Dick Allen

QUOTE (soxfan49 @ Mar 5, 2016 -> 04:35 PM) He is actually a horrendous football coach. His OC last season is now a HC and the Bucs were still awful So,was,Harbaugh's. His DL coach became his replacement. He must be awful. All I know is Illinois can't be all that attractive of a job for most established coaches,. If they get a guy who went to a Super Bowl with Rex Grossman as his QB, they did pretty well. I am no fan of Illinois football, but to me, assuming he isn't just using this as a stepping stone, it would be a great hire.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 5, 2016 -> 03:21 PM) Ryan Baker ‏@RyanBakerMedia 1m1 minute ago Chicago, IL Some credible sources are telling me Lovie Smith will be the next #Illini head football coach. @cbschicago Ryan Baker is usually solid. He was a team manager for the Flyin Illini. That would be a good move for Illinois, the only question would be if he was successful and the NFL came calling, would he leave?

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 5, 2016 -> 02:03 PM) As the Vice President to President Balta's "Ventura doesn't know how to handle Spring Training" campaign, I have been very pleased with everything I've heard about how the Sox are approaching Spring Training so far. What haven't the Sox been doing in spring training that good teams do, and are there any links available proving they don't do these things or is it all speculation?

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Mar 5, 2016 -> 10:50 AM) I'd give up James Dykstra for Jay Bruce. Bruce was actually really good the first half last year, but that second half was really awful.

Base running can be taught to a certain point. And most of these guys are at the point where they have pretty much been taught most of what they can be taught. For guys that are potentially elite base stealers there is may be another technique or key that could push them, but for the most part you don't hear too much about guys becoming great base runners who used to be horrible. You see it the other way around when guys lose some speed but their brain doesn't seem to realize it. And by base running, not just stealing bases. That actually seems to be a smaller part of base running than in the past. It is about getting good jumps, checking your outfielders, knowing to let a ball get through the infield etc. Drills and actual game situations are about as different as practicing a speech in your bathroom and giving it that day in front packed auditorium. Experience helps. . Renteria was a fine hire, but the reason the sox will be better at base running this year is because they have better base runners.

Dan Hayes was on CSN, and while he didn't commit to agree with Levine, he did say he knew as a "fact" the Sox have been after CarGo all offseason but the price has been sky high.

QUOTE (shipps @ Mar 4, 2016 -> 04:43 PM) I am considering buying a house in Malibu. On the beach.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 3, 2016 -> 03:19 PM) Dick, I don't disagree with you that they couldn't find more money. But, they clearly were not actually able to compete in the FA marketplace as seen by the results. THey were not able to get into competitive bidding wars, and were basically only able to provide below market price contracts. If your plan to improve requires getting below market deals for top pieces on the market, you should re-think your plan. And it did REQUIRE the fa market to upgrade, as we've seen. All you need to know about Hahn's comments is this, they supposedly stretched the budget for Jimmy Rollins, who, if he sucks in spring training, they owe nothing but the same contract they just gave Loe. It's all just words. Hahn has said they were looking at and needed OF help. He will get one. Just watch, and Uncle Jer will be his competitive self and OK the "stretching of the budget". I would have loved if they signed any of the FA, including Fowler and Desmond, especially if Desmond could play the OF. But they can still upgrade.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Mar 3, 2016 -> 03:00 PM) Lol - well, at the moment they have the money. They just don't have the other OF. Laugh all you want, but this is the same story we have received since the you can't spend a dollar if you only have 50 cents routine. They aren't going to tell you they are sitting on a pile of cash. They are going to tell you they are broke. When is the last year the White Sox ever were really trying to be competitive where they didn't say this exact same thing? I know people like to complain, but the Sox crying poor and John Danks getting lit up on March 4th is really a reach.

They offered Fowler a contract. Man, some people will buy anything. When the Sox talk money, THEY ARE LYING. We get the same story every year. They try to stretch the budget, competitive Uncle Jerry says OK. The Sox have money for another OF. For the love of God, learn from the past. How many times have they cried poor only to pick up more payroll? A lot more than when they have cried poor and the payroll remained the same or went down. Besides, if the difference between Avi and another OF is a playoff team vs. a team that wins 78 games, there aren't a lot of teams that can afford that particular guy anyway.

Just when you thought Hahn was done....

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 3, 2016 -> 10:08 AM) Honestly would liked to have seen Avi leave the bat on his shoulder for a week and see what his OBP was. I suggested that last season. Just for a game. Maybe a light would have turned on.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Mar 2, 2016 -> 04:58 PM) So was Samardzija. Sure messed up the Cubs, didn't it. And the Sox sure showed them when they bought high on Samardzija. Selling high doesn't mean you sell every good player you have. But this team with its ongoing deficiencies needs to do some high-selling to get square, imo. Can't keep throwing ML Ready prospects at every mediocre veteran available. Some they threw at Oak last year are better players than the additions they made this year. If they hadn't traded him, and he pitched for the Cubs in 2015 like he pitched for them in 2014, it might have messed up the Cubs actually. But that is apples and oranges. If Samardjiza was locked into a contract like Eaton, he wouldn't have been traded. I just don't understand your fascination with playing young players no matter how bad they are, but as soon as they show they may be decent, trade them for more young players. Rinse and repeat. Complain about the Sox record all you want. If you had your way, it would easily be far worse. You made up the term hero worship on here, and I really like it. The problem is you hero worship players that haven't been hero worshipped since high school.

The problem is the health is not going to get better next year. How many times the last few years have they been hoping to get everyone healthy by the playoffs? Yeah, right. They can't play 3 games in a row without someone going down, yet when the playoffs start, everything will be fine. Maybe now the injuries are worse. They knew Dunleavy would start the season hurt, and he misses 20% of the seasons anyway. Noah hasn't been healthy in a couple of years. Butler missed time last year, and it's happening again. General Soreness is General Soreness. Noah has been injured for years. Hinrich is always getting hurt. Taj has been able to play, but he usually misses 15 or so games a year, so he's due to go down. If the expectation or hope was that this team would be healthy, that is just an unrealistic expectation. Maybe 3 years ago you could have assumed as much. But coming into this season?

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Mar 2, 2016 -> 07:51 AM) They need to have a talk with their ex pat Law who says he could play major league SS right now defensively, if he hit 8th or 9th and the Sox basically gave up on his plate discipline ever developing. Another thing they wrote was that the White Sox stick with their prospects too long. I really enjoy reading BP every year, but this year's write up on the team and players was beyond bizarre. It was as if a sports talk call in wrote it.

And if you want to win, what kind of strategy is selling high? Should the Sox trade Sale, Abreu, Quintana? How will their trade value be any higher? Unless you like perpetual rebuilds, you build around good players. Eaton is a good player.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Mar 2, 2016 -> 08:21 AM) I'm not against the Raburn idea but given his age and that the Sox already have Sands I'm guessing the Sox would roll with Sands instead of signing Raburn. Raburn would make a great platoon partner for LaRoche though. I like that Raburn can draw some walks too. VS. LHP Raburn could play RF with Avi at DH and VS. RHP LaRoche DH's with Avi (gulp) in RF. Screw it, sign Raburn and drop Olt! Sands has a lifetime .846 OPS vs. LHP. Not a bad guy to give LaRoche a break. I'm with you, he basically is Raburn.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 2, 2016 -> 07:34 AM) Nah, this was happening when they were healthy. The Bulls problems are almost all related to dysfunction, and the injuries are magnifying it And the injuries are nothing new. Expecting these guys to play close to a full season would be like the Reds expecting Ken Griffey Jr. not to get injured. Great if he stayed healthy, but he isn't going to stay healthy. Taj is going to get hurt. Noah is going to be hurt, DRose is going to be hurt, Butler is going to be hurt, Hinrich was going to be hurt. Pau, at his age, is going to miss a couple of games. It doesn't matter who is coaching them, unless they ride pine all year, they will come up lame at some point. The Bulls need a new mix. One with a core you can reasonably expect to remain somewhat healthy. If they don't change the mix, they will be blaming injuries again until they realize the problem.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Mar 1, 2016 -> 09:43 PM) I want to trade Eaton because he would bring far more in trade than Thompson (esp off of a career year). Also, Thompson would be a competent replacement (for sure he can handle it defensively) and would have addressed a big need: defense. I don't want to dump Avi because we would get zero for him. I don't hate Eaton nor love Avi. Trading only players you hate is "selling low", a philosophy I consistently reject. Why don't the Dodgers play him or trade him? Maybe they don't think that baseball ends in 2017 like you and KW do. Otherwise, I have no idea what their plans are for him. Let me ask you: Why did the Dodgers take Thompson/Montas/Johnson instead of Frazier??????? I didn't like out 73 win team making short term deals 2 years ago and I don't like this 76 win team (which, with pythag 72, may have been worse than the 73 win team) doing it either. If this were a legit 80-82 win team and then you make those deals? Yes it makes sense (the Frazier deal would; the Samardizja trade was inane on all levels). the Dodgers didn't need a 3B and are looking to cut payroll. As to Eaton, your story on him has changed from a few months ago

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Mar 1, 2016 -> 05:28 PM) I'm curious how common it is for a third baseman to shift over to 1B as he ages. Outside of Miguel Cabrera who are some other examples of plus-offensive guys moving from 3rd to 1st in the last few decades? Chipper went out to left, Arod doesn't apply to this convo, Beltre no, Rolen no. Is this really a thing? I think it is pretty common. Not necessarily because of aging, just maybe incompetence at 3B. Some with White Sox ties Dick Allen, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko. I would guess a good percentage of RH first baseman started their professional careers at a different position.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Mar 1, 2016 -> 12:33 PM) Man I hope his adjustments pay off. If he is still hitting everything to RF, I doubt they will. But it is way too early to come to a conclusion obviously.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 1, 2016 -> 11:15 AM) man that was a great yr for sox baseball, growing up, however the WS yr was great, esp the playoff, that was great. And there were several WS Champs that weren't exactly stellar defenders. Paulie was decent, but no range, Iguchi was average, Pods couldn't throw, Dye was Dye, AJ not so great. As long as the team makes the plays it's supposed to make...I think sabermetrics makes a bit too much out of most defensive upgrades. There are days OFs really don't have to make a play.

The White Sox did a good job upgrading their infield defense during the season in 2015. How did that translate wins-wise? If they can be average, they will be fine if they score runs. One of the most exciting teams in the past 40 years was the 1977 Southside Hitmen. They may have had the one of the worst defensive teams ever assembled.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Feb 29, 2016 -> 11:41 PM) And do they not realize Atlanta can't attract anyone, including Dwight? The 6 titles in 8 years was able to attract Brent Barry, Ron Mercer, and Eddie Robinson.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 29, 2016 -> 07:51 AM) I find it odd they offered 2/$17 mill for Fowler (plus a draft pick) but are supposedly not interested in Jackson (likely a guy who may take a one year deal plus no draft pick). I doubt that we don't have interest. According to Levine they offered more than 2/$17 million for Fowler.