NorthSideSox72

With the season over, Rangel Ravelo never made it back to the team. He stated the season on a tear (see above updates), dropped off precipitously in June/July, and then went on the Restricted List for the remainder of the season for personal reasons. I am trying to find more information on this, but as it is personal in nature, I am not going to share all of what little I know. Rangel finishes the year with a .290/.343/.397/.739 slash line, a very good contact rate (11.5% K/PA), and a .053 Iso OBP at age 20 in Low A. But it is impossible to predict his future at this point, due to the personal leave. Hopefully things work out well for him, and he can get back to the game.

End of 2012... Keegan's numbers in 2012 are a study in contrasts. His control is superb, and that is not an exaggeration: he posted a 0.7 BB/9 rate, which is almost impossibly low. He also posted a nice 1.69 GO/AO, so he's getting some ground balls. And as illustrated in the above post, when he is getting hit around, its a lot of ground balls that may be more on the defense than his pitching. On the other hand, he did give up a .306 BAA (had to say how much of that goes to the ground ball issue, without knowing the LD% or BABIP, which I can't find), and as you would expect with that number, his ERA was also on the high side at 4.78 (though in a hitters' league where sub-4 ERA's are uncommon for starters). His K/9 rate was 6.5, which went down from his numbers at Bristol. Given the organization took this 38th round pick reliever, and converted him to a starter, it appears they may see some potential here. The ground ball rate and excellent control are also things the team development people like to see. I'd guess he'll be in the starting rotation for Low A Kannapolis in 2013, as a 24 year old. The leap from short season Rookie ball to full-season A ball is one of the two "big leaps" (along with A+ to AA), so we'll probably get a much better idea of Linza's potential next season.

End of 2012 update... Brandon had already pitched 108.1 innings before the draft, so he wasn't used heavily at Great Falls in his draft year season (14 games, 37.1 IP). Pitching in a hitters' league, he put up a decent 7.5 K/9 rate, and a very nice 2.80 GO/AO. His walk rate (3.8 BB/9) is maybe a little high, but it improved as the season went on, posting a 4.9 in July, and a 3.5 in August/September. He also increased his GO/AO (2.50 to 2.91) and decreased his BAA (.314 to .280) in that same split, though his K rate dropped off - this trend seems to indicate he was attempting to refine his control. Brandon had only 1 year of college experience going in and started the season as a 20 year old, so he was considered pretty raw. Considering that, I'd call his season a success. A couple publications have him on the Top 20 or 25 radar among Sox prospects. He will likely start 2013 as a 21 year old in Low A Kanny, for his first year of full season ball. I think that's when we'll get a good idea of what Brennan brings to the table.

End of 2012 season update... Dan put some miles on the road this year, bopping back and forth between B-Ham and Charlotte. His last stint at AAA he only had two appearances: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K. His overall numbers at AAA were an improvement over his 2011 stint there, lowering his ERA from 4.40 to 3.86, his BB/9 rate from 3.8 to 2.1, and increasing his K/9 rate from 7.8 to 9.0 while maintaining an almost identical WHIP. They did hit him a bit more often, with a .310 BAA. But overall, his 2012 season was a definite improvement over 2011. His AA numbers were also improved, where he posted a sub-1 WHIP, a miniscule .138 BAA, and continuing striking out more than a batter per inning. You have to think that Remenowsky will start 2013 in Charlotte, given he has nothing to prove in AA and has shown improvement in AAA. He's also going to turn 26 during 2013's season. 2013 will be Dan's 6th year in the minors, so if I understand the rules correctly, he can become a minor league FA after the season. If things go well for him in spring camp in 2013, depending on how the relievers with the big club fall out, he may have an outside shot at making the team. But more likely he'll be in AAA again... and if he can do well there, he's got a decent chance of being a call-up sometime during the season, as the Sox always end up calling up at least a few relievers.

End of 2012 season update... Mark had an interesting season. He opened strong and kept it up pretty well, but had a hamstring injury on 7/10 that put him on the DL for 3 weeks. Prior to the DL stint, he had posted a .322/.403/.466/.868 line, pretty much in line with his first year in 2011 at Great Falls. The biggest knock on him in the scouting reports had been his strikeout rate, but he was keeping that under control this year at about 18% K/PA (vs a 23% number last year). He also increased his walk rate, raising is Iso OBP from .063 to .082. He did fall back a bit in his brief 3 weeks in August at Kanny, after not playing for three weeks, and his final line was .306/.388/.434/.822. Things got interesting late in the year. He was promoted to High A Winston-Salem on 8/27, when the slot opened up with Trayce Thompson's promotion. Then after playing in just 4 games, he was promoted yet again, to AA Birmingham. He only got into 5 games there. It is hard to tell if those promotions (which were primarily due to the movement of higher level prospects) might also mean the organization sees him moving up faster. He was 24 this year, which is a little old for Low A, but not as much at High A, and right in line for AA. Where will he be next year? With the Sox moving up some outfielders very quickly, and with Mark's improved performance and his age, it is possible he starts in AA B-Ham for his age 25 season. But he could also be in High A. Where he ends up may tell us about how the org views him.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 14, 2012 -> 08:36 AM) Here's a good summary of the federal education data. Edit: Same data basically, more graphs. Not a single piece of data in either article deals with what I was talking about. What I've been saying is, the gap (in my view) seems to be widening between haves and have-nots in terms of educational achievement/performance. The meaningul data there, if there is such data (I can't really find it), would be to show how test scores (and/or other measures) have done in the well-off public schools, versus the poor public schools.

If you skip Sale's start to put him Monday, then you have one less Sale start this season. And one more start from the Liriano/Axelrod/Santiago slot. Kinda need that extra win right now, so... pitch him tonight and get a W.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 05:10 PM) Actually, this is kinda not true either. The gaps between the haves and have nots have actually narrowed with time...although to my eyes this is mostly because we've narrowed the racial and gender gaps in performance somewhat, and for now that has overwhelmed the expanding inequality elsewhere. Narrowed? I'm not seeing it. Can you show me?

Radar projection from weather.com makes it look like this rain band will hit around 7:30pm, and stick around until about 9pm. Doesn't look super-heavy though.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 03:55 PM) Dayan. I'd be OK with that. Wise in LF, Johnson DH, Dayan sitting for maybe a PH chance against a lefty late in the game.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 03:58 PM) Good. Can't hurt. Sure it could. May still be a good idea, but, every time we pour more money in, we increase the size of the inflation snap-back later. Although "later" keeps being pushed out because the growth is so slow at this point.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 03:57 PM) Without even going to the anecdotes, nationwide, test scores, graduation rates, and general performance indicators have been rising for a couple decades now. May not be rising as fast as we'd like them to be, but "the public school systems are going downhill" isn't well supported. Yeah, as I said, I think more than anything we are seeing a greater divide in education results, between haves and have-nots. Similar to the income gaps increasing, with the middle thinning out.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 03:32 PM) I see Dan Johnson is punished for reaching 3 out of 4 times yesterday. D-Wise is the only guy with an average higher than .260 vs Verlander. So really, you'd have to sit De Aza or Rios to have it make sense for Johnson to DH.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 02:53 PM) What does "choke" mean. Isn't it just a matter of opinion more or less? Kind of like the definition of the word "ace". Entirely subjective.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 01:30 PM) weather.com hourly says precip chance right now: 7pm: 50% 8pm: 40% 9pm: 40% Looking at the longer graph... 2pm: 20% 3pm: 40% 4pm: 50% 5pm: 60% 6pm: 50% 7pm: 50% 8pm: 40% 9pm: 40% 10pm: 40% 11pm: 20% In other words, a wave of rain will come through sometime around 5pm-6pm, with a few hours of flexibility. Then the chances die down. I bet the get the game in, though it may start late.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 01:24 PM) I always did well on the math portion of standardized tests by simply knowing that the correct answer was always one of the choices. It was just a matter of plugging each one into the formula and seeing which one fit. That goes to the fact that there is a seperate skill for test-taking itself. Being good at tests can get you an extra few points on these things, regardless of your knowledge of the subject matter.

Even though the public school systems as a whole may seem to be going downhill, I do think kids are getting smarter generationally, and more capable. Though I do think they are losing work ethic and motivation - again, as a whole. There are always exceptions. I've talked to a few kids in the neighborhood we moved into in 2010, in a very strong public school district. The parents and kids say the same thing - the kids in that school are working harder now than they did as kids. I have started to believe that what is really happening, is that the performance and education gap between good schools and bad ones is increasing. So for some kids, education is getting better. For others, worse. And what is really interesting about that is, as I noted before, the funding gap between inner city schools and rich suburban ones is actually narrowing. This would seem to indicate that more money - by itself - is not the main solution to the problem. Which isn't to say it isn't part of the picture (I am sure some poor schools are in need of a lot of resources they don't have). It makes me wonder, if the funding levels are increasing faster in city schools than suburban ones, where is the money going? And of the places that money goes, what makes it effective?

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 10:44 AM) A rain out would be awesome. Allows everyone to watch the Bears game, but more importantly, it prevents Sox from facing Verlander (likely would get Fister in the make up game) and would give Sale an extra day of rest (and allow him to face the Twins, a team he matches up well against). I'd rather see the Sox face Verlander than Scherzer or Fister, at this point. Verlander has looked pretty mortal in the 2nd half. I like tonight's matchup better than the one the Sox got last night.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 10:07 AM) I have a lot of experience with the other end of the spectrum. The school system I went through, my wife teaches in, and I even spent two months teaching in, is always near the bottom of the ratings. We have a 70%ish poverty rating for kids in our system, with a few schools basically at 100%. Over the years I have seen some really, really bad teachers. There are a lot of good ones as well. The problem is there is no real way to move the ones who are good and young, and replace them for the ones who are old and bad. Young and bad is still fairly easy to get rid of. They don't last long. The problem is when they make it through those first few years, and then burnout sets in, along with the reality that changing professions at that point would be pretty stupid. I've seen it from the unions angle, the teachers angle, the administrative angle, and even the school boards angle. Now I am even learning the parents angle. This nations educational system needs tons of work, to say the least. I was happy to see Indiana take an honest shot at balancing out the districts funding issues, but even that only goes so far. Parents are by far and away the biggest factor here, both good and bad. Perfect example. I know someone who uses corporal punishment out of anger on a regular (probably 2-3 times per day) basis. Whether it is a solid smack in the mouth, or a spanking, it happens. The soon to be 5 year old, goes to Pre-K, and low and behold hits other kids. Common sense tells us that the kid sees hitting as a way to show anger, as it happens to him regularly, right? Nope. It is the teachers fault for showing favoritism. The scary thing is that this household is fairly stable compared to many in the district. There is a good chunk (not a majority, but a sizable minority) of the school system where the kids are literally going to school for no other reason than a couple of free meals. Now take these backgrounds and wheel them into a single school, or school system even. Who wants to teach here? The good teachers are most likely not going to feel that their efforts are worth the headaches. In this situations, money doesn't make that big of a difference. I have seen it first hand. Funding only makes minimal difference, especially once you have exited the critical early years where you can capture a kid and rescue them from the cycle of failure. Once they have hit middle school, and still can't read, it is too late. Yet our federal school system tells us we still need to treat them as an expected college student, until at least 16 years old. Standardized testing is the stupidest way to evaluation teachers in the history of the world, for this exact reason. It assumes all kids are equal, when they aren't. The only common sense way to approach evaluations is by in-building administration. The people who know and appreciate all of the local conditions and information are the ones who are most qualified to evaluate staff. It is also the exact reason the movement of school decision making from the local levels to state and federal ones, has been such a failure. It doesn't address the needs of a specific community. It has no idea about Michigan City Indiana. And final thought, of all of the worst employees in the world to protect, why teachers? If teachers are as important as they say they are, isn't it all of the more important that the bad ones get weeded out, whether it takes two or twenty years? With the window between success and failure being so small now, why let a bad teacher affect possibly generations of kids, just because they have put in their time? It doesn't make sense to me. I probably should stop ranting now. Good post. When I left undergrad, I moved out west, and thought I was going to be a teacher (Social Studies or the like). So I started a Masters program (combined with teaching cert) in Public Ed. My first student teaching assignment, I specifically requested a hard luck school, because I didn't want to get the same type of school I had already been through. The school I got was the worst in the district in terms of poverty, performance, and crime. The first day I was there, they went over certain rules, and it was amazing. They actually said things like "don't start romantic relationships with students", as if that had to be said. And oh yeah, you can't kick a kid out of class, unless a teacher can escort them to the administators, because then kids leave the school and get into gang activity for the day. This school made national news while I was there, for drafting a paper that parents had to sign if their kid planned to drop out of high school - it forced them to read aloud statements about the likelihood of their child dying or failing in other various ways going up astronomically, then had to sign each part, to say, yes, I accept this. It was an interesting experiment, and I am not sure if they still do it. So I did get a small glimpse of that life. And as you said, there were a few teachers - very good ones in fact. But the majority, I was amazed at how bad they were.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 08:46 AM) I've known and know a few teachers too and found the exact opposite, even during the school year. I was thinking about this.. part of the reason we are seeing different things is just sample size. If we all know a few teachers, we will inevitably have different experiences. But I also think this is partly a function of where they teach. I went through some very highly considered schools as a kid, and it may not be a good sample of the whole.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 08:50 AM) This team has given us nothing but reason to expect the loss. Lately? Agreed. On the season? Quite the opposite - they have shown time and time again they bounce back after seemingly devastating losses.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 12, 2012 -> 11:07 AM) Stay off of it for as much time as you need, or it won't heal right. It sucks now, but it is worth it. This. I've broken a few bones (foot, lower leg, elbow chip, fingers, toes) and had 4 surgeries (knee, knee, shoulder, wrist), and I can tell you without a doubt that if you don't let it heal right, and don't do the PT after, you will not get back to your previous normal.

The swing in this game is just monstrous. Win, and you split a series against a team that had beaten you 7 straight times, stay 2 games into first with ~20 games left, and leave town on a good note. Lose, and you are now tied for first, feeling like you can't beat your main rival. I will be there, front row UD. Please keep us dry. But I would sit there in the rain all game if it meant a win. Go Sox.

There were a number of bunt attempts last night - they just missed them or hit them foul. Only two RV decisions last night really upset me. One is pitching Santiago there, when you just know you want him for Friday over Liriano. The other was, how was Beckham not PH'ing in the 9th? I get playing Hudson to start the game against Scherzer, but in that situation, with a hot bat, Beckham is a much better choice than Hudson (who has barely been playing and looked bad at the plate that game).

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 12, 2012 -> 04:01 PM) Sadly, his point is valid. That's the mentality of a lot of teachers. They b**** and moan and you'd think they were putting in 12 hour days, when in reality they're doing what normal people do on a daily basis, but it's a culture shock since they've been sitting on their asses for 2.5 straight months. Not in my experience. I know a few professional teachers, and frankly, they work more hours than I do, all things considered. At least during the school year. And I certainly didn't see much laziness from the teachers I had growing up, especially in high school. QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 12, 2012 -> 04:07 PM) He also said a first-year teacher, so it's probably someone who's been in college for the last four years. That's more likely what is going on there. QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 08:11 AM) Multiple media outlets are reporting significant progress made last night, both sides hopeful that it could end today or tomorrow. Good.