ILMOU

Well, it rhymes with Saber, so we've got that. But seriously, Hare, absolutely love the FO insight you're providing. Don't worry about long posts, it's much appreciated. Very cool that you're in there in the trenches, and asking better questions than what we're getting from most sources. Sox fest interviews were great.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 12:00 PM) So he went from the assistant to the GM to the assistant GM. "I can't remember if I'm a Technical Supervisor or a Supervising Technician" - Homer Simpson

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 09:06 AM) fry, reetz..... wow. for me that is too close to pick. i like fry. i like what he has to bring. if i remember correctly he was injuried and i think he would have gone higher. what hurts the most is loosing de oca. i wanted him to sign so bad. oh well. It's probably silly on my part to make the leap, but I'll say that Fry is intriguing, somewhat, because of Coop's/org's history with lefties with middling stuff and pitchability. He'll get the benefit of the doubt from me until he shows he's not of MLB caliber.

Great stuff, as always, guys. We appreciate it.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 08:59 AM) Well, yeah, but Tim Anderson was in AA. Davidson had already had a successful cup of tea and 1 year in AAA when we acquired him. I'm not penciling in all prospects, but he seemed like a pretty sure thing. Less so than an Erik Johnson, or any number of other players, though. EJ killed it in AAA (in 2013), while Davidson experienced a large drop-off (that no one seemed to notice - still don't). There's hope because the ceiling remains high, but (once again I'm feeling the need to remind) he has been in a 2 year decline. 141 wRC+ in 2012, 117 in 2013, which is league adjusted for PCL, but not park adjusted for Reno, which would undoubtedly make it more dramatic. http://www.fangraphs.com/qa/517/are-wrc-an...e-minor-leagues Last year, he was somewhere in the 70's or 80's (couldn't find in quick search), but not a huge amount more than he'd already dropped off from 2012 to 2013. Our braintrust was literally fooled by his successful cup of coffee with the DBacks. They're more than forgiven by this fan, looking at the overall ledger, but there seems to be a lot of denial surrounding MD on all sides. And of course, I would love to be dead wrong.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Feb 28, 2015 -> 11:59 AM) Sounds like he jumped out the back of his pickup. Dagnabitt. He's too gangly for that sort of stuff. The less he leaves the surface, the better.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 26, 2015 -> 10:18 AM) This is how I feel too. I feel like if Johnson shows he can handle it this Spring, it'll be his. If he can't, they'll go with Sanchez. QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 26, 2015 -> 10:42 AM) That's what I think as well. Just because he wasn't much at AAA shouldn't play a role. Many guys have gone from AA to the major leagues. I think the Sox will be very dissappointed if Micah has a poor spring and winds up in AAA. Now is a good time to break him in. He can hit 9th. I am worried about the glove. Agreed with these.

QUOTE (Douglas Rome @ Feb 14, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) who's better, Hawk and Stoney, or Harry and Jimmy? thanks, douglas Harry and Jimmy and a case of Old Style (Falstaff?) was the best combination ever. And they wouldn't last a week in the modern PC world.

...could be Peachy.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 12:35 PM) Well Rick has to do something crazy now, can't let the Padres steal his headlines. I dare you to sign Moncada, Hahn. Double dare!

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 02:04 PM) Truth. Testosterone. Which reminds me of another thing that steroids do - they increase testosterone which increases competitive drive and confidence, among it's other strength benefits. The bat speed thing I mentioned earlier came from one of the former assistants at one of the busted steroid places, maybe BALCO, in some sort of documentary newscast a few years ago. He had also heard from several players, allegedly, about an increase in visual acuity helping guys see the rotation better, among other things. I believe there is literally a whole world of wonderful things that steroids can do for the high-level competitive male athlete. But I'm not going to say they'll make a bad player great. And maybe the proper formal tests can't really be done, because who except highly paid athletes can have as much to gain by becoming lab rats to chemical performance enhancement?

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 01:35 PM) There's a base line. You already have to have the skills. Anabolic steroids just make you stronger and recover better. Not so. It breaks down like this: Steroids increase strength, which increases bat speed, which allows hitters a split second longer to recognize the pitch (users claim an increase in visual focus as well) AND aim the barrel of the bat correctly - meaning more contact, and more-barreled contact, and contact at a higher bat speed, sending the ball further. An honest user would tell you this. The split-second makes a huge difference.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 11:50 AM) Congrats to Jackson's agent. Hard to believe a $11M annual salary. It was actually $52M over 4 years or 13/yr overall, I believe. The contract was slightly front-loaded. Truly, the Adam Dunn of pitching contracts, but is there any comparison in the bad press that each side of town got for the signings? Not completely unrelated to why Albert Almora is still in all the Top 100's.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 11:38 AM) Avi will be faster this year from the weight loss and it's possible that we are overthinking his GB rate .It's probably safe to say that nothing in his hitting career thus far is set in stone nor in his fielding for that matter. Between his K's and speed DP's shouldnt be a problem . Agreed. And keep him in the 5 hole, with Lexi at 7, unless he fails. I'm confident in the kid moreso than previously - weight loss is encouraging for the defensive profile. It wasn't that long ago that some thought he had a chance to stick at CF.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 11:22 AM) BP is the hipster list for prospect lovers. Having Almora over Rodon is just laughable. If the Sox and Cubs were talking a Rodon-Almora swap who do you think would be the aggressor? No, freakin', doubt. I won't even get started about why this nonsense is what it is.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 08:35 AM) Didn't know that about Montas' knees. That's encouraging. Yep. I was thinking the knee surgeries were a too-much-fat-on-top-of-the-joints thing. The kid's body is young Colon-esque.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 10:45 AM) No one in their right mind would take Quentin at $8 mil. San Diego would have to pony up half that to make it even worth considering. (And why wouldn't they? They have Kemp-Myers-Upton-Venable ahead of him.) Michael Taylor is just not very good, and the Sox lack of position prospects in the upper minors is the very issue. Quentin specifically may or may not be the guy, but the Sox should be looking for someone with that kind of profile for that last roster spot, either now, in Spring Training, or before the trade deadline. Agreed

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 09:51 AM) The only problem with the idea is you need another hitter for the half of the season CQ will be injured. yeah, he's made of glass.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 04:41 AM) Maybe the White Sox should reacquire CQ for LaRoche's at-bats against lefties? I don't completely hate this idea.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) Most Asians do eat rice, dumplings and/or noodles everyday in some form....so the "go eat rice" thing isn't nearly as annoying to them as the making the "slant eyes" gesture last seen in the World Championships for basketball. My wife is Korean - I've nicknamed her Sweet Dumpling, and we both make fun of her broken "Engrish". Marriage has given me racism carte blanche. Maybe Douglas was just trying a little too hard to be funny. Been there. Let's move on.

QUOTE (Douglas Rome @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 02:26 PM) I have only been a member here a month, and it's been a rocky road. I suspect I'm a little too far to the right of most members of this board, nothing I can say will change that. You all will have to put up with an uneducated bigot and a loudmouth, i hope i can still visit here if my posting privileges are revoked. ................. thanks, douglas I'm no admin, so I can't say where the lines are drawn, but I think you'll find the place pretty forgiving and not too "high-horsey" most of the time. And dissent is good, so I hope you stick around - just have to watch the PC stuff, or the flaming will be swift.

I went to this page, http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=...=0&sort=0,d expecting, perhaps, to see a lower HR/FB ratio in recent years vs. the steroid era - stronger, juiced players being able to clear the fence more readily being the theory - but I don't think there's anything significant there. There does seem to be a small trend of pitchers suppressing FB's and creating GB's a bit better. One way or another, the arms are currently winning.

AJP days til pitchers and catchers report. And we collectively missed the Ozzeroo yesterday, darn.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Feb 7, 2015 -> 08:08 PM) Just make it up. Every paper I ever wrote had quotes and "facts" that I made up in it. My own personal Easter eggs. Say this guy had a "cup of coffee" with the St. Louis Browns after the war. Which war? Who cares? Done and done. You're welcome. Hilarious, and you're right. Nobody has the time to check a bibliography.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 10:28 AM) I doubt it. Unless he magically figures it out this season. He's going to be 26 this upcoming season and has yet to have success above A+. That IS a hefty velo increase, though, if #'s are to be believed. Long-ago retirees like Russell Branyan are on the field there, so maybe not the highest level of play. Throw him in B'Ham and see if he can dominate - probably not much future with our org. if he doesn't.