Dick Allen

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.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 10:03 AM) I would say that Javy, although a little thin between the ears, is signed at a fairly inexpensive rate. He's an innings eater and a strikeout machine. He'll probably make $5-$7 million less than what Sabathia will get, so, I think he'd be a decent pickup for a team like Milwaukee. I don't know why he is called inexpensive when he makes $11 million a year and generally gives you a .500 record with an ERA at or above league average. He may have talent, but if you use results, he's an average at best pitcher. $11 million for that is very high.

The other "terrorist" the GOP is trying to link Obama to is Saul Alinsky Now Alinsky’s name is being dragged in the mix. During an interview Friday on Andrea Mitchell’s MSNBC show, Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) said, “Obama started out with Saul Alinsky.” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told Chris Matthews on “Hardball” that Alinsky was “one of his teachers, you might say.” Someone needs to rewrite their talking points. Alinsky, born in Chicago on Jan. 30, 1909, died June 12, 1972 in Carmel, Calif. — when Obama was 10. It appears to be a bit of desperation. The robo calls in PA are as well. I really believe the anti-America talking points they are bring up now are strictly racial. I think anti-America is code for anyone who would vote for a black man. In fact I read where Palin holds her rallies, the places she calls the "real America"(Its nice to know I live in Chicago, so I really don't live in America) are more predominantly white by a rather large margin than the country as a whole. Sarah Palin's real America is at least 83% white.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 15, 2008 -> 09:57 AM) I don't see the Sox getting Hudson. Historically Kenny has used 2B as a position to save some money. Think back on our 2Bs, he has never ponied up big for a guy over there. Alexei Ramirez, Juan Uribe, Danny Richar, Tadahito Iguchi, D'Angelo Jimenez, and Willie Harris are the guys that come to mind right away. When Ray Durham was about to get paid, Kenny traded him for nothing. I'd bet on Getz, a cheap FA, or some minor league guy no one is thinking about that Kenny swings a minor deal for. I don't think they will sign him either, but if Ramirez goes to short and Beckham is ready to go in 2010, KW is going to have a couple of pretty cheap infielders for at least a couple of years, so he theoretically should have money to spend. Hudson is a nice player, I think he wants 8 figures. I don't think he's that nice.

The Tribune has switched sides. They are endorsing the democratic nominee, for the first time ever.

QUOTE (almagest @ Oct 17, 2008 -> 01:12 PM) Who cares? He "dogs" it at a hall-of-fame caliber. I don't care if he takes a dump in the outfield every game if he posts a .900+ OPS, which he's done pretty much every year of his career. I really just can't understand the Manny Ramirez hatred going on in this thread. As a 36 year old playing for the Dodgers, you see what he's capable of when he wants to give maximum effort. The reason I don't like him is because he gets paid tons of money to play a game. Full effort should be expected. If he can't give maximum effort at least for a good portion of the time, he's an ass to me. Sorry. Ask the Red Sox and their fans what they thought about his annual mysterious injuries every September. How would you feel if you could only go see him play a couple of times a year and the day you go he's sitting out because he claims to be hurt when he's not? Or how do you explain to your kid, his OPS is over .900 its OK to run to first in 6 seconds so the other team can turn a DP? His yearly whining about wanting to be traded, then taking it back gets a little old too, and I don't even follow the Red Sox. He won't hit anywhere near as well as he hit for the Dodgers if he signs a multi-year contract and will come up with some fake injury to sit for a long stretch too next year. As good of a hitter as he is, KW wouldn't touch him.

If the White Sox could have played a little better....................Boston has some problems, the correct color could have knocked them off. Gavin Floyd back in Philadelphia would have been interesting.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 16, 2008 -> 04:25 PM) Keith Law said Fields had no problems catching up to fastballs but that he couldn't hit breaking balls. I really take what Keith Law says for a grain of salt. Ironic there is a thread calling Danks an elite arm, written by Keith Law.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Oct 16, 2008 -> 05:28 PM) A-rod is one of the best players ever, Manny is one of the best RH hitters ever. There is definately a difference. Of course Manny also has had the ability to get on team and make them winners, and A-rod seems to have the opposite effect. Manny has had the luxury of playing for better teams than ARod. The Mariners became a power. The Rangers were and are awful. Its because of Manny the Indians became winners? You do know the Indians won the AL Central the year Manny left? They also had guys like Colon, Lofton, Belle, Thome, Alomar, Vizquel over the years. It was all Manny the Red Sox won? How come it didn't happen right away? And if it was all him, how in the world did the Red Sox make the playoffs without him this year. The Dodgers won 84 games. Its not like that is some outstanding team. They were 30-25 with Manny, a decent record, but not eye popping. ARod gets slammed because of the Mariners season after he left, but how far did they advance in the playoffs? The year ARod left and his last season, the Mariners lost in the ALCS. Texas had a better record without him, but really are you going to the credit that to his not being on the team? If anyone thinks a 36 year old meathead, albeit a great hitter when he wants to be, is more valuable than a guy who probably will go down as the greatest player ever, you might be as nuts as Manny. At least with ARod, you can always count on him giving his best effort.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 16, 2008 -> 04:45 PM) So NOW relationships matter? I see. What's Joe running for again? That's right, nothing. I see the narrative. Destroy Joe the plumber and then the words will have magically never have been spoken by the Chosen One about how he wants to redistribute wealth. Joe can be the f***ing rotting corpse of Jimmy Hoffa and it still doesn't change the words out of Obama's mouth. Sp why continue on these politcs of personal destruction? Oh, also, there is no relationship there. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/16/1.../42/1001/632600 And just a little more on all that Democratic hate, Daily Kos has listed Joe the Plumber’s full name and address on its front page. Democratic Underground has posted his phone number and other information. Politico.com has three different writers busy publishing details about Joe the Plumber’s private life. No hate there. This is the guy who BSed his way to the national spotlight, and then McCain mentions him in the debate, which I'm sure wasn't part of the plan was it?. He put himself in the spotlight. This is all his doing. Its not like when the media was camped out at Bartman's house when all the guy did was what anyone else sitting in his seat would have done. If Anne vs. Ann is enough to kill a vote, Joe shouldn't count in November. But of course, he doesn't know who he's voting for yet, does he?

QUOTE (almagest @ Oct 16, 2008 -> 10:16 AM) Rodriguez and Ramirez have career OPS+ within 7 points of each other, in almost the same career length (15/16 years). Their career highs in OPS+ are within 9 points of each other. If Ramirez can post these numbers while "not trying," he's obviously a much better player than A-Rod on potential alone. Similar offensively. Defensively, no contest. ARod could still probably play SS at least as well as Manny can play LF. The title of the thread was who was more valuable. Its amazing how many nauseating "Manny being Manny" moments are forgotten because some guy forced his way off a team that paid him handsomely and treated him well and went to play for a contract with a team located by his agent, Scott Boras, and was awesome. Sorry, you'll never get that Manny for a whole season if he's signed for multiple years anymore.

QUOTE (almagest @ Oct 16, 2008 -> 11:07 AM) He also put up a .299/.398/.529 line with the Red Sox, at the age of 36. I guess compared to his obscene 213 OPS+ with the Dodgers those numbers could be considered "loafing," but that's almost exactly the same production the Red Sox are getting from Jason Bay. Is he "loafing" too? Manny and A-Rod have very similar lifetime stats, as well. I don't think you can declare either one as "better." It really just seems like you don't like Manny Ramirez, so you find second-hand accounts of how he isn't liked by his teammates, ignore his actual production, and claim that makes Ramirez somehow inferior to A-Rod/whoever else. Jason Bay also isn't walking away from $40 million the next 2 seasons which is one of the conditions Manny put on being traded. Teams cannot exercise the $20 million a year options. At least you know with ARod, he's going to show up and play hard every game. That and Madonna will be watching.

I wonder if he'll pay taxes on the payoff he received for playing this roll. Its pretty funny.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Oct 16, 2008 -> 12:01 PM) link? and yeah... that's just perfect. Aparently he is a registered voter because he voted in the republican primary. There were reports he wasn't registered, but there is a misspelling of his name on his registration. But the other 2 things he appears to have confirmed.

So Joe the plumber isn't a licensed plumber. Doesn't make $250k a year and isn't even registered to vote. Why does that make me laugh out loud.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 16, 2008 -> 09:27 AM) Rock Star Obama Obama may be a rock star, but Sarah Palin is a bresh of freath air.

Manny Ramirez is a douche bag. He loafed this season with the Red Sox who have only paid him about $120 million. It was so bad, his TEAMMATES told management he needs to go. He gets "motivated" playing for a new contract, and suddenly he's a better player than ARod? Please. Barry Bonds was awful in the post season until later in his career. Frank Thomas has had 2 post season series where he failed to get a hit. It happens. ARod is a superior player. Manny could have been right up there with him, but he was the one who chose not to. He is pretty awesome when he wants to be, but that isn't everyday. He even took a couple of Septembers off with the Red Sox with mystery injuries. God help whichever team opens the bank for him this winter.

John McCain claims he is all about America, and has stated several times he knows how to get Bin Laden. What's he been waiting for? He has to be the President? The current regime won't listen to him? What is it? Wouldn't "getting Bin Laden" and giving McCain a lot of credit help him with the election? Or is he just talking s***? He's had 7 years to deliver his plan, and he considers himself a true leader. He suspended his campaign until he fixed the economy.

35,14,56

QUOTE (Texsox @ Oct 11, 2008 -> 10:46 AM) In rereading through the thread I think I've been really unclear. [*]Players talk about the distractions of the playoffs. 25 men in the club house is normal, 35 is not. The White Sox were so distracted with the extra players they were able to beat Cleveland, Detroit and Minnesota on consecutive nights to make it to the playoffs.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Oct 11, 2008 -> 09:40 AM) So I ask you again, how important is this attitude stuff compared to ability? You did say that Broadway has to show a lot more ability to get a roster spot over someone like Wasserman. In other words you would take Wasserman's attitude over better performance from Broadway. This post seems to be more along the points that I've been saying. And even though there was never a mention that any of these guys had a bad attitude while playing, did this one instance seal their fate? That other players will not look at the previous year or three, instead judge based on just the playoffs? Because what you would be saying is a year or two as a teammate is not as important as one playoff series when you are not on the team. Perhaps there is some merit to that statement. They disrespected their teammates. If it wasn't a big deal, Farmer and Stone, a couple of guys who played in the major leagues wouldn't have gone on and on about what a mistake it was. Farmer and Cowley wouldn't have mentioned how it irked players and management. These three obviously have forgotten what a lot of players always remember. Wearing a major league uniform is a priviledge. I ask you, what good does it do to go home? What good for your career does sitting on your ass do? I'm telling you, and you aren't buying, the guys who left had their status with their teammates go down a couple of pegs for not wanting to be with them.