iamshack

The issue here is that some people seem to be arguing this logical proof: Some players are affected by negative treatment by the fans. The team has significantly underperformed at home versus on the road this season. Ergo, the team has significantly underperformed at home versus on the road this season because of negative treatment by the fans. There is nowhere near enough evidence to support that conclusion. It's a fallacy. Carry on.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 12:09 PM) A good captain would call out his players for struggling in front of the GM or in front of the media? Well, if PK has been calling out players in private, it has never, ever been mentioned by anyone.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 12:10 PM) I will, because I'm a fan that wants the team to begin to make the correct moves, not a fan who will gladly make any excuse to allow the team to continue down the wrong path. The biggest issue with this viewpoint is fans, at least the vast vast vast majority, don't know what the correct moves are either. I always get a chuckle out of the arrogance of the fans that think they have all the answers...

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 12:06 PM) No, but there can be a nice middle ground. It seems to me that Konerko has the same mindset as the management and front office of just waiting it out. Remember when it was said that Konerko/Dye/Thome told KW to not make any moves and that the team was fine when a move or two would've obviously helped the team? A good captain would say what was necessary, and he would get into someone's face for lack of hustle and such. Konerko himself doesn't even seem to hustle that much, but he might just be that slow. I really don't think that Konerko is the kind of guy that would pull another player aside to chide them, but more of just a nice guy that nobody has a problem with. I agree...I don't like PK and Mark as our "leaders." I understand they are good clubhouse guys, but this team has been lacking a killer instinct since, umm, forever, and it makes you wonder if this is the reason why...

If there is anything we can point to that is actually a significant data point here it is Carlos Quentin's production at home versus on the road. He has a .717 OPS at home versus a 1.004 OPS on the road.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 10:32 AM) This conversation is humorous. The players are grown men, playing a game, making millions of dollars. And the fans booing when they strike out or give up a bunch of runs is going to make them play worse next time? Give me a break. Well we do need to remember they are human beings. And I do think some players are more sensitive to it than others. I think it's fairly clear that athletes do enjoy being supported and inspired by the fans. And I wouldn't doubt if many of them do have a desire to please the fans. So I would not be shocked if Adam Dunn feels more pressure in front of the home crowd to perform well. I would not be shocked if that causes him to press. It's human nature, regardless of what their paycheck says at the end of the week. I just don't think that the disparity between the home and road performance can really be blamed on the fans. Very slightly influenced, perhaps, but not a materially significant cause.

I don't like the constant bellyaching about it, but I do enjoy keeping up with Hudson's exploits in Arizona. Let me ask this question though...how would we all feel about this deal and the series of deals that have recently occurred if Stewart ends up being similar in effectiveness to Hudson?

Happy birthday Pittshoganerkoff! Enjoy your day!

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 09:32 AM) Has Bob Brenly been brought up? If not, I would like to cast my vote for him. I like Brenly, but I would be interested to see which side of the fence he falls on when it comes to following advanced metrics and data. I have been pulling for Dave Martinez for months, but wow, it is incredible to hear how frustrated Rays' fans get with Maddon due to his enslavement to statistics and data. You start to wonder if some of the more data-oriented managers might swing too far to the other side of the pendulum. I do know that I would love to see our current front office work with a manager and coaching squad that is data-oriented rather than "gut" oriented or "this is the way it's always been done" oriented.

I could develop quite a thick skin if I was making 9 or 10 figures a year, I know that much. A lot of people have very stressful jobs, and they do just fine with them. They even excel at them. I work at a job where if I screw up, even just a little bit, the lights might be turned off in Las Vegas. I manage to handle it just fine. For whatever reason, Carlos Quentin has been terrible at home this year. But Alex Rios has actually been quite a bit better at home versus on the road. Gordon Beckham has been horrible at home. Juan Pierre has been very solid at home. AJ has been terrible on the road. There just really isn't much rhyme or reason to it.

As far as I'm concerned, if you take to Twitter to criticize other people, there no longer are any professional courtesies expected. Twitter is basically the wild west in terms of opining on topics/people/etc., so as long as Valentine chooses to use that medium, he should expect this kind of response.

I don't care if he is communing with the dead...I just want him to hit...the guy has so much talent.

I do find it fairly incredible that he swings the bat as much as he does and yet only has 1 home run. However, I guess Joe Mauer only has 1 home run too. I want to see good baserunning and fundamentals out of our young players more so than immediate above-average statistical production. So tired of the mental errors.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 7, 2011 -> 02:02 AM) Rios, based on the last 2-3 weeks, would cost us even more (in lost season ticket sales) than Dunn. Everyone knows we have to have a LH bat in the line-up somewhere supplying power. We know his track record and have seen the back of his baseball card. But fans won't suffer a lazy player with a cavalier attitude (seemingly) who's too proud or stubborn to make the adjustments necessary to make himself a better player again with that guaranteed contract. He's going to have to throw out nights like tonight CONSISTENTLY over the next 7-8 weeks for any fans to believe 1) he should come back again, 2) he could actually be a starter or gasp leadoff hitter for this team in 2012. I think that is more a perception than the reality of Alex...I know I am in the minority, but I do think he cares, and I do think he is frustrated...I just don't think he wants you to see it.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 09:59 PM) What do you 'rebuilding' lovers want the Sox to do then? Trade trade trade in acquiring prospects like KC does? What's wrong with keeping the pitching staff and working on the lineup via free agency? The Sox could have been smart and acquired Francour on the cheap this year and he'd have been EONS better than Dunn. If teams won't take 1/2 the salary of Rios/Dunn then I'm sorry, you have to simply release Dunn and let Rios be the fourth outfielder. By starting both of them, we are assured another season from hell. That's 2/9s of the order with both players batting in the 4-6 range in the lineup. Just way too big of black holes. Rios can sit and sulk; maybe he's lazy enough he won't mind sitting the pine and earning his money; Dunn we'll just have to cut if nobody will take him off our hands for 1/2 the salary. Do you understand what happens when you start cutting players with 2 and 3 and 4 years left on their contract? Especially when someone else then signs that player for the minimum, and 3 months later their playing well for another team while YOU are still paying for 95% of their contract? How would you like to be paying Dunn $13.5 million next year while he plays for the Nationals and hits 40 home runs again? Then you'll be in here telling us all how incredibly stupid it was to designate him for assignment so another team can bear the fruits of our labor (and on our dime, too). When you sign a player to a long-term deal or acquire another player with a lot of money and years remaining on his contract you take a calculated risk that he will perform and you have to be willing to have that player on your roster for the long haul. You can't just cut bait after one or two bad seasons. Now I don't know what the hell is wrong with Dunn but I do know that he has been one of the most consistent players in the major leagues over the course of the last several years. While this may be a lost year, and a very costly year for the White Sox, you've got to count on him to bounce back next season.

I met him a few years ago out in Vegas at the Winter Meetings. He is very nice and was very unguarded.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 08:58 PM) All we can do is hope, he looked better tonight. He also threw the bat in anger on his final ab, think thats the first time Ive seen him show some emotion. Maybe hes realizing that hes career is slipping away, who knows but a good Alex Rios would be a miracle for the Sox. He's actually thrown his bat quite often this season. I am not buying this guy as someone who doesn't try or doesn't put in effort, I think he's just a bit of a head case. Let's just hope he can build some confidence and start turning things around.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 01:38 PM) You are not going to fix this mess KW has gotten us in overnight. I was not trying to imply that. What irks me is that because the division is so bad and that we still 'technically' had a good chance of getting back in it blinded some and, more importantly KW, into thinking this team had a shot. I love baseball. One of the main reasons is because baseball 9 times out of 10 tells you the truth. If you're at or below .500 100+ games into the season, chances are you're not very good. They should've gone full-blown sell mode. I didn't need to see the massacre that was Boston/NY to know this team is not good. I already knew that. Now our top trade chips are either a year away from FA or overpaid. I guess it's just a difference in philosophy. I would rather try and still win since we are going to be paying all this money and the division is weak, but that's just me...

Quentin would just try to pull all of Pavano's low and outside fastballs and end of grounding out 3 times and striking out once.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 12:55 PM) Doesn't matter what fathom thinks. Point is KW didn't think it was over. Otherwise CQ, Thornton and others more than likely wouldn't be here. It doesn't require a really high I.Q. to realize that relying on Peavy/Humber for the long haul is probably a bad idea. I don't know what happened to KW. I thought he was a top 5 GM in baseball a few years ago. But man is he awful now. You've got to look at the bigger picture a bit more. Tell me how you're going to rebuild RIGHT NOW with the salaries we're committed to over the next 2-3 years. We'd still be on the hook for $80 million in salary for about 6-7 players. To me, it makes more sense to keep around guys like Thornton and hope our players actually perform next year than to shave $5-6 million and still have a swollen payroll.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 09:05 AM) Roger Bossard can fix this (assuming he hasn't tried already, I don't know). I believe they have determined his price is too expensive to pay.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 07:49 AM) If the Sox were 2 games out and not 7 games, I'd be livid about this. KW basically traded away our starting pitching depth when he let go of Jackson, even though he knew Peavy and Humber were extremely fragile. Not even 10 days later, he's having to push back one of those guys and we're relying on a minor leaguer to come up and pitch. The mistakes KW continues to make are shocking. Do you think Jackson was dealt strictly to get us back on the 5-man rotation?

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 11:43 AM) Over the past few weeks I've been watching Breaking Bad, and I'm hooked. I'm about halfway through the 3rd season now and it's just been fantastic. Two things I just don't like so far: 1) Skylar, she turned into a mega b**** 2) Hank, they are killing his character's personality that I loved in the first two seasons. I agree....but this is the corner they pointed themselves into making Skylar such a dope and Hank a DEA agent whose brother-in-law happens to be the best meth cook in the entire southwest. Keep watching though, Skylar's character does get a little better. I'm on season 4 of the Shield, and I am just wondering if the guy who plays Captain Aceveda, Benito Martinez, gets a little frustrated with the role they continue to create for his character. I would not be a huge fan of having to play that role if I were a successful actor...

QUOTE (qwerty @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 11:48 AM) Awesome film. I had been waiting for this film for two plus years now. Not for everyone. Pushes the envelope in many regards. I repeat not for everyone. Open minded people only apply. What is the plot, Qwerty? Watched Limitless the other day. I know it was pretty much your typical major studio production, but I really enjoyed the ending. Caught me off guard. And Bradley Cooper was good as usual.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 07:04 AM) If anything, I like Tebow and LeBron more now. Hoge is a total moron. I can't stand him and don't know how anybody can. Well someone has to actually look at reality when it comes to Tebow. The Broncos' beat reporters in Denver are admitting Tebow isn't even close to Orton in practice, and honestly is getting beaten out by Brady Quinn. So now Hoge is an ass because he is pointing out that Tebow lacks any actual NFL quarterbacking skills?