Dick Allen

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 16, 2014 -> 11:20 AM) He did the exact same thing when he left as a player. It didn't change him one little bit. It was worse when he left as a player, but many, including you, had a very positive view of Ozzie when he returned, for several years. Ozzie, like Ditka, bought the hype. He was thought to be some uneducated genius, but that turned out not to be true. I really think he realizes he screwed up. I would never make him the manager, but I think he would be fine in a lesser role, one where if the Sox ever won again, no one besides Cowley and Ozzie's family would say he was the reason they won. That should keep him in check.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 16, 2014 -> 10:17 AM) Where is PTAC on this one? An abnormally small UCL ligament increases the future tear chances by what %? And a TJ surgery (using a regular-size ligament to replace the smaller one) would have what effect? If he was throwing 98 MPH at the end of May and is still throwing regularly, it's a difficult case to prove for the Astros. In the article about it, the one independent doctor they asked seemed to think it wasn't that big of deal either for more potential for injury it or repairing it, which seemed to be an issue with the Astros. Obviously, not everyone will agree. If Aiken is confident he is healthy, I don't see any reason he would want any part of the Astros organization at this point. Go to a JUCO or play independent ball next year. Even if you only get the money the Astros are offering, at least you don't have to deal with them through your cheap years.

I'd like to hear Tyler's take on hitting. That would be gold.

Stevenson is a loose canon. He could be a great bargain or a total waste of money. You know what you are getting with Gasol at a little more than 1/3 what it costs for Carlos Boozer. I would have liked the Bulls to pick up Born Ready. I did predict incorrectly last winter he and Danny Granger would be Bulls this summer. There's a lot to like, but guys like him also fade fast often.

Apparently his UCL isn't torn or anything, but really small.

He can't bring back Cowley and has to take Oney's twitter away. Did Oney ever get a job?

QUOTE (woods of ypres @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 06:09 PM) As long as Ozzie doesn't do any on field activities, like managing, or coaching I wouldn't have a problem with him having some kind of "job" in the organization. I really wouldn't mind him coaching. He was a great 3rd base coach. He shouldn't be in a position to give daily press conferences. I do think the Castro stuff was taken out of context. It was dumb to say, but he actually said the exact same thing a couple of years earlier, and crickets. Ozzie was a lot if good, and some bad. I think he has learned from his mistakes. He will still say stupid things, but i really think he has been humbled.

QUOTE (woods of ypres @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 05:59 PM) I knew this would be a Cowley article. I don't think Ozzie should ever manage the White Sox again, but the other stuff? Why not? He was just as bad if not worse on his way out the door as a player and no one remembered that. Just as long as he doesn't bring Cowley with him.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 02:33 PM) They get physicals when they declare for the draft. Not usually. It would be impractical. Every HS senior and college JR and SR plus some first and second year guys in jucos are eligible. You don't declare for the baseball draft. Teams would spend all their time on physicals. The same thing happened to RA Dickey. The trainer actually saw a picture he was in and noticed how he was holding his arm. The deal is your bonus gets slashed. I think you would probably be a little shocked at some physicals. But I would imagine these days they probably are pretty thorough for $6 million high school pitchers. This could be a case of wanting to find something. If Aiken is totally heathy, he should release the results. The Astros would have some trouble.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 12:24 PM) I'm just going off of Rosenthal's article, which states he can accept a college scholarship. I hope he can. Personally, I think they should be able to have agents vs. "advisors". Whcy should the teams be given the upper hand? With the recinding of the 5th rounder offer from the player with the same representation, that doesn't seem just coincidental to me. If the Astros are playing games and Aiken walks away, it wouldn't surprise me if they try to provide evidence he had an agent vs. an advisor. But I'm with you, unless there is really something there that should cause a great concern, this does not make sense from the Astros point of view. If they really are weasels, that is going to come out eventually, and would greatly hurt their future.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 12:09 PM) But he can take a college scholarship if he fails to sign. He can also re-enter the draft later if he chooses. I think he's ineligible to play in college if Close acted as his agent rather than an advisor. He probably would have to play in an Independent League for a year. If he can retain eligibility he can go to a JC and be in the draft next year, or a 4 year college and wait 3. I am pretty sure he would be considered ineligible at this point to play in college. Maybe they give him a break, but whatever situation, you have to figure even if he takes his 40% slot money, if he's successful, he's not going to be a lifetime Astro.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 11:58 AM) There is a piece to this whole puzzle that is missing. Now I'm thinking their consolation prize may be enough for them to do this. The kid probably hired an agent, not an advisor, so he probably can't play in college, they are still giving him good money, they won't lose a pick, maybe they think he's a sucker, telling him his physical wasn't clean and pressuring him and his agent, all the while knowing if he doesn't sign, well, the second pick next year is better than forfeiting a pick next year. If they are playing games, they are going to have a hard time getting players to negotiate and take physicals for them. I just don't see where this is worth it unless there is something obviously wrong, yet the agent has 3 doctors that say he's fine. I'm glad this is happening in Houston and not with the White Sox.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 11:54 AM) http://deadspin.com/the-astros-are-trying-...heir-1605258309 Well that changes things, but why go that cheap on the #1 overall pick? He still agreed to sign way below slot.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 11:50 AM) I guess I just don't see it. Then you piss off your number 1 pick and it's likely you're going to have to pay like 5 times that "discount" when it comes time to sign him to another long-term contract... Exactly. While the difference between what they originally offered and what they now offer, is life changing for a lot of people, if you put it in baseball perspective, it is one year salary for most likely a very mediocre player. There is no motivation for the Astros to do this unless they really think something is wrong.

There has to be something with what the Astros medical staff sees. It makes zero sense to all of a sudden get cold feet on the top pick. All for about $3 million, the cost of one year of Ronald Belisario. This is really weird, kind of like when they couldn't find an ACL on a running back several years ago.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 04:26 PM) Was his family able to travel yet? They are there. His dad looks like Alexei.

Can you even spend money for Mayo? Don't the Bulls need every dime of Boozer money??

He's just more minor league fodder. He wasn't getting called up so he moved on. The guy got lit up by the 2013 White Sox. That's pretty much all you need to know. I doubt they told him he would be in the rotation. But the minor league depth is so bad, he's one injury from being back in the show.

Does Rosenbloom think 90% of the NBA is another form of Carlos Boozer? Today he says Gasol is Spanish for Boozer. When I was listening to the Score several weeks ago, he was actually saying Love was just a better shooting Boozer.

It could also be the White Sox learned from the past. It was ugly when McDowell left. It was ugly when Maggs left. It was ugly when the Big Hurt left, they even took some backhanded shots at Carlos Lee when they traded him. .... For many years, it seemed if the Sox traded a player or they left one way or another, they had something nasty to say. When they got rid of Raines and One Dog, Schueler apparently thought it was necessary to tell everybody they couldn't throw, yet they could never throw and it seemed fine having them both out there for 4 or 5 seasons. It seems to have gotten much better the last several years after years of the knowing it's coming ugliness. Boston now has a reputation of slamming guys when they are out the door.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 12:20 PM) I don't know if McDermott is even a starter. He might be more of a 6th man type. We'll have to see how well he can play defense and just how good his scoring will be. It isn't like we are talking about the #1 pick. I almost feel at this point that McDermott is getting overhyped on this board. I'm one of his biggest fans and I don't think he's a starter right now. But he's going to hit some shots and make some fans. Anyone writing him off, thinking he can't create his own space for shots will be in for a surprise. Offensively, he's ready to go. Defensively, he needs some work.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 12:04 PM) I don't think there was negativity as he was traded but he already wasn't well perceived by the league even then. Twins fans felt that, because he signed with Chicago and helped bring home a World Series, that he'd betrayed them in some way and they've held contempt for him since that day. If they feel betrayed by someone the team they root for traded away, that's really strange. AJ loves to play the heel. Someone described him as sandpaper in the clubhouse. Sometimes you need that. When you win, just like everything else, it is perfect. If you don't win, it's a huge part of the problem. I just think if AJ was the problem he was perceived to be when the Giants non tendered him, and the problem he supposedly was in Boston, he wouldn't have lasted 8 years and 3 or 4 contracts in Chicago.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 11:50 AM) Yeah, that's right. For some reason though, I thought there were some rumblings from people that AJ's ship had run it's course in the clubhouse and that was part of the reason they happily switched to the one and only T-Flo. Of course, like ss2k5 said, it was nowhere near the negativity after he left Minnesota, San Francisco, or Boston What was the negativity in Minnesota? I thought he was traded because Mauer was ready.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 11:50 AM) Being a Bulls fan is like playing the "in bed" game with fortune cookies. Every statement has to end with "if Rose is healthy". You take the best player off any team, and they are screwed.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 10:36 AM) There is just very little on the ball creativity at that position, Snell is a jump shooter, he isnt going to go iso and take people. Like I said, McDermott is fine, the Bulls just needed to add a slasher type to the mix. Oh Im just pointing out that I had nothing bad to say about McDermott as a player, just that I did not believe (and still dont) that McDermott was an ideal fit for the Bulls, let alone to trade 2 pieces for him. but once he was drafted by the bulls he might as well be Larry Bird with MJ athleticism on this board. Just hard to have a realistic discussion because the Bulls are always "Championship" contenders. If Rose is back anywhere near 100%, the need for a "slasher" is severally overstated. They need guys that can fill the basket.