Dick Allen

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jul 30, 2011 -> 08:32 AM) The Braves have a club option at $10.65 Million for next year. If they want to keep him, that is indeed what it will cost. After that, who knows? Of course, the Braves can tell Pence and his agent that they don't want to exercise the option, and would prefer to buy him out for $1.25 million. There is no way they will exercise that option. Alex Rios jaked his way out of Toronto, and is now jaking it in Chicago. I know some team out there probably thinks they could have the perfect situation for him, but they aren't going to take on his contract to find out. If the Sox want to rid themselves of Alex Rios, they are going to have to still pay him a lot of money. I agree with you about Quentin and Pence. If I had my choice, I'd take Quentin myself. Way more potential at huge numbers.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 30, 2011 -> 08:24 AM) 2007 killed our momentum, and then 2009-10 1) Too many overpaid, underproducing veterans 2) No exciting rookies like Viciedo or Beckham (2009) 3) Pretty boring team with no identity and no superstars like the Tigers 4) Top 3-5 pricing/parking in the majors 5) Economy 6) Greg Walker (joking) 7) Natural South Side skepticism 8) It's the 2nd half and we're not a 2nd half team....see 2003, 2006, 2009-10, etc. 9) Tease from last year frustrated everyone when the Twins wiped us out again 10) Upper deck (blah, blah, blah) 11) 4-18 stretch in April/May still in the minds of too many Those all may be valid, but when it comes down to it, the reason is price. Half price Monday had the biggest crowd of the week. People will sit high in the upper deck if its cheap. Although they have a lot of discounts, the Sox have some of the most expensive tickets in baseball, and I don't understand dynamic pricing. It seems ticketmaster and the Sox are on 2 very different pages. Its $77 a sit for a lot of unsolds on dynamic pricing which claims to use supply and demand as its guide, yet a couple of days ago the Sox had a groupon for the same ticket plus patio party for $65.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jul 30, 2011 -> 07:53 AM) Well, maybe it's more feasible than would appear at first glance. Remember, McLouth will be a free agent at the end of the season, and the Braves would likely have to spend as much to resign him as pay Rios. In the meantime, the Braves would have their defensive replacement for McClouth while he's on the DL. When he comes back they could platoon him with Rios. Next year, their outfield could be pretty good with Heyward, Rios and Quentin. If Nate McLouth's agent can get him a contract like Rios', I need to bring him with me to next review.

QUOTE (Anderson Cooper's Quivering @ Jul 29, 2011 -> 11:15 AM) The whitesox are a bunch of racists. Ignore the latin manager, black GM and jewish owner. I have no idea whether this suit has merit or not, but they aren't accused of being racists and the manager, GM and owner are all men. Full disclosure, I am married to a Labor/Employment Attorney, but she does represent management.

QUOTE (since56 @ Jul 30, 2011 -> 07:44 AM) The White Sox have some big names and are currently in the thick of the chase in the A.L. Central. The weather has been great for night games and the team has been playing well. The northsiders suck and are not a factor. A beautiful Friday night in late July against the Red Sox the house should have been packed. I know we have been down this road before, but why not better attendance? The park is beautiful and the experience is a positive one. I have been to more than a few stadiums around the country and the cell is above average. I don't get it. The way this team played made people disinterested, now that they might be interested, the dynamic pricing model is probably scaring them away. Not a lot of new tickets will be purchased because with dynamic pricing if you look for tickets for the game tonight, it will cost you $77 to sit in the OF. Who is going to pay that? People will just go to Stubhub and buy tickets already sold or just blow the whole thing off. I don't think the box office uses dynamic pricing, but I think most at least look at what is available on line first before heading to the park.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jul 30, 2011 -> 07:37 AM) I don't follow the Braves, however it looks like they could use help in both CF and one of the corner OF spots. Why not trade them Quentin, and Rios, for some really decent young pitching and one position prospect? If they want Quentin, they have to take Rios, who might even flourish in the N. L. At least he could be as good Coco Crisp, with a lot more upside. I'd hate to lose TCQ, but if it meant unloading Rios, it might be worth it. Maybe we could then use the money saved by shedding the Rios contract to buy Carlos back when he becomes a free agent. That's a great concept, but KW demanding that would either be laughed at or hung up on or both. Considering Rios contract and what Quentin will get in arbitration next year, there aren't a lot of teams, if any, willing to take on that kind of cash, especially considering what reasonably expected production you could expect. I love him, butCQ has his warts, and Rios is a dog.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 29, 2011 -> 12:13 PM) Shedding Rios' salary is not areason to trade Thornton for someone we probably can't use. I think Rios can be dealt by himself. Anything is possible. I was told sometime earlier no one would take Teahan either If someone was willing to take Rios' or Dunn's entire contract, the deal would be done. KW wouldn't waste his time negotiating and giving the other club or clubs any time to change their minds.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 29, 2011 -> 07:48 AM) So by your logic, Kenny has been about the most successful GM in baseball up until now. No. Its his philosophy I have no problem with.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:41 PM) I swear there was a tweet back a few pages saying Brown may have not been off limits for Quentin. Regardless, the whole idea of trading Quentin now is to take advantage of desperate teams in a bidding war. If that doesn't happen, there's obviously no reason to trade him. How much better of an acquisition is Carlos Quentin over Carlos Beltran? Granted Beltran is gone most likely in 2 months, you can't offer him arb, but you have to give Quentin arb money next year then he's gone. Wheeler was a pretty good prospect and the Mets had to eat a ton of money to get him.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:34 PM) There have been rumors of Domonic Brown + others. No there has not. Those rumors were for Pence, not Quentin and they are rumors so you don't really even know if they are true. A lot of the stuff you read even by respected reporters is BS. The Sox can acquire a ton of prospects this winter if that's the route they choose. This season has been a bummer, but they are a good stretch away from being in first place.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:33 PM) I think it also depends on whether or not the casual fan thinks we are in this race, too. Most I know think they suck and have no chance. I'm sure our good friend Joe would be more than happy to spin it into KW and JR giving up on the fans. Taking Quentin out of the Sox line up and not replacing him with a stud hitter would be pulling the plug on this season. I don't know about Viciedo's thumb. I'm very high on him, but to put all that on his back calling him up is ridiculous.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:30 PM) Neither of us have any idea if they would trade him for anything less than an absolutely amazing package. If even half the proposed package is ever offered, you do it, no questions asked. Where has there been a proposed package mentioned?

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:29 PM) Fair point I suppose, despite the condescension. How similar is the pre-2005 fan base to the current, though? I think very similar. I think the bandwagon fans have jumped off.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:25 PM) The question then becomes, does trading Quentin for an absolutely amazing package constitute as pulling the plug? You have no idea what is being offered for Carlos Quentin.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:23 PM) I hope you don't plan on winning any time in the next few years then. I'm sure the fans would react positively to that, though. What is the best offer on the table right now for Quentin or Thornton?

QUOTE (WCSox @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:18 PM) For the record, I'm all for major rebuilding IN THE OFF-SEASON if the Sox fail to make the playoffs this year. Just don't cut the legs out from a team that has a legit shot of winning the division this season. It makes a lot more sense than pulling the plug right now. For the record, I don't think the Sox will pull the plug.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:11 PM) And get much smaller returns, especially for Quentin. I honestly believe we can trade him and Thornton right now and still compete. If we trade a starter, we are definitely conceeding. This is laughable. You don't even know what exactly is being offered for Quentin right now. How do you trade Quentin right now and have enough offense to win?

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:10 PM) He could, but teams with a full winter to build their team aren't nearly as willing to offer major parts in return as teams fighting to make it to the World Series are right now. That's the risk/reward. In particular with a guy like Quentin, he could suffer a season ending injury at any moment and nobody would be surprised. That wouldn't do much for his value this winter. It's all a risk/reward thing. Just one of many tough parts of being GM. He could get injured, he also might hit 20 homers. Unless he suffers an injury that will carry into next season, Quentin will still have a ton of value in a couple of months.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:01 PM) This. When you can't draw without winning, it takes a long, long time to rebuild. Ask KC, Pittsburgh, Tampa, etc. I bet the youth movement would be fun for about half a season before everybody either complained or just didn't care. I'm all for trading Carlos if the package is right though. It's a smart move. An all out rebuild right now would really cripple this franchise for the better part of a decade. Just think about the former crown jewel franchises, franchises that seemed to know how to develop their own talent as well or better than anyone over the years has done totally rebuilding. Baltimore, KC and Pittsburgh. JR was gung ho to start rebuilding with his "genius" GM with the Bulls. What followed was the worst stretch of basketball in NBA history. I don't see him trying that again in either sport.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:04 PM) All I'm saying is that making money is more important than winning baseball games to the ownership. If they keep this team in tact and fail to make or do much in the playoffs, this organization will be set back years. KW may not be willing to take that risk, particularly when we can still win the division without Quentin. BS. He can still trade Quentin and Thornton and Danks and Floyd in the offseason.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 11:01 PM) One mans trash is another mans treasure, if you pay 90% of Rios contract Im sure you can find a team that would basically take Rios as a flier. You hope in a new environment he gets his head straight and hes a steal. If he doesnt you can do whatever because you only paid a few mil for him. (not saying this rumor is legit, just that you could deal Rios) If the Sox waived Rios, he would have another job in a few days making minimum while the Sox pay him off, but how much are the Sox willing to eat? If it is nothing, then no one wants Alex Rios. If its half, than maybe possibly there's a chance someone might take him, but I don't see JR eating that kind of money.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 10:56 PM) Sure you do. Thornton is about to be 35 and is very expensive. This rumor is BS because even if you throw in Thornton, they wouldn't take Rios. I don't think they would take Rios if you threw in Danks.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 10:52 PM) I was only 7 or 8 at the time, but from hearing about it from some posters, it sounds like there was a much bigger picture to them drawing 12,000 than just the one trade. Failing to do much in the playoffs does more to harm this organization than "White Flag Part 2." I disagree. If they win the division, they will always be able to sell "we played like s*** and still won" and say they won't or can't be that bad again. Its never good to surrender when you have a very legitimate shot. They are 2 out in the loss column.

QUOTE (103 mph screwball @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 10:50 PM) There seems to be a bit of a bidding war which helps to make sure he doesn't get garbage. Besides, if garbage is offered, there is no pressure to trade them. I'm hoping for a nice return that helps the future and changes somehow spark this years team. This has been the most frustrating team I can remember in that they were so good on paper and just stunk. A buddy of mine said it best. After the KC wild pitch loss, he said that he loved the Sox and always will, but he hates this team. I knew how he felt. July 28th and not even a 500 club. If TCQ can be traded to get Dominic Brown plus prospects and the Sox Q's allocated money to spend next year, that sounds good to me. I don't care if he gets the top ten ranked prospects in baseball. If they fail, he failed. Sorry, that's life. Trading away proven guys for prospects is always risky. Not everything goes as planned.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 10:42 PM) What don't you understand about not making money? JR said they had the money to cover any loss this season because he saved a little here and saved a little there. Maybe they get swept by Boston and are 6 out on Sunday and things are different, but pulling the plug when you are 3 out with mediocre at best teams in front of you will cost this organization more money in the next 3 or 4 years than not winning this year but still paying the current roster.