iamshack

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 9, 2013 -> 09:27 AM) If he trades him over the winter instead of just letting him go, the Sox will have paid $4 million for the prospect or prospects they receive. I hope they actually have a shot of being successful in the big leagues. And given the reported asking price, unless it comes down significantly, I don't think he's going to be getting traded over the winter, either.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 9, 2013 -> 08:47 AM) With pitching so much of the focus, it's really hard to acquire a guy who, for the most part, strikes out, walks, or homers. Do you mean it is difficult to actually acquire a player like this, or it is difficult to justify acquiring a guy like that?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 9, 2013 -> 08:41 AM) I wonder if people would take on the contract if 2011 never happened. I bet there is always that fear he could revert back to that form. I think so...if you look at '12 and '13, his run production is right where it has been historically. His OBP is down and his SLG is down, but he's still been very good at hitting home runs and driving in runs. Over the last 2 months, his OBP and SLG are pretty close to his golden years, so I am surprised no one is willing to take a chance on him, especially given the much talked about "tv money" next year.

Well, I suppose this is telling. There may be some interest, but no one is willing to take the chance of getting stuck with the contract. I'll guess Cleveland had interest but blew much of their financial wad this previous offseason, so couldn't take the chance that we'd let them have him.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Aug 9, 2013 -> 07:34 AM) If you give up Rios you will pay more to replace him. Make the Rangers take 85% of the salary and the Sox get a Top 5 player and another Top 20 prospect and it is a deal. Look at what Swisher got this past offseason. Not sure why the Rangers would claim him, they knew the asking price nine days ago and it should not go down. I think this is sort of what Hahn's thinking is, which shows us how they feel about next season and the season after that. I saw Hahn mention he didn't see this as a rebuild, but rather as a "reshaping," and that they don't necessarily believe in rebuilding because we have teams make rapid progress in just one offseason.

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 10:45 PM) Better for environment: toilet paper or bidet? I have a hard time believing it's toilet paper.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 9, 2013 -> 06:41 AM) Rios has an option year for 2015 that would stand a good chance of being picked up if he continues to produce at this level for another season. Additionally, and maybe because he has never been the guy who gives max effort very often (which I am not sure isn't the way to go, to be honest), he has aged incredibly well. He's in outstanding physical condition, is not particularly prone to injury, and given that he's stolen 26 of 32 bases this season, doesn't seem to be close to slowing down yet. I think he'll be one of those guys who doesn't decline physically until his late thirties.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 06:44 PM) This ^ I don't think anyone's disputing that. But sometimes the store runs out of what you need and you're tempted to buy something else instead...I know that is my concern.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 04:50 PM) Except we're going to be limited to around $9-10-11 million next year, in that area. (Unless it's the rare exception like that Cuban pitcher, Miguel Gonzalez, who was a free agent available to any club...but the White Sox aren't the type of organization that TYPICALLY goes out and bids $30-40-50 million on the Puigs, Solers and Cespedes of the world. Viciedo was a big exception, along with Joe Borchard back in the day.) We can't just go around throwing money at Viva (Micker) Zapata's, because there are a limited number of them, and fewer "hidden gems" than in the days when scouting wasn't collectivized and there was no internet with everyone becoming an amateur scout/talent agent/buscone. Yes!! Latin American history was my concentration in undergrad...some of the revolutionaries were incredibly fascinating.

QUOTE (Cerbaho-WG @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:50 PM) Waiver wire action. Here we go! That guy has to be the biggest tool on earth

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:46 PM) I don't think that's the way it works, I think it actually goes the full 48 hours from when he's put on waivers, because otherwise it'd be a race; they wait the full 48 hours and then see which team has claimed him in the order of their losses and leagues. If the Braves had claimed him Monday night and the Rangers claimed him Wednesday morning, the Rangers would still have won that claim. If the Astros for some reason claimed him 47:59 into the clock, the Astros get him. Ahh, gotcha. I was thinking about the ordering incorrectly...if they did it the way I was thinking, you would know when some teams have passed on claiming. My bad.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:04 PM) Tesla has done fantastic stuff with the S. Consumer Reports called it one of the best cars they had driven, in any class, ever. Sales are sky-rocketing despite a high price tag. Early quality measures from the usual evaluating firms are positive, though it is still very early to say for sure. And they used a very smart business plan... they knew early adopters were the ones with cash, so they went highest end first (their sports car), in small numbers... then the less expensive but still pricey sedan, at much larger but still relatively small numbers... their next project in the pipe is an SUV slightly cheaper... then they want to do a cheaper-still sedan at more like 40-50k. This allows them to go into economies of scale as they make their way into lower price points. That one infamous newpaper article about the Tesla S, trying to get from one super-charging station to another and not making it... turns out the driver didn't follow the instructions. The author even posted a partial retraction of the original article. And Tesla is smart enough to realize the fears are in part about reliability (new car, new brand), and about the battery (staying power over the years), so they are putting long warranties on the cars. I may seriously consider getting one in the next few years. If I was single, I would have ordered one...fiancee wouldn't let me spend that much though.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:39 PM) There are some disagreeing reports about how long the teams actually have. I've found articles from 2009 saying that the time to make a deal is 72 hours and the time on waivers is 48 hours, that could give the Sox maybe all weekend if the weekend isn't counted as business time. But, that could have changed in the last CBA. I think it depends when he was claimed? Maybe the clock starts then?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:14 PM) I know it's a thread derail but may I ask why? I actually think a 2 year deal with an option for a 3rd to Granderson would make a ton of sense for the Sox next year if they move Rios or De Aza somewhere. You plug Granderson in wherever you want, DH or OF slot, getting a ton of at bats thanks to Dunn occasionally playing 1b and Garcia and Viciedo both being righties. He then slides to the primary DH spot in place of Dunn the next year. I think his numbers are inflated, he's an injury risk, he's old, and he's going to command something in the $13-15 million range. Not the direction we need to go in if we're trading Alex Rios to the Rangers right now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:12 PM) Also just so it's pointed out...in the fangraphs world, Nelson Cruz (and his 27 HR) were worth 1.5 WAR to the Rangers this year. So far, Rios has been worth 2.1 WAR to the White Sox. With a ton of his value (according to fangraphs) lying in his baserunning, which I must say, gets completely ignored this year. Probably because no one is watching the games anymore.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:10 PM) One of those 3 should not be priced like the others. I'll admit, us signing Granderson is like my worst fear as a Sox fan.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:04 PM) The two yutes approached the Sack a' Suds and ... Did...did you just say "Utes"? Oh...sorry your honor...Yoouuutttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhsssssssssssssssssssss"

QUOTE (Dunt @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 02:03 PM) Im not sure if Im missing a joke here or something, but he is referring to Joey Gallo. I dont know if I could have him and Courtney Hawkins in the same lineup down the road, that might just be too ugly. My Cousin Vinny. Sorry.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 01:24 PM) Gallo might be a pretty realistic target. Massive power but definitely flawed enough that the Rangers might be willing to part with him. It's Jerry Callo, with a C

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 01:29 PM) Danny Knobler ‏@DannyKnoblerCBS 23s Rios went on waivers on Monday. Means White Sox have until tomorrow to trade him or pull back off waivers and keep for rest of season. Hey Fathom...told you Stone knew...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 12:48 PM) Possibly, but only through mutual funds in my 401K. I did pick the "green fund" option and I wonder if Nissan might qualify on that. Seriously, I drove the car early on and liked it quite a bit. One of the features I absolutely loved was the ability to program the heater/AC, you can program it to turn the heater on while it's still on house power so that the car is warm when you get into it but you haven't drained the battery at all. Makes heating/cooling the car a ton more efficient than any other heating/AC system out there. I don't know whether the Volt can do that or not but I absolutely loved that idea. There are a few states, I think Georgia, surprisingly, that offer a $5k state incentive that can be applied towards a lease of the vehicle. I think there was an article a week or two ago showing you could lease a Leaf using the state and federal incentives for nothing more than the cost to charge the vehicle. Not sure if that was truly accurate or not though.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 12:47 PM) There have been no indications that this is true. There are indications in that he wasn't moved at the deadline. Oops, nvm, misinterpreted what you meant.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 12:47 PM) Major flaw in the Leaf is it lacks all of the flexibility of a Volt (e.g., the fact that you can actually go more then 30 miles....albeit using gas...but that is a pretty huge safety net). I dunno if that is a flaw as much as a limitation, but your point still stands.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 12:45 PM) Also, a lot of companies have added electric charging stations in the office parking lots so you may in fact be able to charge the car for free at work. Yeah, we have a bank of them at our building.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 12:43 PM) I almost don't want to tell you this, but GM is looking for a fully redone Volt in the 2015 model year at some point. It might well bring the price down substantially again as well as outperform this version by quite a bit. Right now the Volt is built on another car's platform, which means the battery weight is not well distributed, it's stuck in where space could be found. The next version is supposed to be a fully independent platform for the Volt designed around its specific needs. If your wife's commute is 20-25 a day, and you have another vehicle that you'd use for long distances, have you thought about a Nissan Leaf? It's a bit smaller but a really nice car, it's cheaper than the Volt, they're flying off shelves and many of the tax credits still work. Do you own stock in Nissan?