Dick Allen

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 09:14 PM) I don't know why you guys hate Cowley so much. Maybe it's his critical comments and jokes at the Sox expense on Twitter. But we're just as critical of the Sox on here as he is. Maybe moreso. I think he's good. I like reading him and he's informative. I bet he's not the same smartass know it all who actually knows nothing when he actually has to talk to these players. He's a hack and always will be.

I think it was Gammons' article yesterday where I read only 2 Latin teenagers signed since 2005 have made the major leagues. Someone told Gammons that the average developmental time for a teen signed from Latin America is 8 years. It seems to compound the silliness of giving these guys millions.

So the Sox should trade AJ, trade Konerko, trade Buerhle and just get back a bunch of prospects. Apparently there are people on this board more interested in minor league baseball than major league baseball. What did Minnesota get back for Santana? Is that what everyone wants? I prefer trying to win than having some decent minor leaguers who will bust in a couple of years. The AL Central blows. The Sox should win it every year for a while.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 09:17 AM) If anyone gets traded it's Hudson. And that's only, because his value has never been higher. Why would they trade a guy who is under control for 6 years, and will be cheap because his value is high? Beckham's value is high, should they trade him too? It seems you think the only time to trade guys is if their value is high, which means they are considered very productive or will be very productive and want to hang on to guys who struggle because their value is low. If you were a GM of a major league team and used this philosophy, you would have a very bad team. Hudson may get traded, but not only because his value is high. It would be because KW thinks his value is far more than what he believes to be his future performance level. I fully expect Hudson to be a White Sox unless there is something about him the organization doesn't like.

Kevin Towers fired as Padres GM. Considering he has 4 division titles in 14 years, a WS appearance and was given nothing to work with this season and a lot of baseball people wondered if the Padres would win 50 games, it appears to be a raw deal, but I'm sure its just a case of the new owner wanting to get his guy in there. Thanks for the Jake Peavy parting gift Kevin.

QUOTE (beck72 @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 07:17 AM) If Flowers were able to put up Beckham type numbers in 2010 at C [.270/.350/.460], would that qualify as a good major league player? I guess hitting was never the question with Flowers. His ability to handle a staff and catch/throw out runners were/are the big questions. The other thing to remember when thinking about parting with AJ is how many games he does catch. Its not that common, and with a guy like Flowers or whoever, you're also probably going to get 15-20 more starts with the back-up, especially if Flowers gets used as a DH occassionally. If you could guarantee Flowers could catch 120 games and but up Beckham-like numbers, you could live with his defense very easily. As good as he was in AA this year I'm not convinced he can put those numbers up next season in the AL. I'm not going to judge him on his sporatic ABs this month, but he does seem to be someone who still needs a little polishing. Everyone close to the team has said the losing bothered AJ more than any other player. They also said that while he isn't the most liked player in the clubhouse, he probably is the most respected. AJ means more to the White Sox than his numbers.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 04:50 AM) 1. Sign ability 2. Pitched well at Texas Christian late in the season against formidable opponents 3. Relatively "safe" in projections. Or atleast we thought. No one labeled him an injury risk. 4. To fool other teams into wanting him in a trade. This sentiment was usually associated with someone saying, "He'll pitch well in the minors, then Williams can include him a in a trade." They gave him a $1.57 million bonus. If he didn't think he could pitch and still gave him that money, he should be fired. Other teams have scouts. They know crap when they see it sometimes too. To say he drafted a guy in the FIRST ROUND and gave him that bonus only to fool other teams into trading for him is so farfetched. Maybe KW didn't think he could pitch after he was signed, and maybe he never saw him pitch before he was signed, but he drafted him and trusted his scouts who made a very bad decision. Again. This article is typical of most major league teams minor leaguers. Look at the stuff posted about some of the minor leaguers in the system now on this board and go back to it in 2012. I'm pretty sure you can take 2 guys and have one say every minor leaguer sucks and have the other pick 3 out of every system who will be good players and the guy who says they all suck will be more accurate.

QUOTE (beck72 @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 05:59 AM) Don't get me wrong, I like AJ. He's stepped up this year and has been a rock behind the plate. Yet the sox do have Tyler Flowers seemingly ready for the bigs. The sox would definitely be trading high on AJ. Yet isn't this something the Twins and Braves have done so well, that have stocked their systems with great young talent? The sox have multiple needs that cannot be filled without getting very lucky in free agency [on a reclamation project that could be signed for a low cost deal] or via trade [like Quentin] or the waiver wire [ala Jayson Nix]. The sox should use one or more of their trading chips [guys with value, like Alexei or AJ] in order to fill the holes in the bullpen and lineup. Trades may also help increase the talent level of the sox minor league system, with adding pitching or a few position players that could help in 2010. Besides Flowers, there doesn't seem to be someone who could crack the 2010 lineup. That kind of depth is sad. The big questions would be: Who would trade for a big time catcher like AJ? And what kind of talent could AJ bring back to the sox? Trade AJ and put Flowers behind the plate and you will also get a very nice draft pick in 2011. If Flowers were a lock to be a good major league player in 2010 maybe you think about trading AJ. Maybe. Trading AJ would be suicide. I thought for a while Ramirez may be a guy they traded, but with his contract, I don't think trading him makes much sense either.

QUOTE (1977 sox fan @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 05:39 AM) i dont think they would they need a hitter and they dont want to trade any of there top pitching prospects also as i read on other boards they might go after fielder but he will cost them much more then sanchez most of the talk is cain in a package and baumgerter so a sox sanchez for konerko plus maybe a prospect is not a bad trade . also sanchez is a player the giants are trying to move anyway . an for the those who think sanchez is not good well i guess you dont know to much more innings pitched to hits giving up plus more strikeouts per innings isnt good yeah he walks to many but that can be fixed he is 26yrs old . god koufax was terrible with walks when he first pitched but he found it and many others im not saying sanchez is koufax but he has great stuff and at 26 is a promising young lefthanded pitcher . and the giants want to trade him they need hitting and konerko wont cost them nearly as much as say gonzales or fielder I love these comparisons. Sandy Koufax struggled early so many will take the same career path. Its just like Robin Ventura was a good defensive player so Josh Fields will turn into one. There are far more players who struggle early and still struggle than turn into Sandy Koufax. Sanchez would get killed in the AL. He doesn't get a free strikeout every 2 or 3 innings. If walks are easy to fix, with the exception of Thornton, who have the White Sox cured of their control problems? If the Sox are all about dumping money, your trade makes some sense. If they are trying to win, it makes zero sense.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 08:34 PM) He still should have been shut down (everybody knew how good he is), but it was enjoyable to watch him pitch a few times in our uniform and get a preview of what he'll give us next year. No way. As long as he was healthy enough to pitch only positives could have come from this. He'll be fired up, the team will be fired up and the fanbase will be fired up about Jake Peavy 2010. If he didn't pitch, it would all still be question marks. There's people on this board who still want Buerhle pitching opening day. Peavy is the best pitcher they have had in a long time.

QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 08:29 PM) If Polanco is a FA, the Sox should go after him hard. That guy makes pitchers work hard and rarely strikes out. Uh oh! Linebrink in with only an 8 run lead. Did you know the Sox drafted Polanco a few rounds after they took Carrie Schueler? He didn't sign.

For all those who wanted to shut down Peavy, he's showing why he pitched. Now he won't have any doubts coming into Spring Training, and the White Sox are going to be able to market the crap out of him this offseason. If he hadn't pitched, it wouldn't have been as effective.

I used to love the Olympics when I was a kid. Now they really don't interest me much. The only thing that gives me any reason to hope that Chicago gets the games is the possibility of federal funds to fix things like public transportation which is really horrible right now. The way I see it though, even if the CTA received billions they would blow it and while the system might be alright when the Olympics came, it probably wouldn't be finished until days before the games started and weeks after they ended slow zones would reappear, half hour waits to get on to jammed trains would reappear and when politicians tell you there is very little chance taxpayers will foot the bill for anything, call me crazy, but I just know these games that mean so little to me would wind up costing me a pretty penny and I don't even intend to go to any events. In fact, the prices they are talking about pretty much take out most of the population.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 08:06 PM) It is the thing that makes me think we can compete next year. The division shouldn't have any juggernauts unless the new park in Minneapolis makes the Pohlad family shell out some of their billions. There's a big article in SI about the Tigers and how they have gone about attracting fans, and how Illich isn't a profit and loss guy. If they fall short he may go into the red although the free agent class isn't exactly stellar and their farm system can't have much left that would interest other teams into giving up productive players. I think KC will be better. Cleveland is rebuilding. It will be interesting to see what KW's bullpen plan is. I think that's the key.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 11:07 AM) I don't think it would have had any effect on the Peavy deal. Javy makes $11 million. That's all you need to know if you really think they still would have picked up Peavy.

The TB beat writer says there's very little chance they trade Crawford and most likely won't trade Upton either because of his low value but high potential.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 07:30 PM) Sure it is. You either had to pay the full invoice or lose your place - whether or not you did it as a partial refund after or not is semantics. Either way, you had to pay the amount, or lose your place. Here is what it said: so, I could ask to get a refund or not ask for tickets, and either way, lose my place. No, because if you don't buy playoff tickets, there is no refund. Penalizing customers by making them buy tickets for games that may not be played is not a business practice MLB wants to be in, and if the Sox made the playoffs, they would have no problem selling those seats anyway. You should talk to your rep. I did. I'm getting an invoice for half my total due in November. At WSI there were several people that verified it with their reps as well. Usually, I just pay it, but I just didn't believe this year and even though I think they probably will raise prices again, and I will renew anyway, I didn't want to be held hostage again. The only way you lose your place is paying for playoff tickets and asking for a refund. Skipping the playoff option did not affect your status.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 07:35 PM) Your logic is strange here. So you think that bringing in SOME more ticket holders (debatable how many) will equal NOT having as many accounts locked up as they would have WITHOUT the playoffs? Playoff tickets meant more people in, its quite clear. The only question is how many more, and of course we can only guess at that. Its not like last year when all the accounts paid up. This year I believe less than half did not. My account was one that did not. When you have 15k locked in like they did last offseason, it afforded them the opportunity price-wise to do things they may not be able to do with 5000-7000 a game locked in. The renewal rate, even if prices remain the same won't be nearly as high as last season. although I agree with you if they didn't have a playoff invoice, it would be even lower. The people who paid the invoice were going to re-new anyway. What would be interesting is how many accounts asked for refunds. You may lose your place in line but the line is going to be a little shorter if you have to go to the back.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 07:37 PM) I was messin' with you, man. I guess we can just agree to disagree. I don't feel like arguing today. I love our projected rotation. They alone give me hope for next year. I totally agree about the bullpen. I've just recently come to the conclusion that a bad bullpen = you ain't sniffin' October. I agree with the rotation. I've stated Peavy is KW's greatest trade ever. It will be interesting to see what happens this winter.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 07:28 PM) 10 games, huh? I take it all back. I'd rather have the Brewers rotation. Its a small sample size, but Peavy has been lights out and before yesterday no other pitcher won a game since he had been in the rotation. It wasn't like they have been playing the best teams in the league and they were at home in must win games. Its going to take more than that rotation to win a championship. Think about it, Hudson will be a rookie, probably in the bullpen until somebody breaks down. Garcia can be a decent 5th starter. Floyd, hopefully his hip is something very minor. Danks and Peavy look solid, but if Buerhle has to keep being held back, at the end of the year what happens? The bullpen will be a key. Dotel has been told he won't be back. Jenks is up in the air. Thornton is solid. Pena has potential. Linebrink can come back. Hudson could be a solid piece. If the Sox bullpen is bad, they are screwed no matter who is in the rotation.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 07:22 PM) what the hell is going to happen with Josh Fields? Is he coming back to play 1b next year? Ozzie was talking the other day about the defense saying at the beginning of the year he was playing guys who couldn't catch a cold, and he said he wouldn't name names. Fields is one of those guys. He can homer his next 20 AB, he's done with the Sox.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 07:19 PM) How does one not get Richard Simmons like giddy when thinking about a Peavy/Buehrle/Danks/Floyd/Garcia/Hudson starting rotation next year? Because that's been the rotation the past 10 games or so and nothing much has changed. Its a nice start though.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 03:29 PM) This was expressed to us as season ticket holders via letter and email - in order to guarantee your 2010 season tickets in the same location, you had to buy playoff tickets. If you don't, yeah, MAYBE you can still be a season holder, but you lose your place in line. Not true.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 02:38 PM) So here is something to chew on for all the people who tend to think that contending for a division title but not winning it is no better than spending the season mired in the cellar... The Sox sent out playoff ticket invoices in late August, back when the team was still in it. Season ticket holders had to pay in advance for the tickets, or else not only not get to buy the tickets, but also lose their "place" in seniority and have to start over the next season. This playoff ticket invoice was well over half of the total cost of a season plan. Any games not played, becomes your 2010 deposit. So, even if some season holders were hesitant, most of them will have paid, to not miss the potential playoff ticket opportunity, and to not lose out for the next season. This will ultimately result in a much higher renewal rate than if the team was far enough out that no playoff invoices were sent. Secondarily, the team does sell some pro-rated season plans in-season, and they were offering some post-season tickets if you went in during the season - and again, until early September, the team appeared to still be in the chase. So, the fact that the team was in it for as long as they were, means a much higher number of 2010 seaon holders than if they hadn't been. Just something to consider. Actually not paying for playoff tickets did not lose seniority. What lost seniority was paying for playoff tickets but asking for a refund for any unused money. The Sox unfortunately fell apart right when the deposit was due and a lot of accounts did not send in playoff money which is a change from last year. Not only will the Sox not have the extra playoff gates, they won't have as many accounts locked into next season which can hurt them if they want to raise prices again. If they could have won a couple more on the roadtrip from hell, they would have had a lot more of a commitment.

I don't always agree with Ozzie, but here's his quote the morning after, and I think its one of his best quotes ever: I have seven or eight (young players)," he said, somewhat calmer than 12 hours before. "The problem we have in baseball is that the people who run this thing, they let players do whatever they want, and that's why they do whatever they (bleeping) want to do. "My job is to teach those kids that's not the way to do it. I never tell my players what to do or how to prepare yourself, but when you lose a game and all of a sudden you look around and they are watching another thing, that means you are teaching the kids, 'Don't worry about it, this is the big leagues. If we lose a game, who cares? We are out of the pennant race.' "It's my job and I criticize everybody because a lot of people say baseball has changed. No, [the] people who run this game make baseball change. I'm very old school. I have to teach these kids it's not the way we should handle this stuff. If I let that thing go away, then I don't have the power and the right to tell the kids in the future what to do because it was like, 'Well, two years ago, you let them do it.' " Guillen, as a player, once took a bat to a clubhouse television. "I grew up a different way," he said. "I grow up, when you lose, it hurts. Respect the game, respect your teammates, respect people paying. "Look at how many people walked out of (Saturday's game) disappointed. And we don't respect the people that just watched our game, and be embarrassed about the way we got beat? That's my problem. I don't have a problem with the players, I've got a problem with baseball and baseball doesn't handle it the right way."