caulfield12

Through the 6th, no score yet in DET still. Didn't realize Swarzak had pitched so well for MN. Unintentional intentional walk to pitch around Konerko and get to Rios. Meanwhile, Rios still can't hit anything on the outside half of the plate....still trying to pull everything.

Well, it's not like the attendance will really matter....still, you'd like to think they would want to avoid a DH at all costs. Just seems so difficult to sweep one. Meanwhile, Cy Fister has a "perfect game" against the Royals through 5 IP. Jeff Francis has only given up one baserunner (hit) through 4 IP, but he's faced the minimum as well. (Royals had 18 hits against likely #2 playoff starter Max Scherzer yesterday). Exciting August baseball. Well...one more day and the "real" scoreboard watching starts, according to Adam Dunn. Didn't realize the Yankees were 2-10 against Boston and CC was 0-4 individually. And Michael Morse has 23 homers. Yay, Sox farm system.

With Flowers' resurgence, it makes no sense to ease off on Mitchell (because we still don't have anyone resembling a prototypical leadoff hitter, not to mention Walker has struggled mightly as well in A ball)....don't understand the Phegley inclusion. Hopefully he'll (Mitchell) at least play Winter Ball somewhere. He needs all the playing time and experience he can get, no matter where it is.

Ozzie's comments are something you'd expect out of a reality show contestant. I just finished re-reading "The Summer of '49" and can't even begin to fathom someone like Ted Williams or DiMaggio saying "Hey, I'm the face of the franchise...you need me more than I need you!" Of course, back then, you can be sure they thought it....but their dignity would preclude them from ever saying it outloud or to a reporter. Imagine Puckett, Gwynn, Ripken, Brett, Yount, Mattlingly etc., saying something like that even in the 80's or 90's. Sure, times change, but being humble and respectful towards the sport that supports you and your family so luxuriously shouldn't.

With the way Mitchell's going again, maybe the New Jersey Generals of the USFL would be more appropriate.

The Twins haven't gotten as much out of Valencia this season, and his defensive deficiencies have gotten under Gardenhire's skin a lot. Trading Ramos for Capps has turned into an absolute bust, especially when it's clear Mauer should be catching less and that would give them a catcher who could hit over the Mendoza Line. All the minor leaguers they called up to replace basically their entire bullpen have sucked. Their AA and AAA teams have had the lowest winning percentage in the minors the last two seasons (sure, win % alone doesn't mean you're not doing any development, but it's one prominent indicator....remember how well BIRM played the first half of 2009?) Hoey for Hardy is one of the biggest head-scratchers in baseball, and then replacing him with Nishioka exacerbated the situation. Revere has played competently...but he's nothing but another version of Span, with a 670-725 OPS likely and not enough pop or arm. Hicks and Gibson seemingly remain their two high upside guys...but I haven't followed their system much this season. Some of their kids like Plouffe that have shown offensive promise have been just as bad defensively. In retrospect, trading for Delmon Young (although it paid off in 2010) really weakened their starting rotation and cost them Bartlett, who fit perfectly with that system. Same with Punto...those guys always seemed to be a lot more than the sum of their parts. Whereas we always have come up with the opposite....tons of talent which somehow doesn't produce together as a team.

Above and beyond that, it's just the fact that everyone expects to be seeing plenty of Dunn and Rios again next season. It's almost like a curse, in the sense that finishing 1-2-3 games back might give JR enough reason for optimism not to make any changes with Guillen, the coaching staff or KW. Sure, we all want them to make the playoffs (I think except Milkman, haha) because that means this team lives to fight it out in 2012...at least the probability is much higher. And, of course, if they did go on that extended run, they just might do some serious damage in the playoffs coming in as the "hot" team along with the Brewers and D-Backs. Leyland and DET have never held together in the 2nd half. They've collapsed in 2006 and 2009, but to the Twins. This is a much different Sox team. The problem is that it's sad that everything will go back to Baseball Economics 101 and we might end up getting off to a slow start again in 2012 (behind Dunn and Rios)...that's really doing to demoralize everyone. Or, we could be faithful/optimistic in Dunn/Rios/Beckham. But how many want to put themselves in that camp if changes aren't made and the exact same situation with Guillen, Walker and KW continues? Everyone's been burned by believing in this Sox team over and over again...I can't even imagine most season ticket holders would get excited about this run unless it brings them to 2 1/2 or 2 games back. You have the feeling the attendance definitely won't trend upwards even a tick until that happens. Maybe just because of the enjoyment of seeing Viciedo hit, that's definitetly a new reason to attend a game in person. And if he keeps hitting, not even Quentin returning will keep him on the bench because Ozzie will have to use Carlos as the DH.

Will it be four years or five (with Hudson)? Did he pitch enough in 2010 to push his service time forward?

Detroit picked up another two games on the Indians this week and opened up a full six-game lead on Chicago, as well. The Tigers used the week to jump 10.8 percentage points in the AccuScore projected standings to move to 92.6 percent likelihood of winning the AL Central. The White Sox finally called up prospect Dayan Viciedo(notes) to take some of Adam Dunn’s(notes) at-bats, but the move is probably a bit too late to have a meaningful positive impact. Carlos Quentin’s(notes) injury status also derails Chicago’s playoff hopes. The Sox now make the playoffs in just 4.8 percent of simulations. The Indians are now in third place in the real standings. Even with the acquisition of Jim Thome(notes), their lineup is currently more decimated by injuries than Chicago’s is. Cleveland is just 2.6 percent likely to win the division. www.yahoo.com/sports (accuscore)

What have you done? Breaking up with Minka Kelly? Now fathom will have a dilemma with his marriage...at the very least, she will have to be installed on his newly-revised list of the Top 3 or Top 5 celebs you can have sex with (no consequences or questions asked) if you actually met them in real life. Jeff Passan (yahoo sports) This is is my 4-3a culpa. Sorry, Derek Jeter(notes). E-me. I was the nincompoop who started calling you 4-3ter when you couldn’t stop grounding out to second base. I was the schlemiel who said your walkup music should be the beep from the Emergency Broadcasting System. More From Jeff Passan25 things you didn't know about baseball Aug 25, 2011 Critics fuel Big Papi's historic production Aug 24, 2011 Derek Jeter picked up three hits against the Oakland A's on Aug. 23. (Getty Images) I was the dolt who in mid-April figured your decline steep, in May and June felt like he was ahead of the curve and today – well, today I’m here to say I was wrong. Because even if luck is playing a decent hand in your seven-week-long tear and you’re due for a regression soon, it’s obvious you’re not done. Now, you’re not the Derek Jeter of your prime. Nor should you be at age 37. Just because the Yankees pay you like an elite shortstop doesn’t mean that’s the standard to which you ought be held. Considering the dearth at the position, you are plenty adequate, which I promise is no backhanded compliment. If I were trying for that, I might compare you to Yuniesky Betancourt(notes). Since the All-Star break, you’ve swung the bat better than Yuni – not to mention Asdrubal Cabrera(notes), Yunel Escobar(notes), Starlin Castro(notes), J.J. Hardy(notes), Jhonny Peralta(notes), Jimmy Rollins(notes). Every shortstop except Troy Tulowitzki(notes) and Cliff Pennington(notes). Your line-drive rate of late hovers near 30 percent, and while you’re still as grounded as an electrical circuit, at least you’re hitting the ball with more authority. You need to, of course, because your defense remains subpar. Ultimate Zone Rating says you’re about average. Defensive Runs Saved says you’re abysmal. The truth is somewhere in between, enough to justify keeping you in place to begin next season, when Paul Olden will take to the public-address system and introduce … 1. Derek Jeter as the New York Yankees’ shortstop for the 17th consecutive season. It’s a remarkable number for any everyday player to stick at one position, let alone one in the middle of the diamond, and in one uniform no less. It’s why Jeter’s miserable first three months were such a big deal: Every athlete falters, and it never gets any easier to witness it unfold in plain sight. Fact: Jeter’s contract would’ve kept him in next year’s lineup. His bat is now giving the Yankees ample reason to believe he can stay atop the order, too. Jeter’s .344/.401/.444 line since the All-Star break recalls his prime, though a .397 average on balls in play during the time does indicate not all of this is skill, that he didn’t one day wake up and remember how to hit. Still, it’s been fun watching Jeter rediscover himself. Ten of his last 14 games have been of the multi-hit variety. Only three regular shortstops – Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes(notes) and Escobar – have higher on-base percentages this year than his .358. His season is beginning, in many ways, to resemble 2008, which he finished hitting .300/.363/.408. Today, he’s at .299/.358/.389. And in 2009, remember, Jeter had arguably the second-best season of his career. Which isn’t to say that in 2012 he’ll put up numbers anything like …Troy Tulowitzki 10. Derek Jeter and sapped the dignity that drove him through those miserable days. Jeter faced constant questions from outside and in his own head, constant criticism from the same two places. It’s one thing being a perfectionist; it’s another being one with an audience. Around the All-Star break, when a calf strain sent him to the disabled list, Jeter reached a crossroads. His slugging percentage was still barely above .300. He could’ve done the Adam Dunn(notes): start awful, get worse. He could’ve done the Dan Uggla(notes): start awful, catch fire. He went the Uggla route. Jeter started pulling the ball more. He continued to obliterate left-handed pitching. He ignored the issues in his personal life – he reportedly broke up with longtime girlfriend Minka Kelly – and recaptured the verve that for so long defined him. He’ll have games like Sunday’s, sure, in which he went 0 for 4 with three groundouts. Until those become commonplace again, he’s no longer a question mark. If anything, Jeter is an exclamation point. And so for all the jokes, all the cracks, all the snide remarks from the comfort of a press box, I’m sorry, Derek. Good to have you back.

Buddy Bell on Viciedo....."He's become a very, very solid outfielder (this year)."

Konerko's supposedly going to play 1B again, according to Farmer. He thinks it's premature, a "stretch," he says. Meanwhile, Ackley's OPS is almost 200 ahead of Beckham. Sigh. But Smoak, what the heck happened there?

Then Marty, there have been a lot of "stupid" White Sox fans this season. And maybe a lot more are considering the economic ROI of spending on the Sox rather than saving, paying down credit card debt or using it for a vacation or big screen HD tv, etc.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_...?urn=nfl-wp5831

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Aug 25, 2011 -> 07:39 PM) I'm joining the camp that Dayan isn't up because Kenny knows Ozzie won't play him. Look at De Aza, he's done nothing but produce...but Rios remains in center. Flowers has been hitting well...AJ will be back to hitting singles galore. Whenever Morel has a good night...benched the next. Other than Gordon, I have never seen Ozzie put a young guy in position to succeed. Bobby Jenks and Chris Sale He also played Josh Fields almost everyday in 2007 during the 2nd half. Fields and Jerry Owens were responsible for their own downfalls.

So Cheat was wrong about Hahn 3-4 years ago, too?

The World Series champion Chicago White Sox use a different popular method to assess their expected victories. Rick Hahn, their assistant general manager, tracks the number of runs his lineup should score and his pitching staff should allow. Several studies have shown that any 10-run swing in that differential equates to about one victory. “When we got Jim Thome from the Phillies, we figured he was worth about 20 runs more than the combination of Carl Everett and Frank Thomas,” Hahn said, referring to the 2005 club’s designated hitters. Hahn estimated that giving up center fielder Aaron Rowand in the trade cost about five runs. “That gave us a total improvement of about 15 runs. We feel we improved by about one and a half wins in the exchange, which is pretty good.” NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/sports/b...ll/11score.html http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/sports/b...amp;oref=slogin “Hahn, 34, the assistant general manager in Chicago, joined the White Sox without any training on how to identify flaws in a pitcher’s motion or a hitter’s batting stance. General Manager Kenny Williams had Hahn shadow the club’s director of scouting, Duane Shaffer, to learn about judging talent. "I had more familiarity with the objective and statistical side of the evaluation," Hahn says. "The void I had was on the scouting side. I got a crash course on that side of the business." from Danielle Sessa, link broken Towers has worked for Lucchino. Hunsicker is one of the game’s best general managers. So is Milwaukee’s Melvin, who worked for Lucchino in Baltimore. If the Red Sox decide they want a pure talent man — and with the Yankees adding the revenue from their new ballpark, talent evaluation is the way the Red Sox have to beat the Yankees in the future — the name of LaCava (Toronto’s director of player development) will be at the forefront. And if they want an organizational baseball mind with a huge reputation in the business, they will interview White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn. http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=2210636 Peter Gammons Hahn's primary responsibilities include assisting Senior Vice President/General Manager Ken Williams with all player acquisitions, evaluations and contract negotiations, as well as with overseeing all elements of the club's baseball operations, including the scouting and player development departments. Williams credits Hahn with negotiating multiyear contracts with several current White Sox players, including 2006 All-Stars Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski. from mlb.com ■The Cheat on September 30th, 2008 12:39 pm Hahn is very careful about what he says in the press, so it’s understandable that you’re unable to come up with much on his, let’s call it a, saber profile. He’s the oft-ignored, but highly respected, saber-influence inside the White Sox front office. I’d imagine that his willingness to interview and accept a job outside the organization will have a lot to do with the rumored extension of on Kenny Williams, whose own current contract is something of a mystery. If Hahn is out-and-out promised the GM job when the current Sox FO disappears — slated for 2012 when Reinsdorf steps down to relinquish control to his son — he might be a tough get. I thought this was much more interesting based on the last line Cheat wrote.

"Hahn Dynasty" would work if he was in China. The problem is 90% of the articles written about Hahn state this same information. Not just bloggers or "internet writers" but well-paid, national sports journalists. If I watch Obama on tv and describe him as "cool/aloof/detached/cerebral," then am I incorrect if I offer that as my opinion based on an accumulation of observation, as well as reading about him? I'm guessing somewhere out there is an interview (maybe Mark Liptak or whatever his name) with Hahn where it was actually put down on paper...in terms of his philosophy.

Unless you have believe he's actually 32-34 and not the age that's stated on his birth certificate. Then, in that case, signing that extension would have made a LOT less sense going forward.

Forget signing the equivalent of Delmon Young/Craig Monroe or Kubel for LF. It will be DeAza/Milledge/Lillibridge. No way we're spending "new" money. It might be a prospect we get in return for Danks/Floyd or Quentin, though. Maybe, we should be just as worried about 3B and 2B as LF?

How does Kubel fit "well"? Now we're finally benching Dunn two months after it could have actually affected the division race? Even two weeks ago would have made a difference. Now, not so much. That's just dumb. I hope they mean he would fit well because Quentin's injured... Maybe Minnesota wants to prevent an additional month of Viciedo developing and playing everyday with the big league squad.

Well, that will give Ozzie yet another excuse to NOT play Viciedo the final month. Geez. If they have Pierre, Kubel and Quentin to play at the same time, they might as well just send him to winter ball. I'm hoping and praying it was just to block him going to the Indians or Tigers. But can't imagine Minnesota would take the PR hit of just giving him away to the White Sox, even if we're already out of it.

Knowing the White Sox, we'll trade Viciedo, Kuhn and Reed for one month of Kubel (after we're already basically out of the race). Then, after trading Quentin, not have any outfielders who deserve to be starting heading in 2012. Do they really think any White Sox fans are going to turn out to see Jason Kubel play? If anything, it would be a totally uncomfortable situation for Jason...knowing he wouldn't be sticking around after September, playing for a rival and having about a 2% chance to make the playoffs.

That just seems to be the "collective/consensus" opinion on Hahn from every article ever written about him. I've never seen anyone explain WHY, just heard him referred to in that camp simply because he doesn't fit in the "old school" camp at all. As far as KW and Stanford, he's always promoted his "football tough" approach and the comparisons with the Raiders...I think his "football first" background tends to supercede the university he attended. Who knows, maybe he attended more classes than Tiger Woods, Mike Mussina, Joe Borchard and Jerry Yang. Jim Hendry never was a numbers guy. He was a scout, which certainly has its advantages. But at the end of the day, that scout made quite a few questionable moves -- beyond the Alfonso Soriano contract -- that perhaps could've been prevented with better statistical analysis. And that's where Hahn comes in. He's not a complete numbers guy -- which is good -- but he has a much better balance between scouting and statistics in his analysis and decision-making than Hendry. But, if the Cubs decide to target Hahn, the next question is this -- would he actually leave the White Sox? Here's an example from the first random Hahn article I googled (from beerleague.com). What is the writer's opinion based on? Interviews with others around Hahn? Hearsay? Conjecture? I've yet to see any solid evidence or support of this common assumption that seems to be flying around about him. Maybe it's simply because with the new group of young GM's, everyone assumes he can't be a traditional, "baseball background with a lesser education" type of GM.

Now at least we can really tout some of our ex system guys like Mike Morse, Brandon Allen, Gio, Hudson, Richard (well, not so much THIS year), Getz (mehhh), Sweeney, and Chris B. Young might be revisiting the playoffs again...