witesoxfan

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 30, 2013 -> 11:36 AM) Wouldn't you like to know. HA

QUOTE (Jillian Michaels' Abs @ May 30, 2013 -> 11:16 AM) Clearly Hawk doesnt have TWTW if he is "out sick". Where's the fire and passion? Where's the will to win? C'mon Hawk! Your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ May 30, 2013 -> 10:47 AM) I have no idea why Travis Wood has had so much success this year. He just keeps batters off the bases and gets contacts out. Fastball sits at 88-90, change up is lagging and slider/cutter is average. Because 1) He's stranding 5% more runners than he generally has at any point in his career 2) Only 6% of the flyballs he allows are leaving the ballpark (compared to 8.6% for his career and the typical league average of 10%) 3) He's getting more ground balls (which is an indication of a maturing pitcher and is a factor in him improving) 4) His LD% is down by 5% from previous years (which is likely not sustainable) 5) His BABIP is an absurdly low .211 (the league average is .292 and has been the 4 years he's been in the majors). Your primary areas of regression within these numbers are your LD% and your BABIP. As teams make adjustments, those numbers will start creeping towards league and career averages, and that ERA of like 1.03 will start to normalize.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 30, 2013 -> 10:47 AM) I have noticed Hawk getting some words garbled from time to time this year. I hope he's alright. I didn't hear him on Tuesday, but there is something going around. Whatever it is keeping him away, I hope it's nothing more than a sore throat. I was just going to ask if he chewed or still chews tobacco.

Konerko, Viciedo, and Keppinger are all going deep today

If you lived in Minnesota you would have been pulled from the womb with two hockey sticks, had your umbilical cord cut with a skate, gotten 2 minutes for crying after getting spanked, and been in pads by the time you left the NICU.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:44 AM) bastardo. I thought you weren't serious, but I also thought, some people are. So there are some reasons for those screaming and yelling. To be fair, it was a really well done summary.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:00 AM) I think we already have a megaposter that will do that [insert image of Steve's face photoshopped over Megatron]

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:20 AM) please point these reasons out to me NAO PLZ KTHX

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ May 29, 2013 -> 10:24 PM) Drafted in '05 but didn't pitch in the minors until '10... http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/p...id=romans001jos Drafted in 2005 but didn't sign. Drafted in 2008 and signed with the Brewers. Had Tommy John prior to the 2009 season and was released by Milwaukee in the offseason (seems awfully soon to release a 4th rounder). Yankees signed him, had mixed results. If nothing else, it looks like he has a good arm. Pretty sure I said this in the Cody Puckett thread, but I like moves like this, and Romanski apparently has a live arm at the very least. Most likely nothing happens, but there's always a chance.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ May 30, 2013 -> 12:22 AM) I didn't know he was platooning with another catcher. Guess that changes it.. He should be playing almost everyday if they are at all serious about him Pretty sure this statement answers itself then

QUOTE (mataipaepae @ May 29, 2013 -> 11:09 PM) yes, but even during the sweep you could still see this teams holes. and the sweep came to the inept marlins. not something to pin your season on. And two losses in three days isn't either. Jesus, just relax a bit. If they win a few games in June and guys show signs of life, add some pieces to the team. If not, sell a few off. It's not the end of the world either way. I don't want to waste this pitching staff, but it's generally going to be together next year again, so maybe gear up and make a run then.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2013 -> 04:41 PM) You might want to go back and check your dates. We would have won the 2008 World Series with those 2 moves, even without Quentin down the stretch, assuming Rios hit. I'm not sure how much Jones really helped...he was serviceable, but anything he did was negated by Kotsay. Rios didn't help in 2009/2011 when he was really needed. Peavy was hurt for most of his Sox career (until 2012). Javy was a huge disappointment, we would have been better off with Chris Young. Contreras was signed to a long-term deal that he never lived up to for various reasons (obviously, he won a World Series and was the best pitcher in baseball from August 05 through May 06). If you go back over that list, we didn't get anything back for any of those players, in the end. The closest was the rumored Dye/Bailey move, but Rios' mid-season acquisition in 2009 basically forced JD off the team and set back team chemistry down the stretch. My bad, made a typo, I'm human. Regarding the down years, players have bad years from time to time. Rios has had two memorably bad stretches for the Sox, but I don't think anyone is going to look at his time with the White Sox in a bad light. Same exact thing with Peavy and Contreras. In fact, what got Contreras was that sciatica, because he was still rolling well into 2006 too before that set in. Vazquez was a huge disappointment, and you'll find no argument with me there, because I was probably his biggest supporter on the board for a while. Really, the three biggest high cost moves that have hurt the Sox from Williams' tenure have been Dunn, Swisher, and Vazquez, and they've all been for different reasons. Oh, and Jermaine Dye's degrading talent is what forced him off the team - he had a .590 OPS in the second half of 2009 - and Rios was merely a replacement. What forced him into retirement was his inability to deal with being a guy who gets 300-400 plate appearances in a season rather than playing full time.

QUOTE (JoshPR @ May 29, 2013 -> 03:55 PM) Austin Jackson was developed by the Tigers I don't think there's any way you can say that. He was the #41 (2008) #36 (2009), and #76 (2010) prospect in the minors while a member of the Yankees organization. That's similar to saying that Conor Gillaspie has been developed by the White Sox.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2013 -> 02:33 PM) Hey, I'm sure all of us are more than willing to roll with the "just add to the payroll" approach, but how likely is that? It doesn't square with the last decade, with the exception of the Dunn/Rios/Peavy acquisitions. And giving Danks an extension. We'll add to the payroll at the All-Star break, but aren't quick to take on long-term commitments. As Dick mentioned, they added Peavy and Rios during 2008. Contreras was another big one where the Yankees really didn't chip in much money and all the Sox gave up was Esteban Loaiza. I'm sure the Sox could have given up a better prospect to get the Dodgers to pay for more of Pierre's salary too. They also took on most of Thome's salary too, but that was after a World Series, so it is slightly different. If the Sox feel there is value in the player and they can right the ship, they will absolutely acquire them. Not saying Weeks is going to be a target, but he really is the type of player the Sox have targeted in the past decade (going back, Liriano, Youkilis, Rios, Peavy, Putz, Dye (twice), Andruw Jones, Thome, Vazquez, Contreras, Pierzynski...the recent history of this franchise is littered with them picking up or retaining guys while their value is low and then seeing regression take place and reaping the rewards. And, on the contrary, they've been pretty good about staying away from guys when they believe the price to be too much. The only time I think they've really failed on that was Thome in 2010, because having him in the lineup over Kotsay while keeping him out of the Twins lineup is really what made the difference in the division that season.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ May 29, 2013 -> 12:29 PM) The problem is that our system is so bereft of talent that we have the least amount to offer teams in trades. Right now, there is probably only one player we have that you can say very likely will be an solid ML player (Johnson). I also don't believe Hahn is going to be as reckless in trading cost-controlled players as KW was, especially with starting pitching where average pitchers are getting $10 million per season. Granted, KW traded players who had high value at the time and ended up doing nothing with a few exceptions (Morse, Hudson, Gio). EDIT: I should note Erik Johnson to avoid confusion with the many other Johnsons we have in the system. Utley should certainly be more expensive, but he's also injured again and there are a lot of teams that will be competing that are already set at 2B. Rickie Weeks is another guy who could very well be available for pennies on the dollar, but there's far more inherent risk with him. Beyond that, the guys the Sox are looking to acquire don't and won't cost a lot. The Sox gave up minor league fodder last year for the guys they acquired with the exception of perhaps Pedro Hernandez (4th or 5th starter potential) and Eduardo Escobar (poor starter/utility guy potential). No one is missing those guys. If you can do the same this year - give up a Saladino or a Morel or a Short or a Loman or whoever...someone in that range...nobody is going to be upset and you can acquire upgrades by packaging a couple of those guys together. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2013 -> 01:21 PM) Except even if parking Sale in the bullpen gave the Sox a better chance to win for those two years, it wasn't the best thing for the long-term future of the organization to delay his evolution into a starting pitcher. It wasted time. His first season, sure, but not the 2nd. That's the problem. Because he was so effective in his rookie year, it was hard to convince them to take him from a role where he was valuable but 5X less valuable to the organization than as a starter. Except that the Sox don't have to trade either Santiago or Quintana. They have that option, but they could certainly just maintain that depth and use Santiago out of the bullpen next year, or Quintana, or whoever. I think we have seen that, unless this regime (going from Williams over to Hahn, though we haven't had a lot to see out of Hahn yet) receives what they perceive to be equal value or better, they simply won't make the trade. I seem to recall the White Sox and Red Sox in heavy discussions for Jermaine Dye in 2007, and the Red Sox wanted to give up Wily Mo Pena and Craig Hansen whle the White Sox wanted Justin Masterson. They never made a deal, and the Sox eventually resigned Dye for the next 2 seasons.

In what has becoming a pitching heavy league, having a shortstop who plays very good defense and hits for a relatively high average is incredibly valuable. Perhaps "lining up" was the wrong phrase to use, but Alexei would undoubtedly have value on the open market.

Maybe you trade for a guy like AJ Ellis, John Buck, or even Jonathan LuCroy if you don't want to give Phegley a try. If 2B remains an issue, perhaps Chase Utley is an option. Relievers are always available, just as back of the rotation starters are. There will be options if the Sox are close. They don't need to make a huge splash.

The thing is, if this team is really as bad as people think (and the Tigers and the rest of the AL as good as they are), then they won't be 4.0 games back of the Wild Card and 4.5 in the Central come mid-July, they'll be closer to 7-10 back in both and making a run for it with an aging middle of the order won't make sense and they will sell pieces off. Personally, I think the middle of the order is OK. It's below average, and you will find no arguments from me there, but Rios and Viciedo keep hitting and I think Dunn and Konerko will bring their numbers up as well.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ May 29, 2013 -> 09:57 AM) When I was in Jr high I always heard people talking about it but I never actually saw them do it. In HS the lockers were all condensed into one area right next to our lunch room rather than spread through the halls of the school. So they could've easily searched the lockers there. Again, I heard about it but never saw it. I never saw them in the process of doing it, but I saw dogs multiple times both in middle and high school. Teachers were also aware of when these things were going to happen because they had to deny kids leaving the room during those time frames.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 28, 2013 -> 11:56 PM) Why isn't he still starting this season? Numbers game? Because he's perceived to be behind Thompson, Snodgress and Beck? What is his repertoire? Maybe relieving is a faster path to the big leagues in his case, with a logjam in Chicago/AAA, but that's usually not the prime consideration when positioning a player as a reliever or starter in the lower minors. He has never really been a starter. 10 career starts in 67 career games pitched tells me that, at the very, very most, he's a swingman. To me, it looks like he has worked multiple innings at a time in the minors, but I see nothing beyond that.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 29, 2013 -> 08:47 AM) I'm pretty sure my high school did that. Not sure if they went person to person, but they definitely went in and out of lockers, especially with drug dogs. Honestly, I have no problem when they do that as, while this is more invasive, it's also less discriminatory (meaning not discriminatory at all).

QUOTE (TRU @ May 28, 2013 -> 07:46 PM) Then what, what? This team isn't good enough to win this division or make the playoffs. Its not hard to see that if you watch them play. Its pointless to not trade these guys if were out of it. And I am not saying give them away, if the value isnt there so be it but I don't think that's going to be the case. The phrase gets overused, and I'm going to continue with that, but crazier stuff has happened. Guys like Flowers have turned a corner, found a hitch in their swing, and started producing; or guys like Phegley have come up, continued hitting, and helped turn the tides for the team. The bullpen could use a boost, but their rotation is incredibly talented and it is going to keep the team in virtually every game for as long as they're healthy. It's simply way too early to give up on the season at this point in time. They're 4.5 back in the Central and 4.0 back in the Wild Card race on May 29th. There's plenty of time for them to get hot or fall off a cliff, so talking about them selling off pieces, even if you have a pretty good feeling that they won't be in the race, is absolutely silly.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 28, 2013 -> 06:31 PM) I think that was in reply to who would play SS. I don't care who plays SS if they can unload Ramirez contract. Point being is, it does not matter. Ramirez has a very team friendly contract at this point in time. $7 mill this year, $9 mill next year, $10 mill in '15, $10 mill team option or a $1 mill buy out in 2016. He still has a ton of value, and if the Sox think that they will need to tear the team apart, he is going to be one of the most valuable trade pieces they have. They wouldn't "unload" that contract because there would be a ton of teams lining up to trade for him. I strongly doubt they will tear the team apart, and I don't foresee Alexei playing elsewhere any time soon.

That is a complete invasion of privacy. I have no problems with anonymous surveys to find out drug use amongst students, but using the information to essentially weed out the bad apples is not the way to do it. At that point you may as well just check every single locker and all persons for drugs, booze, needles, knives, and guns.