Friend of Nordhagen

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Mar 29, 2008 -> 05:20 PM) Thome up to make the third out.

Joe Morgan holding forth. I have no idea what he's talking about.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 29, 2008 -> 04:12 PM) David Wright singles on a ball blooped in front of Swisher. For the first time this season, I get to say "Anderson would have had that" and mean it. Beltran homers. Wright scores. And that's how bad defense costs a run without an error.

Greatest misconception in Chicago broadcasting: Steve Stone was typically critical of the Cubs when he was in the booth. He wasn't. He got into trouble with Mercker and the like in 2004 because those guys had very thin skin, and Baker and Stoney had a personal beef. But there were many, many years when Steve Stone was Cub shill and rooter all the way. And Mariotti's a turd.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 03:12 PM) I think Dye and Buerhle may be the last "hometown discounts" KW will ever get done. Nah. Pablo will sign for less.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 03:02 PM) I really think you are wrong there. This greatly increases the chance that the Sox trade for Crisp or Pierre or Bay (and put Quentin in AAA this year). And the only thing the Sox have to trade are Fields, Gio and DLS...so I'd get ready to say goodbye to at least one of the Sox 3 top prospects if not more. Yeah, I'm excited about overpaying with prospects for Bay. I mean, it'd be great to diversify our team by getting a slower guy who strikes out 140 times a year. We need more guys like that. Crisp, too. He's a grinder and such. Awesome.

QUOTE(G&T @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 02:55 PM) How bout we wait to see the numbers before more complaining? Meanwhile, I'm suprised the Sox didn't up their bid. Not that Rowand is what this team needs. No, Torii Hunter was. Good thing we came up short on that one.

QUOTE(G&T @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 02:55 PM) How bout we wait to see the numbers before more complaining? Meanwhile, I'm suprised the Sox didn't up their bid. Not that Rowand is what this team needs. You know what's sad? As bad as things have gone the past few weeks, Williams is having a better off-season this year than last year. He's at least upgraded shortstop. Last year, he needed a new LF, CF and SS. But he DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT CRY AND WHINE AND ACQUIRE ANDREW SISCO. He's paying for it now. Oh, so are we.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 09:35 AM) Another factor was that he wanted to be the first Japanese player to play for the Cubs. Thus, he requested uniform #1. Another player who for some reason believes that the Cubs have a rich tradition. To most of these guys, that's what not winning a pennant in 60 years means. I've never understood this, and I never will. I must go to sleep now.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 08:19 AM) The funny thing about that headline is, the only reason Hendry has "deep pockets" is that he is spending someone else's money. Its an odd position to be in, but there it is. He basically has NO pockets, just a pile of phantom cash to spend. All this talk about Jim Hendry's pockets is disturbing.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Dec 12, 2007 -> 12:16 AM) Thank you. Of course he's overpaid. He was a free agent. I'm still waiting for anyone to give one single instance of a free agent (without injury concerns) not getting overpaid. This is right. I think the reason that folks often say that a team "overpaid" is because they compare to whatever contracts were given the year before. But the market increases every SINGLE year -- no matter what Kenny Williams thinks. That's why you can look back and see guys like Reggie Jackson and Joe Rudi, in the first free agent crop, getting about $500,000 a year. That seems silly now. And it's because we understand, intuitively, that the market increases. In fact, the only time that the market didn't increase was 1987 -- and the reason was collusion. That doesn't mean that there aren't bad signings. But there's risk in almost any enterprise. So -- you either go along, or you build another way. But if you're a GM or an owner, you don't whine about it. You don't like it? Find another line of work.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 11, 2007 -> 10:01 PM) And the drunks in the RF bleachers will be shown bowing to him constantly next summer. God, this is so true.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 11, 2007 -> 09:51 PM) KW failed last offseason, he failed last season, and he's doing awful so far this season. Can't we promote him to some higher position, and let someone else take over? Something that's killed us in our trade chances this offseason is how bad all the young arms we acquired last year have been. Bingo. Last year's Kenny Williams cry-baby-fest about "the market" and "a correction" resulted in Aardsma, Sisco and Heartburn. About 72 wins -- and only 72 wins - later, we're a bottom-feeder and look like it: you think Torii Hunter and Fukudume couldn't see that? Thanks, Kenny, for your plan last year. It's been a boon for this year, too.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Dec 11, 2007 -> 09:36 PM) Ha. Well so much for him desperate for a 3 year deal. $13M a season is a lot for an unproven OF in the MLB, but that's the current market. Right now it looks like Rowand for the Sox, unless they want to get back in the Crisp negotiations. I'll be shocked if we acquire Pierre fathom. I think it'll be Crisp, and I think we'll overpay for him. But, then, I thought that after we missed on Hunter.

QUOTE(Capn12 @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 07:24 AM) Its not $18 mil per, just looks that way on the surface. '08: $9 million '09: $15 million $12 milion signing bonus. Wonder if the signing bonus is Andruw's insurance against the Mitchell Report . . .

QUOTE(DonnyDevito @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 12:54 AM) now it is rowand or bust! or atleast a career year from owens or bust! Don't forget Pablo. I see him putting up .357, with 34 home runs and about 147 RBI.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 07:09 PM) As "horrible" as people might think he is, he hit .278 with 15HR and a .359 OBP with the Dodgers last year. That's not exactly a hitters paradise in LA. I wouldn't want to pay him $7 million, but if he wanted to play for half that, its certainly more production than they got out of Pods. Wasn't there some innuendo, by the DBacks ownership, about his jump in power numbers? Maybe keep an eye on the Mitchell Report on this one.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 10:11 PM) Hey that's nice, but Darin Erstad isn't with the Sox any more. In fact, most of us wish he could be erased from White Sox history. How long until he gets hurt on the sideline? Uh, yeah -- I know that Erstad's not on the Sox anymore. I didn't realize that I'd entered the hyper world of White Sox Interactive.

From Gammons: • If Darin Erstad doesn't find a job that suits him, there is word that he could return to the University of Nebraska, his alma mater, and be an assistant coach for the football team. A punter in college, Erstad was part of the Cornhuskers' 1994 national championship squad and remains one of Tom Osborne's favorite players.

QUOTE(SoxFanForever @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 04:43 PM) Yes, he played LF when they had Lowell. He played quite a bit of RF in 2003. They used Conine in left.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Nov 19, 2007 -> 11:33 AM) one of the things that is being overlooked is the leadership qualities of O-cab. He is an energy guy and a leader. That is something that was lacking last season. Cabrera was absolutely critical for the Red Sox in 2004. The drop-off to Renteria the next year, in intangibles and stick, was significant. Cabrera is a smart hitter who makes contact (something we desperately needed), he drives in runs, and he is an outstanding shortstop. Yes, he's older than I'd like, and, yes, he's in the last year of his deal -- but he is exactly the kind of player this team has lacked for the last two years -- heady and puts the bat on the ball.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Nov 6, 2007 -> 06:05 PM) KW's "market correction" will have to wait for another year. LOL

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Oct 13, 2007 -> 03:48 PM) He was fantastic in the playoffs and had a very good 06 season but has been mediocre with the stick for most of his career. I love Joe but he's a great defender and a mediocre offensive player, that's it. Still, even Crede's great 06 season was no where near just Burrell's career averages. I like Burrell's OBP (quite a bit), but mark me down as one of the few who wouldn't bite on this deal. If we're going to add payroll, doing it for another slow, defensively challenged corner outfielder, who's a .260 career hitter and strikes out almost as much as Thome is not where I'd vote for putting our money. And, yes, Crede's a question mark -- but you know exactly what you're getting from Burrell, and I'm not a big fan of him for this already slow, strikeout-too-much, defensively slow team. Even IF Philly would subsidize it -- which is not at all clear -- this isn't the move for me.

QUOTE(DrunkBomber @ Oct 13, 2007 -> 02:40 PM) I have never checked that site out. Why are so many people banned form there? Is it just a forum? Oh yeah, it's a forum. If by forum, you mean the Kremlin in, say, 1954.

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Oct 4, 2007 -> 09:57 AM) Someone oughta check Big Z's package for a foreign substance as he goes to it quite often. I am not joking either. You have to wonder. He is one of the all-time groin-grabbers -- constantly moving around the furniture down there. Z is a real strange fellow.