witesoxfan

And I was looking forward to having a wide range of fans on here. Bastards :finger

There is too much value not to take Rolle. A potential franchise, shutdown CB is not something you pass up at 13, even if it is not your most pressing need.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 04:19 PM) Everett's going to be great for about a month or two. Dye will probably have better counting numbers at the end of the season, Everett the better rate stats with fewer ABs. Everett will make it tough for Ozzie to keep him out of the line-up, He should super platoon him with Rowand & Dye, replacing one of them everytime we face a RH starter. I say you stick him at 3B and laugh at him, but maybe that's just me.

QUOTE(chi-guy2 @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 10:27 PM) nit is boring, until their is a poole for it and money is involved then ill pay attention There was a pool for it up here. I lost $1

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 08:03 PM) Ah, ok, gottcha. You don't see the Bears going WR in round one because you think Edwards will be off the board. Got it. I tend to agree with that. However, if he is there, I'm hoping the Bears take a serious look at him. I have jumped on the bandwagon in a major way. Clearly, he is the #1 WR in the draft. Let it be clear that if he is there at 4, and the Bears don't take him, they would be making a huge mistake. As it is, I see him being taken off the board at 2, and Miami won't make that pick. I think it will be made by either San Diego or Minnesota...and it is hard for me to give the edge to either of those teams in making a trade. Minnesota could trade 7 and 18 to Miami for the #2, but that, to me atleast, does not seem like fair value, when Minnesota could also stay at 7 and probably see Mike Williams fall to them, with the only possible team getting in the way being Tampa Bay. They could also look at 7 and their 2nd rounder to Miami, but then Miami has to consider whether 7 and a 2nd rounder is better then 12 and 28...and I don't think it is. As of right now, I find it hard for Miami and Minnesota to match up in a trade, unless Minnesota thinks future picks are just fine and dandy, in which case I could see like 7 and 18 for 2 and Miami's 2nd rounder next year...because I don't think Miami will be trading a whole lot of picks this year. It will be fun to see what happens in the near future...because there is now a player teams will trade up to get - Braylon Edwards. That could mean very good things for the Bears, very bad things for the Bears, or both. If Minnesota were to trade up to 2, Ronnie Brown would almost certainly make it to 4 then, and it is agreed almost everywhere that he is the best back in the draft. That would also mean Braylon is in Minnesota, which probably wouldn't be good news for Chicago either.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 07:58 PM) Anybody know anything about an irregular heartbeat? I'm not a doctor, but I would venture to guess that it has something to do with your heart not beating in a set rhythm, which is something you want especially when you are being extremely active.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 05:46 PM) I dunno wite. Edwards' stock is really on the rise. He has been impressing the hell out of people. Plus, they are labeling him the only "franchise" wide reciever in the draft. I also don't see Edwards lasting till 4.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 07:05 PM) Still doesn't mean s*** to me! Thanks for posting that I know it doesn't mean s*** to you...that's fine. I have no problem with it.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 07:25 PM) The funny thing is that no one ever even brought up the word "sabermetrics" in this thread. Could it be that because you are a believer in sabermetrics or a "stat-head" that you are defending Neyer at all costs? Why are you attacking Neyer at all costs? He f***ed up...he admitted it. He deserves criticism for f***ing up, which is being given. But now you are attacking him because he picked the White Sox to win the Central? The Twins had one of the worst offseasons in the league - hell, there could be an argument made that they DID have the worst offseason in the majors, with their most expensive signing being Juan Castro - yet people are still picking them to win the division. The Angels also had a very poor offseason too. Their biggest move was bringing in an aged veteran in Steve Finley to play CF after coming off the best year of his career. They signed quite possibly the most overrated player in the majors in Orlando Cabrera to a 4-year, $26 mill deal. They added one starter - slightly above mediocre inning eater Paul Byrd - to a rotation that was filled with mediocrity last year when there was all kinds of SP available in the offseason. They also got rid of a .280 30 100 .850 bargain of a player in Jose Guillen for a 4th OFer and a SS they will never use. Yet they are one of the favorites to win the division. I have given you 3 examples total of how Neyer could very easily be right...teams can have relatively bad offseasons, even while staying quite active in the market, and still be predicted or even favored to win their division. We lost our starting corner OFers, which were a large part of our power supply of the past few years, along with our starting SS. We now have Uribe coming off his first full good season, Iguchi who has never played in the majors, Podsednik who could be a huge fluke...I'm not gonna do this again...but there are arguments as to why the Sox could win, even while having a bad offseason. All I'm gonna say is to lay off Neyer...atleast he predicted the Sox to win the division. Who cares that he f***ed up? He is one of the few to see the truth!

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 06:11 PM) Then explain to me why Neyer is now picking the White Sox to win the A.L. Central after saying that they had one of the 10 worst offseasons in baseball. Sounds pretty ridiculous to me. It's almost like he heard from someone else that the White Sox would be good this season so he just agreed. HACK. look up

His zone rating was also among the best in the league too, but I can't seem to find both his 2004 zone rating and the league leaders for zone rating in 04. IIRC, he had the best zone rating in the AL. Really, the only knocks on Jose defensively are an erratic throwing arm and bad hands.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 05:55 PM) Neyer did not know about the Dye signing and did not even double-check his "sources" yet he still wrote an article saying that the White Sox had one of the 10 worst offseasons in baseball. He allowed this article to be published at ESPN.com. Now he is picking the White Sox to win the A.L. Central? Neyer may not be an utter moron but he is clearly a hack. Some could argue that the A's had quite possibly the worst offseason in the majors. Tear apart the big 3 and have 3 young starters(or maybe 2 young starters and that Japanese pitcher they signed too)? Yet they could also make an argument as to why they will win the division...a very solid offense from 1-9 and a very strong bullpen, to go along with a patchwork rotation will still win a lot of games - just ask Minnesota.

QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 05:07 PM) Yes, I am worried.. for the following reasons.. Contreas.. Is he going to be the pitcher of hype? When are the Sox finally going to sit him down like a 5 year old and say.. You are not allowed to shake anything off, until you can prove you can call your own game.. Hernandez.. A Fly Ball pitcher, pitching in the Cell is not a good Combo also the fact that he has not pitched more than 20 starts, scares me as does his age. Garland.. We all know what to expect.. He is a great Number 5, but would love as most would, to see him do more.. He has the "stuff" still can't mangae to put it together. Garcia.. Which pitcher do we get.. First 1/2 form lof last year or 2nd half? Marky B.. The only concern on him is, his foot. If he plants the wrong way is he going to have it worse than before? Contreras will be the most inconsistent starter in the majors. If he is good, as in a 3.50 ERA or so good, I will be shocked. If his ERA is 4.50, I will be happy. I expect him to be around 5.00. Duque has not pitched more then 20 starts??? I don't know where you are getting that from. Maybe you are thinking of how he has only made 30 starts in his career one time, in 99, when he won 17 games. He last made 20 starts in his last season when he was actually with a team in April - 2002. In 03, with the Expos, he was injured all year, and last year he was signed in about June by the Yankees and was rested down the stretch, due to both the Yankees having essentially clinched the division, and wanting him to be healthy for the playoffs. There is no downside to Garland. He will put up 12 wins and a 4.50 ERA, give or take about .25. Garcia will likely be fine. The only concern with him is his health...that forearm is quite scary, and is not something to be messed around with. Buehrle is fine.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 02:33 PM) Okay, I just don't understand how the Sox defense could be worse this season than last season... 2004 Lineup: 2005 Lineup: 1B Konerko 1B Konerko 2B Uribe 2B Iguchi 3B Crede 3B Crede SS Valentin SS Uribe LF Lee LF Podsednik CF Rowand CF Rowand RF Ordonez RF Dye C Olivo C Pierzynski We are the same defensively at 1B, 3B, and CF. We got slightly worse at 2B from Uribe to Iguchi. We got worse at C from Olivo to Pierzynski. We got alot better at SS from Valentin to Uribe. We got alot better at LF from Lee to Podsednik. We got slightly better at RF from Ordonez to Dye (2000 A.L. Gold Glove). Some may call me crazy, but I personally feel that our defense was better last year then it is this year. Valentin and Uribe are essentially equal(then again, I really like Jose defensively...rarely makes the wrong throw, great range, and a strong arm...the majors knock on him are his hands and his erratic throwing arm). The outfield is slightly upgraded, with more speed in LF, and a stronger arm in RF(however, Maggs range factor has always been a little above average, while Dye's has been right around average or slightly below average his entire career...Maggs being a little faster then Dye probably has something to do with it). And then factor in that Willie started quite a few games at 2B too, and our infield defense was often Crede-Uribe-Harris-Konerko from 3B to 1B. I honestly just don't view us as being better defensively. I would say we are about the same when it comes right down to it...an upgrade here or there, and a downgrade here or there...nothing major. Offensively, I doubt we score as many runs as we have in the past, but we have never had this versatility offensively(assuming everything works correctly). The Sox have almost always been primarily a station to station offense depending on the double or homer. This year, it's not so much. Also, our weakest hitter going into the year is Crede at 3B(or maybe Podsednik, if you want to look at last year as more of reality...I view him finding middle ground, but that's just me)...last year, in the second half of the year, he was the 4th weakest(ahead of Davis, Valentin, and Jomo Berez). I also like our overall depth much more then last year. We have probably 10 guys on the 40 man who can pitch in the pen, 7 or 8 that will be able to start, quite a few outfielders, and a couple catchers too. Our weakest spot is undoubtedly up the middle, and even there, Ozuna isn't like Joe Borchard circa 04 bad, and if they hang onto Willie, he is decent as well.

QUOTE(T R U @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 09:58 AM) Actually since Rivers was traded to the #1 spot he got paid like he was the #1 pick.. according to what they were saying on draft day Him and 3 other picks(IIRC, the Giants 3rd and 5th last year, plus the Giants 1st this year) I know they were saying that on draft day...but I think that was only when looking at the negotiations.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 01:02 PM) I know this is a little late, but it's getting to be obvious that Edwards won't be there for the Titans to pick. You Bears fans will probably get Williams because Edwards has a good chance to be picked ahead of him now. I very highly doubt the Bears go WR in round 1.

They can either go with Spears here to shore up that defense, or get a WR, which is what I said they'd do, and they'd take Williamson, which is not bad value at all.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Mar 30, 2005 -> 08:57 PM) ERA+ is league adjusted ERA -- I dunno if this is what you're looking for, but if I'm not mistaken, this is a way to compare all pitchers, AL and NL, on an equal basis. (So it takes into account park factors -- just because a pitcher has a bad ERA pitching in Colorado won't mean his ERA+ is terrible): Garcia's career ERA+ is 114 (100 is AVG). His career high is 138, and his career low is 96. For reference, Mark Buehrle has a career 125 ERA+, Jon Garland has a career 101 ERA+, and Pedro Martinez has a career 167. I dunno why I picked those three names, just thought it was a good reference point... Shows that Freddy was a very solid pitcher last year, Mark Buehrle has been very solid his entire career, Jon Garland is actually a slightly above average pitcher(barely), and that Pedro Martinez is god...or a really good pitcher - not sure which.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Mar 29, 2005 -> 11:39 PM) just because he was number 4 in last years draft doesnt mean he wouldnt be number 1 in this years.... Last years draft was a lot better and Eli Manning would of gone ahead of any of these QB's. You can't prove that last year's draft was better. Both Rodgers and Smith have had very, very impressive workouts thus far, and both could turn into very good franchise QB's, and just as easily they could both fail at the next level. The same thing can be said for Manning, Rivers, and Losman, the other QB's taken in the first round(that really can't be said for Roethlisberger, and while he is not guaranteed to be very good his entire career, he was exactly what the Steelers needed last year...and starting off your career undefeated in the regular season, something like 14-0, and then only losing for the first time to the eventual Superbowl winner...is a decent start). You can't prove to me that Mike Williams and Braylon Edwards are going to be worse NFLers then Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, or Reggie Williams. It can be agreed by thousands of experts that last year's draft class was deeper in talent overall, but that holds no ground in trade negotiations. Rivers was the 4th overall pick last year(and if wanted, I could also make the argument that Rivers was not the 2nd best QB in that draft. I did think that Roethlisberger was the better QB...however, San Diego wanted Rivers, not Roethlisberger). The 1st overall pick is and always has been worth more then the 4th overall pick. If San Diego were to want the #1 pick, I would think it would take atleast Rivers and 28 overall.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Mar 30, 2005 -> 12:41 PM) It's a no-brainer. Merriman. ^^^ They're in love with this guy. His stock is rising, and he is about perfect for a 3-4 scheme, which is exactly what Dallas is moving into. If he doesn't go at 11, I will eat the eraser of a pencil. On a sidenote...how many things have I said I will eat based on the draft?

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Mar 30, 2005 -> 04:02 PM) There's a clear pattern in this thread when it comes to Burke. Since you can't make an argument based on any REAL numbers you continue to denegrade the man on the believe that in your opinion there's no such thing as a late bloomer. The fact remains that a ton of people have seen Burke play, and they know that he has trouble catching the ball. When you are a catcher, that's probably something you should be good at. I will say...I like Burke. I like his stick, I like him defensively(other then the fact that he can't catch the ball sometimes), and he seems like a good guy off the bench. But he is probably the 26th man on a 25 man roster.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Mar 29, 2005 -> 09:30 PM) actually i dont think it would cost any of the chargers 1st round picks... maybe a 2nd or 3rd to sweeten the deal but not any of their 1sts. Like was said b4 Rivers is more of a prospect than Rodgers or Smith so 49ers win anyways... they also dont get stuck paying a big signing bonus. Rivers was also drafted 4th overall. This is the #1 pick overall. I could see either Rivers+12 for the #1, or Rivers+28 for the #1...I can't see just Rivers straight up for the #1. I do find it interesting that the thought of San Diego moving up comes into play. I could see them moving up to anywhere in the top 4, and all 4 spots essentially guarantees them Braylon Edwards. I will also say that the only 2 that help the Bears would be San Diego moving up to 2 and 4.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Mar 29, 2005 -> 01:05 PM) RIP Not much else I could think of...so I guess I just let you handle it. RIP...and prayers out to the Casey family.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Mar 29, 2005 -> 04:44 PM) Makes a whole lot of sense to me. They could probably plug Rivers in as the starting quarterback immediately. The Niners don't have to make this move, but if they feel more comfortable with Rivers than either Rodgers or Smith, they should do it. Personally, I really like what Rivers brings to the table and I think he could do very well in SF. They really need the new face of the organization, Rivers could work. Keeping the pick and taking either of Smith or Rodgers would work well for them too. If it is true that the offer is on the table and that San Diego would make the move, that helps San Fran out a lot...they can weigh a ton of their options. Not only would that trade hurt both Rodgers and Smith's stock, but it would help Williams, Williamson, and Clayton's stocks immensely.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Mar 28, 2005 -> 11:52 PM) Yes How strong can you be with 31 ppd on a forum I would imagine his fingers are pretty strong from typing and clicking. Maybe he could poke you to death?