caulfield12

They're already writing an article at politico.com stating that the "favorites" for 2016 (at this EARLY point) are Hillary and Jeb. Jeb still has the Bush brand going against him. Amazingly, it has been since 1976 that a Bush or Clinton wasn't somehow involved in a national presidential election. More voters blamed Bush than Obama for the current economic predicament. That's quite telling, after four years of constant attacks on Obama from the right. Rubio's the obvious Golden Boy candidate of the moment. The new Indiana governor is getting lots of attention. Chris Christie, although his "embrace" of Obama will be hard for many to forgive. Mitch Daniels. Susan Martinez of New Mexico is rising and represents one of those states being flipped by immigration (Virginia, NC, Texas, NM, Colorado, Arizona). Ryan, although he couldn't even make much inroads against Obama...and with all the attention paid to the state over the Walker election, union battle and recall fight. I don't believe Biden has much of a chance, going back to the whole plagiarism thing that helped to sink him the first time he ran. Martin O'Malley from MD is one of the up and coming "darkhorse" candidates. The Clintons own the nomination unless they decide not to make one last run, which would go against every inclination Bill has (revived this cycle) to be a big part of the spotlight and not put out to pasture. Andrew Cuomo, although his father was a much more articulate and compelling candidate. http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/07/insid...lped-obama-win/ I wonder how much money it would cost for the White Sox to buy all the data mining information the Obama team has compiled on metropolitan Chicago and use it to help market to potential season ticket buyers....?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Nov 7, 2012 -> 06:29 PM) I believe after a weak recovery we're in for another recession in '13-'14. I would have preferred not to have a lame-duck President in office over the next four years. We were definitely going to be in for another recession if we went over the financial cliff. That happening is a LOT less likely in an Obama 2nd term than a Romney first term. There's absolutely zero reason to believe that the country can "grow" it's way out of $16 trillion in debt by LOWERING tax rates. It has been tried 2-3 times already. And the last time we had a truly successful and expanding economy was under Clinton. One of the biggest reasons for the budgets to be balanced back then was capital gains taxes, yet another area where the Republicans believe it's "unreasonable" to be taxed. In the end, talking about 2016, too many variables are in play to say that the Dems are set up for a nice run...the demographics trends (young people, women, minorities expanding) definitely are aligned for them. But as we saw with the Vietnam War in the 60's (breaking the JFK/LBJ run), Watergate, the Iranian Hostage Crisis/inflation/fuel shortages, the LA riots and recession of the early 90's (combined with Bush looking out of touch and Ross Perot's siphoning off votes that would have gone more GOP), the make-up of the Supreme Court in 2000 (as much as some argue there's no way Obama should have won a 2nd terms, there's no way that Bush should have won back then because the economy was doing so well, but Clinton had his scandal and also Gore distanced himself on purpose, which turned out to be a huge mistake, along with his "populist" war against the wealthy)... There are just five million things that always get in the way of projecting "automatic" victories for Hillary...and it's not a slam dunk because of her age and the residual vitriol which the Clinton brand means for non-Dem's. And Rubio looks in the best position to be formidable simply due to his being Hispanic, which nullifies the immigration issue and rebalance the equation voting-wise to 50/50 or favoring the GOP even....of course, he's got a great storyline/bio, one that is somewhat similar to Obama's (and some of it is hype and myth more than reality, like his "escape" from Castro's persecution).

It's one of those cases of selective memory with Peavy. A lot of our gripes were about his record against the Tigers, particularly the 6-0 blown game, some of his starts down the stretch where he was "so-so" or okay instead of pitching like an ace. Of course, the counter-argument is that he's no longer the 2007 version, has diminished stuff, has had to adapt and learn to be a pitcher rather than just a thrower...THAT previous Cy Young glimmering version will never return again, any more (and I see some are still holding out hope that he'll bounce back into the mid 90's with his FB again). Statistically, there's no arguing with his stats, as an overall body of work, from 2012. And there's no arguing that if he put up those same numbers the next two years, the White Sox would have made a very sound investment. And then there will always be those who appreciate his "manning up" and coming back from a first of its kind surgery as quickly as he did, instead of packing it in and collecting a paycheck. The whole team just ran out of gas (Sale, Peavy, Quintana, the rookies), we had the injuries to deal with constantly throughout the 2nd half...most of us were not as angry as Greg about the "collapse" as it was pretty predictable to those who follow both the Tigers and Sox closely. (That said, I believed we would actually take it after winning the final Tigers game and then again when Dunn hit the homer to win another one in the following days).

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Oct 31, 2012 -> 01:08 AM) If the Royals are willing to trade Moustakas to a divisional rival he has to be #1 on the wish list. I'd be willing to overpay just to see if he can turn it around Moustakas was one of their best offensive players the first half of the season. He's not a turnaround guy as much as Alex Gordon was...or Hosmer coming into 2013.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Oct 30, 2012 -> 08:20 PM) Oh ya he'd be nice too. He'd def take Rios+ to get and I'd like to keep Rios if possible. I'd give up Rios for Headley though just because he's much younger than Beltre and could be the face of the franchise in the coming years. They would have to move Cruz for that to make any sense.

Good news, not quite great, because you wonder about all the wear and tear that Robin and Cooper put him through, sometimes needlessly. On the other hand, it does afford us the luxury of packaging some guys like Quintana/Santiago (one of the two, probably), Thornton, Crain, Reed (possibly) to see what we can get back for 3B and possibly catcher. The biggest question marks are: 1) Does DeAza go back to CF? 90% chance, unless another starter is traded, like Rios, for a new CFer. 2) Who's the closer? 90% chance it's Reed, at least to start out. 3) AJ, Tyler or a new catcher not on the radar screen? 4) 3B

He will come out and blame SoxTalk and WSI for all of his bad trade ideas, surely.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Oct 27, 2012 -> 08:03 PM) I think your still starry-eyed from having Boyer chat you up. I think I preferred the baseball-related Straw Man arguments to this.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Oct 19, 2012 -> 05:35 PM) You think the marketing guy is now an economist? The White Sox are an extremely well run business from a financial standpoint. But they're doing it at the expense of expanding the fanbase. They're squeezing all the money they can out of the remaining diehards. Finally, they realized (and it might be too late if we don't win in 2013, '14, '15) that they needed to try to bring some of the fans they've lost since 2006-07 back into the fold somehow. That's not how more model franchises like the Cardinals (or even the Tigers, compared to us) operate. Since the World Series, they squandered 90% of the inroads that could have been made to capitalize on that championship...and this at a time when the Cubs were cratering and finally rebuilding.

If this means Morel is the starting 3B, that's a bit scary, as almost nobody has any confidence he's the long-term solution at this point. About a week ago, one would have guessed that Peavy was 90% likely to be gone, Youkilis around 65-75% and AJ 50/50, probably. Would the ownership group keep the payroll the same, or venture into possible deficit territory...? That hasn't been their modus operandi, except coming into the 2011 season. Trading Dunn and Rios, bringing in the likes of A-Rod or Ichiro, those are marketing ploys and Sox fans are WAY smarter than that. There's also the issue that at this point, you'd have to figure the Tigers have a pretty good chance to win the World Series. They'd be 2 time defending AL Central Division champions...adding Victor Martinez as the full-time DH, adding Alburquerque for a full season (he or Villarreal or even Coke would be in play as possible closers, or they simply spend money to acquire another one), and even if they lost Sanchez based on the end of his season, they're going to be able to replace him with Drew Smyly, whose numbers are much better than any 5th starter on 25+ MLB teams. Just looking at Peavy/Youk/AJ/Dunn/Rios/Ramirez/Floyd/Thornton/Crain, there's a pretty good chance at least 4 of them are gone, if not 5. Sure, they will be replaced. But we're still closer to competing in 2014 or 2015 (Marty's position for a long time) than 2013. I think it was Southsider who argued they could or should be a favorite to win the AL Central, and there's the flip side argument (we all witnessed it firsthand in 2006) that it would be better were the Tigers to win the whole thing, which would push their pitching staff to the limit in additional innings pitched as well as removing some of their incentive for 2013. However, them winning might help the Sox on the field, but it won't help to boost offseason motivation for the fanbase to buy into what's likely going to happen on the field in 2013. Surely, the Tigers will be picked by 45 out of 45 pundits to repeat as AL Central champions. Our two best hitting prospects (after Viciedo) in Carlos Sanchez and Trayce Thompson are at least 3-4 months away from being ready, arguably. Starting pitching is unlikely to be better than last year (swapping Danks for Peavy), Quintana possible regression, Santiago as a starter vs. reliever, etc.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 16, 2012 -> 03:21 PM) I think you should be sentenced to watch the Saved by the Bell episode where Slater's pet chameleon Artie died and they held a funeral for it. God that episode is f***ing awful. But it's a suitable punishment. Or a threesome with Mr. Belding and Mario Lopez.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 10, 2012 -> 09:37 AM) Ummm...Donald Sterling is by far the worse owner in professional sports. Daniel Snyder?

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Oct 14, 2012 -> 05:21 PM) Ernie Harwell's voice sounds like he contracted strep throat and then went out to a bar and did karaoke all night. It's kind of annoying. You're really going to complain about one of the top 3-5 all-time voices of baseball, now deceased? Anibal Sanchez, FWIW, earning himself a huge contract in free agency. Who do the Tigers go to in the 8th and 9th? Their options are Villarreal, Alburquerque, Benoit and Dotel.

A-Rod, with his current 0/3, is now 3 for 38 lifetime against the Tigers in the playoffs (as a Yankee), dating back to 2006.

QUOTE (SouthSidePride05 @ Oct 14, 2012 -> 03:20 PM) Could it be that baseball is just not that popular at the moment? Maybe it's not about the money, because even the cheap tickets aren't getting sold. I think popularity in sports goes around in cycles, and maybe in a few years, MLB will be all the talk at the water cooler. Right now it's all about the NFL. The casual fan just isn't watching baseball right now. One of the main reasons is because the epic rivalries of recent years have lost their spark due to some teams falling into oblivion. The Cubs/Sox crosstown rivalry is non-existent at the moment because Cubs fans are in hiding.. and likewise, the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry is non-existent due to Saux fans in hiding. The casual fans aren't hearing the trash-talking and are evidently finding other things to occupy their time. Revenues and team values have been soaring the last decade. Attendance is only 20-30% of revenue now for the large market teams...closer to 20-25% for the biggest. Baseball can also deliver product over 81 games, plus spring training, plus post-season, WBC, etc. NFL has a limitation to around 20 different dates in a year. If anything, the NBA kind of peaked during their battle to take over 2nd from MLB...when's the last time you watched an entire Bulls' game, except for when Michael Jordan was playing? I guess the Heat "superteam" has renewed some interest, but a large number of NBA teams have empty arenas, relocation debates and financial struggles. If you look at the big differences from the last 20 years, it has been the rise of NASCAR, MMA/fighting (boxing has slumped correspondingly, especially the heavyweight division) and golf due to Tiger Woods. NHL also kind of peaked...it's just not the same experience watching on television. Same with futbol/soccer.

The subsidy they'll have to send is rising by the minute. It's actually quite similar to the Youk situation, in the sense where it's getting untenable for him to return to the Yankees in 2013 if his performance against the Tigers continues to echo the lack of performance in the ALDS vs. the Orioles.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2012 -> 11:04 AM) Serious question here. $100+m payroll with prices where they are now, or $75 million with cheaper parking and top end tickets? I'll take the $85 million, lower option and bring back the fans...there's no way it's this kind of a spread ($100 vs. $75), with all of the other revenues that are generated, attendance is down to 20-25% of the overall bottom line for a majority of the big market MLB clubs. 1) By maximizing revenue now, we're cutting out a new generation of fans that would become loyal followers if games were more accessible financially. What's the cost of having very few fans in their teens, 20's and 30's when that older generation of White Sox season ticket holders is gone? What about when the decision makers who have faithfully allocated their company's money for season tickets and sponsorship deals/signage SHIFTS in the next 10-20 years to the younger generation who saw the 2005 World Series win but haven't been back to a game since 2006 or maybe 2008? 2) We lose a tremendous amount of our homefield advantage when we have the stadium half full, compared to the Tigers. More fans, more energy and enthusiasm, the team will play better at home, better record equals better chance at making the playoffs. From 2009 on, except for a couple of stretches in 2010 (we were still winning most of those games on the road during our 26-5 stretch) and 2012, we've been a pretty bad team at home. 3) Creating that buzz or excitement will lead to more excitement and interest from the local media as well as a higher likelihood of getting our games picked up by ESPN or FOX...and will drive the t.v. ratings higher, adding more revenue because of the Comcast relationship.

Bringing in A-Rod would be like the whole Albert Belle thing, without the one caveat that made that move tolerable...you had a player close to being in the prime of his career. This clearly wouldn't be the case, here. 90% of the time, the All-Stars we see on the White Sox roster have long left their best playing days behind them. If you went back to the year JR bought the team, I would be willing to bet $100 we've had the most former All-Stars (developed by other teams) playing on the White Sox after age 33, compared to any other team in baseball during that time span. At least KW added in the extra bonus of "most former first rounders" as well, which has occasionally succeeded in injecting needed talent we missed out on with our own misguided drafting philosophies.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 04:10 PM) If that article wasn't written by an employee of an entity partially owned by the Sox it would not be as laughable as it is. What do you think WGN and the Tribune did for the Cubs all those years? And attendance is down to only 20-25% of the team's overall bottom line, it's not the driver of payrolls that everyone keeps assuming it is...but KW and Reinsdorf have used it as a wedge or leverage against the fans for many, many years. As far as the other point about the Tigers, it might be better for us were they to win the World Series. They'll have a lot less drive and hunger next year, it's almost impossible to repeat and the wear and tear of the season got to Scherzer a bit down the stretch. The scariest thing about the Tigers isn't Cabrera and Fielder, it's Verlander/Scherzer/Fister/Porcello/Smyly (Sanchez will probably leave as a FA). The first two are Cy Young arms. Fister has been absolutely great the last two stretch drives. And even in Valverde's their weak link, along with infield defense, they can use Alburquerque/Villarreal or sign someone off the FA market to fix that glaring problem.

Hamilton would sell more tickets, but they're not going to fork out that cash. For some reason, I can see both Ichiro and A-Rod coming over and the Sox believing that will be a magical panacea for their marketing/attendance woes (note, I didn't say revenues generated woes).

Rodriguez's tack throughout the most emasculative juncture of his career has been admirable and stunning. This is more embarrassing than when Joe Torre dropped him to eighth in the lineup, worse for his career than the steroid revelations. The Yankees are dumping A-Rod, and he would be the last person anyone would expect to take the news with such grace. [Y! Sports Fan Shop: Buy New York Yankees playoffs merchandise] "I always have to look in the mirror and do what I can do to do the best I can," he said, and his turn of phrase was rather amusing. A-Rod past has consisted of looking in mirrors, of centaur self-portraits, of Madonna and Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz, of shady steroid-peddling cousins, of yelling "Ha!" and slapping gloves, of so many assorted foibles that it's easy to lose track. In a way, A-Rod was the archetypal Yankee in that his absolute excellence made him a great villain. But he was the antithesis of the boring, buttoned-up pinstripers in that everything he did came with a caveat. This may yet as well. October is a funny month. If a team with one of the game's best bullpens can blow a 6-0 lead in clinching games, a Hall of Famer with 647 home runs can rediscover something. The weirdest part of A-Rod, bench jockey, is what others say about him. Derek Jeter was asked how Rodriguez was handling it, and his answer was: "He's out there pulling for everyone, like everyone on our team does." And when the best thing he could say about A-Rod was the quality of his cheerleading skills, well, there was something very backward about that, something that seems even too odd for October. Jeter not grinding through an injury was too odd. Curtis Granderson looking like an A-ball player for the first four games was too odd. Ichiro Suzuki not hitting was too odd. CC Sabathia not throwing a complete game would've been too odd. Yet all is well in the Yankee universe save for No. 13. And even he looked past his Freaky Friday to a place where the sun shines and he's got full-time employment. "Don't assume that you've heard the last from us," A-Rod said. "Or me." It could be for either of the Los Angeles teams, for the Marlins or White Sox – hell, for any team, really -- if the Yankees believe this is it and eat $80 million-plus of the $114 million they owe him for the next five years and Rodriguez approves a deal. While it's hard to believe, it's likelier that they try to work through the betrayal – and that's exactly what this has been to a man who has spent his entire adulthood on a pedestal – and repair the seemingly irreparable. One of Rodriguez's teammates smirked at the idea of reconciliation, noting how many times the Yankees and A-Rod seemed on the outs. Jeter may be the lifeblood of this team, and Sabathia may be its most important piece, but the one who best personifies what the Yankees are, as opposed to what they want to be, is still wearing their uniform, still itching to forget about this miserable week and become what so soon ago they relished. A-Rod. Always A-Rod. www.yahoo.com/mlb (Jeff Passan)

QUOTE (SI1020 @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 10:49 PM) On successive nights Verlander and Sabathia showed how a true ace pitches when it really counts. And Cain. Looking like Gio will get the win over former ace Wainright as well, although Gio was far from dominant tonight.

The Rangers will definitely be on the radar screen in term of needing to add offense if they lose and/or trade Hamilton, Cruz, Kinsler and Napoli.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 11:51 AM) http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-chicago...rce=twitterfeed DeAza played good defense down the stretch? Okay.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Oct 9, 2012 -> 02:01 AM) I have Reed and Rios going to T.B. not Floyd. It's a big-time risky move for a franchise like the Rays to take on any contract for over $10 million (and multi-year to boot), especially a veteran in his 30's who has had an on-again, off-again performance record going back a number of years. If you're the Rays, is he the player who puts you over the top, vis a vis the competition from the Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox and Blue Jays? That's definitely debateable. And teams like the Rays tend to give those big contract dollars and extensions to their own home-grown players. As noted, the performances of guys like Rodney, Howell, Farnsworth and Soriano would tend to mitigate overpaying for young bullpen talent like a Santos or Addison Reed...when they've been so successful unearthing it on the free agent market or waiver wire.