witesoxfan

QUOTE (WCSox @ Aug 15, 2009 -> 09:53 AM) Contreras has a history of being overly-sensitive, and I don't think that demoting him will help. That said, he may not have a choice if Freddy is able to out-pitch him. Contreras can't pitch more than 3 innings right now. He's earned the demotion.

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 11, 2009 -> 12:58 AM) Beckham should wear 6. Should have been like that from the start. like the other soon be to retired player that started his career off with 35. wait what? he didnt? BULLS**T

So here is the ultimate idea of mine; I believe Tony Pena has options, so it works. Contreras has been fabulous his first time through the order. I don't even think I need to look up statistics; he's been fantastic. The second time, usually come the 4th inning, Contreras sucks. So, move Hudson/whoever into rotation, send Pena down, and let Conteras work out of the pen from here out on. Givers or takers>?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 14, 2009 -> 01:59 AM) Obviously you have not owned too many dogs in your life... What Vick did is despicable. I echo what an earlier poster who claimed what Stallworth did was not nearly as bad. Tens of thousands of people drive intoxicated in this country every night. Our culture practically encourages it. And while I am not in any means condoning what Stallworth did, there are plenty among us who commit the same crime as he, but have been lucky enough to avoid the circumstances that have ruined his life. What he did was probably the result of a few hours of very poor judgment - the same poor judgment that so many others are giuilty of. And yet what Vick did was far more gruesome. Something that required premeditation, an execution of a business plan, etc. I'm not going to claim he hasn't served his time; he obviously has paid an extraordinary price for his crimes. But to claim that because his victims were animals, his actions were somehow far lower on the spectrum of despicable acts than what Stallworth did, because his victim was a human being, simply does not compute to me. I wish him well, despite the fact that I would love hang tbones from every orifice of his body and let a pack of rabid wolves tear him to pieces. I have actually owned dogs. Dogs don't pay the bills (in fact, they actually increase your bills, but that's besides the point). That's not to suggest that Vick's crimes weren't heinous in any manner; just that Stallworth killing a man did. I actually have defended Stallworth on here before, and while I don't condone his actions, I can understand what he was going through; a 0.12, while definitely intoxicated and buzzing, does not mean you feel drunk, especially if you are coming down rather than going up. You feel as though you sober up very quickly, when in reality you aren't sober - you are just more sober than you were 3 hours before, and that is what gives you the false sense of complete sobriety. I also don't understand where you get that the country encourages drunk driving; I see nothing but anti-drunk driving commericals no matter where I go, and it is a felony in some states. The fact that there are taxis all over and a lot of bars have the option of taxi vouchers helps matters a ton. That doesn't make sense to me. The only thing my comment was facetious, and I consider myself a dog lover. When it comes down to it, Vick will have ended up missing around 35 games, all his credibility, reputation, and a lot of his fans, while also losing much of his career. Stallworth misses 16 games. That's it.

QUOTE (High Mileage @ Aug 14, 2009 -> 02:34 AM) He's a slighty above average player, with a superstar contract. Most Similar Batters 1. Pete Reiser (950) 2. Shane Mack (942) 3. Gabe Kapler (940) 4. David DeJesus (939) 5. Danny Taylor (939) 6. Roy Weatherly (938) 7. Ray Blades (938) 8. Coco Crisp (936) 9. Milton Bradley (934) 10. Wally Judnich (934) I wouldn't have wanted Rios for DeJesus, let alone Rios for $60M. But if I can get #9 on that list, minus the injuries and minus the crazy, I'll take that.

QUOTE (Tex @ Aug 12, 2009 -> 05:36 PM) And I feel pretty strongly that someone will be sitting a lot in September if the team is in the chase. Ozzie will take the next two weeks to find a line up he has confidence in, and it will be used a lot the final four weeks. I just do not see the mad tinkerer moving guys all around down the stretch. that's because he's managing the Mets

QUOTE (lostfan @ Aug 14, 2009 -> 12:03 AM) He doesn't get a clean slate with me, but really it makes no sense to keep punishing him indefinitely. I wish people got half as pissed off about random crimes that are often far worse than they do about Vick. but dogs have sad eyes

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 09:55 PM) I don't care how long he sleeps. I just don't want to be paying a guy 10 mil a year to hit 261 with a 315 OBP, so he better pick his s*** up. If he is a top 3 defender in CF and can put up a .750 OPS, I'll be happy. Hell, the Sox damn near brought in Torii Hunter for $15 mill a year; he's become a better hitter, but he is not that good defensively anymore.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 10:13 PM) His BABIP in AA is now .325. He needs to cut down on the k's. That's the only solution. He's on what would be a 150+ k/year rate if he got a good MLB number (600) at bats. He's got a bit of time, but if he is to become a right handed Granderson/Sizemore, like I've seen on here a time or two (though no one has declared him), he's going to have to cut down on the K's. Neither K'd as much as Danks has, and Sizemore was a year younger. Granderson was 23, so there is some time for Danks, but he needs to improve quickly.

QUOTE (knightni @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 09:49 PM) I'm going to say no. Wise will be back, he will be outrighted to Charlotte next week but back up for the 40-man. Getz, Lillibridge, maybe Fields and/or Betemit. Link could come up for the BP, perhaps Torres may get another spot start or two depending on Contreras. Kroeger may come up as well. Dewayne Wise is out of options. He'd have to clear waivers.

He also had Warrick Dunn run for 1100, 1400, and 1100 yards in 3 consecutive seasons. He didn't make Warrick Dunn good. And the reason he made Alge Crumpler a good player because he'd roll out of the pocket and Crumpler would be the last guy he would throw to. What goes unmentioned far too often is that, while Vick was an outstanding running QB, he was also sacked a ton. 2001 - 289 yards, 21 sacks, 113 yards lost (net 176) 2002 - 777 yards, 33 sacks, 206 yards lost (net 571) 2003 - 255 yards, 9 sacks, 64 yards lost (net 191) 2004 - 902 yards, 46 sacks, 266 yards lost (net 636) 2005 - 597 yards, 33 sacks, 201 yards lost (net 396) 2006 - 1039 yards, 45 sacks, 303 yards lost (net 736) Those sacks are opportunities for yards down field that were lost simply because he couldn't get rid of the ball, partly because he felt he could create opportunities. He ran the s*** out of the ball, but was not a great QB. He was a key component of the Falcons offensive attack who you had to gameplan around, but his presence is/was more like that of Devin Hester than it is Peyton Manning. If you could stop it or figure out a way to shut it down, you were almost always going to win the game. That's why he never really got close to getting to the Superbowl (1 NFC championship; they got stomped by Philadelphia). Vick can win regular season games and make flashy plays, but he's never really going to be anything more than an X-factor.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 05:55 PM) Vick won many games with his feet, and the ability to throw the ball. Was he a Brad Johnson? No, but he could throw the ball 70 yards without setting his feet. And he really never had any receivers and made Alge Crumpler look good. I think he may have have Roddy White for one year before hitting the slammer. The playoff game against the Packers, he won on his own. Hell, he carried that team way farther than they should ever have gone. He also lost games because teams stuffed his running attempts and he was going to depend on that because he was inconsistent as a passer. When teams were able to contain his running ability, the Falcons had no chance.

QUOTE (nastymasty21 @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 04:24 PM) is Retherford better than Lilli? probably a similar player to Nix but with worse defense

QUOTE (ptatc @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 11:24 AM) Remember Steve in the world of SABRmetrics, speed is evil because they will not use it properly and will be tempted to do evil things. Since Pods is mostly a slap hitter his OPS will not look good enough in the stat pages to warrant any complements what so ever. Thus the SABRs will always dislike him. I guarantee you that Nate Silver has absolutely no problem with speed. Sabermaticians value speed at face value and view it as a luxury rather than a necessity. He would say that Shane Victorino is one of the best players in the game of baseball today because he hits for average, draws walks, hits for power (36 doubles and triples, 9 homers), steals bases, plays great defense, and has a great throwing arm. Without Victorino's speed, he becomes a relatively average player, because his defense is almost assuredly negated due to his lack of speed. Podsednik is not good because he does not steal bases efficiently, is bad on the bases, and does not use his speed to his advantage, because he is a mediocre defender in LF and is not good in CF. He's a good 4th outfielder who has been miscast as the leadoff hitter of this team. He might be the best the Sox can run out there though, so really, it's all moot.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 12:13 PM) He won his teams at the QB position. His most valuable position is that of a QB. Was he a good fantasy Qb? No, but I think it is definitely overstated when people say he was never actually good. In the 4 years that Vick was healthy and starting full-time, the Falcons went 35-28-1. That's an average of a 9-7 record. And during those seasons, the defense was pretty damn solid too. Michael Vick was never a franchise QB, just a QB who could run around and throw the ball 70 yards. ... Donte Stallworth suspended the full season.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 03:40 AM) its time we stop propping up the fudge Packers as if they are on our level,I'm sick of that s***. whaaa? The Packers went 6-10 last year (the Bears 9-7), and the Packers lost 7 games by a touchdown or less, and 5 games by a field goal or less. The Packers were one of the unluckiest teams in the league last season. The main reason they will struggle - assuming they do - this season is that they are switching to a 3-4.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Aug 12, 2009 -> 01:05 PM) Unless he's converting to WR or RB, we dont have a spot for him. He wont want to be a backup. He is going to HAVE to be a backup QB if he wants to continue playing the position. No team is suddenly going to make a guy who has been out of the game for 2 years who was never a good actual QB to begin with a starter during the 3rd week of training camp.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Aug 12, 2009 -> 11:12 PM) Me too. While he was frustrating at times he was also one of my favourite players. I won't miss the Tasmanian Devil part of him. I will miss the great defense and underappreciated clutch and gutsy play.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Aug 12, 2009 -> 10:53 PM) That is one of the luckiest catches in the history of the game. No exaggeration.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 12:43 AM) Jeter positive for STDs? He has been known to give out the herp. That's a gift you can only give once.

If you believe in pre-determined destiny, Podsednik would have scored had he not been picked off.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Aug 12, 2009 -> 11:58 PM) Part that, part Regions Park. His H/A splits are pretty defined. .688 OPS at home, .808 on the road. He's very unknown right now. Which is why I would have personally had no problem with the Sox moving him at the deadline in the right deal. Fortunately for the Sox, the two right deals did come up, and neither one of them had anything to do with Jordan Danks (except that Rios makes Danks more expendable).

QUOTE (Jim Spencer @ Aug 10, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) 4 innings 8 hits 5 runs - 4 earned 1 BB - 1 HB 2 Strike outs This is why AAA is still a very big developmental step for young pitchers. The hitters in AAA, though perhaps not always as talented as those in AA, are older players that know how to do their job and are essentially playing for their careers. They will hit mistakes and hit them hard.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 13, 2009 -> 01:45 AM) Beckham and Quentin had a bad night, it happens and will happen again. However, Pods continues to make far too many mistakes on the bases. Podsednik is being beaten to death and no one is bringing up his strikeout with runners on 1st and 3rd and no outs. The reason why is because he was simply overpowered by Felix Hernandez, and Felix is going to do that to more than a few good hitters. If people wanted, they could b**** about that; I think it'd be wrong, but they could. And the next highlights were Beckham grounding into the DP. He got a bit unlucky on that, as it hit the mound and kicked straight up to Lopez at 2B, but the Mariners were just positioned well in that spot, and there was nothing Beckham could do.

Frampton, Baby I love your way, ANYWHERE