Dick Allen

What Rosenbloom says about Pods is pretty good IMO Scott Podsednik - What does it say when a guy who’s bad on defense and worse as a baserunner considering his speed is the best this team can do at leadoff? . . .

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 06:30 PM) It may not be an argument, but I don't care! Somebody is going to give Pods a fairly decent multi-year contract I believe. Probably by June they will wonder why.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 06:23 PM) I'm glad they are leaving them the same, sort of figured they would after a disappointing season, in a bad economy, and after a big ticket price hike. Still on that fifty cents for a dollar thing though, huh? If they dropped it when they had higher attendance, more dates, more than likely a much higher renewal rate, and raised the price, what will they do now? Its going to go lower, I think that's pretty much assured. The question is how much lower, and for the record, you mentioned .50 vs $1, not me. The renewal rate is going to be interesting and maybe scary.

I think guys like Wise, Fields, Lillibridge were the Sox MVPs this year. Some guys played well, but what does that matter when you aren't even a .500 team? Wise et al, I think humbled KW. KW was humbled in 2007 and did something about it in 2008. Then his held swelled again and he thought garbage like the 3 mentioned actually were major league contributors let alone major league ballplayers. I think he's going to have a much better offseason and there should be some optimism on opening day. BTW, anyone catch the little blurb in the Sun Times written by Bill Zwecker saying KW and Marion Brooks are a couple? Nice job KW.

Just received an email from the Sox about renewal. (I did not opt for playoff tickets) Prices are remaining the same. That roadtrip from hell hurt the Sox more than just in the 2009 standings. They didn't have enough people locked in to jack prices up a couple of dollars a game. Since last year they had 3 extra games, all sellouts, and jacked up ticket prices and dropped payroll, I wonder how low it will go for 2010.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 6, 2009 -> 03:48 PM) Sox brass likes Chris Getz and the different set of skills he brings to the club at 2B and they also like Beckham at 3B. So in closing, they will not be messing with either of those positions and I'd be very surprised if they messed with Alexei at SS as he's cheap, very talented, and despite all the b****ing a better than average shortstop (who will get better next year). The Sox moves will be in the bullpen, outfield, DH, and 1B potentially. And you can bank on that. That's the thing about Ramirez, as much as he probably pisses the Sox off with his sometimes questionable approach, they aren't going to get that production or potential for the price they pay him anywhere. He's staying where he's at. I thought at one point the Sox may look to move him, but that contract is too good to move, especially if the budget is going to be tight.

The Sox could always use a guy playing the DL role.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 10:42 PM) I really wonder if we could have an O-Cab type deal. Where we offer Dye ARB, and highly suggest that he not take it. If JD or his agent agreed to that they would be dumb. It only would hurt his value, so it would make zero sense for him to go along with it and not accept. They were lucky Cabrera hated it in Chicago so much or they would have been stuck with him for $10 million and unless he was just brutal in spring training and they released him and still would have been on the hook for $2.5 million, if they released him they would have been challenged and it would have been ugly. Those days, I believe, are done and Dye isn't going to do the Sox any favors that hurt him but help the Sox.

I'm old enough to actually remember Nancy working some Bulls games. She will be missed. At least we have a season to prepare ourselves and give her the proper send off. I read where Brooks Boyer hopes she still will make occassional appearances when she retires. Over 40 years of service, she truly is a gem.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 09:08 AM) The Padres had a proposal on the table IIRC, Hendry just didn't want to do it. I think it was something like 5 players for Peavy. I thought you have said the Cubs couldn't add to their payroll until the ownership issue was settled? Now its all on Hendry?

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 08:04 PM) I agree with you. My arguement has never been that Nix is a great player, just that he's better then Chris Getz. The fact is Nix looks like a guy who could hit you 20 or more home runs, and i find it bizzare that Ozzie wants him to play away from an obvious strength. Ozzie played him a lot against LHP. If he played every day this season, he might not have hit .200. He needs to change. I think Ozzie knows he's not a 30 homer guy. If his approach remains the same, he's not going to be a MLB player for long. As for Lillibridge, I think the Sox should just release him.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 08:00 PM) Yeah, Ozzie! Damn that Jayson Nix with his 30-bomb pace! You need to play to your limitations, not surpass them! God, Ozzie's a moron isn't he? His 30 HR pace slowed considerably. He can't hit RHP and hit .175 at USCF. I know you love him, but he has some issues.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 07:54 PM) He went 0/11 with a walk on Sunday in that series. If you're a Tigers fan, would you have a problem with that? Sure seems like it didn't help his performance at least. He was 0 for before the incident. I understand where you are coming from, but they won the last game and Saturday if he was 4 for 4 with 4 homers it probably wouldn't have mattered. If it was Ozzie or Freddy who got him hammerred, more power to them. You may be right, Cabrera might have a problem. I just don't think we can assume that based on the given information.

Ozzie was on comcast, some sort of exclusive interview. He expects Dye to be gone and told Lillibridge and Nix they are little guys and if they don't start trying to play like little guys they won't be White Sox for long.

Beckham probably won't win, but there is no rookie or any player drafted in the 2008 draft KW couldn't get straight up for him. I fully expect Gordon Beckham, if he doesn't get hurt, to be a Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest White Sox of all time.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 07:48 PM) Is is true that Dombrowski bailed him out? Because that's awesome. It is true and you have to be wondering what's going through the guy's mind after he has to get the guy he gave 9 figures to out of jail when they are playing for their playoff lives. That said, I would take Miguel Cabrera in a hearbeat, and I usually pass on questions about character. I don't think this is a big deal, and I pass on all wife beaters. I think its awesome Cabrera played with scratches on his face.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 05:07 PM) Ahh, well, I have a feeling a lot of young guys have these kind of problems in MLB. I have a feeling our own manager has these sorts of "problems," if you want to refer to them as that... I don't know if its a "problem". Boys will be boys. As long as they aren't driving or risking lives, I have no problem with guys going out and drinking their sacks off as long as it doesn't interfere with their performance. Its part of life. Who hasn't gone out and got hammered in college with an exam the next day? I know I did. Does that mean I had a problem or was just probably a little or may be more than a little immature?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 04:43 PM) Even with that report...put it this way...do you want to be the guy buying more drinks for an alcoholic? I think its pretty presumptious to call the guy an alcoholic. As someone who was arrested and given a breathalyzer (I was not driving) but was 17 years old at the time and was peeing in some bushes when the bathroom was locked in Williams Bay, WI, I blew a .18. I had done a little drinking in HS, it was during the post prom I was busted, and can tell you at .18 which is more than double most states legally drunk rates, I was pretty much in control of my actions even with a pretty strong buzz and even with my limited drinking experience at that point, and while driving may have been a problem, I was not nor has Cabrera been accused of it. While I'm sure Cabrera was smashed, there is no way alcoholic can or should be used with the information given.

Tito's vodka. Make sure its chilled. If chilled is better than any other vodka IMO on the market. Pretty shocking since its made in Texas. I received a bottle as a gift once and have turned several people on to it. Its tremendous.

The Cubs fired their second hitting coach of the year. Obviously Derek Lee hasn't visited Sox talk because he would know a good hitting coach can increase your average 60 points and a good hitting coach can make Paul Konerko stop grounding into any DPs. "I hate to say it, but a hitting coach is overrated," Derrek Lee said. "It's more of a mental thing. Gerald was a great guy. He always had positive things to say -- and same with Von. They're always in your corner. But the bottom line is the best hitting coach is yourself. No one knows your swing like yourself. ... None of the blame should go to either of those two."

They are keeping AJ out so he hits .300. I wonder if they will sit Lillibridge after an AB or so so he stays at .150.

I don't know why the White Sox would trade for a wife beater.

Throw out the 6 earned Freddy was charged with in his last 1 1/3 against Detroit last Saturday and his ERA is 3.46. I don't think there is many that thought he would perform anywhere near that level with his 84 MPH cutters. For $1 million, he's a no-brainer to return.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 04:12 PM) To you and Dick, I'm not agreeing with it. I'm listing it among the possible reasons he was signed. Certaintly, if they believed he was the best player available, yet still didn't have much hope of him becoming more than a 5th starter, they'd still sign him. This, mind you, was during the White Sox phase of avoiding risk. Royce Ring was drafted #18 overall in 2002 for a $1.6 million dollar bonus, only to be traded a little more than a year later for Roberto Alomar. They probably knew from day one what they had in him and what they planned on doing. Jacoby Ellsbury and Matt Garza were available when Broadway was picked. Some called Broadway a safe pick. I prefer stupid pick myself. Same with McCullough. I'd like to see the Sox release him and get all that bad karma out of the system.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 02:30 PM) By definition, if they were signed as teenagers in 2005, they can't be older than 23-24 right now at the max. It's not surprising they haven't made the big leagues yet; most guys don't reach until those ages. Actually, I read it wrong, there is only one the other 2 were in their 20's when signed. And since 2005, there are exactly three players signed from the Dominican, Venezuela, Panama or Colombia who have reached the major leagues: Cincinnati's Pedro Viola, signed at 22; the Cubs' Esmailin Caridad, signed at 24; and Fernando Martinez, signed by the Mets at 16 Considering the number of guys from Latin America that get signed for a ton of money when they are 16-17 waiting 8 years for them to develop seems like a huge risk of big money. So much can go wrong in 8 years, let alone is their age claim even valid? I'm as excited as anyone when the Sox sign one of these players and always assumed their lack of signing them was a negative. Now I think differently. These guys are supposed to be top players. That only 1 teen signed in the last 5 years has made the major leagues, and face it Brent Lillibridge has made the major leagues for 2 teams, has to make an organization think twice about throwing millions at a player and then having to throw almost as much into developing him. Let someone else pay him the bonus and develop him and trade for him later on.