Dick Allen

One thing I find fascinating, is guys like Quintana aren't suspected of juicing anymore once they get caught. I don't know how many times Hawk has mentioned how much bigger and stronger Quintana got over the winter. He said he was almost unrecognizable.The first winter after earning a sweet paycheck.anyone reaaly think Colon is just naturally doing what he is doing at 40? Studies have shown most people who do time commit more crime after they do the time. I suspect juicing is the same.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 7, 2013 -> 03:59 PM) The NFL has nothing to do with this. It's full of hypocrites, but they are cracking down starting next year. But if you are saying that McGwire and Bonds are necssarily vilified for breaking baseball's records, then why would ARod NOT be? He's 5th on the all time home run list and, up until recent injuries and now a looming suspension, was on pace to shatter the all time home run record, and it was going to be because of PEDs. And yes, people generally don't care about cheaters who fail, because they failed anyways. If they cheat and succeed, people will believe it to be unfair and yes, they will be hated. Bud and MLB take the sam view. If they had the same thing they supposedly have on ARod on any of the other players that were suspended, ie they supposedly did exactly the same things as ARod, does anyone really think they would get 211 games?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 7, 2013 -> 03:16 PM) Perhaps the closest examples might be the trades done by the Marlins and the Red Sox over the last year. The Blue Jays and Dodgers wanted Jose Reyes and Adrian Gonzalez, respectively, but their teams didn't want to give them up for nothing, so the teams took on extra dollars in the form of bad contracts given to Mark Buehrle and Carl Crawford along with them. But, the teams taking on that salary also gave up a few players as well, they didn't send prospects along, just bad contracts. But that isn't what he wrote. He said teams will give you their top prospects to take bad contracts off their hands. He said it's the new thing in baseball. He is full of s***. It hasn't happened. With the extra $25 million every team gets next year, it will make the desperation of gettimg rid of bad contracts even smaller. Teams will want to get rid of them without a doubt, but not for their top prospects, unless their top prospects aren't any good and they have a Pujols-like deal they want to dump. You could point this out to Bernstein but he would cut you off , hang up on you and call you stupid while you have dial tone. But here, he's the idiot. In the NBA it might happen because of luxury tax and salary cap. Not in MLB. It is good to have money to spend. I will give him that, but taking on bad contracts of failed free agents doesn't make much sense when you could just sign other free agents.

Rios and De Aza have almost identical numbers except for strikeouts. Rios is obviously a better fielder, and a better baserunner although he's also prone to some mental blunders. He also makes about $10 million a year more than De Aza.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 7, 2013 -> 10:41 AM) When have the A's traded a 7 WAR starter? Their MO has been to trade guys like Quintana and Santiago, not guys like Chris Sale. They traded Haren after 2007. Gio a couple of years ago.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 7, 2013 -> 10:39 AM) I didn't imply no value, I simply was pointing out that it's not very likely you are going to get a comparable player back, no matter prospect "rankings" or whatever. I said the expected results of that package was 2 regulars, 1 utility player, 1 mid rotation starter, and 1 reliever (I didn't suggest the pitchers word for word, but implied it with the Andre Rienzo/live arm thing). Is that the value you want? With the Felix thing, I even said that there were 6 good players in that deal, just that they have been inconsistent at the MLB level and that I still wouldn't have made the move. Of course, Bogaerts could turn out like Hanley Ramirez, and then the Sox need only one other prospect to turn out to win big time. But my thing is this...it's 2013. You really, really don't think that, if you save up enough, you can buy dress shoes, cufflinks, and a silk shirt and whatever else you need over the next 2 and a half years? Realize that during those years, you will have very busy periods of buying and selling still. This is ASSUMING that your mom doesn't surprise you with a shirt or shoes or whatever that she has made herself. I think it's absolutely crazy to think that you won't have a full suit by 2016. I think you can have a full suit by 2015. If teams would pay the Sox price for Sale and the Sox weren't planning on contending for a few seasons, trading him makes a lot of sense. There isn't much besides him around who will get you a decent prospect. Then you are having him pitch in basically meaningless games for multiple seasons. The risk of injury is tremendous, not just because he is a toothpick with an awkward motion, but because he is a pitcher. Just using the past and I know neither is near Sale's level, but after 2008, the Sox could have received a ton of prospects and/or current major leaguers for Danks and Floyd. They had zero throw away seasons after that, both got hurt, they haven't made the playoffs since, and while Floyd is gone, if someone claimed Danks, they would let him go for nothing. Sale is awesome, but I think the Sox should at least listen to offers.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 7, 2013 -> 08:35 AM) It certainly wouldn't stun me if as a 26-27 year old he suddenly put up a 50 HR season. He certainly has the power to do that and it may very well be like a lightswitch for him if he figures out how to stay in that "locked-in" mode for an entire season. Please don't say 50 HR season. No White Sox has ever done that, and the last young guy on here I heard was capable of doing it was Josh Fields.

Apparently very few have been placed on waivers. For guys who have a chance not to clear, teams are waiting for some hangers on who think they have a slight chance and will block to drop out. I would think Ramirez would be claimed. I think most of the others, the Sox would be thrilled if they were claimed.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 7, 2013 -> 08:16 AM) I suggested Bogaerts, Bradley, Cecchini, Webster, and Ranaudo. Best case scenario, you get 3 regulars and 2 mid to top of the rotation starters. Your expected scenario is a league average shortstop, outfielder, and utility infielder as well as two live arms who you treat no differently than Andre Rienzo. I have posted this a couple times during the deadline. It's worth posting again, even if it did or did not happen. The Mariners reportedly turned down a package to trade Felix to Boston in 2009. They would have gotten... RHP Clay Buchholz RHP Daniel Bard RHP Justin Masterson LHP Nick Hagadone RHP Michael Bowden LHP Felix Doubront OF Josh Reddick SS Yamaico Navarro And if you look, all of those guys were good to great prospects. Most have them have had big impacts in the majors. As of this moment, would you go back and make that trade for Felix? Personally, I would not. If Bucholtz was healthy, I definitely make that deal. Masterson, Buchholtz, Doubront has been like Quintana. The others are filler, but 3 starters, and good starters, one or 2 who could be aces, are better than one guy every 5 days as great as King Felix is.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 6, 2013 -> 01:34 PM) I really find the contrast between the belief in Garcia and the declarations that "Viciedo sucks" to be quite remarkable. Aside from Garcia having better speed, you can literally say almost word for word the exact same thing about each of them, both positive and negative. "Moved up through the minors aggressively". "Started having success at AAA at age 22". "Solid power, could develop into big time power". "Approach at the plate might not translate into the big leagues". "Swings at too many pitches out of the zone". "Doesn't take enough walks". "Vulnerable to the type of pitchers in the big leagues". "Quite raw, if called up now might need a couple years". I mean I feel like I can pencil in the date next year when it is declared that "Garcia sucks donkey balls" because he's not immediately hitting. Actually, Viciedo had a higher walk rate and lower K rate than Garcia in the minors. He also came up really young and produced on the major league level. Garcia runs better, but if you were down on Viciedo, I can't see how you could be excited about Garcia.

QUOTE (Andy the Clown @ Aug 6, 2013 -> 08:25 PM) If you want offense, you don't trade Q or Santiago. You dump Danks' contract for nothing and use the savings to sign a free agent or two. Who is going to take Danks' contract? There's a better chance the Angels would trade Trout for De Aza and Jared Mitchell than a team relieving the Sox of that contract.

I think Erstad was the last #1 pick to win a WS with the team that drafted him.

QUOTE (La Marr Hoyt HOF @ Aug 6, 2013 -> 04:17 PM) Nothing says 'Socialism' like $133mm in your pocket ... Something seems a little fishy.

Paulie has been hitting with a little more authority since he's been back from the DL. I would imagine this is it for him, but he does have a back issue, and if that could somehow get cleared up, it wouldn't surprise me if he was pretty productive again. I think the odds are he is either done or plays for peanuts somewhere close to home. It all depends on what the issue is with his back.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 6, 2013 -> 12:22 PM) was it a certain person who also claimed Chris Carter was the next big thing? I don't remember the exact posters, but one guaranteed there were all star games in Allen's future. They were correct about Tony Pena.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Aug 6, 2013 -> 12:06 PM) Exactly. How's Brandon Allen doing these days? Arguably better than Wilkins in the minors but very similar. There is no reason to get excited about Wilkins just yet. Is the thread where Brandon Allen was traded still available? There were a few people on here claiming he was a future all star.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 06:26 PM) I imagine this is as packed as The Cell will be for a while. They should be in the mid twenties on the weekends at least until the end of the month. But during the week....ARods return is helping JRs bank account.

Imagine the dissappointment for all those who bought tickets to see Brent Lillibridge tonight. He has been DFA'd yet again.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:01 PM) Good job idiot... Keith Olbermann ‏@KeithOlbermann 4m No truth to rumors #Yankees are offering #WhiteSox pitcher Luis Quintana cash to dust Alex Rodriguez in 1st AB tonight... (I think) Considering Jose Quintana was once suspended for PEDs .

QUOTE (Jillian Michaels' Abs @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 03:09 PM) I always "wondered" about Jose Valentin. He was jacked. Without being completely homoerotic... I remember seeing a locker room interview with some Sox player and Ozuna was in the back ground without a shirt on. He was jacked up too. Even before the positive test(s). 2 White Sox legends who both posted .919 OPS when they were 40 years old, over .100 points higher than their career totals were Baines and Fisk. If they were associated with other teams, I think they would be guys Sox fans would suspect.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 02:58 PM) What ARod supposedly did was far more serious than what Melky did. I don't think that comparison is going to buy Arod anything. It was interferring with the investigation. It isn't worth quadruple time. This entire suspension is to appease the Yankees for one, and to make him an example. No one could really think if ARod was working off a contract similar to Peralta or Cruz that his punishment would be more than 4 times what everyone elses is besides Braun who no so coincidentally has a huge contract himself..

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 02:52 PM) Rangers Press Release 8/5/2013 3:22 P.M. ET Statement from Nelson Cruz I have been notified by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I have decided to accept this suspension and not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. From November, 2011 to January, 2012, I was seriously ill with a gastrointestinal infection, helicobacter pylori, which went undiagnosed for over a month. By the time I was properly diagnosed and treated, I had lost 40 pounds. Just weeks before I was to report to spring training in 2012, I was unsure whether I would be physically able to play. Faced with this situation, I made an error in judgment that I deeply regret, and I accept full responsibility for that error. I should have handled the situation differently, and my illness was no excuse. I am thankful for the unwavering support of my family, friends, and teammates during this difficult time. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Rangers organization, my teammates, and the great Rangers' fans, and I am grateful for the opportunity to rejoin the team for the playoffs. Uh, OK Nelson. I'm sure this is the first time any of these players ever juiced, and I'm sure they all have decent excuses which they now realize are wrong for doing so. Why can't anyone just ever say. You got me. I messed up? The only thing any of these guys are sorry for is being caught. If they had not, they wouldn't have ever mentioned it, unless they wanted to make some cash off it after their playing career.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 02:52 PM) Sounds like he tried destroying evidence and bribed MLB or something along those lines. I'm more surprised they didn't go for further punishment. Melky Cabrera did much of the same, yet his penalty last year for the same scandal was 50 games. Look for ARod's to get reduced. It might be more than 50, but 214 is way out of line.

As much as anyone could dislike ARod, it is pretty plain to see his punishment is totally unfair given the rest.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 02:41 PM) There have been a ton of reports of guys juicing in the locker room over the years. For some reason that really seems to have been a major place where it was done and where guys showed other people on the team how to do it. But it's not a requirement and I would imagine the vast majority of it is done and has been done elsewhere. But anyway: $10 million a year and Frank Thomas mad at me? or 50k a year and Frank telling everyone I was a great guy when he played with me. Hmmm..........