Dick Allen

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jun 23, 2012 -> 09:13 AM) Exactly, the Red Sox want him off the roster now and just want to get something for him rather than release him. That might be some salary relief or a marginal prospect, but they aren't getting a legit prospect for him. As everyone has mentioned on here, he's been awful this year, the Red Sox have a terrific replacement, he not much of a bench guy, and he's had his clubhouse issues this year. Teams know the Red Sox want him gone, so unless a bunch of teams are fighting for him, they have very little leverage IMO. As for the White Sox, I'm shocked how many people are ripping this move. We all know how bad Youkilis has been this year, and people love to point out he's actually been worse than ODog this past month. Fair enough. However, people saying he's been trending downward the past few years are somewhat missing the point here. From 2008 to 2010, Youkilis had an OPS of .958 or higher each year. That's elite level production and it obviously wasn't going to last forever. Then last year he had his "down" season and only put up a .833 OPS. While not elite, that's still a fantastic number. I guess my point here is that Youkilis hasn't just suddenly lost all his talent. He's getting older and his performance is declining, but the impact should be more gradual than what we're seeing this year. Obviously his back has been hurting him this year and we know he's had his clubhouse issues this year. I'd like to see how he responds to a new set of trainers and a fresh new clubhouse. IMO, the guy can still be an .800 OPS player if healthy. I know trading for Youkilis has risks, but what's more important to me is the downside. If we don't have to trade anything of value or eat most of the deal, then what do we have to lose? There's not a lot of other options at 3B. We can't spend this money on prospects. The move would be a gamble, but one with no long-term consequences. The one thing I do know is we can't win with ODog at 3B. So we can either take a chance on Youkilis or die a slow death. I was reading an article that contained several scouting reports basically saying his body is breaking down and he's done. But you're right, as long as it doesn't cost much and doesn't impair the Sox from making other moves, its probably worth a shot considering the Sox 3rd base situation now and for what looks like the rest of the season. Especially considering it looks like Morel isn't going to be much of a help this year.If this is the Sox blowing their entire load this year just on him, its should be a fireable offense if the most likely happens and it doesn't work out.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 23, 2012 -> 09:08 AM) Youk will be a bigger help than a lot think, but in the bigger picture it's about getting a starter. Just thinking out loud is their plan Youk at third Danks/Jackson in left and Viciedo as the main trade bait to get a SP? No chance. If the Sox get Youkilis, its going to cost very little in terms of money and/or talent. Unless King Felix is in the picture, Viciedo is going nowhere, and he shouldn't.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 10:48 PM) Latest I hear, Sox would be interested if Red Sox would pick up 'most' of the salary. I don't think there is a team out there where that isn't a requirement. If there is a team that will take his contract and the Red Sox haven't moved him yet, they need a new GM.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 10:40 PM) I think it's a risky move, but I have a gut feeling that Youk will thrive with the change of scenery. Just my opinion tho. I disagree, but a lot stranger things have happened. His body is breaking down.

If the Sox have to give up a legit prospect or take on a decent amount of cash, it would be a worse move than paying a steroid free Manny $4 million for a month. I hope and think if the White Sox really are involved, neither is the case.

They said on the pre game that Humber was actually playing catch today. I think his stay on the DL will be minimal.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 10:31 PM) They do have better options. Almost ANYONE would be a better option right now. He has an ERA of over SIX. That is as bad as it gets in the Major Leagues. So how can you tell me they have no one to replace him? If he really has some legit injury, I doubt he would be back anytime soon...and yet, you usually don't see players retroactively designated unless there is a pretty strong belief that they will be back be asap. It seems a bit odd that they would do that, but you never know. Baron says he has some info which says Humber will be out for quite some time, so we'll have to see. I think they can only go back a certain amount of time, but unless its an injury that is going clearly take more than 15 days to heal, retro'ing is almost automatic.

Humber said it was bothering him for a while. Did the White Sox know or did they just find out? In a way, assuming he can heal reasonably fast, its good news. At least there could be a reason for his poor performance as opposed to him just being a flash in the pan.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 09:51 PM) It is definitely worth considering. I really don't think Kenny is eager to trade away the few trade pieces we have to get a starting pitcher, either. He's a bench player now for the Sawks and has sucked for almost a year. No team will take Youk without Boston assuming a lot of money, and they aren't getting anything very good prospect-wise even with that. I still think if KW wants to do it, with Boston now basically giving him away, I don't think they would be too inclined trading him to an AL playoff contender unless they really have no other options just in case he turns it around.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 10:07 PM) Ok, so using you and your sidekick's logic here, Baron must be also stating that Hudson "literally" cannot throw to 1st base, which is clearly false. My response was using the same type of sarcasm. Jeesh, you both are really coming off as weak with this nonsense. Here's a couple more from you. How anyone could ever think you posted anything close to Paulie not knowing the rules is crazy. I apologize. Seriously? It's the most basic rule he should know. If the runner has not yet touched first, I can touch the base rather than tag him. Give me a break. Ozzie Guillen...he never managed to teach PK the rules...

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 09:51 PM) No, I may have said that in jest after you and your sidekick came to the infallible one's rescue, but I clearly asked several times why he didn't step on the bag. You made excuse after excuse for him until you realized you were wrong. Then of course you turned my comments into something they were not, in an effort to save face. What new? QUOTE (Baron @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 08:06 PM) I would have really liked this to be a 1-1 game. If only our 3rd baseman could throw to 1st. Here's your response: Or our 1b could be aware of the rules

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 09:47 PM) I never actually said he doesn't know the rules of baseball. I questioned why he didn't just step on the bag. He clearly had a brain fart. All I was pointing out was that his mental gaffe was more disturbing to me than Orlando's. DA and yourself are the posters who interpreted that as me stating PK doesn't know the rules. And in that instance, please tell me why he didn't just step on the bag? It was interpreted as you stating PK doesn't know the rules because you posted PK doesn't know the rules.

7th shutout. Can't win if you don't score runs. The Sox were never close to scoring tonight.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 09:38 PM) There you go with your agenda again. Why don't you drop your hard on for me and move on with your life. It's pathetic. Pot. Kettle. Black.

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 02:24 PM) Adam Hoge ‏@AdamHogeCBS Philip Humber's injury is a "right elbow flexor strain". #WhiteSox I don't wish injury on anyone and hope Humber recovers, but unless this issue is what is responsible for his performance as of late, this is addition by subtraction.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 01:22 PM) I do think that point is valid and should give the Sox reason to consider deeper discounts on season tickets. A higher season ticket base is the best way to decrease supply. I know in 2006-07, the Sox sold a lot of season tickets and that made the areas where I like to sit (Club level and lower box) in short supply, which forced me to decide in February-March which games I wanted to go to in order to ensure I got seats I liked. This year, I was able to wait until May to buy tickets for both of my games, and I got seats that were probably occupied by season ticket holders in earlier years. In essence I think that is what they are trying to do with Dynamic Pricing. They are trying to train fans into buying their tickets early so they will get them at posted ticket rates, not the bloated price they will be forced, for some reason, to charge later.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 11:45 AM) His wife to act so clueless is criminal to me. I actually feel bad for her. Its obvious to me Sandusky is guilty. Making his wife go through that and having her testimony dissected by the media makes Jerry even a bigger scum IMO, if that's even possible.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 12:48 PM) The way I see it, both sides have some fault for low attendance. The Sox have not priced tickets, parking, and concessions in a way that works based on the economy and the team's recent performance. For their part, the fans have been slow to respond to the success that the team has had. There are affordable options for going to games if you really want to go. You are correct, but people don't want to go through all the effort. Its probably lazy, but Caulfield had something the other day which basically said one problem is too many choices. They need to simplify ticket prices, not complicate them even more. Most just give up and say its not worth the effort. The Sox knew they would take a hit attendance-wise this year. I read that even back in 2005 when the Sox were in first place every single day of the season, they had 3 September crowds in a row less than 20k. A month in first place isn't going to make people flock to USCF.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 12:13 PM) I think the Sox and Cubs epitomize the extremes of stupidity in fanbases. Cubs fans keep going like sheep to Wrigley no matter how bad the product is, creating absolutely no financial incentive to the team to put a winning product on the field. Sox fans insist on seeing some almost-unrealistic string of spectacular seasons before they'll think about buying a ticket. When the team starts having some success, there is no money flowing in to use to try and build on that success. There needs to be a happy medium. Have your base number of games you're willing to go to no matter how bad the team is, and then start going more often as the team enjoys success. Don't sit on your ass and say that a month in first place isn't enough to get you to the park and then turn around and b**** that the Sox didn't spend extra money at the trade deadline. I don't think anyone has been complaining that the Sox won't be spending money at the deadline. I still maintain they will if it makes any sense. Many times after KW or someone else in the Sox organization throws out the attendance issue, they wind up spending money soon after.My beef is the insunuation its the fans fault. Something KW would understand is Sox fans can't spend $1 if all they have is $.50. If its all about attendance, there are several simple things the Sox could do to increase it,. They think its in their best interest to stay the course with this dynamic pricing. That's their decision. I think its costing them money.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 11:50 AM) Thinking people should come out after being a month in first place is a mistake. Some standard of excellence their KW. Well he was patting himself on the back last year for putting together teams that spend a few days in first place during several seasons. He really only said one word about it when he was questioned and that was the "yes" at the end. He shouldn't have said it, he tried not to say it, but it happened. The media should be directing their questions at the Sox sales and marketing departments. They are obviously in a slump.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 08:30 AM) I want the 20 minutes of my life back I just spent reading the past few pages. I'm not even sure where that argument began or what it was about. Something about xBoxes or something? I did pick up on the sniping about the purported Soler bid. To me, there was plenty of evidence showing that the Sox had interest and were involved in the bidding for the guy. Apparently the Sox offered (or were prepared to offer) around $25 million. Why argue that? We (on this board) have been talking about Soler since before the season started. But, just because the Sox may have offered the money doesn't mean they have $25 million to spend to make the team better today. When KW talks to the press and says he has no money to spend on players, that's fine. We all know that more often than not, he uses a lot of misdirection. So, who knows if he's actually willing to spend some money. I would hazard to guess that he will spend the money if there's a deal that could truly make the team better and help get them to the post season. But to blame attendance (or lack thereof) is ridiculous. The Sox have one of the highest average ticket price is baseball, and they are in a city with two freaking teams. And the other team has a cult following...well, more acurately the stadium in which that team plays has a cult following (look at me, I'm at Wrigley!). The attendance at The Cell will always be disappointing until the team that plays there can win consistently. A team that was expected to play at or just below .500 performing slightly better will not cause 10,000 extra people to show up each day. A team making it to the playoffs on a consistent basis and winning the occasional playoff series will increase attendance. Like I (and others) have said, going to a Sox game is a big commitment financially, especially if you're taking a family. I would love to go to a half dozen games a season, but I like cash in my pocket more. I like being able to sit my ass on my couch with my kids and a 6-pack of Blue Moon just fine. Sorry, Kenny. No one suggested they had $25 million available. But if the Soler report is true, they have something available. The funny thing is the guy arguing against us when we said that also pointed out when it was mentioned Forbes said the Sox made $10 million last year, that $10 million was just a sliver of money to the Sox, its a pretty insignificant amount. Since he seems to know so much, and is far more knowlegeble, that means the Sox should have more than enough money to bring in someone this season if they so choose. $10 million is nothing to them. I totally agree with you regarding attendance. People are too focused on attendance and not revenue. The Sox obviously feel their ticket prices are maximizing their revenue or they would do something about them. Brooks has declined.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2012 -> 08:16 AM) This is a really good point. The signing bonus is a fraction of the total deal, which was likely to run over 4 to 6 years, judging by how the Sox have structured these deals in the past, and what the market looks like now. That was pointed out. The point remains, they were going to have to give him some kind of a bonus, and have to pay him some sort of salary this season. I don't think they will pick up anyone they have to pay a lot of money the rest of the year, but unless they fall apart by the deadline, I think they will upgrade where they can, and would probably do it today if they found the right deal. And if the right player comes along who makes a lot of money, if the deal is right, they will make it as long as there's a legit chance to win. If the Mets were giving David Wright away today for nothing but salary relief, there's no question in my mind KW and JR would jump on it, although I actually agree with Shaq that pitching, IMO starting pitcher, is even more important.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 21, 2012 -> 11:22 PM) Actually, he has been saying this for years, Baron. Ask the people who joined Soxtalk before 2011. Using one of your lines, show me evidence. I'm going to bed. I'll be looking for the evidence tomorrow, and the evidence you were going to dig up for me today.

When did I say they had to spend every dime? Give me evidence. I've only stated they claim they spend every dime. When I pointed out for years that really wasn't accurate, you argued with me about that. You say $10 million isn't a lot of money, that would indicate they should be able to acquire a pretty good player since they only have to pay him for half a year. Perhaps a $20 million a year guy. Since you are so tuned into White Sox finances, how much are they looking to recoup from last season?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 21, 2012 -> 11:09 PM) I think they do so just to piss you off, DA. To run the franchise as you would suggest would be reckless, irresponsible, and lead to the White Sox being buried with unmovable contracts every year. You criticize the acquisitions of Peavy/Rios/Dunn enough. To follow the standards you seem to want to hold them to would lead to even more of those type of contracts. Actually I always loved the Peavy trade. Maybe you can find evidence I criticized the acquistion. Rios was a stupid acquistion. Dunn was an overpay because of the Thome/Kotsay fiasco. I would not have these obligations on the books if I ran the franchise. I don't know how that could be considered reckless. But keep going. Its funny you say I'm against the acquistions of the White Sox immoveable contracts, and then say running the team the way I suggest would lead to more immoveable contracts.