Dick Allen

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 04:48 PM) And they're made lots more enjoyable when Robin Ventura is defended no matter what he does...and constantly compared to Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa? How about this? I won't post at all here starting this weekend. Since we can't ever seem to get along and play nice and it's making the site harder and harder to read...let's say, two full weeks, until July 18th? Deal? Quit the martyr act. Post how Robin needs to get fired all you wish, just don't write it is getting tiring. If it really was tiring, the solution is to stop. No one is forcing you to continue with the same theme. Plenty will pick up the slack. Besides, since you are the one saying the team has no talent, all the prospects suck, and the team will suck for years unless they spend $150 million, why would you even care who is managing the team?

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 03:16 PM) I mean, not that 6 years 40 mill is chump change. But look at the athletes in other sports. John Danks made more than that on a 4 year deal and has pitched like garbage the whole time. Edit: my point here is I don't blame him. The Bulls paid Tim Thomas IIRC $18 million to go away. A couple years later, they got him back, and paid him another couple of million to go away. Like you said, $1 million-$2 million might not be that big of a deal in the NBA or MLB, but it is pretty huge in the NHL.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 03:06 PM) Wouldn't mind trading Q for a haul and signing Buehrls in the offseason. Eventually, the 84 or 86, whatever he is throwing these days, has to come back and hurt him. Probably when he signs a White Sox contract. But he seems to be, even with a few less ticks on the gun, the exact same guy he has always been.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 02:43 PM) not to get all political, but it's so strange to see how much rain the rest of the country is getting meanwhile people are digging up their lawns here in socal because of the drought. If we can build an oil pipeline, can't we build a water one too? Okay, back to baseball. That's a pretty scary situation in CA.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 02:50 PM) Miami offered him stupid money. According to fangraphs, he has put up $57 million in value. I think his contract was for $55 million with half a season to go. One free agent who worked out. It would have been interesting if the Sox held on to him. Would they have made the playoffs in 2012? Would Sale have become a closer? Who knows.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 02:30 PM) It could also be Saad's camp trying to do some damage control after the Hawks spun things fairly well talking about how Saad wanted 6.5 and it just wasn't going to fit, which was understandable. Saad doesn't want to come off like he is just a money hungry athlete, but at the end of the day you can never hold that against the player. I would have loved for Saad to take a 4.5 million dollar deal to stay with this club, but if there is a team out there willing to go 6 or 6.5 per, go make your money. I don't hold that agianst Saad, or the Blackhawks. Exactly. I will never blame someone for taking the extra money. It's not like it's 10 or 15k a year.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 09:48 AM) That is like giving him credit for not stepping in front of a bus. Those were both Duh type of picks. Maybe, maybe not. A couple of teams passed on Toews. A few people wanted Kane traded before they won any cups. Tallon, whose nickname was "Fail" also traded for Sharp. He is pretty astute in the scouting spectrum, and had as much impact as anyone building a team that not only could win, but had the core to win at least a few times. I don't think Bowman is a dunce, but when you start out with Kane, Toews, Keith, and Seabrook, the "duh" the Hawks are going to be pretty good could be used there.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 12:09 PM) I think they used to have curfew rules when a lot of parks were in neighborhoods. The home team is in charge of the game starting, but once they start it's in the hands of the umpires. And when it's a teams' last time (or only time) visiting, they wait it out as long as possible. The Angels haven't had a home game rained out in 20 years.Only trip to STL for the Sox, and final game of the series. I am pretty sure this game is in the umpires' hands all the way.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 01:22 PM) Sale = will absolutely not be traded unless something crazy comes back, like Trout or Stanton. Shark = Sox don't know if he wants to stay or not, no negotiations. Possibly the worst update ever. I think my kids know more than this tool. Nightengale is usually really good with Sox stuff. Samardzija made it clear a long time ago he was going to be a FA. If the Sox want him next year, be really nice and upfront about trading him. He will go to a contender obviously, and then negotiate with him next winter. If other teams don't want to give you anything better than the comp pick, keep him, but if they do, it is silly at this point to hang on to him.

Feeky isn't happy.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 12:38 PM) I don't recall writing that I was rooting for losses to better draft position...at any rate, like many here, we just want a clear direction. Lose a lot, make changes on the roster, coaching staff or front office...improve for the future. Win enough to provide evidence of improvement. This whole 5-15 games below .500 thing gets you nowhere but exiled to irrelevance in Chicago. But I could say the same thing...if the Sox aren't winning or you can't hype/defend/protect Ventura, Beckham or Danks somehow, you're pretty much invisible. Today I spent three hours following on a mobile phone until the battery died because that's how long it took for a new residency permit in China. I even got scolded for having a phone out while waiting in line. You can blame bureaucratic inefficiency for my inability to hype up Tyler Flowers for a three year contract extension since i didn't have an ipad with me. Thanks for an attempt at a personal attack, though. Heartwarming that you care so much about everyone's fandom. No, just referring to the part you said calling for Ventura's head is getting "tiring". The fact is, and anyone can go to previous gamethreads and check it out, either it is just a crazy coincidence you are too busy on days the White Sox play well, or your claim of complaining about the White Sox getting tiresome is BS. I don't go into gamethreads much anymore because they are a joke. If the Sox aren't winning 10-0, they pretty much pure comedy bad or unreadable.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 12:13 PM) Since it's getting so tiresome arguing that Ventura should be replaced and logic doesn't work, might as well use reverse logic to see if that makes any difference. Tiresome? There isn't one poster on Soxtalk that enjoys the White Sox failing more than you. You have been posting the same thing for a couple of months with no sign of slowing down. In fact, because I have DirecTV, when it rains, I often lose the broadcast. If I want to see how the Sox are doing while the TV doesn't work, I go to Soxtalk, click on the gamethread, and see how many posts you have. A lot of posts, the Sox are getting killed. A few posts, the game is close, no posts, the Sox have the game in the bag.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 09:53 AM) I love Chris Sale as much as the rest, but let's be careful with the "hasn't even peaked yet" thing. Aging curves -- never rigid in the first place -- have been creeping toward the younger side for years now, and we know that velocity especially peaks very young. Pitchers that have long, HOF careers typically do so because they are able to evolve their approach and arsenal as their stuff declines. I do think that Chris can be one of those guys, but we should acknowledge that his "stuff" is as good now as it will ever be and that he isn't due to become physically more dominant just because he isn't 27 yet. There are always exceptions, of course, but they're rare. That's true. Expecting Sale to get better is crazy talk. Hopefully he can hold his peak for an unusually long time.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 10:16 PM) Questioning Bowman is crazy though. For some reason people still do this. He had to tear apart the team in 2010 because of Dale Tallon. Everyone said they'd never win again. They won the cup in 2013. In 2013, they had a reshuffle as well. People thought it was over again. Then they won the cup in 2015. The man knows what he is doing and Kane and Toews aren't even 28 years old yet. For all the s***ty sports teams in this city, I'm not going to question the GM of the one that isn't. I agree questioning Bowman is crazy, but what is equally crazy is ripping Tallon. If he didn't pick Kane and Toews and Keith and Seabrook, there would be zero cups. There was that one snafu, but it was revealed a subordinate screwed up. Dale took the blame, that's fine.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 09:14 AM) His winning percentage is 80 points better and he's has a playoff appearance with the Indians, though. How many games do you think the Sox would be ahead of the Indians if they were able to trade managers? 15? 20? It's funny, I read on here the Sox have no future. Almost all their players suck, their prospects suck, their payroll is maxed out...Yet, I also read where apparently if someone else was managing, none of this would be true.

QUOTE (ChiSoxJon @ Jul 1, 2015 -> 08:16 AM) Remember Terry Francona was available when we hired a tee-ball coach hanging out in Malibu? Well what the f***? KW really wanted PK over Terry? He's a problem too, the organization is dysfunctional, not as bad, but just like the New York Jets The same guy who is managing the team SI picked to win the WS and is 1.5 games ahead of the White Sox? Yeah, the Sox would be leading the division by 10 games if they hired him.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 01:12 PM) The optimism last offseason didn't work out so well for those who had it. How did the pessimism work out for you?

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 01:31 PM) If anybody is going for drinks before the game, I would recommend Flying Saucer over Ballpark Village. 900 Spruce, about 1 block west of the stadium. I was there last month. I also was at the Ballpark Village. Leonard Zelig is correct.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 10:49 AM) Isn't that preferable to now pretending Robin Ventura was 2012 AL Manager of the Year and that we actually made the playoffs that season? Should we just throw out the results from the field and argue the Sox should have won in 1994, 2003, 2006, 2008 (Quentin hamate was unlucky), 2010 and 2012? Weren't we just as lucky Hahn's kid lucked out on the coin toss, or it would be a full decade since the last White Sox playoff appearance? That doesn't count? Sometimes...teams make their own luck. It's sports. Even the 2005 White Sox had about at least eight or nine lucky things occur for them to win...every possible break went their way. No. 30 years of sucking to make a wild card is not the preferred way.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 10:21 AM) That was Greg Walker...and, if Ventura had actually led the 2012 team to the playoffs and World Series, he would have essentially bought himself another 5-6 years of good will from the fans. Now we're going on 2.5 years with just a liitle light at the end of the tunnel (Rodon, Fulmer, Anderson)..and no hint of a second playoff appearance (2008 for Ozzie) or 90 win team in sight. Finally, every team in the division is better positioned for the next 2-3 seasons...other than the Tigers, who still will possess the ability to outspend us by 25-30% as long as Illitch is alive. And, for as long as they retain David Price, they've got a gambler's chance. If you are blaming the losing on the manager, why are you crying about the talent level? A good manager obviously has this team in the playoffs easily and probably the WS.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 10:21 AM) That was Greg Walker...and, if Ventura had actually led the 2012 team to the playoffs and World Series, he would have essentially bought himself another 5-6 years of good will from the fans. Now we're going on 2.5 years with just a liitle light at the end of the tunnel (Rodon, Fulmer, Anderson)..and no hint of a second playoff appearance (2008 for Ozzie) or 90 win team in sight. Finally, every team in the division is better positioned for the next 2-3 seasons...other than the Tigers, who still will possess the ability to outspend us by 25-30% as long as Illitch is alive. And, for as long as they retain David Price, they've got a gambler's chance. So the White Sox situation is hopeless. They will never win. Isn't this the Royals model that you want the Sox to adopt? Suck Royally for 30 years, sneak into the WC get lucky during the WC game, get to the WS, lose, and suddenly your way is the right way.

Do people forget Ozzie quit on the team? Who was the manager for many of the This. Team. Is. Dead. posts. It didn't used to be blamed on the manager. Now it is.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 09:46 AM) The Sox can ignore the potential benefits of an exciting metamorphosis at their own risk. But Hahn's promising offseason has only resulted in a bump of 1,014 fans per game and their average of 21,910 ranks 27th in league attendance — with 49 home games left for the division's last-place team. They'e already lost 50% of their offseason ticket bounce. And selling advertising for radio and t.v. broadcasts from here on out (if they weren't already locked into season long packages) will become a game of rapidly dimishing returns. Other than playing the Cubs and July 17-19th (2005 reunion)...things are going to get uglier without anything beyond cosmetic changes taking place. If it is all about the bottom line, cleaning house now isn't going to do anything but cost them money. They would be paying another manager, and or GM, or Exec VP, and fans aren't going to watch this team because Ozzie Guillen or whoever, is in the dugout. The White Sox aren't going to fire anyone because that is what DeLuca wants, or Haugh wants, or Caulfield wants.

Why do people complain the White Sox hire their own and then suggest guys like Ozzie, Thome, Alomar, and Martinez? The Sun Times article is pretty funny considering it is written by Chris De Luca, a guy who refused to fire Cowley, and a guy whose own people think is very incompetent at his job as a managing editor (see Jim O'Donnell). People have been calling for his head for years.

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Jun 29, 2015 -> 02:32 PM) Who is our captain then? Sale for the pitchers... Who for the bats? No Konerko anymore. You can say that for the Astros and Rays -- but I'd be willing to say neither will be in the playoffs. I would bet collectively, the 2015 White Sox roster has more postseason experience than the 2005 roster had coming into that season.