scenario

QUOTE (scenario @ Mar 2, 2009 -> 04:14 PM) Video is working again. And just as I say that if freezes up again.

Video is working again.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 2, 2009 -> 03:32 PM) Lillibridge at 2B, Beckham at SS, Sergio Santos at 3B. Would be nice to see Escobar once at SS, but he's really too young. We definitely won't be seeing Silverio. Seems like every year, right before the end of spring training they bring up some guys from the minor league camp to get a look at them. But they have to thin the herd a little first... figure out the primary battles before giving at-bats and innings to guys from the lower minors.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 2, 2009 -> 03:08 PM) I think he said Washerman. Meaning Wassermann. Another Melton mispronunciation... "Octovio" Dotel. For crying out loud Bill, you only work for the WhiteSox... if would be nice if you knew the player's names.

Now, I think the real test will be whether he can field bunts, etc.

Mark Gonzalez just posted that Contreras "threw at all angles for 5 minutes at full velocity".

QUOTE (WCSox @ Mar 1, 2009 -> 03:09 PM) I think that last season is a good indication of what we'll get from Dotel this year. At times, he'll be nails. At other times, he'll get shelled. He hasn't been consistently good since blowing out his elbow and losing a good 5-6 mph off of his fastball, and I don't see that changing any time soon. I recall him hitting 94-95mph last year... not once in awhile either, but pretty consistently. The problem wasn't losing oomph on his fastball. The problem is he was overly dependent on it when he fell behind in counts... which got him in trouble when good hitters knew what was coming. Hopefully his work on a changeup this spring will make him a little less predictable.

I saw a blip on TV last night (I think it was CNN) suggesting that the entire state of Arizona has become a giant speed trap. Sounds like the city of Phoenix and state of Arizona are looking for ways to generate more revenue.

A recent Ken Rosenthal article about MLB amending rules to allow "sign and trade" type deals.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 2, 2009 -> 06:47 AM) The popular rumor right now is Rolen, future closer Brandon League + cash subsidy for Rolen's contract FOR Fields and another prospect. Us give up Fields in that deal? Nyet! The Blue Jays have ZERO leverage. I think they'd throw League in just to get somebody to take Rolen.

Toronto desperately wants to move some salary. If we play this smart, we may be able to pull off something very interesting.

QUOTE (La Marr Hoyt HOF @ Mar 1, 2009 -> 11:29 AM) What is it with this guy? Why are the White Sox continuing to use this stiff/forget about re-signing him... He's been a stiff all his career. Fan blogs across the web from his time in Houston, Oakland, NY, etc summarized as follow: "Our stance is that Octavio Dotel is the worst closer of alltime and a disgrace to the Green and Gold" - Sep '04 I don't understand it... Holy overreaction Batman... A guy with a 3.76 career ERA is "the worst closer of all-time"... And you quote a five year old post from an Oakland fan blog to provide support for your point?

Russell's control is too suspect for him to make the roster unless something changes dramatically in the next month.

I like this excerpt from Scott Merkin's blog regarding Beckham... I said this in my early Friday blog post, but Gordon Beckham is a baseball player. I don't care if it's Cactus League games, American Legion or the seventh game of the World Series. You just know upon seeing someone with that special ability. His play at shortstop to end the sixth inning on Tony Clark's grounder, well.. I'll let Paul Konerko describe it. "That's a big league play. If he makes that play, he can play in the big leagues for 15 years," Konerko said. "Everyone on the bench thought it was a hit, and he comes in and makes it like it was nothing." Here's my first prediction of 2009... Beckham will play in the Majors before September callups. I just have a feeling.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 27, 2009 -> 04:24 PM) Scenario, what do you know about Nathan Jones? I've read multiple articles stating that his stuff is ridiculously good (does he really tough 99 with his FB?) but that his command/control are seriously lacking at this point. Nathan Jones = Nuke LaLoosh Might have the best arm in the organization. High 90's fastball and an outstanding curveball that sometimes causes guys to bail out of the box before it breaks back into the strike zone. Now the bad news. Control problems. And mechanical issues that may limit his ability to throw consistent strikes. He's a project for sure, but an interesting one. Does he throw 99? I listened to a couple of games he pitched last year and the gun they used had him up in the range. But... not sure I'd trust the stadium guns in the low minors. So, it's hard to put alot of stock in those numbers until he moves up a level or two.

QUOTE (ChesterCopperpot @ Feb 27, 2009 -> 03:59 PM) Should I know who Clevelan Santeliz is? I've got some old notes I compiled on him from various sources. 22 year-old Venezuelan righthander Clevelan Santeliz heads the ranks of sleepers looking to surprise. His slider had been his best pitch until 2007, when his fastball jumped from the low 90s to the mid-90s, touching 96 mph at times. The 6-foot, 190-pound Santeliz also has a plus changeup. His development has been slowed by both his control and the lack of a consistent breaking pitch. He has been used more as a reliever than a starter but Bell switched him into the starting rotation after replacing Alan Regier as farm director. He's expected to compete for a starting spot at Birmingham in 2009. "He's got as good of an arm as anybody we have," one staffer said. White Sox minor league pitching coordinator Kirk Champion compares Santeliz to Diamondbacks reliever Juan Cruz. "When he can stay under control, he can be impressive out there," Champion said. "He's tall, thin, and we know he'll mature. We need to see consistency from him over the course of a summer."

QUOTE (Hawkfan @ Feb 25, 2009 -> 03:08 PM) thats true, they did the same thing with floyd last spring, just havin him toss it up there, and every one was wondering they were so high on him going into the season. I heard a good interview with Coop where he explained the logic... He basically said the ball doesn't break as well in the dry thin air of Arizona, so if guys focus on it... trying to get pitches to move, they start screwing up their routine. So, he'd rather have them focus on basic mechanics and hitting their targets until later in the spring.

QUOTE (joesaiditstrue @ Feb 25, 2009 -> 02:54 PM) Dotel is just serving up BP at this point First few outings each spring Coop usually has guys focus on fastballs and getting their location down. So, it's really hard to judge where pitchers are the first two weeks.

BA - Economics* MBA - Finance *Changed undergrad major from engineering to econ after my junior year. In grad school, my focus was financial planning and investments.

QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ Feb 24, 2009 -> 10:50 PM) * Didnt Carter smack 5 in the playoffs though which would indeed give him 44. QUOTE (bighurt4life @ Feb 25, 2009 -> 01:30 AM) BAM! Ahhhh... I didn't pay attention to the playoff stats.

QUOTE (bighurt4life @ Feb 24, 2009 -> 06:37 PM) In defense of sircaffey, Carter did hit 44 hr last season which led the minors at all levels... Close... but it was actually 39 and 2nd in MILB. Player - Home Runs 1 D. McPherson 42 2 Carter STO 39 3 Stanton GBO 39 4 Cruz OKL 37 5 Ka'aihue OMA 37

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Feb 24, 2009 -> 06:53 AM) I watched him play in person, he blew hard. Not trying to be a Jordan apologist, but to take a guy who has never played baseball at any level above high school... And hasn't played baseball in over 10 years... and then drop him into AA... the fact that he got any hits at all amazes me. And I forgot that he got 30 stolen bases that year.

A nice little trip down memory lane. Scott Merkin summarizes Michael Jordan's time with the WhiteSox. Some interesting quotes and stories in the article.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 11:18 AM) Scenario, besides Juan Silverio, Anderson Gomes and Paulo Orlando, do we have any other players signed in the last 3-5 years (specifically from the Dominican, but theoretically all of Latin America) that are possibly part of this scandal? I really don't know how deep the rabbit-hole goes. I would assume it would have to go deeper than 3 players to get the FBI involved. But I have no idea.

The Wilder affair is a pretty sordid and twisted situation, isn't it? A 'rising star' as a baseball executive... then... Skimming on signing of Latin American prospects... Losing over $500,000 investing in a gay nightclub in Phoenix called "Club Burn"... And now reporting an income of $7.50/hour. All in the period of a couple of years. What a fall from grace. Bizarre and sad.