witesoxfan

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 26, 2015 -> 09:56 AM) um, of course the Cowboys knew about this. Well yeah, they swept it under the rug so they could have Dez all season and then as soon as they need to negotiate a new contract, they leverage it against him. It's incredibly shady but might ultimately save them a bit of money.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 26, 2015 -> 08:04 AM) you should. and then retake your meme picture If I could, I would! I have gone a month without shaving before, and it still just looks like terrible. I assume Sam Elliott can shave his mustache and grow it back in about 3 days.

If I could grow a Sam Elliott mustache, I would do so in a heartbeat.

Getting rid of Thibs seems to me to be a comparable situation to the 49ers getting rid of Harbaugh.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 02:50 PM) That's not reason enough to put him in the top 100? Ok Keith Nah, I agree with Law on that one. An absolute ton would have to break right for Montas to be a #1 starter, but it's possible. He's still a very good prospect who will likely pitch in the majors within a year or two, but his changeup would have to turn into more than a show-me pitch, his slider would need to be a lot more consistent, and his command would have to improve too. It's not impossible, but I think it's more likely that, come 2018 or 2019, he's the White Sox closer.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 01:38 PM) I don't know. My feeling is that Gordon Beckham will step up with a renewed vigor and be the everyday secondbaseman This is approximately the worst case scenario. You can't rule it out, because if both Sanchez and Johnson look absolutely terrible in the spring, I think there's an outside chance at this. If this happened, it would be a very bad thing.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 01:04 PM) Nope. Doesn't seem like a difference-maker, will have to outbid several big spenders for a guy who is likely league-average. Let's use our young depth here to save some resources for next year when we'll have to replace a starter. As is the case with everything, due diligence is necessary. I'm in agreement that it's not something that the Sox will likely end up in simply because it doesn't make enough sense.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 11:44 AM) any way to add to the list of prospects is in my opinion needed. the minors are a little thin in the infield positions. i think the sox has a couple outfielders prospects, but the systems needs infielders. either way, the sox needs more prospects and let the future settle itself out. Hector Olivera isn't a prospect in the traditional sense though, only in the sense that he's never played in the majors. He turns 30 just after the start of the season. You'll be lucky to get 3 good years out of him. If you sign Olivera, you are signing him to be the starting 2B.

The White Sox should do their research and submit an offer accordingly. I do not believe they will sign him.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 10:37 AM) Mitchell, Shuck, Tr. Thompson, Anderson and Michael Taylor One of those guys should make the team, and there are no prospects he's blocking. He'd be able to get plenty of ABs in Charlotte if that's what they choose. I think that's what they should choose. I also hope the Anderson you're referencing there isn't Tim Anderson, because he's not an outfielder.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 10:13 AM) Impressive for Conor to quit dipping. The dude CONSTANTLY had a monster dip in, can't imagine how hard that would be to quit when you're that hooked. The weight gain makes sense. Chewing and eating are both oral fixations, and well when you quit chewing... That, and there has been research suggesting that nicotine increases metabolism in the body. Remove the nicotine and you decrease the metabolism, leading to weight gain.

QUOTE (peppers312 @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 09:26 AM) agreed. having a successful base-stealing threat at the top of the lineup is only going help out our 2-3-4 hitters. last time we had a guy who was disruptive on the bases was Pods. I think Juan Pierre swiping 68 bases in 2010 counts.

Given our podcast last night, this is an ironically appropriate thread.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Feb 25, 2015 -> 03:16 AM) It's not over yet, Soptic is only 23. Lots of guys have repeated high A ball while walking almost a batter an inning at that age and gone on to become stars. And guys that have the ability to throw like Soptic are guys you keep as long as you can because any semblance of control and command can turn them into valuable relievers. It still looks like a big win at this point.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 08:05 PM) wow totally missed that. Ugh, hate to see that. Thanks for the info. Wish him well he should make a full recovery but for a young athlete like that it had to have been a tough blow. As far as being a person, he is young, but he's already 29. His career isn't over by any stretch, but he's not as young as we would believe.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 04:46 PM) lol a 1-2 WAR player that was acquired for diddly squat and is pre-arb. Great guy to say "sucks". He's a decent starter and a great guy to have on the roster at his salary. Meanwhile, Jeff Soptic repeated A+ last year and saw his BB/9 increase from 7.78 to 8.90.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 04:16 PM) Dece? Is that a typo or hipster lingo? dece Shortened form of "decent". Joe: How did you like that movie? John: It was dece http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dece

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 01:39 PM) I've heard that Chris Sale lost 15 lbs this offseason. As long as he cut off his right arm and not his left, I'm OK with that.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 11:56 AM) Having an above average pitcher int he #4 slot though could also be viewed as diminishing marginal returns given that, for example, the playoffs you're not likely to use the #4 slot very often except in the full 7 game series. I think you'd more likely see diminishing marginal returns at 3B or C, where for the cost of getting an upgrade you have to give up an arm and a leg. For the #4, I don't think you see nearly the diminishing returns overall.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 11:57 AM) If they can eliminate 30 seconds per half inning, that's 9 minutes right there. Keeping guys in the box will eliminate even more than that. You elimate 15-20 minutes of down time per game, it will keep fans more engaged, and IMO grow the game. They don't have to cut an hour out of it. There is plenty of down time in baseball. Eliminating some of the unneccessary delays is good. Most people don't really care if it is a long game if things are actually going on. But if it's waiting for a replay or hitter to get back in the box, or the constant trips to the mound not only by coaches (I'm looking at you Mauer), it gets old quick. I read an article last year where a 1-2-3 inning with no pitching change took almost a half an hour during a game last year. Worst, most boring game I've ever been to was September 5th last year in Minnesota. A 10 inning game took 4:30 to complete. 17 pitchers were used. It was absolutely awful. On the plus side, I was able to guzzle down 6 beers at $8 a pop, so I got kind of drunk for $50.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 11:43 AM) One big thing I took from those numbers is that the average 4-5 starters together come up with about 2.0 WAR, and less in recent years. Together last year, Danks and Noesi put up 1.3 and if Noesi does nothing else but pitch more innings, they come close to that number together. In other words, both Danks and Noesi are below average #4 starters right now and above average #5 starters, leaving us surprisingly close to an "Average 4-5" in the rotation behind a stellar 1-3. An average 4 or 5 is still a below average pitcher. There are many ways for the Sox to make the postseason, but some of those seem inherently more possible and attainable than others. C, 2B, 3B, and RF could all be weaknesses at this point and there's not a ton of depth offensively. However, those are sometimes difficult to fill, even in season. However, finding an average or above average pitcher will take less work and would still signify a drastic upgrade. Again, I have no problem with Noesi/Danks to start the season, but if they're the same pitchers as before, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then replacing them becomes inherently easier. Two guys I think the Sox may have interest in, depending on output, are Victorino and Utley, but that will likely be tepid interest for now.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 10:57 AM) I think that is what I would propose, shortening the season but expanding the post-season. The problem with a long season is, that you lose a lot of relevance in numerous markets late in the year. Having more teams still in the thick of things makes the races much more interesting (and to a large extent, the additional wild card team has helped that...although I think the 1 game playoff probably should be expanded, although I understand the concept of making it a winner take all, I just don't love that format in baseball). I was going to suggest making the wild card play-in a 3 game series, given the sample size nerd in me, but there is something almost magical about those play-in games. I have fallen in love with them.

I think the only way I could get behind a shorter season is if it also coincided with more playoff games. I don't want less baseball being played.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 09:33 AM) After looking at Noesi's White Sox numbers, they weren't as good as I thought they were. I never said that Coop "fixed" him though. I was relaying a cool story about how and why he was acquired. Next time I won't. I don't think anyone was trying to bring this down, and it was a cool anecdote. It's just us basically saying that, until Noesi looks the part of a good starter, it's best to remain skeptical.