caulfield12

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Oct 3, 2016 -> 10:39 AM) With all the chatter about Britton's Cy Young chances I thought this post from Reddit by user yesacabbagez summed it up perfectly why he shouldn't win: If it was that easy to be a closer, more than 2-3% of those former/failed starters could do it. Either all those MLB execs are wrong and emulating the Yankees or Royals is not possible as a blueprint, or high leverage situations are more difficult to pitch than innings 1-3. Let's not forget that those are close to max effort outings every time, especially when pitching 1 1/3rd+ innings. Of course, another problem is repeatability...and the fact that Britton coukd just as easily look like Jim Johnson as Davis/Betances next year. Or look at career years for guys like Thigpen or Willie Hernandez...other than Mo Rivera and Trevor Hoffman and maybe K Rod, few could it well for 10+ years without going off a Brad Lidge. It's also not taking into consideration the AL East had three playoff teams and a pretty decent Yankees team in the same division...it's not like he was rolling over the Twins, A's and Angels every time out.

Anderson and Eaton were the big positives. Melky played much better and more consistently than 2015, but will we get that similar performance next year? Abreu ended on an upbeat note, to the point where there's at least not another question mark attached to his name. Rodon was more inconsistent than was expected...there was hope for him to make a big jump and it felt closer to treading water. Saladino and Morneau were definitely feel good stories, but there are still serious doubts whether either are regulars...not on a playoff team.

So Hahn deserves credit for replacing Laumann with Hostetler? In the end, it still comes down to Collins being an everyday catcher or at the very least an 800+ OPS bat at DH. He's the key, because offense isn't coming from the free agent market at a price they are willing to pay.

Dombrowski's the type of GM who will be the first to strike with huge shake-ups in the offseason if they come up short in the ALDS.

You don't trade Chris Sale for the likes of Shaw and Holt as your second piece. That would require Moncada being a superstar and probably the net difference even then is a couple of wins if you're lucky. Even guys like Kimbrel and Giles were getting better packages for the second player in those deals. Granted, Moncada is one of the best prospects in the game but so was Buxton...who's ending this year on a high note but still put up an average in the 220's. Alot depends on how guys like Pomeranz, Buchholz and Rodriguez fare in the playoffs . That offense can cover up a lot of deficiencies, with 3 30-100 guys for the first time in club history, a former MVP in Pedroia, Bradley Jr. & Bogaerts, not to mention Moncada in the pipeline.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Oct 2, 2016 -> 06:58 PM) I don't. I'd be really surprised if it happened. All the talk, everything I'm hearing from a number of sources is that JR wants to go for it again in 2017. That means unless someone is willing to meet the Sox price of five big league or big league ready guys, they aren't moving him or Q or anybody else of note. But we'll see...things change. Mark But your belief should be stronger that JR would rather deal Sale and at least be able to market Moncada and Bradley (just an example) AND not have to spend an additional $30-40 million on payroll on overvalued free agents in this market. Remember the late 90s and early 00's when the KW philosophy was to at least give the fans an entertaining offense and lots of exploding scoreboards? Now we have bad baseball and pitcher's duels, which isn't nearly as entertaining to casual fans as it is to purists.

Great, another offseason of endlessly arguing whether JR, KW or Hahn is most responsible for each bad or good move...

QUOTE (TitoMB @ Oct 2, 2016 -> 07:08 PM) Damn we going deep on this comparison! See you guys in 900 years! JR will still be "penny pinching" that year, as the Scorpion team will have cryogenically frozen his body and downloaded his brain onto a Quantum computer so that he can keep annoying Thad Bosley and continue as owner for centuries until the last mutant strain of Sox fanaticism has been put out.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 2, 2016 -> 06:56 PM) We exist in a large market, but are not a large market team. Even at our best, we ranked in the bottom part of the league in attendance. Halfway true. If we had the same or lower tv rights deals of all those bottom 10 teams, that argument would be easier to make...we have a larger POTENTIAL market than the majority of teams, but have surrendered a lot of it to the Cubs over the last 30 years or so. Or you can simply argue Sox fans have gone inactive due to apathy, and the full Cubs' bandwagon has been reactivated with championship caliber teams and the potential for it to continue for at least 4-5 more years. Bad timing with both bad teams with limited offense and no ability to draw on mushrooming media rights deals that have elevated teams like the Rangers and Mariners into the upper tier revenues-wise.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 2, 2016 -> 05:26 PM) 2008 was lower than 2007, when they lost 90 games. It's called the World Series Effect. It lasts for at a minimum of five, and even up to seven years, for some franchises. You can clearly see the same thing happening with the Sox, with 2007, 2009 and especially 2011 killing the season tickey buyers. In 2006, you could at least argue you had a 90 win team with perhaps even more talent on paper than 2005. Coming into 2008, the bloom was already off that rose, no dynasty in the offing. Attendance never shows up until the following season, see 2006 compared to 2905, when they were ahead for the whole season.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Oct 2, 2016 -> 07:50 AM) This is one of the things I find very odd about politics, and I mean it in regard to how all politicians are treated. We bring up their voting record and and things they said 15 years ago and hold them to it today. It's like they aren't allowed to grow or change opinions without it being called a lie or "flip flop." I understand that their voting records and statements they've made are important, but if 15 years ago I said something that showed a blind devotion to law enforcement, and today I was critical, doesn't that show that I'm paying attention? Would it really be better for me to view a police brutality video and act like I wasn't able to see what was on the video? Again, I don't mean this in a partisan way. I mean it in regard to social, economic, and policy issues. I'm not sure why politicians aren't allowed to grow or change as long as they can justify the change. Well, the present election is a good example. Hillary being dinged for her husband's trade policies from 20+ years ago or using the term "super predators," it goes with the territory. Two events that happened twenty years ago, related to Alicia Machado and Trump's Federal taxes/losses, are going to help decide the election in her favor. Maybe that's why Obama had an advantage in 2008, having more of a blank slate and much less of a record to run on or against, but looking at only "recent" comments would generally lead to younger and even more inexperienced candidates, yes?

QUOTE (SpankyEaton @ Oct 2, 2016 -> 12:53 AM) There was a better candidate - his name was John Kasich. If you bought into his transition to a moderate Republican and stripped away all of his extreme viewpoints and statements over the years. He seemed more on point regarding economic solutions and uplifting the middle class than most of his fellow Republicans.

Does anyone planning to vote for Trump really believe he can change his habits? That he wouldn't be threatening war with a random third world country at 3 a.m. when he felt insulted on Twitter? Someone like Duterte in the Philippines wouldn't get under his skin? As it is, these latest comments on women will be the end unless HRC commits more self-inflicted mistakes simply because the average American woman is a Size 12, as opposed to the Size 2-4 average of his three wives.

Clearly, every really good manager can mean a difference of 2-3 games per season, and bad ones 2-3 additional losses. Let's just hope we finally see consistent refinement in some of the fundamentals, especially from the non-veteran players like Anderson, Tilson and Saladino (scary to say rebuilding without a young core of position talent beyond that, and hopefully Collins in late 2017).

You can't afford to give into the temptation of a watered down package to cover 3-5 spots. You have to decide on either Moncada or Benitendi and then get back at least one other above average starter. And Robertson isn't going to be included, unless you want to diminish the return...which would be a typical Sox move financially. The last thing we need to do is add three more veterans (and even Saunders might be out of their comfortable price range)...but maybe they'll do it simply because Cabrera/Frazier AND at least being able to argue they gave Renteria a halfway legit shot.

Anderson ending his rookie year on a roll....opposite of Beckham in 2009, who faded badly the last six weeks.

Not a shocker, but the roller coaster ride this week for the fanbase was completely unnecessary. They could have had a Robin Ventura Appreciation Day scheduled this weekend instead of the farce that ensued...which was so insulting to knowledgeable fans that even the casual ones saw right through it. JR obviously cares more about the perception of loyalty to valued employees than what fans think, and that's why the relationship has gradually been fraying the last five years after the honeymoon period of 2005-06 wore off.

The Cubs have a much much bigger regional fanbase. That's the key difference. Up until at least 2010/11, the numbers of fans attending games identifying themselves as Chicagoland residents for both teams was nearly identical. Not just hardcore fans of the Cubs, but regional fans of other teams who want to make a weekend of it and be closest to the Miracle Mile/Michigan Ave., outlet malls and the ballpark...and then you can't discount the historical value of fans just wanting to take their families to Wrigley or Fenway. All those other reasons get blended into the Cubs' numbers and create the loyalty perception. So much of it is a result of marketing, WGN, Harry Caray, day baseball, all the years without a World Series, etc. If you go to the Quad Cities, you won't see any Sox merchandise. Cubs and Cards dominate...which makes no sense geographically, but the Cards have the winning tradition as well as an extensive radio network. The Twins are third, probably a tie with Brewers and KC for fourth. This year, the WLS signal won't even come in. When I was growing up, 670 WMAQ came in like you were at the ballpark at night.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Oct 1, 2016 -> 02:20 AM) Barring a really bad start Sunday, Sale has locked up the fWAR and pWAR titles. That's why I posted what he needs to do ERA and WHIP wise to be better than Porcello. If he accomplishes that, then the only traditional stats the old-thinking writers can point to is wins and walks. Sale would have the advantage in IP, ERA, K, WHIP, H/9. And you honestly feel he has a chance to finish ahead of Porcello, Britton, Kluber, Verlander, Happ, Hamels, etc.?

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Sep 30, 2016 -> 09:41 PM) The journalism school will always be the crown jewel. It draws in tons of Chinese students. Yes, but not when the choice is Medill... And honestly, there just aren't incredible amounts interested in journalism because of the lack of press freedom. While it may seem significant numbers-wise at one school or department, it's still barely a blip on the radar compared to math/engineering, computer science and business/economics/finance/MBA. I imagine many of those studying journalism plan to stay/work abroad after graduation. Even that's getting more complicated with Canada now agreeing to extradict "financial criminals" wanted back in China...they really don't want any more Chinese money flooding the Vancouver housing market.

You and Southsider2k5 are going to write-in Ventura and Romney...pretty incredible. I honestly might prefer Trump to Ventura, although it's a close call.

Sale is not close to winning...but we can continue to live in the imaginary universe where 45+ voting sportswriters (still the majority of the BBWAA) follow sabre stats more than traditional ones.

QUOTE (miracleon35th @ Sep 30, 2016 -> 04:57 PM) The cubz bandwagon started filling up when Harry Carey moved from the White Sox to the Cubs in 1981. That was huge. It exposed much of the country to Harry and the Cubs via Super station WGN. How cute those Cubbies were to toothless bumpkins in Iowa and throughout the WGN viewing area, and how comfortable grandparents were with folksy Harry, starting his broadcasts, "Hello everybaddy.." Yea, Cubz picked up a lot of fans, especially in remote cities and towns lacking a MLB franchise. There is not question though that Sox ownership were foolish with that nonsense paid Sportsvision. And that came on the heels of substandard WSNS UHF TV broadcasts of Sox games. Dumb and dumber. The thing that turned the dynamic of Cubs/Sox fandom around in a substantial way was how cubs fans were viewed after their behavior at and following the infamous 2003 Bartman game. Then on the heels of that debacle, the surprise World Series Championship that was waiting for our City in 2005. Shock (2003) and Awe (2005). It would be hilarious if the Cubs choked in the playoffs and something like that happened again. What would Illinois be without Chicago? More toothless bumpkins. And half the people who come to games are 50+ year old fans from Des Moines who have had a relationship with the Iowa Cubs for years and years. How many fans in Charlotte and Birmingham can conveniently attend Sox games? It's called marketing and controlling your regional territory. Not to mention the team in Peoria for generations. Once upon a time, the Sox at least had a team in South Bend. Another example, the Royals with teams in Omaha and NW Arkansas. Before that, Wichita for AA. It's called building your fanbase. It also helps when there's lots of young and exciting players to follow before they even reach the majors.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 30, 2016 -> 04:31 PM) Why laugh. You can't have students shouting the N word at people without grave repercussions, meaning enrollment declines of monumental proportions. People have to start behaving. It's fine, we'll just send more students from here in China to pay the exponentially increasing international student fees. Weird thing, I've never had a student in a decade mentioning a desire to go to Mizzou. The Big Ten is really doing a much better marketing job...although obviously having NW, Michigan, Illinois, etc., helps to lift the overall profile of conference schools. Purdue, Penn State and Iowa have a ton of Asian students now as well.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 29, 2016 -> 06:54 PM) Trouble in Columbia, Mo. A fraternity is suspended cause some members screamed racial insults and got caught doing it on tape. The N word. Seriously ... how can any white person yell that at people? Where do college students develop such hatred? I'm like all of you. I don't look at color ... at all. Why do some people hate their fellow human beings just cause of color?? Sickening. I wonder if Mizzou will still exist in a couple years at this rate. Have you been following Trump for the last two years and the barely "coded" treatment of Obama for the last eight? Racism was still there, but now the permission (validated by Trump) seemingly exists for it to come out of hiding again.