Dick Allen

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 5, 2016 -> 02:23 AM) That bunt call was insane with two strikes. I do think Maddon and Francona are great great managers, but I also think ALL managers suck in terms of in game decisions. Where I love Maddon and Francona and hate Robin is the big picture. A good manager gets his team ready in spring training and thru his demeanor prevents what I call dysfunctional White Sox baseball. Everyone on Soxtalk knew our season was over after we blew that game when we were 23-10. And it was over. Maddon and Francona might have gotten us to 23-10 but they sure as hell wouldn't have let one game end our season and sure as hell wouldn't let us get simply owned by KC, Cleveland and Detroit year after year. Both Maddon and Francoan have finished in last place in their careers. In fact Feancona was fired from Boston after an epic collapse made them miss the playoffs with all sorts of clubhouse issues, which included 2 present Cubs. They had a 9 game lead in the WC on September 3rd and missed the playoffs.

QUOTE (Ezio Auditore @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 02:28 PM) Mary Mapes's career was killed, and Dan Rather's reputation forever tainted, for a lesser offense than what Brett Baer did pushing that phony "indictment" story for 3 days. If it was any place but Fox News, he would be done. But he knew it was false all the time, just like the Trump campaign knew it was false when Teump mentioned it in his rallies. But they want to get it in people's heads, because once it is there, it tends not to leave. Kellyanne was being questioned about it and she just admitted "the damage was done". Iits like a lawyer who does something in a trial they know will be objected to and sustained. They just want it in the jurors' heads even though they technically can't use it.

Some fans celebrated being at the parade by jumping into the Chicago River from a bridge. Some smart ones there.

QUOTE (Knuckles @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 01:12 PM) And Lackey, screw that guy. Lackey looks like he chose his dental implants from the Bill Parcells signature collection.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 11:55 AM) Re-f***ing-read my posts! I don't like the goddamn Cubs! You're as bad as a Trump supporter right now, ignoring the words and evidence put forth by the person your debating. Hilarious. How can you put down a Trump supporter. Some of them cry when they see him at his rallies. There are people dying of cancer that want nothing more than Donald to be President. How dare you act like a non fan and put them down. Here's some perspective for you, the Cubs and their fans to many of us, are what Trump and his supporters are to you. It doesn't appear like you will be saluting them if he wins on Tuesday.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 11:20 AM) Lol, the reason I think the way I do is because I haven't insulated myself with people who feel the same way as I do about things. That's the reason our country is so f***ed up. All fanbases have issues. I seem to recall an incident with some Sox fans and a KC base coach? Point is, some fans are kind of douchebags sometimes, and that holds true for all teams in all sports. As a fan of the game, I think the Cubs never winning is a greater story than them winning. But for a guy who doesn't want to think like everyone else, you sure do seem to have a problem with people not thinking like you.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 11:07 AM) Love when you don't even bother to actually read what I've written. I don't give a s*** about the Cubs outside of that one epic moment that contributed to the already incredible lore of baseball. I love the game, as I've repeated incessantly. But sure, paint me however best serves your injured ego. If you need to post on line with people who feel just like you do, go to a Cubs site. You can wax poetic for the next week straight. Just remember, this is the same fanbase that sent out death threats 13 years ago because one of their own tried to catch a foul ball. Now be happy for them. I actually watched the Bartman inning on youtube last week. He went for it, the guy next to him went for it, but the guy next to him totally whiffed. When security came around, they guy who whiffed was pointing at Bartman telling the security to throw him out.

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 10:57 AM) I didn't know a 15 minute rain delay was divine intervention. And the Heyward speech being immortalized might be the dumbest sports story in history. I guess he didn't listen to his own speech when he struck out horribly with the bases loaded. I guess anything to make it seem like he's not one of the worst signings in sports history at this point I was off work on Monday and in the morning I had to get something at the Marshall's downtown. Mr. $184 million man was in Marshalls himself. All the Cubby fans wearing their hats and shirts had no idea who he was.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 10:32 AM) Ok I'll speak slowly so you can understand: I am a Chicago White Sox fan. I also happen to f***ing LOVE the game of baseball. Because I'm a fan of the GAME, that world series was something special. I spent all series wanting the Cubs to lose, and then when I sat down in front of that screen something happened. Like I said, I didn't really care who won or who lost - it was the f***ing INDIANS vs the CUBS for god's sake. But man.... that game was the stuff of legends, and I was happy as hell to see it, and happy as hell for all my friends who were euphoric about it. My friend dying of cancer who saw her Cubs win? Yeah. I'm good with that. My friends' parents who are on their last legs getting a Cubs WS before they go? The tears they shared on FB? Yeah. I'm good with that. Does that make ANY sense to you? The love of the GAME. That's why I'm here on this board. Fair? That's you, I'm different. I get being happy for people because their team won a WS, but most White Sox fans should see really how little that matters. They are back to being pissed off at anything White Sox. If your friend was dying of cancer, why did you want the Cubs to lose when the series started? I think if you went on Maury, he would say, "that was a lie".

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 10:26 AM) Donald Trump? There are plenty more annoying things in the world. People coming together and being happy about sports and putting aside whatever other differences they may have shouldn't be even close to the top of the list, IMO. I dig it. If that's how you feel, why are you posting on a White Sox board? Besides, using your logic, how can Trump be annoying? He holds rallies that have huge turnouts and make people happy, correct? Sorry, I don't like the Cubs, and never will. You can say it's silly, I don't really care.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 4, 2016 -> 10:19 AM) I think all you guys b****ing are just ridiculous. We witnessed one of the greatest moments in the history of sports in that game 7, and all you care about is annoying Cubs fans on the train. It's been 2 days. They're allowed to be obnoxious. Are you guys really that sensitive that it bothers you? Man up. That's what Sox fans do and are supposed to do. You need to get over it. They were just as annoyed with us 11 years ago, and we certainly didn't care. I'm sure they give a rat's ass that we don't like it now. Why should it bother you? Just name one thing more annoying than a million or so people in Grant Park singing that stupid song Go, Cubs, Go?

The Cubs fan knuckleheads are out if full force. I wish I had the ability to hack into the sound system at Grant Park. I would start the festivities with Lee Elia's 1983 tirade against Cubs fans. 85% of the people work, the other 15% come out here, it's a playground for those c-suckers.

QUOTE (whitesoxjr27 @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 03:21 PM) How is Harry a phony? I am curious. He made it seem he was a man of the people. It couldn't be farther from the truth. He was known not to treat people very well

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 06:07 PM) Cubs have big name financial institutions behind them. Do you think they assumed the Cubs would win the World Series when they lent them the dough? No. They would have assumed a historic level of cash flow. Lenders don't assume a "best case" scenario. The Cubs are making way more money than they need to meet debt obligations. They are OK now but they were in trouble 2 or3 years ago. The guy that owns the South Bend team bought 20% of the team for 300 million. They use that to pay off a lot of the construction. the guy who was the beat writer in the Sun Times Gordon something, used to always come on and said a few times the banks with the loans were pressuring Ricketts to sell the team. Not just a minority stake.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 03:24 PM) The Cubs just drew 340,000 in 8 postseason games. At $150/head (I have no idea) that would be $50 million bucks right there. Making the postseason is a real moneymaker.

I'm pretty sure he can decline the assignment, and if he can, he will. He's done with the White Sox.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 03:11 PM) You guys see the Budweiser Harry Caray commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nApTGkLd2hs Still making money for the Cubs 35 years after JR fired him. JR didn't fire him. Harry left on his own. He said because he didn't want to be on pay TV, but many speculate it was because Jimmy Piersall was out. Jimmy Piersall the guy who called players' wives horny broads, so he got canned. I liked Jimmy, but he got what was coming to him. I also enjoyed Harry, but he was a big phony as well.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 03:03 PM) KC didn't have to be bad for 30 years to develop the system, they just kept screwing it up. They "had" to be bad for like 3-4 years to net their current product. Probably longer than that considering they got a big part of their team from trading Greinke. Yes it can get done without the gigantic blow outs to international free agents in 3 or 4 years if you don't miss, but all teams do miss.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 02:38 PM) Their top 3 names from that article: Jesus Christ, you're really doing a poor job of trolling today. Yup, their top 3 players never played for the Royals. Not a single at bat. Who said their top 3 never played for the Royals? I said there were players that never played for the Royals. Of course, you in your haste to try to discredit me, and get anyone to ignore you made an error, mentioned one, unless Wil Myers played for a little league team named the Royals. And since you mentioned they were the greatest, and also like to pull out fWAR why don't you look at the players YOU mentioned. Hosmer 5.6 career WAR 888 games 1.0 fWAR/162 GAMES Moustakas 9.8 career WAR 688 games 2.3 fWAR/162 GAMES Myers (who was traded with another mentioned in that article for Wade Davis and James Shields) 6.7 career WAR in 392 games 2.7 fWAR/162 GAMES Doesn't come out so stellar to me. Greatest of all time? Greatest of the decade? Not even close.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 02:24 PM) Royals farm system: best of the decade? To answer your specific question: You're totally correct though, they have also done exceptionally well trading for other teams minor leaguers. I'd say that both drafting and developing well and making successful trades to build up your organization seems like the exact winning strategy used by both of those teams. So you pull an article from 6 years ago asking if the Royals have the best farm system of the decade, which also mentions in it players that NEVER PLAYED FOR THE ROYALS? And it was about where they were ranked that specific season. Not what they ultimately produced.

Matt Davidson was so fixed in his 4th season at AAA, his OPS was .001 higher than Leuri Garcia. He was better than he had been, but he still sucks.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 02:03 PM) Then compare us to the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians. There you have 3 world series appearances and 1 title coming out of the AL Central in the last 3 years, both of which are from franchises that started off with lower payrolls than us. Those teams accomplishing things while the White Sox did not is no coincidence. It is no coincidence that there are 2 franchises over the last few years that have been described as having the "best farm systems ever" and those 2 franchises won the last 2 world series. Best farm systems ever? KC had to be bad a long, long time and had a lot of misfires in their drafts. Kluber was a trade. Besides Lindor, who on Cleveland is a top line guy they developed?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 01:51 PM) I said I was being lame. I just feel like the essence of being a Blackhawks fan used to be about being obsessed about hockey. It felt like a club. Now it's just a bunch of fat white hillbillies in too-tight Chinese knockoff jerseys. The population reminds me of that of Trump's supporter base. Again, I'm being lame and my opinion is nowhere near the truth, but that's just how I perceive it. I just can't get into it anymore. While you may have an exaggerated opinion, there IMO, is a lot of truth in it. I was not a huge hockey guy, I went to a couple games a season, watched some on TV, but knew several Hawks freaks. I think they probably had one of the smartest, most knowledgeable hockey fan bases before they won, and probably have more "fans" now that couldn't name 6 players on the team than any in the NHL. And LOL at the Chinese knockoff jersey comment. It's spot on.

He had TJ surgery June 10th, so 2017 was probably done for the most part with him, and he's getting to the point of being arb eligible and still can't throw a strike, so....he gone.

QUOTE (captain54 @ Nov 3, 2016 -> 11:51 AM) Ricketts is an investment banker specializing in debt management. I'm pretty sure he has things under control The Tribune sold for under $1 billion. Of that, $625 M or so was incurred debt. He had investors jumping on board in 2009. If the debt was a ever a problem they would never have been able to maintain an upper tier payroll It was a problem. He took on a minority partner. Up until then, the Cubs Sun Times beat writer was claiming the banks suggested Ricketts sell the team.