caulfield12

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 24, 2012 -> 07:11 AM) Youk won't command anywhere close to $12-13MM next year, IMO. That's how much the club option is...they can decline it and give him the buyout, but then they're competing with every other team out there on the open market for his services. It's possible if he really really likes it here, he'd want to stay. And we would have that advantage, so probably $6-8 million (or more) + the $1 million buyout. Then again, there might be a team out there willing to give him a backloaded two year contract if he keeps playing as well as he has with the White Sox since the trade. They're in the same situation with Floyd, Peavy and Myers...do you really think if they told Gavin they weren't willing to pay him $9.5 million next year he'd still be attracted to take much less, with the dearth of starting pitching out there on the open market? We already went through this discussion with Edwin Jackson, although you'd have to give Floyd at least 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 odds to come back to the Sox because of his comfort level here.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 24, 2012 -> 07:14 AM) I'd give them Floyd+Santiago+Mitchell for Grienke+cash or just two of the three if there is no cash involved. The last reliever in a bullpen and a prospect who strikes out too way too much? The Milkwaukee GM would laugh after considering it for 2-3 seconds. If Dempster is worth 5 years of Delgado, no way that gets it done.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jul 24, 2012 -> 06:46 AM) With Dempster off the books (most likely) it seems as if KW will go hard after Grienke now. What type of package will it take to get the guy is the question? (Mitchell, Reed, Santiago, Humber or Floyd?) Just throwing names out there. Not sure what Milwaukee would want from our farm. I'm sure Floyd would interest them because they can take his option for next year. Floyd, Reed and Viciedo...if Dempster is really worth Delgado.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 24, 2012 -> 07:55 AM) Hypothetically, if there were a trade on the table where the Sox got Liriano, a 3rd team got Floyd, and the 3rd team sent prospects to the Twins, would you make the trade? Only if we could re-sign Liriano...

It would be a lot more interesting if Trout was the one who was acting like a prick and prima donna and Harper was the good guy. If I had to guess, I'd say it would go about 75% for Trout, 25% for Harper. Harper definitely projects to have more power over time (of the two), but it's really hard to find any weaknesses in Trout's game for now.

2. (20) Bryce Harper, OF, Washington – Under Team Control through 2018 When I finished the initial version of this list a couple of weeks ago, Harper was #1. His placement at second on this list really has nothing to do with his July slump — where he’s finally looked human for the first time since arriving in the big leagues — he just got passed by an epic tornado of brilliance in Anaheim. Harper is still the premier young talent in the sport. Comparisons range from Josh Hamilton (with plate discipline) to Ken Griffey Jr, and outside of an injury or off the field issue, it’s hard to see any career trajectory for Harper that doesn’t end with him as the best player in baseball. What he’s doing in the big leagues as a teenager is special, and I’d still take his future over any other player on the planet. But, right now, Harper is simply a good player who can be a solid piece on a winning team. By next year, he could be a superstar, but he’s not quite there yet, which is just fine, because he’s 19-years-old. His future is amazing. His present is very good. That was good enough for the top spot until last week, when the #1 spot on this list was finally just torn out of his hands through sheer force by… 1. (21) Mike Trout, OF, Anaheim Angels – Under Team Control through 2017 Since getting called up to the Majors, Trout has been the best player in baseball, and it hasn’t even been particularly close. At his current rate of performance, he’d average +10.3 WAR per 600 plate appearances. For his career, Babe Ruth averaged 10.0 WAR per 600 plate appearances. Yeah. There’s just not much left to say about what Trout is doing right now. He’s almost certainly not going to keep this up because no one can keep this up, but what we’re seeing is a 20-year-old with no real flaws in his game. 39 of his 107 hits have gone for extra bases. He’s 31 for 34 in base stealing. He’s an amazing defensive center fielder. Three times he’s tried to bunt his way on base, and three times he’s been successful. He makes contact, he hits for power, he doesn’t swing at pitches out of the zone, and he can run like the wind. The only way Trout could be better at baseball is if he was also a dynamite pitcher with a 99 mph fastball. When I was polling baseball people for their opinions on Harper versus Trout, it came down mostly on Harper’s side. But then, over the last two weeks, I’ve had a half dozen people send me notes saying that they’ve changed their minds. What Mike Trout is doing right now is something we haven’t seen since Alex Rodriguez in 1996. 20-year-olds aren’t supposed to be the best player in baseball. Right now, Mike Trout probably is. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/2...rade-value-5-1/

http://news.yahoo.com/3-arrested-separate-...-080930278.html 3 separate Batman-related incidents around the US...scary stuff, especially the Maine guy http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dark...donation-353175 Warner Bros. to make substantial donation to CO shooting victims

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 04:03 PM) Kids prefer to play on their tech items. It goes back to being coddled. You can always hit the reset button on Madden. Organized sports are not always the solution. I'd say they have created more problems if they are in the school year. (this is not about school athletics) We use to play sports in the neighborhood. But the mega homes with no lot or empty field to play in is hard to find anymore. Organized sports has removed family meal time. Instead it's off in your SUV to soccer practice and stop at a McDonald Drive Thru on the way home. That's where the obesity part begins. I knew a H.S. Science teacher, her first two years were teaching in Japan. She was shocked that all of the responsibility was on the kids, not the parent who then threw it on the teacher's lap being double teamed by an administrator. I grew up in a public school system/home life where the responsibility was on me. That still exists in some Catholic Schools. Foxconn is a manufacturing plant in China that makes hardware for Apple, Sony , Xbox and a bunch of others. They've had to put nets outside the windows to keep people from committing suicide. There's nothing to admire about China the way they abuse human beings. Speaking of China, those workers really are amazingly responsible. About 95% of the time, they wait until they've received their final paycheck and made sure it got directed to their families before killing themselves. I actually used part of the Mike Daizey/NPR story with my Economics class, and it turns out that some of it was fabricated, unfortunately. Currently, workers are starting to get pickier and choosier about their job situations. China is starting to allow smalls steps with the unionization of workers for non-Chinese multinationals operating in the country to quell worker strikes and rioting. This was the first year I can remember there was a real labor shortage after the Chinese New Year's celebrations as workers refused to go back to their factories due to the pay and conditions. Typically, they make from $200-300 per month in those FoxConn-like plants One of the biggest issues for China moving forward is going to be the tipping point when workers unsatisfied with not being able to have a share of the "good life" push wages high enough that it's no longer so profitable to do business there. Does anyone feel that Mr. Holmes is a "genius" actor pretending to be disengaged and lethargic or he was really under heavy medication or sedation and couldn't focus as a result? Some of the victims' families thought it was all an act, hard to be sure. If they don't find him competent to stand trial, a ton of people in CO are going to be terribly disappointed.

QUOTE (Cali @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 11:19 PM) Any word on who they got back? These pitchers any good? One was the 16th rated guy on their list for Baseball America. Pretty marginal prospects. Basically, they're just taking on about $5-6.0 million in salary. The M's even kicked in some money to sweeten the deal. Pretty sure Ichiro had a lower OBP than Viciedo and Beckham, low .280's coming into last night's action.

QUOTE (Cali @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 10:21 PM) Walker's strong season seems like nothing more than increasing his trade value. With Hawkins drafted this year, I wouldn't be surprised if the organization finds him expendable now... Mitchell still probably has a bit more value, but it's close. Depends on what happens with Viciedo and DeAza. I think they hold onto them for depth unless that perfect deal for a starting pitcher comes along.

QUOTE (Cali @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 11:14 PM) Anyone know if there's a record for number of days a Sox team was in first without making the playoffs? 62 seems like a lot to me (especially a bummer for a team I don't think will make the playoffs) Not sure, 2004 was the last team to be in first place on June 1st and not make it. 1994?

Richie Weeks is making Bacon Slayer look good.

37,778 First sellout of the season. White Sox finally passed the Royals to reach 24th in the majors. However, to eclipse the magic 2,000,000 mark, we would need to average 26,470 for the rest of the season, with 32 home games remaining in August/September. Hopefully we can draw really well for the Angels series next weekend. That will be a huge one for the Sox. FWIW, the Padres of all teams are 23rd in attendance, averaging 25,825. The Sox average is still only 23,403.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 08:59 PM) Wow, a nasty change-up to a righty. Love to see it. Reed did try to change the eye level against Span. Threw a shin high change-up or slider that got ripped for a double.

Twins finish 0-14 with RISP. I think they set some kind of team record in futility. Pretty fortunate, but we'll take it. Huge victory to change the negative momentum. Reed now 16/19...almost back to that magic 85% conversion rate. Gavin's last 4 starts at USCF against the Twins, 0-4 and ERA near 13.

Twins finish 0-14 with RISP. Pretty fortunate, but we'll take it. Huge victory to change the negative momentum. Reed now 16/19...almost back to that magic 85% conversion rate. Last 4 starts at USCF against the Twins, 0-4 and ERA near 13.

Reed's season ERA at USCF is over 6. That's not good.

Would prefer to see Myers here. But oh well, Crain needs to pitch, too. Just to prove he can stay healthy, if nothing else. That's why that gift run when Alexei and Gordon weren't paying attention hurts...it would be nice to win a game without a nail-biter.

QUOTE (southsidepride15 @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 08:24 PM) He is horrible, we've been over this. Not to mention, if anyone has forgotten....its Brent f***ing Morel. Couldn't agree more. Excellent chemistry and huge talent up the middle. One of the best combos in baseball IMO. But in the AL, you can't have a 650 OPS when there are guys like CANO and most 2B are in the 725-800 OPS range. That's just giving away too much offense.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 08:21 PM) Thornton is back. To get out of that innning should be the cure for him When he holds a 1-2-3 run lead or tie game 3 times in a row, then maybe he will be back. He needs to do it against teams like the Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers and Angels, not the Twins without Morneau.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 08:12 PM) If the Sox can make a deal with Becks, Nate Jones and whomever, I'm all for it. If I were to make a move, it would be to upgrade 2B. Not sure who is out there. Aaron Hill would be nice. Or Jason Kubel. Red Sox sure cooled off quickly.

Thornton's okay with a 4-5 run lead USUALLY. One run lead or tied, not so much.

5 double plays tonight, very un-Twinslike. We've been pretty lucky that the game wasn't close to tied with all the walks and DP balls going our way.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 08:16 PM) Beckham is still a good player and we should keep him. Defensively he is one of the best. The bat will come. Trust me There's no way he can be successful with his current approach. His hitch is just as bad as 2010 and 2011. Thornton hung a breaking ball...lucky Mauer didn't rip it into the seats.

I really really really hate Matt Thornton these days.