35thstreetswarm

I'd hire like 30 new Chevy Pride Crew members (build on a strength--can never have too many), then buy a bunch of old people to sit at the top of the lower-bowl aisles, like at Wrigley, maybe dress them in funny/adorable costumes. Bring Wally the White Sox Wolf out of retirement as a backup mascot and call it an offseason.

I'm really glad we've established that Andrew Vaughn and Cody Bellinger are not the same person. Remember when that guy used the equals sign in his post? Hahaha! That was so wrong! Cody Bellinger is an established player and Andrew Vaughn is a prospect! So much for the equals sign!!! Looks like they don't "equal" each other at all, hmm?! They are also different people inside totally different bodies. They live in different houses. They even live in different states! Imagine using an equals sign! I get what you're saying, michelangelosmonkey. Psyched to dream about Vaughn in the lineup for the foreseeable future, and appreciate the difference between quoting a one-sentence blurb from a fluff baseball prospect list and publishing in a peer-reviewed journal.

I see. Well, MLB should do everything in its power to stop it. Theft will also never stop. Neither will murder. Doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything we can to deter and punish them. If you just keep repeating "it's not realistic to try and stop" bad behavior you're really walking a fine line between worldly realism and apologism.

What exactly are you getting at? That it's pointless to police cheating? That its prevalence makes it excusable? You must be saying something more than "cheating exists in baseball, and there's lots of incentive to cheat." Everybody knows that.

Pretty impressive that Farquhar was the guy to figure this out. The more I read about Farquhar -- his work with pitchers while he was playing, his recovery from the terrifying brain issue -- the more impressed I am. He strikes me as a really smart, thoughtful, and interesting guy, and I'm glad he's in our organization.

I "don't know" which of the things I said in the post: what the poll says, or that there's no evidence Hinch has been rehabilitated? The poll says what it says. Hinch's punishment was handed down like 24 hours ago -- as you say, he hasn't even served his time yet, and unless you have footage of him being visited by three spirits overnight it's a stretch to say you have evidence he's been "rehabilitated" in the last few hours. If somebody is saying they want Hinch immediately on the heels of his suspension and firing for cheating they simply don't care about having a cheater as a manager--they don't care about "rehabilitation." Don't be obtuse.

Are we reading the same poll? Because the one at the top of this page says "hire AJ Hinch and fire Ricky?"

Nice try, but the poll just suggests hiring AJ Hinch and firing Ricky. There's no evidence anybody was "rehabilitated." Just that they were caught.

The results of this poll are depressing, but I guess not surprising and the percentages are in line with analogous polling on other topics. There's just a sizeable minority of amoral people out there.

Such great memories, and what a great season. In my experience Sox fans are far too modest when they talk about that postseason and its place in baseball history. Not only the 4 complete games (which I agree will never be matched), but the *best postseason record in baseball history.* (I also read that it was the biggest run differential, though I admit I haven't researched that one). Nobody in the long history of the sport ever plowed through the playoffs like the Sox did. Nobody. It was the most dominating postseason ever. Sox fans seem to have bought into the idea that there was something fluky about that team, (and by other measures maybe there was), but October 2005 was no fluke. Nobody's ever done it better.

The Cubs played the service time game with Bryant in 2015 and went to the NLCS. I don't think that was because the Cubs somehow decided not to compete.

He stands a fair chance of being better than a “fifth starter”

I'd be cool with another 6.5 WAR season ala 2017.

We have similar backgrounds, although my "competitive" playing was pretty unofficial. I was a Blanka/Guile guy. Ah the era of the "public arcade" -- when kids challenged strangers in person in front of an audience rather than over the internet - we'll never see its likes again. (Although we do have gaming tournaments in stadiums that hold thousands).

No, Ken’s shoryyken uppercut moved across the screen, while Ryu’s went straight up, covering far less distance. Which made Ryu a pale imitation of the guy you really wanted. Wait...

I think a lot of people would have even a couple months ago, when it was conventional wisdom that 2020 was a year early. But the quick Grandal signing followed by the Wheeler sweepstakes gave everyone (me included) 2020 fever. In any event, it is indeed clear they’re not serious about spending yet.

Ozuna is a two-time all-star with a 6 WAR season *two years ago.* If we're willing to project Mazara to produce beyond anything he's ever achieved before, seems only fair to be willing to project alternative players to perform at a level they have actually achieved.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

I hate the Cubs and their fans as much as anybody, but yes--it was.

According to BaseballReference he had a 6.1 WAR season in 2017 -- two seasons ago.

Really hoping this happens. Also surprised folks aren't more pumped about the possibility of Ozuna. He's a masher still in his 20s with a 6 WAR ceiling and a gold glove. It seems like his stock has fallen around here over the last year for some reason (maybe it's the shoulder), and I don't get it.

Takeaway: Sox plan to do good things that make sense. If things make sense when taking many factors into account, they’ll do them.

It would be beyond disappointing—it would be a concession that even in the best of circumstances we are a second rate franchise. That said, I’m not ready to give up on the Sox being in on Strasburg.

That makes more sense—the offers were pretty close.

Agreed. It's not like he's Stephen Strasburg for example.