witesoxfan

QUOTE (hogan873 @ Feb 16, 2010 -> 08:45 PM) Damon may not be the ideal fit for the team, but he sure would plug that gaping hole...and make a lot of us feel better. I have a feeling that if he plugged my gaping hole, it would not make me feel a lot better. I don't know what I'd do with a gaping hole in the first place.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Feb 16, 2010 -> 11:33 AM) I think MLB is the least predictable of all sports. Wasn't it at Sox Fest 2005, people were b****ing about the team? It seems PK is left out of the discussions. If he has a great year this can change things. I recall people feeling good about the 2005 team. I recall people b****ing vehemently about the 2007 team and Ozzie Guillen kept talking about how Darin Erstad was a great baseball player.

That would be fitting. Thome to the Twins, Damon to the Tigers, Branyan to the Indians. Atleast the Royals didn't sign Bonds or something.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Feb 16, 2010 -> 04:11 PM) Two bags of it, and a Coke. One bag of salt and pepper chips, one bag of salt and vinegar chips, and the soda/pop of your choice.

If this has been posted, it's OK. It needs to be posted again. Joe Pos rocks.

QUOTE (southsidepride15 @ Feb 15, 2010 -> 12:43 PM) I've been on Mars for the past few days....just caught word of this today. I don't even know what to say that hasn't been said already. No statue in centerfield....it needs to be bigger than that. I'm talking 50ft high in the middle of the Ryan on the way to the Cell. Frank Thomas was a man amongst children. I wish I could see a montage of early 90's manager's faces as he stepped into the on deck circle in a close ballgame. #35, you will always be the greatest hitter of all-time in my mind. How is that?

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Feb 14, 2010 -> 05:06 PM) Let the baseball world continue to underestimate our starting pitching and our team, that plays right into Ozzie's hands. Sure the Twins have boosted their payroll, but that is temporary. I don't think so; Carl Pohlad was worth roughly $2 billion when he passed away, and his son is running the team and has been much more liberal in regards to spending. I don't see them cutting back any time soon.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Feb 14, 2010 -> 04:43 PM) Don't be afraid to "use" your friends to an extent, too, to try and start a conversation with someone. That and basic economic theory, of course. Always.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 14, 2010 -> 04:40 PM) I'm well aware of the wooly nature of projections. I simply can't stand people who write the process off while ignoring the obvious logic that goes into it. I understand. The main problem I have with projections is that they generally hate pitchers that pitch to contact. It has been proven that pitchers can do just fine with pitching to contact. It's just unpredictable, and thus can't be factored in. Take Buehrle for instance...he's the absolute definition of a guy that pitches to contact, but he has fantastic command of his stuff, and has only had one terrible year in his entire career, and yet, year after year, projections predict he'll end up with an ERA in the 4.50 range.

The key to that is to be confident at the same time. Don't make it out to be feeling sorry for yourself because you can't pick up chicks. Mention that you have no game and poke fun at some of the things you've done to pick chicks up. Women don't like sad sacks, but they do like confidence. This is where the thought that chicks love an asshole comes into play, because generally assholes come off as confident (and sometimes overconfident) and women will eat it up.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 14, 2010 -> 04:29 PM) You do realize that there is ample statistical support for this projection? It's also still a projection. The fact remains that Porcello exhibits good command of his pitches and his GO/AO of 2 is a good indicator that he can keep his numbers pretty damn good. He'll need to start striking batters out at a better clip, but it wouldn't shock me to see his ERA in the 4.25 range.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Feb 14, 2010 -> 01:20 PM) Not being overly harsh. It is what it is with Dayan. He didn't have a very good year with the bat or in the field. I'm not denying the fact that he is a legitimate prospect, or overlooking his age compared to the league or the acclimation factor. The hitting and power tools are there, but he isn't some magical 5 star prospect at this point in time. This coming season's performance will be much more telling. I'm not hyping Mitchell to be a sure thing, as he is anything but. He has the tools, but he needs to put them all together first. The sample size is far too small to be make any assessment at this point. Just saying that all things being equal, if both players reach close to their ceiling, Mitchell is much more valuable. I would absolutely agree with that, but I think a ton of that has to do with positional value too. Viciedo is going to end up at 1B, unless for some reason the Sox want to try him in LF or RF. And not that I want to discount last year for Viciedo, just that I'm not looking too much as his statistics. The Sox pushed him too hard, and he really should have been in Winston-Salem. He did improve as the year went on, and that's a key.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Feb 14, 2010 -> 12:54 PM) Mitchell and Viciedo's upside are quite different. I wouldn't qualify Viciedo's tools as ungodly at all. He might be able to hit for both average and power, but he hasn't demonstrated much of either just yet. The reviews of his bat speed are glowing, but he has quite a bit to figure out still and his swing mechanics are all over the place. (Though his 2 strike swing is nice.) His plate discipline is very questionable as well. Conditioning and defense are huge question marks right now, which is pretty evident with the move to 1B. He has upside and is definitely a legitimate prospect, but it is all in the bat as things currently stand. Mitchell on the other hand is a tool-shed. If things pan out he will be a complete player with a plus bat and plus defense. The only tool that has been questioned by scouts is the arm/throwing ability. I guarantee you that any team discussing major trade with the White Sox are salivating much more over Mitchell than Dayan. (Not to mention the amount of money owed to Dayan is also a roadblock in trade discussions. It isn't tons, but it is a significant amount.) Dayan Viciedo put up .280/.317/.391/.708 with 20 doubles and 12 homers in 540 plate appearances as a 20 year old in AA in his first season in American baseball. Jared Mitchell put up .296/.417/.435/.852 in 139 plate appearances in low single-A ball as a 20 year old, and is coincidentally 5 months older than Viciedo. Beyond that, Viciedo has plus power potential, into like the 30+ homer range. Mitchell might have 20+ homer potential but it's going to be a while before we even see something close to that. I just think you're being overly harsh on Viciedo and overly easy on Mitchell. The fact of the matter is that both of them are absolutely full of potential, but you can't tell anything at this point. It's a big year for Viciedo, but I don't think the Sox are in any rush to get him to the majors.

About to go take a test that I am well-versed in the subject matter and have absolutely no idea how I'm going to do or what to expect. The joys of professor teaching a class for the first time (he's been teaching for a while, and is a phenomenal teacher...just hasn't taught this particular class).

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 12, 2010 -> 01:23 AM) Damon is not the superior fielder? I know Quentin has the better arm (obviously), but aren't we still worried about Quentin's plantar injury and reducing the stress he puts on it seems like a good idea. Damon is a terrible fielder and has an arm comparable to Juan Pierre. Paul Konerko would be able to go from 1st to 3rd if Damon played right field.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 10:48 PM) I'm sure he's a cool dude but I just looked him up on his website and he looks like a complete tool. He mentioned that he gets constant s*** about his hair, and I heard like 4 or 5 people talk about it. In fact, at the end of the night, the MC said "oh, and one more thing, I need to touch your hair" all giggly like and the crowd laughed and he was like "noo nonononono"

QUOTE (greasywheels121 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 09:34 PM) http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4907072 Reading the update on ESPN.com, there's speculation that #35 will officially be put on the outfield wall on August 2nd---which would mark the 20 year anniversary of his White Sox/MLB debut. That'd be pretty cool too. Unless I'm mistaken or a coach has worn it, it seems as though 35 has been unofficially retired since he signed with Oakland. Oh, and a tip of the hat to the Big Hurt. He had a hell of a career, and he accomplished pretty much everything a player can, except leading the league in home runs.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 08:15 PM) I've seen enough of this and turning singles into doubles, doubles into triples forever. It had gotten to the point where any ball that wasn't a flyball to right field was a hit. It's going to be nice having someone with even a little bit of range out there this year.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 03:03 PM) For the record, your gettin robbed this year for the best drunk poster. More of a reason why I'm not a fan of the awards. I did vote for you too J4L. 2009 was definitely your year. SUCK ON THIS

[shameless plug] Matt Wilson, who is a co-founder of http://under30ceo.com, came to USD today. Initially he sat down with our student Entrepreneurship Team and just talked with us for about an hour, shooting the s*** about ideas we have for our group and for the future. We then did a pizza dinner, and afterwards spoke to our group, a few other students, and a ton of faculty. He's truly an incredible person, and he is living what essentially amounts to a dream life. If I could walk in his shoes for a day, I'd do it in a second. He's just so motivating...in a cool, calm, laid back way, he makes me want to go out and tear it up. [/shameless plug]

QUOTE (joeynach @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 04:43 PM) Did anyone here honsestly think that KW would let an all star caliber player whose demands fell from 3 yrs 36 Mil to 1 year 5 mil go to the rival Tigers without trying to make a play here. He wouldnt be doing his job if he didnt try and get involved, not to mention the sox could actually use Damon. I really hope they can snatch him away from the tigers, it could mean the division for us. Kind of funny that he wouldn't let Damon go to Detroit for $5 mill but did let Thome go to Minnesota for $2 mill. I'm not trying to start a holy war, just that the reasoning behind it is illogical. You don't just show interest in a guy because a rival wants him, otherwise the Sox would have been interested in both Thome and Hudson too, and I'd consider the Twins the Sox biggest rival at the moment. Instead, I'd say the Sox are interested in Damon because they think he's a good player and the price is right. If the price becomes unreasonable, they'll drop out.

yay BTW, how's your Spanish? http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/02/11/beig...u_1758890.shtml

Henderson's (ages 20-29) numbers before returning to Oakland - .290/.399/.437/.836, 1286 H, 120 HR, 367 XBH, 701/875 SB/ATT, 135 OPS+ in 5930 PAs Henderson's (ages 30-44) numbers after returning to Oakland - .268/.404/.407/.810, 1600 H, 171 HR, 468 XBH, 612/760 SB/ATT, 122 OPS+ in 7416 PAs Is it possible he used? Sure, considering his line after leaving Oakland for a second (technically third, since he was traded for Toronto for half a season) time was .247/.388/.357/.745. Then again, he was 37 by the time he started going on his tour of the baseball nation. I would say it's much more likely and probable that he did use amphetamines before games.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 12:04 AM) That 05 team is something that we can hope for in this year's team. I just looked up Carl Everett's OPS that year - it was around .750, horrible for a DH. Just goes to show that you can win with some timely hitting and luck, which that team did and had a lot of. Only two regulars on that team had an OPS over .800 - Dye and Konerko, who posted .850 and .910 respectively. Quentin can be the guy who puts up the .910 and Konerko is still capable of putting up an .850. Beckham can easily out produce Iguchi's .780 from that season at 2B. Teahen can outproduce Crede's .750 or at least meet it (not the defense though, unfortunately). If you compare that team's offense with this team's, you can quite possibly say that this team could do better. If our rotation holds up and we get a couple of career years out of Pena/Linebrink/Putz, this team can go somewhere, even with a mediocre offense. The one key to that 2005 offense that I think gets overlooked is that no one on the offense had an OPS/OPS+ of less than .700/85. It wasn't a good offense, but every player was atleast decent and it was generally consistent. The 2006 offense had 3 players with 400+ plate appearances put up OPS's below .700 and OPS+'s of 75 or below. That leads to an explosive offense but one that will struggle. 2007 was obviously a disaster - Uribe had 563 PAs with a 74 OPS+, Podsednik 235 73, Owens 389 67, Erstad 345 68, Richar 206 78, Cintron 196 57, Crede 178 49, Andy f***ing Gonzalez 215 39, Toby Hall 120 21. The Sox got 2447 plate appearances out of players with OPS+'s below 80, and, if you add up Cintron, Crede, Gonzalez, and Hall and accumulate it into a full season, it equates to a player with a 43 OPS+ in 709 plate appearances. The 2008 Sox had a pretty well balanced lineup though too - only Uribe was below 80 and he played pretty well after taking over at 3B, and it was relatively deep as well with 12 players getting atleast 143 plate appearances and putting up better than .700/80. There's hope for this year's team. I'm not excited about the rotating DH, but there doesn't appear to be a wide, gaping hole in the lineup. Either that or I'm just bored.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 10, 2010 -> 09:59 PM) If I could sleep with a man: 1. Chris Widger 2. Jake F Peavy 3. Widger F. Peavy if they had a kid