Dick Allen

If Beckham can get himself to get 1 more single per every 14 ABs than what he's currently doing over the course of a season, he'll be a .300 hitter.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 12:59 PM) Oh, just shut up. Beckham sucks. Yes, I'm exaggerating a bit...but not a lot. Stop defending his s***ty offensive play. So you're exaggerating 70 points. So why don't we exaggerate 70 points the other way and call him an All Star?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 11:57 AM) I've read all of your comments and thought about them carefully. ...and Beckham still sucks balls. You really shouldn't watch games. Just read fangraphs afterward. Its what tells the story. Not what you see on the field. Maybe that's why Sox fans don't attend games much. They are too smart. They realize what you see is false. Its some number someone comes up with that tells the entire story. Forget what you see.... Beckham saving runs. Turning DPs throwing guys out on relays. He isn't replacement level defensively. He's horrible. Fangraphs says so, and they are on the internet so you know its true.

People forget Beckham was a pretty good hitter the second half of 2010 before breaking his thumb. He hit .310 with a .380 OBP and an .877 OPS. As for his negative defensive WAR, there is a flaw in the system if someone wants to say that's gospel. There is absolutely no way he is below replacement level defensively. I think even the biggest haters would agree with that.

QUOTE (RZZZA @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 10:14 AM) the daily battle between negative posters and positive posters in every game thread gets to be quite irritating. It's like people can't accept that there's two different types of posters....inn every sports forum...in every sport...everywhere. just live and let live. I disagree. If someone is going to constantly complain about a team in first place and basically tell you how lousy they really are, maybe they should spend their time doing something more enjoyable. I'm not a cheerleader, but gamethreads are many times beyond ridiculous. If you think the Sox suck, Ventura does nothing right, Beckham is a joke, why bother watching? Considering the team's record, you're (and I'm not saying you specifically, I'm talking the general constant complainers) going to look like a stooge in the end. I think the vast majority of constant complainers still want the Sox to win, but there are a couple that would be far more satisfied they lose 100 games so their "everyone sucks" posts make them look like baseball geniuses. Just last night, I found out the collapse of the Sox has begun. That it was official Gordon Beckham is done. That 80-90 percent of Ventura's pitching decisions are wrong, and that he has his head up his ass. AJP is lazy and his head isn't in the game..............life is not long enough to subject yourself to such torture. I've been viewed as a negative poster, but grab a smart phone or a paper or look at the standings on the internet. Complaining about this team is silly.

QUOTE (Wedge @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 07:15 AM) Don't forget that Robin is a complete and utter boob for leaving in Santiago two batters too long. I read in the game thread a lot of ripping him. One post said 80-90% of his moves blow up in his face. Combine that with all the bad players on the roster, its amazing this team is in first place.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 11:09 PM) Enlighten us then, Dick. You don't have to be a wiseguy just because you are wrong. Teams will play the same amount of interleague games, or very close to it. The only difference is there will be at least one interleague series going on at all times as there will be an odd number of teams in both leagues.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 10:34 PM) with Astros coming to AL the scheduling system is changing, and Sox will be playing every team in MLB at least once. No.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 03:14 PM) link? He actually said Beckham cleaned up his mechanics quite a bit and is at the point they could be sustained for 600 AB.

Ramirez' OPS is about the same as Beckham's. Still waiting for a non Marty34 Ramirez must go because he simply cannot hit post.

QUOTE (G&T @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 03:06 PM) How on Earth do you know it's mental? If it was mental, then why doesn't he take that bad offense onto the field? His bat is too slow and attempts to make it faster have failed. That's a physical issue and he can't magically be faster without some assistance. He's thinking too much at the plate. That slows you down. When he's going well, his bat is plenty quick enough.

If you're a player Soxtalk HASN'T said its time to move away from, you are in a huge minority. I still think Beckham will hit. He's had some stretches where he's been good, he's also been awful and he's been unlucky. 2010 was a bad year overall, but he was really good the second have before he broke his thumb. Its all in his mind. The talent is there, the frustration IMO keeps him from busting out. I'd keep him around at least one more year. His glove alone has saved the Sox some games.

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 10:12 AM) It's for parity. Struggling teams can get a look at young players without sacrificing current MLB talent to waivers or burning up options. It has a very small benefit for teams like the White Sox, but can be hugely useful for a team like the Cubs that may want to work in 30+ players a week to see what they've got. The saying goes, don't believe anything you see in spring training, and don't believe anything you see in meaningless games in September. See Fields, Josh and Morel, Brent.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 08:13 AM) If you make this the rule, then teams will de-activate the four starting pitchers not starting that particular game, so unless you have more than 4 call-ups, those 4 are going to be able to be active every single game anyway. You're essentially creating a rule just to create a rule. They can deactivate them, but, at the very least, they are still playing with a 25 man roster. Chances are most teams aren't going to have 4 fringe guys on call. Even the guys making minimum pull in 75k a month.

I think they need to change the call up rule. Why play the last month under vastly different rules than the previous 5? Someone had a great idea. Keep the roster at 25 active, but you can activate and de-activate players on a game by game basis in September.

It appears losing out on Greinke was a blessing. 6.19 ERA in 5 starts with the the Angels Angels of Anaheim. The Angels are 1-4 in his starts.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 19, 2012 -> 03:46 PM) How many unearned runs did they allow in the 1st half of the year as opposed to since the ASB? I am pretty sure all these runs are earned.

Youk is going to need some sort of offseason conditioning program. He's at the point in time where he can't get away with a body more resembling a weekend softball player.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Aug 19, 2012 -> 12:42 AM) thats awesome. so true. jose reyes wasnt doing too well earlier in the year and now is doing real well and theyre out of it yet he celebrates every little thing he does. If he's this great leader, couldn't he get them to stop celebrating? What exactly is his job besides to collect a check on the 15th and 30th and to get some exposure for other paydays? Every comment he makes, he further proves he's a fraud as a manager.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 18, 2012 -> 07:27 PM) That's what I've been saying the whole time. You can't count on him to be a consistent threat if he's not spending a whole lot of time at DH/1b. He's better than Morel, as long as we're not paying for it. He can't hit on the road this year. .182 avg. .278 OBP and a .578 OPS.

QUOTE (RZZZA @ Aug 18, 2012 -> 07:15 PM) I'm not over reacting, I'm asking if the coaches are preparing us to play this team, because it doesn't seem like it. We have to beat scrubs like this. No reason to fall out of first place because you go 4-7 against the friggin' Royals. Unacceptable. We just look unprepared to play the last few times we've seen them. You're overreacting. If the coaches don't prepare the team, how is it they are in first place?

Its 3-0. Keep in mind, Bruce Chen has never beaten the White Sox in KC.

QUOTE (RZZZA @ Aug 18, 2012 -> 07:07 PM) Are the coaches doing anything to get us prepared, thats my question at this point Absolutely not. They are as bad as this team. This season is ova. This. Team. Is. Dead. The overreactions are amazing. Have you been paying attention all season, or just want to take one bad inning as the sample?

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Aug 17, 2012 -> 10:54 PM) Actually the story is now being reported by more media outlets. Link. You can get a passport in a couple of days if needed. It really makes no sense.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Aug 17, 2012 -> 05:03 PM) The guys on MLB Network said he didn't have his passport, but he's Canadian, I dont get it. I don't think they were being serious.