NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 10, 2012 -> 09:13 AM) We didn't really see much benefit economically from reducing the cap gains (and dividends) rates to 15%. It benefits a handful of the really wealthy, primarily, and does nothing for the majority of Americans who have little or no investments. Not true at all. For one thing, everyone with a 401k or other non-public retirement account or the like will pay cap gains at some point. Long term ones. Second, you want to encourage investment from the rich into stocks anyway, as it helps companies stay financially healthy and hire more people. That is not to say you never raise the rate - you may need to. I am just saying your premise that it only helps the very wealthy is false.

This should allow some middle infielders in the system to move up.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jul 10, 2012 -> 01:05 AM) This Terance Marin guy is pretty awesome, apparently. He's still doing pretty well, though BAA has doubled and his K numbers have dropped a bit since his promotion. He's definitely worth keeping an eye on. QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 10, 2012 -> 06:16 AM) Very nice night for Eric Grabe. He's opened the season pretty well.

They were one batter away from batting around... twice.

Great Falls has scored 12 runs in the 5th inning. Here is the fun, I've never seen an inning like this one (outs in bold)... Great Falls Bottom of the 5th Justin Jirschele walks. Micah Johnson singles on a line drive to left fielder Daniel Pigott. Justin Jirschele to 2nd. Kyle Robinson reaches on force attempt, throwing error by pitcher Nick Routt. Justin Jirschele to 3rd. Micah Johnson to 2nd. With Brent Tanner batting, wild pitch by Nick Routt, Justin Jirschele scores. Micah Johnson to 3rd. Kyle Robinson to 2nd. Brent Tanner strikes out swinging. Michael Marjama triples (1) on a fly ball to right fielder Jesse Winker. Micah Johnson scores. Kyle Robinson scores. Abe Ruiz hit by pitch. Yoandy Barroso singles on a line drive to left fielder Daniel Pigott. Michael Marjama scores. Abe Ruiz to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Nolan Becker replaces Nick Routt. Tyler Williams singles on a ground ball to center fielder Beau Amaral. Abe Ruiz to 3rd. Yoandy Barroso to 2nd. Adam Heisler singles on a ground ball to right fielder Jesse Winker. Abe Ruiz scores. Yoandy Barroso scores. Tyler Williams to 2nd. Justin Jirschele reaches on force attempt, throwing error by first baseman Robert Maddox. Tyler Williams scores. Adam Heisler to 2nd. With Micah Johnson batting, wild pitch by Nolan Becker, Adam Heisler to 3rd. Justin Jirschele to 2nd. Billings Mustangs Manager Pat Kelly ejected by HP umpire Charlie Ramos. Micah Johnson walks. Kyle Robinson strikes out swinging. Brent Tanner singles on a line drive to right fielder Jesse Winker. Adam Heisler scores. Justin Jirschele scores. Micah Johnson to 2nd. With Michael Marjama batting, wild pitch by Nolan Becker, Micah Johnson to 3rd. Brent Tanner to 2nd. Michael Marjama doubles (1) on a line drive to right fielder Jesse Winker. Micah Johnson scores. Brent Tanner scores. Pitcher Change: Erik Miller replaces Nolan Becker. Abe Ruiz walks. Wild pitch by pitcher Erik Miller. Michael Marjama to 3rd. Yoandy Barroso singles on a ground ball to third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean. Michael Marjama scores. Abe Ruiz to 2nd. Tyler Williams grounds out, second baseman Robert Ramirez to first baseman Robert Maddox.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 03:14 PM) The $1M threshold is a small business thing. Many sb's are s-corps, so they're taxed at individual rates. Just look at the CNN link where the Republicans were already bashing him for destroying our holy job creators. Republicans don't want a threshold period. They want tax cuts for all or for none. But you point to a disagreement between Obama's announced preferences and Pelosi's announced preferences as some sort of failure to negotiate and compromise, that "not even his own party will go along with that." There's an equivalency problem here, but there's also a very, very basic flaw: Pelosi's position is closer to a compromise than Obama's. If Obama's position is a good compromise with the Republican position (in political terms), then Pelosi's is even better yet but is still going to receive exactly zero support from Republicans. Your complaint here doesn't make sense and it's framed around disparaging Democrats while completely failing to note the Republican policy preferences and negotiating willingness. The whole small business thing is blown way out of proportion. Most small businesses don't retain that level of income anyway, they pay it out, plow it back in, costs, depreciation, etc. Honestly, if you are running a business successful enough to retain $1M per year in earnings, you should be re-organizing to a business mode that actually makes sense for you. Most do. The number of businesses effected by this, who retain earnings between $250k and $1M as an S-corp, is very, very small. Also, IMO, the best way to address this is as a structural problem in the tax code. An incorporated business should never be paying individual tax rates.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 09:19 AM) Really, nobody wants it? where are you located? Also what size? I have a road bike that is terrible for just riding around so I am interested. I also posted of Facebook and got a response there last night, but if that falls through, Rock, I'll PM you. I forget what the frame size is. I'm 6'3" and its a little small for me, so, probably the right frame for a more average height guy. I'm in Northbrook, but the bike is in Bucktown in storage at my old building (Webster/Damen or so).

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 01:36 PM) That's early 5th round money for Ayala. Nice pick up. The Sox are almost certainly done since BA has them exactly at their pool limit. Wow, they actually did what some of us wanted them to do - take their remaining funds plus going close to the cap and throw it all at Ayala. And it worked.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 09:37 AM) As I said earlier, the Yadier Molina just got a deal that is going to be paying him $15 million when he is 35, plus an option year for $18 million at age 36. And it it still isn't a valid comparison. A 5 year deal for a 30 year old is just not anything like a new deal for a 36 year old catcher. Yes, the numbers go up over the contract, they always do that, but its pay for now, later. Also, whether or not its reality, the perception is that AJ is trouble. That will absolutely play a role. I'd be shocked if he got more than $5-$6M/year, or more than 2 years.

QUOTE (BriSox28 @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 06:39 AM) He left the team to take care of his kid QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 07:58 AM) Ugh. There can't be many things worse than that. Yeah that doesn't sound good at all. Hopefully his kid gets better, whatever it is that might be wrong with him/her.

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Jul 9, 2012 -> 12:20 AM) Sure. Just don't expect anything too analytical. Whatever you get is great.

Greg- Here is the thing. Kap says it is about "what's in it for me", Balta says it actually works because we disagree and the system allows for that, and you say it doesn't work at all. You are all correct. Here, to me, is the biggest (but not only) variable in this equation that throws the whole thing out of whacK; The wolf in the hen house. The system we have is the best there is, in my view, in the world, probably ever. The checks and balances in place are just artistically brilliant. They are not, however, perfect. The biggest chink in that armor, where poison can leak in, is when any branch of government is responsible for holding itself accountable in a way that is self-detrimental by nature. Campaign Finance. The way people are elected to Congress and the Presidency (and how SCOTUS is filled by method), as it stands, creates a situation where corruption and self-interest have enough power over the officials that it often overwhelms the greater good. And the only body that can change these rules is Congress itself. This is the nuts running the asylum. Now, the thing that SHOULD be the main check against that, is YOU. The voter. The less involved and less informed the voting public is, and the few people who bother to get involved or even just vote... the further entrenched their self-interest can become. Basically, its your fault. Peace. -NSS72

Before the season started, my theory was that the team's fortunes rested, more than anything, on the performance of the four horsemen of underachievement: Dunn, Rios, Peavy and Beckham. If 4 of 4 or even 3 of 4 got back to form, this team would compete for the division. 2 of 4, .500 team or a little under. 1 of 4 or none, it would be ugly. Dunn? Check, full credit. Rios? Check, full credit. Peavy? Check, full credit. Beckham? Call it half credit. 3.5 of 4, and here they sit, atop the AL Central. Loving it.

Anyone need a bike, for free? My old commuter/city bike is just not getting any use, so, first person who wants it can have it. The reason I am giving it away instead of selling it is, it does have one current repair need - a new pedal (I sheared it off a while back). Its a Gary Fisher HoooKooEKoo MTB, steel frame, no shocks, probably about 15 years old. I've kept it in decent repair, but the replaced parts are nothing special. Put the new pedal(s) on it and it rides just fine. Comes with road-style armadillo kevlar-bead tires to resist punctures, and an upgraded seat. Works great as a city bike, not nice enough to attract theft attention, but functional enough to get the job done. Medium sized men's frame. Who wants it?

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Jul 8, 2012 -> 09:02 PM) Nice to see Bristol with an "offensive explosion". I'm excited I'm going to see Great Falls play on Wednesday. Big Ed, we're always looking for in-person feedback. So after seeing them play, I'd love to have you tell us about what you saw from various players.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 02:55 PM) You have given a lot of interesting thoughts here, much appreciated. All of those prospects you mentioned in your final paragraph have one thing in common with Heidenreich -- I have not seen them. Well actually, I have seen Axelrod and Septimo on TV since they were called up. I would have to give an edge over MH to both Axlerod and Leesman -- seniority, if nothing else, and they have performed well at AAA and in Axelrod's case with the Sox. Today, I would rate MH over the rest of them. We'll probably know a lot more at end of year, certainly by next year at this time. Meanwhile, I was looking for your most recent Prospect List but could not find it in archives. Are you able to show it here? Thanks... Got to futuresox.com, click on the "Rankings" button at the top for the ranking articles over time. New one should be up next week. We now do them twice a year - July and January/February, more or less.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 02:08 PM) They had the guy from Baseball Prospectus, Kevin Goldstein on 670 around noon. Said that basically none of the White Sox rookies were "impact" guys, except for Reed. Made the comment that if the Cubs brought up their Iowa roster, they would have 13 rookies but that wouldn't make them good. He had actually predicted Sox for 2nd and around 83-87 wins. Expressed surprise about Quintana and Nathan Jones. The question was raised....how long would it take for Quintana to be considered as more than a fringe prospect or back of the rotation/long man...and the reply was that command and control guys, even left handed, who throw 88-91 are a dime a dozen. Then one of the radio guys asked....well, when do we start saying he's actually maybe better than that, project him as a Danks/Buehrle/Glavine type? And the response was...how many young pitchers with similar stuff are compared to those HOF type pitchers and how many actually come close to delivering those results? So, he's an idiot, apparently. Guys like him don't like being proven wrong. The Sox system sucks, these guys all say... and that is half true. It sucks for talent depth, not much argument there. It doesn't suck for results, and if he actually thinks these rookies aren't impact guys, then he needs to look at what they have done so far. Quintana will not keep up a low 2's ERA of course, no one denies that. Most of the Sox bullpen is rookies, and overall they've done pretty well. That's huge impact right there. Quintana has been huge. Viciedo and De Aza are not properly rookies, but are virtually so, and both have had huge impact. Axelrod was like the 7th guy on the starting depth chart to open the season and he's put up competent numbers for a 5th starter, and that has big impact for a team (see: early 2000's Sox teams who didn't have that). Escobar and Flowers he's right - neither are doing a lot right now, and likely won't. But the comparison to the Cubs? Is he kidding with that? Maybe he's the guy who predicted 100 losses and he's just bitter. I do agree with him on that last thing though, the comparison to Danks/MB/Glavine is stupid. And if THAT is his definition of impact, then guess what? Maybe 2 teams in baseball have guys like that just getting started, tops.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 01:43 PM) The years might not be there, but the money will be more like $8 to $10 million. Yadier Molina just got 5 years and $75 million, and he is 30 years old. In this day and age, I could see AJ getting something like 2/$20, maybe more if someone or Dodgers jumped into the catchers market. In catcher years, the difference between 30 and 36 is immense. Not really a valid comparison in my view.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 01:27 PM) With the year AJ is having, the dearth of decent catchers, and the contracts getting thrown around for catchers in the last year, I would bet the numbers AJ would see on the open market would make most of us sick. I doubt he gets more than 2 years, or more than $5M per. Probably less. Basically, what he got last time.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 01:09 PM) I doubt you will hear any if any are out there. Gonzalez is a class act, and isn't afraid of players. If he had something he thought was newsworthy, he'd put it out there. I don't think Gregor would do anything. The only one Cowardly enough, is you know who the former beat writer, and he gets along with AJ. I really don't know how many don't like AJ, I'm guessing Peavy is one, but the notion that everyone hates him is false. Face it, he was part of the "idiots" with Rowand and Crede, and I used to see him from time to time out with Dye on off days. Gonzales isn't afraid of players, but on occasion when he hears something, he is indeed going to sit on it if revealing it would seriously screw up his relationship with the team. He needs some of those connections intact to succeed. Its a tough balancing act, knowing how far he can push certain things about certain people.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 12:09 PM) Aaron Laffey? I would imagine quite a few times as he was with the Indians. TO THE INTERWEBS! 14 games against the White Sox (5 starts) 3-3 44.2 IP, 3.02 era, 1.23 WHIP, .246 baa Looks like we've played corpse ball vs this soft-tosser in the past (and that's what I thought I remembered). But it seems like we haven't struggled as much this year with the soft-tossers as we had in years past. Different approach.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 11:45 AM) He's owes the White Sox nothing. Hometown discounts are not really about owing anything to anyone. Its that AJ has been playing here for 8 seasons, has a 2nd home here, likes the city, likes the organization, and staying means not having to start a bunch of things over. Its just easier and more comforable. And I'd be AJ would be willing to stay, even if the deal were slightly less dollars than offered elsewhere, for those reasons. Not a LOT less, but a little. QUOTE (ptatc @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 11:46 AM) The work ethic stuff is all wrong. He works as hard or harder than anyone on the field. That stuff was said because the guy didn't like him. AJ is a grade A jerk but is a good ball player and works hard at the game. Thanks for the synopsis, I know you have some sources. Sounds about right.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 11:25 AM) Wow! Not top ten? I'm surprised. First, I respect your opinion, having read many of your posts over the years. And. of course, I have never seen him with my own eyes. All I have to go on is his record and recent box scores. Maybe I put more emphasis on age than I should, but to me that is part of the definition of a 'prospect'. He is 21, signed out of high school, etc. and now he is doing well in AA. He certainly appears to be improving, also part of the definition. I might not put enough emphasis on hits per innings, but I'm sure that as he advances in the system, he will get better defenses behind him, eliminating many hits allowed. I'm sure he has better defenses in W-S and B'ham than he had at Kanny last year. Of course, the hitters are better, too, I know. In 2011 he gave up 174 hits in 154 innings, but that's a lot of innings for a 20 year old, previous high being half that. He is probably higher ranked now than Quintana was a year ago, and he (JQ) has been off the charts since joining the Sox. Anyway, I'm pulling for him to do well. Quintana was barely on the charts in our pre-season list (in the "others" list), so yeah, Heidenreich today is probably more highly considered than Quintana was then. You do sometimes end up with a bolt from the blue, or organizations see something in a specific pitcher or player that we don't see in stats, scouting reports, info leaking from the organization in some form, and videos. Heidenreich might be that guy. But Hiedenreich isn't really "doing well in AA" yet - he pitched one game. Need to have a lot more sample size than that to really see something. And if you want to look granularly at that particular outing, look at his line in the box: he pitched 8 innings of 6 hit ball, which is good... but he gave up a home run and struck out 2. Some in some ways, that is a mircocosm of both the strengths and weaknesses he has shown so far. Let's look at scenarios here. If Matt manages to not only be successful in terms of core stats, but also increases his strikeouts, I can see him quickly jumping up into the rankings on the offseason list. If he gets decent core results but still isn't missing many bats, he will probably show up on the list, but not real high. If he struggles, then it is a "we'll see" scenario. That's my view anyway. And that's just the stat component - more important, and info harder to find, is, has he improved his secondary stuff? This is all very, very subjective of course. And there is a balance between ceiling, likely impact, and likely floor. And between starters and relievers. And what level they've shown success at, including in some cases major leagues. Look at some of the pitchers that some see as better, and decide if you see him higher on the list: Simon Castro, Nestor Molina, Dylan Axelrod, Pedro Hernandez, Charlie Leesman, Chris Beck, Andre Rienzo, Jake Petricka, Erik Johnson, Leyson Septimo, Jeff Soptic, Jefferson Olacio... the list goes on, and those are just pitchers. Does a guy like Septimo, who is a specialist reliever, have more value since he's shown success at all levels and now (so far) in the majors? Versus a starter like Heidenreich, but who is a much bigger question of whether he can even make it?

Having AJ around for another couple years would be ideal. He's still got some good play left in him, the pitching staff are used to him, and it gives some of the catchers in the minors (Phegley and Smith particularly) another year or two to develop (and for Flowers to develop in the majors). Ideal would be a 1 year plus 1 year option type deal.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 6, 2012 -> 09:21 AM) Heidenreich has to be at or very near the top of our revised prospect list. He's not, nor even close. Age vs level is very kind to Heidenreich, and he is having a nice season. Control has been excellent all year. But he doesn't miss many bats, gives up a lot of home runs, and his secondary stuff is average or below (and a low 90's sinking fastball by itself won't project well). Definitely a guy to watch, but he needs to improve his secondary stuff and strike out more batters to be considered, say, a Top 10 prospect in this system.