caulfield12

Booker and Fisher in WS line-up. Guerrero dealing again for Barons. Hawkins, Barnum and maybe Trey all better do something with their AA opportunity again. Trey will get at least one more year to (im)prove himself. Collins on the route to another 0 for ...

The Great Premium Debate Continues http://www.factcheck.org/2014/11/the-great...bate-continues/ Average Annual Percent Growth in Health Care Expenditures per Capita by State of Residence http://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/a...22:%22asc%22%7D For US as a whole and Illinois as a state, 4.9% increase per year from 1991-2014 8 Charts That Explain the Explosive Growth of U.S. Health Care Costs http://mediatrackers.org/national/2013/10/...alth-care-costs

The theory is he would get more fastballs leading off and benefit...it worked for Rizzo, fwiw. Schwarber was still getting his walks but that average was unsightly that even in fWAR world it eventually became impossible to overlook. Probably wasn't comfortable there, and it drew even more attention to his struggles than hitting 6th - 9th.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 03:20 PM) They've all expressed "concerns" with the bill "as written," but McConnell apparently specifically left things out of the bill. This gives these Senators the cover to offer a specific amendment and then vote for the bill saying "it was the best deal we could get." Word from the House is that House R's will pass whatever the Senate does unchanged, avoiding a potentially messy reconciling of the two bills and then re-votes in both chambers. We're going to get this god-awful bill that blows up a big chunk of our healthcare industry and leaves thousands of dead Americans a year in its wake to fund nearly a trillion dollars in upper class tax cuts. That's where this country's political priorities are these days. The key is a lot of the Medicaid gutting gets pushed way back to 2023-25, giving them plausible political cover to keep their jobs before everyone fully realizes what has been done to them. And, fwiw, while ex presidents rarely engage so publicly on partisan issues, Obama's clearly in the right on this one. He can see a vacuum at the top of the Democratic resistance and realizes temporarily he's best suited to fill it (Sanders/Warren wing notwithstanding). The only good that comes out of all this is single payer/Medicare for all...but God knows how long that takes. 2025? 2029? Finally, the scariest part is that if the economy and stock market keep ascending (unlikely) for another three years, Trump wins pretty easily. Odds of that aren't high, though.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 03:07 PM) And? Please elaborate at what point in Avi's previous White Sox career you would have broached extension discussions? After he got booed at SoxFest?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 03:12 PM) I live and work in IL but my insurance is through FL because my employer chose that. I don't want to be subject to the whims of state-by-state policy and a race to the bottom for the worst legally required health insurance. That doesn't actually benefit anyone but health insurers. What state doesn't have people that would be harmed by the removal of the EHB requirements? Why should that basic level of care be decided on a state-by-state basis? What benefit to citizens gain from that? The only argument that's logical is a reallocation providing Even MORE funding in states dealing with opioids, which are mostly Trump states. But what creates the impression that someone like Paul Ryan or Tom Price or Mick Mulvaney gives a flying f--- about those people?

Right now, there are four Senators publicly against it...and surely Murkowski and Heller. (McCain's for but hasn't even read much more than a synopsis, someone please put him out to pasture.) They tack too far to appease the right and Rand Paul, they lose the middle. Not to mention it could never get through the House unless all those cherished Republican principles are thrown out the window just to move on to tax reform and the budget, where the poor/middle class will continue to get screwed over again and again.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 03:00 PM) The Sox love getting their core young guys locked into long term deals as early as possible. I would put the odds near 100% that the Sox talked to him about it very early on in his time here. That April before he got injured (2014) in Colorado was the only time his play warranted such a discussion.

Where's Balta when you need him? It's funny those of us complaining for the last five years (or more) are relatively happy with the direction of things...Southsider2k5 is now in the reverse Balta role, which is a more sophisticated and nuanced yet faintly critical/pessimistic take on the organization's foibles. What Greg is trying to accomplish, have no idea. Thad Bosley has been marginalized to the point where even he got tired of writing about 35+ years of failure by the JR regime when everyone's trying to be optimistic. Southsider's right about one thing, though....if this all flops, the Sox and their fans are facing 40 days in the desert. Luckily, the Indians don't have the financial wherewithal to sustain their window out over 3-4 more years and beyond like the Cubs. Eventually the White Sox have to break through...at that time, the Twins should be our main competition (yet again).

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 02:27 PM) Garcia will be a $10 million in arbitration this year if he anywhere close to keeps up this season. The arb system isn't as much about raises as it is comps. RF's who hit .340 and put up .900+ OPSs get paid big time, and this is year #2 of arb when those numbers start to explode. Next year the same sort of numbers will get him in the range of $15 million, maybe more, if he goes through the arb system. If Garcia has held out this long to be extended, it tells me that he thinks he can get paid in free agency. For what it would take to get his attention and give up free agency, I am not willing to go there. How has he held out, when all indications are we never even dreamed of this discussion until mere weeks ago? There does have to be a middle ground somewhere in that $60-75 million range, but it obviously is contingent on Avi and his agent believing they can continue to build on this success and get significantly more in FA when three months ago he was a DFA candidate. He's always going to be weighed down by defensive metrics, so this idea of $100 million contracts seems outlandish, even when compared to Robert's deal. It is an interesting discussion, though. (I wonder if they could go back and hold off at least one more season on Anderson's guaranteed deal if they would do it again?) That said, there's always that risk...look at the Astros with JD Martinez, Singleton and Grossman. Domingo Santana's become a very solid OFer for Milwaukee as well, but the overall quality and depth of the Luhnow operational model makes it a moot point. Right now, the Sox are in a different boat, we simply can't afford to have too many flops or missed assessments with position prospects for this to work out, as we all know how fickle pitching prospects are in terms of health and performance (the theory of trading surplus there to cover another area of deficiency.).

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/chicago-whit...558/t-185364810 Add this to the screenplay...

Punting all the problems into the future and retaining large parts of ACA while not fundamentally fixing anything, great plan if you can get away with it.

Augusta is the hottest city in the league to do that....it would almost melt your feet. It invariably would rain in the mid to late afternoon the 50% of the time (river valley,) the sun would come out again and scorch you to death. Let's not get started on the humidity and times when it's really windy and people who aren't paying attention to what they're doing end up going airborne. The you had to put a Diamond Dry all over, which is basically kitty litter...fix the mound, batter's boxes, cover and uncover the bullpen mounds. Tamp tamp tamp. Fun fun fun. Good exercise at least.

Augusta is the hottest city in the league to do that....it would almost melt your feet. It invariably would rain in the mid to late afternoon the 50% of the time (river valley,) the sun would come out again and scorch you to death. Let's not get started on the humidity and times when it's really windy and people who aren't paying attention to what they're doing end up going airborne. The you had to put a Diamond Dry all over...fix the mound, batter's boxes, cover and uncover the bullpen mounds. Fun fun fun. Good exercise at least.

The problem is both can play second but there is no replacement for Anderson other than Leury Garcia, possibly...SANCHEZ and Hanson lack the arm strength to play that position on an everyday basis.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 21, 2017 -> 09:33 PM) I wish we could turn him into a catcher. He's got that Sandy Alomar physique (when he was young) and his low batting average could be offset by decent power. I envision Anderson as a free swinging .250 hitter, maybe .245, with a very low on base percentage but decent power. He'd hit .250 with 19 homers and 70 ribbies for many years to come. Could he be moved to catcher? His shortstop skills are not good IMO. Sounds about like Juan Uribe offensively...he needs to be better than that, unless he plays defense like last year.

Moncada gets a big single in the top of the 7th, following Bueno single...runners advance on error by OFer. 2nd and 3rd, one out. May can't hit a flare far enough to left, runner held. Delmonico up with two down.

Game tied, 3-3 bottom of the fifth. Peterson is just too good right now. Jumped on first pitch. Threw 48 pitches to struggle through 4th/5th innings. Oh well, back up to 4.95 era. Strikeouts encouraging. Velocity has stabilized at 93.

Needs one more out. Gave up sac fly followed by yet another K. Tying runs at second and third. Still at 93 mph. Walked Albies to reload bases...Peterson up. Albies 20 consecutive games reaching base.

7 k's. 51 pitches through 4. Gave up first hit to red hot Jace Peterson, stranded that double at second. Bases loaded, no outs...back to back singles a walk. Let's see how he handles this one.

Giolito strikes out the side. Five k's, only 31 pitches through 3. 4.71 era. Asche with two run bomb to open up lead...still the best hitter statistically by far on the roster. Could be as high as 5th in draft pick race by end of tonight.

QUOTE (Knackattack @ Jun 21, 2017 -> 07:24 PM) He just seems to have really slow reflexes IMO, in every part of his game Hmmmm...not seeing that at all. Concentration and focus on routine plays, he seems to prefer to be moving around flashing his athleticism. The "easy" or routine balls are the ones that vex him...and the inaccuracy of his throws, coupled with a bad 1b who could save him some of those errors. He might be ticketed for CF, he might never walk much...but way too soon to worry. One year from now with no progress, then it's time for a position change to the outfield or second so he can concentrate on his offense. He's also been moved all over the lineup and had a number of personal issues to deal with in the early going. If he completely falls apart, they can move a Leury there or sign Alcides Escobar for a million or two just to win a Gold Glove at SS in 2018 and shore up the infield (would help Moncada as well.)

Disabling him's unlikely to help. The strange push for him to come up to the big leagues was one of the last things the development people did which made absolutely no sense. Giolito at 93 mph on the Gwinnett gun on that last k. Starting this game retiring the first six batters. Matched up with Lucas Sims again, Braves' #18 prospect. Bueno's versatility is interesting, but he's only a 718 career milb ops guy. Still just 24. New acquisition Green is playing LF. Moncada walks for the second time tonight.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?s...mp;ymd=20170621 Another disaster for Fulmer...Giolito starts second game of DH. Robert now 4/23. Moncada 0/3 but no k's, a small victory (816/.281). Yet another walk in final ab.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/129538944/bl...te-sox-draftee/ Note the quotes from Hostetler "We're excited about him. We think there is a huge projection there," said Hostetler of Hickman. "The ACE part of it and him being a local kid was kind of a bonus for us. Our scout, J.J. Lally, did a good job with him. We've known him forever, and we made the call. ... He was so excited to be here." "They have been there for me since I was 12 years old," said Hickman of the White Sox. "Hopefully I'll make it to the big leagues and help them win a World Series. I'm really excited." Hickman started as a catcher at Iowa after prepping at Simeon Academy in Chicago. He didn't become a full-time pitcher until this past season, and Hostetler said Hickman almost has to be treated like a high school kid, because he hasn't pitched much. "His upside is tremendous, with his body and arm strength and whatnot," Hostetler said. "If his curveball comes, he has a chance to be special." That 12-year-old reference made by Hickman was connected to his start with ACE. Hickman finished with ACE when he was 17, but had a special boost toward the White Sox on Tuesday thanks to the White Sox community commitment. "I became a better man. That organization got me to where I am today," Hickman said. "They prepared me for this type of moment, on and off the field." "You look at these boys, and now they are men," O'Reilly said. "It has been such a treat watching them grow up. For them being able to experience success and to know we've had a little part of that is just incredible." ... When we first started the ACE program, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, if they could graduate college,'" said White Sox vice president of community relations Christine O'Reilly. "One of the staff members was like, 'Can you imagine if we ever get a kid drafted and makes it to the bigs and leaves us tickets?' It makes me almost want to cry to say that." http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/co...-iowa/26242503/ Desiree Hickman took her three oldest boys — Justin, Christian and Blake, then age 8 as she recalls — to the front of their home at 77th and Paulina streets, which had become a gathering spot for a local gang. "She had all of us standing out there on the porch," Blake Hickman, now a 21-year-old Iowa junior, said last week, "and said, 'These are my boys. You're not going to take my boys.' … Since then, they just pretty much left us alone." Hickman's mom politely calls the gang activity around their home adversity. Standing up to it that day, she said, was a message. "My boys were in my gang. They couldn't be in anybody else's gang," she said. "There wasn't never going to be a point where I felt like the streets would raise my children." Blake never got mixed up in any of it — thanks to assists from his older influences. "We all knew what was the right thing and wrong thing to do," Hickman said. "My brothers, they kept me on the narrow straight path. "You see a fight, you go the other way. That's the first thing my mom told me."