caulfield12

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jul 9, 2016 -> 09:38 PM) Ya they've been awful. You could even mention the Eaton trade. (If that was this regime) Prior...worth noting, the two best trades of the last decade, for Quentin and Eaton...were both with ARIZ. Everyone else coming over from the NL since that 2004-05 cycle (AJ/Pods/Hermanson), pretty much disastrous, with just a few exceptions.

LaRussa and Stewart aren't winning many fans out there. Greinke hasn't been nearly as good as 2015, although he's stabilized from that terrible first month. Shelby Miller disaster. Yasmani Tomas can't play defense. Injuries. Having to trade Ziegler for two (at best) Top 16-30 prospects in the Red Sox system (albeit, with more potential, than, let's say Tatis, Jr.) Lamb is one of the few positives out there.

If the White Sox can get Baez OR Almora for Robertson at the deadline (assuming the same exact positioning as last year), you have to do it. 1) You clear up all that payroll space for taking on a hitter's contract to replace Garcia...likely, it's a veteran hitter OR someone like a Colby Rasmus, Desmond or Fowler this offseason who desire one year deals in order to go back out onto the market. 2) You give the job to Nate Jones for the remainder of 2016. There's no reason to think he can't do just about as well as Robertson, if not better. 3) You start making assessments of Burdi, Hansen, Fulmer, Adams, Danish, Guerrero and Stephens and put at least two of those guys on the bullpen/closer track in the minors and see how they respond (this is because 2017 is the final "all in" year before they have to seriously consider rebuilding again). There's no reason you can't "pull a Sale" and put those guys back into AFL/winter ball and then stretch them out again as starters before 2018, and the odds are two consecutive non-playoff seasons won't give you the budget to go out and buy yourself starters on the FA market (anyway), so all hands on deck at that point. I think it's pretty reasonable to assume you can get two very good relievers out of that group...along with Putnam and Petricka returning and competing to improve the back end of the bullpen. I'd also give Michael Ynoa a long/hard look in more high/er leverage situations, essentially unseating Albers (who's clearly not part of the future w/ the White Sox). Goldberg is another guy I'd look at.

Semien's 14th in OPS and 13th in WAR at SS right now. Not a franchise cornerstone (those home run numbers mask some of his other deficiencies, like OBP and defense)...but a very very solid player. (As someone pointed out, at worst, the equivalent of Frazier at 3B this year). Let's just call it (Marcus' level at present) the absolute upside of Saladino on the WAR side of things. Realistically, he's not a consistent 3.5-4.5 WAR player every year...but maybe I'm wrong. Even a 3 WAR at SS under cost control (or 2B, in this case) is a huge way to balance out those veteran contracts.

http://www.denverpost.com/2016/07/09/phila...cial-profiling/ Castile was stopped FIFTY-TWO times by the police over the span of 14 years....WHAT THE HELL? MINNEAPOLIS — When Philando Castile saw the flashing lights in his rearview mirror the night he got shot, it wasn’t unusual. He had been pulled over at least 52 times in recent years in and around the Twin Cities and given citations for minor offenses including speeding, driving without a muffler and not wearing a seat belt. He was assessed at least $6,588 in fines and fees, although more than half of the total 86 violations were dismissed, court records show.

PANIC IN THE STREETS... Lester rocked again. No-name starter keeps the Pirates in it long enough for the middle relievers to hold down the fort. Josh Bell is his second big league game, PHing (second hit, first was a single to CF)...HUGE GRAND SLAM. Cleared the seats towards the Riverwalk. Hope Balta is there. Hanging change-up off Warren. Next batter up, Jordy Mercer homers. Fireworks going off all over the city simultaneously for 200 year anniversary of city's founding in 1816. Pirates have cut Cubs' lead from 15 to 6 1/2 games in about 3 weeks. Lackey will attempt to avoid the sweep against Niese tmrw.

0/4 tonight. 2 K's, RBI. .118 average so far. Btw, Brad Goldberg might the next man in for our bullpen. Maybe.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/pitching/_/so...qualified/false Check out the -0.8 WAR line (bottom 40 pitchers in the majors, qualified and unqualfied). You'll find Matt Albers, along with the likes of Buchholz and Andrew Cashner, for example. Erik Johnson at -0.9. Shelby Miller at -1.2 (worst trade in years). Ubaldo Jimenez at -1.6. Tolleson, deposed Rangers' closer, at -1.0. Eric Surkamp and James Shields both at -0.4.

Well, isn't there a video of him falling on the dugout steps...? Surely, someone could corroborate it happening.

To me, Robertson's 2nd most effective "swing and miss" pitch is that knuckle curve. Perhaps, the most effective in avoiding contact, except when he hangs it. For some reason, it feels like his cutter has been getting fouled off more, and while it can get him ahead in counts, isn't a knockout pitch like it was in the past because everyone is keying on it. And it's just not quite as sharp as it was in the past, or like Mariano's (obviously, nobody's is THAT's good, it might as well be his HoF plaque instead of his bust). Once again, FG could back that up (or not).

Someone would have to look up the numbers at FG, but the Yankees' announcers have been consistently claiming Robertson was a much harder thrower when he faced them in the past pitching for NY. Can't help but think that overuse/fatigue over time (and part of it's due to throwing so many cutters, arguably) has eroded some of his velocity. Typically, he's struggles the most when pitching 4-5 times in a week or back-to-back or especially when it's more than an inning and he has to pitch again right after that.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/sportscaster-dal...-212141029.html This Dallas tv anchor's response could have been written by Greg...

1. TOR/BOS +10 3. HOU +5 2 1/2 GB 4. DET +4 3 GB 5. CHW/KCR +3 3 1/2 GB 7. SEA E 5 GB 8. NYY -1 5 1/2 GB

That was suffered (apparently) in that Wednesday game that we were all saying it wasn't necessary to use him...oh, well.

We'll see, there are a lot of contending teams really needing pitching help. Other than the Indians, that is. Even the Mets, with all their injuries are short (and because Wheeler never made it back as quickly as expected) an arm or two for the moment.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 9, 2016 -> 08:55 AM) Otoh something that helped mlk was that he had guys like Malcolm x as a counterbalance BLM has Obama as a counterbalance (who can't be perceived as being too "easy" on Africans-Americans, otoh he's often called an "Uncle Tom" so there's no winning no matter what he does vis a vis race relations). The theory is that Obama's moderation/centrism becomes more acceptable as result of leftist assaults. Not quite the same as the 60's, when you had the Black Panthers pushing the envelope by the time Malcolm X was assassinated...with Malcolm X (after he was kicked out of the Nation of Islam by Elijah Muhammad) much more moderate/less incendiary and King more frustrated and almost radical after his problems organizing in Chicago and Albany, GA. https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-questions-...--politics.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-amato/r...html?yptr=yahoo Guiliani has lost ANY respect and good will he built up in America after 9/11, pretty hard to do as a former top-polling candidate for president of the United States just four and one-half years ago.

Gordon Beckham hits for the cycle...that will be the historic event. Just because.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jul 9, 2016 -> 10:42 AM) No, he hasn't been moved because we're Hahn's not selling (unless he is ordered to do so, as he probably wants to save his job.)

Assuming Albers will be "okay" from here on out, it's probably easier to assume that Ynoa will produce the same... The issue then, isn't Ynoa, as much as the fact that Ventura has almost nobody he can trust with a tie game or 1-2 run deficit when it's the six or seventh inning from the RH side. Theoretically, it's Jennings (who can produce in that spot, albeit isn't RHed despite some contrary splits), but Ventura still hasn't figured out how to use him the most effectively, YET.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2...df6O/story.html Red Sox trade for D-Backs' closer Brad Ziegler...with Kimbrel and Tazawa on the shelf temporarily. Still have Uehara. Almonte, 20, was in the midst of his fourth season in Boston’s farm system and had made 10 starts for Single-A Greenville this season, going 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA, .294 opponents’ average, 13 walks and 45 strikeouts. A season ago, his 3.43 ERA ranked sixth in the Red Sox organization. As for Basabe, the 19-year-old is in fourth professional season in the minors. The switch-hitter has played in 64 games at Single-A Greenville, hitting .310 with 16 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 25 RBIs, 37 walks and 14 stolen bases while playing second base and shortstop. http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/...d-sox/86890774/ http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/red-...er-acquisition/

http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-s...snap-story.html As if the Dodgers needed ANOTHER outfielder... Joc Pederson's likely out until a week or so after the All-Star Break. Not sure about Ethier's time rehab frame. That leaves Thompson, Puig, Kiki Hernandez (utility), Van Slyke, Howie Kendrick, Venable and Toles on their depth chart...

Just be grateful we've been ensconced in the middle of a 8-team pile-up for two wild card spots the last two years. By the law of averages, we should make the playoffs by 2017 or 2018.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jul 9, 2016 -> 02:24 AM) Why would they need another 2nd baseman ? Lawrie would still be here and Sanchez as a backup isn't bad, But I did also mention Steve Pearce as a supersub since he has been playing infield positions for TB. And umm SS2k5 never mentioned Saladino in a trade for Lucroy. Just mentioned him as a core guy. I should have just responded directly to his quote. About inclusion of Saladino in that care group of "young prospects" that hadn't been dealt...I was questioning his name being there. Wasn't sure if he was just trying to poke at GreenSox by pointing out we hadn't traded him YET (of course, which would lead to another discussion of why Saladino wasn't getting more playing time or why they traded for Lawrie when Saladino COULD play that position for the next 5+ years).

http://www.southsidesox.com/2016/7/8/12134...omehow-sloppier The Barves? Is that really plural of Barf? Shouldn't they be the Barfs? First, Carlos Sanchez hit a one-out double and advanced to third when the Braves botched the throw back to the infield. J.B. Shuck then drove him in with his own "double" after his pop-up dropped between four Braves in shallow right. Tim Anderson then grounded a legit, boring single through the left side to put runners on the corners. Up came Adam Eaton, who once again decided to bunt. Wisler made a good decision by throwing inside, forcing Eaton to fall back after bunting the ball to the left side in self-defense. Wisler then made a terrible decision to chase the ball down and attempt a hopeless glove flip home to get Shuck because the ball would have spun foul if he left it alone. Shuck scored and Eaton reached on a bunt single. Anderson and Eaton emphasized the speed aspect further by executing a double steal, and Jose Abreu hit a fly to center that scored Anderson. It also allowed Eaton to reach third, because Ender Inciarte thought he caught the third out. His second mistake didn't result in a run like his first one did, but it achieved the opposite of saving face. And if everything wasn’t already breaking the Sox’ way early, the third inning happened. Sale dug himself a hole by allowing a walk and a single to start the inning, but Freeman’s smash to the left side found Anderson’s glove on a short hop. Chase D’Arnaud, the lead runner, assumed he caught it and returned to the bag, which is where Anderson had to go anyway. The shortstop tagged D’Arnaud, stepped on second, then fired to first in time to get Freeman for the 6-3 triple play, the Sox’ third of the season.

QUOTE (soxforlife05 @ Jul 9, 2016 -> 02:08 AM) The obvious move is to rebuild a better team but it won't happen for reasons that have been discussed for years. JR has endorsed the go for it every year mentality for as long as I can remember. Not last year. It was a form of surrender, in a way, not to do anything while the teams around us in the standings were all making improvements.