caulfield12

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 06:24 PM) Good for Seattle. They aren't obligated to offer a good will contract to a player whose good playing days are very much past. Hope we aren't saying that about Konerko in 14 months.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/pro...=Leyson-Septimo And Septimo never pitched in the majors before this season. If we were likelier to lose anyone, it would be Veal, because he already pitched for the Pirates in 2009, I think.

Is there anyone confident enough in the Sox winning to bet money on the game tonight? That would take some major cojones, $1000 on the Sox to beat Liriano. What are the odds, just curious... Don't really follow baseball gambling so much.

On the other hand, if anyone here has read the Tiger Mother/Amy Chua book, the main moral of the story is that the parenting model has to be something of a "hybrid" between Eastern and Western modes. In the book, she's (the mother) pushed the youngest daughter so hard in piano (the older daughter was forced to learn the violin, or maybe I have it the other way around) that she finally cracks under the pressure as a teenager and her mom relents and lets her quit playing and start tennis instead, after she's invested 10-12 years and tens of thousands of dollars on lessons and experts and tutors in an effort to make her a prodigy. There's a much higher suicide rate in Asian countries because of all the burden and pressure of expectations from parents, especially when it's an only child. The major difference is countries like China don't allow gun possession by civilians. What happens there most often is disenfranchised men who are lacking in education go into an elementary school and stab children, or maybe there's acid attacks in Hong Kong, another example. Sarin gas in Tokyo, the AUM religious cult. The difference between pushing someone and abusing someone, is a very very fine line. Look at how kids who grew up in systems like this turned out as adults, for example, Tiger Woods, the Williams sisters or Todd Marinovich. Parents need to remember their reasons for pushing kids, and think about what's really in their best interest. Kids don't exist to make the parents look better, that's not the way it works. The other thing is that fewer and fewer kids are playing organized sports...PE budgets are being cut back or don't even exist, as well as areas like art and music. Kids are content to just play on their cell phones or laptops and hardly ever exercise anymore (the majority). If there's any one difference that always strikes me about the US vs. Asia, it's that every time I go out to eat, 60-75% of the customers are fat or obese. In Asian countries, you always never see that. If you do see someone who's overweight in middle or high school, they're teased or bullied unmercifully about it by their classmates. Is that better? Where people are blunt/honest and say whatever they think or feel instead of holding things back for fear of hurting someone's feelings? Who knows? It's a question I still haven't found the answer to as a teacher trained in the political correctness of the "West" but sometimes horrified by the behavior of parents in the "East."

For those wanting to get rid of Morel, what is your plan for 3B next year? Please tell me it's not Saladino or Tyler Kuhn. Do you really think JR's going to shell out $12 or 13 million for YOUK if we don't make the playoffs?

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 01:33 PM) 39-28 would get the sox to 89 wins, which historically is the average 2nd wildcard number. What these teams would have to do to get to 89: Bal 51-44 (38-29) Oak 51-44 (38-29) Sox 50-45 (39-28) TB 49-47 (40-26) Tor 48-47 (41-26) Bos 48-48 (41-25) Cle 47-48 (42-25) I'm thinking the Angels are going to separate themselves a little, and probably get to 90-92 wins. These remaining teams...it may only take 87 or 88. Pretty amazing Oakland's in there, with all the players they've dumped like Gio. Cespedes and Reddick (especially) were huge finds, if they can keep both of them healthy for the rest of the season.

Youk pretty much equalled Brent's season stats in 2-3 weeks. Doesn't seem like Brent has the type of game suited for utility play, especially SS. Maybe he could play 2B. We can't have both Beckham AND Morel being in the bottom quintile of their positions OPS-wise. Just can't imagine that Morel would have the type of range or agility to play 2B, and SS is definitely out.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 12:25 PM) 39-28 the rest of the season starts tonight. vs Min 2-1 at Tex 1-2 at Min 2-1 vs LAA 2-1 vs KC 2-1 vs Oak 2-1 at Tor 2-2 at KC 2-1 vs NY 2-1 vs Sea 2-1 at Bal 2-2 at Det 1-2 vs Min 2-1 vs KC 2-1 vs Det 2-2 at Min 2-1 at KC 2-1 at LAA 1-2 vs Cle 2-1 vs TB 2-2 at Cle 2-1 The question is does 88-74 get the 2nd wild card? 75% chance, probably.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ Jul 23, 2012 -> 09:51 AM) I'm encouraged by the fact this slump is coming now, before the deadline when we can do something about it, as opposed to mid to late august, as it happened in every other recent playoff year. I know the tendency is to jump off the bandwagon when any team loses 5 in a row or 8 of 10, but the reality is that every team that wins a division at 90-95 game goes through 1-2 ten game stretches like this. As long as we can stop the bleeding and win THIS SERIES, I think we are still in it and still fine. If we lose a home series to a sub .500 team.....well look out below. I think the most important thing is how we respond the 2nd and 3rd game of this Twins series and against the Rangers/Angels. Already am conditioning myself to a loss against Liriano...no different than Sabathia and Santana. At worst, 2-4, 3-3 would be satisfactory and 4-2 would be great. Then, I think we get the Twins on the road again. We're going to have to get a sweep here or there. But 2/3 at Minnesota's about the best we can expect. That would put us somewhere between 4-8 games over .500 at the end of the 16/19 road trip. Of course, then we get the Angels at home.

Well, at least we're not going to gamble with a $100-150 million contract on Paul Konerko. There's that.

Well, it's pretty much assured they're going for the insanity plea based on his first courtroom appearance.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 10:29 PM) Nice post. As far as my religious question to you that you answered. Without bad things happening how could we ever learn to appreciate good? That's true and that's fine, but the people God allows bad things to happen to ... why them? I mean the 6 year old is gone. No life to speak of. Taken away. Her mother wanted to be a doctor, boom, she is now paralyzed even if she lives. Now why did God choose those 2 to die and/or have life ruined? It's very troubling to think it's only so we can appreciate good. Wow. You brought a gun and didn't get searched? Yeah, when I think of the fairly small theatres at these big cinemaplexes, it's scary to think of a gunman in there. I don't know how he didn't kill a lot more people. Got "lucky" here when one of the automatic weapons that fire 100 rounds per minute jammed...otherwise, it would have been more like the McDonald's Massacre in San Ysidro way back when. And nobody going into the apartment building too hastily...could have easily blown the whole thing apart. Guess he makes his first appearance in a courtroom this morning.

Yeah, it's more like something you'd see in RAINBOX SIX Tom Clancy novels or "Act of Valor," the movie that's basically an advertisement for the Navy SEALs. In real life, even with Rangers and SEALS, you can have situations like what happened in Somalia/Black Hawk Down.

The other thing to remember is that the Tigers started off by ripping 6 in a row through the Twins and the Royals. Although they did just whip the Angels 3/4 before us...no excuse they didn't face Weaver, because the Tigers didn't use Verlander in that series. We have to take care of business against the Twins. Nothing less than 2/3, because the Angels are going to be tough for the rest of the season.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:55 PM) You really think only the Blue Jays would be willing to make a trade without doing a physical or looking at medical reports? If Kenny traded Santos knowing he was hurt and didn't disclose it, then that's pathetic of him. One wonders though...after signing that huge extension, then trading him away so quickly? Santos would have been MORE valuable to another team without that contract hanging over his head. He still had one cost-controlled year and 3 arbitration ones, where a team could go year-to-year. It's not like he was Matt Moore or David Price. It didn't (and still doesn't) make any sense, especially reversing course and re-signing Danks at roughly the same time.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:51 PM) He doesn't know how to rebuild. His idea of rebuilding is trading vets packaged with a contract albatross to gain fiscal relief. He doesn't look for baseball players he looks for flawed athletes he can either fix or hope that their natural physical prowess can overcome. Things would look a lot different with Gio Gonzalez the ace of our staff right now, to go with Sale and Peavy. Oh, well.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:51 PM) No one knows how the insurance works. KW is very lucky that Santos got hurt and was a non-factor this year, as if Santos was contributing to the Blue Jays and Molina performed as terrible as he has, then that trade would be getting a lot of bad press. It's still infuriating that KW seemingly didn't ask other teams what they'd be willing to give up to get Santos. Or he knew those trades would get rescinded by the commissioner's office.

QUOTE (Butter Parque @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:47 PM) You are all overreacting. It's a long season. Do you all remember Houston? You go through s*** like this over the course of 162 games. They're hot, we're not. We've been hot when they've been cold. It happens. Relax, it's July. Heard in 1997, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009-12. Been there, done that. The only time we weren't overreacting was 2008. 2000 and 2005, we ran out to huge leads and held on.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:43 PM) I don't want KW as part of a rebuilding. If they don't make the postseason KW needs to go. He will get at least next season, whether you like it or not. This season, up until this point, still has to be considered evidence of progress. The biggest deal, Molina for Santos, actually saved the White Sox $7.25 million in guaranteed salary...so you can bet that JR's not going to fire Williams for saving him from that catastrophe. Even the Danks and Peavy contracts were covered by insurance, so they're only losing 55-65 cents on the dollar. Rios, Dunn and Peavy all performed up to their abilities this year. That makes KW look a lot better...if the bullpen wasn't leading the AL in blown saves, we would still be in first place and things would look much more positive. That was the area he chose to go with youth (letting Frasor go, for example), and it has come back to bite him. But many were predicting 85-100 losses, and that clearly hasn't happened.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:37 PM) None of those guys are cf/leadoff hitters. I was referring to DeAza. The point is everyone always says it's SO easy to find players for certain positions, say, LF or 2B. If it was, then KW already would have done it...yesterday. Even trading his own mother and kids.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:36 PM) You know White Flag '97 was bulls***, right? The 97 Sox weren't going to win that division. And if the Sox are 52-48 a week from now, I'll have no confidence in this team to get to the postseason. Unfortunately, that second wild card will fool everyone into think they're in it. Obviously, Kenny isn't going to sell. I would want him to, but he won't. Right now, I'm very worried about what Peavy and Sale can do the rest of the season. They've been great, but we're seeing velocity go down for Sale, and location problems for Peavy. And the offense has been nothing short of terrible. Ventura doesn't make any adjustments. So we'll lose because that's what they deserve. Sale will throw 94-97 MPH when he really needs it. He just got a slider in the wrong location against Jackson, but he was 10-0 coming off a Sox loss...he wasn't goign to be perfect the entire season. I think we're just so used to seeing Verlander dial it up into the high 90's late in a game that we've forgotten how rare that truly is. Not only Verlander, but Scherzer now, too.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:35 PM) Ha, Veal sent down for Floyd. We might as well have started Veal or Septimo against Liriano. So Floyd's 100% for sure starting the game tmrw now?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:31 PM) Why? Those guys can very easily be replaced. Jones? Are you kidding. So can Beckham and Viciedo, according to you. If it was so easy, why did it take KW half a decade to find a CF/leadoff hitter?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 22, 2012 -> 02:24 PM) It's not like we have a good young core with reinforcements on the way from the minors. I don't think he can "give the farm away." AKA...don't trade away Viciedo, Reed, Jones, etc. Give it 10 more days and see if we can right the ship first. If there are signs of life, then, maybe, you consider a move...but it's not worth mortgaging the entire future for a rental player we won't re-sign. Not for a one game playoff against the Rangers or Angels.

After Sale lost yesterday, this was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Tigers go to Cleveland next as the start of a 9 game road trip. At least one of those teams has to lose, but it would be nice if we could actually beat Liriano once in an important game.