caulfield12

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaab--usc-hi...-044628441.html FGCU's Enfield and supermodel wife to USC. Hope he kicks Alford's ass in recruiting and on the court.

http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-sports-u...ard-to-in-2013/ 10 positives White Sox fans can look forward to in 2013 Wonder how many of these will turn out to be true?

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Apr 1, 2013 -> 11:37 PM) Robin addressed it in the press conference. Said part of it was getting Conor some time in an MLB game since he has barely played at this level before. And it's just a really nice feeling to get a taste of playing in front of a soldout/SRO crowd.

It's not really fair to lump in Mark Buehrle and AJ Pierzynski with Hawk or Beltin' Bill Melton. That criticism has to do with their professional career outside of the sport, as it pertains to broadcasting ability. I don't think very many fans were upset with either Buehrle or AJ for taking the money...everyone knew the White Sox weren't going to match, JR said as much to Mark and his family. And the budget numbers for 2013, and Flowers having to be given a chance AND, most importantly, AJ coming off unexpected career highs where we would be overpaying for him just didn't make much sense.

Wondering if anyone else noticed Reddick. Good God, that's a bad look. Like a cross between Kimbo Slice, The Dude from Big Lebowski and Bob James. Made Johnny Damon's "Caveman" look almost stylish/trendy in comparison.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Apr 1, 2013 -> 09:52 PM) Farmio was calling him "Sales" all game and I couldn't remember him doing that last year. Maybe Chris changed his last name & forgot to tell us. Or maybe after the contract extension they are pronouncing the dollar sign. Maybe they're promoting ticket SaleS on the new, discounted seats?

Hahn took over for Ken Williams, who was promoted to executive vice president. Although Williams' duties will include scouting, he possesses veto rights. But Hahn wisely converses with Williams. "I still talk to him every day and go through a bunch of different things," Hahn said. "In fact, he and I spent 20 minutes this morning about a potential waiver claim to flesh through my thoughts and what I wanted to do with the roster from there. He’s been from a professional standpoint, he’s been a resource from a scouting standpoint and from a mentor standpoint. "Perhaps as importantly from a friend standpoint, as someone who has sat in this chair for 12 years, he has been there to sort of her my gripes and gives guidance here and there about how to deal with some of the added responsibilities that come with the position. He has been a great resource as a co-worker and as a friend." mark gonzales/tribune.com As far as the break-up part goes, definitely, the possibility of trading Floyd, Thornton, Ramirez, Crain, Lindstrom....even Konerko, Peavy, Rios or Dunn, if the right offers came along. But that's the case almost every year. Nearly every team out there's looking for pitching....and we have not only Floyd but an abundance of RH relievers and good depth from the lefty side as well. The Braves, for example, might have to push everyone in their bullpen back if Venters it out long-term and could be looking at improving their bullpen depth.

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/03...is-limitations/ Does anyone know if the White Sox-WGN contract is also up for renewal in 2014 (like it is with the Cubs)? The ComCast one is 2019. But what about the Sox and WGN?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-leag...00621--mlb.html Almost completely empty Yankee Stadium late in the Opening Day game.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 1, 2013 -> 06:20 PM) We ain't scared of no Royals! Anything's better than 6-12. 9-9 would seem acceptable after last year's debacle/s.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 1, 2013 -> 12:18 PM) Alex Avila has been at least average offensively 3 of the last 4 years, and he's been awesome in 2 of those years. He's going to be the catcher of the future there. Not to mention his dad works in the front office, right?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-leag...cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3 Sale ranked 10th among the 30 Opening Day starters. Hopefully he moves up for next year.

Alburquerque still has a devastating slider, no matter how many surgeries he's undergone. Oh, well. Tigers will have issues closing by committee, in all likelihood. Two more innings for the Twins to rally.

Go Twins! Bases loaded, only one out, down 3-1 in the bottom of the 7th. Al Route 55 coming in to quell the uprising. Ryan Pillsbury Doughmitt with an oppo single. 3-2, still bases juiced.

Shades of Bobby Jenks not holding runners. Harrelson, nice try making the 05 comparison, lol. Tyler Flowers already has won one game for the Sox this year. That'll work.

Struggling with the slider.

That was a huge out. Seems like Perez is the scariest hitter on that team. But can never look past Cain, especially against us.

Well, that was ugly. Viciedo expanding his strike zone, and Dunn looking totally lost. Hold it, Addison. Nothing's ever easy against KC.

Great job, Thornton. Would be nice to see that more consistently this year. Jones has got to get a better feel for his offspeed pitches or Lindstrom/Crain will be getting those opportunities eventually. Let's get some insurance runs, por favor.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 1, 2013 -> 10:02 AM) One thing the Verlander deal does do is make Rick Hahn look like a f***ing genius with the Sale and Peavy deals. But if Danks doesn't come back to some semblance of his former self, all of that relative advantage is taken away.

Bernstein: UCLA Hired A Scumbag March 31, 2013 1:00 PM Share on email278View Comments Steve Alford. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) Reporting Dan Bernstein Filed under Blogs, College, College Sports, Sports, Syndicated Sports (CBS) The protesters deserve to be heard once again. They gathered outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena to help bring attention to Steve Alford’s unconscionable behavior after his star player turned sexual assailant. They stood for what was right after the Iowa coach acted to shield a violent criminal and intimidate the victim both publicly and privately. Eleven years later, too many have forgotten exactly what Alford did in the aftermath of that incident in Iowa City on September 6, 2002. The University of New Mexico didn’t care, welcoming him for a desert exile long enough to fade too many memories. None of it appears to matter to UCLA, either. Pierre Pierce performed unwanted sex acts on a female student at his apartment, covering her mouth when she tried to scream. He eventually plea-bargained to a charge of assault causing injury, later issuing a public apology for “inappropriate sexual contact with a fellow student.” Had Alford succeeded in his efforts to strong-arm the victim, it all would have evaporated. The disgusting ploy backfired, however, and only steeled her resolve to pursue criminal charges. Alford enlisted the help of close friend Jim Goodrich, the campus representative for Christian group Athletes in Action who often traveled with the team and conducted bible-study sessions. Per specific instruction from Alford, the victim was invited to what she was told was a “prayer meeting,” at which she was urged to back off and not cause problems for a basketball program that could overpower her. Don’t make waves, honey, in the name of Jesus. The Lord wants you to shut up, if you know what’s good for you. According to the official report from the special committee that later investigated the handling of the case after the ugly facts emerged, “The desire to facilitate an informal resolution of the matter may have had the opposite result. The Committee recommends that the Athletic Department take steps to limit the involvement of outside advisors, religious or otherwise.” The report also slapped down Alford for his boorish public statements trying to defend his player from any criticism. “I totally believe he’s innocent,” Alford affirmed at Big Ten Media Day. “I believed it from day one, and I still believe it.” He clearly knew otherwise, having already tried to make her go away. Still, he took every opportunity to vouch for Pierce and question the victim, including during an interview with The Boers And Bernstein Show on 670 The Score in 2003. Shortly thereafter, the Chicago Tribune reported “Sources close to the victim say that hearing Alford go out of his way to defend the moral fiber of Pierce these past few months, and turning it into another one of his all-for-one sermons was, in fact, the most painful aspect of trying to move on.” The school’s report later listed this behavior among its concerns, concluding “While Coach Alford believed he was acting as he had been directed in making the statements he made to the media, one set of those statements – confirming his certainty in Pierce’s innocence – implied that he disbelieved and discredited the claims of the student victim, and his words were perceived as reflecting insensitivity to issues of sexual assault and sexual violence.” After the plea deal, Alford was also rebuked by Johnson County State’s Attorney Patrick White, who told the Daily Iowan “We have difficulty getting convictions in these kinds of cases because victims are afraid of how they will be treated or how juries will look at them.” As described in the Tribune story, a furious Alford responded to White’s comments by initiating a phone call that became a shouting match. And this sweet guy Pierce — the person on whom Alford staked his own, righteous word – was arrested again in 2005. He pled guilty to two charges of first-degree burglary, assault with intent to commit sexual assault, and fourth-degree criminal mischief. He spent 11 months in jail before being released on probation. Every bit of this information was available to UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, who celebrated the introduction of Alford as his new head coach Saturday, calling him “the perfect fit for UCLA.”

Harty: Once again, Steve Alford lands on his feet [ 0 ] March 30, 2013 | Pat Harty Hang on because I’m all over the place with this column. Let’s start in New Mexico where Steve Alford will soon be like the aliens that supposedly visited the state more than a half century ago. You’ll probably never see Alford set foot in New Mexico again with him being hired at UCLA, but he’ll never be forgotten there. And unlike the aliens, Alford’s six-year stay in New Mexico was witnessed by thousands of Lobo fans on a regular basis. Say what you want about Alford, which many of us have, but the guy is like a cat in how he always seems to land on his feet. He bolted from Iowa City one step ahead of the posse in 2007 after a controversial eight-year reign, but not until he had secured the head coaching gig at the University of New Mexico. He endeared himself to Lobo fans by rebuilding their once-proud program and by signing a 10-year contract that was announced on the eve of this year’s NCAA Tournament. But you knew Alford’s ego and his quest for success at the highest level wouldn’t let him stay at a mid-major school, even while receiving the red carpet treatment. And you knew, or you should’ve known, that signing a 10-year contract is far less binding than the gel in Alford’s hair. In fairness to Alford, he did his job at New Mexico and did it quite well with exception to having success in the NCAA Tournament. And he’s just one of many coaches who have bolted for greener pastures after making a commitment to stay put. So more power to him. Alford also probably realizes that his chance of coaching at his beloved alma mater, Indiana, is fading with him pushing 50 and with current Indiana coach Tom Crean having returned the Hoosiers to elite status. So Alford did the next best thing by landing a job at one of the few schools that has a richer tradition in men’s basketball than Indiana does. It’s yet another case of him landing on his feet. The strange thing is I never thought I’d see the day when UCLA would hire a head men’s basketball coach who was just average in the same job at Iowa. Alford wasn’t UCLA’s first choice, but that doesn’t really matter now. The same person who led Iowa to just one NCAA Tournament victory in eight seasons is now leading the most storied program in the history of college basketball. UCLA cashed in big when it hired a former standout basketball player from Purdue named John Wooden to coach its men’s basketball team. But the program in some ways is still haunted by the Wizard of Westwood’s legacy and by the unrealistic expectations that come with it. So they’ve turned to a former Hoosier to restore order. But if Alford thought the media was tough on him at Iowa, just wait until the reporters and columnists and bloggers and tweeters from Los Angeles start questioning his decisions. QUITE A STATEMENT: The Iowa men’s basketball team had just defeated Virginia minutes earlier in the NIT quarterfinals Wednesday when my phone rang. It was actually my landline for those who don’t believe that some people still use them. Legendary radio announcer Jim Zabel called to get my reaction to the victory and to share his, which stunned me. The 91-year old Zabel ranked the 75-64 victory at Virginia as one of the five most important wins for the Iowa men’s basketball program during his lifetime. Zabel has been known to get carried away during times of success, but that’s still quite a statement. He ranked it that high because of the difficult circumstances with this Iowa team having failed to win a pivotal road games up to that point and with the program having struggled for much of the past decade. YAWN: Sunday marks the start of the Major League baseball season, but as a frustrated Chicago Cubs fan I couldn’t care less. Even the thrill of attending games at Wrigley Field has lost its appeal because the Cubs simply lose too many games and because they celebrate each Cub victory with that lame “Go Cubs Go” song. It makes no sense why the Chicago White Sox can stay competitive over long periods of time while the Cubs usually stay mediocre or worse. Bring on football. Pat Harty/Hawkcentral.com

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Apr 1, 2013 -> 12:31 AM) Anyone know when the last time was that the Yankees weren't #1? The Yankees have led each year since the Baltimore Orioles edged them by $200,000 in 1998, and New York has been at $200 million-plus every season since 2005. The record opening-day payroll of $209.1 million was set by the Yankees in 2008.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb--mlb-open...-172007462.html Newsflash. White Sox 9th in Opening Day payroll, while attendance is mired in the 20's (I think it was 23rd or 24th, off the top of my head).

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 31, 2013 -> 06:26 PM) If you're ready to open a new ballpark, then we've got a good shot at bringing the fanbase back. We do, essentially, have a new ballpark, compared to the one that debuted two decades ago against the Tigers.