caulfield12

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 7, 2015 -> 08:10 AM) I didn't say there was evidence, Isaid I read a story where that was claimed, and IF that was true, they were singled out. I then laughed at your story trying to claim they weren't which used such wonderful logic as 'he like George Takai, so he can't be Christian'. That link didn't disprove anything. And yet the fact remains that no more than 2 of the 9 victims have been publicly identified by ANY sources as Christian. Logically, he's either really bad at shooting just to injure or there are a whole lot of families hiding under a bushel basket the faith of their loved ones.

Jake Arrieta supposedly "demanded" a Wild Card game three weeks ago...ala Joe Namath, so maybe the world really is coming to an end. Eddie Vedder's even hanging out in the Cubs' clubhouse already, with Steve Perry likely to be close behind. Bartman impersonators and Arr-i-ett-a/Cueto taunts backfiring. All signs of the imminent Zombie Apocalypse.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Oct 8, 2015 -> 06:22 AM) The Cubs got a lot from the sell-offs. But the Astros got very little from theirs. But the Astros drafted like maniacs. A ton of depth and not just from the top picks. Both of those teams have far more major league depth than the Sox. Part of that is that they know how to utilize limited and imperfect players. Just imagine if Singleton, Appel, JD Martinez, Grossman, Dominguez, etc., all were successful...but they had the cushion to absorb flameouts due to their overall depth, guys like Tucker, Santana, Duffy, Gonzalez, Marisnick (great defender) and Villar. What if they had drafted Bryant and Rodon instead? Well, as it is, they got basically four 1st round talents this year. McHugh was like our Quintana, a no cost steal. Also doubt they're regretting Correa over Buxton at the moment.

Well, theoretically, with Baines and Parent gone, that magically moves him up a peg or two as a "survivor." At least, that is, until we see how powerful and how much of a threat the new bench coach will be to Ventura's job. OTOH, I don't think anyone's looking at Steverson as being someone who will be promoted to Buddy Bell or even Nick Capra's position anytime soon.

But they also have an agenda...which is usually to claim that XYZ is falling apart or being taken away from them, and the answer inexorably is always Obama/Clinton/evil Democrats as the cause. It's easier to demonize one's political opponents than it is to provide solutions. It worked for most of the 80's and 90's for the Republicans in terms of presidential politics, and it was only in the face of huge demographics changes in the US that they're adapting (theoretically) and changing their approach.

Assets Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Fulmer, Eaton, Abreu, Tim Anderson Essentially, other than trading Sale/Quintana or FA spending, the other choice is trading away prospects, like, let's say Montas and Micah Johnson...or maybe it's Spencer Adams or Danish, that's the typical route they would have gone before, identifying those minor leaguers least likely to live up to their billing. Maybe someone else sees some excess value in Avi Garcia or maybe Saladino/Sanchez as their utility or swing guy, etc. Perhaps Trayce Thompson becomes a 2.5 WAR player instead of another Jordan Danks. Of course, other teams know this and can understand we haven't internally-produced an impact position player (not counting C. Carter here, nor Abreu/Alexei) in over a decade. Or dipping into South Korea or Japan for bargains, if there are any to be had.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 7, 2015 -> 09:00 PM) Great post, it's not like Cubs winning would cause JR to spend a ton this offseason. Therein lies the problem. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Except that doesn't work very well in baseball. In fact, the troubling "other side of the coin" is that a Cubs' World Series win would "force" the White Sox to respond somehow and it would end up crippling the franchise more (taking on a huge contract like Heyward, for example)...or dealing Quintana and getting the equivalents of Matt Davidson/Nestor Molina back in return, instead of Adam Eaton or Carlos Quentin.

QUOTE (lord chas @ Oct 7, 2015 -> 08:55 PM) Pirates had their chances did not capitalize That double play ball with the bases loaded and one out was essentially the game ender. These two Wild Card games have been about as exciting as those old Johnny Bench krylon paint commercials. It's just not going to happen every year. Can't be forced. And, in baseball, there tend to be more interesting and surprising series in the post-season than turkey/lemon games that are complete blowouts in the NFL.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Oct 7, 2015 -> 08:48 PM) Statistically, if all teams are equal, the Cubs double their chances of reaching the world series from 12.5% to 25%. They're not wrong, but it's still kind of silly. Wouldn't it have to go from 20% (5 teams) to 25%, 4 teams? 12.5% would be the chance of any of the 8 remaining teams winning it all, if all things were equal (which they're not, since the Wild Card teams sacrifice one start from their ace in the Division Series). It's telling that White Sox fans are more excited hoping for the Cubs to lose (myself included) than actually excited about our own team over the last 4-6 weeks, but it is what it is. Honestly, with how bad things have gotten...maybe some additional suffering in the form of the Cubs winning the World Series might finally wake up someone at 35th and Shields to the reality of the situation. Like most, they're probably counting on the Cubs somehow being cursed or blowing this thing. There's certainly no guarantee that will happen, not when you have a young team that doesn't care about what has happened in the past and just kind of shrugs like high school students do when you talk about the 1960's when they only care about the latest computer game, iphone, ipad, etc. If it didn't happen in their lifetime, the players often aren't aware, even of icons like Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, and gasp, Ron Santo.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Oct 7, 2015 -> 05:05 PM) Is it really necessary to address all of the so called “holes” on the current Sox roster? This seems to be a very common approach employed, when we amateur GM’s advocate ways to fix this team. Very few teams are ever able to build rosters which don’t have any “holes,” especially in the era of soaring salaries and free agency. Any organization with limited resources simply can’t put an above average WAR player at every position. The Sox have playoff caliber pitching, which is the most important component of winning baseball. If they are able to keep the rotation of Sale, Q, Rodon, Danks & Johnson, with Fulmer on his way, and a bullpen of Robertson, Jones, Albers, Duke and Putnam/Petricka, the pitching should have the depth and quality to compete, all the way through the post season. I’d prefer to first address the middle of the order, from which teams normally obtain their offensive production. You all know how critical I think has been the failure to find a solid clean up hitter. This has been a significant issue, ever since Thome left. We all fretted over 3 years of Dunn, and last year’s fiasco with LaRoche. Fixing that problem should be the highest priority. A solid clean up hitter, preferably left handed, could make the first half of the lineup respectable. If a solid two hole hitter can be found, to fill out the top half of the order, the rest of the lineup could consist of average, to below average, offensive players, who contribute on defense. I think the best place to fill the two hole spot is SS. Ramirez is getting too old, and too expensive, and is really not suitable to bat second. It will probably be at least a year, maybe two, before Anderson is ready. If the front office can find a good defensive short stop, who could be a decent 2 hole hitter, that would allow Abreu to bat 3RD, where he belongs. It would also allow Melky to bat 5TH, which is more suitable. The 2ND spot in the line up doesn't require a great hitter, but at least a guy who can hit behind the runner, on hit and run plays, lay down a bunt, and get on base at a respectable rate. He doesn’t need to hit for a high average, or provide any power. It shouldn’t be that expensive to find an aging veteran, perhaps someone in the last year before free agency, whom they could acquire in a trade, to fill that role. The power bat at clean up would most likely be a DH, thus replacing LaRoche. With just those two holes filled, this offense becomes pretty good, with a solid defense: CF Eaton SS ? 1B Abreu DH ? LF Cabrera RF Thompson/Garcia 3B Olt C Flowers/Soto 2B Sanchez Thompson and Garcia could battle for the 3RD outfield spot. Olt is a worthwhile gamble for the potential power he could provide, if he figures it out. His Minor League history suggests that he can take his walks, and play solid defense. Flowers seems to be able to handle the pitching staff, so perhaps that hole can be overlooked. Sanchez could well take another step up in offensive production, and he provides stellar defense at 2ND. Ultimately, I still hope that he can develop into a good 2 hole hitter, which is where he has had his best Minor League success. So, does anyone have an idea who might be that 2 hole hitter at short, or who could be the clean up hitter? At least it's just two holes, not an unrealistic 4 or 5. See Kendrys Morales, 2015. Ian Desmond is flawed and he might be the best SS option, and it's not certain he will even be available. Don't get the sense they trust Saladino as a full-time player.

The perception is that it's more dangerous because that is what sells best on the media, and drives ratings/advertising dollars...if it bleeds, it leads. When's the last time you saw a heartwarming, stranger helps/saves stranger charity "feel good" story leading the news? Trump would have everyone believe America's on the brink of collapse vis a vis China. The same exact things were being argued in the late 80's and early 90's about the US vs. Japan. I can recall specifically studying TQM and the Japanese mngmnt model in grad school back then. Twenty years of stagflation and zombie economy later....here we are, still.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Oct 7, 2015 -> 04:11 PM) Depends on the team. We know one team where it's a little different. I would hardly hold up the Angels as an example of wise free agent spending. A decade before, when Moreno wasn't involved, they were much more into player development. The whole point is that the White Sox have never just eaten a contract when the value was over the $5.5-7.5 million range. Keppinger, Downs, MacDougal, Linebrink, Paulino, Bonifacio, not comparable to Danks, Dunn and LaRoche for that reason.

We should bring Soler over to the SouthSide and balance out the disappointing Cubans with Viciedo vs. Abreu/Ramirez. Actually, it would be great to trade them Avi and pieces for Soler but I'm not sure the Cubs would be willing to go for that. At any rate, it will be interesting to see what they eventually end up doing with Castro, Baez, Schwarber and Soler, to name a few.

Maddon... Benching Bryant would be about as idiotic as...well, it's just not going to happen. Even if he was 0 for his career against Cole. The question has to be more who you play in LF, Schwarber or ??? That must have been the conversation, if you want to be stuck with his poor defense out there in order to get the offensive upside.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 10:33 PM) Colby Rasmus turned out to be a good investment for the Astros. I seem to remember a a lot of Soxtalkers didn't want him every time I brought him up last off season. He production this year was about what many thought LaRoche should have done. Take young over old and AL experience over NL and less years and less AAV next time Sox. The difference between the 2 was LaRoche's OBP was way higher and he is a good Christian man as opposed to Rasmus' rep as a problem child and low OBP in 2014 Rasmus put up a 2.8 WAR vs, LaRoche's -1.4 a difference of 4.2 WAR in 2015. Yep, he was one of the main players a few of us were targeting for OF on the assumption they wouldn't overspend on Cabrera or Yasmany Tomas.

This is like the Greg/Adam Dunn...why isn't he benched? debates of the past. Because the White Sox aren't in the habit of eating any contract of more than $5 million completely...until they've first thoroughly exhausted every avenue in an attempt to extract any remaining value.

See Andre Dawson's "pay me what you think I'm worth at the end of the season" pledge in 1987. If our best marketing strategy is pointing to the back of LaRoche's baseball card, they're in more trouble than previously imagined. Surely that approach heading into 2012 with Dunn didn't convince any season ticket buyers on the fence to commit.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 09:22 PM) But that doesn't fit his narrative!! From another standpoint, it represents his downside and risk factors more accurately because it has been impossible to count on him to put up 31-33 starts per season.

Other than Abreu, Viciedo, Borchard, Micker Adolfo Zapata and going about $800,000 over on Rodon, they've largely been risk-averse. Dunn, Danks and LaRoche turned out to be larger risks than predicted, but after the fact. That covers about 15 years, too.

29 million people more or less in Mexico City. Otoh, A Man Apart, drug cartels, kidnappings, visa issues, border crossings, tax complications, difficulties of recruiting non Hispanic free agents.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 01:32 PM) Like their methodology. "He liked george Takai, so he wasn't Christian'. Funny. What evidence is there that Christians were the only ones shot in the head and all others were just wounded/spared? Because of the woman in the wheelchair? There's far from any consistency to this theory across multiple testimonies.

Another option is bringing in Desmond for SS and moving Anderson to 3b, but that's definitely dubious from a defensive standpoint. Then again, moving players out of that pressure-filled position to either 3b or 2b has worked in the past. And we already have three potential starters at 2b in Sanchez, Johnson and Saladino. Practically anything sounds better than Olt/Davidson/Saladino long-term, fwiw.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 10:35 AM) From what I read if the people responded 'Christian', he shot them in the head, others he shot more to wound. if that is the case, they yeah, he singled out Christians. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyathei...to-be-the-case/ Nice try....though. More were interested in science/New Age/mysticism. Only two of the nine could be described as Christian. If he deliberately tried to wound but not kill 78% of the victims, pretty sure we would have heard something by now.

Yeah, but for every Nick Hostetler or Marco Paddy, there's still KW or Buddy Bell to cancel all of that out. The biggest impact talent of the early bunch, Adolfo, isn't on a pace to even make a dent in the majors (assuming injuries or non-performance don't get him) before the new tv contract negotiations in 2019. They also have stayed within the parameters on intl. signings, unlike many of the big market clubs like the Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers who have been scooping up the most talent. Finally, Courtney Hawkins and Tyler Danish sank quite a bit as prospects. That has hurt, as well.

Then Reinsdorf's legacy won't end up that much better than Comiskey's... Taking a World Series team and running it into the ground when they were recently 8th-12th in the Forbes valuations isn't very easy to do, especially with that team and owner-friendly lease deal.