Dick Allen

You have to draw the line somewhere. I used to be anti any PED guys. Then I figured there were most likely plenty I really like that just haven't been dumb enough to get caught. Plenty I probably suspect that are clean, etc. So his PED bust wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, although it would play into the return. The deal breaker would be how he tried to sell an innocent guy down the river. Total lack of character.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 3, 2016 -> 12:24 PM) He's pitched in MLB more recently than Turner has Last June and had surgery. Besides he wants to go back to the Giants. Surgically repaired pitchers don't seem to fare so well less than a year after major surgery. Especially guys who haven't been good for half a decade anyway. His fastball last year was the same as Danks' this year. If you didn't like the 2015 Danks heater, Lincecum hasn't thrown that hard in a couple of years. If you are going to replace a gas can, replacing it with another obvious gas can doesn't make much sense to me. The guy even cut his hair. Why bother?

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ May 3, 2016 -> 12:14 PM) Who? Gonzalez? Johnson? Turner? Yes. When was the last time Lincecum faced major league hitters? He has been trying to build up enough strength to look decent at a showcase. At this point, I would bet Danks is as good as he is.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ May 3, 2016 -> 11:37 AM) What other alternatives are there? Do you want to trot Danks out there every 5 days knowing that it'll be an automatic loss? I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't. Lincecum isn't perfect and hasn't been good for awhile. I get that. But Danks has got to go and maybe Lincecum will be motivated to pitch for a good team and a new contract. Aren't you the guy who said he hated Jose Abreu in a gamethread? If you hate Abreu, there isn't a word strong enough to convey what your dislike for Lincecum would be if he pitched for the White Sox. The Sox have 3 better alternatives in house, and another month and a half before they should be able to get something from a team wanting to cut bait.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ May 3, 2016 -> 11:23 AM) What's the risk in giving Lincecum a million dollars on a "prove it" type deal? I'm all for it. He has postseason experience, is right handed, and has to be better than Danks. Because he hasn't been good in a long time, is coming off an injury and most likely won't help the team at all. He has sucked for years before he hurt his hip. Why all of a sudden would he be decent? And if velocity is your deal, he throws about as hard as Danks these days. Signing him is setting yourself up to be disappointed. The "oh it was worth a shot" doesn't work here. It would be like signing Tom Seaver because he was good once, has playoff experience and throws righthanded. You're just wasting money.

QUOTE (shysocks @ May 3, 2016 -> 10:18 AM) I'm bad with options and contract status and all that too, but I believe with Turner if they brought him up it would have to be a relatively permanent decision compared to the others, because he could not be sent back down without hitting waivers. Somebody can correct me on my details because I'm sure they're off. I agree with your order on "talent" alone, though. The problem with Turner is even if he is 5th starter worthy, chances are you are going to have to replace him at some point during the season. The 9 innings he logged last year would make it difficult IMO to expect him to make 25 more starts. Of course the 5th starter is a guy who gets replaced often with most teams, so maybe no big deal.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 3, 2016 -> 10:06 AM) If Volstad gets bumped tonight, something is up. Expecting just about anyone to be better than Danks has been is a pretty good bet. That doesn't apply to Volstad.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 3, 2016 -> 09:57 AM) It's a nice thought, but he shouldn't. The Sox took the risk when they signed him. I could see him hitting the DL today. Try to clear his head for a couple weeks. Exactly right he shouldn't. The contract was signed in good faith. If it was doing the right thing and walking away from money if you can't perform, the opposite would have to be the right thing to do as well, and the Sox would owe Sale, Q, Eaton a lot of cash.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 3, 2016 -> 09:40 AM) But he did rob a home run? I did see a highlight of him robbing a HR a few days ago but I think it was from last year.

I am going with Sale. The offense was sputtering but the team still winning because of the pitching and defense. I'll take the guy whose team has won all of his starts.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2016 -> 09:26 AM) Statistically, getting crushed early in April has had much more predictive validity, I'll let the statisticians or Hawk Harrelson explain with "you can't win a pennant in April but you can certainly lose one." Since you want to belabour this point, KC is probably out of the AL Central Division race already because you said so, despite their 8-2 start. For that matter, cross the Indians off too, because they've had a similarly bad stretch of one run losses and are sinking under .500. Nice to know we only have to worry about the Tigers now. And why did you use a chart that is 2 years old? I looked at last season's chart, in the AL Central the only place where it was cheaper to go to a game was Cleveland. They charged the same amount for beer in KC and a whole extra dollar for a hot dog. The Sox better grab San Antonio before the Royals do.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2016 -> 09:17 AM) And that statistic, as statistics often are, did turn out to have predictive validity, because the White Sox didn't come close to making the playoffs last season, as almost no teams that started 0-4, 1-4 or 8-14 have accomplished. As far as what happens with the Royals this season, I'm not going to bother with that favored bait. I'll allow Greg to make any comments he'd like in my stead, by proxy. As far as ZIPS goes, as of this past weekend, according to ESPN's Symborzski, the Cubs and White Sox are going to meet in the World Series and the Cubs will win. Not sure if you want to go out and bet now or not. How many teams lost their 19th-23rd games of the season and still made the playoffs? I think that is as legit of a stat as one where the team lost it's first 4.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2016 -> 09:10 AM) If you remember, the White Sox were ONLY 4-2 at that time and tied for first when the post was made. But thanks for giving me credit because somehow "my attendance deal" caused the team to go on a 14-6 run and sell an additional 100,000 tickets, so I'll gladly take it. Your comments now are even more obnoxious. And crying about attendance in April when it's 35 degrees is the exact opposite of what you were doing last season. Your attendance threads are jokes. You make up numbers like all the season ticket accounts who bailed. Remember those last year? Now some more obnoxiousness. The team is in first place, playing well, has some money to play with. Go find a billionaire and subject him to your baseball and marketing mind. Maybe he will buy a team and let you show everyone how it is done.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 3, 2016 -> 09:08 AM) that pricing chart is 2 years old Funny he mentions concessions but doesn't mention the cost of a ticket more than makes up for it. His magical Fan Cost Index for the White Sox is below the league average. San Antonio 2029. Save $.50 on the tacos.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2016 -> 08:25 AM) Ummm....openly wondering? I was just responding to what Tex wrote. Obviously it wouldn't happen until 2029 or whatever....unless the Reinsdorfs were to sell the team, and then getting out of the lease alone would be onerous. That said, I've also posited the idea of the White Sox playing a limited number of games in Havana as well. And I never said "cheap Mexican food" together as one idea. You can re-read what I wrote 1000 times. That's borderline a discriminatory statement, btw. The fact of the matter is that concessions prices are quite expensive in Chicago. We could look at 10-12 different markets, and outside, of Las Vegas or Vancouver or maybe Montreal, the projected food prices at the ballpark would be 10-30% cheaper. If the ballpark was somehow located near the RiverWalk, then I could see it being more upscale, but I have no idea about available land tracts in S.A. for a public baseball stadium plus requisite parking. In the end, AS I NOTED, it wouldn't affect the fans who live far away from Chicago or in other countries as much as the local White Sox fans. As I ALSO NOTED, the only way I would even consider it would be if the White Sox could increase their spending/payroll from $25-50 million per season as a result of the move. (And obviously, there's no GUARANTEE of that...) And we have the BEST RECORD in the AL. Best team? After just 26 games? I think we might just want to dial it back down a notch... Says the guy who calls it a season after 4 games. And the same guy who told us time and time again how important it was for the White Sox to get off to a fast start, probably because you thought there was no chance they would. Your Royals lost 5 in a row. How many teams lost their 19th-23rd games of the season and still made the playoffs? They might be done. Back up the truck.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2016 -> 08:43 AM) "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! You cursed brat! Look what you've done!! I'm melting, melting..." You nailed it. His Watch is over. https://www.teammarketing.com/public/upload...014+mlb+fci.pdf Parking is still 33% above the major league average. Beer, hot dog and a soda are about .50 cents higher in aggregate. What are the Cubs prices? And for a guy who gets all his info on the internet, you could do a little research to show how you could actually park for free. The $.50 extra you have to pay for a hot dog compared to what it may cost in KC is a killer, I'll grant you that. Although you could go to Portillo's before the game. But try to divert the attention off the White Sox results. It isn't going to work. Everyone knows your deal now. The team is 18-8 best record in the AL, and you bring up moving to SA in 2029? You need to go lay on a couch.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2016 -> 07:42 AM) One thing for sure, the prices would be a lot more affordable in southern Texas in terms of the average ticket package, parking, concession items...and the BBQ and Mexican options would be great. That said, as a native Midwesterner, it would still suck, but as long as they kept the Sox name/logo and were able to increase their spending by 25-50% over what they're managing in Chicago now, it wouldn't be a deal-breaker as a fan. They would have the advantage of a bigger fanbase, as well as drawing interest from a marketing standpoint in many areas of northern Mexico even the Caribbean. That said, for most Chicagoans...at least 50% would probably disagree if they could no longer conveniently attend games. And tickets aren't nearly as expensive as they used to be from 2006-2012, they've come down significantly, except for parking/concessions/souvenirs, which are still pretty pricey. Exactly how many pro sporting events have you been to where the concessions weren't "pricey"? Moving to San Antonio? As predicted, a good Sox run and you are melting like the Wicked Witch of the West.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 2, 2016 -> 01:02 PM) I actually didn't think you were joking but the posts referencing you were tongue in cheek so I thought you might. I will definitely be at that game he retires at. He was white sox baseball for me, moreso than even Thomas just due to age. The team probably would want to announce a Mark Buerhle Day as part of the retirement. So they probably are getting all their ducks in a row before all if it happens.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ May 2, 2016 -> 12:40 PM) Mark Buehrle is playing first base in a softball league in St. Charles, MO. I have been told he is waiting for the Sox to give him a one day contract so he can retire a White Sox. I heard the Sox are lowballing him on the one day contract right now, but they will probably budge at some point.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ May 2, 2016 -> 12:35 PM) Ok, not a presser but a statement? I would figure that he might like to stop the teams from calling him if he has no actual interest in coming back. ...which is why I think the White Sox might be able to lure him in. They have $13 million of extra cash, nothing to lose but letting him get into shape on his own timetable, and he walks in as a savior to the franchise he had his storybook success with while they are in contention...call me crazy but I could see it. Unless he has been working toward pitching, it's pretty unreasonable to think he would be ready to pitch in a couple of months, especially considering how he ended last season injured and not on the playoff roster. He's toast at least this season. Hopefully some good options pop up as they normally do when more teams are willing to pull the plug.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2016 -> 12:30 PM) Adam LaRoche could stand to learn how to handle his off-field business from Mark Buehrle. Still he likes the same things. He's a freak. What kind of an idiot walks away from the money Buehrle could be making to spend more time with his family and go shoot animals? Next thing you know Buerhle will want to take his pitbull to work with him.

The guy likes hunting and his family. That's not good.

They are going to lose 4 or 5 in a row at some point and 8 out of 10. Just stay with the leaders of the division, and add some help.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 2, 2016 -> 10:55 AM) It's my favorite part of the discussion. "Hawk may be a homer, but he's our homer", while zero people are complaining about the fact that he is a homer. His homerism is the only good thing left about him, everything else is why he needs to go. On the flip side, Yaz is mentioned more in this thread than Hawk mentions him on the telecast. I haven't heard one Yaz story this season.

I do think Hawk is less tolerant of bad mistakes this season. He's been calling a spade a spade more often IMO, not covering up nearly as much as he has in the past.