amount for 2013. I think the lowering of ticket prices is working.

Thanks everyone!