caulfield12

If you follow baseball, you have heard of Kris Bryant. If you follow baseball and aren’t a Cubs fan, in all likelihood you are sick of him by now. That’s quite a feat: Bryant only made his major league debut on Friday. But that very fact itself – that his major league debut was on 17 April instead of 5 April, the date of the Cubs’ home debut – is what has fueled the rampant interest in, and speculation about, Chicago’s super-prospect. After all, Bryant did hit .425/.477/1.175 (1.652 OPS) with nine home runs in spring training. How is that not good enough to make a team that just traded its incumbent starter at third base, Luis Valbuena, to the Houston Astros? http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/...w-in-mlb-system There was another one about Kris Bryant changing the face of baseball (Atlantic Monthly), but I'll spare Fathom further. You know it's almost a cultural phenomenon when The Atlantic, Guardian and NY Times are featuring articles about this kid.

QUOTE (shipps @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 04:23 PM) If Shark pitched well today and got a win this thread would be at least 7 pages right now. Yes, the day to day oscillations of SoxTalk during a season...or vicissitudes.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 03:58 PM) I can't see anyway the Sox take a high schooler at #8. The Sox have only taken one high school player (Hawkins) with their top pick since 2001. I think they will go get someone at a discount. The draft is pretty deep in that the guy you draft at #30 will grade out about the same as the guys you draft at #8. There are three players that are viewed a little higher, but then it seems there is a mass of players that could go at any time in the rest of the first round. I think the Sox find a college guy that will cut them a break and roll the money saved out to some high schoolers later in the draft. I like the idea of DJ Stewart, probably the best college bat in the class, limited defensively, but should be able to play above average LF in the pros. At some point, I hope the front office does plan on bringing a "above average" defender into the fold....and one who can also hit (consistently) as well, would help. As for the pitcher's build comments, it's always there....it was with Gio and Stroman, there are some who are concerned with Dillon Tate as well (and he's not "tiny" by any stretch of the imagination). I was just reading the early early 2016 draft speculation and one of the top pitchers is compared to Tate stuff-wise, and praised specifically for this very reason, the assumption of a more durable frame. Of course, it also wouldn't surprise me if someone like Tyler Kolek never makes it to the majors at all, with the "perfect" pitcher's frame in the minds of scouts (maybe too bulky for others). http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/pro...p?P=tyler-kolek Doing okay, but lousy peripherals and the SAL is one of the two "lower" full season A ball leagues.

First there was a Sale "guarantee" of victory. Now you have the combination of this post and the "forces of the galaxy" forming to make Jimenez looking like a bargain FA signing (let's not start THAT thread again, haha). Well, hopefully the bullpen post won't also come back to haunt us...but, being Sox fans, you know in your skeptical heart it just might.

OOOPS.

From what I understand, there was a play Abreu should have made (double play ball?) that helped contribute to the big inning...or is that wrong?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 11:46 AM) Have you considered having a doctor look at it? I did (almost two weeks ago)....x-rays showed no stress fracture, but you really need a bone scan or MRI to be 100% sure. That said, with the pain lessening by the day, and Ptac's explanation, I feel 99% confident no return to the hospital is necessary in this particular case.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 08:23 AM) If it hurts when you move your foot into dorsiflexion and plantarflexion without weight on it, it is not a stress fracture. It is a "shin splint" which mean something along the shin hurts. If it's the inside of the tibia, it's most likely the posterior tibialis tendon, in front of the tibia anterior tibialis. Go to a sporting goods store and get soft stability orthotics for your shoes. Never passively stretch prior to athletic activity. It just increases your chance for injury. It's the right lower outside....so definitely not the posterior tibialis, I looked up all the diagrams and that stretches from the outside across the bone to the front/inside (right?) Is it normal to have shin splints in just one leg?

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 09:49 AM) Angelos is a cancer to baseball. The games not going to Washington were because he is in a blood feud with the Nationals. Even though he made a boatload of money off the sale of the nationals. Manfred is selig's hand picked successor. He is not weak at all. But he is also the head of a corporation that oversees 30 fran horses with different goals and attitudes. Selig was known to let teams work out issues between themselves and not drop the hammer all the time. Manfred is taking a similar approach. The best part of this issue is that Angelos is losing a ton of money from 6 lost home dates. He will not recoup the losses with the doubleheader or the Tampa "home games". Well, technically 5...he has the May 28th double header, which will count as one game

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 06:10 AM) If this series was really screwed up because of personal dislikes, the MLB Commissioners office is a damned joke. Southsider, you're a smart guy. And can put the pieces together (see below). Jerry Reinsdorf doesn't have a prayer in this showdown. Finally, never underestimate how close Manfred and Angelos are...and never overestimate how much JR apparently is on the "outs" with his bloc losing power in their attempted coup d'etat. “We supported Rob, and we think he’ll do a fine job. The other candidates are excellent, also, and everyone is looking to him to solve the problems that baseball has and to expand on the success of baseball.” Manfred takes over next January, and Angelos says he’s well-qualified. “He’s been at it for 20 years. He came up from the first grade, and he graduated with a Ph.D on baseball. He knows every facet of baseball. He has a way of getting things accomplished, so there are great expectations. “Is he perfect? No. No one is perfect. I think he’ll do a sterling job. I think he’ll follow successfully in the path of the retiring commissioner,” Angelos said. The Orioles have applied to host the 2016 All-Star Game. Selig has praised Baltimore as “a very, very viable contender” to host the game, and on Tuesday said he would pick cities for “a number” of games. Angelos said he was hopeful that Baltimore would be chosen. http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-t...as-phd-baseball

QUOTE (LDF @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 05:23 AM) he didn't try too hard, there is always the FA, rt That was basically AJ, Salty (that would have been a contract disaster), Y. Grandal, M. Montero, maybe Jason Castro and Russell Martin. They weren't going to outbid the Pirates, Blue Jays and Cubs for Martin. Not exactly Murderer's Row, there.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 05:55 AM) Thanks for the links Caulfield. I like Angelos and his son even more now. It gets even more interesting. Manfred was an O's season ticket holder, and he was also elected Commissioner of Baseball in Baltimore. One of the main reasons he was in BALT was arbitrating the dispute between the Nationals/Orioles and also dealing with the request from the Angelos"es" (is that the right term?) for an All-Star game at Camden Yards in the near future. $70 million reasons why the Orioles/Angelos and Nationals aren't seeing eye to eye. That panel, consisting of a representative from each of the Rays, Pirates, and Mets, determined that MASN would have to pay the Nationals about $24 million more per year than they have been. This would apply retroactively to past years as well. The end result is that MASN would also owe about $70 million for past years. If the Orioles assume a percentage of that payment equal to their stake in the network (85%), they'll be on the hook for $60 million. The extra $24 million per year that would be paid to the Nationals based on the RSDC decision essentially comes out of the MASN profit stream, which currently flows largely to the Orioles. MASN has posted a $20 million bond with the court for the difference between what MASN has paid the Nationals for 2014 rights fees and what the RSDC said they should be paid. http://www.camdenchat.com/2014/12/15/73921...fees-court-case This situation ranks right up there with the A's/Giants stadium fight, San Jose relocation, etc. You could probably put saving baseball in Tampa/St. Pete and/or Miami right up there on the list.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Apr 29, 2015 -> 05:57 AM) The only thing the O's and Nats have been fighting over this year is who can stay in last place longer. That was true until 2012....both franchises have had a pretty amazing resurgence. Especially the O's, for how many horrible FA decisions Angelos has made. Now Moreno's leading the pack in idiotic decisions, ahead of Illitch, who at least makes business moves with his heart (Verlander, Cabrera, V. Martinez) and has a GM who can cover for his bad impulses (mitigate's a better word, perhaps) with moves like Price, Iglesias, Cespedes, A. Sanchez, Gose, JD Martinez, Simon, Greene, Rajai Davis, etc.

One of the things that I have not see mentioned as a bit of context. John Angelos is the son of Peter Angelos, the principal owner of the Orioles. Peter, who made his fortune as a labor lawyer (representing people in discrimination cases) was the only owner who refused to field scabs during the 1994-95 players strike: “It’s clear that he had a different attitude from a number of the other owners on whether the course they’d embarked upon was wise,” understates Don Fehr, the MLBPA head at the time. It wasn’t just that Cal Ripken Jr.'s sacred streak would end, as cynics sniped. You’d taken labor’s side against management all your life. Never had a corporate client, you like to brag. “Peter hates corporate America,” says a former associate who spent much of his adulthood working for your firm. “You hear him say it all the time. ‘Those no-good motherf-----s.’ This is a guy who wore short-sleeve shirts to work with a tie. He had his office in a blue-collar section of Baltimore. He was a peasant. A peasant who got rich. A peasant who got rich and bought a baseball team.”[emphasis added] 66 COMMENTS Tip Jar Tasini Apr 27, 12:39p recommend 305 Peter Angelos took on the tobacco industry way back when and won big time. I met him once when I was with my uncle -- a legendary Baltimore trial attorney at a restaurant in Little Italy. Angelos had his own special table but he rarely got to it because he stopped to talk to the "little" people at the bar on the way. Very good to hear his son inherited his good character traits. http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/27/138...er?detail=email http://www.yurasko.net/wfy/2010/08/angelos...ravens-too.html http://wnst.net/nfl/it-was-peter-angelos-v...-ravens-rights/ While it is well established that Baltimore Orioles and MASN owner Peter Angelos hates the Washington Nationals and the greater Washington D.C. region, it is less well-known that he hates the Baltimore Ravens too. The wannabe megalomaniac apparently scuttled a deal with the Ravens to air team programming that had been approved in principle in April. It is alleged that Angelos ended the deal because he could not deal directly with Ravens owner Steve Biscotti, who preferred to delegate the responsibilities to more qualified employees. So, is the lesson of all of this not to take the slights by Angelos and MASN personally because he hates Baltimoreans too? Nah, I think the lesson is that Angelos ruins everything he is involved in and we should still crush him at every opportunity and never buy tickets to Orioles games. The story above is from a Baltimore radio station that dislikes Angelos even more than me.

“It’s going to be an interesting experience, a little bit different, but obviously from a safety standpoint it makes sense,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “Also it helps potentially relieve some of the log jams later in the season in terms of makeup games.” An Orioles spokesman said media and scouts will be allowed to attend, along with an undisclosed number of employees, but areas surrounding the ballpark will be closed to onlookers. The scoreboard will be functioning, but it’s likely many of the other frills of a major-league game won’t be in operation. www.chicagotribune.com/sports http://www.csnchicago.com/white-sox/makeup...&ocid=yahoo The players and GM, at least publicly, seem to be taking the situation in stride.

Looks like Montas had a new baby around March 8th...maybe some personal issues off the field? No idea.

Springer and C. Carter have been garbage so far at the plate. Looking at their line-up, you would assume that Jose Altuve is their only threat. They've done quite a good job with some guys like McHugh and Keuchel that weren't so highly regarded. Roberto Hernandez/Fausto Carmona's pitching like he did five or six years ago with the Indians. Feldman's been decent. So you have 4 guys in the top 23 AL WHIP's. That's a major reason.

(Bob) Nightengale lists the Cardinals, Red Sox, Dodgers and Blue Jays as teams that could desperately use Hamels in their rotation. The Blue Jays wouldn’t seem to have the payroll capacity to add Hamels’ contract, but perhaps with enough money being paid down, something could be worked out. And for what it’s worth, Amaro did mention Toronto GM when making a tongue-in-cheek comment about his stress levels regarding the Hamels negotiations, stating: “I guarantee I’ll get more grey hairs from my daughter [taking her driving test] than any trade talks with Mozeliak, Anthopoulos and Cherington.” Nightengale adds that Amaro had talks regarding Hamels with a team as recently as Tuesday morning, and “some desperation” began to creep into those talks. www.mlbtraderumors.com Since this article was written, Tanaka also went down for the Yankees.

Greg, did you just watch an episode of the Walking Dead?

http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-sce...nt-for-baseball Is Kris Bryant a turning point for baseball?

http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ss...#incart_m-rpt-1 Cleveland's NEXT!!!! Have they lost their minds? That has to be the definition of idiocy. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/...428-column.html Another heartwarming Baltimore story...

But one tweet got particular attention from activists. Patrisse Cullors, one of the co-founders of #BlackLivesMatter and the director of the Truth and Reinvestment Campaign at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, said she was most concerned about a letter the Baltimore Police Department tweeted that indicated a "credible threat" of violence from rival gangs including the Bloods and Crips. https://twitter.com/BaltimorePolice/status/...711198241595395 "I think there is the conversation that happens on social media from law enforcement in many places that some people would say are just lies," Cullors said. "They are putting out information on the one hand and on the other hand propaganda." Baltimore police didn't respond to requests for comment on their social media strategy. http://zh.scribd.com/doc/263262264/Credible-Threat (If you note in the comments, already twitter followers were asking exactly where/how this "credible threat" originated, for some type of evidence or proof besides taking the words of the press release at face value) http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/politics/bal...edia/index.html What a LOAD OF CRAP. Now the public is discovering that gangs never said such a thing. JUST MORE LIES FROM BALTIMORE PD, but what can you expect? They've been spinning this for all it's worth in order to justify the VIOLENCE they have perpetrated against Baltimore civilians FOR YEARS. This is just MORE BULLs*** from Baltimore PD. DON'T BUY INTO IT!! The people perpetrating the VIOLENCE are the very same provocateurs that appeared in Ferguson last year. The people throwing rocks and bottles AREN'T EVEN FROM BALTIMORE - they've been bused-in, and they've been instructed to INCITE VIOLENCE. THEY ARE NOT Baltimore Civilians! Don't buy into the HYPE, people! Baltimore PD is full of s*** and LIES. Whether ANY of that is true or not, the fact that some (or even many) in the African-American community believe it to be possible or even probable shows just how shattered the relationship is...and how little trust there actually is between both sides. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/...ory.html#page=1 Analysis of the gang involvement/non-involvement in the riots....some are questioning the "glorifying" of gangs by making public appearances with them constantly in an attempt to demonstrate they're not collaborating or working to "take out" the police

Exactly what I’ve been saying. I follow a bunch of activisits on twitter because I’m cool like that, and they were literally predicting that this was going to happen. Once you started to see the police’s actions, it was pretty clear. This wasn’t a reactive move on BPD’s part, it was an offensive. And it worked like a charm because white America is now shocked that a CVS was burned down and a baseball game postponed, so they don’t give a f*** about the man killed in police custody. Well played, Baltimore Police. To think I wanted to be one of those f***ers back in the day. Oh, to be a college student again. from the comments section there at gawker...entertaining reading http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social...rss=rss_traffic Social media helped Balt police plan for mayhem

Then it's very simple. Name them "co-players of the month." Problem solved. Plus you create twice as many interesting players to follow for more casual fans.

What next, Uribe for 3B? Buehrle/Greg/Ozzie reunion? AJ is streaky...let's just see where he's at June 15th. Perhaps we need to bring back Carl Everett from his docent position at the Dinosaur National Monument.