NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 11:48 AM) House 24 Scrubs(waits for Soxtalk to cave down around me) Agreed on the first two, but, Scrubs I enjoy. I think its one of the few shows on TV that is actually entertaining.

QUOTE (dielac @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 12:46 PM) The ball doesn't seem to jump off Swishers bat, unless he's teeing off on a pitch. And we've seen plenty of his warning track power. Coming from Oakland to the Cell. I just think of PEDs. He almost just seems like "that" guy. I know this comes off badly, but, I would agree that is a concern with him. And, I am starting to wonder about Paulie too. He's lost a lot of weight. Then again, he could have something else going on. This may sound weird, but, I almost wonder if he's got something physically wrong with him that we don't know about. A condition or illness of some kind. I think that may also be a possibility.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 11:32 AM) No. I just don't understand the inconsistency. Thome was still getting on base when he was struggling. Go back and see what was written about him. Paulie gets bashed. Uribe has been written about needing to be released for years. Crede has started to get lambasted lately. Swisher has 0 hits on this roadtrip and a few strikeouts with men on base. And every single one of those players has been thoroughly bashed on SoxTalk. We are an equal opportunity bash board.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 11:31 AM) Funny thing is that Uribe is a GG caliber player at the most important position on the team. His third base defense would be GG without a doubt. If you don't sing and dance and unnecessarily run into walls, forget about you. Anderson and Uribe add more to a team but because the press isn't blowing them, they get no respect at all. If Anderson was given the opportunity that Swisher has this season, the Sox would be a better team but the commercials and dugout highlites wouldn't be all that entertaining. s*** Reed Johnson is a poor man's Brian Anderson and he is loved by the cubbie nation...I know the stats don't show this but given the opportunity, Anderson would be. Christ, Jermaine needs to put MVP stats to get any type of recognition yet he has been one of the better hitting outfielders in the game while he has been here and possibly could be the most unappreciated Sox player in history or at least since Dick Allen or Albert Belle and no I am not joking. Where is the Greg Walker / Jim Thome love in regard to a new appraoch to going the opposite way. In the 8th inning Sunday he adjusted his swing to go to left and drove in two runs because of it, yet no new thread praising this. Thome needed to adjust and he has, now Swisher and Konerko need to do something. Thome understands what he needs to do and appears to be doing it unfortuately there is nobody behind him until they get to Ramirez. Why and the hell he is still batting 9th is beyond me. And this is now, officially, the rant thread. Anyway, I think you are overstating Anderson's value a good bit.

Friends The Sopranos All reality shows, other than the Amazing Race (which wasn't too bad) Actually, as I make this list, I realize that the great majority of TV shows, particularly on the networks, are awful. So, I guess most of them are overrated.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 11:15 AM) This wasn't meant to be a Konerko VS. Swisher thread, I just can't understand how this guy' s*** doesn't stink. At least Paulie has an injury excuse and the excuse some think he's old. Just curious, but, who says his s*** doesn't stink? The only real positives people have been saying for him are his ability to get on base, his defense at 1B, and the attitude he brings to the clubhouse. I think those are all true positives for him. I think everyone is disappointed in his hitting.

QUOTE (That funky motion @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 12:12 PM) I heard on the radio that Swish will be benched tonight. That should give him a chance to go find his glove in those CF seats.

Call me crazy, but, I don't think the team needs bullpen help from outside the organization. Assuming Linebrink really is just sore/tired and will be back in early or mid August, then IMO, the only real weak spot in the pen is Masset. And right now, he's the last man called, since Carrasco is the long guy. In fact, I'd suggest that if they get rid of Masset somehow and keep Wassermann when Linebrink comes back, that the Sox have a pretty strong pen. Thornton is fine, he just needed a few days off, and came back strong. The only two X factors are Linebrink's condition (if its actually a longer term problem), and Logan's sudden crapiness. If the club feels neither are long term issues, then, no big deal. No reason to go out and make a trade. I'd only go trading if Linebrink is thought to be truly injured, and if the deal was right. Logan, like all young relievers, is subject to some down periods. I am more worried about Crede's injury, and Konerko's being lost out there, than I am about the pen.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 11:15 AM) I don't know about batting Paulie 2nd, but he'd be taking AJs place in the lineup, so the speed factor isn't really that big of a deal. While AJ is no speed demon, he's a lot faster than Paulie. Watch AJ run the bases. He doesn't steal many, but, he's not as slow as he's sometimes portrayed here (especially now that he lost some weight). Same with Thome. Konerko and Crede are both significantly slower on the basepaths than AJ, or even big Jim.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 10:57 AM) Does the Senate typically have any patterns or procedures regarding people stepping down from committees or resigning while they're facing criminal charges? Wasn't Domenici under indictment, and still stayed on all his committees? Or maybe he wasn't actually charged.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 10:33 AM) Obama's Shortlist: Bayh, Biden, Kaine Leaning heavily towards Bayh or Kaine. Bayh and Kaine don't surprise me, and they are pretty good moves. But again, this is off-source stuff, so I don't necessarily believe it.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 10:01 AM) I say bat Paulie 2nd. I was wondering about this myself the other day. I wonder if a LaRussa-like move of putting PK inthe 2nd slot would help. I think it might, but the problem is, in the meantime, you put one of the slowest men in baseball with a struggling bat in the 2nd spot in the order. The team might suffer a lot while Paulie gets things back together.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Jul 29, 2008 -> 09:15 AM) Where will the money come from? The harsh reality is we need a leveling of the system. As noted in the article, parents can move to a neighborhood with better schools, which generally means higher property values and higher housing prices. When we start looking at school funding on a state wide basis, and fund the schools that way, we begin to offer the kinds of services that Winnetka takes for granted and a poor inner city school can only dream. There are pros and cons on both sides, what worries me the most about vouchers and some of these plans is it will take money out of the public system where most of the poor children will be. Their parents will not be able to make up the difference between the voucher and the private school. Also, the whole he believes this because they donate stuff is crap. If, for example, Southsider, Kap, and AlphaDog where offering an endorsement, wouldn't the candidate be a conservative who supports most of what they believe in? Would it then be fair to say that the candidate only supports a given issue because Southsider, Kap, and AlphaDog gave him an endorsement? It's a two way street. Most endorsements are a shared vision or philosophy. They travel in the same circles, attend the same benefits and fundraisers, visit the same churhces. I went to high school in Winnetka - graduated New Trier in '91. I would love to see everyone get that level of education. The positive results from that on the country would be enormous. But as you pointed out, money is required. New Trier spends something like 3 times the amount of money per student that many of Chicago's inner city schools do. This is the "Savage Inequality" that Kozol wrote about. A "leveling" will probably never happen, because the people with the most influence live in the districts that would be going down in quality. But if we instead look to raise up the poorer districts, that will cost a lot of money that the states and localities don't have. School funding is one of the great political conundrums of our time. Who has an answer?

The two games that hadn't yet begun when I started the thread... Winston-Salem beat Lynchburg, 8-2. Details... Orlando: 2-4, R, RBI Mollenhauer: 2-3, 3B, 2 RBI Estee Harris: 2-4, 3B, 2B, 2 R F Hernandez: 3-3, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI Long: 7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Dubee: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K Billings beat Great Falls, 4-2. Details... Avila: 3-4, 3B, RBI, R Grace, Cheatham: 1 hit each Allen: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

At 2am after a night out at the bars, Perkins can't be beat. But at 7pm, its just a lame choice for dinner. Therefore, I think Perkins at 7pm tonight will be very beatable.

Charlotte beat Buffalo 3-0. Whisler with yet another nice outing. Details... Eldred: 2-4, 3 run HR, provided all the run production Owens: 3-4, R, SB Whisler: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (now 11-5, ERA is 3.13) Childers: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (ERA now 1.18, WHIP is 0.77, and a very nice 2.13 GO/AO) B-Ham @ West Tenn, 7:05 CT, McCulloch starting Lynchburg @ Winston-Salem, just about to begin, Matt Long gets the start Lakewood is beating Kanny, 3-1, in the 2nd inning. 2 of the three Lakewood runs, and the 1 Kanny run, all unearned. Shirek on the hill for Kanny. Odd note on Kanny - Sergio Miranda has played just once since July 20th. Not sure why. He had actually been hitting quite well. Bristol @ Greeneville, just getting underway. Infante starting. Great Falls @ Billings, 8:05 CT, Cody Allen is starting.

Oh wait, I just realized, we can't make this deal. That would give us 2 AJ's, and that is just one AJ too many.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 28, 2008 -> 02:32 PM) Honestly NS, I can't see how anyone could consider Manny the player, "not as good as billed". Defensively he has his weaknesses (everyone knows that, although he's actually much better defensively than most give him credit for, although he does make the occasional "lazy" mistake). However, offensively, I don't know if I've ever seen a more complete hitter over such a long period. He crushes inside pitches and drives outside pitches with authority. I rarely, if ever, see Manny have a bad or unproductive at bat as he always seems to have an exact idea of what he's doing at the plate. Aside from Bonds couple year span, I fully believe Manny is the greatest run producer to ever play the game. He's simply phenomenal. I've seen that Manny, and I've seen the I-don't-give-a-crap Manny. No doubting he puts up huge numbers, even with that bad habit. I just think he's a bad idea for this team.

Not a bad article. Education should indeed be a huge priority, and I am not sure I like either candidate's offerings on the topic.

Considering the large sums of money in his deal, and that he's got an opt-out, his value is essentially as a rent-a-player. Therefore, Allen and Egbert is not so far out of whack. A little light, but not out of the ballpark. You'd probably have to add one more piece. And I'd still take it in a heartbeat.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jul 28, 2008 -> 01:45 PM) thanks, didn't know that. Looks like the last few MacDougal outings weren't too bad...wonder if he could be of some use down the stretch. MacD is still pretty bad. I'd guess its more likely that when Linebrink comes back, if Logan is still struggling, they'll send him to AAA and have Liney take his spot, leaving Wassermann in the pen. But I think Boone will get it figured out, so, this will all be moot.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 28, 2008 -> 02:04 PM) Well I might have to take back my Obama-backing on the published prayer issue if this report is true. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1005882.html Well, of course they would say that, they are trying to defend themselves. Hard to say if its true or not. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but, didn't the note that was published look like a crumpled up, hand written thing? Why on earth would the Obama campaign give them "a copy" that was hand scribbled and crumpled up? I don't buy this.

Justin J. Cassel, RHP Born 9/25/1984 in Los Angeles, CA 6’2”, 215 pounds Throws: R Bats: R OVERVIEW Justin Cassel is a starting pitcher with strong command and 4 pitches he can throw for strikes, though he is not overpowering and doesn’t strike out many hitters. No specific word on his velocity, but, he definitely profiles as a pitch-to-contact guy. His core numbers in B-Ham this year are very solid (7-4, 3.06 ERA, 1.33 WHIP), and his peripherals show some good indicators (1.51 GO/AO, 38 BB in 123.1 IP) and some mediocre ones (5.25 K/9). He missed a good chunk of 2007 due to a shoulder strain, so, this is really his first full minor league season. He’s shown the ability to get outs and induce groundballs, despite not having any plus pitches. PERSONAL/PRE-COLLEGE NOTES Justin played for Chatsworth High School, in Los Angeles. He set numerous school season records, including strikeouts (119, in 99 IP), appearances (17), shutouts (8) and ERA (1.13), all in his senior year, while posting a 15-0 record. He allowed just 22 walks and 57 hits in those 99 innings. He received numerous awards that season, including first team all-state and all-league, city and west valley player of the year, LA Times and Daily News Player of the Year, and a spot in the Area Code games. He was also on the 2nd team all-league in his sophomore and junior years. Justin helped his team capture 2 city titles, and a number 1 ranking in three national polls. Baseball America labeled him as the 39th best prospect in the 2003 class (high school). Justin is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Matt Cassel, and current minor league player Jack. Jack and Jon Garland are apparently close friends, as well. COLLEGE Cassel pitched three seasons at Cal-Irvine, 2004 through 2006. His numbers during those three seasons were pretty consistent to slightly improved, as his innings increased. He didn’t strike a ton of guys out, but he did show excellent command of the strike zone. Here are his lines… Year Team Lg Age Org Level W L ERA G GS CG SH GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WP BK H9 HR9 BB9 K9 WHIP GB% 2004 Cal-Irvine BigWest 19 NCAA 4 3 3.93 19 12 0 0 0 66.1 70 34 29 7 22 56 5 9.50 0.95 2.99 7.60 1.39 -- 2005 Cal-Irvine BigWest 20 NCAA 9 4 3.54 18 18 2 0 0 117.0 128 52 46 5 21 86 8 2 9.85 0.38 1.62 6.62 1.27 -- 2006 Cal-Irvine BigWest 21 NCAA 7 9 3.43 18 18 4 1 0 134.0 136 61 51 6 25 99 12 1 9.13 0.40 1.68 6.65 1.20 -- In 2004, Justin was 24th in the Big West with that 3.93 ERA. In 2005, he led the team in wins (9), and second on the team in strikeouts (86). He was 4th in the Big West in innings pitched (117), 8th in strikeouts (86), and 10th in ERA (3.54). He was tied for 2nd in the conference in pickoffs with four (nice to see from a righty). In 2006, he was Big West Player of the Week twice, and Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week once. Justin approached multiple UC-Irvine career records, including: 4th in games started (48) and strikeouts (241), 5th innings pitched (317.1), and 9th in wins (20) and ERA (3.57). SIGN/DRAFT Justin was selected by the White Sox in the 7th round (225th overall) of the 2006 Amateur Draft (bonus: $88,000). He had also been previously drafted in 2003 by the Oakland Athletics (30th round, 902nd overall), out of high school, but elected to go to college. MINORS Cassel missed much of 2007 (May 20 – August 23) with a right shoulder strain, which is why he has somewhat slim numbers from that season. This hasn’t stopped him from moving up fairly quickly though, as he played rookie (Great Falls) and High A (Winston-Salem) ball in his 2006 rookie year, High A W-S again in 2007 (plus 4 rehab starts in Bristol), and is now at AA B-Ham in his third season (but his first full one)… 2006-2007 Stats… Year Team Lg Age Org Level W L ERA G GS CG SH GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WP BK H9 HR9 BB9 K9 WHIP GB% 2006 great flls Pio 21 Chw Rk 3 2 2.97 13 4 0 0 0 0 39.1 38 17 13 1 10 37 5 0 8.70 0.23 2.29 8.47 1.22 -- Winst-Salm Caro 21 Chw A+ 1 1 5.59 4 4 0 0 0 0 19.1 28 15 12 2 4 8 3 0 13.04 0.93 1.86 3.72 1.66 -- 2007 Bristol App 22 Chw Rk 0 0 6.77 2 2 0 0 0 0 2.2 5 2 2 0 0 3 1 0 16.92 0.00 0.00 10.15 1.88 -- Winst-Salm Caro 22 Chw A+ 4 2 2.27 10 6 0 0 1 0 39.2 31 13 10 1 17 31 3 0 7.03 0.23 3.86 7.03 1.21 -- This Season (2008) so far… Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG BIR SOU 7 4 3.06 21 21 0 0 0 123.1 126 54 42 5 38 72 1.51 .269 Awards… 5/5/08 – Southern League Pitcher of the Week 7/14/08 – Southern League Mid-Season All Star SCOUTING INFO SSS said about Justin after the 2006 draft: “He’s got 4 average pitches”, and labeled him as an innings-eater. BA said this: “Cassel, whose older brother Matt is a backup quarterback for the NFL's New England Patriots, grades out nearly average across the board with his fastball, curveball, changeup and control.” (link). Here is a link to his scouting video from the draft (link.). I can’t find any info on his velocity, or if his pitches are similarly rated after a couple years in the minors. OTHER PROFESSIONAL In the summer of 2004, Justin pitched for the Chatham A’s of the Cape Cod League, posting a 3.16 ERA and striking out 37 batters in as many innings. REFERENCE Baseball Cube Page MiLB.com Page UC Irvine Player Profile Nice article from May of this year, about Justin’s ascent, in the Birmingham News

Wassermann was called back up to the Sox, when Linebrink went to the DL, on July 25th.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 28, 2008 -> 11:57 AM) Man I don't get it. If the Sox moved Paulie and didn't have Thome this would be my #1 target. The guy is an absolute offensive STUD. Part of it is, I feel he's not as good as he's billed. He's good when he feels like it, and that's not all the time. But that leads me to the bigger issue. For me (and I realize others feel differently), when a player is just SO much of an asshole, and is SO all about himself, that his behavior takes a significant negative hit on the team... then I wouldn't want any part of them. And before anyone goes to the other extreme here, I am not saying that the team needs to be full of saints. It won't be, and shouldn't be. But there is an important difference between being an asshole who still stands for the team (a la AJP), and an asshole who could clearly give less of a s*** about the team (Manny). Just my view, I don't expect others to agree with it. I just think that he is so far gone into narcissism, that his offensive production is offset by the negative effect on the rest of the team, and the fan base.