Dick Allen

QUOTE (chisox2334 @ Jan 23, 2013 -> 05:13 AM) i think only addition being announced is signing of lindstrom. I heard the interview and they were all laughing o yea I have something announced lol. That is because he cannot announce the signing until it is official, but everyone knows the deal there. Hahn did imply that there was more than one, although it did seem Lindstrom was perhaps the biggest.

Kane is going to need a rug on his head in the next couple of years. He is going bald fast.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 02:37 PM) There are a few people who would want to be there, but Wrigleyville isnt really any sort of tourist destination. Its basically a s***ty version of State Street or any other college campus main drinking area. The problem is that there is a busy season (summer) when no one cares about traveling from downtown to see the Cubs and then there is a slow season (winter) when no one cares about staying close to the field. The hotel itself would have to be unique, maybe a concert venue, indoor water park, something that would draw people besides the Cubs. Because otherwise no one is staying in Wrigleyville to visit Chicago. There just isnt a large enough entertainment district there, college bars are not a travel destination. If you were going to a show at the Metro, it might be appealing. One hotel will make enough off baseball season to keep it profitable for the year I would imagine. But I agree, I don't see a big demand to stay in Wrigleyville during baseball's offseason. It's a nice neighborhood, but not a neighborhood that even crosses the typical traveler's mind to visit in the winter, and a boutique Sheraton hotel probably wouldn't change that.

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 02:08 PM) I'm not saying Passan is great, but point me to the guy who had the Sox, A's and O's picked correctly last year. I think they all surprised just about everyone. His predictions suck. That's the point. If he says the Sox will suck, he might be right, but to think his opinion on 2013 is any more valid than anyone else just because he writes for yahoo is absurd. Look at all of his predictions from the past. He hasn't been very accurate.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 01:15 PM) Do you really think it would be empty? I could see plenty of tourists staying there instead of downtown. People come visit friends/family in the area, and they spend more time on the North Side, it would be more convenient than commuting from the Loop. The people whose business it is to know these things says 2 hotels is too many. I don't think the majority of tourists or business travelers are Cubs fans and would want to stay at Clark and Addison rather than on Michigan Ave. Maybe initially you would get a few more than normal, but I believe the novelty would wear off quickly. During Cubs homestands, I can't see there being an empty room.

QUOTE (TomSeaverFan @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 01:20 AM) That was a great article IMO. I don't see how anybody can argue with his assertion this is no playoff contender. I'm glad somebody finally wrote that officially Beckham is a bust. Yeah its hard to argue with a guy who had the White Sox and A's losing 94 games each last year. Had the Orioles losing 98 and had the Giants not even .500. Listen to Passan. He nails it every year.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 12:33 PM) I've always been surprised how few hotels there are in Chicago outside of downtown. There should be way more lodging options in LakeView & Lincoln Park. There was a plan to build a hotel on the other side of Addison from Wrigley. That appears like it will be scrapped with the Ricketts' hotel going in. During Cubs homestands, it will be totally booked. Outside of that, pretty empty.

I would imagine a lot of WS winners had players they developed that hadn't hit the real expensive stage yet. Since the Sox have had trouble developing those players, they are going to wind up spending more money per win than teams that do unless they can find bargains on the scrap heap.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 10:33 AM) Dick Allen has referred to me as a "miserable person" multiple times and nothing was ever said to him by the mods publicly . . . This is a classic.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 10:24 AM) Liriano was a bullpen killer with those 5 inning starts. The bullpen was pretty good after the trade deadline. Jones was on fire. Veal was great. Who wore down because of Liriano? He made 4 starts with 5 innings or less with the Sox. 6 innings a start gets you almost 200 for the season. You are talking about 4 innings, and half the time it was with expanded rosters. Liriano sucked, but Grienke wouldn't have made a difference, and the Sox would be out some talent right now. Also, Juan Pierre was awful in August offensively and we know singles in LF are always potential doubles if when it is hit to him in LF.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 10:17 AM) Sox still win the division. Liriano was awful. I don't think the Sox record in Liriano's starts was much different than the Angels record in Greinke's starts. Advanced metrics would show Greinke the better pitcher, but for 12 or 13 starts, the wins and losses during their starts, especially since they obviously were rentals, would be a very meaningful number. It really doesn't matter if you win 6-5 or 6-1.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 21, 2013 -> 01:21 PM) How long are you willing to sacrifice? it's been 7 seasons since the last WS title, and you already are upset with management. If they truly went all-in and sacrificed the future, it could be 10-20 years before they are competitive again. You claim you are OK with that, but your comments today show that you won't be. What's funny is most think the Patriots are the epitome of a team with sustained success. A lot of people here think making the playoffs is not good enough. Championships are all that counts. The White Sox world championship drought isn't as long as New England's right now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 21, 2013 -> 09:13 AM) I'm not sure how... How exactly are you getting more people to go to games out of this? They aren't, but attendance won't slide, and they will have a few more revenue streams. More people will be dropping money at their hotel and on Sheffield if that is closed during game day, and they will be able to bring in more money with new and improved suites. I can't see how the are going to be able to do this for only $300 million, but they really have no choice. Good for them. Ricketts at least should have recognized what everyone who buys a property that old finds out rather quickly, they are money pits. I am sure he is spending millions just keeping it viable. I wonder what impact it will have on the Cubs when this project eventually goes over budget by $100-200 million.

$300 million seems a bit optimistic, but I think it is great for the taxpayers. This is going to generate more jobs and more spending meaning more tax revenue, giving the state more money to blow on something else. I hope the get that landmark restriction eased, better yet, take it away completely and let them pay some more property tax.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 11:24 AM) I agree that it isn't merely a matter of from which side of the plate the "Tiger slayer" hits. However, wouldn't you agree that the Sox need another left handed, middle of the order hitter? Doesn't it also make sense that he should be someone who has demonstrated success against the Tiger's right handed starters? The problem is there aren't many guys you could really expect to own a guy like Verlander, and even if he is out there, there is no guarantee it would continue in 2013. Frank Thomas used to own Mike Mussina. It was ridiculous, something like a .600 or .700 batting average for several years. Then he went several years without being able to touch him. Then he started lighting him up again. iMO, and I totally agree the Sox are short on the left side of the plate, they can't focus on what these guys do against the Tigers specifically.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 09:29 AM) Didn't see this anywhere thought it would be worth posting. I'm shocked you are doing some leg work for Chairman Reinsdorf.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 06:29 AM) The single biggest reason that the Sox didn't win the division last year was that they couldn't beat the Tigers in head to head competition. The Tigers have improved over last season, and have the same pitching staff. The following stats (AVG. OBP SLG) reflect the 2012 performance of Sox hitters, including those added and subtracted from last year's roster A. de Aza .224 .286 .362 Alex Rios .206 .254 .349 P Konerko .294 .329 .471 Pierzynski .267 .279 .433 D. Viciedo .260 .302 .460 A. Dunn .216 .255 .451 Ramirez .227 .250 .318 K.Youklis .115 .194 .328 Beckham .205 .340 .455 Keppinger .158 .200 .316 It's pretty obvious that the Sox can't hit Tiger pitching. I wonder if it's at least in part because all of Detroit's starters are right handed. As you're probably tired of hearing me say; the Sox continue to lack a middle of the order left handed bat, . I'd suggest that we all focus our speculation about roster changes on the task of acquiring another left handed bat, for the middle of the order, preferably one who has a history of hitting Tiger pitching. More importantly, I hope that is what R. Hahn is doing. He has stated several times, that acquiring an impact left handed bat is one of his highest priorities. I still think that the Sox should be trying to trade for someone like Markakis. Here are his stats vs. the Tigers, for the last 2 years: 2012 .385 .448 .654 2011 .343 .385 .486 Here's what Kubel did in 2011, his last year in the AL: .239 .364 .391 It doesn't appear that he's the answer. Someone, please suggest a feasible trade to acquire a "Tiger Slayer". They are looking for a LH bat. I think one cheap way to start is the catcher the A's just DFA'D. Not the total answer but he appears to be a LH Tyler Flowers.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 08:30 AM) ^Also I will add that Hahn will get massive amounts of credit if it turns out that all these pieces he is keeping keep it up or turn into better players that become worth more later. If for example Gavin has a great year and helps us win a division then Hahn will get loads of credit for doing nothing, because that was the best course of action. But I think Hahn doing nothing sets us back so I am prepared to criticize him until he takes some steps that would appear to make this team better in the future. Hahn works on improving the White Sox every day. Whether he ultimately is the man for the job, we will see, but the constant criticism for not doing anything, even though he signed Peavy and Keppinger, and really believing he does nothing all day is ridiculous.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Jan 18, 2013 -> 01:20 PM) Boozer is playing better basketball right now than I've ever seen him play. I am skeptical it will continue but hopefully it does. In other news, the Suns just fired Alvin Gentry. Because I am sure it is Gentry's fault that is roster is filled with garbage basketball players, that Sarver being a cheap piece of s*** owner resulted in them selling a bunch of draft choices and letting go of every good player they had. Robert Sarver is arguably the worst owner in sports. Think of it as they are doing Gentry a favor. He doesn't have to run practices or sit through Suns games anymore, and he's still collecting his check. The most amazing thing in the NBA is the Clippers. Can a team owned by Donald Sterling and coached by Vinny Del Negro actually compete for a title?

Who actually was responsible for Gannon's success with the Raiders, Trestman or Gruden?

Why did Te'o tell reporters before the Heisman Trophy presentation on December 8 that he "lost both my grandparents and my girlfriend to cancer," when two days earlier the woman he thought was dead called him on his cellphone?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 18, 2013 -> 11:36 AM) I don't know that I'm saying give up on him, but you carry yourself like you are so f***ing certain Viciedo is going to be a monster. He'll absolutely have to hit .300 with his plate discipline to be a valuable member of the White Sox. I just don't see how his approach will EVER yield a .300 average - he's never going to be anything more than streaky. I do think he'll be fine. Check his age 23 numbers. Check Carlos Lee's age 23 numbers. Very similar. Lee had a few more hits. Viciedo actually walked a bit more, and homered more. If he becomes more selective, something that often occurs with experience, he can become a monster. You carry yourself like he's a bust. I think he can be Carlos Lee. Both busts as 3rd baseman, both will have weight issues. Sometimes the sequel isn't as good as the original. Maybe this one is.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 18, 2013 -> 11:28 AM) Great post. 23 year olds never fail to live up to expectations while franchises burn year after year on them. Of course they fail, but that doesn't mean you give up on them when they are 23 or they are what they are at that age like many people here have mentioned. Sometimes, young players actually improve.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 18, 2013 -> 11:05 AM) Since anyone complaining about Dayan Viciedo is a horrible thing in your opinion, I'll go off on your ridiculous homerism and your more ridiculous confidence that your way of thinking is so great. Viciedo's on base percentage is horrific, and he was worse than a replacement-level player offensively while providing no defense as a corner outfielder on a team that lost the division by 3 games - while he had an OPS of .660 after May. But keep slurping Dayan Viciedo and wearing your Sox-player blinders, Dick. 14 jacks over his last 100 games. Let's all roll out the red carpet for the future superstar and see nothing wrong with him ever! Great post. 23 year olds never get better with experience. You really should be a GM. I will say you are the first to accuse me of homerism, and ridiculous homerism at that. Fact is, if all the other GMs are half as smart as you, they won't want Viciedo either, so the Sox are stuck with him. Better hope he improves.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 18, 2013 -> 10:53 AM) Hopefully for your sake the Sox trade Chris Sale for a milkshake machine today. Any move is better than no moves right? A milkshake machine would be kind of sweet actually.