Dick Allen

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ May 1, 2009 -> 07:43 PM) WOW - f***ING EARTHQUAKE JUST HIT US IN LA! woo baby, that was a good shaker. That would freak me out.

50-75 times Hawk has compared Buerhle to Catfish? C'mon Hawk, its more like 300.

Josh Fields definitely has added an inch or two to the waistline.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ May 1, 2009 -> 07:37 PM) do fans of other teams experience this level of frustration? I have to believe so. This could be (insert team)talk. I'm pretty sure the threads would be the same. Everyone gets frustrated. The game is designed that way.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 1, 2009 -> 07:34 PM) Good swing JD. It was close. Where's Jack McDowell, he usually did good fill-ins. What ever happened to Pratt? He met Black Jack. I wonder if he's crashing at his house.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ May 1, 2009 -> 07:34 PM) If I got the Chicago radio signal I would listen to that instead. but alas, listing to music with the game on mute. This is seriously unlistenable. I'm downtown. AM radio comes in horribly or I'd be listening to DJ.

I wonder how much they are paying Huff to add absolutely nothing to the broadcast.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ May 1, 2009 -> 07:28 PM) They have to be fixable first.... Like Jeff Nelson and Esteban Loaisa, Roberto Alomar twice, Sandy Alomar Jr. 3 times. Apparently, Jones was or at least is fixable.

Can't Comcast do better than Michael Huff? Its painful.

this.team.is.dead.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ May 1, 2009 -> 01:26 PM) Scott Podsednik, uniform #1. The new 1 dog

QUOTE (shipps @ May 1, 2009 -> 01:33 PM) I know all you guys are s***ting on Pods but I am pulling for him. In CF its gonna be a roller coaster but I think he has a chance to get hot with the bat and atleast show that he could contribute on this team. I was all for signing Pods and replacing Owens with him. He is better than Jerry, and I hope Pods does well. I really do. The reality is he probably won't. I've been his biggest critic on this board even during his "magical" 2005 season when he scored 80 runs, drove in 25 and had an OPS of .700, and the only thing he led the league in was Caught Stealing. (KW are you reading? Maybe I can help you in your arb cases) You may say his runs are the product of others, and I would mostly agree although driving yourself in does have its advantages. He scored a pedestrian 80 runs in 2005. Everyone would say he distracted pitchers so much that year. If he really was such a distraction, why did he only score 80 times? He only drove in 25. Now you can say that isn't his fault, your teammates have a lot to do with that, but isn't it strange the 8th, 9th and 2nd place hitters drove in at least double that? Pods was 0-7 with 1 rbi with the bases loaded that year. The run scored on a walk. If that were BA, he wouldn't be an MVP candidate but the reason for Swine Flu.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ May 1, 2009 -> 01:26 PM) We need a monster poll including Mack and Everett Incidentally for Mackowiak it's sad a guy who grew up a Sox fan (and was a solid hitter) will be remembered in this town for his CF duties which were not of his own doing. Its not Griffey's fault he was in CF last year. He even let KW know about his knee before the trade. Its not Everett's fault KW had him in CF in 2003 either. Its none of the players' faults. The White Sox apparently don't value defense in CF. Now it appears they don't value offense there either. They just want a guy who will play for near minimum.

QUOTE (tommy @ May 1, 2009 -> 01:27 PM) Podsednik suppose to be in the lineup, do you bat him 9th or lead him off and move Getz to two spot? I'd lead off Getz and have Pods hit second. Let him give himself up and move Fields down and tell him to swing as hard as he can. He needs to start hitting some homers. Maybe putting him in the 2 hole put too much on his mind.

Since injured players (see Pipp, Wally) aren't supposed to lose their jobs, does this mean BA is back to starting when he returns? I have always liked BA, but one thing no one mentions and I have always worried about is trouble staying healthy. Pods/Lillibridge is a bad combo in CF, but Owens/Lillibridge is worse. If Pods plays much, he's going to get hurt. Hopefully, BA will be ready by then.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 02:32 PM) He needs to clear again. Problem with putting him in Charlotte is he takes up roster space for, say, outfielders in B-Ham that deserve to be promoted and have real potential. I think the guys in Birmingham should stay there all year unless they get the call to Chicago. I almost look at Charlotte as the White Sox organization's wasteland, although Jimmy Gobble has been on fire lately. Let the young real prospects all play together and develop a bond.

QUOTE (WSoxMatt @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 02:22 PM) Give the guy a chance to catch on somewhere and play...we got Lillibridge to PR in September Every team in baseball could have had him a month ago but passed. Charlotte is just as nice as any other minor league city he may find work in. If the Sox have to pay him, let him play in Charlotte and when September rolls around and if the Sox are still in contention bring him up when rosters expand as an extra pinch runner. There are plenty of guys in the Sox line-up who can use a runner. It could help win a game. He's a waste on a 25 man roster, but when 40 can suit up, he's worth having around.

QUOTE (Tmar @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 02:06 PM) Also from the same area of the site, U.S. Cellular Field is now the 5th best pitcher's park in Major League Baseball. Although that could be because two of the top five games pitched in the AL were there. I think the White Sox starting pitchers splits have been better at home than on the road the past couple of years. I could be wrong.

Why would they release him? Didn't he already clear waivers when they sent him down before? Does he have to go through again? I'm sure he'd clear. Why not keep him around in case you need a pinch runner in September?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 01:54 PM) Well there you go, according to your own admission, I don't parrot the company line. Hopefully that pointless thing can be dropped now. No I don't believe JR when he said that that stuff doesn't affect the bottom line, because common sense tells me it does. If you start taking people away from the games, sponsors from the games, and less concession and parking revenues, how does that not affect the bottom line? It makes no sense. First off, If Forbes is accurate, they have banked a lot of money. For instance if they said in 2006 the made $30 million, then in 2007 they increased payroll $30 million but Forbes said they made $20 million that year, they would be sitting on $50 million even after the payroll increase. If Forbes is not accurate, KW shouldn't be spouting off numbers they come up with when they say the White Sox spend more on payroll vs. total revenues than every team in baseball. The reason I think he's saying it won't have any effect on payroll is because they are planning another huge drop in payroll next year. This way they will say it was planned all along. Contreras, Dye, Thome, Dotel and MacDougal off the books. Viciedo's $4.2 million bonus paid. If you want to believe the $5 million to Tucson having an effect on payroll (I don't). You're looking a close to $50 million coming off the books. They could have signed guys like Garland, Hudson, Cruz for one year with an option. It was really no risk. This is my 20th year with season tickets. I have never complained about the payroll until this year. I think its dirty pool to raise prices and drop payroll. It shouldn't cost more to watch Brent Lillibridge than it does even a Tadihito Iguchi. Other teams are doing stuff like having $1 menus at their concession stands. When they asked the White Sox if they would follow suit the response was "not at this time." , so things must not be that bad at 35th and the Ryan. When anyone from the White Sox talks about how they feel for all the fans who are struggling win this economy (and thankfully I'm not yet) I wish someone would tell them actions are stronger than words. BTW, I'm not the only one thinking MLB and the White Sox are using the bad economy as a crutch: Stark compared 2009 April attendance to 2008, excluding the New York teams given their new stadiums. He found virtually no change, overall. One anonymous agent complained that Bud Selig "overdramatized the potential financial losses so as to limit and to artificially control spending on free agency."

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 01:36 PM) Even if you add in that game with a full attendence of the 25,042, that only brings the average up to 26694 or just about 100 more per game. But the reality is that they DID lose all revenues from one game, should we ignore that? I don't know why I waste my time when you argument is always you are such a JR and KW luver, lolz. The irony is that you're always on the JR and KW suck no matter what happens side of things. Unless you have their records in front of you, I'd love to know whom else we should be listening to on what the team is making... I guess I could always take the word of the person who talks about how cheap the organization is, and how stupid its management and ownership is an objective source of information. Anyways, the profit #'s would be compelling if they weren't always followed by a raise in payroll the next year. The worth of the team means nothing to what the payroll is. GM is worth billions, but it doesn't mean they have a dime to their name. You should know that. The playoff #'s could also be compelling , but you also have to keep in mind that a large chunk of that money flows back to the players in the form of playoff bonuses, and to MLB. How many home games have they had? 10 or 11. 25000 would up the average between 2000 and 2500 a game. All of the KW screwed up here, here, and here stuff is a complete misdirect away from the original point, and has nothing to do with the bottom line of organizational revenues. It is completely immaterial and just distracts from what the organization is taking in is less than the year before. Unless you have the books, I don't know how you can argue otherwise with the economic reality of 2009, coupled with the fall in attendance and the fall of sponsorships. First off, I like JR. I think KW has a swollen ego, but I have praised many of his moves. I did use management as a source of information. JR said last year's team was no fun to watch. So he slashed payroll and raised ticket, parking and concession prices. If you say concession revenues are going to be down, what successful business model says to raise prices for less demand. JR also said the loss of sponsors would not affect the payroll, so why must you say it will if everything he says is gospel? Boyer said Motorola mentioned it would have to lay off 10 people if they continued with the sponsorship. I gave a pretty big overestimation as saying 10 people making $250k. Thats $2.5 million. While players get some of the playoff gate the 3 games drew 120,000. Considering the cost index for a family of 4 is about $220 for a White Sox game, the 5th highest in baseball, that's $2.2 million a game gross. That's a $6.6 million gross for the 3 games. That's at regular season prices. I think $2.5 million is a reasonable number at the very least for the team's take for those 3 games.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 01:31 PM) Were there any of those 0 attendance double headers last year? In September, so the average after a 0 after 10 or 11 dates will put the average out of whack. It was ahead of last April's pace.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 01:03 PM) So going back to all of the economy/attendance/payroll arguements we had over the winter, I actually went in and checked what our attendance #'s looked like this year so far, to the same point last year. Through 12 games this year we are averaging 24,608. Through the same point last year, we averaged 26,095. In other words there are about 10% less people at ballgames this year. Couple that reality with the big losses in sponsorships that Jerry has been talking about, and this franchise could have been in major trouble financially, if they hadn't have made the move to raise revenues and cuts costs somehow. It might not be the best thing for the team on the field, but the reality is that the Sox were either going to cut a little bit now, or a whole helluva a lot later. Watch and see the losses that Detroit is going to take this year, and the huge purge that is going to take place up there, and tell me if you would rather see that happen here, or the way that JR and the Sox have done things. The revenue picture you are trying to paint just isn't real. At best the Sox are probably even on ticket revenue (with the fall at the turnstiles getting balanced by the raise in ticket prices), and losing money on concessions, parking, and advertising versus last year. The White Sox attendance was ahead of last years' pace until the rainout wiped out a game. A goose egg with only about 11 dates will hurt the average. I love how you tell me the revenue picture I paint isn't real, yet the only picture you come up with is the one KW and JR give you. They cut the second most in the major leagues this past offseason and JR when crying about the lost sponsorships said it would not affect White Sox payroll. Then he said KW had a 3 year board.....You want to bet it isn't slashed an even larger amount next season? They also had 3 bonus gates last year, all sellouts. So if they planned to break exactly even last year, those bonus gates would cover the Motorola loss wouldn't it, considering they said Motorola would have to let 10 people go if they continued with the sponsorship. According to Forbes, and KW references Forbes when it says their revenue to payroll ratio is the best in baseball, they have made over $70 million in profit the past 3 seasons combined. What did they do with that $70 million? Don't tell me put it in payroll because those figures are taking payroll into account. Of course the White Sox would say Forbes doesn't have any idea what its talking about when they come up with those numbers. The most recent figures now have the team worth $450 million up to 10th in the majors. KW talking about making the games day games because they can't afford the electric bill is trash. I'm not asking him to boost the payroll to $200 million. But when good players are available for bargain prices, don't insult the fanbase and say guys like Owens, and Lillibridge and Wise are as good or better than the players available. Don't tell the fanbase you thought about signing Jon Garland but realized you had the exact same pitcher in Jeff Marquez. It just isn't true. Here's an example: I wanted Juan Cruz bad. He would have cost a first round pick. So what. You save the bonus you have to give to that pick and get an established major leaguer at a bargain price. The bullpen is nails. You don't have to deal with the MacDougals and Egberts and Broadways. A team that charges its fans more than any team other than the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Cubs owes the people paying a little more than that.

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 11:18 AM) If BA is out, wouldn't the Sox go with Lilli in CF, Pods in LF, JD in RF, and TCQ DH? What's the fascination with Lillibridge getting regular time? He brings 2 things to the table. A good glove and speed. He's best suited as a defensive replacement and a pinch runner. Using him as a pinch runner will get him on base just as much if not more than playing him every day would and it would save you several outs.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 09:28 AM) So we have some roster moves coming up today or tomorrow. Thome is going to test the heel today, supposedly, and may go to the DL... Owens packed up his stuff and left yesterday... Anderson is maybe hurt, possibly just sore... and Getz is hoping to come back. My predictions... --Getz comes back Friday and plays. --Owens gets outrighted, Pods takes his place --Anderson just rests for a few days, which gives Pods a few games starting --Thome I am not sure on. I'd guess he'll be ready to go, and its a non-issue. If he goes to the DL, we'll get Andy Phillips added to the team. If Thome and BA are out, with MacDougal and Owens probably off the roster, who are we going to blame if the Whtie Sox ever lose?