Dick Allen

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 02:05 PM) As a franchise with limited resources, they should be looking at the payroll that closely. Believe what you want to believe about limited resources. This broke team that always just breaks even, was trying to spend over $100 million more than it spent last winter.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 12:12 PM) Agree with all of this. If he's ready to learn at the MLB level then let him learn. The "clock" stuff is all bulls***. It's funny also how no one ever seems to acknowledge the MASSIVE ASSUMPTION that whatever unproven prospect people happen to be talking about at the time will make it as a quality MLB player. The only way arb/service time ever matters is if the player is good enough and is also healthy enough to remain in the league that long. These are not foregone conclusions here. The minors/college/etc. to the Majors is a massive jump that tons of "can't miss" types have failed to make in the past. Exactly. It was only 3 months ago some were worrying about Matt Davidson's arb clock.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 01:18 PM) One thing worth noting is that a great number of successful bullpen lefties have long careers in the big leagues without ever being top prospects. Throw strikes, have some sort of offspeed pitch, and be left handed is a decent format for being a successful reliever. Which is fine, but I was responding to him being the Sox #1 starter in the minors. Maybe they can get Kelly Wunch out of him.

If you ever read a gamethread, this is at least a 125 win team if managed correctly.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 12:44 PM) It irritates the hell out of me that we call up our best minor league starter to make his first career relief appearances as a lefty specialist. It's like we were just hoping to sabotage him. If Carroll has a bad outing tonight, Surkamp needs to go several innings and get the next turn in the rotation Reality states he is a 26 year old waiver claim. Let's not confuse him for a top prospect. Hopefully, he does well, but expectations should be low.

I'm all for not screwing around with guys because of super 2 status. If the guy belongs in Chicago, have in play in Chicago. In the short run, he will help your team win. In the long run, he won't ever be able to hold that against you. Just think how you would feel or have felt if an employer played some games not to pay you what you deserve.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 11:04 AM) He's also leading the entire international league in strikeouts while only giving up 2 BB/9. Why would we damn him forever based on 7 ML appearances over the past 3 years? Is it not possible something changed after a formerly touted prospect joined a new organization that has a history of being above-average in reclamation projects? I'm screwing around. Robin gets ripped for using guys in his bullpen in "high leverage" situations. Like there are only 1 or 2 guys who should be allowed to pitch in those situations. Good luck with that in the real world. Chances are Surkhamp sucks, but he is probably at least as good as Downs at this point.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 10:43 AM) Which is why we can't get mad about this move. I think Bulls / Orlando could have worked out a better deal and Bulls were probably willing but they couldn't do a trade now. I'm not about to start with Plan C. I think our front office feels very good about Melo. I am very nervous about Houston and Dallas and the lack of state income taxes in Texas though. No state taxes. Winters aren't as harsh. Melo talking about his son and school. I would imagine that would mean he would rather be in the suburbs in the Chicago area. Naturally, the Bulls moved their practice facility right next to the UC this coming season, so the young guys can live in the city. Not that Melo couldn't make that drive, but it does add inconvenience.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 10:41 AM) I agree that Cooper is overrated and goes without criticism far too often, but I really don't want anyone else acting as pitching coach. I'm not saying get a new pitching coach, but if you are going to rip Robin for pitching changes, or having a guy go a little longer than you would like, people should know Cooper is part of the decision.

His career ERA is 7.36. He cannot be used in high leverage situations.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 10:22 AM) Let's say you have a fiance and you're unsure about her....wavering back and forth. You have two hypothetical choices. You either marry her today or you never see her again for the rest of your life. If you can't imagine your future without her, then the choice is clear. I think nearly everyone wants to see what this White Sox team looks like in 3 years with Hahn given a free reign to make decisions as he sees fit. On the other hand, I don't think more than a few would be overly upset if Robin Ventura wasn't around to manage that 2017 team. Granted, we've seen 1 more season of Ventura as manager than Hahn as GM, but we should be very familiar with him from all the time he was the most highly-paid Assistant GM in all of baseball. I really don't think Hahn or anyone with the White Sox really care what Soxtalk thinks about Ventura's managing. Besides, many of the managers here had Daniel Webb as the closer. Evidence suggests that, for now, looks pretty dumb, and they would have been calling for their own heads. There are 2 guys in the bullpen that have been totally reliable. Putnam and Petricka. Petricka has been used a lot, even Hawk is saying they need to tone down his usage. If those are your only reliable guys, inserting any reliever is bound to blow up in your face fairly often. And the Monday Morning QB's will always be ready to say just how dumb Robin is, just after disaster strikes. It still boggles my mind how many people think Cooper plays zero role in pitcher usage. He clearly does, and should be critiqued as well.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 09:35 AM) Yeah I loved watching Robin play. I also think he's a great guy and is a good "leader" type for sure. What I don't think is that he's a good manager. IMO the Robin experiment is pretty much exactly why you don't just take a Paul Konerko type and make him a manager, like KW was also considering. I don't think managing baseball games is splitting atoms. Ventura had plenty of baseball experience, knew the grind well and was a leader on some teams who had several leader types. Why don't we see how he does with a team with good players before judging his work? Most of his criticizms here come after the fact, and assume that the guy he SHOULD have brought in, would have been lights out, which simply isn't feasable. Fix the team first. Then if the manager needs to be fixed, fix it, but not now. Besides, most if not all of the pitching moves he makes are not his decision alone.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 09:29 AM) So has anyone starting stalking out ORD yet? Next flight from CLT arrives in about 15 minutes. The Sox are in YYZ.

Every year he managed the Sox, fans wanted LaRussa fired. Then he gets fired and almost 30 years later, they still will use Hawk firing him as exhibit A how awful a GM he was.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 09:15 AM) Duh? But it is the difference between a middle of the road bullpen, and a crappy one. Again, you still can't point out more than a couple times that teams have lost their two top guys and actually done something, which speaks loudest of all, because now you are back to name calling. If you had any substance, you would have gone to it. I pointed out several teams. I just don't want to go back the past 5 or 6 years and look up every team. I find my time a little more valuable than that. I'm not name calling. Just pointing out what you are doing, and many agree. And I disagree Nate Jones and Matt Lindstrom being the difference between the worst and an average bullpen. They were awful when Lindstrom was pitching.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 09:07 AM) Do we know yet if this was a DFA or a trade? I couldn't imagine it being a trade.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 08:56 AM) Another other relievers who have been waived or DFA'd lately that might be targets? Capuano just was DFA'd. Hahn wanted him in the offseason. I still think Veal will be coming back.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 08:18 PM) One guy, not their top two. There is a difference. Matt Lindstrom and Nate Jones are the top 2 relievers for the Sox? C'mon man. If those are your top 2 relievers, your bullpen sucks to begin with.

Bring back Donnie Veal.

Hawk just said its a good thing he didn't get it up.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 06:10 PM) Well yeah, it wasn't good enough to begin with, that's a consequence of this being a rebuilding year. That bullpen was designed to set us up to potentially compete next year. Give time to some young guys who have promise but no experience, run a couple tryouts to find a diamond or two in the rough who we can control for several years, and pitch the couple assets we have at the back of the bullpen to potentially build their trade value or get them experience in the closer's role. Unfortunately, the last part of that, the guys who should be the strength, have been injured, but we have succeeded on the "getting experience for several guys" and "finding a diamond or two in the rough" part already. Matt Lindstrom wasn't a strength. He was names the closer by default. The Giants won the WS losing their closer early in 2012 and the Yankees overcame Mariano Rivera getting hurt to win 95 games that same year. Jones and Lindstrom aren't even in the same league as those guys. And with the volatility of relievers what good does finding a diamond in the rough do you going forward? Would it surprise anyone if Putnam and Petricka become gas cans next season.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:30 PM) So 10 years since a team lost both and was successful? There also was the 2013 Red Sox. It is Matt Lindstrom and Nate Jones. If losing those guys makes you the worst in baseball, it wasn't nearly good enough to begin with.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 03:10 PM) Losing both your closer, and your primary set up man is a big blow to any team. Again, what other teams have done that this year, and not had any problems? Just off the top of my head: Oakland lost their closer for poor performance, yet they are comfortably in first place. The 2005 White Sox lost their closer to a DFA, then lost his replacement who was a set up guy to a back injury, and they were in first place every day that season.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 02:58 PM) How many bullpens lost their primary closer and primary set up guys for multiple months this year? You are actually saying losing Matt Lindstrom was a big blow? I like Nate Jones, but if you don't have anyone who can replace the 2014 version of Matt Lindstrom, you have issues. There are no excuses. The bullpen has sucked.

I think the Bulls work out a trade for Love tomorrow night and everyone wins. Melo can say he was seriously considering the Bulls when he's at his Knicks press conference, getting him off the hook for saying it's not about the money, when it was about the money, and we will get to hear Lebron say he was really, really interested in joining DRose. The Bulls still get their guy and the other guys can claim they would have seriously considered playing for less in order to win with the Bulls. It will also save all of us Bulls fans from the usual just missed we seem to have been now programmed to expect with Gar/Pax.