caulfield12

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 06:56 PM) Basabe really struggling to start the year. Started out 2/2 on Opening Day and all downhill since that point...

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 05:17 PM) Bernie's economic plan is so flawed it doesn't really deserve the time of day but since it's "let's have the government have the government supply a bunch of who huge expense categories" a lot of people got behind it. He's like the 5th grader in student council who says he'll give longer recess and more root beer. What is the return on investment and overall net benefit of all the costly US foreign engagements since Vietnam in 1965? Other than benefits to the military/industrial complex and DOD? We've spent in the TRILLIONS on nuclear weapons when you would only need 100 to theoretically destroy the planet. If that money was instead invested in more beneficial areas like education, health care and infrastructure...or even "foreign aid/non-military," how could the US possibly be worse off than it is today in terms of our place in the world, and the uncertain future for the "bottom 80%" of Americans? Trump wants to increase defense spending by at least 10% but how no idea what he even wants to allocate those monies on or whether the various services even requested it...not to mention huge amounts of unchecked waste/inefficiency that can't be questioned because it wouldn't be "patriotic" to do so. This "blank check" without even having a plan for what to do around the world has to end. Accountability, whether it's Obama drone strikes/Benghazi OR OR OR sending troops blinding into harm's way in Africa or Yemen because Trump is too lazy to dig into the details or get second/third opinions.

Eliminating private pensions just isnt realistic with a $21 trillion deficit...look at all the state budgetary issues in places like CA, IL, KS, etc. If he could develop a plan that doesnt bring about 20-30% cuts to SS, that would be great. I jest. Making community college more affordable for middle class and poor families, at least vocational and tech schools that are not for profit or largely internet based, that should be something nearly everyone can get behind. And fixing ObamaCare gaps instead of junking the entire thing...everyone should be behind that as well except for the most ardent Ayn Randists.

When is Kopech’s start? Today or tmrw?

Greg is going to blame his MLB Extra Innings cancellation on Soria and the Opening Day Massacre, lol... How many of the announced 10,377 were actually crazy enough to attend that game in person?

Hitting with RISP killing the Sox the last three games... Anderson has to have better situational awareness. At least this dispels the notion of the Sox being pretty good, losing three in a row to Detroit at home and breaking the Rays’ 8 game losing streak when Colome was practically trying to give the game away again.

Pitching is fickle...just look at Aiken and Tyler Kolek, not to mention Rodon. As long as he’s a competent 3/4 guy and Lopez or Dunning also make it as starters or relievers, it’s still a big net win for the Sox...particularly as the cost of competent young pitching on the FA market goes up and up. Where would the Sox rotation be today with Eaton but no trade made (and Eaton’s value down a bit comingboff acseason-ending injury)?

Sanders/Kamala Harris shoot themselves in the foot https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/08/politics/ber...2020/index.html

I agree with most everything you wrote except Giolito having an advantage over Floyd's curveball. Potentially, sure. But the consistency isn't there yet with that pitch at the big league level. Granted, it's terrible weather in which to judge curveballs and sliders due to the difficulty gripping the ball, especially pitchers with smaller hands. Giolito's big advantage is his cerebral and thoughtful personality...and his ability to adapt/evolve. After Floyd's initial success in the late 2000's, he kind of stopped getting better. He plateaued, in other words. He started to look more like Javy Vazquez (inconsistent) than a front-line/ace caliber starter like he was for most of 2008. Giolito hasn't had nearly the minor league struggles, but he has taken a pretty significant to his prospect status in 18 months (going from the best RH MILB pitching prospect with a 95-98 MPH heater to a more pedestrian FB). The more recent articles about his "leverage" due to his body length (the ball getting on hitters faster, perception-wise) and spin rates and other issues related to Giolito have been pretty positive. Just want to get to early May or a warm weather stadium when we can start to see what he really has for this year (unless he's going through a dreaded dead-arm period out of ST.) (Not sure Hahn would appreciate your "spinning" his acquisition as a reclamation/change of scenery move.)

The Cubs are playing a night game on Monday...interesting, guess they're more concerned with attendance/concession revenues.

Looks like Blake Hickman at W-S will be a reliever for now...interesting.

Seems the Sox stadium gun was slower, then...Lopez was 96-98 in his first start according to MLB At Bat. On the Sox feed Sunday, he was "just" 93-95, comparatively. Giolito was 88-92/93...Fulmer (DET) was consistently 94-95.

QUOTE (reiks12 @ Apr 8, 2018 -> 05:12 PM) Anyone live in Japan? I wonder how people react there I saw Dice K's (MLB) debut in KC and the media was nuts. From what I read, Ohtani now has at least 200 traveling with him from various Japanese media. To perform the way he has, after the tepid spring training results, is pretty amazing. Has the pressure of an entire country on his shoulders, at such a young age. That's not even considering what will be increasing US sports coverage, and "general interest" stories in papers like the NY Times, Washington Post, etc. I would imagine an immense number have to following his games back in Japan, despite the 9 hour time difference from California. http://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/la-sp...0408-story.html It was not even 10 o'clock on Sunday morning. The Angels would play the Oakland Athletics, but not for another three hours. At that hour, the players usually speed right on into the parking lot. Not on this day. "There's a carnival going on out there," one of the players said as he walked into the clubhouse. The player spoke not out of jealousy, but out of wonderment. The concept that traffic would be so clogged so many hours before a game in Anaheim is something new, something different, something amazing. So is Shohei Ohtani. The Angels sold out. They sold 44,742 tickets, more than for opening day, more than for any regular-season day game since they downsized their stadium 20 years ago. ... "That's as good as game as you could ever see pitched," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia, a man who does not traffic in hyperbole. Ohtani never pitched a no-hitter in Japan. If this was not his best game, then what was? "Probably my best outing ever was when I was in elementary school," he said, smiling as the answer was translated into English. ... Ohtani induced 25 swinging strikes, the most by any major league pitcher this season. Of the 20 splitters he threw, the A’s swung and missed at 15. He was so dominant that Scioscia was asked whether he might have had to make a decision about whether to let the pursuit of a perfect game override the concern about Ohtani’s pitch count. “Possibly,” Scioscia said. Where might that have been? “We’ll never know,” Scioscia said. ... And he accomplished all these feats with a world watching, including a live broadcast on NHK that started at 5 a.m. in Japan. The baseball world is watching, too. Ohtani has more home runs than either Kris Bryant or Aaron Judge, more strikeouts than either Chris Sale or Max Scherzer. Miguel Rojas, the former Dodgers infielder now with the Miami Marlins, hit the Marlins' third home run of the season Sunday. “At least,” Rojas jokingly said to reporters, “we have as many as Ohtani now.”

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 8, 2018 -> 05:20 PM) It’s going to be a while. They will have their moments, but there is a lot of work to be done. Coop has a lot to fix. Strikes seem to be an issue right now with his youngsters. Their first verbally rssults hav not been that terrible, and inLope’ case quite good, but all those walks will bite you in the end, and need to be cleaned up. Davidson was due to come back to earth. It will be interesting to see if he is for real, if Yolmer, Leury, Engel are legit. I just think there are going to be stretches they will look like the worst team in baseball, and times the look like a playoff team. Unfortunately they looked pretty bad especially considering who they were playing, the last couple of days. That's not going to work against the Astros, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Twins or Angels...Tigers must have one of the weakest line-ups in baseball after you get past Cabrera, Martinez and Castellanos.

At least the Cubs have to suffer with us...until Thurs. Of course, the story will be how their fans will still support the team in even the very worst weather conditions. (But everyone now cares more about Astros, NYY and Ohtani anyway.)

Spieth gets mojo back, cant quite recover on 18 to set a course record. Looks like Reed holds on, Harrelson?€™s boy Fowler still without a major unless something dramatic occurs here.

If Jimenez doesnt put up MVP numbers from the getgo, SoxTalk will break the internet...

11,131 gives a pretty good idea of the season ticket base...if some could estimate actual fannies in the seats today. http://www.espn.com/mlb/attendance We will still be ahead of Pitt, Miami and Oakland...but will also be interesting to see if we go below 10k against Rays in dreaded April weekday games.

Gave up a hit to Semien, walk...great job of pitching out of trouble. 12 k’s through 7. 98/99 mph that inning. Hasnt given up a run since three run homer early in debut against same A’s team. 3 er in 13 ip.

Sky is falling...?

Because...of course. We will see if a team with two superstars can somehow be denied a playoff spot.

Right now it’s still 4 2/3rd’s and 2 er...

Will Rondon have an opportunity to go get revenge on his former team?

What?€™s Swaggerty?€™s comp? Benintendi in CF? Hopefully not Jeremy Reed... http://www.the3rdmanin.com/travis-swaggert...-draft-college/ Found a good story on him...seems like a little bit of Dustin Pedroia quality.

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=m...itting/2018/ALL Tatis, Jr., starts out 0/12 with 3 k’s. They basically skipped him over High A, so I’m going to predict a lot of struggles for at least the first 2-3 months of the minor league season.