witesoxfan

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 11:38 AM) What should the fans punishment be for "not showing up"? Ownership spending $100 million instead of $125 million

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 08:44 AM) Trading Paulie now for a decent return would make a 2014 youth movement more palpable. There are a few teams that could use his bat and offer back something that could be significant down the road. Not resigning Konerko would make a youth movement more palpable. You don't trade a player who has been with the team for close to 15 years unless it is per his request. There's no harm in trying to luck into a division title this year. That's honestly what it will take, and I'd put the Sox chance of doing it at about 25%.

Gordon Beckham - 535 games, 2067 plate appearances Alejandro De Aza - 271 games, 973 plate appearances It's not fair, but based on playing time over their first 3 years, Beckham looks like a starting 2B and De Aza a backup outfielder.

While I understand the logic, I have never considered a tomato to be a fruit while I cooked. Being a part of vegan or vegetarian meal is completely different than anything else too. If ketchup is a vegetable, then I have to assume pickles and olives are too.

Wait, how could tomato paste ever be considered a vegetable? Tomatoes are fruits

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 03:52 PM) I thought your hands would burn if they touched a rifle. I don't believe you. They would. He shot lasers out of his eyes.

I m also gld that Rose is gtting into weght lfting because I bet he nevr liftd weigts befre his surgry

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 01:01 AM) This. 1000 times this. Nothing would be more frustrating then learning something at school then sitting in front of a calculus textbook for 3 hours to do one problem. I hated this stuff in college. Whether it was my microecon, macroecon, finance, calculus, econometrics, whatever class - the teacher would go over the simplest problems he could, and then he'd assign 4 or 5 ridiculous problems, and the one on the test would always have some stupid catch that made you stop and question what you were doing.

Neil Armstrong shot him from the moon

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 01:45 PM) Well the good thing is that the Tigers won't be signing Soriano, so they are closer-less. But I don't see why the Nats needed him. They have Storen and Clippard. The worst thing is that there are going to be people who are upset that the Nationals signed Rafael Soriano for $28 mill because the White Sox haven't been making any moves.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 01:14 PM) The KW hate is thick here. Kenny is an icon and a man of great stature period. He is like Mark and AJ, do great things for the organiZation and watch the fans turn on you I've seen crazy and over the top, but this is far and away the most ridiculous statement I've ever seen posted on this website. It's not only wrong, but it's the absolute farthest possible from the truth. It's complete lunacy.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 12:29 PM) "The job [of quarterback] is like a Japanese garden," Steve Young said. "It takes a lot of care. It takes a lot of time. It takes intricate work. … I've got to believe that if someone came in and in a resonant way could speak to him -- like when you put your finger near a crystal glass, it starts to sing to you -- that resonant sound that happens between quarterback and coach, that he would respond to that. Why wouldn't you respond to that?" What a fruit. That entire quote is just...out there. WTF That quote makes me think of Steve Young dancing with Miss Lippy.

Having not seen you, I couldn't say for certain, but there are guys I know that are 6'0 and 230 that are not in shape that are not obese. If I weighed 230, I'd have a ginormous gut because of my slight bone structure. That's why those general standards are BS. It'd be better to have an actual physician tell you how you are than to go based off govt standards.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 11:46 AM) There are probably 5-10 things wrong with this post but I'm just going to grab onto this one because it is by far the most glaring. Who are you to say we have 5 key contributors on the farm just by looking at some prospect list? Nobody knows, that is why prospects are traded. In very recent history the Sox have gotten more out of non-prospects/hardly mentionable players like Quintana, Santiago, Alexei who was dogged by evaluators, DeAza, Jones, etc. than they got out of all those great Jeff Abbotts and Joe Borchards and so on. All these great players the Royals just traded away may all be busts,. You don't know, neither do I, and so you have no reason to believe Courtney Hawkins or anyone else is going to be a good player just because Keith Law finally likes a Sox prospect. Guess what? He loved Mitchell too, but now everyone hates Mitchell. People here were saying how good Jordan Danks was going to be. There are always potentially impactful prospects in the minors and this will never change as long as pro scouts are out scouting and MLB clubs are handing out bonuses. Whether their names appear on lists or not, nobody knows what they are going to do and so you can't credit a guy for hanging on to players few of us really know anything at all about and players whose futures are totally up in the air. And really, who here wants to trade prospects for win-now vets? It seems this site wants to continue to build toward the future anyway. Regardless, Hahn hasn't taken any direction. If you walk blindly into traffic, you might make it to the other side. Nobody knows! Of course, you could look down the street both ways, or wait for the crosswalk to cross, using other information you have to come to a relatively safe conclusion. And of course, there are scouting reports, statistics, reports, and any number of other evaluative tools used that help determine that these guys have potential. I don't know, you're right, but you don't either. And, just for s***s and giggles, do you remember how many trades Williams made prior to the 2005 season? Two. Lee for Podsednik, Vizcaino, and Hinton, and Alex Escobar for Jerry Owens. And you know how many trades he made during the season? One - Ryan Meaux for Geoff Blum. You are calling for action when your hero didn't do s*** on the trade market prior to winning a World Series. He really didn't have much success other than that year either.

You are using the Nick Swisher trade to justify Ken Williams as GM. Gio Gonzalez has put up 12.8 fWAR since being traded (included 5.4 last year, 4th best in the majors), Ryan Sweeney has put up 7.6, De Los Santos has put up 0.3, and Kanekoa Texeira put up 0.2. That's a total of 20.9 fWAR Williams traded away involving Swisher. Swisher put up 1.3 fWAR here. We're at 19.6. He was traded for Jhonny Nunez (0 fWAR), Jeff Marquez (-0.1 fWAR), and Wilson Betemit (-0.6 fWAR). We're back up to 20.3. The total cumulative sum of the Nick Swisher trade is -20.6 fWAR and rising for the White Sox. Arguing that Williams aggressiveness is justified based off of the Nick Swisher trade is like arguing that heroin is a good drug to use for opiate withdrawals.

The article mentions it, but I saw it last night on my phone - gross payrolls will be greater than $3 billion for the first time this year.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 08:37 AM) This is more of the same thing we've already been talking about it... It's about personal choice and having some self control. I LOVE me a fountain Coke once in a while -- no, not that fake ass diet s***, either -- but a REAL Coke, out of a fountain...not sure why, but I love it out of the fountain. That said...it doesn't mean I have to drink 5 of them a day...or a week...or even in a month. Have some f***ing willpower. Just because some fat retards have none, doesn't mean I should lose the choice of a Coke, or a Big Mac, or whatever the f*** else for that matter. I'm sick of brain dead, no willpower having asshats ruining s*** for everyone else. Stop blaming Coke for making you fat, and stop f***ing drinking it. This is what always gets me. I'm in week 3 of quitting tobacco, and while it's difficult, it gets easier every day. But people wonder why or how you do it, and while I have my coping mechanisms (primarily nicotine gum and lozenges), the fact of the matter is I wanted to stop doing it so I have stopped doing it. You want to stop being fat? Then stop being fat. Eat better and work out. (oh, and Jenks, I wouldn't necessarily qualify 6' 235 as obese. You'd like to be lighter but that's a hell of a lot better than half the country, and you are cognizant of your situation). You want a better job? Then get a better job. Start working harder at your current job, start networking within the department or location where you'd like to work, and put yourself out there. You want to live longer? Then live longer. Take care of yourself. You want to look better? Then look better. Ask people's opinions, dress nicer. You want to get more involved? Then get more involved. The problem is, America has become a country where you can always pass the buck off to someone else, so a lot of people hold someone else accountable for the mistakes they made. If you want something done, get it done; don't pass it onto John or Jane Doe because they won't do it how you want it to be done. If you screw up, take responsbility; don't pass it off on John or Jane Doe because they had nothing to do with it. I've tried to hold myself to this higher standard for about a year now. I'm not even there yet, but I'm getting there. You feel a lot better about yourself, even when you mess up. EDIT: This is all way easier said than done, but taking personal responsibility for your own actions is a huge start and sets you up to step out of your comfort zone to try and do something that might actually, you know, improve your way of life. It's weird how that works.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 09:53 AM) haha right? i really do love when people say that home workouts are bulls***. I had my brother (who was talking s***) try Core Synergistics from P90X and he died halfway through. Would love to see him attempt Insanity. lol The warning at the beginning is absolutely correct, if you aren't in shape, it could very easily be dangerous. The people he has work out behind him are in absolutely phenomenal condition, and even they have to take breathers throughout the program - what did round, out of shape me think was going to happen when I tried it? I did it for two weeks. In those two weeks, I almost vomited after 4 workouts and had to cut 2 others short because my body simply couldn't handle it. One of those days is the opening fitness test, and two of them were stretch days (those are the easy days, and even those still kick your ass a bit...I did not almost vomit afterwards or cut those short).

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 14, 2013 -> 06:17 PM) haha truth. good luck dude. it still scares the crap out of me, even though i'm in 30x the shape i was a year ago. I did Asylum, but that was only 30 days. I couldn't handle it. Getting in shape now and I may try it again in April, but it's absurd how difficult it is.

I get more frustrated with people who expected Rick Hahn to be ultra aggressive and completely transform this team overnight while only adding, at the most, $25 million in payroll. The fact of the matter is Rick Hahn is doing exactly what people have wanted Ken Williams to do for years - slow down, hang on to prospects, build from within, and trade when you are at the point of going over the top. There is no one single move that pushes the White Sox "past" the Tigers at this point in time - no matter what, they're going to have a better team, on paper, going into the year than the White Sox, and that's the simple truth to it. If he brings in Hamilton, it's essentially at +6 WAR at the very best (because I figure he's a 6 WAR player in LF, though he could certainly be better, and moving De Aza from CF to LF kills his value), so even that wouldn't have pushed the Sox over the top. And rather than forcing a trade of Gavin Floyd for what essentially amounts to pennies on the dollar, he can hang on to him and either keep him to add depth and durability to the rotation, or he can deal him midseason (especially if the team struggles like so, so many of you believe it will). For the first time that I can remember, the White Sox have enough talent in the minor leagues that I can look at it and safely believe that they will have atleast 5 steady contributors from that system at the MLB level at some point in time within the next 3-4 years. I look at it and see a guy who has superstar potential in Courtney Hawkins and a couple of different pitchers who have top of the rotation talent. I'm not sure if people wanted Hahn to deal from that and get marginal upgrades at best or shred it Veeck style to sell off for maybe one or two playoff runs, or to sign free agents which cripple the team's long-term financial goals, or to blow up and absolutely forego any sort of chance at competition in the next 3-5 years while cutting attendance by about 20% starting next year. Do any of those make sense? Think from a rational point of view as to what you would have done differently if you were Rick Hahn, and then think about it again and see if it actually would have been the viable and most effecient move both short and long term. This team won 85 games last year. They're adding a guy who has been a 3-4 WAR starting pitcher, adding a full-time 3Bman who should get on base and will put the ball in play, and they brought back their most important free agent (there is no argument here). If everything falls apart, this could certainly be a 72-75 win team. If everything comes together, it could be a 92-95 win team. More than likely, it's in between there at around 82-85 wins again, which probably won't be good enough for the playoffs. Konerko and Floyd are free agents at that point, Dunn will only have 1 year left on his deal (making him move movable), and, unless someone has stepped up elsewhere, the Sox probably will sell quite a few more pieces off. They are in "purgatory" right now, but unlike the NFL and NBA, variance and randomness play a much larger role in the MLB. If they get hot and Detroit suffers an injury, they could very well be penciling themselves into a playoff spot. Baseball is weird like that sometimes. Teams like the 2012 Orioles and the 2005 White Sox happen. This team isn't so far upcreek right now that they have no chance going into the season, unlike the Houston Astros or the Miami Marlins, and in fact, this team has a better chance at reaching the postseason than most. With the way this coaching staff has prepared these players last season, I'm willing to take that chance.

Another "should have traded everyone post." Awesome. Those have gotten to the point where they've joined any number of other pipedream scenarios on this board, except that I don't know why it should be a pipedream considering the track record of blowing teams up.

You have still failed to mention what you would spend that additional $25 million a year on. Would you have really committed $25 million this year to the ticking time bomb that is Josh Hamilton, leaving yourself little to no wiggle room in the future for further additions while potentially crippling yourself from making other moves in the following offseasons without cutting payroll prior to making them? This sounds like someone who makes $50,000 a year buying a $75,000 car. They can afford it, but they're much safer buying something cheaper so they have some money as insurance.

Tom Brady Tom Brady Tom Brady Tom Brady Bom Trady

What would spend an additional $25 million at this juncture?

QUOTE (PorkChopExpress @ Jan 14, 2013 -> 02:16 PM) Come on now. That is not telling the whole story. The full season stats are skewed somewhat by a monstrous start to the season for a few of our key players. For instance, at the end of May, Konerko was hitting .381 with a 1.097 OPS, Dunn was at .230/.935, Viciedo was at .291/.827, Rios was at .283/.766 and AJ was at .299/.857. By the break, Konerko had dropped to .329/.932, Dunn had dropped to .208/.859, Viciedo had dropped to .255/.738, Rios had risen to .318/.874 and AJ was holding at .285/.865. By the end of August, Konerko fell even more to .308/.877, Dunn to .205/.820, Viciedo to .255/.714, Rios to .300/.842 and AJ continued to hold at .288/.868. And by the end of the year the final numbers for Konerko were .298/.857, Dunn .204/.800, Viciedo .255/.744, Rios .304/.850 and AJ .278/.827. The big starts for Konerko, Dunn and Viciedo will tend to make the overall numbers look a little better, but while I was watching last year, the offense was a problem, despite what the stats might tell you. Add to that that one of the consistencies last year was AJ, and now he is gone. Yes, Keppinger should do better than a .600 OPS, but flowers is a question mark. A potentially exciting question mark if he can approach his minor league numbers, but not something you bank on. So something they did during the season was why they ended the season as one of the best offenses in the AL. I bet if you take out their worst months, they're even better too. Come on, what do you think is closest to this team's true talent level - what they did when they were cold, what they did when they were hot, or the cumulative result of everything that happened over the duration of the season? I'm going to guess the latter.