Pants Rowland

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 22, 2015 -> 09:17 AM) And yet you fail to understand the White Sox are never going to approach being an average offense without adding 2-3 position players for a starting pitcher. We have just struggled through three wasted, nearly unwatchable seasons. 2016 will be another. The White Sox won't sign Gordon, Heyward, Cespedes, Zobrist, Upton, Wieters or Chris Davis. I guess we can return to this conversation at midseason in 2017, assuming Chris is still 100% healthy. You talk so much.

http://www.theonion.com/article/steve-bart...ubs-curse-51655

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Oct 21, 2015 -> 10:41 PM) I punch my chest and it disappears in the crowd. I soak myself in lamp oil and then light myself on fire.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Oct 21, 2015 -> 10:39 PM) Right on man. Glad someone caught that. " I'll see ya tomorrow with my tools f***face" I thought some Jerky Boys was fitting about now. Sue Everybody!

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Oct 21, 2015 -> 10:30 PM) Yyyyes! That Rizzo! An oldie, but a goodie. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Oct 21, 2015 -> 10:20 PM) So, can anyone think of new excuses from the cub fans and media that have not been mentioned yet? Schwarber- accidentally wore his jockey's backwards Bryant- wore his girlfriends panties, by mistake of course Soler- tried to reverse the curse by purposely wearing Bartman's headphones Hammel- wore a pre-game bra on his head because it worked in some movie he'd seen Lester- the chemicals in the hair treatments from his hair club for men membership f***ed with his brain Rizzo- its because Frank is his brother LA Stella- kept hearing Elaine Benes' voice saying " Stella " over and over Have I missed any? As in "Frank Rizzo!Open your f#*king ears jackass!"?

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 21, 2015 -> 10:17 PM) Familia gets the 9th You think even Collins will do that with a 5 run lead and up 3-0 in the series?

QUOTE (Dunt @ Oct 21, 2015 -> 03:01 PM) Did anybody see this one today: "Playoffs are not a representation of how good teams are, Cubs still best team in playoffs" That title is about as valuable as Prior and Wood being the career leaders in simulated innings.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 21, 2015 -> 11:39 AM) Schwarber, Baez and Soler for Sale. Probably would have to substitute Castro for Baez or Soler....making the deal a no go but definitely interesting. Maybe we could throw in Avi and Sanchez/Micah to get Soler back. White Sox sign Jordan Zimmermann. Instant title. Sale would of course end up like Mike Sirotka or Matt Karchner and Cubs' fans would be whining for decades. I disagree with this proposed trade but do believe the Sox and Cubs could be good trading partners, but no way involving untouchable names like Sale. Abreu, Rizzo, or Bryant (probably add Rodon and Fulmer to that list as well). Aside from a crosstown trade discussion, though, I think the Cubs have a short list of players on this playoff roster that should be on the trading block from now until the next trade deadline. From what I have seen in this postseason, that list would include: -Castro (highest value in some time) -Schwarber (destined to be a DH and this postseason makes him look as valuable as possible) -Soler (just tantalizing enough to get someone to give you their own young question mark for him) -Arrieta (I doubt they trade him, but he screams 2003 Esteban Loaiza to me) -Javier Baez (see comment on Soler, but to a lesser extent) -Jon Lester (Really does not impress me going back to his days in Boston, too. I'd see if someone with $$ that misses out on the top FA pitchers this offseason is willing to trade for him, returning to the Cubs some package of lower level talent maybe including an arm or two) I know not all of these guys will even be discussed as a trade option, let alone traded, but I would bet 2 or more of them are dealt sometime between the end of the World Series and the 2016 trade deadline.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Oct 20, 2015 -> 10:28 PM) I'm sure the lineup was an offensive based choice, but I think it's fair to put some heat on Maddon. The Cubs are severely overperforming, however, so Maddon won't face any real criticism this postseason. Oh, I know why he is running guys out there like Schwarber, but you would think some pundit would at least play devil's advocate.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Oct 20, 2015 -> 10:27 PM) I'm amazed I'm not allowed to enjoy watching a young and talented Cubs team despite being a life long White Sox fan. I'm amazed I respond to a specifically inflammatory comment about fans getting murdered and I face the ban hammer. I believe in you. I thought your comment about people getting murdered near Sox park was a little uncalled for though. I also agree there is a lot of good young talent on the north side. Even with the annoying fan base, it is tough not to enjoy watching them play their game.

In other news, anyone amazed at the lack of props Terry Collins is getting for the strategic stealing he is calling for against the Cubs? Or the lack of heat Maddon is getting for the poor defensive lineup he is running out there?

I am amazed at the people calling AustinIllini a troll and wanting him banned, yet convinced Greg is just a funny guy to have around.

QUOTE (Charlie Haeger's Knuckles @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 02:41 PM) Very much yes. And not "all" of them either. I have some very close friends that I've known my whole life that are high on sports right now. More power to them. 2005 was super fun as a Sox fan. And those friends of mine were very complimentary of the Sox in 2005. As much as I hate the stereotypical Cubs fan, and the way the media trips over themselves to embellish the franchise... I am silently rooting for the Cubs just so those aforementioned close friends can experience what we got to experience in 2005. And on a side note, if the Cubs do go on to win the ALCS or even World Series, does that put any pressure on the Sox to maybe rethink things a little? Am I thinking too much? Sums up my feelings. For years I have questioned why any self-respecting fan continued to give money to a Cubs franchise whose ownership group was inept, didn't care about the fans, and marketed the ballpark rather than the product on the field. Now, although the Ricketts family is not perfect and will make mistakes, I can not argue with their intentions and the execution seems pretty solid at this point. So, the contempt I have for the franchise itself has pretty much evaporated. I also do not begrudge friends who are true fans of both the Cubs and the game of baseball the opportunity to experience what we did in 2005. My remaining apprehension is all the dumb commentary of magic, encased baseballs on the scoreboard, media slobbering, etc. I think I can deal with it much better now though than if it happened in 2003. Good luck to them.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 14, 2015 -> 04:54 PM) I wonder if you went to a Wrigleyville bar next playoff game and asked everyone in the bar who is Jed Hoyer, how many would actually know. I think you may be giving that fan base too much credit to think they would know who Jed Hoyer is. To be fair, picking any random fan of any team at a bar during a playoff run, there is a good chance you will be disappointed with their general knowledge of the roster, let alone upper management.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 02:10 PM) Not trying to start a fight, just defend myself and Ozzie. So the Sox fire Parent with a weekend to go of meaningless games. I guess Hahn quit on the team by removing somebody before all games were played. Uh ... this is meaningless just like Ozzie leaving with a week to go meant NOTHING. Both teams sucked beyond belief and it mattered not. I don't know why Robin would want to stay BTW. This team is going to suck again next year. Why does he want to manage bad hitting and defensive players. Still can't believe you are anything but a troll.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Oct 1, 2015 -> 12:51 AM) There are enough fans who think time has passed most of those guys by and refuse to listen / watch. That is part of the overall product produced by this organization. It all factors in. No it doesn't impact what happens on the field...it does impact what happens off it and that is part of the issues which the franchise refuses to improve. And again JR has the final call on broadcasters. There were folks in the organization pushing for Dave Willis at one time, they could never get JR to say yes so Dave went off to Tampa where he is very happy. Again JR values loyalty over a good product. The fact is Hawk is 73 years old and has lost his edge (as I broadcaster I know what this is...), Stone can't work with him, Farmer is a great color analyst but is brutal as a play by play guy and DJ is the nicest person on Earth. He's just not very good in the booth. These guys are the fans immediate connection to the franchise, having poor broadcasters hurts the overall marketability of things and God knows this franchise needs all the help they can get. Yet nothing changes. Save for bad baseball. Mark You hit the nail on the head for me regarding Farmer. I used to love listening to Sox games and getting things done, especially on weekends. Now I can not stand more than a few minutes of Farmer before I have to turn it off. He has had the wrong job in that booth now for 10 years since Rooney left. And while Wills may have been quick to call people drill rods, there was an absence of arrogance in his manner. I can not say the same for Rongey.

Not sure I love that much media in my face at a ball game, but it seems this is the way of the future. In related news, Bruce Levine is a tool. Can't just write a story about the Sox without needing to compare it to the north side and making it seem like a reaction.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Sep 2, 2015 -> 10:24 AM) ...his career numbers would be pails in comparison to Qs... Never saw this one before. Just awesome

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Jul 31, 2015 -> 11:48 AM) So technically if we trade for JUp and keep shark and make them qualifying offers in the winter and they walk we get two compensation picks!? I think when you trade for someone within a certain time period (ie after start of season/before trade deadline), the compensatory pick goes away. So the Padres pick for losing Upton does not accompany him with the trade.

No matter how he hits, however, Soto always looks REALLY sloppy behind the plate whenever I am watching. To be fair, I have not watched a lot of Sox games this year, so maybe what I saw is not enough of a sample size, but he looks off balance all the time. Struggles to stay in a steady receiving position, and then falls over throwing the ball back to the pitcher from the crouch sometimes too. Say what you want about Tyler's offense, but he is pretty steady behind the dish and receives the ball without a lot of movement and noise.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jun 19, 2015 -> 10:19 PM) https://twitter.com/ChuckGarfien/status/612096913538576388 Was that Levine asking the question? I could not tell but it sounded kind of like him.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 17, 2015 -> 09:54 AM) Yep, people are talking about taking their kids there so they could "be there" when he gets his debut. If Kris Bryant fails it will be one of the all time worst. Would be like the Ishtar of MLB. Right up there with Todd Van Poppel.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Mar 26, 2015 -> 10:28 AM) Why would we want a Shark in a cage ? Has anyone ever seen a shark in a cage ? Maybe Shark Infested waters , yea yea !! Cue the Jaws theme music ~! Or even this classic by the Surf Punks . Check it out Ptatc Totally agree. Should be the Shark Tank instead of Shark Cage. Now I am really pissed and will boycot this season.