Dick Allen

Miguel Olivo isn't going to sign with the White Sox to get 140 AB. With AJP around, that is what he'd max out at if AJ didn't get hurt.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 21, 2008 -> 05:46 PM) I was actually going to use it on hookers and coke. Anyone got any better ideas? quaaludes and gin

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 02:16 AM) Would any of you be irate if Nix opened the season as our starting 2B? The only thing that would make me irate is if KW came out and said he was going to be the starter next year. If he earns it, fine. The thing is, there are many people who think every minor leaguer KW signs now is the next Carlos Quentin. Nix was a minor leaguer who was released by the Rockies. If baseball teams who pay scouts thought he was half as good as some people on this board do without ever seeing him play, someone would have traded for him. Most likely, he plays in Charlotte this year.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 10:04 PM) He had 26 PAs with runners in scoring position this past season, had 6 hits, walked 4 times, and drove in 6 runs in those instances. That doesn't do s*** for me either. It's kind of hard to drive in runs when you are not given the opportunity to do so, isn't it? I have no opinion either way, but I still have yet to see anyone else who could be brought in that would be a clear upgrade over Hall. Hall's biggest downfall is his inability to hit RHP, and next year, if Ozzie manages the team as well as he can, Hall should have fewer than 40 PAs against RHP (if Hall is brougth back). Preferably not at $2+ mill, but I have no problem bringing him in for around $1 mill at all. Unfortunately, Ozzie is going to have to play the back-up catcher against right handed pitchers occassionally and sometimes when lefties start, righties come into relieve. AJP is going to need a break. Probably more than he's been getting since joining the White Sox. IMO, AJP has been the one guy who if he gets hurt and is out for a significant time, would be the biggest blow to the White Sox. His back-ups have been beyond awful.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 08:28 PM) Kenny Williams got rid of the single greatest White Sox player since at least the Black Sox era, and a guy that Jerry loved. If that doesn't tell you what power Kenny has, I don't know what will. But look at the season he was coming off of. If he hit like he did the next season, KW would not have been able to get rid of him like he tried to do after 2002. JR also let Hawk fire LaRussa, then said it was a huge mistake. KW knows the players like Magglio. If in the unlikely occurrance that Detroit would pay a lot of salary and give Maggs back to the Sox in a deal that made sense and the Sox had a spot to put him, if you think KW would say no Maggs left here on bad terms, I think you're wrong. KW is well aware that despite being a very clever hitter and baseball player, Maggs isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and what was said before and after he left was his agent talking through him.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 03:58 PM) pageant walking consultant. To be honest though, she was thrown in over her head in this situation and the media ate her alive, but she is a very admirable politician especially considering what she has done in her own state. She battled her party, reformed governement, and helped her fellow citizens gain some income from the oil conglomerates that have been exploiting their region for a long time. There are many many less competent politicians in Washington as we speak. So she's redistributed the wealth?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 03:59 PM) Toby hit .377 with a .920 OPS against lefties last year...it was limited ABs, but he's hit lefties decently over the past 4-5 years too. I don't care if Toby's back or not, I just don't think that is an argument you can use against him. 7 RBI in 2008. 3 RBI in 2007. Toby Hall blows. I'm not using it against him anyway. Get someone else. His .902 OPS against lefties meant squat, and defensively I feel he leaves a lot to be desired. There are better catchers sitting at home.

I had CNN on last night for a minute and the report was McCain staffers one day after calling her a diva, were calling her a whack job. Her 15 minutes are about up.

I think the Sox have to replace Toby Hall, even if he wanted to play for the minimum. He seems like a fun guy, but 10 RBI in 2 seasons and not exactly Johnny Bench defensively. Its time to get someone else to back up AJ. Either get a guy who can hit lefties or a defensive specialist, I don't care. Not some guy whose biggest contributions are shaving cream pies.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 01:54 PM) Winning the World Series didn't bring Frank back, and there was way more bad blood in this case. Maggs called everyone in the organization a liar and bascially a cheat. I don't think that has been forgotten by the people who pull the strings. Ozzie had some nice parting shots in 1997. I don't think Maggs will be back, but I don't think he's as persona non grata as you believe.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 10:41 AM) I dont think there is any conspiracy theory behind Swish's bad year. He had an off year, tinkered with his swing, it made it worse, and then struggled trying to break out of it. He had a bad year, thats the end of it. He is a valuable hitter in this lineup if we have more contact and high batting avg guys around him, unfortunately, this wasnt the case this year and he stunk. I look for a nice rebound next season and hopefully better and more productive hitters around him. One big risk is if Swisher now is what he showed and has another bad year in 2009, his "affordable" contract becomes an albatross. Owed $6.75 million in 2010, $9 million in 2011 and a $12 million option in 2012 with a buyout. Unless you open up a spot in the OF or 1b where he can play everyday, if the rest of the league still thinks he's affordable and willing to give something up for him, I think KW should trade him.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 12:02 PM) Prince Fielder could be had, he is a better 1B that Swish. Then we could easily have the All-Star Buffet eating team of Uribe and Prince. Don't forget Jenks. He's probably been asked to leave a few buffets in the past.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 04:35 AM) Runs scored is a statistic too, and, generally, is just as valuable as RBI is - meaning it's dependent upon every other player around you. A .368 OBP will help you score runs, no matter how many times you are on second base. From what I see, I see a run scoring month, a run producing month, an absolutely fantastic month, and 3 terrible months. Andy Gonzalez has nothing on Nick Swisher. If you would, please inform me the last year where Andy Gonzalez had two months in one season at any level where his OPS for that month was atleast .876. I'm sure he did it, but if you would point it out, that would be fantastic. KTHX. However, Russell Branyan on the other hand... Runs scored is usually based on what others do especially when you are a guy who doesn't steal. RBI, at least you are the one doing the damage. I said it before, Swisher's walks aren't as valuable when he's batting 7th or 8th and has the worst hitters in the line-up trying to drive him in. The thing I wonder about is Swisher's home/road splits. June was a great month for him. The Sox were in Chicago most of the time. He hit below .200 with very little power on the road for the season. Makes you wonder about why?

Who trashed Kenny?

QUOTE (Reddy @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 06:17 PM) how about we give KW the benefit of the doubt given the fact that he's done this over and over and over and every time people rip the decision and then we get CQ, Lexi, Loaiza, Thornton, Jenks, etc I'm not ripping him. I'm saying he didn't sign this guy with the thought that he's anything but minor league fodder. Keep in mind his team had a batting average of .290 and an OPS of .814. He's also acquired guys like Erstad, Horacio Ramirez, Bukvich, Toby Hall. Not everything he touches turns to gold. He's had some big hits, I'll give him that. KW has signed plenty of minor league FA to play in Charlotte. This guy was a minor leaguer who was released. I think KW is aiming a little higher than this.

If Nix is in the White Sox plans, KW is crazier than Ozzie. All your scouting reports are from 2004. That's 5 seasons ago. He hasn't been a Rockies top 10 prospect for 3 years. He's a guy who has some ability and an outside chance to be a bench player. I wouldn't read anything more into this than that. Amazing how much excitement another all or nothing hitter who hasn't proven squat gets around here. He's a strikeout machine.

.125 average with 17 k in 56 AB. Looks like a future Charlotte Knight.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Oct 27, 2008 -> 11:17 PM) Sure...its possible that what you say is true, that the best of Swish is in the rear view mirror. Most likely though for a guy who is 27 years old, logic says that Swish still has some quality years ahead of him before an age related decline. Brad Wilkerson is currently 31 and not as good athletically than Swisher is. What if Swisher returns to 07 form, .262/.381/.455 with 22 hrs and 78 RBI, what if returns to 06 form .254/.372/.493 with 34 hrs and 95 RBI? The problem is that in those years Swisher was a 3/4/5 hitter, thus he was the benefactor of drawing more walks (OBP) and presumably getting better pitches (fastballs) with runners on base. The thing about being on the White Sox is that he is not better at hitting 3/4/5 than anything we have. In fact I see him basically taking Crede's spot in the lineup as long as the new 3B is brought in for Speed, OBP, AVG. The point is we had like 6 lumberjacks already in this lineup before Swish came in, now Crede and Griffey are gone with the possibilty that one of Dye/Thome/konerko could be gone as well. This could really open up more middle of the lineup opportunities for Swish to get back to his .255/.380/.475 line with his 25 HR pop...for only $5 mil. Wilkerson fell apart when he was 27-28. He played CF. Stole some bases. Look at his seasons when he was 24-26. Its pretty similar, if not better than Swisher. Swisher still strikes out way too much for a guy who isn't going hit 40 homers. I highly doubt Swisher batting 3, 4 or 5 makes his batting average and OBP rise as much as you hope. The guy didn't even hit .200 on the road. It seems to me he's a candidate to get blamed for taking some things maybe he shouldn't have.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 27, 2008 -> 06:55 PM) Well, the whole rape/sexual harassment incident lends some credence to his claim. There was no rape.

Whether or not trading him would be a mistake would have to be determined by what would be coming back. Look at Brad Wilkerson. Very similar players. Hit for a mediocre at best average, nice power, a lot of walks and a lot of strikeouts, and then Wilkerson went from a pitcher's park in Washington to a hitter's haven in Texas and he sucked even more. Sounds familar. Its possible, despite his age, we have seen the best of Nick Swisher. That $20+ million still owed to him just may make KW wince a little bit. He's not a CF. LF and RF and 1B and DH are taken. He's a 10th or 11th man right now.

I just think the "Swisher is signed to a reasonable contract" posts need to stop. Unless he picks it up, $5.3 million in 2009, $6.75 million in 2010 and $9 million in 2011 isn't reasonable for a guy who hit .189 on the road with an OPS of .595. His home stats seem right in line with what you would except or even exceed what you would expect. He was brutal on the road. Post All Star average .191 with a .298 OBP. This guy might be Brad Wilkerson.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 09:25 PM) I like: WV over Auburn Ohio State over Penn State Illinois over Wisconsin BC over UNC LSU over Georgia Kansas over Texas Tech Don't go to Vegas.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Oct 25, 2008 -> 12:50 PM) How does Levine know that there will be no market for Konerko and Dye? I know Thome probably wont have much of a market value, but Dye will have major value. The PK market will depend on where Texiera goes. 38 year old DH's making $16 million a year usually don't have much of a market value. 1B who run about as fast full speed as Manny Ramirez when he was dogging in with the Red Sox, and is coming off a bad year and is owed $24 million usually don't have much of a market. Dye, I could see a market for, but he's only signed for one more year plus an option at a nice chunk of change. He's also slowing defensively, and probably will be a DH soon, no matter how much Hawk and DJ praised his glove in 2008. BTW, I don't think this is any inside info Levine is preaching, just what he believes.

QUOTE (Disco72 @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 06:20 PM) I disagree with your value of Vazquez. Last year, the Sox traded a middle of the road starter for an all-star shortstop. It's obviously not a perfect comparison, but I think Vaz has a pretty good value. If he was a FA, he'd be getting a 5-6 year contract for at least what he's making now. Not a chance on a 5 or 6 year contract. Neither the Yankees or White Sox gave him that long when he was younger.

Jerry Manuel hired him to coach 3rd for the Mets. I love Razor.