Harry Chappas

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 25, 2012 -> 09:08 AM) I would like to state that myself and Milkman were the first to post on this site, sometime around May 2011, that Ozzie was not trying to win anymore. We were called idiots for a month or two. The issue is that JR did not believe OG was not trying ot to win. In the end guillen f***ed Reinsdorf more than anyone as that is who loses the most. If the players realized guillen quit on the team how easy is for them to quit as well. This is why I think we will see a vastly differnt team this year and why reinsdorf kept Williams around.

If I made $12M a year I would make certain I had a nice facility in my home. Especially if I got paid to be an athlete. The distance between the facility and his home should never be a question......

Wow I just realized I did not know who the two senators from Illinois were......not sure what to think of that.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 09:24 AM) Garza still has arbitration to settle. http://cubbiescrib.com/2012/01/19/arbitrat...for-garza-cubs/ Are you talking about andre ethier or matt garza

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 09:19 AM) It's not like Ortiz had much leverage. Not many teams are looking for an old, expensive DH. Right the Red Sox should not have offered arbitration and resigned him as a FA

Next year's playoffs should be fun....

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 05:55 PM) It is not. I sure don't care about post counts. I just get irked when people are so sure about something for which they are completely uninformed. You are so sure wrestling isn't a sport yet you have no information to base this idea upon. By the way just to clarify the situation, I hope you realize I am not talking about the TV type, WWE wrestling. This is just my opinion but I consider it an informed, educated opinion. I have never wrestled in my life and have no interest in watching it but from what little I have seen and been told about MMA if you know how to wrestle you can pretty much kick some serious ass. I am not sure how it is not the exact definition of sports as I believe it is the oldest recognized sporting event and it takes smarts, strength and quickness.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 07:55 AM) I would have boo'd him. Why after blowing game 7 I love him almost as much as Derek Lee.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 09:09 AM) If Boston is really in the financial straightjacket they're pretending to be in, then absorbing garza's $10 million might be rough for them. Offering Ortiz arbitration was insane.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 20, 2012 -> 09:08 AM) Giving up Garza is akin to giving up prospects, because that's the only trade chip they have left I think the cubs give up Garza and get back prospects just not the top notch one's theo wants as it seems the arbitration price tag for garza could scare some folks. Floyd is much more valuable at this time and KW should be out shopping him hard.

Did KW run over Passan and Keith Law's dogs one evening.

My guess is Garza goes to Boston and they give up very little in the way of prospects.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 03:33 PM) Nearly every team can be surprise contenders if everyone plays well. It's baseball, the best teams every year only win like 65% of their games -- there is a ton of space for streaks and career years to make a difference. But all of that does NOT make it prudent to plan on everything breaking correctly with tens of millions of dollars at stake. Yes, we would all be happier if every offseason's theme was to add veterans stars, but that's just not possible. No matter how much money you think ownership has, they can not and will not just continue to add payroll until they bankrupt themselves. Yes, the Cubs will suck next year, but that's because Hendry drove them into the ground with wanton aggression every year, throwing big money at the best player available at the time without any concern for anything beyond the next season. Now, they're mired in a state of sustained mediocrity without any chance of getting better quickly because they have $150m tied up in garbage players on long-term contracts, and depressingly few decent prospects to come up and outplay the dead weight. What options do they have? Would the fans rather see an expensive team suck it up or a young team with a promising future suck it up? If you think the White Sox or the Cubs should be further mortgaging the future on the slight chance that all of their bad players will turn it around and have great years, you either have no understanding of basic economics or think the world will end after 2012. I'm sick of hearing people hate on KW offseason strategy by acting like he WANTS to lose. He may or may not be making bad decisions, but he's doing it while trying to build you a winner the best way he knows how -- and unlike so many fans, he understands that he may not be able to do it right now and is aware that the decisions he makes now will affect his ability to succeed in the not-so-distant future. It's not as simple as "get good players or get bad players." And finally, to everyone (not necessarily you) who is complaining about JR being stingy: please realize that last year's payroll was SIGNIFICANTLY higher than any payroll in White Sox history. Huh, I do not think JR is cheap at all. I also think you are agreeing with me. My point is that I am fine with the Sox staying the course and hoping players progress on a career path not throw more money at it. I have no issue with the players moved this off season. The media has no story on the Sox this off season so they are pretending like theo is baseball jesus.

Gayle Sayers was better than Walter Payton....I think Barry Sanders was better than both. You put Sayers or Payton on better teams when they came into the league and they would be considered even better than what they are. It is easier to be more dominant in basketball than football. Sad to see what happened to two of my favorites Earl Campbell and Walter Payton.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 02:00 PM) Let's stay on the topic of baseball. Every five minutes you're talking about how "epically" bad the Cubs are going to be. And it's true. Now other than 25% of the roster remembering what it's like to play baseball at an above replacement level, what's the case for the Sox? The cubs were 71-91 and I do not believe they have added replacement level players with greater value. I do not think Travis Wood, Volstad and Maholm are anything more than Casey Coleman and Randy Wells. cub fans must believe that theo and jed are the saviors. While they may be very bright individuals neither built the Red Sox organization to the level they are getting credit for and one of the biggest trades that took place during the theo tenure was when theo was on sabattical. I think the Brewers, Cards are Reds will all be better than any team in the White Sox division thus I think the cubs will be epically bad as the NL as a whole will beat them up, the cub will get to beat the Astros but recently the Pirates have had their number and may even be better on paper this year. The media seems to gloss over the cub debt and stadium issues and everyone just thinks the fans will pay to see a 100+ plus loss team for the next two years. There also seems to be an accepted precedent that a wholesale gutting is the way to go. The potential lost revenue from bad teams and the youth movement not working could cripple that organization but the media's rose colored glasses will not see this. It is assured theo and jed will be the Royals in two years and nobody will invest in youth like the cubs will now do. The White Sox were 79-83 last year. They had two players produce to a level which I think will not be repeated Konerko and Humber. If Peavy, Rios and Dunn put up the same numbers as last year, Sale is not the starter he looks to be based on this last two years and if Morel and Beckham are not MLB players, the Sox will be a 70 win team. I believe the infield defense will be one of the best in the AL. I like Buehrle and he will be hard to replace but I think Peavy will replace his value and Sale, Danks and Floyd will fit their roles with Humber begin a nice number four. I think the bullpen can be built from within and and an arm or two will be there from the trades the Sox made this offseason. The White Sox are a relatively young team so having a terrible farm system will not kill them if they stay healthy. I am of the belief that guillen hurt the team greatly and Ventura will give them more of an advantage. I am not saying they are going to the playoffs but I also do not want to blow the thing up and start anew. I am going to South Bend now to shovel Hawk's snow.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 12:39 PM) Really? Unless you're drinkin' the same s*** Hawk does every year, there's little to no chance of this being a solid team. And what the hell purpose would Edwin Jackson serve for the future? Just drinking the same stuff that made people think the Knicks would be better than the Bulls. Preseason opinions are what they are.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 11:51 AM) JR, KW, Hahn and...? The guy that actually compiles the budget for Reinsdorf to make a decision. Probably Ncorg or whoever that guy was that was one of threee people that saw Thomas contract.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 10:40 AM) There is zero chance of this happening, the signing of EJax that is. Every source I have talked to or listened to, Scott Merkin, Chris Rongey, Scott Gregor, MLBTradeRumors.com, etc, they all point to the White Sox budgeted payroll for this year at about $100M. It has been reported numerous times that KW's job was to get payroll down from about $127M last year to $100M this year. As the White Sox stand right now, they have about 12 players that accounts for 97M, and 13 players that will make pre-arb salaries, according to the new CBA that is to be 480K this year. So add that up and you get about $103M. Thats already about $3M over budget and there is no way KW is going to trade Floyd, making $7.5M then add EJax making $10M or so, then his payroll would be net $3M+ on top of the $3M hes already over budget for. In a rebuild year where you will be lucky to draw 1.5M fans and win 75 games, there is absoultely no reason to be even a dime over budgeted payroll. Sorry bro, money talks! I am all for trading Floyd though and getting prospects and saving the $7.5M, just thrown Stewart in the rotation, forget about Ejax. Unfortunately I still think the Sox have a solid team and the move I pointed out serves two purposes makes the current team stronger and builds for the future. If Jackson wants to come back to Chicago I think there are ways to get it done. I also think there are four guys that know the White Sox budget and none of them write for a living.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 18, 2012 -> 08:22 PM) Mike Milbury just absolutely took Patrick Kane to the woodshed between the second and third periods. After the game as well.

At some point I really think KW will sell low on Floyd and sign Jackson. I am not sure why or what to think of this but that is what I think will happen.

They destroyed an event that ran really well at the Hilton. The Palmer House sucks and they killed the event with the mandatory hotel stay.

Look like he'll do great next to Soriano they can beat up the AAAA pitchers and get shut out against anyone decent.

QUOTE (flippedoutpunk @ Jan 17, 2012 -> 11:35 PM) the numbers go that far!? i thought that after 35th it was just corn fields If it were only cornfields there would be no White Sox.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 18, 2012 -> 11:12 AM) This has already been guaranteed, it may have been in his last contract. I do not think they can formally guarantee this .

I will say it again dempster and wood are losers. They seem like great guys but they seem to enjoy the rah rah wrigleyville over winning.