caulfield12

The only problem is there are usually only about 5-7 per free agent class that are in that 28-29 year age range, and many of them end up being $100+ million players in FA because of their early impacts, like Harper and Machado. The White Sox history has been to take calculated risks on players in their early 30’s, with often disastrous consequences. It’s (age factor) another reason Pederson was coveted around here for many seasons, as well. And he’s not THAT young, 28 turning 29 in April. When Tatis, Jr., hits free agency in four years (more than a 50% probability unless he gets hurt again this season and goes for some security with an extension), he will be just 25, turning 26 the following January. It’s also the massive risk that teams take when they don’t get that extra year of control by holding a player back into May...seeing how things developed and the fact that 2019 was just too early to compete for SD, it’s likely to come back and haunt them now after 2024.

Guess some of us need to watch “21” again but ignore the presence of Kevin Spacey...

Judas and the Black Messiah currently at 98 positive and just one negative review at RT. Good friend of mine with similar movies tastes saw it this past weekend in Michigan and highly recommends.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30857724/espn-baseball-reporter-pedro-gomez-dies-58 Only 58.

Also hard not to believe the incident with Reid’s son wasn’t weighing heavily on the team...although pretty sure he won’t ever bring it up as an excuse.

Bowles is definitely getting his schemes copied by every team that faces the Chiefs the next decade. Of course, the only question is whether teams have the personnel to execute it, but you’d think an AFC West team would either offer a HC position or huge salary hike to go over there when Brady’s done (maybe when he turns 48-50?)

Which is a SLIGHT problem when it’s looking more and more probable Giolito will be gone after 2023. That said, he’s the main loss until Anderson after the following year. However you look at, doing much beyond 2024 is going to be highly uncertain for the two looming super teams in Chicago and San Diego. Of course, you’re always going to have the Dodgers, Yankees and likely the Braves or Blue Jays to contend with over these must-be-competitive seasons.

Are there any interesting ads at least? Stuck with the Australian ESPN channel, so only this crazy KFC cricket one set to DMX.

Hating the team is not something fans do. It’s invariably the front office/ownership group. Or the manager. Or the pitching/hitting coach, etc. What good, for example, was hating Mazara and EE when most Sox fans were already skeptical about them from the get go? On the player side, Madrigal has undoubtedly been the most polarizing from the moment he was drafted. He’s supposed to represent the player whose value can’t easily be measured in terms of intangibles, which drives the younger generation of more statistically-oriented fans crazy.

Frederick being out is going to be used as a partial excuse, but they just don’t have that knack for pulling out close games this year...Bohannon having that run of game winners in the past really sticks out. When he isn’t hitting threes, his presence kills you on the defensive end. Blowing that 7 point lead in the final minute at Minnesota was the first warning, then the only game they didn’t have a chance the final minute, losing at home to Indiana really opening the floodgates and the doubts just crept right back in again. Weiskamp is frustrating as heck. Sometimes he’s like a Jared Uthoff/Adam Haluska and you think he could make the NBA, then he’ll fade away for an entire half. Garza gets the most of his ability, but he can’t do it all alone. McCaffrey has relied on his son too much this year at PG...but he’s lacking the fire of last season in his play. They have three athletes behind him, but none are true scorers. Seems like every season since George Raveling was pushed out that Iowa is always an elite athlete or two short, which invariably impacts them defensively getting critical stops. There once was a time when Iowa could realistically compete for McDonald’s All Americans, until they started losing them all to Roy Williams.

I think you mean the farm system of 2-3 years ago. If you told me TLR, Hahn and KW can make it through the season together peacefully and Robert/Moncada can consistently maintain an 850-900 OPS, would feel a lot better. It’s always excitement tempered by nervousness in these situations. Any White Sox fan would also tell you those 1977, 83, 2000, 2005 and 2008 teams came out of nowhere. (Or that the 2003 team or 2006 team before the wheels came off from injuries were the most talented.) When expectations increased the following season, invariably disappointment. You can even say the same for 2011 when we added Dunn...then 2012 under new manager Ventura was a positive albeit ephemeral shock, other than the last two weeks. Or the year we brought in Samardzija, Robertson, Cabrera and LaRoche, etc. Basically, they’re going to have to prove they belong in a full season. Nobody’s going to be all that happy if they make it as a wild card and get eliminated quickly, the expanded playoff format bailed them out last year. Then again, perhaps Renteria doesn’t take his foot off the gas the last couple of weeks and let the Twins and Indians overtake them with only 5 teams eligible for postseason.

Can serve as role model for Burger in his recovery, or lack thereof...well, certainly at least Yoelquis. Improves White Sox players’ car collection by 50%.

I just want to know who’s going to play Greg775...? “Searching” is one of the first movies I can recall that relies almost entirely on technology to tell the story, but this one might require claymation figures to bring it to life. At any rate, Liam Hendriks definitely deserves some residuals.

Seems the original founder already sold the movie rights for a figure rumored to be in the low six figures. Greed never fails to bring out the worst in people.

Do Fangraphs and most of the elite projection models have the Twins now ahead of the White Sox? At peak, we certainly have more potential, but certainly wouldn’t be betting my house in Lawrence on it, either.

Hawkeyes are dead again in late season swoon. Have now lost 4/5, will likely be ranked behind undefeated Drake. Can’t believe a team ranked #3/4 is now on the verge of finishing 9-10 in the conference. Never would believe rescheduling Nebraska game even mattered. It’s almost worse than being a White Sox fan, because the odds of another World Series title for the Sox are greater than Iowa even getting to the Sweet 16 for the first time since Tom Davis was kicked out after taking his final team there in 1999. The last Iowa team that really played in conference goes back to 2005-06, when they got knocked out by Northwestern State in the first round. I remember growing up in the 80’s and 90’s when Hawkeye basketball games were must-watch family events, and almost as big as the football season, if not more so some seasons. Something was broken (fanbase-wise) in that Pierre Pierce/Alfraud situation that has never entirely been repaired, a rift that still hasn’t healed.

Billy Beane might disagree with you. The only way the A’s could compete was undervalued, fringe high OBP players filling out the rosters.

Yeah, if Grandal goes down for an extended time, they’re really screwed without McCann to rely upon.

We’re currently 5th at this site to win the WS. https://www.vegasinsider.com/mlb/odds/futures/ Not even expecting them to beat the Twins this year unless they sign Odorizzi too and make the rotation more of a strength than a potential weakness. With Grandal, Moncada and Eaton, it’s not like we are totally bereft of LH hitters. We do need one more veteran LH bat, though. 2022 and 2023 are the years with zero excuses. That said, we can still make adjustments at the ASB, likely taking on a salary or two for the last 1/3rd of the season and playoffs.

I didn’t include him simply because he was one of the highest ranked FA’s that year. MLB has certainly changed...it’s certainly not like the minors, where autographs were plentiful, everyone in general is more relaxed and approachable, parking is free or under $5.00, beer is affordable (Two for Tuesday, Thirsty Thursdays) and you can all go out in some type of garden or patio and talk to all the relievers down in the bullpen leaning across a mere chain link fence. You can watch a backup catcher from some obscure Latin American country show off his arm throwing a ball out of the stadium and over the Mississippi River bridge, or hang out with players, coaches and the one team beat writer at the local Hooter’s. Those times are fast disappearing, attitudes are becoming more corporatized, terms like risk mitigation/liability override fun and entertainment.

Except the White Sox have had about a 25-30% success rate in free agency with these Tier B/C free agents like EE, Alonso, LaRoche, Cabrera, etc. The only way this philosophy works is if you’re at closer to 50-60% in free agency, or have great coaching as well as talent evaluation on a consistent basis. Teams like the Rays, Braves, Cardinals, Brewers, Indians and A’s just a few that come to mind. What doesn’t work well is being stuck in the middle. Which is where the Mariners have been since their near great Ichiro-led teams of the early 2000’s.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/were-cocky-amc-investors-reflect-181841782.html

There has always been this “paying one’s dues” in baseball for young players. Basically, you’re a first rounder with a huge signing bonus or you’re going to spend many years proving doubters wrong. Now, you are seeing more players in Rounds 2-10 getting money like Kelley, but it has always been a front-loaded game. We can compare with the NFL and NBA, but first, but top picks in those sports are expected to make instant impacts...whereas the majority of high school picks take 4-5 years to even reach the majors, three if they’re extremely talented. It’s hard to imagine that changing because the interests of MiLB ownership groups and MLB talent development has never been aligned in a way that there’s ever been a foremost concern about the product minor league teams have to market/sell.

Won’t that put small market teams at even more of a disadvantage and also disincentivize, at least somewhat, the construction of a Top 10 farm system?

https://tylerpaper.com/ap/sports/patrick-reusse-modern-baseball-devoid-of-any-of-the-games-past-charm/article_bfce4367-69cb-5aa3-b717-1deb4a6af1fb.html Thus, an e-mail, to Anthony C. Clark. Dear Tony: It's good when owners have a chance to rake in a pile of millions. The hope for that to occur is the reason a talented, wacky right-handed starter can fetch $85 million in his first two seasons of a brand-new contract. And, there's nothing you can do in a salary cap-free environment to make the Eastern-educated, analytics-believing front offices of today's baseball to sign a flawed 30 years-plus position player for more than one year at $8 million, even if you as an ex-player and the agents all remember when they could talk teams into big contracts for 33-year-olds who weren't stars. It's true that analytic zealots — bringing as they do quick hooks for effective starters, endless relievers, hitters striking out 45% of the time and still in the lineup, only home runs and no rallies — have made 75% of MLB games sparse in action and suffocating in time. And guess what? Culpable as they are in baseball's dwindling watchability, you're still not going to get the brainiacs to give more than one year and $8 million to Eddie Rosario. Yes, Tony, the game is gasping, and all you can do by fighting a plan to allow owners to make substantially more honeybuns of hundreds to help pay Trevor Bauer's ransom is to hasten its ruination. Yours truly … Despondent baseball lifer.