witesoxfan

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 17, 2008 -> 10:34 AM) One thing the tinkering in Philly gave Gavin was a 2 seamer and a sinker. He went back to a 4-seam/curve/change pitcher with a high arm slot, but still maintained the grip for a sinker and a cutting fastball. I really think that Gavin Floyd will be the ace of the staff in the near future, even better than Danks.

/where's Santo

QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 10:40 PM) Hmmmmmm, speculatively-speaking, is there any possibility that we can ask for a little more and get Heyward along with Escobar for Jenks? Just speculatively-speaking... You probably couldn't trade Dye or Jenks straight up for Heyward. Atlanta seems to be pretty much in love with him, and seeing as how he tore up low A-ball as an 18 year old, I think it's probably justified. I don't think it's a stretch to think that he could be in AA by the end of this season as a 19 year old. To be quite honest, I'd be surprised if Atlanta dealt either of those two straight up for either Jenks or Dye.

Some customer service you guys have around here.

I have never had an office job, nor a job where I have to look nice everyday (hell, I've never had a paying job when I had to look nice on any day), but most college and even high school kids should know to either take their Facebook down or to untag yourself in every picture that you don't want Mr. Bossman to see. If they don't at this point, they are flat out morons. If you want to see the pictures again so you can relive them with your friends, right click and hit "save image as", and, so long as your hard drive doesn't fail you, you'll have that picture forever. It's been absolutely beaten to death around here.

It really didn't seem to me that he was that upset in his text back to her. In fact, it sounded like he was more or less giving her s***. I'm sure the parents made sure that one or both parties were using protection, but unless they are very strongly Catholic (and even a lot of the Catholics I know have given it up), they probably aren't upset. It's still funny though.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Dec 17, 2008 -> 03:49 AM) I am drunk. I love Mario Kart. Also, Illinois State Basketball kicks so much ass Agree. Agree. Strongly disagree.

The Dodgers signing Orlando Cabrera would be absolutely amazing, assuming they sign no other type A's that rank higher than Cabrera. It would pretty much be best case scenario considering the DBacks, who I believe are #16, have no need for a shortstop and anybody above them gives up only their 2nd rounder. One can only hope and pray for Colletti to bring in another overrated, overpriced veteran.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 11:51 PM) Nah, BA in CF and Lillibridge leading off from 2B yeah that's what I meant The offseason really isn't even half over yet, though it pretty much wraps itself up by the middle of January because then teams get ready for their fan fests and then head off to spring training two weeks later, but there's still a lot of time for all of this to figure itself out. I'm not sure how good this team is going to be, but it's probably going to be atleast a little fun to watch. It's been a while since the Sox have done any type of intentional youth movement...probably 2004, and even then it was a pretty veteran loaded opening day lineup too, and that team was in first place as late as July 24th before the injuries and Torii Hunter's collision with Burke finally started to derail the team. It'll be interesting to watch it all play out.

QUOTE (almagest @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 09:07 PM) Yes. Taveras is a #9 hitter anyway. No hit + speed != leadoff hitter. If we are in a rebuilding year, let's give Anderson one last shot at the job, and see if he can play. If he can't cut it, Lillibridge may also be able to play CF, otherwise just stick Owens out there because you'll get almost exactly the same out of him as you will Taveras -- Willy might be a little bit better, but not nearly enough to make any sort of substantial difference. Willy Taveras plays a better defensive CF and hits at about the same clip as Owens. Whether he's worth to the Sox what he'll get in free agency is a different story, but that'd be the reason he'd be brought in over Owens and Anderson. QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 10:26 PM) I have (my boy) Lillibridge penciled in for 2B. I also don't see Alexei moved unless a Furcal-like SS falls into our laps So then who is in CF and who leads off? Anderson and Getz I presume? I still think Lillibridge is on the bench and splits a lot of time with Getz and Taveras/Anderson/Owens while giving Alexei the occasional day off, and for all I know, he could even be the starter. From what I understand though, the organization likes Getz at 2B and I think that he's going to be the favorite going into spring.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 08:50 PM) FWIW, Garland made $12 million last year and expects to make equal or more money. Remember, he turned down the Angels' arbitration offer, which means he expected he could make a MINIMUM of $9.6 million for one season...I think there will be AT LEAST 2-3 teams out there (like the Mets) willing to outbid us for him. do you really expect Orlando Cabrera is going to make $9 mill next year? I don't. I also think there's less risk going forward with Cabrera than there is with Garland. Garland's coming off a season where he had an ERA near 5; I very strongly doubt he thinks he can get $12 mill in free agency, and more likely went into free agency hoping for a multi-year guarantee in case he either gets hurt or doesn't improve upon his 4.90 ERA this season. That said, I think there are better ways to spend the money than by bringing in Garland. I'd go for a veteran pitcher who can be a damn good starter next season with no long term guarantee along the lines of Colon, Garcia, or Martinez.

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 03:51 PM) Yeah, but it's still better than Jerry Owens. Taveras would be vastly superior to Jerry in CF. Essentially, you get a younger Jerry Owens who has actually performed pretty well at the Major League level. Maybe not last year, but who's to say he won't rebound. We're in a world of hurt if a 28-year-old rookie CF is leading off for us. not quite a rookie, but the point remains the same. Owens would have to hit about .300 to be a valuable member of the team while remaining healthy enough to steal 50-60 bases. I just don't like those odds.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 03:10 PM) I guess you don't see any contribution from Jose? I have a feeling he just might contribute at the end of the season. The veteran starting pitcher acquisition as a #4 is a likely move indeed. The budget for this move might negate an Abreu signing, depending. I'm not counting on anything from Contreras this season. Older players usually don't recover quickly, and his injury was pretty brutal. If anything, I see him as a Carrasco type from about the trade deadline on, and that might even be stretching it.

North Dakota has a collection of stores called Rock 30 games Rock 30 games There's one in Bismarck, and I found The Adventures of Link for $10. They also have Mega Man X2 for $40 on the site, and - as a super Mega Man fan boy and an absolute love of the X series on the SNES (though X4 was decent) - I'm honestly thinking that's a good deal, considering I've seen it for like $50-70 on eBay at times. What do you guys think?

also, at this point, I'll be surprised if Dye is traded to the Reds. There was definitely something to that, but whatever it was fell apart. I'm sure if the Sox wanted to trade him for Harang they could, but that doesn't do anything for the Sox financial situation whatsoever as Dye and Harang have essentially the same exact contract. The Reds have traded for Ramon Hernandez and I see them taking a shot on a guy like Juan Rivera, and I imagine they feel they get more value out of that then by trading a pitcher with big potential for a guy like Jermaine Dye. I wouldn't rule out a deal of Dye simply because I think KW wants Abreu in the lineup rather than Dye just because of the contrast in styles, but he's not going to merely give Dye away as Dye is still a damn good player. The Sox almost certainly aren't getting enough value for Dye by getting solely Bailey/good pitching prospect in return for him, but it accomplishes the Sox goal of getting a starting pitcher while freeing up the money and room to bring in Abreu. If such a deal is struck, I could also see the Sox going a bit over budget and bringing in Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon too on a short deal merely because the possibility of a rotation including 2 of Marquez/Poreda/Richard/pitching prospect is scary as hell and likely doesn't give the Sox the best chance to win. Regardless of whether Dye is dealt or not, I see a veteran starting pitcher being brought in on a short-term deal like that. Further, I see one of Owens and Taveras - preferably Taveras, simply because he's a far better defender and nothing more - leading off for the Sox. So, now that the picture is painted a bit clearer, I see 2 more moves being made for sure with a Dye deal triggering another move to bring in Abreu. Taveras/Owens - CF Abreu/Ramirez - RF/SS Quentin - LF Thome - DH Konerko/Dye - 1B/RF AJP/Konerko - C/1B Ramirez/AJP - SS/C Fields+Betemit - 3B Getz - 2B Buehrle Floyd Danks vet SP Marquez/Richard/Poreda/prospect brought in for Dye if done the bullpen remains the same with Richard or Poreda - likely Richard - taking Boone Logan's spot, though Jimenez can't be ruled out either (which is scary) the bench consists of Stewart/Miller, Lillibridge, Betemit, and Anderson. Though I really don't ever see Anderson getting another shot to claim a starting spot on this team barring injuries, I think Ozzie likes him as a tool late in games.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 02:30 PM) IF we're out of contention by the deadline Konerko and Dye will be gone. That's all i'll speculate about at this point it will be hard to trade Konerko and his NTC. That's all.

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 01:41 PM) That's why I said base hit. PK, Thome, JD, AJ, Crede, and maybe Juan were no guarantee to score from second on a single. My point was that the Sox are too station to station. last I checked, a home run is still a base hit. I'm splitting hairs, but it's true. Besides that, Crede, Griffey, and Uribe are all gone and it's apparent that Williams has tried to trade Dye too. Thome's a free agent after this season and Konerko's (probably) gone after 2010. Just so you are aware. I just hope that KW does not go to the small ball offense of 2005. As cute as it was, it was one of the reasons that the Sox almost missed the playoffs. What we all saw in the playoffs was the all-or-nothing approach but with a team that could get a bunt down when they needed it. That's all this team should be, and depending upon bunting would be an absolutely terrible idea.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 09:30 AM) Wouldn't Pat Burrell be just as likely (if not moreso) than Dye if Abreu is legitimately trying to stay around the $16 million mark per year? No, and Abreu won't get $16 mill. He might get $12 if he blows someone, so I imagine he's looking more along the lines of $9-11 mill a year. A 3-year, $30 mill deal seems right to be quite honest.

QUOTE (Gregory Pratt @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 05:49 PM) You know from 1986-2001, the World Series winning team never had a hitter with more than, I think, 36 HR? Up to 2000...can't forget about Luis Gonzalez. A lot of those teams still finished in the top 8-10 in the majors in homers though too, and the 98 Yankees, who didn't have a single player hit 30 homers, were probably the best team in the past 25 years to win the World Series. Every hitter could draw a walk, hit a homer, get a base hit, whatever, and 2/3 of the lineup could steal a base too. They had contributions from a ton of different players throughout the season - Strawberry, Raines, Chili Davis, Shane Spencer (who had an incredible 73 plate appearances), and Homer Bush. Andy Pettitte had the highest ERA in the rotation at 4.24, and they had 4 guys with 130+ IP with ERAs below 3.55. Fantastic bullpen. /jizzed pants Just thought it's worth pointing out that just because a team doesn't have one super slugger doesn't mean they can't be a powerhouse offense. Afterall, the Yankees still hit 207 homers that season.

QUOTE (LosMediasBlancas @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 02:57 AM) Some expert. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28243607/ the definition of irony let's hope he ends up all right

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 06:36 PM) That would be a great theory if the Sox weren't a team requiring four base hits to score a run. With a team this slow and prone to the rally killing double play, it's incredibly valuable to move the runners up a base. I'm a purist and think every player on the team should be able to bunt, but that's just me. The Sox were actually the best team in the majors last year - by a wide margin - at scoring atleast one run with one hit. This offense needs some more versatility in that it wouldn't be a terrible idea to have a guy or two that can steal a base, having a guy or two that can lay down a bunt, but by far the most important part of any lineup is the ability to get on base and then drive the runner home, no matter how you do it. Acquiring a .400 OBP bat will result in more runs scored than getting a fast player who gets on at a .330 clip or can bunt or whatever. That's also part of the reason I think KW wants to deal Dye and sign Abreu. He probably feels that this team has enough power and he would like to get a guy on the team that will get on base a ton in front of everyone, setting everyone else up to bring some runs home.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 02:34 PM) Doesn't mean he can't does it? How does telling me he only played a 11 games there, refute my point? Clearly. the Pirates think he can play the position, as he has played that position, 11 times. he never played 2B with the Pirates

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 02:08 PM) Laroche can play second too. They're looking to deal Freddy Sanchez. LaRoche has played 11 games at 2B in his entire professional career. I don't think that means he can play it.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 14, 2008 -> 10:34 AM) That would actually be a good move for Crede. Weak Division, developing team, clear void on the infield, not a bad choice. The Pirates have Andy LaRoche. That's not a very clear void as far as I can tell. I could still see Crede ending up in Minnesota.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Dec 12, 2008 -> 10:44 PM) to clarify, those guys being the main principals of a deal. It's pretty damn unlikely that the Angels would deal Weaver for PK straight up, let alone including Figgins into the mix.