Dick Allen

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 10:21 AM) That's not the same thing at all. Wite was excited because we got a guy for nothing, thought he might be better than he had been in the past. Posters here are suggesting that now that DV has been bad, we should be able to trade him for good prospects. If it was the same thing, wite would be saying we should trade Felipe Paulino for prospects instead of DFA'ing him. It is the same thing. I am not talking trade value. He mentioned support based on flashes. That is exactly what his support for Paulino was based on. When you actually put some logic into the equation, at the very least you would have to admit Dayan Viciedo putting up great numbers is at least as good of a bet than Felipe Paulino coming into 2014.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 10:22 AM) I think it was during the winter meetings that the rumor came out and was pretty much confirmed by other sources. Word was that JZ called Hahn and made the offer of Ackley for Viciedo, and Hahn countered with Viciedo for Franklin instead, but JZ didn't respond. I don't think that is true at all. I am certain Hahn wouldn't have traded Viciedo for Franklin.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 10:17 AM) Who are these people suggesting that Ackley and Smoak have value? JZ offered Ackley for DV in the offseason and Hahn turned it down. Dayan Viciedo COULD turn it around, and I hope he does, but it is NOT likely. You can dig and find 3-5 example of late bloomers recently, and I could look at a roster and find hundreds that haven't. So don't expect someone to trade a younger prospect who is more likely to be good. That's all I'm saying. When was Ackley offered for Viciedo?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 10:09 AM) You're right, I thought he was going to be good and he sucked. I've admitted that I was wrong. Why would you bring that up out of the blue? I don't understand. I mean, it's totally irrelevant to the conversation at hand. Support for flashes was what I was responding to. You gave support for flashes even after a couple of surgeries and also suggested not only would he be good, but perhaps even better than ever. Nevermind he had his first flash of success when he was 27 years old. So really if you are going to rip people for supporting Viciedo, because at 25 he has only showed flashes, it really doesn't make sense.

I'm pretty sure if Jeff Keppinger suddenly became Cuban, Soxtalk would want him re-signed.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 09:35 AM) I don't think anyone has said Ackley has value. If they have, they're wrong. You are also talking about guys that are the exception to the rule. No one is saying that the Sox should cut bait with Viciedo or give him away for peanuts or stop playing him all together, but I don't think I've ever seen this much support for a guy who has never shown anything but flashes. Felipe Paulino. Anyone projecting any sort of success for Viciedo isn't nearly as crazy as some of the numbers you were projecting for Paulino.

I would go tonight, but I have already committed to sorting socks.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 08:41 AM) Brooks Boyer just said on the score that if you bought a ticket for last nights postponed game, it becomes a gift certificate for any game you want to use it for, and if you use it tonite then you get two games for the price of one. I dont know if that is a standard practice, but it is pretty cool It's standard if the rescheduled game is not part of a day/night DH or played on an alternate date. It is a lot better for the ticketholder.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 07:38 AM) Attendance so far this season 28. Chicago White Sox 793,806 (39 games)...20,354 average 1. Charlotte Knights 402,723...9,589 average 1. Birmingham Barons 260,734...6,518 average For a guy who doesn't attend games, you sure are obsessed with attendance. Why is your excuse for not attending any better than others?

Actually, Aiken hasn't signed, and there is speculation there could have been a problem with his physical.

There is some NBA memo going around that someone at Grantland got a hold of that says the Nets lost $144 million last year. $131 million more than any other team. The Bulls supposedly made $61 million in profit.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 30, 2014 -> 02:20 PM) Now we see what happens if all else fails. We get Gasol five years too late. It would be like KW and former Cleveland Indians.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 30, 2014 -> 12:03 PM) Oh that's my bad, and I knew this. Both the shoulder break and labrum are to his non-throwing, left shoulders. How many left shoulders does he have?

QUOTE (Jake @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) Reality also states that he's clearly the #6 starter in the system. Given that #5 is Scott Carroll, I'm not a big fan of jerking #6 around so that we can get a lefty out every other night. The last season Surkamp started at full strength, he won the AA pitching triple crown. He now has a better K/BB, K/IP rate in AAA. Nobody said he's Jesus Christ, but there's a good chance we'll need him in our rotation at some point. As someone who has pitched and watched a handful of pitchers have their development sidetracked by bouncing between rotation and bullpen (Santiago), it's just a stupid move IMO. There are more stupid moves to be made, to be sure. Hopefully, likely not a big deal. I still think it's wrong and unnecessary. The 2 most succesful pitchers the Sox have had the last 15 years, began their major league career as relievers. Buehrle and Sale. Surkamp is a waiver claim. I bet if you asked him, he really doesn't care if he's now a LOOGY. He is probably thrilled, and in the end, a relief role is his most likely destiny. If he was a highly thought of prospect, he probably wouldn't have been waived, and certainly, the entire NL wouldn't have passed on claiming him. As for Santiago, the Angels are doing the exact same thing with him the White Sox did. So that apparently is 2 organizations that don't know what they are doing. Sometimes, though, it is on the player.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jun 29, 2014 -> 08:06 AM) You're right, my bad, sorry. I went to the Astro's Home Page and it says 'unsigned'. He agreed to sign then. I don't think he actually signed until a couple of days ago. You are both correct.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 28, 2014 -> 10:02 PM) It's not so much the 7th vs. the 8th. Those are the "set up roles." It's more who is the first guys up, which could be the 5-7, who is the set up guys, who are the specialists and who is the closer. I don't necessarily disagree with the concept. I'm just saying that is the way it works in MLB bullpens. I've been around 2 different ones on a daily basis and that is the way it is and how it's explained. When I worked in the minors this is how they are instructed to prepare to come into the game. It's all about making sure they are properly prepared and can last for the full season, both physically and mentally. But what I am saying is they still had roles. They had an idea before each game when they were coming in. It may have changed an inning with the injuries, but they still had roles. The problem is the pitchers in the bullpen aren't very good. Some waiver claims, some non tenders.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 28, 2014 -> 09:42 PM) The goal is always to have better pitchers. However, the better pitchers will also pitch better with confidence and comfort in the roles. Whether people want to believe it or not, these are people and they will perform better in comfortable situations. Even if it's in their own mind, it's what they think. Baseball players are people of routines and habit, usually superstitions as well. There is an order where people feel more comfortable and roles where players feel more comfortable. It applies to hitters as well. Why do some hitters hit better in a different spot in the order? All they have to do is hit the ball wherever they are? People will perform better at anything in life when the are comfortable and confident. That's not to say it can't work differently but that's usually when you get the most out of them. It can't make a bad player good, but it can make an average to good player worse. They still had reasonably defined roles when Beli was the closer. They just couldn't handle them. I really don't know why it would freak a major league pitcher out coming in during tje 8th inning vs. the 7th, but if it does, that isn't a guy you want on your roster moving forward. The game will dictate when these guys come in anyway.

Doesn't sound like a guy they would anticipate not being able to handle the 9th: "Belisario provides us with a veteran reliever who owns a proven record of recording key outs at big moments of games," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. "He is a power arm with plus stuff who profiles well for our ballpark. He has experience pitching in hold and save situations, and we see him as yet another very strong option for [manager] Robin Ventura in the back end of our bullpen."

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 28, 2014 -> 08:53 PM) It starts with their salaries. Look at Duncan, Ginobili, and Parkers salaries for next year. Let me put it this way. Derrick Rose will make more than Duncan and Ginobli... combined. Kobe makes more than the SA big 3 combined.

If Gar/Pax fail, there is always the possibility JR winds up taking the heat. Lawrence is a NY loudmouth, so take it with a grain of salt. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketba...ticle-1.1847672

Can someone make a chart with all the relievers and the innings they should pitch? If roles being change wreaks havoc on the rest of the bullpen, how come no one mentioned that when they said it was such a great idea to trade Addison Reed?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 28, 2014 -> 05:04 PM) Yeah; If he were to do something like that, pretty good odds they all tell Riley to f*** off. The only one I could see them kicking to the curb is Bosh. Wade / James are just too tight. Sam is of the belief that Bosh does go somewhere else and Melo becomes a new part of the big 3.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 28, 2014 -> 04:56 PM) I think you are underselling Bosh. Bosh goes anywhere else and he goes back to being a star. You are completely correct about Wade. Unless Wade and Bosh are going to take some massive pay-cuts, Melo isn't going to fit in there. Only way Melo goes to Miami is if he is replacing one of the other members of the "Big 3". I was reading Sam Smith, and the evaluators he talks to say Bosh isn't nearly as good as he used to be. Granted it is probably still better than most. But he apparently is headed in the wrong direction. If Riley really didn't care about being a huge dick, he would now tell Wade to go scratch and replace him with Melo. To me though, that would be a very bad thing for him to do. I would imagine the 3 are still a package deal.

I really don't think it is the big 3 anymore. Wade is fading fast. Bosh about to start crumbling. I' m not scurred.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 28, 2014 -> 09:46 AM) We're on our fourth closer of the season already, essentially. Jones, Lindstrom, Belisario and now ??? (Guerra/Petricka). If you go with the "hot hand," how many blown saves do they get to prove they're not the hot hand? There's just no way that this strategy, with the talent we have remaining in our pen (or lack thereof), is going to yield anything close to an 80-85% save conversion rate. Who would even be the "hot hand" now? Petricka? Putnam? Guerra? They each have their own unique set of pro's and con's. The ONLY time the pen was working well was when Putnam knew he was the 7th inning guy, Belisario 8th and Lindstrom 9th. If you keep changing their roles every night, it just won't work very effectively. Bullpens need to have consistency and established roles...defined expectations. First off, Jones was never the closer. The pen was also horrible at the beginning of the season, but had a good stretch. There are a lot of gas cans in this bullpen, and a lot of guys who have a difficult time throwing strikes. Roles can be established, but it is impossible to establish roles for ineffective pitchers.w