caulfield12

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 06:14 PM) The point of it is not to orient the entire offense around 1 player, but to try and create an environment where a few hits can be strung together. If it was 4-5 years ago, Rollins could absolutely be a 5-6 hitter or a leadoff guy. Just can't imagine the wear and tear of playing 120-125 games will allow his bat to hold up all season at that spot.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 06:14 PM) The point of it is not to orient the entire offense around 1 player, but to try and create an environment where a few hits can be strung together. If it was 4-5 years ago, Rollins could absolutely be a 5-6 hitter or a leadoff guy. Just can't imagine the wear and tear of playing 120-125 games will allow his bat to hold up all season at that spot.

That's 5-15 for Danks now against CLE. Tipping pitches? DJ made the comment that at the end of spring training, he was aggressive and going after hitters, busting them in on the hands...after two hits today, he started to get tentative, trying to "trick" them or pitching defensively to avoid contact or perhaps attempting to be too perfect again. First couple of innings, there was the Avila error, Jackson throwing home when he should have gone to third to hold the runner to 2nd (that runner didn't score), Jackson taking a poor route on a ball into the gap (misread the wind, which will take him time to figure out), Avi getting thrown out after reaching via walk in a situation you can never get picked off with a runner ahead of you on 2nd who's absolutely not going anywhere (this after Avi swung at pitches he had no business swinging at with Salazar wild early). On the plus side, we have more team speed and athleticism, definitely more enthusiasm from Lawrie, more professional/veteran hitters....Eaton has looked REALLY good and adjusted quite well to RF more quickly than most thought possible. That said, this division is going to be tough with DET looking to have one of the best offenses in the AL (at least early), Miggy has his legs back and Victor Martinez looks like he did 2-3 years ago and Zimmerman can be a monster, etc. You have a feeling that health, the bullpen before Robertson, the missing bat at DH and the back end of the rotation are still going to be the biggest issues with this team. We have a better overall offense, position by position, but something STILL seems to be missing. Granted, Salazar has very good stuff, the weather was miserable and they were out of the game after the first couple of innings and probably just wanted to get it over with. The most important thing here is we can't get into one of those "the Indians/Royals/Twins/Tigers just have our number" modes where we go 5-14 or 6-13 against one particular team and scuffle to get close to .500 in the division with the rest of the teams in the ALCD. Just an unfortunate situation with the terrible weather and terribly disappointing level of play after looking improved after the first four games. Hard to say which is the real team...probably the .500ish version that's not as good as against OAK and not as bad as they played today. But the Indians have a formidable team and it's likely to get even better when Brantley subs in for Jose Ramirez.

Well, there's sprain, strain and tear...with different degrees of severity, calling PTAC. Guess Soler gets two weeks of of pretty much uninterrupted playing time now?

Wouldn't Miguel Gonzalez be the most likely candidate to replace Latos/Danks?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 6, 2016 -> 11:22 PM) Winning three of four while scoring 6-8 runs in the final game of the set would make for an awesome opening series. Losing 3-1 or something like that would mean 2-2 and an OK start, but not that great. 10-15 years ago, winning just one game on the West Coast was cause for celebration. Eventually we started to figure out Seattle (it helped that they started to suck in the mid 2000's), but Oakland and LA have always been the two toughest places for us to win consistently. That said, starting this weekend...we need to finally start taking care of business in the AL Central again. That means 5-10 games over .500 within the division to have a realistic shot at the playoffs.

At least they have more "professional" hitters in guys like Rollins, Jackson and Avila/Navarro that can give you a battle up there. Didn't really expect it was going to be easy to take 3/4, especially with Gray being their equivalent of Sale. The Sox were pretty fortunate to get the win Tuesday after Jones blew up. Offensively, Cabrera and Garcia are going to be two huge keys. At least Eaton's off to a much better start and seems pretty comfortable in RF. Have made some mistakes already on the base paths but they were able to cover them up the first two. As far as Lip's comments go, I think that was referring to the Cubs also being 3-0 at the beginning of a season. At any rate, since 2006, the best we've done after one month is 2 games over .500 and typically we're 3-5 games under, so .500 or above and nobody (particularly KC) running away with the division is fine. They just can't get buried early.

When's the last time a college coach came in and did really well in the NBA? It's hard to think of many examples. Pitino is probably the one standout who coached both well, along with Larry Brown. Most of the big names, though, have fallen pretty flat on their faces and returned with their tails tucked between their legs. Can't say the Hoiberg situation has been especially surprising. Hurt both the Cyclones and the Bulls in the process. In the end, Brad Stevens might be the best basketball coach since John Wooden. He's going to have to win some NBA titles to prove it, but he definitely has a chance if he doesn't burn out first.

The weird thing is OU beat Villanova by 23 in December. No resemblance of that game. As an OU fan (dad went there), no heartbreak with this one...compared to Danny and the Miracles when we owned the Jayhawks all season long until the championship game almost 30 years ago. Guess the Hawkeyes getting demolished doesn't seem so bad either now, since Villanova took Miami and OU to the woodshed as well. TBS couldn't have asked for two more terrible games from an audience standpoint. Usually you get at least one competitive game out of the two.

QUOTE (Brian @ Apr 2, 2016 -> 03:02 PM) The trailer for GND2 is the most eye rolling trailer ever. You mean the presence of Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives) and Robin Givens wasn't enough to draw you in? The first film with Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) was watchable only in the sense he was such a jackass you were cheering for something bad to happen to him...it wasn't quite in Kirk Cameron territory. Even the Left Behind books had potential with the right director...and Nicholas Cage not hamming it up too much. But back to the Batman reboot (for about the fifth time now)...did anyone read that quote from Kevin Smith that Affleck's script was Oscar worthy? Who's going to direct it? It will come after Wonder Woman, I presume? Or after another DC Comics "throw everything but the kitchen sink into it" movie?

It's going to struggle to make $100 million in China right now...current position is $75 million and falling like a rock due to three or four new Chinese movies out for Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) Festival. You basically can't break $1 billion these days in global box office without getting 25% of it from China. OTOH, Zootopia has done really well here. The best movies obviously are carried well by word of mouth in any country.

http://www.ocregister.com/angels/strong-42...body-table.html Lots of White Sox names in the Top 60. Unfortunately Rowand and Crede were the only ones to make it...Buehrle the year before. Others just off the list were Barcelo, Josh Fogg, Biddle and Stumm.

http://www.vox.com/2016/3/30/11329886/batm...iew-zack-snyder How Zack Snyder ruins almost every movie he makes (with the exceptions of 300 and Dawn of the Dead remake)...

Not to mention the Jimmy Olsen travesty. He had an extra day of box office, but Easter's usually slower, you had basketball and a lot of competition in the marketplace with Zootopia and Greek Wedding 2.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Mar 26, 2016 -> 11:17 PM) As a long-time Batman and Superman fan, and a fan of film, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that was the worst movie I've ever seen. More opinion tomorrow. Worse than I could have imagined. Now you've done it, haha. Snyder does make an easier target than most directors. It's going to take more than arguing box office to support this one, since The Amazing Spider-Man II also put up decent numbers, or Green Lantern, for that matter.

What are the current odds of Davidson or Sands making the team over Sanchez? Haven't been following spring training much the past couple of weeks, other than noticing that Erik Johnson "hope" all off-season turned out to be another mirage.

Hield is one of the best pure shooters/scorers in quite awhile. He tends to turn the ball over more than he should, he's not especially explosive driving to the basket (effective is the best word) and sometimes plays pedestrian defense, but what a college player. OU got in a cold streak there in the 2nd half of the Big 12 where they weren't hitting their outside shots as consistently as defense were keying in on Hield, but they've seemingly gotten all their lost momentum back. Christian James is starting to make more of an impact now as well. For what it's worth, it's also nice to see something different from the ACC "love fest" going on.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Mar 25, 2016 -> 07:56 PM) Not really that much into projections at this point. Just reality. We have four/five guys in our starting lineup upon whom we should have plenty of skepticism about based on "actual" recent performances. Garcia, Avila, Rollins and Jackson should scare the h-e-double-toothpick out of all of us at this point. That said, would you prefer the alternative of LaRoche, Flowers, Gillaspie/Beckham/Saladino, Alexei/Saladino, Sanchez, etc.? They had to do SOMETHING. There's no excuse at all for not adding another hitter, either. We have a pretty good idea Frazier will be a big upgrade, Abreu should settle in between 2014 and 2015 statistically (and with more protection), Eaton has a lot of room to grow defensively and was just fine offensively...and then you have Lawrie vs. Sanchez. It's almost impossible to believe they won't be a third quartile offense, somewhere between 8-12th in the AL.

Ratings would affect the profitability of Comcast, which they are part owners of...but not significantly. You could argue they profited as much from the Cubs' run as they did their own poor ratings, so essentially they cancelled each other out. Otoh, the situation with the cable rights deal (see most recent Passan article on the Dodgers' continuing situation there) for 2019 is even more worrisome than the television and radio ratings. We also know those ratings will improve if they're legitimately competing for a playoff spot all season along, instead of just kind of hanging on right on the periphery but not really 100% in the race, either. As far as the actual value of those local rights deals...it has zero bearing until 2019, and they could still be the least-watched franchise in baseball (and bottom 5 in attendance) and nevertheless collect enough money to remain profitable because of MLB Advanced Media and the national rights deals.

Here's my take as someone who has seen all of these films. I actually watched the first 1 1/2 hours of this movie, had to leave and wasn't upset or concerned to know about how it ended. Dark doesn't mean the whole film has to be shot in the shadows...or feel like Watchmen. I don't know where this whole trend started, whether it was Heath Ledger's Joker, Bale as Batman or some would attribute it to Jason Bourne influencing the Bond series, but the whole film just felt "heavy" and, if not contrived, lacking in cohesion plot-wise. Snyder's like Michael Bay, great at the big explosions and action scenes, but not a master storyteller like a Nolan. Ben Affleck felt like he just a big old/wizened to face off with the younger Cavill. He was fine...though. To me, Superman has always been a fairly bland character, and just not as compelling. Maybe it's from growing up with the Christopher Reave version in the 1980's...heck, even Lois and Clark or Smallville were better than the films, especially the Brandon Roush one. Cavill is handsome and earnest and blah blah blah...everything but interesting to watch, and that also makes Amy Adams somehow a bit boring as well. Gal Gadot rocked the Fast & the Furious movies (two of them) but maybe I'm missing something in the last hour, because she just doesn't quite fit here either. Maybe it's the same problem, growing up with Lynda Carter in that role, the idea Wonder Woman should be more like Megan Fox from a decade ago or Agent Carter...it's not her European accent, just something "off" which I can't quite put a finger on. Then you have Eisenberg running around overacting. About the only light touch was Fishburne, and even that's a pale comparison to the banter between JK Simmons and Tobey Maguire. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good, either. Jeremy Irons was one of the few things that worked well, in a more sarcastic take on the character. The weird part was feeling like the "discrimination" against Superman would have worked better in a current Donald Trump anti-immigration ad than as a movie premise. And perhaps fans of his would appreciate the Superman "distrust" angle more, I don't know. Just felt too cliched. (Note: This is where someone who has read all the original material will argue this is true to the comic version.)

Nice moment for Woodbury after being maligned for much of his career. Until Clemmons got the steal and Jok the 3 point play in OT, it felt like they were doomed after missing so many key free throws down the stretch again. Amazingly, first last second game-winning shot since Cyrus Tate against K-State in 2008...

QUOTE (Tex @ Mar 20, 2016 -> 07:23 AM) I must have missed this. I keep reading that the front office gave permission. Am I wrong? It was a supposition by Posnanski... http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2016/03/20/it-fin...-drake-laroche/ More concerning, however, is that the Sale-Eaton contingent may now feel as though their teammates lied to them. Either by voicing disingenuous support for the LaRoches while they secretly complained or by keeping silent and allowing that impression to be created. There will be some tempted to play the role of savvy cynic and say “eh, Sale and Eaton probably knew others complained and were just being dramatic.” I think that’s pretty unlikely. To say the things they said and to act in the manner they did — remember, they were talking about boycotting a game over this — while knowing that others in the clubhouse didn’t agree with them would itself be an act of clubhouse dissension. They’d be publicly rubbing their teammates’ noses in the matter and passive-aggressively calling them out. That’s not something players would do lightly or easily. No, I believe they took the stance that they did because they truly believed they were in an us (players) against him (Ken Williams) situation. I believe that they believed that no uniformed White Sox personnel had an issue with Drake LaRoche. Remember, when Ken Williams privately suggested that to Sale, Sale accused him of lying. They have now found out they were wrong. Moreover, I presume that they will soon find out who, exactly, complained about Drake LaRoche. They will find out whose complaints set the ball in motion for the retirement of one of their favorite teammates and whose silence led them to, quite frankly, take some pretty ridiculous public positions on the matter. And then they’ll have to spend the next six and a half months working, traveling and living with them. That ought to be fun.

1. Kenny Williams acted unilaterally, over the head of the manager, and Ventura believes Williams is wrong. If this is the case, yes, Ventura needs to turn over some tables. He needs to be kicking and screaming. He needs to make himself heard. There is absolutely no chance for him to succeed as manager of the White Sox if he does not have the authority to run the clubhouse. None. There is absolutely no chance for him to succeed as manager of the White Sox if he feels like his authority is being undermined from above. None. And all this is doubly true if, as everyone seems to suspect, Ventura gave LaRoche his word that he could bring Drake with him all year long. Now, Williams is preventing him from keeping his word to a ball player? Once the manager loses trust, everything is over. So, if Ventura thinks Williams is wrong, he must turn over every table in the White Sox facilities and keep turning them until he gets control of the clubhouse or quits. 2. Williams did not act unilaterally (maybe he was speaking directly from the owner?) and Ventura can see the point, can see that maybe Drake LaRoche was around just a bit too much. If this is the case, well, that’s really bad because it means he’s hiding behind Kenny Williams. Best I can tell, these are the two options here — either he agrees or disagrees with Williams — and in either case, Robin Ventura needs to be heard and say something more than just a few careful cliches. He’s the manager here. Yes, it’s true that there are only 30 managerial spots available, and to keep one of those jobs you sometimes have to bite your tongue and take one for the team. But this is not one of those times. If the White Sox aren’t going to let him run his team, then he has already lost the job. http://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/robin-ven...o-take-control/

http://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/robin-ven...o-take-control/ Ventura is the one who really needs to respond...interesting take by a sportswriter who has spent nearly 25 years around big league teams in Joe Posnanski.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/15017462...icago-white-sox Player's union/Clark monitoring the situation but no grievance filed as of yet.