Dick Allen

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:34 AM) Pace with similar comments re: Cutler - still evaluating, no decision on whether he'll be the starter. edit: I'm glad the Bears have finally taken the key to the franchise away from Cutler. The last 4-5 years have been basically "whatever you want, Jay." Not anymore. If he is on the team, he will be the starter, or it makes no sense. IMO, these comments basically mean they are trying to trade him, and won't cut him.

If you are a fan of his and want him signed, the fact that there seems to be more guys in competition for his kind of money than ever before next offseason, may make him think to take what he can and not be left holding the bag. If most of the free agent to be guys do make it to free agency, next offseason is going to be fascinating.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 06:06 AM) He was very good compared to others using the graph, but not necessarily did a good performance historically, right? What the data suggests is if you were unhappy with how Robin used his bullpen, you would have been unhappy with how just about every manager used his bullpen in 2014.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 09:34 PM) I'll take pregnant Panda over skinny Conor any day of the week. He does this every year and it always seems to work out fine. Plus, he's a baseball player not a wide receiver. Doesn't he usually try to come into camp in some kind of better shape, then gradually gain weight during the season? How many really fat 3B have there been playing effectively in their 30s?

QUOTE (shysocks @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 05:00 PM) Good low risk, high reward move by them. How is Matt Lindstrom high reward?

Panda reported to Red Sox camp about 8 months pregnant.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 02:57 PM) It had next to nothing to do with it but its now reaping some of the benefits. Next to the UC there will be a "sports complex" with stores, restaurants etc. Couple that with the new practice facilities and its as close as chicago can get. There obviously are some bars and restaurants that probably wouldn't be there if the Bulls and Hawks played in Addison. Probably a bigger impact if they cut back on the parking lots, and put some things in there besides pavement. The bars and restaurants near Wrigley couldn't stay in business if the Cubs didn't play there. I was reading about Goose Island shutting down near there. Their lease expired and their landlord wanted them to go on an month to month lease, but they were worried he would pull the plug before or during baseball season. Off season, they can't make money. So they just shut down.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 03:05 PM) Right after the attendance trophy, but before the best prospects trophy. I would have thought they would save the attendance trophy for last.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 02:56 PM) http://m.espn.go.com/mlb/story?storyId=12334819 Most Improved Team- Sox #1 in AL Best Free Agent Signing- Laroche #4 in MLB Best Trades- Shark trade #1 in MLB Best Minor League Free Agent- Geovany Soto #1 Sort of surprised at how high Laroche is. Will there be a trophy presentation?

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 02:04 PM) Maybe so. But the point is that he did better than any other manager in baseball in this regard last year. So if you're going to be critical of his bullpen management that's fine, but there was truly no better alternative in 2014. He was the best. The jury's out on these metrics over a long period of time - no one's done that analysis yet - but my whole thing is that I'd prefer to give RV the benefit of the doubt since 1) he's actually been much better than he's gotten credit for and 2) that he's yet to have a good team to manage. That changes this year. I'm very interested to see what he does with a good team. I don't think he deserves a 20th ranking, given his bullpen management was better than everyone else's, and that's a huge percentage of the job. The one problem with this, and I am a Robin fan, is it does favor managers that don't really have guys who are established. In other words, Robertson is going to have a much longer hook if he all of a sudden sucks this year. Duke is going to have to suck longer than the guys last year before losing his role. It's easier to yank a Belisario than a $14 million a year Robertson. But the numbers do suggest all the complaining about Robin and the bullpen last year was silly. He did what he could. Sometimes you actually have to have guys who can get outs on the mound.

QUOTE (Jake @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 01:14 PM) In terms of urban planning (as opposed to the interests of the teams involved), it is basically agreed-upon by researchers that sports stadiums don't do cities any good. Expensive, big, don't do much for the surrounding area. I don't know how much it really had to do with it, but the United Center at least had some impact on huge turnaround in the West Loop and Near West Side. You really didn't want to be walking down West Madison at any time of day as late as the late 80s or early 90s. Now there are women with strollers shopping. What the UC could use is a more convenient train stop.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 12:21 PM) Not only do I feel like not only is he a bad radio guy, I think he personality is moody and surly. It comes off awful on radio. The awkward silences combine with the inane negative rants. blah. Farmer is a guy who you think would be a jerk, but he's actually a very nice guy in person. DJ as well. Obviously, that probably doesn't matter whether you like his broadcast style or not, but just throwing that out there.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 10:32 AM) I'm not the one saying there is evidence that points to this. I'm saying if it exists I'd like to read it. Geesh So what would be the evidence? Showing the results of non-starters after two games of consecutive hits would be a part of it. I showed results. You didn't want to play anymore. You are the one making claims. Why can't you show results?

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 09:52 AM) Sorry, but I don't think we can. For you and I, it's best we agree to disagree. So not 1 example. LOL.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 09:48 AM) You keep getting hung up on a name. We can't discuss this intelligently can we? Sure we can. Nieto never played consecutive games, so he can't qualify for your "hotness". Are you saying Paul Konerko didn't play enough? Who are the names of the non regulars that were yanked while they were "hot"? If this is a managerial weakness, you should be able to provide some examples.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 09:11 AM) It's riding it out. All players slump and all players have hot hands. When they are hot you play them out. That's the right thing to do. More than likely the bench guys regress back to the norm fairly quickly. But while they are hot, you ride that out. That is maximizing the value. So you wait for your bench guy to suck and perhaps cost you a game before you take him out. And anticipating no success is just dumb? Leury had hits in consecutive games 5 times last year. The first time he went 2 for 4, then 1-4 with 2 k's. I guess that qualifies for hot. He didn't play the next game and the Sox lost 3-2. He went 1-2 and 1-3, sat out the next game and the Sox lost 6-3. He went 1-3 then 2-4, then sat and the Sox won 3-2 He went 1-5, then 1-3, then played and went 0-3. Keeping the "hot bat" in the line up didn't pay off. He went 1-4,then 1-4 then sat and the Sox won 6-3. I know these are actual results and probably mean nothing, but you are wrong.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 08:59 AM) Logically I am riding the hot hand. In your scenario you need to only look at percentages and those that do not succeed from day one won't be provided an opportunity to succeed later. That's poor managing. No, poor managing is basing your decision on what happened in an entirely different scenerio the day before, and not using information that can lead to a better result. I do agree there should be some gut managing. Playing by the book is safe from criticism, but c'mon, riding guys like Leury Garcia, or Adrian Nieto, or a 38 year old Paul Konerko just because they had a hit or 2 the previous 2 games, while keeping better players on the bench? That is silly.

Amare to Dallas. The Mavs would have the best team in basketball if this was 2008.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 08:07 AM) Not when they are hot it doesn't. He's hot you play him. He messes up or gets the 0 fer now is the time to put him back on the bench. Don't get hung up on the name, get in tune with the idea. There is a pretty good chance Leury is going ofer if he had 4 hits the day before. Besides, there is a lot more to making out a line up than going by what the guy did the day before. This isn't basketball and the rim is the same width and height. The guy on the mound also matters. Conor Gillaspie has had 2 hits 3 games in a row, they are facing the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw the next game, does a good manager disregard this has 0-4 written all over it? Your way, the answer is apparently, yes. The Sox bench has pretty much sucked since Robin has been managing. There has really been no one you would want to have extended playing time. That particular complaint against Robin is a huge reach.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 08:03 AM) It's a basic thing that managers do, but the bad ones don't. You ride a hot hand. You can laugh at that all you want. I like Leury Garcia more than most here, but the fact is, riding Leury Garcia makes guys bad managers.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 07:49 AM) No like for a game or two. Say a guy like Garcia gets a hit, plays the next day and gets two more. Does he play the third day? Nope, back to the bench. You are criticizing Robin Ventura for not leaving a "hot" Leury Garcia in the line up? That is comedy gold. I thought the guys at WSI, what with their complaining about the stripes on pants, the patches on sleeves, the lack of smiles from the guy taking their parking money, were really reaching in the complaint department, but this may top that.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 07:41 AM) Nothing super specific comes to mind. His handling of pitchers in game was pretty awful. He seemed to never really have a handle on that with that. He's also be prone to taking a hot guy out of the lineup because that guy wasn't a regular. I'm hoping he improves a ton this year. We'll see. What non regular White Sox player has been hot the last couple of years?

What people initially took as Ozzie's "genuis", the taking all the media pressure off the players and on to himself, was eventually shown to be nothing more than Ozzie's constant need of attention. He was a good manager at the beginning. He was bad at the end in Chicago, and horrific in Miami. If he could shrink his head some and just get back to baseball and not all about Ozzie, he can be good again. I always thought he probably could. He has been saying the correct things in the media the last year or so. But after sitting behind Oney and Ozney at a game last year, and realizing how they all influence each other, and watching those clowns openly root against the White Sox, I don't think any good could come of Ozzie being a paid White Sox employee anymore.

Middle 90s Robin would look very nice in the White Sox line up right now.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 16, 2015 -> 11:33 AM) Yea, why dont you go ahead and relax a bit and while you are relaxing, let me know why it isnt the same. The Marlins dropped a ton of dough on that team and had to dismantle it in 4 months because Ozzie didnt "immediately make it better" That is what I was going to post. A bad team, signs a bunch of free agents, and now has high expectations. Almost exactly the same. The 2012 White Sox were essentially the 2011 White Sox without Mark Buehrle. Somehow the team managed by Robin won more games.