iamshack

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2011 -> 08:41 AM) Problem is the author makes the same mistake that he accuses pro-sabr people of making; he provides zero evidence except for a brief foray into discussing triples, without even analyzing why triples are such an odd stat. He just doesn't like the sabr people but he doesn't have any good reason why either. Did you actually read the article? Did you miss the part about not being able to actually run experiments?

DA, fess up...how do you know/did you meet Walker? We all know that's what this is about.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 23, 2011 -> 07:18 AM) Damn. Sorry Mark. No worries...was kind of nervous about getting it...kinda disappointed about not getting it...it would have been a massive project...might have just narrowly avoided a big mistake. I'll end up with something good, I know that much.

Well, put in the highest bid I felt comfortable with, and it went down to the wire, but lost out on the Sonny Liston money pit to a cash buyer. Hopefully the buyer puts the money into the home to restore it (and restore it somewhat originally). Back to the drawing board...grr

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 21, 2011 -> 07:29 AM) Inge's contract has $5.5 mil for 2012 still on the books. Claiming him would involve picking up that money. Let him clear waivers. Then he has to decide what to do. He can go to the Tigers minor league system if he wants to stay there, or he can sign elsewhere for the minimum with the Tigers paying what remains on his deal. I'd take him for the minimum if he were willing. Inge might be interesting for us because he would allow us to keep him as our backup catcher. Otherwise, isn't he basically Brent Morel right now?

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jul 21, 2011 -> 11:54 AM) If he is so bad, why does the radio station pay him? If he is in breach by hanging up and being a dick, why dont they fire him? The answer to those questions is, more people listen to a radio show when there is conflict, than when everyone is talking about rainbows and butterflies. The radio hosts asked Don Cooper a stupid question, I dont care how other people in different jobs may answer, most of you dont get interviewed on radio and have every word you say on record. The reason they asked the question was to hopefully trip him up. They werent asking the question hoping Cooper gave a vanilla answer or said "Im the pitching coach", they were hoping hed go on a tirade about how his staff is dynamite and Ozzie/Kw are screwing things up over a stupid fight on Viciedo. Cooper realizes "its a trap" goes off and hangs up. Not sure how this is shocking. Agreed, but he has to be able to navigate those waters a little better if he is going to put himself in that position.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 21, 2011 -> 11:47 AM) I agree with this. My stance is that he ALWAYS acts like this, and even moreso when you ask him questions about the pitching staff. Buried in that article is a quote about how he reacted when he was asked about Humber, it wasnt much better although he stayed on the phone. Like i said, if you dont like people asking you a question about your job, then dont agree to the contract that pays you to call in and comment on your job. He treats the media like s***. He used to really bully Rongey too Yeah, he didn't go to the Ozzie Guillen school of how to handle the media brilliantly, that's for sure... I do like him sticking up for his pitchers at times though...because honestly, these sports radio guys, for the most part, are pretty ignorant. They probably didn't watch Humber's outing against Detroit, because they were at a BBQ or something. This has been the state of Chicago sports reporting for the better part of the last 10-15 years now, other than for a very limited few. Humber didn't have a bad outing versus Detroit; he did have a bad inning. If the guy is going to ask the question, he should probably at least check out the box score.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jul 21, 2011 -> 11:45 AM) Exactly. But he angrily hung up and I think that shows the overall demeanor of the clubhouse. They're all very angry at the lack of performance and, I'm assuming, not all of them believe in this "stick to the same group of guys" formula. Yeah, I agree...but I think it's pretty clear that Ozzie/Kenny/Coop have been this way for awhile now. It's news on an off day, not much else.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 21, 2011 -> 11:36 AM) Not really. It's not like he wears blinders to work and leaves the dugout whenever the team is batting. Yeah guys, but put yourself in Cooper's position...if he says anything of substance really, he is going to get talked to by management. He should have just said he doesn't comment on the offensive side of things, other than to give them positive reinforcement, and let that be the end of it.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 21, 2011 -> 11:20 AM) I dont care if his end of the deal is performing, this is not the first time Cooper has acted like this. In fact, pretty much every time I have ever heard him on the radio he has acted like a jerk. If you dont want to do interviews, dont cash the check they are paying you for appearances. He very obviously is annoyed with having to be interviewed, pretty much every time he gets interviewed. the only time I ever heard him in a somewhat good mood was when they did a live broadcast from a bar Now imagine him dealing with the media in NY if he goes to the Yankees...

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 20, 2011 -> 06:20 PM) Jermaine Dye. Jim Thome was hurt in 2005. I'm sure he will use Frank Thomas as one of his examples. Alexei Ramirez was much better than advertised. Carlos Quentin was a bust in AZ and may have been MVP in 2008 in not for a fluke injury. Uribe was great his first season after being run out of Colorado. There are many. If Walker was half as pitiful as most say he is, there would be some players in his 8 years that went on to become much better when they got away from him. You're naming players that had been very good prior to ever working with Walker. So those are the guys who didn't completely suck while they worked with him? Juan Uribe is your shining example? Dye, Thome, and Thomas had all been multiple-time all stars prior to ever meeting Greg Walker. Alexei, in my opinion, has been basically exactly what the scouting reports out of Cuba said he would be. Q was a first round draft pick who was injured for a great deal of his time in AZ. He was dealt because of a numbers crunch situation, not because anyone proclaimed him to be a bust.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 20, 2011 -> 06:08 PM) Who? Swisher is one, but he did not work with Walker. That is a fact. Its one reason the Sox got rid of him. I hope you don't say Wilson Betemit. He batted 45 times for the White Sox. I can name a few pitchers that flourished after leaving the Sox and Don Cooper walks on water. I think Walker would be a lot more popular if he got hammered and went on talk radio. But can you name any hitters that were absolute garbage before coming here and flourished under Walker's tutelage?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 01:11 PM) I would have said that about starting pitching last year. Again, agreed. But I have to believe Kenny is feeling as much burned by that trade as many here...

QUOTE (Baron @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 01:11 PM) I think everyone has to remember that they were willing to trade Viciedo before. Wouldnt surprise me to see him gone for a top reliever. But they supposedly were very careful about him last trade deadline...I don't doubt for a second that he would be traded for what was deemed the "right" player...but I think Kenny has learned that a reliever is not that player.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 01:05 PM) How do people think we're going to outbid other teams who are desperate for relief pitching and get Bell or Adams (maybe top two relievers available) with our miserable farm system without having to give up Viciedo? Andy Wilkins...really? Each team probably has 2 players like him in their minor league system. I don't think Kenny will see the need to be as great as the price ultimately requires.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 12:56 PM) You better believe it's Viciedo going to the Padres if we get Bell or Adams. I don't think Kenny would make that mistake.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 01:44 PM) Sounds like a fun but almost overwhelming choice. I would bring in a contractor if possible to see if you can get an estimate in how much it would take to fix the place up, then find a price your comfortable paying and go from there. I would set a limit and stick to it, otherwise you could get in some financial trouble. They had an FHA inspector go through it and say it needs $50k worth of work. A house flipper went through it and estimated $125k for a full restoration. I don't doubt either number. If I was to get it at just under the list price, which is probably what it will take, I can stomach putting about $75k into it within the next 6 months. Further work would require me to put in $10-15k annually. To reach the point at which the flipper is estimating, it would probably take 3-4 years for me to reach, in my estimation, which is ok by me. I am very particular, and so I realize I am going to be dumping money into any home I buy for a few years. This isn't going to be a "starter home," as the market in Vegas will likely be depressed for years to come and seeing any kind of profit in the immediate future is probably unrealistic. So it's going to be my home for many years, barring some job offer or other event which is enticing enough for me to move. The risk is that the value of homes in the neighborhood continues to drop to the point where I become vastly underwater due to the cost of renovations/remodeling. However, at this price, and with the money I am looking to put into the home, I think it will increase it's value to something similar to what I will have into it. There are several amazing homes on the same block, and very close by are the previous homes of Johnny Carson/Joe Louis, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, and several other celebrities from the past. The home has golf course frontage on the course that partially hosted Tiger Woods' first PGA victory. It was the home course of the Rat Pack back in the day, where they used to gamble and hang out afterwards in the clubhouse. Just some really cool history, and I would think even in Las Vegas, there will always be people who choose to honor those memories.

So while I am waiting on the short sale I have a contingent offer on, I have continued looking at properties at the advice of my realtor. I have been stalking an older neighborhood which was home to many of the old school Vegas celebrities in past. The neighborhood is populated with many mid-century modern homes that were designed by the architecture firm of Palmer and Krisel, who were noted for their work in Palm Springs, CA, hotbed of mid-century modern architecture. Anyways, not many of the homes have been preserved well and many have been downright ruined by boring, contemporary remodels. I found one home, however, that is located on the Las Vegas National GC (the centerpiece for this master-planned community when it was first designed). It is truly a money pit. Would be a momentous project. However, it is in the exact location I desire, has golf course frontage, and a pool (although it needs a complete restoration). The inside of the home is somewhat bizarre, with bathrooms built into the design of many of the bedrooms. The master bedroom actually has a shower right inside it. Someone began the renovation and then ran out of patience and abandoned the project, which an investor then bought. It has quite a bit of history to it, being the former home of Sonny Liston and Debbie Reynolds. And also an orthopedic surgeon by the name if Ivan Mindlin, who was part of "The Computer Group," the first collection of bettors to use a computer to predict the outcomes of football and basketball games. Mindlin made millions in the early eighties before being arrested by the FBI for gambling and racketeering charges over interstate lines. The investor that owns it now is holding firm on his price, which is more than I would like to pay considering it is a colossal project in it's present form, but I can't get it off my mind. I am incredibly intrigued by vintage Vegas history, and this home and neighborhood offer both in large doses. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 12:50 PM) I wouldn't call it an accident, it's a direct result of the fact that we have 6 starters, most of whom tend to work deep into games, and who Ozzie always gives a chance to earn a win (like it or not). I checked this last offseason...Every year that Ozzie has been here the Sox have been at or near the top of the league in innings from their starters and at or near the bottom of the league in innings from the bullpen. Crain's in the worst possible situation for usage...the only reliable righty in a bullpen filled with lefties, and he's still only gotten mildly heavy use. I agree with all of the above. I think he would see more use if we were a better ballclub, however.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 12:34 PM) It's probably on accident Yeah, it's because we are still under .500. The Braves, for whom Jonny Venters pitches, are about 25 games over .500, which means they have probably been in quite a few more close and late situations than us, in which a pitcher like Crain or Venters would be utilized most.

Hah, I love the one "what happened to the last person who held this job"? "Uhh, he's dead...couldn't hack it..." In all honestly I agree with BS and Steve...find out what challenges are facing that industry/company and ask how they intend to overcome them. One never wants to be the "outsider" who thinks he knows more about the industry than those inside it, however, it is impressive when you have a good handle on what the company is facing in the near future. One question I like to ask is "What does the ideal candidate for this position look like"? This is great for negotiating an offer because you have info straight from the horse's mouth as to what qualities/experience they value most.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 19, 2011 -> 11:08 AM) MLBTraderumors.com is everything that's wrong with sports news & the internet No, it really isn't...but people refuse to use it for what it is...mlbtradeRUMORS. It's not mlb.com, and it's not Ken Rosenthal. It's a compilation of rumors collected from newspapers and a small number of insiders that have been vetted by Tim Dierkes. That's it. That's all. Just use it for what it is.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 17, 2011 -> 08:45 PM) Then that is a decent indictment of our coaching staff. Or a completely different situation entirely. Tougher hitters, more pressure, etc.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Jul 17, 2011 -> 08:21 PM) What has Jackson ever done in post-season? The Sox have an enigmatic pitcher that will probably be employed elsewhere next year. For every Hermanson, Jenks, Thornton and Humber Kenny pulls, there are stupid trades like those that should be factored in. The Hudson/Jackson swap really made no sense. In fact it was stupid in my view...lets trade a good pitcher who is cheap and under our control for the next few years for another good pitcher who will be somewhere else in 2012. And as far as this grand hope for post-season success...we have no more evidence that one can count on Jackson in post-season than you can count on Hudson. Watching Hudson and Gio Gonzalez work gems today was just painful. I don't think this trade will ever been proven "worth it" in my view. Honestly, I'm shocked Sale hasn't been shipped off for some over-rated, aging and/or inconsistent 'name'. Don't take what I said out of context. I didn't say "watch Edwinmania take over the world and prove Kenny was right all along." I said Edwin's stuff will play better in the postseason, meaning when it's 52 and chilly and he's running 95 mph in on your hands, he could be a dangerous SP to ride... And I said should that happen, the trade might have proven worth it. Of course, I know many of you believe Hudson would have taken the same path with us as he has with Arizona. I don't.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 14, 2011 -> 09:31 AM) Dang. Didn't make the final cut for a Director position with Nordstrom in Seattle. Oh well. Have a final interview with another reputable organization tomorrow though. Got your message bud....hold out hope for the other reputable organization ...I think that is still an awesome opportunity! Keep your head up!