Dick Allen

Matty V has no idea Jones throws 98 MPH +, way to prepare for the telecast.

This guy takes forever to throw the ball

If Eduardo Escobar is pinch hitting for you with the game on the line and its not a bunting situation, you must really suck.

QUOTE (jeffro2525 @ May 5, 2012 -> 05:06 PM) I hate Chris Perez. Have since he was a Cardinal. I was at the game Thursday sitting in the front row in back of the Cleveland dugout. When Rios and Perez were jawing, Rios backed off as soon as Perez called him a b****. I don't know if that really means anything or not, but that's what happened.

QUOTE (jeffro2525 @ May 5, 2012 -> 05:08 PM) I watch every game. Beginning to end. He's 5/36 with a bunch of groundballs to the left side and harmless flyballs/pop-ups to the right side and center. I think even Rios' biggest supporters were taking a wait and see approach with his earlier success. We will see what happens. He at least looks halfway interested this season.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 05:05 PM) We only got about 25% of the team's value, or 15% of a billion dollars, tied up with Peavy, Danks, Rios and Dunn. Yet you're crying that Peavy will be gone after this season. Pick a side and stay there. The way you flip flop, you should change your screen name to Mitt Romney.

QUOTE (Baron @ May 5, 2012 -> 05:01 PM) No thank you to Ohman With 4 LHP in the bullpen, Ohman has to be Robin's white flag.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 05:01 PM) Comparing Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen and Chris Sale is beyond ridiculous. When he was drafted, the majority of scouting reports had him as a reliever. Other than Dennis Eckersley, Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffmann and a few others, nobody is going to put up a poster in their room of a major league closer. You hold onto young starting pitching and young position impact players, especially at C/SS/2B/CF. Anyone who knows talent can see you build a team around a Bryce Harper/Strasburg and that Chris Sale is a complementary piece to a playoff team to put them over the top. But you don't trade 3-5 young Top 10 prospects for a Chris Sale. You'd be lucky to get just one at this point. Chances are the Sox aren't going to win the WS again in any of the players' they have in the organization careers, but they might, so it shouldn't stop them from trying. I wouldn't care so much if I wasn't a White Sox fan. I wouldn't ever want the organization to stop trying, just not with THIS particular GM. If this was Natstalk.com you would have been crying for days the Nats should have either traded or never drafted Strasburg when he went down.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 05:01 PM) Comparing Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen and Chris Sale is beyond ridiculous. When he was drafted, the majority of scouting reports had him as a reliever. Other than Dennis Eckersley, Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffmann and a few others, nobody is going to put up a poster in their room of a major league closer. You hold onto young starting pitching and young position impact players, especially at C/SS/2B/CF. Anyone who knows talent can see you build a team around a Bryce Harper/Strasburg and that Chris Sale is a complementary piece to a playoff team to put them over the top. But you don't trade 3-5 young Top 10 prospects for a Chris Sale. You'd be lucky to get just one at this point. I'm not comparing him, just your philosophy of trading guys when the "have peak value" instead of enjoying their talents playing for your team. Why would the Sox trade Sale?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 04:50 PM) And they'll give up what exactly in return? Nothing like what the return would have been 48 hours ago. It's not unlike waiting too long to trade Jenks and Crede. Now the point of getting something of value that's not at least 2-3 years away in the low minors is gone for good. I don't care what his "return" would have been 48 hours ago. The Sox should keep good young cheap players if they want to be good. I suppose you think the Bulls should have traded Michael Jordan and was pissed off they didn't before he broke his foot. You probably also think the Sox should have traded Frank Thomas after he won back to back MVPs when he value was never higher. Chances are the Sox aren't going to win the WS again in any of the players' they have in the organization careers, but they might, so it shouldn't stop them from trying.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 5, 2012 -> 04:23 PM) Say what you want. Cowley knows his s*** and predicted the Sale thing last January http://www.suntimes.com/sports/cowley/1023...e-rotation.html He was predicting he'd be back as a closer because the bullpen would be awful not because Sale can't handle starting physically. He was wrong.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 5, 2012 -> 04:35 PM) Should have done that a week ago. No one would trade for him right now. I can think of a ton of teams that would love to have Sale.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 5, 2012 -> 04:34 PM) There were some lingering questions about his health from the previous season, IIRC. But he hasn't had any other problem other than the lat with the Sox, so any of those fears have been thwarted. Its always a risk because of the money, but its the type of trade you want your GM to make.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 04:30 PM) I woke up for THAT mess, lol? Maybe it would have been better to keep sleeping with the way things are going now... Morel 32 k's, Dunn 40. Brent is going to set some kind of record for most K's without a homer in a season. He'll make a September run. Balta will post I told you so.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 5, 2012 -> 03:47 PM) It was a very high risk, high reward move that Kenny made. Problem is he's struck out on all of those since 2008. But it was a sprained ankle not anything with the arm or elbow or shoulder. Its a move I would have applauded 10 times out of 10 times. KW has sucked, but I will never blame him for that trade.

QUOTE (knightni @ May 5, 2012 -> 03:31 PM) Yeah, but he was traded while injured. If he was healthy at the time, he would have costed much more than he did. Not really. The Sox traded for him when he was healthy using the same players as bait. That's when he said no.

QUOTE (knightni @ May 5, 2012 -> 03:14 PM) Richard - up until this season - has had better results than Peavy at a fraction of the cost. Can't fault that trade though. If Peavy is healthy he's the best player in the trade by a wide margin.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 10:52 AM) And how does putting up good numbers every year from June on help the White Sox when they're already buried 10-15 GB in the standings? Wouldn't you agree that the season was lost last year already at the point when we were 11-22? So the season is lost now? Last I checked they aren't 10 GB. Apparently you are in the mode of trading everyone when their value is "peak". That's a nice way to build a team that will never win because your organization will be full of guys who aren't playing as well as they should because you would have rid yourself of all the "peak performers". To expect this roster to win is silly. Stranger things have happened and they still have a shot, but expecting it is just someone trying to be pissed off.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 10:34 AM) Like you and your boy Walker, drinking that good 'ol Georgia moonshine with Boss Hogg and Sheriff Roscoe P. Coultrane. Ramirez has been declining every season offensively. His OPS this season is around 500. He's gone from a franchise shortstop to one whose contract we will be lucky to move in another year or so. As good as his defense is, we can't afford to have no offense from over half our line-up when you've got starters like Axelrod, Molina, Castro and Stewart to cover for. I don't know what Walker has to do with this but if you check Ramirez's history, he's about where he usually is at through 26 games. In 2008 he didn't get his OPS to .500 until May 18th. In 2009 through 26 games his offensive numbers were identical to his numbers this year. In fact, his best "start" was last season. Through 26 games he was hitting .245. 2010 he basically had the same numbers he has now with a couple singles thrown in.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 07:36 AM) And how many hits like that has he given up in crucial situations since he was acquired? He can't miss bats when the opposing batters are waiting on a straight fastball (ahead in the count)...he has the worst knack for attracting swinging bunts, flares, bloopers, bleeders, infield singles into holes, broken bats, Texas Leaguers, shanks, but they ALWAYS seem to happen to him in critical situations!!! It's a mathematical certainty with Thornton because of his arsenal, which is essentially 1 pitch most of the time. I guess we'll see how valuable he really is when KW puts him on the open market. He has zero value to this organization going forward, except for acquiring prospects and/or clearing his salary from the payroll. Matt Thornton can't miss bats? The stats prove otherwise, but you are on a roll.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 10:15 AM) You're telling me that Rick Hahn being named GM TODAY would or actually could somehow prolong the suffering? Until 2017 or 2018 instead of 2015? Give me a break. Those moves that KW made to salvage 2008 have ended up putting off the rebuild for four full years. But what's left of Quentin, Floyd, Danks and Alexei Ramirez? Floyd has decent value, but not enough to get a potential frontline starter in return. Nobody would take Danks' contract today as is (like the Rios claim). Alexei Ramirez would get claimed based mostly on his defensive abilities, but the time to trade him to get the highest possible value in return has passed. Without the good fortune of hitting the lottery simultaneously with all four of those guys, the rebuild could have started much sooner and we'd now be in a much better position instead of waiting for 2014 or 2015. Now you're crying about Ramirez? When I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I think he's a lot older than what the record shows, you gave my post crap as you assumed it was a get rid of Ramirez post. I think you must be currently under the influence.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 10:18 AM) Kind of like the slider/slurve that never developed, either for Thornton or Poreda. Yes, Dick Allen, it's possible that there are some pitchers out there who can't be "cured" completely of their issues. That's why in his prime from 2002-2004, Marte was even better than Thornton, he had two pitches. Just what I've been saying about Don Cooper all along,yet you would go on and on about him. Now Thornton's no good, no one would take Danks, Floyd would only bring back a marginal prospect... Coop was walking on water in your eyes 2 weeks ago when you gave him 100% credit for Humber's perfect game. For the record, say what you want about Matt Thornton, but he certainly was Don Cooper's #1 success story.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 08:43 AM) Ring, Poreda, Sale. See the pattern? It's pretty bad when you're defending using the 13th pick in the first round of a draft on someone (essentially) who the GM traded for Nestor Molina. How valuable is that? You mean to tell me that Chris Sale could have gotten us Molina AND Stewart because he's left-handed? Wow! Consider me impressed. And, ONCE AGAIN, who will Chris Sale and Addison Reed close or lock down games for? We're going to trade our best starter or lose him after the season (Jake Peavy), so why is the bullpen so important for a team now in full rebuilding mode? Castro, Molina. If Don Cooper can get Phil Humber to throw a perfect game, remember how much credit you gave him for that, he certainly can make Castro and Molina decent MLB starters. I posted the 1st round of Sale's draft. Who should they have selected ?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2012 -> 08:31 AM) The problem is that RISK-TAKING IS NOT FOR THE FIRST ROUND. You spend overslot once you have your guaranteed guys and you roll the dice in the 2nd/3rd/4th/5th-10th on high risk/high reward guys like Trayce Thompson or Mitchell. You go out and get a Rick Porcello instead of spending that money on Manny Ramirez, Mark Teahen or Jason Frasor. Who should the Sox have taken: 2010 Major League Baseball Draft Results (First Round) 1. Washington Nationals -- Bryce Harper -- C/OF -- College of Southern Nevada 2. Pittsburgh Pirates -- Jameson Taillon -- P -- The Woodlands High School 3. Baltimore Orioles -- Manny Machado -- SS -- Brito Private High School (Miami) 4. Kansas City Royals -- Christian Colon -- SS -- Cal. State Fullerton 5. Cleveland Indians -- Drew Pomeranz -- P -- Mississippi 6. Arizona Diamondbacks -- Barret Loux -- P -- Texas A&M 7. New York Mets -- Matt Harvey -- P -- North Carolina 8. Houston Astros -- Delino DeShields Jr. -- 2B -- Woodward Academy 9. San Diego Padres -- Karsten Whitson -- P -- Chipley High School 10. Oakland Athletics -- Michael Choice -- OF -- University of Texas Arlington 11. Toronto Blue Jays -- Deck McGuire -- P -- Georgia Tech 12. Cincinnati Reds -- Yasmani Grandal -- C -- University of Miami 13. Chicago White Sox -- Chris Sale -- P -- Florida Gulf Coast University 14. Milwaukee Brewers -- Dylan Covey -- P -- Maranatha High School 15. Texas Rangers -- Jake Skole -- OF -- Georgia Tech 16. Chicago Cubs -- Hayden Simpson -- P -- Southern Arkansas 17. Tampa Bay Rays -- Josh Sale -- OF -- Bishop Blanchet High School 18. Anaheim Angels -- Kaleb Cowart -- 3B -- Cook High School of Georgia 19. Houston Astros -- Mike Foltynewicz -- P -- University of Texas 20. Boston Red Sox -- Kolbrin Vitek -- 2B -- Ball State University 21. Minnesota Twins -- Alex Wimmers -- P -- Ohio State University 22. Texas Rangers -- Kellin DeGlan -- C -- R.E. Mountain High School 23. Florida Marlins -- Christian Yelich -- OF -- Westlake High School (California) 24. San Francisco Giants -- Gary Brown -- OF -- Cal. State Fullerton 25. St. Louis Cardinals -- Zach Cox -- 3B -- University of Arkansas 26. Colorado Rockies -- Kyle Parker -- OF -- Clemson University 27. Philadelphia Phillies -- Jesse Biddle -- P -- Germantown Friendship High School (Pennsylvania) 28. Los Angeles Dodgers -- Zach Lee -- P -- McKinney High School 29. Anaheim Angels -- Cam Bedrosian -- P -- East Coweta High School (Georgia) 30. Anaheim Angels -- Chevy Clarke -- OF -- Marietta High School (Georgia) 31. Tampa Bay Rays -- Justin O'Conner -- C-- Cowan High School (Indiana) 32. New York Yankees -- Cito Culver -- SS -- Irondequoit High School (New York)

Not exactly the Baseball Bible but here is Bleacher Reports take on the Sox selection of Sale the day he was chosen: 13. Chicago White Sox-Chris Sale, LHP There are a lot of durability concerns about Sale. This 6′6″ lefty projects to be a relief pitcher. The fact of the matter is if Sale projected to physically being able to give you anywhere close to 200 innings a year, the Sox would never had a chance at drafting him. I guess when news like Sale is going to be a releiver comes out people want to go back to the "safe" draft pick and get guys like Lance Broadway.