caulfield12

He went to law school at Harvard, graduated in the Class of 1996.

Basically, the “bust” (meaning C.Crawford, Heyward, Sizemore, Chavez outcomes) rate of the players who started out on HoF trajectories in the last 20-30 years (based on before age 25/26 numbers) was around 10/26...just a notch under 40%.

https://www.fangraphs.com/graphs.aspx?playerid=3200&position=P&pitchgraphs=true&statArr=&legend=1&split=base&time=daily&start=2016&end=2018&rtype=mult&gt1=15&dStatArray=FA&ymin=&ymax= Looks like he was still 92.5-93 for most of 2017...it wasn’t until that finger injury that everything fell apart.

Why they didn’t play it by lying in the weeds from the very beginning...not making such obvious pandering moves like Jay and Alonso...might have had a different ending, but, then again, still difficult to imagine the bidding ending up under $275 million even with with the Phillies so obviously focused on Harper. By NOT publicly lobbying for months...with two separate ESPN headlines about Machado to the Sox...they wouldn’t have managed to somehow piss off every single member of the fanbase other than Watch Ray Ray Run.

Wasn’t it something like appendicitis, or his kid’s health...or those were separate years? He went from 900+ to mid 500’s and NY Times headlines about the historicity of his ineptitude.

Maybe one outside the Sox spring training facility would be a lot cheaper...and it’d still be pretty much guaranteed to make national news. https://www.outdoorbillboard.com/billboards-for-rent/arizona/all Looks like around $3000? https://www.blipbillboards.com/billboard-locations/arizona/phoenix/ Can also go with digital billboards...

The Santana money is only if he makes the big league roster, no guarantees. If they did, they’d be the dumbest front office in history coming off his last 18 months.

We always talk about how payrolls weren’t supported by enough revenue since 2007...that White Sox fans were “underattending” games based on how much was (inefficiently) being spent, but being listed with those 3 organizations is just downright embarrassing. It’s certainly deflating. The crazy part is that each of them has been much more successful in putting together playoff caliber teams...heck, Oakland looked capable of the World Series in the second half of 2014 and then again four years later. That ignominious list also puts us well behind SD, KC, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Miami/Florida, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Minnesota, etc.

They definitely compliment each other, Cooper’s ego might be the biggest in the organization...the anti-Vizquel or Jirschele. The real question here is whether they are complementary...and how accidental vs. strategic it is. Will wait to see on Lambert, but every year there’s a Jordan Guerrero, Flores, Adams, Danish or Beck. Still awaiting a true breakthrough from one of these guys. At least Covey showed some flashes, compared to where he was in his Rule 5 year.

I’ll clarify that as specifically for Jay...Alonso’s situation is a bit more complicated because of his larger salary. In the end, neither player finishes their season with the White Sox. That much is close to certain.

Luzardo (yay, more reminders) and JB Wendelken pitched for the A’s today...

Many of us pointed out how dumb it was to help our MAIN rival (not the Cubs) Cleveland out from under a financial overextension of their own making...but that quickly got buried under the Machado to the Sox expected headlines.

Excellent preparation for the Game of Thrones-like “winter is coming” fan freeze everyone but Eloy Jimenez will be dealing with in April and May back up in Chicago.

They don’t need to cut him...just absorb X amount of his salary and get back another team’s version of Alex Call. There’s simply no way Jay himself would have said he could recruit Machado to the Sox by the force of his will alone.

I didn’t say in April or even ST...just that it has to happen in the first half of the season. That’s what a stand up GM would do. Admit that he messed up, misread the market but now the entire organization needs to turn the page from this chapter of Sox history. That won’t happen with both of them on the roster still, especially lockered together and accused of aiding and abetting the Padres, essentially.

Still has to the the Phillies. Their ownership group can’t possibly be THAT obtuse.

Compare that to everything we’re seeing in San Diego and around Harper. The juxtaposition couldn’t be more jarring. Imagine you bought tickets and made reservations for the first weekend of spring training games. Sucker punch! What, Scott Carroll wasn’t available for one of the Sat split squad games? Of course, we’re facing former Sox pitcher Chris Bassit in the other game...Rich Hill, he of the rumored Joc Pederson + ex-Cub veteran southpaw Hill for Bryce Bush trade that never happened because we never get nice things is opposing Roach, who finished last year in Japan and is the absolute definition of a journeyman, if ever there was one. I’m guessing most Sox fans have never even heard of him. We do get to watch Marcus Semien face his former mates, and Josh Phegley, so there’s that to look forward to? Then we of course get the Machado and Tatis, Jr., Show on Sunday at 2 p.m. Mercifully, no announcer Sox-related radio or t.v. coverage. MLB.com will undoubtedly pick it up, just to taunt us. Every single day this week is framed as some type of an insult to Sox fans. PS: If there are any Michael Ynoa or Rangel Ravelo sightings in AZ, please document them and post them here...

Because Hahn and KW are too proud and stubborn to ever admit they’re wrong. The fans would appreciate their admitting the gambit failed and moving on...who the heck wants to be reminded all season long (especially if they’re not playing well and Avi is tearing up the AL) of their total ineptitude? Its like spitting in the ballpark nachos and then asking your fans to ignore it.

Completely disagree, especially if Jay looks done and the few fans start booing in late April or early May...why would it be worth a couple million to keep him around? To prove the validity of his acquisition as a baseball-only move?

The odds of that are about as high as the science of the new Chinese film “The Wandering Earth” being spot on. Seriously, If the Cubs did bring in Harper...I’d be spending more a lot more time this season rooting against them and for everything to blow up in their faces. As far as the Sox, pretty much limited to watching Moncada, Jimenez and Anderson at-bats and then flipping back.

Cue Lego Movie theme song. I guess ours is Everybody Hurts by REM, or It’s The End of the World As We Know It (and White Sox fans still don’t feel fine)

Is there any way this offseason could get any worse for Hahn...I mean, my god, he's looking 10X worse than Beane and Michael Lewis managed to make Kenny Williams appear in Moneyball. Maybe we just need to create an over 35 league for the White Sox to realistically compete. Watching Contreras and El Duque out there again would at least elicit some more pleasant memories, and Bobby Jenks can’t be that old yet. Although he probably weighs 340, give or take. Would definitely love to see Buehrle allowed to do what he used to love playing around during rain delays before the front office put the kibosh on it. Rooney and Hagin could come back.

Cory Snyder and Steve Sax Omar Vizquel and Roberto Remember the Alomar Ellis Burks Mike Devereaux Alomar Jr. too many times to count Manny Ramirez Dale Sveum Billy Joe Robidoux Shawn Lil Abner McKay Christensen Bartolo Colon James Shields Royce Clayton Derek Holland Mat Latos

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26056242/padres-gm-aj-preller-thought-being-able-sign-machado-was-pipe-dream This should get everyone’s blood back to boiling level...

I was conjuring up an image of that shop in a truly dystopian District 9-like setting. Good stuff...