witesoxfan

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 23, 2014 -> 09:49 AM) I agree with your general point, but not that no other intl signings are of interest yet. Luis Martinez and Maiker Feliz have caught my eye this year, and I have not yet written off Braulio Ortiz. They are all state-side. For that matter, Jefferson Olacio is one of those, from a while back. Yeah, I shouldn't say that Adolfo is the only one of note, just that we'll be seeing more of the international signings come later on. Of course, this could all end after the current CBA expires as the idea of an international draft seems to be catching steam simply because teams are abusing the system right now.

Wikipedia says there are 2.4 billion Christians and 1.6 billion Muslims. I'm not sure how they determine those numbers, but the point remains that there are a ton of people in this world who are of either religion. Seeing the 0.0000001% of extremists who use religion as their vehicle for homicide and jihad and then saying "it's the Muslims fault" is incredibly short-sighted and ignorant.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 23, 2014 -> 09:51 AM) People get fired or laid off every day because higher ups didn't meet their expectations. Public company CEO get replaced even if the company is making billions . OK, but I asked for specifics. CEO's are rarely replaced unless they are of a certain age (because a lot of executive members are forced to retire at 65), they do something wrong, or there is something wrong in the company in the company. This is as much of a non-answer as there could be. If all Hahn did was trade relievers for top 100 prospects for the rest of his tenure, he'd eventually get fired because needs diversify and change, but if he made a similar move this offseason with Petricka or Webb and brought in a similar caliber prospect - that is, someone who is generally agreed upon by most baseball people to be a talented player - I'd have no problem with it even after all the bullpen troubles the Sox had this past season. If that prospect failed, I'd say the exact same thing I've said regarding the Reed/Davidson trade - it was the right idea, the outcome was poor, and I hope he'd make a similar move if given the opportunity again. Since the end of the season, I've also said that it has turned into a bad move for the Sox. They happen, but the idea and the philosophy and the style of trade is right. I also don't think you can give up on Davidson yet, even if his prospects don't look good in the long-term.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 23, 2014 -> 09:00 AM) sad and very spot on. I don't think it's sad at all, actually, it just takes a long time for Latin American signings to take root and really have an impact. They sign these kids at 16 years old.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 23, 2014 -> 09:17 AM) People get fired every day for making decisions that seem correct at the time that were not correct. In this instance, some THOUGHT Davidson was a top 100 prospect. The reality is, he wasn't. To say the White Sox are blameless is ludicrous. What they acquired did not match the description of what they acquired when the move appeared to make sense. That is on someone. Most people make decisions based on good intentions. Often they backfire. A reason for that is some of the logic they used eventually proves to be a bit off, like the Davidson rankings. I am a little shocked you still fight this when even fangraphs says this guy wasn't all that great before 2014. Hahn, KW, the scouts...whoever made the decision, picked the wrong guy. It will happen again, but if it happens too often, even if every move he makes seems logical, if they don't work, someone else will need to make the decisions. I'm not fighing the fight, all I've ever said is that the intention was good and I'd have no problem with Hahn making a similar sort of move going forward. Please tell me, because I'm genuinely interested...what decisions do people make that have good intentions, good merits, and good logic that get people fired? About the only thing I can think of is whistleblowing, and if someone is fired for doing so they have the ability to sue their former employers. (Also, there was no "some THOUGHT Davidson was a top 100 prospect." Davidson WAS a top 100 prospect. Prospects flame out. It has not worked out the way the Sox wanted but that does not mean the Sox should avoid similar trades in the future.)

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 23, 2014 -> 08:37 AM) after these top 10 are talked about and dissected. I can't wait to start identifying the 11-25 range of prospects. esp some of the int'l signing. Frankly, the only recent international signing of any interest is Adolfo. Anyone else is someone we just don't know enough about at this point. I say that because it's been only about 2-3 years since the Sox actually started spending significant money in that area again.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 22, 2014 -> 11:56 PM) Sales people can make all the calls, work hard as hell, and without results, get canned. I know a guy who was a car salesman for about 2 weeks. He showed up on time, tried to learn, but they saw he couldn't sell well and was gone. I don't see this situations as even comparable to the Reed/Davidson trade. Say a doctor has a 62 year old patient who is having heart problems. He knows that a patient of that age can have trouble rebounding or perhaps dying on the table if he performs surgery, but that the quality of life will increase tenfold if surgery is performed. He tells the patient this, the patient agrees to the surgery, and then the patient dies on the operating table. It's a move done with good intentions that backfires. This is an exaggerated example to prove the point, and the doctor could still see a malpractice lawsuit, but do you understand how that is a move with good intentions and good merit that backfired on him?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 22, 2014 -> 11:58 PM) With Peavy's performance tonight, I'd sign Jake to a two-year deal for six million a year. Can Sox get him on the cheap? I don't mean this as an insult, but based on your offer for James Shields too, you honestly have no grasp of the current free agent market. A pitcher like Peavy would have signed for $6 mill a year like 10 years ago.

All I remember was hating Nick Blackburn and having no idea why they could never hit him. Thome absolutely destroyed that ball. Well, I remember a lot more, but I still hated Nick Blackburn.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 22, 2014 -> 03:14 PM) It's funny how sports never relate to the real world. That was a good trade. Yet if I do something at work with good intentions and it flops I get fired or yelled at or demoted. Results, baby, results. Name me something you've done with good intentions that had good merit and logic behind the decision that backfired that got you into hot water. I am genuinely curious to know.

I don't think you trade Sanchez unless you get an offer you can't refuse. He is a guy that can have a ton of value to the Sox as, at the very minimum, a reserve infielder. I don't think you'd ever want him starting at SS or 3B full time, but I see no reason why he couldn't play those positions in a pinch or for a few games here or there. However, from watching him, it didn't seem like he has the straight line speed or agility to be a capable player in the outfield, though I could obviously be wrong on that. I got a different impression from Semien, who does seem like he should be capable both in the outfield and infield. I don't think Semien is going to be relegated to a platoon role at the MLB level. I think he will fit more in line with a super sub sort of role where he will play all over and get consistent playing time as opposed to essentially being a backup and starter solely against LHP. Also, while I will say that I don't hate the idea of Kelly Johnson on like a non-guaranteed contract, I think the Sox should be looking for a bit more contact off the bench. Johnson's career statline reads like Dayan Viciedo except somehow worse.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Oct 22, 2014 -> 09:54 AM) I remember my buddy and I playing through that one on whatever the hardest difficulty was right after we hit max level, and it would take us a good 15-20 minutes sometimes to clear an area. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of playing that game. Speaking of Boarderlands, has anybody played the pre sequel? Didn't realize it was out. I am definitely going to be investing in it.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Oct 22, 2014 -> 10:15 AM) With the injuries, I think Johnson just needs more AB's in the minors. I don't disagree, but having a true competition and letting the best man win isn't a bad thing either.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Oct 22, 2014 -> 09:06 AM) Thought Dragon Keep was a little overrated because a lot of the new stuff was pointless (magic spell grenades?), but it was long and funny, so I had a good time with it. I think the Mister Torgue campaign was my favorite BL2 DLC. Forget the name of it, Steel Something or Other, but the Fallout 3 DLC that raised the level cap to 30 and added all the new perks remains my absolute favorite. Never played the GTAIV stuff but it's supposed to be great too. Broken Steel. I haven't played either Fallout in a long time but those were good games with, for the most part, really good DLC. I thought Mothership Zeta kind of sucked though.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 09:20 PM) what is your problem are you Constipated or what. he is young and still learning the position. he is going to an outstanding hitter and his defense is weak. can he improve his "D" to stay at SS is the question. so I am guilty of wanting him to improve fast, I would love to see him playing in the majors. As we have been alluding to, we don't know yet. It seems he will, but until he plays more, we simply won't know because we absolutely can't know. He does have the tools to do so.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 01:58 PM) The DLC is 20 hours long? I typically never buy DLC based on principle, unless it's on sale for like $2. But 20 hours sounds much more substantial than "Here are 5 new cloaks and 2 new missions and a shiny weapon skin!" If the DLC is that big, it may be a stand alone download, like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which so far is the greatest DLC ever created IMO, and I won't need the disc. Having never played Blood Dragon, I will just say that Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep was absolutely phenomenal and it's by far my #1 DLC. Bethesda has had some really good DLC too between the Elder Scrolls and Fallout too.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 04:25 PM) Giants win tonight, 2-0. Bank it. I'm akin to agree, but your luck with guarantees ("bank it" "bet the house on it" etc) has not been very good this year, so I expect the Royals to Royal their way to a win.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 02:09 PM) I am not sweating it. I want Anderson to succeed as much as any. I just like to see growth. It's hard to look for growth in a sample size such as this in the area of fielding in that short of a time frame. Something like that will take about a year to see.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 03:13 PM) If you're interested in having an actual discussion on it, that's cool. I do respect your baseball knowledge. Well, I'll ask then...why do you feel Ravelo is your #5 prospect? There are legitimate reasons beyond the typical rankings of prospects (projectability, talent, position, age, etc), and I can understand why.

I have the most points scored against me in my league - 939, roughly 134 per week. Second most points scored against anyone else is 800, 114 per week. My team isn't very good, but I should absolutely be better than the 1-6 I've put up this year. Yeah, I hate fantasy football this year.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 02:15 PM) So we should dump Hahn and hire Big Tom Callahan as GM. Maybe. Or maybe you can just convince the fans that mustard popsicles are the new thing.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 01:57 PM) this is not a Danks response but a response for any player in this situation. The contract is sign and sealed. no one can change that, no one. he got hurt, thru no fault except for bad luck. am I happy no. am I saying dump him, no, the sox can not do that. why, rule and the union will prohibit that. what can the sox do about him, nothing. trade him, been there and no one is biting. can he come back, maybe, doubt it, but crazier things have happen. the sox will have to coop with this hole for the length of his contract. I don't want to speak on anybody's behalf, but what I asked previously is what people would essentially give up to move Danks. John Danks is set to make $28.5 million over the next 2 years. I think I'd probably be willing to eat about half of that if the right situation came up and it made sense for the Sox, and that's in a straight dump of Danks' contract. However, I don't see any way a team would be willing to make a trade like that. I think the best route would be in a deal for a bad contract - the two names that come to mind are Ethier and Hamilton. For Ethier, the Sox would also have to include a prospect to get the deal done, and if they want some of the contract in 2016 paid for, they'd likely have to include another prospect or include a better prospect, neither of which are ideal. If they did it for Hamilton, the Angels would still have to kick in about $30-40 million based solely on how terrible Hamilton's contract is. Neither of these are attractive options. Danks is basically a ketchup popsicle right now.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 12:26 PM) Uh, yeah,not like Abreu couldn't move to DH to allow a younger and more agile guy to play 1B and give the team better defense... You guys are over ANALizing this. I simply believe Ravelo is underrated, that's all. Don't complicate it so much. I don't think we disagree that he's likely to be underrated by the national publications, just saying that at 5, we feel he is OVERrated.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 11:50 AM) And there is pretty much no 1B prospect who is going to move the guy we have over there now off of 1B. Yeah, he's kind of good or something. If Ravelo comes out and hits .330/.450/.600 next year with 30 homers, he'll move into top 5's. His numbers this year, as promising as they are, just don't justify it.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 11:39 AM) 4.20 isn't 3.18 though....If the number I was cherry picking wasn't really good, like I think 3.18 is, I wouldn't even bring it up. But his ERA if you take out his 6 best starts, his ERA is 5.78 (or something, I don't remember). You can't just take out his worst or his best starts and assuming everything is roses. Let's rephrase this. If someone said "I will take John Danks for free off of your hands," what would your response be? If they said "I will do it if you include Matt Davidson and we give you nothing," what do you say? If they say "if you eat $5 mill of his remaining deal, we'll take on his deal," is that too much? At what threshold are the White Sox eating too much value to move John Danks? Is there a combination that you wouldn't move him for? I know for certain that if a team was willing to eat his entire contract, I'd give him away without a second thought.