Dick Allen

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 29, 2007 -> 09:31 PM) So essentially in the off-season the PR department through softballs Tyrus's way, and when the actual basketball people showed up is when the coverage went south on Thomas... nope, that doesn't make me feel any better about him. Scott Skiles is a basketball person, here's his quote in the Tribune on October 4th: "I wouldn't read a lot into who's declared the starter," Skiles said. "Much like P.J., Joe has a nice veteran way about him. We need that while Tyrus is still coming on, but Tyrus is, without question, better than he was. Joakim has unique things he can do. It's a matter of how quickly he'll pick things up. So far, so good. But each guy does something a little different." For a guy who supposedly did nothing, its amazing that the coach thinks he's better than he was. I think people misread Skiles a lot. He has his way with pushing players which make people think he doesn't like them or thinks they aren't very good. If Scott Skiles coaches Tyrus the next 2 or 3 years, I really believe he will be a star.

Its funny the outrage some, particularly Peter Gammons are having at the timing of the opt out. Even MLB is pissed. Well I say so what. Like the Red Sox don't get enough attention and steal other team's opportunities for attention every damn year. Its all orchestrated by Boras, and I agree with Ken Rosenthal. Boras already had a pretty good idea of where ARod is headed and what he'll be making before he told the Yankees good bye.

I read in one of the NY papers over the weekend that they might be interested in Crede. I would doubt anyone trades for him until after they see him in spring training. Damon was a name I threw out there a couple of months ago. The Yankees would have to pick up some of his contract, which would seem possible. I would rather have Crisp myself.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Oct 28, 2007 -> 11:54 PM) I am so sick of OPS. OPS doesn't mean s*** to me when looking at how a player played. ARod has played like s*** in the postseason as a Yankee. It has nothing to do with stats. He has looked like complete garbage at the plate. It's not like he was hitting liners all over the place, because he wasn't and hasn't. Besides 2005 and 2006, ARod is a career .330 hitter in the playoffs. Yeah, he really sucks. He did alright for the Yankees in 2004 and was at least average this season.

I think the long layoff destroyed the Rockies. As hot as they were, things now are evening out. I don't think there is an AL team that if they had just played average for them the past 3 games wouldn't be up 3-0 in this series. Cleveland really has to be kicking themselves. They most likely choked away a title.

Josh Fogg---Rockie slayer

The White Sox and their fans owe Kaz Matsui. If he weren't such a huge bust with the Mets, Iguchi nmost likely would have commanded more cash, basically ensuring he would have been with someone else. He played a big role in the championship.

Paxson will not trade Deng.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 26, 2007 -> 01:11 PM) Which to me I would think would mean he would be MORE likely to stick around and workout with his team. Its one thing if a guy who is a veteran and/or already a star skips out of summers with his teammates, its another for a guy who is WAY behind on the experience scale. Reading between the lines of what Skiles saids about the kid, either he isn't very bright or he is lazy. Either way, he needs to get his ass into gear, or he will end up more like Cleveland Cavliers Shawn Kemp versus Seattle Supersonics Shawn Kemp. Don't compare Tyrus to Shawn Kemp. Kemp used to snort coke in the locker room. He also got really fat. I think Tyrus is a little brighter. It is amazing what's expected from a guy who would be a junior in eligibility had he remained in college. Tyrus spend the majority of his summer back at home which isn't surprising. I read that when he went to LSU, he hadn't been out of the 100 mile radius around Baton Rouge. One of the worries with him in the draft was how he would adapt to life in the big city. He probably is a little arrogant and probably very naive, but he's still a kid, and kids make mistakes. He's such an athletic freak, he won't have to add much to start dominating. Skiles won't let him blow his ability.

I was listening to something today, and the guys were trying to estimate how many people's ashes have been hauled away during this project.

QUOTE(SoxFan562004 @ Oct 26, 2007 -> 11:12 AM) I think stadium/field issues are one thing Bud has been looking over. Some of the playing fields/conditions have sucked, and Bud should put pressure on all teams to never let that be a problem. Also, I am still in shock that the Twins are allowed to build an outdoor stadium. That is going to end up being a nightmare IMO. That "Best interest of baseball" clause should have been used Why? Their weather is not much different from Chicago's from April 1 to October 1. They do average a degree or 2 cooler weather per month, which actually willl probably be good in July and August, and get an average of about 6" less rain during the course of a baseball season. Early in the season may be trouble, but its trouble here, it was a huge problem in Cleveland. Pittsburgh had problems a couple of years ago. Boston as well. The schedule makers will hopefully keep that in mind when constructing a schedule. Milwaukee has a dome, yet plays at the Cubs twice in April 2008, and the Cubs don't go to the dome until the end of July.

QUOTE(knightni @ Oct 26, 2007 -> 07:30 PM) Well, is there a decent backup plan in house immediately available if he is a free agent? Jason Bourgeois is a 2B/OF spect, but only a SS in a pinch. He also will be 26 years old and is minor league free agent.

I had a 3 in 1 HP, it came with my HP computer, and it worked well for about a year and a half, then went bad. A guy at Best Buy steered me to the 3 in 1 Epson, which actually was cheaper. Its been great.

Ryan Bukvich.......................................he gone.

Tyrus was in the Jim Beam Club the game I took in from there last July. The guy is a freak. Its like he's on a trampoline. If he learns to shoot a little bit, if he could get any kind of post game, he can be a star. He's so young and inexperienced, it will take some time. I don't believe Tyrus has been playing basketball very long.

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 08:13 PM) And Floyd has a 6.30 ERA for his MLB career, what im trying to say is that floyd isnt a lock and Masset has some good pitches to work with. if he can pull it together he could win the starting job, but im also not saying that floyd wont win it, i jsut havent been impressed enough by him last season or in his career to give him the job or to expect him to run away in spring training with it. I think if the Sox are counting on good things from either of them, there is reason to be very concerned.

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 06:21 PM) Well, I know it is only one start, but that game that Masset pitched vs. the Cubs showed his potential. Im also not saying that he will, but he has the stuff to beat out Floyd and if he has a strong spring training i just wouldnt be surprised if he won a rotational spot if we only return MB/Vaz/Danks/(Count or Garland). Floyd was still getting hit pretty hard in his "good" outings and still has a lot to prove. Basically what I am trying to say is that I dont think the Sox organization is going to give the 5th starter job to Floyd without a battle, and I believe taht some guys we have could really make a push for that opening So you ignore all his previous minor league results and base your opinion on one start against a team that had never faced him,without one of their best players in the line-up on a 45 degree day with the wind howling in? His minor league record is 32-49 with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He's probably a mediocre spring training away from having to look for a real job.

I once had x-rays on my thumb after a carpet staple got stuck in it. (Its a long story). I was told I had 3 fractures in my thumb that had healed. I never knew I had one. Its the only broken bone I'm aware of.

QUOTE(spiderman @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 06:58 PM) Why is John Denks considered to be a prize prospect ? He doesn't blow people away, and while I think he'll get better, am I wrong to think he's, at best, a #3 starter a few seasons down the road ? What am I missing - why is Denks considered a prized pitcher when acquired by the White Sox ? Because KW said so, and he was the GM when the White Sox won the WS so he is never wrong. There's a lot to be positive about with Danks, and there are some red flags. Most pitchers struggle when they are his age, and at least at the beginning of the year, he had a nice killer instinct, and attacked hitters. Running out of gas when he did has to be a concern. 130 IP on the year, and the last 40 or so were painful. He also stopped attacking hitters. Did facing him a few times let them figure him out? I certainly don't think he'll be an ace, but what's wrong with a #3? There are a lot of teams that would love to have a #3. I think it will take a while for him to reach that status though. For 2008, I just don't see how he suddenly is going to be able to give you 175-200 innings. Its one of the reasons trading Garland will be a huge gamble. There will be a ton of innings that need to be picked up, and the in house candidates to pick them up are definitely questionable at best as far as having much major league success in 2008.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 08:07 PM) If Matsuzaka comes out and for 3 of the next 4 years is lights out, puts up a sub 3.25 ERA in the AL East and pushes 20 wins, then no one will care if he struggled a bit his first year, the overall evaluation will be "He was worth it". If he gives you the same performance every year, then it's gonna be a lot more disappointing for the Red Sox. But here's the 2 other issues; pitchers his age usually don't get that much better, and pitchers usually have an advantage over batters the first time they see them, which for DK was this year. People here were banking on Vazquez improving and he is 4 years older than Dice-K. They said after last year he just has to get comfortable. For a guy who "struggled", 15 wins, a 4.40 ERA and 201 k's in 204 IP are pretty good. Its not like he's an old man. He's the same age as Wasserman. He's a year younger than Garland. I don't know how "dissappointing" he will be if he does the same thing he's doing and the Red Sox continue to win. Granted, what they paid to get him was a lot, but remember, he's only getting about half of it. He signed a 6 year $52 million contract.

I predict the Florida Marlins make a huge push for ARod if he opts out. Its home for him, and its the one place he could make the biggest box office difference. It will help get a new park built and its not like the Marlins have a huge payroll. They are the one franchise that can gain the most by acquiring him.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 07:52 AM) Thought I'd start this up to get people thoughts on this. B-Mac to Texas for Nick Masset and John Danks. Right now, if you're KW, would you still make this deal, based on talent? FWIW here are the numbers of all 3 for 2007; B-Mac - 5-10, 4.87 ERA, 59K's and 48BB's. Danks - 6-13, 5.50 ERA, 109K's and 54BB's. Masset - 2-3, 7.09 ERA, 21K's and 26BB's. This trade obviously hasn't worked out for either side yet. I was very much against this trade when it was made. Right now if you made the trade, it basically would be McCarthy for Danks because Masset is out of options and I don't think you could reasonably assume he would make the team. Whether I would do it or not would be a decision left up to the medical people concerning BMac's injury. If he is or can fully heal without it becoming a chronic problem, I still would rather have him than Danks.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Oct 21, 2007 -> 11:22 AM) I just saw that and was about to post it. Here's Rosenthal's article: While Byrd may have had a legit reason to take HGH, wouldn't it have been a better idea for him to come out about it a year or so ago instead of the distraction it now causes?

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Oct 21, 2007 -> 08:27 AM) See, this is the f***ed up part about steroids in baseball. I mean, clearly there are some guys who use it and as a result go from hitting forty homeruns to seventy+ -- but how do you judge a guy who uses to recover from an injury? Or who uses and goes from throwing a 75 mph fastball to throwing 82? This news disappoints me. Not really a surprise, but it's definitely disappointing. I think it means all bets are off as far as speculating who cheats or has cheated and who has played by the rules. If Paul Byrd cheats, it makes everyone a suspect. This news is really a shame. I think there are a ton of pitchers who have used perfomance enhancers. I'm starting to really believe if everyone who has cheated where to be suspended, we would be looking at replacement players level baseball.

Its now being reported Paul Byrd bought $25,000 worth of HGH from 2002-2005. I sure hope God didn't tell him to cheat.