Dick Allen

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 12:42 PM) Not that I've seen. I was going to ask one of the Soxtalk guys to ask Hahn or somebody this past weekend, but forgot. He was asked. His reply was that he was aware Gordon was currently a free agent. He will be cheap. I like the gamble.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 12:09 PM) EXACTLY! Who really gives a s*** what they say anyways, they never really give you original and insightful answers, just the same clichéd answer over and over again. I care what they do on the field on Sunday, not what they say to the media mid-week Some people do. If he really is a decent guy, I don't know why he can't take the couple hours of stupid questions and answer them like a decent human being. It doesn't seem to be so difficult for others. This game is shown all over the world. Many of the dumb questions come from reporters from other countries not all that familiar with the game. Even most of the media jokes about how dumb media day is for the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean you have to act like a jerk.

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 11:05 AM) i guess this ends that notion that K.Law was biased against the Sox. This seems like we were ranked too high (not that i'm dedicated to this study night and day, etc) Maybe he doesn't anymore, but when KW was getting the credit, IMO, he did. KW can rub people the wrong way. It is the biggest reason Schueler reccommended Dan Evans as his replacement over KW. I think he rubbed Law the wrong way, and Law had a tough time letting it go. That said, farm system rankings are about as valuable as attendance trophies. What really matters is what other teams think, if you are going to trade them, and what they really are if you plan on keeping them.

Lynch is willing to be likeable if there is money involved. Whatever. I know the press is a drag, but pro athletes need to realize they wouldn't be getting paid what they are getting paid if it weren't for media, etc. People want to know things. You want to act like a jerk, fine, but eventually that catches up to you. Dealing with the media, answering questions, is part of the job description. If you don't want to do that, go make $10 an hour somewhere and tell your new boss you don't want to talk to the clients. See how that goes over. If every player acted like him, I doubt many would be fine with it, and I am sure there would be several less zeros on the balance of their bank accounts.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 03:11 PM) Where do you see Jones at? At first I was thinking he'd be nice on the inside (he could be) but looking back at scouting reports there was talk of his as 3-4 OLB. Briggs has said with the new staff he'd like to return, what's everyones thoughts on that. I think he'd fit as an ILB, but only at the right price. Time to move on from Briggs.

http://www.southsidesox.com/2011/12/1/2603...bout-chris-sale

QUOTE (Stev-o @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 02:24 PM) Picking a catcher out of the Sox' 5 candidates is like picking the "tallest midget". None of them are any damn good. That's true, but Soto has had his moments. Flowers had his streak. One guy in one of the seminars said he works for Google and Flowers pitch framing improved when he put on the glasses as well. I am no fan of Flowers and expect him to struggle to hit .200, but you don't have to be very good or very lucky to hit .230-.240 when he would be fine. I think of all of back ups, if they had to catch 80 games, Soto would be head and shoulders the best candidate. If Salvador Perez was the starter, probably Kottaras.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 01:59 PM) I think the Sox are pretty deep in the pen myself. Though if you have deeper questions about Putnam and Petricka, that could change your opinion. I wonder if the Sox feel both of those guys are not pieces going forward. They do have a lot of guys, but Hahn did specifically mention the bullpen. Maybe a piece or 2 is trade bait for an infielder.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 01:47 PM) Hahn stated at SoxFest that he is looking ideally for some bullpen depth and middle infield depth that can hit LHP. Some bullpen names that could be good fits for the Sox are Mike Adams and Chad Billingsley. Mike Adams fits what Hahn likes with the bullpen. Ground ball pitcher with high strike out rates. He has been injured the last couple years, but when healthy, he still has shown to be effective. Chad Billingsley I think can be had on a minor league contract because he hasn't been healthy much of his career. But I think if he moves to the bullpen, cut down on innings, he can be a low risk, high reward type guy. Infield depth: Ricky Weeks. He only plays 2B but still well enough last year before Gennett took over his job. Depending on Sanchez or Micah winning the 2B job, I think he is less likely than the next name I'm about to give because Weeks is limited in the infield. Everth Cabrera. Suspended last year because of steroids and I believe he got a DUI charge earlier this off season but he can play an effective SS and steal bases. And still better than Leury Garcia. If any other names you guys can come up with please provide them. What you guys think of these names? The problem with Weeks is he only plays 2B and is about as good defensively as a typical Soxtalk poster.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 09:53 AM) If they call it out, there is a good chance Ozzie stays and you either have him sabotaging the team for another year, or you have to pay him for a year after you fire him. They aren't going to shoot themselves in the foot at the price of $3 million out of spite. No. Remember Ozzie couldn't work under a contract that was expiring. He would have fled. Why couldn't they file tampering charges after he was gone? Granted you released him from his contract, and received some sort of compensation, but couldn't you argue that due to the tampering, it made his staying not realistic? And Ozzie was contacted really the year before, and they didn't want him gone then.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 09:48 AM) I believe this stems from the idea that Law was in the Blue Jays front office shortly after the Sirotka trade went down and he felt the Sox wronged the Blue Jays and, as a result, has held a grudge against the Sox since that point. I'm of the opinion that Keith Law has no obvious bias against the White Sox, doesn't care about that scenario, and, instead, didn't like the White Sox minor league system over the previous 10 years and he had a lot of harsh things to say about it, which many people here took as "Keith Law hates everything White Sox." Chris Sale and Jose Abreu, 2 White Sox mistakes according to Keith Law. If there is no grudge, it shows he does lack a bit of the expertise he believes he has.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 09:37 AM) They got compensation from Florida for Ozzie, plus I am about 90% sure they wanted rid of him anyway, so they just let it happen instead of complaining about it and potentially collapsing the teams get out of jail free card with Ozzie. They would have received more quality in regards to compensation for Ozzie, had Loria just popped for a few Slurpies for JR,KW, RH. The Ozzie to Miami talk had been going on for a while and IMO definitely affecte the way Ozzie carried himself, and ultimately affected the White Sox. Tampering is tampering. If you want to call it out here, you should have called it out there.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 09:17 AM) The shift in today's vernacular really refers to moving one player to the other side of the field not movement around inthe "usual" area. So what your saying with the Ted Williams comparison is that since one of the gresatest hitters of all time can do it, all players can do it? Baseball has been played this way forever. You can ignore numbers and say it is the reason scoring is down, but it is not. Again, if you have 3 guys on one side of the infield, there is one covering a lot of ground on the other. Learn to hit the ball to the other side of the field. It doesn't have to be hit hard. You do it a few times, your shift is gone. There is a reason radical shifts aren't used with runners on base very often. But look at Ted Williams's numbers. He had 3 guys on one side of the infield, and still pulled everything. Adam Dunn got the shift most times he was at the plate. The thing is, most of the time, you would have had the same result for him had they all shifted to the bench in the dugout. Cut down on the strikeouts. It's not just another out, like the guys playing today were told. Your batting average when you strikeout is .000. Your batting average when you put the ball in play is around .300.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 08:54 AM) They've also been pushing the idea of people putting money on their tickets for food, and using the ticket like a credit card. That would provide tracking. Yes. It brings up the question, is it worth having the team track your every move for a couple of hot dogs? I vote no. I don't blame the White Sox or other teams for doing this, and if people have no problem being tracked, that is fine too. But to me, and I really have no set routine when I go to games, I would rather my habits and trends be with me, and not out for someone to study.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 08:23 AM) how would you even do it? have "zones" marked on the field where the different position players have to be in? or what? automatic walk? Invisible electric fences. Seriously, how is this even a consideration? There have been shifts, not to the extreme they are now, all throughout baseball history. Ted Williams hit into a shift, and did pretty well. Infield in. That's a shift. Corners in close. That's a shift. CF shaded toward LF. That's a shift. Strikeouts are what is killing offenses. For a while it was known as just like any other out, which is BS, and if you do put the ball in play, there are some odds it will become a hit. This is the generation where strikeouts didn't matter. Once this cycle is complete and an emphasis on making contact takes hold, the runs will return.

There was a more in depth article about this with dates, etc. JR isn't pursuing tampering charges because he considers Beeston his best friend in baseball. What I don't understand is how can he be up in arms over this, if he really is, and not be over the Ozzie to Miami move which was even more clearly, tampering? I think most of his anger is the workings behind Beeston's back rather than actually tampering. I'm sure every team, including the White Sox, has technically tampered at some point.

Kottaras is woeful behind the plate. If Soto shows anything with the bat in spring training, I think he gets the job,

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 26, 2015 -> 11:21 AM) I wonder if that means this team is more Rick Hahn then Kenny Williams? Hahn basically said in the seminar that KW hired him, so supposedly KW and Coleman are friends. Vince once got into it with Jeff Torborg.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 26, 2015 -> 07:20 AM) The rules are in place on both sides of the ball, so it doesn't give the offense an unfair advantage. If the offense has 5 wide receivers and you know they are gonna throw, then you are allowed to cover those guys. The MLB Commish thinks that's wrong and you shouldn't be allowed to cover where you know the ball is going. I agree. Shifts also open up a huge portion of the field that guys making millions should be able to exploit. They do that a few times, shifts go away. Banning them would be stupid. Would every fielder have to play straight up? I don't think many realize the "shift" a middle infielder goes through with a runner on 1B. Would that be eliminated, therefore making DPs obsolete?

QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 25, 2015 -> 07:39 AM) He was also never a QB or in the bullpen. He was in the bullpen. It was the same tyoe of comment Ricketts made. It is amazing so many people on both sides were so up in arms.

Vince is a bit of a loose canon. He had a lot of trouble during his playing days in NY. IIRC he and KW got into it many years ago at a Cubs/Sox tilt when he was a minor league imstructor for the Cubs. The Sox wouldn't let him sit in the dugout during the game which was their right. There supposedly was a pretty crazy argument between the two around the batting cage. Hopefully, he has matured and can get better results from these guys on the bases. IMO, however, if he can make 25 steal guys 50 steal guys during spring training, he probably wouldn't be available.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 09:34 PM) Why do we need a back up infielder? I was hoping that Bonifacio could back up 3B/SS/2B and outfield on occasion, which would eliminate the need for a backup infielder and let us carry an extra bullpen arm. I don't think Bonafacio can play SS. Plus he wants someone who can hit LH pitching to spell Conor. He also mentiomed Saladino, but he was tslking acquisition.

From the seminars, most is already on here, but Vince Coleman is going to be a baserunning coach in spring training. Hahn is looking for more relief and a back up infielder. Buddy Bell thinks most Sox minor leaguers will be all stars except Davidson. A draft tidbit, I am not sure which minor league guy said it, I think Capra, he expects at least 6 of the top 8 picks in the next draft to be college pitchers. Don Cooper is the self proclaimed "manager of the pitching staff". So all those that blame Robin, should now blame Coop. And Iguchi and Rowand cried when the Sox traded them away.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 02:53 PM) Have to agree. Especially with Hahn saying that they are looking for a right handed hitting infielder. Hahn said he was looking for an acquisition and also said Saladino would be a top internal candidate. It seems the Sox have really soured on Davidson. Even Buddy Bell's effort to spin him up was half hearted and he mentioned how hard it is to hit, and failure rate. The minor league guys did seem a little more hopeful with Johnson. They think he tweaked his mechanics a bit just trying to succeed. They still think he can get back to where he was.

I saw Ernie walking into a restaurant a couple of years ago. I said Hey Ernie to him, and he started talking to me like I was one of his best buddies he hadn't seen for years. The people that were with him were trying to get him to go, but it appeared they were used to it. Then I read the Dale Murphy tweet where he said he did a card show with Ernie and Ernie drove the promoter crazy because he was basically doing the same thing he did with me to each one of customers. Murphy said Ernie only got about 15 signed in an hour. He may be Mr. Cub, but I wil always hold him in the highest regard. RIP.