caulfield12

QUOTE (Nokona @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 07:03 PM) Cease really impressed me. If he can throw that hook for strikes and locate the heat he is gonna be something. And, of course, health...

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 06:03 PM) My opposing view is simple. Moustakas is not a star player and he would cost a draft pick and bonus pool money against the upcoming draft class as well as essentially dead money for 2018 that the team is paying him in a year they're not competing (not to mention the opportunity cost of getting Yolmer ABs). As far as I'm concerned, the contention window really begins to open with 2020 (unless things go really well this year and they sign Machado in the offseason), so you would essentially be paying him two of let's say five years for no return. Between now and 2020, both Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado, two of the top five 3Bs in MLB, become free agents. That doesn't even mention the possibility that the Sox could find a player either in their system or in the draft to fill the need before 2020. The argument to me is Moustakas vs. the field, and IMO the field will produce a more productive 3B option than Moustakas by 2020. How many "star" players have the White Sox EVER brought in during their Reinsdorf history, other than Albert Belle? Adam Dunn qualifies? Todd Frazier? Robertson certainly doesn't. Now they've brought in PLENTY of stars about 3-5 years after their peak career years, when they were already well on the decline. It has never fit with the SouthSide image, in fact, which has always been more of a "blue collar/lunchbucket" ideology, at least until now. (I GUESS they sort of tried with Alex Rodriguez and Tanaka, but it's hard to even argue that Tanaka has become a true star/ace that he was projected to be, and making an offer doesn't exactly establish goodwill unless you start signing more Abreu's and Luis Robert's that produce on the field. They TRIED to trade for Miguel Cabrera.) How many "star" players were on the 2005 Chicago White Sox, or 2014-15 Royals? Buehrle, Crede, Pods, Dye and Konerko were NOT stars. Hosmer, Perez, Moustakas, Cain, Morales....all "solid" players, but no stars in there. I guess Cain, if you go by WAR numbers and not actual hype, because he always flew under the radar.

WH is really in a complete free fall. Even the new Federal Reserve Board chair Powell is managing to freak out the markets. Trump at odds with pretty much the entire GOP caucus on guns...while Kelly is basically cleaning house, but Trump and Kelly absolutely can't stand each other. How can Jared even stay, now that he's been completely emasculated? Guess he's just waiting for Kelly to do something to get himself fired/resign so he can be back in the ascendancy...

Surprising that Iowa actually won a B10 tourney game. Maybe the first positive momentum in weeks with the Bohannon/Chris Street missed FT national news has carried over. Doesn't matter, they'll get pummeled the next game. But will at least manage to avoid a dreaded 20 loss season, that has almost never happened in my lifetime. And, as I speak, Illinois is only down 5, haha.

The Twins aren't relying on high draft picks, other than Buxton and Mauer in his final year...to contend. Gibson, but he's their #5 guy at best. And, for every Hansen, there are 20 Spencer Adams or Chris Becks.

Donald Jr., Kushner and Ivanka are next in the cross hairs...their biggest staffer is also quitting.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 04:49 PM) On the contrary, the alternate approach was utilized by the Obama administration. That administration saw the greatest disparity growth between the 1% and 99% than any administration in modern history. What did the stock market do from 2009-2017? Maybe Dems like Clinton and Obama should apologize for the growth that took place...? How well under the Bushes and Reagan? What happened in 1987, 2001-2002 and 2008? Republicans keep giving tax cuts to the rich and driving the stock market off a cliff. And you’re completely discounting the economic effects of millions of lower income working families getting health insurance for the first time.

Of course, now there is no money left over for critical infrastructure spending...but, priorities! Putting more actual disposable income in the hands of the bottom 60% would have lifted aggregate demand and growth much more effectively...and arguably, many of those without college degrees voted for Trump with the expectation he actual cared about flyover territory and would improve their economic and health care situations. Scant evidence to support that so far.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 04:18 PM) Charlie Tilson with a bunt single, which is really nice to see he is willing to use his legs already. He had a succesful suicide squeeze the other day as well...

Nice rally. Cease at 96-98 mph.

Moncada with a slow start...attacking him with outside fb’s and inside breaking stuff, opposite of normal approach. Saladino has been the hitting star of early spring. Gillaspie has had some good at bats. Basabe on defense and two big hits. Robert got his first hit yesterday. Cordell getting some attention, too. Sox with full starting lineup intact into the 6th.

Sigh. That’s the best obfuscation possible? Stone is certifiably nuts. He used to be in the mix, but his shelf life as a real player expired a long time ago. Nevertheless, Trump’s complete lack of organization gave perfect in’s for guys like Manafort, Flynn, Gates, Mooch, Papadopolous, Lewandowski, etc.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 09:54 AM) I turned down a job interview for significantly more money just because I didn't want to leave the situation I am in now. But that’s not an industry-specific trend...

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 09:40 AM) https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=...=&players=0 Nunez across two teams had a fWAR of 2.2, but also was not a part of qualified batters in the list above. Only 5 teams in the MLB last year accumulated 2 WAR at 3B. Where is this from, you just said 19 teams had a 2 WAR 3b? Even if they played off 3b for a portion, someone else could not be such a net negative that it drags all those teams down. Replacement level back ups or options #3-5 tend to do that...like Saladino last year.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 09:39 AM) Why are you using career stats for a player who has played less than two full seasons of major league ball? Yolmer's OPS last year was .732. It's reasonable that a 25 year old is still getting better. By no means am I saying his 2017 offensive production is acceptable, but it's much better than the misleading number you used. Also, I'm not sure why you're discounting defense. Yolmer's fWAR was 0.1 less than golden boy Moustakas last year because he's a far better player with the glove. There's plenty of logic in giving Yolmer a chance during a lost season to see if his offseason work pays off with the bat and if he can become above average every-day player. If not, no harm loss. Either way, the Sox will be going after the big free agent 3B the next two offseasons. Yolmer is simply a place-holder or a potential trade chip. Because everyone did the same thing with Moustakas’ career stats...you just made the point for me, when we should have been looking at the 2015-2017 “full picture,” including the injury prognosis. Somehow a 4.4 WAR and a high 3’s/low 4’s pace at age 26 and 27 became a future mired at 2ish at best at the grizzled old age of 29. Can we also ignore Avi Garcia, Logan Morrison, Yonder Alonso and Chris Taylor pre 2017?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 09:35 AM) Does it matter? You are trying to prove that the system isn’t about making as much money as possible by adding one insignificant example that meant nothing in the long run What field of endeavor does a worker deliberately NOT try to maximize earnings? Priest/monk....non-profit/charitable org workers, pro bono lawyers.

Cordell gets praise for having solid average to above-average tools across the board...he can handle center field, although he's probably a better fit in a corner spot long-term, and his arm will play in right field. Cordell has speed (he was 21 for 25 stealing bases last season) and power, and the main question about him is whether he'll be able to hit enough against upper-level pitching. Cordell's upside is as a solid everyday outfielder who does everything well without being great at any one thing, with a more realistic role perhaps being a fourth outfielder who can be pressed into every day duty if need be -- someone like David (not to be confused with Daniel) Murphy, for example. https://www.lonestarball.com/2015/2/11/8018...scouting-report Murphy, fwiw, had a career MLB ops of 765 over 9 seasons Cordell just over 800 ops career milb, most career games in CF (145), then RF (125), then LF (94) 45 milb games at 3b, Sox will try him there apparently for versatility, 14 at SS

QUOTE (TheTruth05 @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 08:52 AM) I agree, I think the Sox are either gonna go big with 3B (Machado) or let Yolmer handle it and shop Burger when the time comes. What could possibly go wrong with a career 652 ops guy at 3B?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 09:08 AM) Buehrle took the largest contract offered to him by the marlins and left. What did the White Sox offer to keep him?

QUOTE (Tex @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 06:45 AM) Like every industry you can’t pay workers too much or you will go out of business and everyone loses their jobs. Let’s start a list of major professional sports teams which went bankrupt. 1. Who here is going to walk into their employer and demand a lower salary so the company can lower costs and “win” market share? If I was a player I’d have Boras as an agent. I want someone getting me every last penny. Pro athletes are competitive, at everything. That includes whose got the biggest check. Buerhle was willing to do it to keep Uribe around...or defer more.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 06:53 AM) Or just hire Robin Ventura If we had drafted 1st-2nd, we theoretically might have taken Aiken (the Sox claimed it was always Rodon, but Cooper really liked Aiken too)...then instead ended up with Bergman/Tucker the following year. Boo Ventura!!! A few more bunts could have accomplished it.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 06:50 AM) An ACL reconstruction shouldnt limit him at 3B. Of course, all surgeries can have complications and some dont return to full activities but the vast majority do. The return to previous level of function is over 90%. Most athletes will return to playing at 9-12 months post-op but theyll tell you the knee doesnt feel normal until 18 months. So similar to the current TJ timeframes...typically 18 months, sometimes pushing 20-24 months depending on individual circumstances. It’s just a bit strange for a 29 year old to be consigned to 1b/DH for the rest of his career...based on what, I don't know.

QUOTE (Tex @ Feb 28, 2018 -> 06:33 AM) Trying to add something that hasn’t already been mentioned, and admittedly a most minor of factors. Will signing him sell tickets to the casual fan? Will it grab a few headlines? Chalk up some of the cash in the advertising column and add him. You don’t always get your first choice but you might find you get what you need. Probably not. Chris Sale starts didnt boost attendance significantly. I’m not even sure Macahado moves the meter enough to justify allocating $250-350 million from a marketing standpoint, or Arenado. Harper is probably the only one who could do that with the Sox. I argued much earlier in the thread that signing Bryce before 2019 more than theoretically earns the Sox an extra $1.2-1.8 billion over a full 20-25 year broadcasting/media rights deal. If the lowly Rays can get $84 million per year for 16 years...then the biggest or second biggest superstar in baseball boosts our deal from the low $50 millions into the $115-125 million range (per year) just for local media rights alone...remenbering we are also likely benefitting from the Cubs, Bulls and Blackhawk affiliations/advertising revenues/Comcast ownership stakes. Plus, trading him wouldnt be hard to do in 2020-22 if the rebuild were to completely go south, despite Balta’s optimistic predictions and the Royals/Cubs/Astros run of WS success...or the Indians.

And what could/should MLB do to address it proactively? Or is the draft order difference from 1-8 in the MLB draft first round not worth deliberate tanking, especially from a fan standpoint? What would seem to up the ante this year is more active tanking. There are entire analytics departments that are established out there to find ways to get the best five players on the court in any situation and the coaches are given reams of data on this to help them prepare,” Windhorst explained. “And what NBA executives have detailed to me is that there is some inverse analytics going on where coaches are potentially being given data on what lineups to play may be not be successful and we’re certainly seeing that with the Dallas Mavericks.” Windhorst also spoke to an anonymous NBA executive for an ESPN.com feature who discussed the reverse engineering of analytics that tanking teams practice. One executive told ESPN that he suspects the use of “reverse analytics.” Instead of using data to determine which lineups may be most effective in a certain matchup, coaches may be provided with data that could yield the opposite. “It’ll be like ‘Mission: Impossible,'” the executive said, tongue partially planted in cheek. “The coaches will get the data on paper that will self-destruct right after they read it.” Windhorst specifically identified how Carlisle inserted his tank lineup into the final five minutes of a close contest against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 10. Down 116-117, Carlisle opted to play recently-acquired forward Doug McDermott, Dennis Smith Jr., Max Kleber and Salah Majri over more established veterans Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes, J.J. Barea and standout rook Dwight Powell. However, in that circumstance the Mavericks pulled out a pyrrhic victory over the Lakers, who don’t owe their 2018 pick to Philadelphia or Boston. That foursome played a total of 12 minutes together in the first three and a half months but has recently become the Mavs’ closing lineup of choice. It’s a group that had blown a 10-point lead in the final 4:42 of a loss to the LA Clippers a couple of games earlier and was minus-38 in 24 February minutes before managing to close out the Lakers. … The Mavs have the league’s fewest clutch wins (eight) and most clutch losses (29). Their clutch point differential (minus-90) is the worst in the league by 31 points. Their clutch net rating (minus-31.2 points per 100 possessions) is the worst in the league over the past decade aside from two exceptions: the 2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers, who earned them the right to draft Ben Simmons with the first overall pick; and the 2010-11 Minnesota Timberwolves, whose reward was drafting bust Derrick Williams at No. 2 overall. Mark Cuban was recently fined $600,000 for openly expressing his opinion losing was in Dallas’ best interests and Windhorst went out of his way to single them out. However, they aren’t alone in the submarine race to the bottom. Chicago is sitting Zach Lavine on back-to-backs, sat him out a month after he reportedly was ready to play, has begun starting David Nwaba and encouraged rookie Lauri Markkanen not to catch a flight to Sacramento for a game the next day. They also frantically shopped Nikola Mirotic after he returned to the active roster and led Chicago on a seven-game winning streak. Atlanta gutted their entire roster in the offseason, then waived Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova for good measure. There are teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic are just teams that have fallen between hard times and bad luck. Then, there are the Kings, who would probably become a playoff team if they started using what they thought were “inverse analytics.” https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-teams-using-in...-063744639.html

In the most truly bizarre news of the last 24 hours A Russian model says she will spill information on Trump and Russia to get out of a Thai jail Steele Dossier link? http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationw...0227-story.html A self-described “sex expert” whose videos highlighted the ties between one of Russia's richest men and the Kremlin has been jailed in Thailand and is calling for U.S. help, claiming she has information about links between Russia and President Donald Trump. Anastasia Vashukevich, an escort-service worker from Belarus who catapulted to a certain measure of fame after filming a yacht trip with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko, was detained in Thailand over the weekend in a police raid on her "sex training" seminar. While still in custody on Tuesday, she published Instagram videos asking U.S. journalists and intelligence agencies to help her. Deripaska, with whom Vashukevich said she had an affair, used to employ former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. But Vashukevich, better known by the alias Nastya Rybka, provided no evidence on Tuesday to back up the claim that she had new information to offer related to the investigation into Russian election interference. A post to her Instagram account showed her sitting on the floor of what was described as a Thai jail and said she was sick. Thaivisa.com Deported and blacklisted! Pictures show how Russian "sex instructors" taught their students! By webfact, 8 hours ago in Pattaya News Rate this topic Reply to this topic 1 2 3 4 NEXT Page 1 of 4 webfact Admin webfact Admin 26,938 241,138 posts Report post #1 Posted 8 hours ago Deported and blacklisted! Pictures show how Russian "sex instructors" taught their students! scp.jpg Images: Sophon Cable Pictures have emerged of the sex course run by a group of ten Russians in Pattaya that was busted earlier this week. And further details have emerged that indicate the whistle blower was a Russian woman and that the course taught Russian ladies how to snare a rich sugar daddy. Photos of the 45,000 baht four day course published by Sophon Cable TV on Facebook show one Russian man grabbing a woman's genitals from behind in front of an easel while students take notes. Insert Trump joke here. Another appears on the floor as the students watch to see how it is done. While yet another features a "volunteer" being thrashed with a thick belt. This was all part of a course that was earlier reported as being one to help participants make their partners climax. But Sophon revealed that there was much more to the story. The Thai authorities were alerted by a Russian woman who had reported the matter to Russian authorities. Exactly why and who this was was not revealed but the woman was a participant on the course who was not named.. Modules on various sex subjects were explored - these included what to do in bed and how to snare a Russian sugar daddy. There were instruction manuals in the theory of these practices available for all modules. The course was organised by a Russian man and his wife who Sophon said run a "Sex Institute" in Thailand. They employed eight instructors for the course. 4pm.jpg Picture: Sophon Cable Police told Sophon that the course included a trip on Sunday to Koh Larn where live coverage was shared on the internet. There were forty female participants on the holiday island. When the instructors and their students returned to a Pattaya hotel in the evening for a diploma giving "climax" to the course, the police swooped and the arrests were made. The ten Russians have been charged with illegal entry and working without a work permit. Following their prosecution on these matters they will all be deported and blacklisted so they can't come back to Thailand.