Dick Allen

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Feb 16, 2007 -> 10:58 PM) Is this available only with an insider subscription? I couldn't find his blog. If McCarthy does justify this title, and we're floundering with the 5th starters position, Williams will appear like a complete dope. He better hope the following events occur -- Masset is an immediate impact player in the bullpen, and Danks pitchers similarily (or better) than McCarthy from 2008 onwards. Yes its with the insider subscription. On the other hand, Steve Stone was very complimentary towards Masset on the Score the other day. You can hear the interview on their website,although you have to listen to about 10 minutes of Cubs garbage (on the White Sox flagship) before you get to it.

FWIW, Gammons on his blog on ESPN.com polled 70 front office people on who would be the biggest breakout player in 2007. The number 1 pick, Brandon McCarthy, with a little Jack McDowell II reference.

Isn't it a little far-fetched to think Smith got into this accident while driving a car totally intact with a clear mind, but then was so dazed he left his friend basically to die in the car although he was able to navigate a car that most likely would be a lot tougher to drive home?

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Feb 15, 2007 -> 06:13 PM) Looks like crazy ol' Flash and his persistent rants concerning the minor league system have new company in Williams. It's almost as if a figurative brick hit Williams on the head this previous season. It's a simple equation -- no production from within the organization + reluctance to sign pitchers to long term deals + inability to locate/sign foreign talent + division rivals with legitimate farm systems = teh suck. Less we forget, positional players aren't exactly compensating for the lack of pitching depth. It's medicore through and through; but atleast there exists hope -- if Konerko's contract was any indication -- we're willing to spend necessary funds for positional players. The ironic thing is one of the big reasons Williams got his job was because "experts" were calling the Sox farm system the best in baseball, and he was given a lot of credit for that. From the White Sox media guide Williams served as the club’s director of minor league operations from 1995-96 and was promoted to vice president of player development for four additional seasons (1997-2000). Under his direction, the White Sox were named 2000 Organization of the Year by Baseball America, USA Today and Howe SportsData.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Feb 15, 2007 -> 03:06 PM) I heard Jamar called Pierre Pierce to get his advice As much as Jamar has apparently screwed up his life, he's probably very, very lucky he didn't screw it up more. Thank God Carwell is going to be fine. I couldn't imagine if something happened where he would have been impaired the rest of his life or even more dire, and it could have been avoided with more timely medical attention, and that's not even taking into account what Jamar's blood/alcohol level may have been. As bad as this situation apparently is, it would be a million times better is Jamar was not hammered. Hopefully the tests will show that. Much like Steve Alford with Pierce, if most of the rumors are true, Bruce Weber is going to be in a tough spot with Jamar. If he gives him his full support, and the evidence shows Jamar was a bad guy that night, Bruce will probably never live that down, and if he just cuts ties with him, that will be brought up by Illinois' competition for every recruit they try to bring in in the future. For a guy with supposed recruiting issues to begin with, that could be a career killer for him. Its really totally unfair to him, much like the initial criticism of Alford was IMO unfair. Alford believed in his guy, but once the second incident happened with Pierce, Alford should have been shown the door for his error in judgement.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Feb 15, 2007 -> 01:39 PM) he already went on television in miami last night and backed off. So for those to feel inclined to pat him on the back for at least being candid, they can't even do that anymore. I really wonder why anyone thinks displaying hatred in public like that is going to do you any good. He really must not be a very bright man.

While Hardaway has a right to his opinion, prejudice is ignorant. Hate is a pretty strong word. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with being frank, or backs off and tries to be PC. Anyway you slice it, I think he comes off as a dope.

It would be interesting to hear Hardaway's take on someone who said he hates black people. Its ignorant, something he will back away from. The funny thing is, is he probably knows a lot of gay people that he likes, but just doesn't know they are gay.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Feb 14, 2007 -> 07:11 PM) Underage basketball player -- the first thing I thought was party...especially from my alma mater. Especially after some of the other things the illustrious sports players at Illinois have done like bar fights at Joe's, McBride's DUI, Luther Head's theft etc, etc, etc. I wouldn't doubt for a minute that Jamar was being a f***ing idiot. I wonder if he'll actually be prosecuted on campus though given the history of slaps on the wrist. The guy drove home and left his buddy in the car in the parking lot of his apartment complex. His concussion either was so bad he didn't know what was going on, but able to find his way home with, if you look at the pictures of the car, his 6'11" friend only inches from him, or he was smashed and scared out of his mind. Who knows what would have happened to Carwell if someone hadn't spotted Smith in the lot. He's hired a defense lawyer, so apparently the hammer is coming. I have the feeling you won't be seeing Smith in an Illini uniform for a long time, if ever again.

Although I do not like anything Illini, I am very thankful both of these guys are apparently going to be OK. Too bad Jimmy Collins still isn't there, this accident may have been avoided if the guys were given Chevy Blazers.

Can someone explain to me why with Ozzie it was Jenks' and Uribe's own fault that they were out of shape, but Allen Thomas' fault that Garcia and Buerhle weren't in shape?

QUOTE(beck72 @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 03:08 PM) If he was dogging it like you said, then Ozzie would have chewed him out. Ozzie publicly said that Pods was too hard on himself. His lack of effort was never mentioned [that I am aware of] by Walker, Ozzie or KW as a big reason he sucked last yr. On routine plays,he dogs it down the line quite often. The White Sox as a team dog it. There was an article on ESPN.com in the last couple of years that had a scout quoted as saying they can't get good times for White Sox players down the line because they rarely go all out. Thome is an exception, there are a couple of others. Ozzie himself, used to jog down to first on routine grounders. In fact, I remember Hawk even calling him out on it once. The White Sox should get better at that. If they had the reputation for going all out on even the most routine of groundballs, it would put a little pressure on the defense, and would cause a few errors during the course of the season, and probably win them a couple more games. My problem with Pods is besides the fact that running is his only plus, he baserunning instincts are horrid. I remember several times when he failed to score on grounders when the opponent was conceding the run. A lot of much slower players would score easily on plays when Pods is standing on third.

QUOTE(Steff @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 01:23 PM) I was commenting about retention. As of last Friday, there are no 81 game plans avaliable. You can buy full season on the website. They don't guarantee tickets to every postseason game however. Just 1 a round I believe.

QUOTE(Balance @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 10:52 AM) "Premium" ticket holders got first dibs on single game tickets, starting at 9:00 a.m. yesterday. Full and split season STHs got to start at 10:00 a.m. Given that most of us posting here got on at 10:01 yesterday and were pretty much shut out, I wonder how many "Premium" STHs there are. This obviously means the holders of the scout seats and suites, but still- why was this year so different from last year? You have to remember groups and Ozzie plans also gobble up tickets to the premium games first. Unfortunately to guarantee yourself seats to the big games, you have to be able and willing to make a big committment. That's just the way it is now.

All I know is the White Sox had the greatest rotation ever assembled last season, and they all wound up with inflated ERAs. It will be interesting to see how they respond this season. Hopefully, KW's theory about postseason baseball taking its toll is correct. The only problem with that theory is then how to you prepare a team to go into the postseason year after year after year? If the Sox win the WS in 2007, do you dump all the pitching for 2008, thinking that they will all be too tired?

The bullpen was also the least used in baseball when it was great in 2005. Ozzie has stated the game belongs to the starters. That's his philosophy. It obviously would make him a lot smarter if , when he goes to the bullpen, they can get guys out.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 10:20 AM) Wow, this will be the first time in many many years where I will have to buy some opening day tickets somewhere else. Patience. They will release some seats a couple of days before the event. I believe you have season tickets. About a week before opening day call the charge line daily. You'll get a couple in a great location.

Vazquez's ERA was higher than league average and he was below .500 on a team that won 90 games, pretty much the story of his career with a couple of years of exception. To expect any more than this in 2007 is dreaming. He's struck out a lot of people before.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 07:58 AM) GM's don't win pennants, the players and coaches (mostly the players) do. GM's have a different job - they keep the club competitive with the right talent. The GM sets the table, and its up to the guys on the field to execute. KW, this offseason, set the table so that we'd be competitive for the next 3 or 4 years. That means we get 3 or 4 good shots at a title. That is a LOT better than 1 shot. I don't see how anyone can possibly say he has set this team up for the next 3 or 4 years. I did like the Garcia trade. Hated the McCarthy move and was alright with Erstad, and liked the Sisco move. I also didn't think much of the Aardsma move, as I think Cotts will bounce back and while probably never reaching his 2005 success, (who would?) is going to be a decent LH reliever. There is no one KW acquired who could instantly be considered an impact player. Its still a crapshoot. As far as the future is concerned, as long as people are filing through the turnstiles, the payroll will be high. I don't think the White Sox will go to a full blown rebuilding unless attendance really falls. There are a lot of people making long-term committments to suites and other high priced seating. Rebuilding immediately after they make the committment would not be a wise thing to do.

Personally, I would trade Pods for a ticket stub from a Patio Party. Linebrink is probably ready to start getting lit up, but at least he's had some success before. Its amazing to me how much better of a pitcher David Aardsma has apparently become since he was traded to the White Sox, and without throwing another pitch. He is a guy who has had control issues and gives up the long ball at almost the same rate McCarthy did in 2006. The bullpen to me is still a gigantic question mark. Jenks ERA was a bit over 9.00 in September, will his new diet help him? Can MacDougal stay healthy? Was 2006 the real Matt Thornton or will he revert to his old ways? Is Sisco the pitcher he appeared to be in 2005 or is he meat like he was in 2006? And if he spends the year in Charlotte preparing to be a starter, is Logan ready to get major league hitters out? Most here were happy to see Neal Cotts go, but as bad as he was in 2006, he may have been better than Sisco, and in 2005 he was amazing. Is Masset as good as KW says he is? The division should be excellent. A couple of these guys probably won't live up to expectations and a couple will probably exceed them. I'm all for adding more if its possible. I think KW has got some cash to spend if he so desires, so I would think this may be the year he goes for some impact at the deadline if as expected the White Sox are in contention. I actually kind of like some question marks. The White Sox seem to do better when people don't think they are loaded.

He might not have the final say, but you can be assurred Brooks' imput is sought when ticket prices are being contemplated. The bottom line is if you want a team with a high payroll, its going to cost you some money to watch the games in person.

Interesting that the premium seats are no longer eligible for the half price discount on Mondays. They are pretty much sold out anyway. We really can't complain. You want a real high payroll, you are going to have to pay to get in the park.

QUOTE(Steff @ Feb 8, 2007 -> 03:48 PM) Yahoo, CNN, LA Times.com, People Mag.com All "suspecting". Official statement is "cause of death is under investigation". ETA, Court TV just got on the OD train as well. Didn't the guy fighting for custody want the baby drug tested? I'd be shocked if its anything but an OD. The question would be if it was accidental or not.

Obviously Floyd is going to get every opportunity to win the job in spring training. KW is high on him and liked what he did in the AZ fall league while ignoring what he has done in the big leagues. I liked the Garcia trade. I think Freddy's ERA is about to skyrocket, and you don't want to have him signed to a long-term deal IMO. If Floyd or Gonzalez become good major leaguers, it was a great trade. I just don't think its going to happen in 2007. I still think KW has some cash to play with, so I wouldn't be surprised if the eventual 5th guy in the 2007 rotation is not yet in the organization. That said, if Buerhle doesn't bounce back, and either he, Garland or Contreras get injured for a significant amount of time, it might not matter who the fifth starter is. Hopefully everyone will remain healthy, Buerhle will be back to form, Vazquez will pitch like he pitched for the Expos and all the pitchers KW acquired will be half as good as he thinks they are. Then it won't matter who's playing SS or LF or leading off.

Cleveland's pitching staff in 2006 gave up fewer runs than the White Sox staff in 2006.