Dick Allen

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 9, 2015 -> 10:33 AM) The question is simply, how much (if any) has his defense improved at Charlotte? I've pulled multiple reports and watched a few games on MiLB.tv, and I do think there is some improvement there. But the reports are mixed. With defense you need a large sample to work with, and if I add it all up, it looks like small moves. His footwork, both fielding and throwing, still needs improvement - but that is teachable. And please, please, please - stop suggesting OF or 3B for Micah. He doesn't have the arm for either, plus he's had two procedures on his elbow that could be related to throwing. Also, if he's struggled this much at 2B, it would at best take a couple years to get even acceptable at any other position. Oh and, he struggles quite a bit with popups and body placement - put that in the OF? That would not go well. He's 2B or bust. Sanchez doesn't appear to have the bat speed for MLB, which scares me because that (probably) can't be fixed. So I am all for giving Micah another look, assuming there is at least some positive movement defensively. I think he could play LF. Tim Raines was a horrible 2B who couldn't throw who became acceptable out there, but I do think it is pretty much 2B or bust for Micah. They do work with him a lot, but it's a long, no guarantees process.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 9, 2015 -> 10:18 AM) Pretty close to safe in baseball means an out. This wasn't running home, the ball wasn't hit that deep, nor too much in the gap. There was no reason to turn and waste an out like that. He has done this continuously...has it ever paid off? He was trying to get in scoring position. Not the brightest move, but again, it was wet, it isn't like the Sox were playing for a divison title...if he was safe, just like the time Eaton came home when he should have been out a mile, people would have praised his aggressiveness. And there is always a possibility he learned something.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 9, 2015 -> 10:09 AM) Don't mean to be a downer, last night was fun, but Avi's turn for second was so awful. Everyone in the stadium knew he had no shot. How many hits has he inexplicably run into outs? What stat shows that story? The ball was wet, It wasn't the greatest play, but he was pretty close to safe. It was a good throw. The tag was bad. Would have been interesting to see if the throw was off a bit. He might have been safe, or even out a larger margin.

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Jul 9, 2015 -> 10:05 AM) I'm torn on this topic. Obviously the upside to Sanchez is his defense. How many double plays has he turned that Micah wouldn't have? How many balls has he snagged that Micah wouldn't have? How many saved runs has he had on defensecompared to how many runs have we let up with him at the plate instead of Micah? Also, Emilio has been awful? I don't know if I agree with that thought process. Last year he had 430AB, 26 SB, was able to play around the field, etc. The year before he had 460AB, 28SB, year before 30SB, the year before 40SB -- you get my point in a way. Basically since 2011 he's averaged 400AB a year with other MLB teams .... why do the Sox find him so worthless when our combined 2B stats are .192BA?? I don't get how he hasn't got an extended look there yet ....I actually think he gives us the best chance to win at 2B, he's not one of the polar opposites in Sanchez (great D, terrible O) or Johnson (okay O, terrible D). My opinion -- let Emilio get a look at 2B, keep Sanchez up, let him rest and recoup. Maybe try Sanchez one more time near the end of July if Emilio isn't working out --- or as Emilio is gaining trade value --- and then if Sanchez doesn't seize that opportunity let's hope that Micah has learned some fundamentals on D. Have you seen Bonifacio play this season? That would be your answer. He hasn't hit, he can't field, but he can be the 2015 Toby Hall in the dugout. That probably isn't worth $4 million a year. I do think, if they are going to send Sanchez down, they should give Emilio one more shot before bringing back Micah. IMO, the White Sox have to be very confident the next time they call up Micah, it's for good.

The Cubs are not going to trade Baez for 2 months of Samardjiza.

So W "only" charged a wounded vets charity $100k and a private jet to speak at a fundraiser for the people he sent to war. http://news.yahoo.com/help-us-veterans-cha...-225504539.html

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 9, 2015 -> 07:31 AM) How do you smoke pot without possessing it? Does the joint suspend itself in midair while you puff on it? I think the point is you won't get arrested for testing positive with marijuana, but if you have some of it on you, or are growing it in your garage...

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jul 9, 2015 -> 07:13 AM) I'm not. I believe it's considered a drug of abuse due to it's addictuve properties. Baseball put it on the list due to the number of players who use it and it's health hazzards it imposes with regular use. Guys like Darryl Kyle who die from heart attacks in their 30s really shook up baseball. Makes you wonder why alcohol wouldn't be included. I think the deciding factor was legality.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 05:49 PM) The margin between this team's offense and league average is not tiny. Are you blaming Ventura for the baseball players' hitting? Are you blaming Ventura for rostering the following subpar (to awful) defenders: Micah Johnson Conor Gillaspie Avi Garcia Jose Abreu Melky Cabrera That has been my point all along. if it is Robin's fault, no one should complain about the players. If you think KW put together a horrible team, you can't blame RV for the poor record. If you have to blame KW, RH, RV,JR, you can't blame them all. If it is Robin's managing that is keeping this team from contention, then the other guys have done their job. If KW has taken over and set the Sox back until the next decade, then you can't blame RV when the Sox lose. Good managers don't win with bad players. Bad GMs don't put together teams that should win but don't because of the manager.

The way to fix this is to actually let players sign contracts right away. Either delay free agency a week, or move up the date you can sign.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 12:32 PM) I'm sure at some point people who have run out of other things to complain about will start complaining, but "Blackhawk" has never been a derisive term the way "Redskin" has, so I don't see the complaining generating any sort of similar results. I think the Indian head is what will eventually cause a problem. If Chief Illiniwek was offensive, the logo has to be to someone. I do agree Redskins is more obvious, but I think once they get that changed, the Blackhawks will get targeted at some point.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 02:32 PM) Yeah Boozer got the Cavs to let him out of his rookie contract with the promise to sign a 6 year deal worth $40 million with the Cavs. It made sense for both sides. Cavs would get to keep him longer while Boozer would make more than the $700k he was supposed to make in the last year of his contract. Instead, Boozer got a way better offer from Utah and signed with them. Cleveland decided not to match. I guess in this case, Cuban would be trying to go after the Clippers for tampering, but since there was no actual contract signed, he has no case. He could try going after Jordan since they had a verbal agreement, which is a lot like the Boozer situation, but there's nothing they can do legally there either. Personally, I think a verbal commitment is a commitment and a deal is a deal, but didn't Billy Donovan make a commitment to coach an NBA team years ago, but backed out? In college football, verbal commitments seemingly mean next to nothing. I'm sure Jordan's Clipper teammates called him and had a lot to do with his flip flop, but that has never been considered tampering. In fact, I would bet Cuban has had Mav players talk to guys in the past. I do think Jordan is a doofus if he backs out. It does screw Dallas a bit, and with the salary cap I find that a bit unfair.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 02:00 PM) Really, you're not allowed to do that? Nope. If Soto PH for the DH, and moved to C, the pitcher hits.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 12:57 PM) Hell, at the very least, pinch hit for him in the 8th inning. Send up Soto, the only thing he's done this year is hit clutch HR. Do a double-switch if you're really worried about using up your catcher in the DH slot. They'd just brought in a lefty reliever and so you were 100% guaranteeing yourself that Soto would get to face the not-very-good lefty reliever. I really just wanted Q to not take the loss in that game, so that one did annoy me. You want them to do something that is against the rules. You can't "double switch" with a DH. You pinch hit for the DH, you are the DH.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 01:45 PM) While I agree that I dont enjoy being in packed bars yelling at my friend a foot away from me, the appeal is that usually crowds and attractions like this bring energy and excitement. Sure, you get a lot of negative impact as well (Wrigleyville St. Patty's Day weekend is probably the worst place on Earth), but the excitement around games noticeably carries over. What is there to really do around the Cell? A couple bars? Tailgate in a 1/4 full lot? The Sox haven't really done anything to establish an atmosphere in the neighborhood. It can remain residential while still being fun to go to. They have just failed miserably at making their overall product the least bit exciting. There is not much they can do. They did open up a bar/restaurant, which is at least as nice as the Cubby Bear.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 01:04 PM) The renaissance of wrigleyville and the poorly constructed US Cellular led to the flip. The late 90's was what killed the White Sox and built the cubs. The gap narrowed over the last couple of years but now it has blown wide open and looks to be this way for a while as the White Sox suck. Wrigleyville did get better, but I still don't understand the appeal of being in a jam packed bar, paying ballpark prices, having to scream at the guy next to you for him to hear you.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 12:52 PM) predates my time, but how much were the Sox impacted by Cubs being on WGN and Sox being on cable vision or whatever the pay per view like network they were on which I presume significantly narrowed the fan base. You also wonder how much Harray Carray actually helped drive the value as well (as he kind of symbolized everything as well). And also you have to give some credit to the Cubs for marketing the events as giant parties and I guess the overall corporate culture of Chicago which ensures enough people can get to the games and have a blast (and the location of Wrigley maybe helps in this way, not sure). Ahhh, I should stop rambling. I think that was overblown a bit as well. The first 4 years JR owned the White Sox they outdrew the Cubs by about 1,400,000 total. What killed the Sox was 1984. Everything came up roses for the Cubs until they went to San Diego in October. It used to be, they would actually close the upper deck at Wrigley Field back then. It wasn't until Harry's 4th season with the Cubs where they overtook the White Sox attendance-wise. The Sox actually slightly outdrew them in 1984.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 12:47 PM) In 1980/81, the Cubs and Sox both sold for essentially the same price. Now the Cubs are worth 3X the Sox. Who's fault is that? the fans? It's either the fans fault or the Cubs fans credit. It certainly isn't because the Cubs have been more successful on the field since then.

The fact is there are always excuses...the Cubs were playing, there was wrestling in Rosemont, it looked like it might rain, those are fine, legitimate excuses, but they are excuses, and it is one reason why the White Sox seem to always have to do things half-assed, and hope they get lucky. Their excuse is just as valid as any of ours.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 12:23 PM) The Sox do themselves no favors when it comes to drawing attendance: 1.) Awful performances on the field year in and year out 2.) Neighborhood isn't really a destination for anything 3.) People from the organization criticize fanbase 25K for a last place team in the central and one of the worst teams in baseball actually seems like a pretty good turnout, so Im not really sure what he is criticizing. The team hasnt scored more than 4 runs in 24 home games, people go to baseball games to see offense, not pitching, that's just the truth of it. It's great to celebrate the new and old guard of the south side, but anyone questioning White Sox fans lack of interest is kidding themselves. I think the only guy that has criticized the fans is Cooper. The performances have been awful, but with Sale on the mound, you could guess they would not be that day, and they are over .500 at home this year. I don't know what the White Sox could do to make the neighborhood a "destination", that has more to do with the residents of the location. If I lived there, I wouldn't want drunk guys peeing on my lawn at 1 in the morning on a Tuesday night either.

I wonder what is going to happen when enough people complain about the Blackhawks Indian head being offensive.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jul 8, 2015 -> 10:42 AM) In a cool piece on Herm Schneider, he mentions Beckham and LaRoche as guys who hold the bat by its knob and are vulnerable to hamate injury, and specifically describes some of LaRoche's hand pain as "in some serious places." That probably explains some of his reduced productivity. They should try the bat with an axe handle like Pedroia uses. No knobs.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jul 7, 2015 -> 12:59 PM) The guy in Maine got his posthumously. His brother said he wasn't the type of person who did dumb things.

I wonder if Texas would give up an injured Profar for a couple of Shark months. Might be worth the gamble to see if he can play considering many thought he was the top prospect in baseball a couple of years ago.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Jul 7, 2015 -> 01:34 PM) By a mod no less and he's also wrong. Classless. Yeah, he has an 8th grade education. Why is the truth classless? But if education matters in baseball, KW has a freshman in college education.