Dick Allen

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 14, 2014 -> 08:17 AM) He really is destroying that league. Isnt he going for his third straight MVP, at 22 years old? Nothing for that guy to prove over there, only money to make. And unfortunately, that seems to be the key in the Bulls negotiations He gets compared to Nowitzki, and it is easy to see why in footage. To think he will be as successful is probably a reach, but stranger things have happened. Their offensive games seem very similar.

Watching video of Morotic should get Bulls fans excited. The guy is going to be really good if not great. I wouldn't be surprised if his NBA career is on par with the top 5 guys in this draft. BTW, for the Bulls to get a top 5 pick, they would have to be really awful and really lucky. It wasn't going to happen without a miracle.

Was traded by the Angels for Nolan Ryan. Was hired by Hawk to manage the White Sox.

The Bulls best chance is if Morotic becomes a star. Melo isn't going to be a Bull. Let's be real here.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2014 -> 10:45 AM) It depends on a couple things...how good you really think Neito is and how much you think it would hurt him to sit on the bench. I think he's a wild card even if treated 100% correctly, so that leaves me in a position of being willing to risk the damage to his development, because I don't see a major downside (and frankly, having him up potentially helps us develop Phegley by getting him regular AB's at Charlotte too). IMO, rule 5 guys are fringy prospects to begin with. If you think Phegley can't and won't hit, I don't know by looking at their numbers how anyone could conclude Nieto would be better. Fringy prospects who miss a year of development isn't a guy trajectory to me. Pitchers I can see, but is there any precedence a rule 5 position player basically be stashed on the major league roster who then ultimately becomes a useful piece? You can have Phegley at AAA, Nieto at AA and let Gimenez be the back up catcher if winning means nothing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2014 -> 10:26 AM) IMO, Flowers is already going to get plenty of development time...and I'm not sure he's earned it anyway. Right now he's still the starting catcher unless he's released after ST. And Phegley...phrankly, after his big league performance last season even a good spring training wouldn't convince me that he belongs on the big league team right now. Charlotte for a couple months at the very least seems like a good reaction to how he performed in the big leagues last year. If the White Sox find something of really tiny utility that they'd be willing to give up for Nieto, fine. I'm not even sure I'd give up Jared Mitchell for him right now since all we have to do is keep him on the big league roster. I don't understand your argument. If you think he can be good in the future but isn't right now, keeping him and playing him can make him better. If he isn't ready to play, he is going to get broken on the major league level. Having him up if he isn't near ready serves zero purpose. He doesn't get better, gets little experience and may even go backwards. Playing at AA or AAA he may be ready to help you next year. Sitting on the bench and being overmatched won't help him and can ultimately hurt him. People in the past have complained the White Sox rush their prospects. This is the ultimate rush if you put him on the major league roster. A catcher cannot be hidden. If you think Nieto is a decent enough prospect to keep on the major league roster, wouldn't he at least be worth Jared Mitchell to be able to send to AA or AAA and actually have an opportunity to develop?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2014 -> 10:16 AM) Who is he taking valuable development time away from? Flowers, Phegley. Why are their odds longer than a guy I am assuming you had never heard of or have seen play before the Sox selected him? And you lose development time, so why would 2015 be any better for him than 2014? Stashing mediocre players who aren't reade for a year just to keep them is a waste of a roster spot and money. Especially a catcher who is going to have to play a significant amount no matter what. A pitcher you can use in garbage time. I would really doubt the Nats need a significant return if the Sox want to keep him, so I am guessing Birmingham or Charlotte.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2014 -> 10:10 AM) Correct...and I have no problem with that given that otherwise he wouldn't be developing from us at all. IMO, that isn't worth keeping him on the roster. It isn't like he is Ivan Rodriquez.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2014 -> 09:50 AM) I'd complain more if I felt like he was clearly blocking someone who earned a shot at the major league roster but that just isn't the case with our catcher's spot. I'd also complain more if he was a guy we already had the rights to who was being promoted from A-ball to the big leagues. But quite simply, even if he's an utter failure on the major league roster because he's not ready...having him on the big league roster only improves the chances of the Sox having the catcher's spot filled long term. It adds a warm body to the catching rotation that wasn't there beforehand and does so with no cost in big league playing time to anyone who clearly deserves it. Maybe come July I'll be singing a different tune if Phegley's putting up a 1.500 OPS at Charlotte again, but until then, heck with it. If having him in the big leagues hurts his development...what's the harm to this team? He is 24 years old and hasn't played above A ball. He was a Rule 5 pick up. If he sticks, he will struggle and be a back up, so his development will fall a little more. This isn't like you are getting a first round talent. Unless he shocks the world and shows he is ready to play at least half the time on the major league team, the best case scenerio for the White Sox is they see something they like and can work something out to have him play every day in Birmingham or Charlotte. Having him on the roster just to have him on the roster, and not getting enough playing time to get better, defeats any purpose. It would basically be losing a year of development.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2014 -> 09:37 AM) If all we did is pick up a free lottery ticket...who cares what the Nats thought? Free lottery ticket. Where that would come in is if you want this guy but don't want him on the major league roster. If he isn't ready to play at the MLB level, you will have an overmatched guy picking up playing time and not progressing. It isn't like he is 21 years old. The clock is ticking. If the Nats liked him very much, they would be less likely to let the Sox have him for what he is probably worth.

A look at the recent history of Rule 5 pick ups would lead one to believe, it probably doesn't matter if the Nats really want Nieto back or not, and in the long run, it probably won't matter if he stays with the White Sox or not., and 2 years from now we will all forget he even existed. But if he was a prospect the Nats really thought that highly of, they probably don't expose him to the rule 5.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Feb 12, 2014 -> 08:51 PM) Disagree with you. I think if you were to ask the offensive coaches in that situation, they'd much rather have a timeout to try to run something. Scrambles with college kids usually don't end up going too well. The offense is the one who has to make a play, giving them more time to create said play usually isn't a good idea. I agree. If you watch an NBA game, the players have no problem with the shot clock running down towards zero. In college, the clock hits 5 and panic sets in. Not setting up a play more often than not will lead to a wild shot especially with the clock winding down.

QUOTE (flavum @ Feb 12, 2014 -> 01:24 PM) Jeter and Konerko retiring after this year. Let me guess...the Yankee will get the victory tour. Considering how many people are actually mad Paulie is coming back, that shouldn't be an issue. Jeter is a first ballot HOFer. Paulie is not. Except for a couple of Gold Gloves, Jeter has earned his accolades in a place a lot of players wilt. If he wants one, he deserves a nice send off.

BP really likes Danks to have a decent year. His HR rate was really high. If he can get it back to near normal, they think he's golden.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 11, 2014 -> 01:06 PM) My mother-in-law wants to get me a birthday present. I want White Sox tickets. My birthday is 4 days prior to single-game tickets going on sale. The White Sox website says to purchase them at Dominick's. That is LOL. Whichever one of you elite gentlemen (or women) helps out gets a cookie. I saw them at either Jewel or CVS.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 11, 2014 -> 12:52 PM) There's a little rule in the NBA regarding trades with teams at or near the cap and salaries having to be damn-near close. The trade actually cannot happen without Boozer. I am fully aware of the rule, and still think Boozer's inclusion is ridiculous. If he was an expiring, fine. But he's not. Hence, I believe this potential trade is a figment of someone's imagination. If it is true and it did happen, I take back every bad thing I have ever said or thought about GarPax.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 11, 2014 -> 12:32 PM) One of the lessons I've taken from guys like Tony Snell, Jimmy Butler, and Taj Gibson is...if a team has a star or two already, the value of a recently-drafted first round player can be enormous. It's having those kind of guys filling up your roster that allows you to offer that 2nd max contract in addition to the guy you already have. Still, stars win championships in the NBA. You can't pass up picking one up because you value non lottery first round picks. They may turn out, but the jury is still out on Snell, Butler is a nice player, but you can find that production, and if your team is good enough, veterans will play for exception money to win and fill those minutes. I'm 99.99% sure this rumor has zero truth in it anyway. Boozer is the tell to me. I don't know why the Knicks would pay him $15 million next year in order to give the Bulls Melo now.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Feb 11, 2014 -> 11:24 AM) I agree with Steve here on the Bulls side of things. Why give up 3 firsts when the potential is there that they can just sign him. Maybe if Rose was coming back for the playoffs it could payoff, but right now I'd prefer they be sellers at the trade deadline....Still just 4.5 games out of the bottom 10, if they trade guys like Taj, Dunleavy, and Kirk then they very well could free fall. The Bulls do it because they with this trade they can increase the chances of getting him to be a Bull next year. The 3 firsts aren't that big of a deal as they most likely won't be lottery picks. Also, the crazy thing that makes me think this has to be false is the inclusion of Boozer. The Bulls would love this, because even if he was amenstied, they still have to pay him the difference between his salary next year and his salary with the team that takes him. The Knicks are stuck with him next year if they trade for him. It really doesn't make sense for the Knicks unless they know Melo is out of there. For the Bulls, that trade is a no brainer. The Bulls need another star or two. Thibs can get guys picked up off the scrap heap to contribute and be decent role players.

You can say the Sox won the division in 1994 but you can't say they made the playoffs, and it figures that was the season for no playoffs. Thomas and Franco were out of their minds offensively. Julio Franco was one guy who never gets mentioned as to how good he was. In his one year with the White Sox, whatever Frank didn't drive in, including himself, he did. The guy put up a .799 OPS as a 46 year old. The "wrong side of 30" didn't apply to him.

I am jealous of anyone going to Spring Training.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Feb 7, 2014 -> 02:35 PM) If it is 60 and sunny for opening day, Comiskey Park will be rocking. We are getting so used to being so cold, 60 degrees and people will be dropping from heat exhaustion. I was walking around Sunday when it was sunny and not much wind. To me it felt pretty nice. It was 17 degrees. I'm a guy who will not attend a Bears game if the temperature is supposed to be under 50.

The Blue Jays won the trophy for last offseason. That stuff matters about as much at the attendance trophy in Lakeview. It's like giving out awards for movies before you actually see the movies.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 10, 2014 -> 07:11 PM) Ah, and there the change in argument is. You got names, so you moved on to the next non sequitor. The lazy mans argument at its finest. No change in the argument. You said the reason the Sox picked bad players was because of money. Then you mention players they could have signed that in reality cost less money than the bad players they did pick. I am done with you.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 10, 2014 -> 06:55 PM) Also ignored is that is one only one team. Another quick google search gives up Anthony Rizzo and Will Middlebrooks from the 2007 draft of the Red Sox. Another click gives up Joba Chamberlin and Ian Kennedy from the Yankees 2006 draft. Rick Porcello from the Tigers pops up in another search. Also popping up were Camerin Maybin and Andrew Miller... you know the duo used to get that Cabrera guy? Jeff Samardzija was an overslot guy. Rick Ankiel was an over slot guy. JD Drew was an over slot guy. Got enough WARs yet? And you do know why they might have signed above slot, they signed for less than the Sox gave guys like Honel and Broadway and McCollough, or maybe you don't. Samardzia got $250k.the White Sox couldn't recognize talent. It is truly amazing you can't understand that.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 10, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) That first game was on a Monday. 1/2 price tickets for that day? I don't think they did half price nights last year. At least for the Yankees. I still think ultimately the Yankees will either try to void the contract or just eat the money and release him. I don't know who would touch him now except for maybe the Marlins.