witesoxfan

apparently Ozzie Guillen is talking right now and will talk until 2:30 CT. And then the quotes will be coming up. Not sure it's going to be anything ground breaking, but you never know.

QUOTE (1977 sox fan @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 06:18 AM) Agreed why people are thinking we can get upton for jenks and flowers must think the rays are just stupid . honestly i don't think the rays will trade him but if they do it won't be for jenks start thinking hudson flowers maybe another top prospect to start with it might cost us almost as much as to get upton as would AGON . If the Rays move Upton, it's not going to cost anything near what it would take to get Gonzalez.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 08:11 AM) If Jones starts, then who bats leadoff?? I think it's going to be Pods and Thome again, boys and girls. Then we'll be good for about 88 wins... Ozzie has said that the best in-house candidate right now is Beckham.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 01:38 AM) Why can't we ever sign guys we can get excited about? Polanco would be one of those guys. Peavy is the lone exception of somebody we've acquired of late who we can get excited about. I'm more excited about Alex Rios than I would have been had the Sox signed Polanco. Polanco isn't that exciting of a ballplayer, and he didn't have a good season last year, and at 34, I'm not sure the Sox should have even considered him at $6 mill a year considering that it's very possible he's not much more than a super utility player by the end of the contract.

QUOTE (longshot7 @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 03:55 PM) Angels still don't want or need Konerko. Sorry. QUOTE (Disco72 @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 04:14 PM) ...and no other teams "need" Gary Matthews, Jr. If the Angels want him gone, which it appears they do, they're going to have to be creative. At least Konerko is a useable player whereas GMJ is not. well stated. The Angels would use Konerko, and they'd use him a lot, but if they can find someone else to take on Matthews Jr for less, they'll be willing. It'd be crazy for them to not be interested in Adrian Gonzalez too, but they have other needs to deal with, and if they can settle one of those needs (which would be DH), I imagine they'd do it, especially if they can move Matthews and get out of that horrendous contract with very little else attached.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 5, 2009 -> 11:02 PM) I question Schmidt's contract being so high there, I know it didn't work out, but the guy had no injury history, it was just bad luck. Carlos Silva was just always bad, Darren Dreifort was never any good, those are worst contracts, although I am surprised our friend Rios wasnt on there. A few years from now Alfonso will be high on that list as his contract increases and he gets old and keeps getting worse. If he wasn't, Vernon Wells is going to be on there far before Alexis Rios. Rios has put up several good seasons and is much more likely to turn into an above average offensive player and a good player in many other metrics than he is to continue putting up low .700 OPS's. I still don't think the Alexis Rios contract is a bad one. It's not great, but there are worse contracts out there.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Dec 5, 2009 -> 12:00 AM) As someone who hasn't exactly been enthralled with Jenks probably since a blown save in Baltimore 2 years back, I'd keep him. The starting 5 we have has great upside, although I'm only totally sold on Buehrle, Peavy and perhaps Danks. Any team's pen is going to fluctuate year to year, and our's isn't solidified, nor can we expect anyone to repeat or exceed their previous year's contribution. I'll believe the Sox know how to hit a baseball when I see it, so the cards are in our pitcher's hands. Jenks has done it in the past and I'd like to think he can do it again as per the afore-noted fluctuation situation. Fill the pen vacancies wisely, don't fix something that ain't broke (Thornton as setup- yes he did well as a closer, but it wasn't exactly a legitimate sample size IIRC)- messing with that aspect of the pen is just as touchy as messing with the closer I think. And pray to the sweet baby Jesus that our hitters won't put the pen in as many "what the f***, our starter gave up 5 hits and 2 runs and we're down by two in the 7th" situations as in the past. Bobby Jenks career - 3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.5 K/9, 2.97 K/BB 0.68 HR/9 Bobby Jenks career EXCEPT Baltimore - 2.95 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 3 K/BB, 0.72 HR/9 Everything gets better except HR/9, because he has never allowed an Oriole to homer off of him. So yes, I agree with you...as long as Ozzie doesn't let Jenks close games against Baltimore.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 10:45 AM) Wite: I personally don't think 1.5M is all that bad for a plus defensive back-up catcher that has hit lefties pretty well over the past couple years. I don't think it's a bad deal for the Mets, necessarily, but I don't think the Sox should invest that much into a backup catcher. Take a chance on a guy who is good defensively and shows that he can hit left handed pitching. The Sox backup catcher over the past 5+ years has never done anything other than really get lost in obscurity. Widger, Hall, Alomar, Miller, Castro...they don't add a whole hell of a lot and never really have.

Gray was solid last year in like 26 innings of work; otherwise, the Cubs got virtually nothing.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 30, 2009 -> 04:22 PM) Your waaaaaay late to the game homie. (Post #607) But since you like to point these things out to boost your self esteem and maintain your outstanding intelligence, and to give the good drunk rant stuff to a tee with that extra year added on from ya in your stats, I will let you have this one Blake. Of of course I believe Kalapse or qwerty or Cheat said that even before me back then. I never used 8 years. So there.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Dec 3, 2009 -> 05:59 PM) Welcome back to Chicago, Tyler Flowers? Not even close. The Mets are overpaying for a backup player that can only play one position (though he does it well) for essentially the same cost that the Sox got for 2 guys who play 6 positions at an above average clip who are more than likely going to be more effectively offensively than Blanco is. The Sox did just fine backing away from this one.

QUOTE (The Critic @ Dec 2, 2009 -> 09:41 AM) Cheating isn't necessarily about "trading up". It could be about a lot of things - attention (sexual or otherwise) you feel you're not getting at home, the idea of getting away with something, just getting away from your everyday situation, revenge, or many other possibilities. It doesn't make it right, or acceptable, but if you're being tempted wherever you go, maybe sometimes you give in to the temptation. Or do something a bit crazier. There are things Elin may not do that Jaimee does.

I was mainly recalling the past two seasons. Howell's ERA and ERA+ are better, but Thornton's peripherals trounce Howell in pretty much every category. I'd still probably take Howell above Thornton if I were building a team, but they're both damn fine pitchers and I don't think there's a wrong choice with either one of them. So, if you actually look at it, I don't think I really got pwned.

I was in a drunken stupor and completely spaced off Cano and Zobrist. There are several 2Bman who are better than Beckham right now, though I probably wouldn't take many of them above Beckham and he could very easily be an absolute monster.

Bills management believes that Ryan Fitzpatrick has a stronger arm than Trent Edwards, and that may have led to Dick Jauron being fired. The biggest knock on Ryan Fitzpatrick, his entire career, has generally been his lack of arm strength, and was a huge reason why the Bengals were terrible last year. #1 - Rotator cuff surgery doesn't ruin just baseball careers - it ruins football careers too. #2 - How f***ing bad are the Bills that Ryan Fitzpatrick has the strongest arm of any QB on the roster? #3 - How good could the Bills be if they had an actual QB?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 11:33 PM) He's a damn good power hitter though. Perfect for a backup.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 2, 2009 -> 05:26 AM) Ian Kinsler says hello. Honestly, Ian Kinsler has only had 1 really good season, and it was 2008, and he's just a bit injury prone on top of that. If Pedroia actually moves to SS - which I think is probably similar to moving either Kinsler or Beckham to SS, which would be bad if a gold glove caliber defensive 2Bman weren't brought in or if a gold glove caliber shortstop weren't brought in to allow him to move back to 2B in the later innings (and Vizquel's gone) - then the best 2Bman in the league almost certainly has to go to Brian Roberts or Aaron Hill (if you believe he can reproduce something similar to what he did last season).

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 11:29 PM) So in the end only 10 Type A free agents were offered arbitration: Marco Scutaro Rafael Betancourt Jose Valverde Mike Gonzalez Rafael Soriano Matt Holliday Jason Bay Billy Wagner Chone Figgins John Lackey And 13 Type B free agents: Ivan Rodriguez Rod Barajas Gregg Zaun Adrian Beltre Mark DeRosa Marlon Byrd Justin Duchscherer Carl Pavano Jason Marquis Joel Pineiro Brian Shouse Fernando Rodney Brandon Lyon They have until December 7th to decide whether or not to accept the offer of arbitration. If they decline and are signed by another club all Type A free agents will net their original club 2 draft picks, 1 being a 1st round (unless he's signed by a team with a top 16 pick then the former club will receive a 2nd round pick as compensation) and the other being a compensator pick between rounds 1 and 2. A type B free agent will net their former club a comp pick between rounds 1 and 2. Zaun a Type B? That may have turned out to be a fantastic trade by Tampa, assuming he doesn't retire (and I don't believe he wants to) and someone signs him.

Matt Thornton is one of the best left handed relievers in the game of baseball. That alone makes his value astronomically high to every team in baseball, including the White Sox. To acquire him, you would have to be getting a magnificent package in return. Upton is the type of player you look to acquire, but considering the Rays have JP Howell, who is one of the few left handed relievers in baseball I'd rank above Thornton, he doesn't have the value to the Rays that he does to the Sox or quite a few other teams around the league. The Rays do not need to trade for a closer that badly.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 06:31 PM) There goes the Upton/Crawford speculation. They don't need Flowers now. Kelly Shoppach isn't exactly a catcher for the future.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 12:20 PM) Who voted for Ellis Burks? It was probably me when I was drunk because I loved Ellis Burks as a kid.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Nov 29, 2009 -> 05:04 PM) I'm with TRU. Golf and bowling are definitely not sports. QUOTE (Brian @ Nov 29, 2009 -> 05:36 PM) Bowling is a hobby or activity, but I can argue that WALKING 18 holes and trying to physically and mentally be consistent hitting a golf ball where you want it to go is most definitely a sport. Not that I'm about to start this, but I imagine you two have never bowled in a very competitive league. I have bowled 15 games in a day before. Even in good bowling shape, it's hard to bowl much more than 9 games - and remember that I've bowled all of 15 - PBA bowlers have to roll somewhere around 40-60 games in a week - averaging 230+ over that time period, mind you - just simply trying to qualify to make money. You go try and tell Pete Weber or Walter Ray Williams that bowling isn't a sport, and I guarantee you that they laugh at you and then go out and throw a 250, doubling you up. There is muscle memory involved, just as there is in baseball, basketball, golf, and I imagine even football too, especially if you are a QB. There are athletic and sporting aspects of every game and sport on this planet, and what people feel make them a sport or a game will continually distinguish what is a sport and what's a game in their minds, and those opinions won't be changed.

QUOTE (qwerty @ Nov 30, 2009 -> 03:18 AM) It's not ridiculous in the slightest, i see it here and many other places on a pretty frequent basis. I also said it seems that way, not that they do indeed care more about minor league championships, it's how they present themselves. Clearly there is nothing wrong with winning a minor league championship, or for players to play in the AFL. Attack you for wanting your home team to win a title? Not in the slightest. You or anyone can wish for your hometown team to win it all, that's your prerogative. David cook was drafted at 22, reach winston salem at 24, and got no significant time in birmingham until age 26, he currently is 28. Cook was never highly touted or thought of (realistically speaking) as anything more than a back up outfielder, and that was several years ago already. You can like him all you please, but there is a reason why he has never made it, the dream is over. Broad generalizations? At age 26 you are no longer considered a prospect, even if you may very well still have the talent and ability to succeed? Common school of thought. The skill set a player posseses is not the end all be all, but at what age and level that players hones his talent is the tell all. Every team has a time table for their draftees for when they ideally see them moving up the ladder, it's no secret. Some are worked with less than others when they slip behind too far, injuries are less forgiving, but the point still stands. Northside and yourself seem to believe a player can crack and stick into the big leagues later than than the data suggests. I tend to go with the extensive amount of data that suggests otherwise. Blasting people? If only. Gartrell i think of even less than omogrosso (relievers have the most leeway out of any position), if he were to make it, which i highly doubt he does, it will not be with this organization. I'm having the same problem here that ranger is having in the adrian gonzalez thread. The game and how it works/runs has been this way for a very long time, and when you think about it, it's amazing how little things have changed over the years. Any examples of players that make it and stick when 26 or older in any era are in such a minority that it's kinda ridiculous. Aberrations. Aberrations. Aberrations. Nothing more. I would say you are on fire, but I don't think that this is uncommon knowledge. In a nutshell, you are saying that players can make it past the age of 26 or 28 or 30, but they generally do not. This isn't to say that David Cook can't make it as a regular, but that he's more likely to be a career minor leaguer than to be a bench player similar to Ross Gload (which is nothing against him). If Omogrosso is really that good, especially after shoulder surgery, I don't think the organization can really give up on him until after the 2011 season, unless something else hits him - at which point, I say either take a MLC with no 40-man requirement or hit the road, and give him a 6-pack for his sorrows. I have my sincere doubts. QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Nov 28, 2009 -> 09:55 PM) Which teams are doing this? They all make moves for power arms past their expiration dates or whatever you would call them. Boston alone acquired Javy Lopez and David Aardsma from us. Javier Lopez was generally lucky during the 2 or so good years he had with Boston, posting high BB rates, low K rates, and mediocre H/9 while putting up good ERAs. That bit him in the ass come 2009, and he really wasn't heard from because he was horrendous. David Aardsma, on the other hand, was never given another shot by the White Sox after a horrendous May, and was traded for a couple of low level prospects to the Red Sox, with whom he put up a horrendous ERA. With the Mariners, he was fantastic. The Red Sox haven't really ever done anything with any White Sox bullpen member that has bit the White Sox in the ass, unless you consider not offering Riske arbitration (which I think can be argued as a very legitimate mistake, and offering him arbitration is probably something I would have done). I would say that the only team that has taken a power arm from the Sox and gotten grand results would be the Reds with Nick Masset, and I don't think anyone had any hope for Masset when he was dealt for Griffey.

QUOTE (BurlyMan56 @ Nov 29, 2009 -> 10:26 PM) Man you guys are fast at this...good ol Grady SIZE-more if he can't keep a Playmate girlfriend, then HE apparently needs a size more

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Nov 24, 2009 -> 01:28 PM) He's good. QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 30, 2009 -> 03:50 AM) Like Frank Thomas good. First full 9 seasons, who's who? .334/.427/.628/1.055 366 HR 387 2B 811 BB 570 K 172 OPS+ .320/.439/.581/1.020 337 HR 350 2B 1144 BB 781 K 168 OPS+ It's easy enough to figure out, but considering Thomas was entering his post-prime seasons after the huge offensive explosion with only one huge year between 98-02, it's amazing the first 9 years he had and the career he had. I said it in the Thomas HoF thread, and I completely stand by the thought that he was the top right handed hitter of the 1990s, the second best offensive threat of the 1990s, and I'm sure I could come up with some type of argument as to why he was the best pure hitter of the 1990s too, but I'm drunk and tired. For more fun, consider Thomas's seasons before 1998... .330/.452/.600/1.053 257 HR 246 2B 879 BB 582 K 182 OPS+ Suck on that, Pujols!