Dick Allen

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Dec 16, 2011 -> 04:00 AM) From an outsider's perspective I think there's pluses and minuses for both of them. In the regular season, I think Rip will be a decent enough fit on both sides of the ball. Come playoff time though, opposing teams are obviously going to focus on Rose and try to make the other guys on the court beat you. That's where I think Crawford would come in real handy in a series against a Miami or a Boston, he can create his own shot and easily put up 20+ points, and would help lighten the load on Rose. Rip obviously can't create his own shot, and that's the major difference b/w the 2. So you're saying other teams are going to focus on Rose, that's going to leave Rip alone. He'll be able to find an open spot. As long as his body holds up, he'll help the Bulls as much as Crawford if not more in the playoffs because he will play defense. Crawford can score, but he can give it right back on the other end. My only concern is physical. Crawford stands a better chance of holding up IMO. Plus that mask Rip wears bugs me.

The fans did enough for JR to approve a $127 million payroll. I don't see where there can be blame placed there.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 15, 2011 -> 06:58 PM) Which is ironic, because Thornton's career was on the ropes when he was dumped for Borchard after underachieving for so long in SEA. Cooper is almost singlehandedly responsible for Matt being set for life financially. Mentally, the guy just wasn't the right one to be the closer...and perhaps he still holds some grudges against some of the coaches?? Which is, once again, why Danks/Thornton being traded would suprise absolutely nobody in baseball. That's a great point. Thornton is probably selling cars if Cooper didn't fix him. If he did pop off, and we really have no idea, everyone thought the veteran who wanted to go if the Sox went young was AJ and he said no, or Peavy, and he and Cowley don't seem to have the same story, so that's doubtful, its weak sauce. I really think its probably a made up quote, but what a classy thing to do on twitter, rip Gonzo, the beat writer who is better than Cowley ever could be.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 13, 2011 -> 03:47 PM) In this case I believe Mrs Pujols. The cards low-balled a guy who would have stayed for a discount. Pretty big mistake. At least they made an offer.

Cliff's notes version of a Cowley "column" concerning the White Sox: KW and Cooper are assholes, Ozzie is God. They are all pretty much the same thing. He "interviews" Danks, then has quotes from an unnamed pitcher. Who is that pitcher? Its not Danks. Its not Floyd, Cowley tells everyone how stupid he is all the time, couldn't use him as a legitimate source. I'm guessing its not Buehrle, he doesn't seem to have a problem with Cooper and wanted to come back, and its not Peavy, he said he has no problem with Cooper. Who can it be? Santos? Doubtful. The only one it really could be IMO is Thornton, so someone should ask Thornton if those were his quotes. I believe the pitcher could be Cowley. He didn't say it was a White Sox pitcher. He probably pitches whiffle balls to his kid so he can call himself a pitcher.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 14, 2011 -> 08:55 PM) So I trust Peavy is getting the offseason he was looking forward to in September, and he's preparing for his 34 starts and 220 innings. Where's that quote? That's in a file to be printed during Spring Training, the day after the Dunn in the best shape of his life piece.

QUOTE (Tex @ Dec 14, 2011 -> 09:31 PM) Can you believe how wrong Cowley got that? Here is the Peavy quote on top from the Trib and Cowley's column below. In your continuing quest to be Soxtalk's biggest smartass you missed the premise of Cowley's article. You probably also missed the print edition which had a big color picture of Cooper on the backpage hinting at all the trouble he's created. Then to make your smart ass retort look accurate you left off this Peavy quote from my post: "But let's be real: The Sox don't win a World Series without Mark Buehrle, and look at what Coop has done over the years. It takes time to know someone. I have no problems with (Cooper)." If Peavy has no problems with Cooper, Cowley's article is like his Thornton to ATL crap. Totally bogus, although we did get to find out Danks spent time at a Home Depot. Peavy apparently has a problem with Ozzie or Ozzie has a problem with Peavy or both, but Cowley never mentioned that. Go figure.

I think they need to ditch the dancing on the dugouts, and bring in competive eating. See who can suck back a nacho helmet first in between innings. You win an autographed picture and a trip to see the doctors they promote during the game.

With De Aza and Viciedo playing almost everyday, there's really no place for Kubel although he would look good in the middle of the line up. I think Cuddyer would obviously help the Sox but they aren't going to add what he's going to be paid.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 14, 2011 -> 01:12 AM) I wouldn't say LOTS. Go back to the thread signing posts that week. You won't find many. Why did Dunn sign the contract in the first place, if he and his agent had these concerns about transitioning to the AL/DH role? 56 million reasons why he signed the contract. There was absolutely no reason to think Dunn would be as bad as he was, but there were plenty of red flags to think he could struggle. One of those certainly was his earlier reluctance to be a DH.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 14, 2011 -> 06:13 AM) The only quote from Danks about Cooper is him saying that Cooper and Peavy need to sit down and hash things out. The other quotes about how Cooper was different before his contract extension were from "one pitcher". Cowley tried (but failed) to make it look like Cooper and Danks had issues. Who was the "one pitcher" that talked about Cooper's behavior? That would be a better and more accurate story. Exactly. The only fence that needs to be mended is by Cowley so that he can write objectively about the White Sox. Don't you have to pay to read the Sun Times now? Maybe they figured they can't charge people to read his work. Its a pretty empty article trying to trick you into thinking Danks is giving you some information someone else is supposedly supplying. Just like when Cowley said Thornton to ATL was picking up steam last week, the ATL writer said it was total BS. Cowardly backed off and said he didn't say it was going to happen, only getting close. If you notice, when he tries breaking a story, he always leaves a lot of leeway in there so he can say he was right. I can do that too. Right now I will tell you my sources are reporting Prince Fielder will sign with the Cubs, Mariners or a mystery team. My ass is covered. This is interesting, from the Tribune, its Jake Peavy: "I'm not, in any way, bashing Ozzie," Peavy said in a telephone interview. "He took this franchise to the World Series (in 2005), and now he has a chance to fulfill a challenge in Miami. But we all saw (Guillen's departure) needed to happen — for both sides. I don't think it's a shock what I'm saying. We have a fresh face (Ventura) with a new attitude and a guy who is highly respected." "Ozzie didn't care for me at the end because I was shut down," Peavy said. "It didn't end on good terms. The one thing about it, Coop and I have an open relationship. There was one time where I disagreed about something he said about me being on and off after coming back from the surgery, and I told him about it. "But let's be real: The Sox don't win a World Series without Mark Buehrle, and look at what Coop has done over the years. It takes time to know someone. I have no problems with (Cooper)." Looks like Peavy and Ozzie need to mend some fences. Joe is wrong again.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 12, 2011 -> 05:31 PM) Wow. The Marlins could be in some serious s*** come 2014 and 2015. Isn't Reyes due $66 million over the last 3 years of his contract? You're right. No one will trade for Mark unless the Marlins pick up a lot of the money. The contract offered to Pujols was backloaded as well. I think Loria is hoping to win, make a ton of money, sell and let the balance of the contracts be someone else's problem. If this team flops and attendance doesn't remain high, firesale in Miami.

Howard is now basically saying he wants to be traded because they wouldn't let him be the GM.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 11, 2011 -> 03:26 PM) Point is, Danks value is less than Santos. If Williams asks for player A from the Red Sox for Santos, he is not going to get him for Danks most likely. I really doubt you are correct. I also would doubt KW would be inclined to trade Danks for what he got for Santos. Personally, I think KW knows what he can get for Danks, Floyd, Thornton, Quentin, but is holding off for a couple of reasons. Obviously hoping the bid goes higher, and I don't think he really wants his firesale to be completed before season ticket money is due. Its due Wednesday. If the Sox really are dumping guys, I would look for that to start a few days after the due date.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 11, 2011 -> 03:26 PM) Point is, Danks value is less than Santos. If Williams asks for player A from the Red Sox for Santos, he is not going to get him for Danks most likely. I really doubt you are correct.

Boozer got hair plugs this past offseason.

Whether Braun is "vindicated" or not, it appears he still would have been hopped up on steroids either way. Even if the don't suspend him, I hope they take away the MVP.

QUOTE (WHITESOXRANDY @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 04:49 PM) Now, the Sox are backing off rebuilding according to JR. I knew they would never do it. Say hello to 3rd or 4th place thru 2020 +. They don't want to say rebuilding, although KW already did. Its not good for ticket sales. First installments due 12/14. Considering Buehrle was wanted by 14 teams and would have pitched for the Sox for less of a team committment than any other team, and the Sox didn't even extend an offer, I believe everyone knows where this is heading.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 04:36 PM) Honestly, there's no talking to you. We can go back and forth all day and night. You can poke all kinds of holes in rebuilding. I can do just the same in going with the status quo or throwing millions at free agents or "name" guys. Ozzie's gone. Walker's gone. Mark's gone. We've got a manager that's never managed. Like it or not, the franchise is going in a different direction. But you can do your part and stop going to games to send a message that you're not happy. I will continue to go to games, even if on paper 3rd/4th place is more realistic than 1st. Yes, KW sucks and I want him gone. He offered to step down and Jerry wasn't having it. So KW's got one last chance. In his defense, and this really pains me, we've never seen KW in any mode other than go-for-it mode. It'll be interesting to see if he FINALLY learns from his past mistakes. Ozzie's gone, that's supposed to be good. Walker's gone, everyone should hit .300. Buehrle gone without an offer...........great move by your standards, horrible by mine. Ventura never managed before? So what. Didn't Brenly win the WS the first season he ever managed? Will Robin be splitting the atom or something in the dugout? Do you think during the 15 years or so he played, he paid no attention? Its not like he has to install a new offense or defense. Its baseball. If it all requires years of experience at the major league level, none of us should have anything to say. This is not the hardest division to win. Mistakes were made. The two glaring mistakes costing the Sox about $26 million a year are going to be around for a while. I'm slightly optimistic with Peavy, not as optimistic as JR, but certainly feel unless he gets hurt again, he will be better. Sale will probably be good if he remains healthy, but in no way is he going to be able to match Buehrle's innings. We have a guy who can't pick players who have proven they can play making decisions. To let him chose guys who haven't proved anything yet could mean this team will be awful for at least 5 years. Where does attendance go then? If then guys can play, they have to get paid, no one is coming to the park and to think they will suddenly hop back to 2 million fans after 4,5,6 years of being totally irrelavant is beyond silly, the Sox won't be able to pay those players, so guess what, more prospects. Face it, the Sox 2008 first round pick was in the major leagues in 2009 and in 2010 you were already calling him a bust. You don't have patience for rebuilding.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 03:57 PM) Lillibridge gets the first chance at SS after Ramirez is traded. You really want the Sox to suck. If Lillibridge has any value, I'd trade him. He'll fall back to earth.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 02:02 PM) And look at the state those franchises are in right now? They spent their millions and millions and millions and won nothing (not even a single WS appearance). So instead of spending millions JR should just be pocketing it? The White Sox successfully rebuilt beginning after the 1986 season. 1990 was the return to prominence. Even drafting guys like Thomas, McDowell, Ventura and Fernandez, that didn't net them a WS either, so I guess by your standards that rebuild was a total failure, however, in 2005, picking up retreads like Dye and El Duque, they did win the WS. Go figure. The White Sox have many advantages over their division counterparts. Its time they use them. A new GM, the right GM, would have this team dominating. The GM we have now apparently has now become content to be in first place a few days during the season.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 10:56 AM) Losing period isn't much fun. You bring up the Pirates, Royals and Orioles? I counter with the Mets, Cubs and Dodgers. You seem to be content with losing as long as the names on the roster are recognizable (I'm canceling my season ticket package because I can't watch Mark Buehrle throw every five days; who cares if we're perpetually stuck in no-man's land). The Rays aren't where they are simply because of high draft picks from five years ago. That's the lazy/easy way to look at it. There were they are because they're a top-flight organization from top-to-bottom. They scout better than any other team. They pick up dirt-cheap impact talent better than any other team. They know when it's time to part with guys (Kazmir when he was done, Garza when he was getting expensive) and not lose anything because they're always planning ahead. They preach defense, baserunning and execute both better than any other team. All this while dealing with the Yankees and Red Sox. The game has changed over the last five years and the Sox have failed miserably at adapting to that change. They've dismissed the draft/LA; made multiple short-sighted trades for non-impact talent or past their prime vets; took on extremely hefty contracts in years and money for guys with serious question marks and here they are. It didn't have to be this way. But it is now. Forgive me if I choose to want to see a new M.O. For you, just believing there's a chance going into the season is enough. I've seen enough fail over the last five years where that is no longer good enough for me. Since KW has been the GM, the Sox have made the playoffs twice. The Mets only have made it once in that time. The Cubs have made it 3 times, the Dodgers 4 times. If KW made the playoffs 4 times in 11 seasons, most wouldn't complain.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 10:34 AM) Some words from the chairman himself. "He gave us a chance to keep him and I'm sure he would've taken less money to come back," Reinsdorf said of Buehrle. "He just didn't fit into our plans. That's the thing. You can't let personal feelings for players stand in the way of letting the general manager do what he feels is right for the team."

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 10:17 AM) Or you could spend 120+ million on an old, unathletic, played out roster. But hey, at least they're familiar names. Salivating over A ball rosters isn't much fun. The fans in Pittsburgh, KC and Baltimore are probably sick about hearing of prospects. I'm sure the few fans left in Oakland are getting a little sick of getting prospects, developing them, then dealing them for some more wondering if the cycle will ever stop. One poster thought the Sox should be more like the Rays. Apparently he didn't realize how bad for how long the Rays had to be to get to their current position. The fact is most who want this do not have the patience for it. Gordon Beckham played in the minor leagues a very short time. Yet it hasn't taken long for many to call him a bust. I don't have the patience for it. I want to get to the middle of winter with some hope on my mind, knowing that chances are I will be dissappointed at some point, but the 2 or so times a decade I'm not, makes it well worth it. Going into seasons with no hope isn't going to be good for business. Milkman will be there. He'll probably have his own personal vendors.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 09:10 AM) Yep, welcome to perpetual rebuilding Oakland style. You get young players and once they get good, you dump them for more young players. Yeah but you get to see prospects, and for a lot of people on this board, that's a better option than watching your team win.