Dick Allen

QUOTE (Brian @ Mar 8, 2015 -> 08:09 AM) Do any of the games today have an effect on seeding? If OSU beats Wisconsin, Iowa gets the double bye 4 seed.there is some stuff with NU gets a bye with a Nebraska and Minnesota loss IIRC.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Mar 7, 2015 -> 06:48 PM) By DJ makes 250K more than Hinrich, it wouldn't prevent us from getting Pau. Also, there is no doubt that DJ or any other flier PG's we had played better under Thibs. And comparing DJ under Thibs, his 56.9TS% is far better than Brook's 52.7%, DJ also had a higher assist and turnover ratio than Brooks. On top of that, Brooks is probably the worst defensive PG we have had, and yes that includes Nate and JL3. The Bulls needed to clear space in case they signed Carmelo. IIRC, DJ signed with Detroit before Carmelo officially stopped playing the Bulls. Anyway, it is ridiculous arguimg DJ Augustine. How many teams has he been on the last 2 years? Besides, with Rose coming back, how do you know DJ even wanted to come back to be his back up? And you can't be sure another $250k less a year doesn't have Pau in a different uniform.

I think Illinois would probably be the greatest program in college basketball history if it wasn't for referees. Generations of referees have been out to get the Illini. Illini fans need to watch more games and realize every single team is the victim of bad calls especially when you are on the road in Big 10 games.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Mar 7, 2015 -> 01:03 PM) Well they could've kept DJ. Iirc, he wasn't asking for much at all. But garpax, don't value backup PGs except for Kirk Hinrich. DJ is gettimg more than Hinrich. I'd rather have Pau than DJ. Also Brooks is shooting better than DJ this season.

Does this mean they can lose a few more games and still get a bid? Everone in the division basically plays the same opponents. Tell me about strength of schedule after the season, not by projected WAR. At the end of the season, the standings aren't even in line with actual WAR.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 6, 2015 -> 08:21 PM) I think the consensus is that Rodon's target range is probably 140-160 ip with a then reasonable expansion to 185-205 in 2016. By the way, the fact that Harvey is already back to 99 mph after surgery with the Mets might encourage other teams to push the envelope knowing how far TJ surgery has evolved...and wary of another Strasburg situation repeating itself. Ask Hanrahan hiw his TJ worked out. They are all different. With the studs, err on the side of caution although the Strasburg deal was different because that was a very legitimate shot at a championship.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Mar 6, 2015 -> 08:28 PM) So why did the bulls let DJ walk? Salary cap.

Anyone see the stat that despite his monster numbers, the last 2 games the Thunder are +21 without Westbrook on the floor, and -23 when he is playing.

Ryan Baker of channel 2 just called Jon Lester's 2 inning sprng training debut "historic".

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 02:35 PM) In 2013, 8-10 Illinois was a 7 seed. 9-9 Iowa missed the tournament. 2010, 10-8 Illinois missed the tournament. 9-9 Minnesota got in. Conference record is one factor that is absolutely not considered by the committee. IF Illinois beats Purdue on Saturday (please, please beat Purdue on Saturday), the Illini will have a better resume than Purdue. Purdue has two horrible home losses in December and lacks a real signature win (home against Ohio State is their best). Illinois, on the other hand, has one bad loss (@ Nebraska) and three wins that are better than Purdue's best win (Baylor on a neutral floor, Maryland, and @ Michigan State). Depending on what happens to the rest of the bubble (and if any bids get stolen in conference tournaments), Illinois and Purdue could both be on the outside looking in. But an Illinois win @ Purdue definitely puts the Illini ahead of Purdue as of Saturday. Now that the conference schedule is unbalanced, it makes sense. There used to be a day if you weren't .500 in your conference, and didn't win your conference tournament, you were out.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 02:20 PM) Wow. Kershaw has apparently thrown 2461 curveballs in his career. He has given up 1 HR off of that pitch. Does that include the playoffs?

QUOTE (staxx @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 02:14 PM) My post was directed at the fact that if a player far exceeds expectations, then chances of winning are increased. I worded it incorrectly as a cause/effect relationship, which was not the point of the post. Assumptions weren't made based on one day of baseball at all. Enjoy it, its 5 degrees here and we're watching baseball. No harm in dreaming a little bit too, as this game is meant to be fun. Again, I said exactly that. Watch for entertainment purposes. Evaluating now will make you look like you have no idea what you are talking about fairly soon.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 01:03 PM) And despite all of the bluster, the Cubs are playing at Wrigley, and giving up 1000's of seats of revenue per game, instead of either Sox park or Milwaukee. That should be everything that needs to be said right there. Because they know even without bleachers for 2 months, they still would draw more at Wrigley than in Milwaukee, and wouldn't alienate their fanbase, like playing 90 miles away for a season might. JR would not let it happen. I think that tells you right there it wouldn't have been the coup you think it would be.

On CSN last night they showed some stat that when Mirotic plays at least 30 minutes his stats are pretty sick. Of course, the only reason he would play 30 minutes is because he is playing really well.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 01:22 PM) I think this is related to his legendarily bad pitch selection. I'm less worried about his swing plane as I am about his ability to wait for pitches he can really drive. Someone did a study once that showed evidence that Starlin Castro's incredible hitting ability actually created a developmental problem for him, where he never learned what he SHOULDN'T hit, because there really was never much he COULDN'T hit. I think Jeff Sullivan found some evidence that Moustakas had a similar issue last year. These guys are so good at making contact that they make a TON of bad contact out of the zone. Sometimes, that'll mean fishing out a gapper from his shoelaces like we saw Avi do yesterday. More often, though, it's going to mean groundouts. That makes sense. Either way, he groundball rate is going to need to drop for him to be valuable. He seems to have a really good attitude.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 01:13 PM) [/b] I don't see that as his swing though. His career groundball rate would make Juan Pierre proud. They talk about him hitting the ball as far as anyone in batting practice. If he gets it in the air during actual games, he could be a really big HR guy.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 01:11 PM) If he does win the job, how many times will that plate appearance where he stood his ground and doubled down the LF line be cited? Against Clayton Kershaw who was pitching like it was a game for first place in September even though it was his first start of the spring on March 5th. To answer your question, I'm guessing never.

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 01:04 PM) Enjoy baseball sounds. That's all these games are good for. That's all I said, and I got ripped.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 12:48 PM) If noting that someone had a good/bad game is your idea of evaluating future performances, as if we were extrapolating that data to mean anything, then this thread if going to be just as infuriating for you as yesterday's. There were several posts way beyond that, and you know it. I am not bothered by someone pointing out some player looks good, but it is March 5. The regular season doesn't start for a month. These games mean nothing.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 12:40 PM) Any amount of new fans for the White Sox is less money to go somewhere else. It is much easier to drive/train/bike/bus 8 miles, versus 90, especially in a city where a lot of people don't have a car. Every fan you expose to that park, is another free preview of a modern ballpark. If I am the Cubs, I am sure not about to risk any of my fan base for something that easy. I would much have them watching my product with other Cubs fans telling everyone how USCF sucks (peer pressure) than having them come alone and making up their own mind. Besides, their ballpark is going to be more modern in a couple of years.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 12:40 PM) I hope Dick Allen doesn't find this game thread. He is going to be pissed off that people are watching meaningless baseball 2 days in a row. When did I ever write that? Evaluating future performance based on these games is silly. That is what I wrote. Although it is comforting that based on yesterday, Avi is in line for a huge season which should bring the White Sox the Central Divsion crown.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 12:24 PM) I think you guys are really underestimating how many fans the Cubs would get in Milwaukee. It's not THAT far, and there are plenty of Cubs "fans" in between Wrigleyville & the state line, not to mention tons in Wisconsin itself too. On like two days notice when the hurricane hit Houston, they got over 23k at Miller Park when Zambrano threw the no-hitter. Would they draw more total at the Cell? Probably, but it wouldn't be that significant. If they had a good team, I think it would be very significant. I agree for some it isn't that much farther, but it is farther. An extra half hour each way adds up. I doubt many will want to drive up there on a Wednesday after work. The Zambrano thing was a one time deal, when it's an 81 time deal, it is a little less unique. But any point is moot. JR doesn't want them there anyway. I doubt it would go over well in the neighborhood except for some businesses. So, he is doing what Ricketts swore the Cubs would do, before he blew up his rooftop partners businesses and cared so much about his neighbors he wanted around the clock construction, and that is be a good neighbor. Plus the Sox use USCF for many things on off days and that wouldn't be available.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 11:22 AM) All the better reason to go after fans who have proven loyal spenders. So you are saying USCF is going to make Cubs fans forget about a renovated Wrigley Field and become White Sox fans. And that is a reason the Cubs would rather play in Milwaukee. While I really do like USCF and find it incredibly underrated, I think that is hysterical. How come you don't think the Cubs would basically be sending a good deal of their fans to USCF if they didn't feel like treking to Milwaukee? If I am Cubs management, I would rather the Cubs fan root on the Cubs at USCF, than some other team. I think there would be a higher danger of a flip.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 11:02 AM) Exactly the reason for the Cubs not to send them south. It is WAY easier for them to start going to White Sox games vs Brewers games. When Wrigley is fixed, it will probably be better than USCF or Miller Park. The only fans they would lose due to USCF are fans that aren't attached and would have gone to USCF anyway. Don't kid yourself, if the Cubs are playing in Milwaukee, many of their fans would go to White Sox games for their baseball fix. I highly doubt the reason the Cubs didn't consider USCF is because they were afraid USCF would impress their fanbase so much they would switch allegences by the truckloads. It doesn't even attract White Sox fans.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 10:14 AM) That makes of a lot of sense honestly. Why send your fans over to your competitors shop? Because it is way more convenient. 8 miles away vs. 90. And IIRC, the Brewers are also a competitor. If they played in Milwaukee, there is no doubt many Cubs fans wanting to watch baseball during the summer would head to USCF. I would think the odds of them flipping teams is higher than just watching the Cubs at USCF. As a White Sox fan, and Chicago resident, if USCF was unplayable for a season, I would much prefer they played in the dump and Clark and Addison, than the really nice park in Milwaukee.