TLAK

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 10:49 AM) It's stupid and short-sighted because it counts all runs equally and all runs allowed equally. In real baseball, losing or winning a game by 10 runs vs. winning or losing a game by 3 runs does not matter, but in that particular formula it does. It rewards teams with average pitching and inconsistent but powerful offenses (like the Indians seemingly every year) and takes away from teams with good pitching that play a lot of close games because they lack a powerful offense (seems like the Angels every year). Tampa Bay has the 2nd best run differential in baseball right now but has the 16th best record and is 4th in their division instead of leading it, which apparently they should. Is that a good sign of a bad manager? Probably not. You judge a manager by how a team is performing with regards to organizational expectations, as well as how he handles the game situationally and how players develop under him. If your manager is getting "extra wins" when run differential shows he shouldn't be, maybe instead of praising the guy you should ask why he keeps sending such-and-such pitcher out there or such-and-such defender out there when all the player does is contribute to your run differential negatively? Or maybe you should ask why the offense is so inconsistent or outright poor? Or perhaps your run differential is too small on the positive side and that is a reflection of a poor manager who runs himself out of innings too often? In some cases the formula can come out pretty close which should be no surprise to anyone considering the parity in the league and how close (+ or -) most players are to league average. But it's still not worth anything. Agree Like many stats, it coorelates historically but is not predictive. It just says teams that score more runs than their opponent will tend to win more games. The larger the sample, the better the coorelation. But on any given day, the clock starts at zero and you have to watch the game to see who wins. Your comment about when runs are scored is true. A couple years ago when Dewan Day and similar stars comprised the B group relievers the White Sox apparently out performed the stat, but only because they would turn a 3 run deficit into a 9 run one. The A group relievers like Thornton were never used in those games, a loss is a loss so who cares if its by 3 or 9? As always, past performance does not guarentee future results.

Think we'll see our new catcher? Day game after a night game and its Sunday. Welcome to the American league Mr. Castro, meet Mr. Greinke.

From 5/14, he talks about how the game has changed in that starters aren't expected to go as long and how it has changed their approach early in games. He ends with this: F'ing poetry.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 28, 2009 -> 05:36 PM) All things considered Thome will probably be cheaper, he's a left handed bat that we don't otherwise have...and if he stays healthy the next 2 seasons he's got a legit shot at 600 by the end of 2010. Unless the basic agreement has been changed you can't resign your own player for less than 80% of his previous year. He gone. Also, if he stays healthy the next 2 seasons he'll be 42 years old. Guillen is handling him wonderfully, spacing his rest, he's had one sore heel episode but he's played 37 of the teams 47 games. By then he'll be lucky to go 90 games a season at DH. Plus he'll need to hit a long double just to make it to first base. Great player, great guy, but I think the vessel is leaving the dock.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 27, 2009 -> 06:14 PM) Are they actually moving him to 3B? Is that official, or just speculation? Speculation --until it happens.

It will allow for him to play some games at 3B without benching Dayan Viciedo.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ May 14, 2009 -> 09:17 AM) Joe Crede is working his magic in Twinkie land while Fields is plowed under MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire tried to find the words to describe what he had just witnessed on Wednesday night. And well, forgive him if he couldn't exactly come up with a way to summarize the Twins' 14-10 walk-off victory over the Tigers that ended after four hours and 48 minutes with Joe Crede's two-out pinch-hit grand slam in the 13th inning. Joe Crede left Friday's game in the fifth inning with tightness in his lower back. This illustrates the Crede enigma in a nut shell. He's a fine player when healthy, but how many games is he really going to be able to play at 100% over a full season. Over half the White Sox checks he cashed over the past couple season were when he was on the DL.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 14, 2009 -> 11:09 PM) Hunter would have pissed people off here something intense. His defense isn't what it used to be 2-3 years ago, and he put up an .810 OPS last year. Do you really want to pay someone like that $18 mill a year? He's still a pretty nice player. He played hurt a lot last year. Great game yesterday. From RotoWorld:

Could it be to avoid getting their f***ing teeth knock out?

The most spectacular knock down I ever remember was Grienke taking down Ramirez on Monday.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ May 3, 2009 -> 01:46 AM) If Dye misses a couple of games, I think someone should seriously tell Ozzie Guillen (who I know never looks at prior stats or playing history of that manner for players in the majors or minors) that up until last year (which even Steve Stone mentioned prior to the Rangers series about God still learning LF) that Carlos Quentin has played rightfield his whole life. I mean seriously, seeing Pods in center is bad enough, but putting him in RF? Ozzie really wants to lose nowadays or has no clue/forgot that Quentin is a natural RF. Again, if Dye is out for a couple games, I would rather see a Pods-Lillibridge-Quentin outfield than a Quentin-Lillibridge(Pods)-Pods(Lillibridge) outfield. Jayson Nix's outstanding/incredible defense at 2B (who will probably start tomorrow) can only do so much. Until Anderson comes back, Lillibridge is by far the best defensive CF on the roster, so I like your alignment. But if you want to get some bats out there, consider Nix 3B, Fields LF, Podsednik CF, Quentin RF. Getz is 4 for 8 against LHP, I don't know why they want to platoon him. When the A pitchers, Buehrle, Floyd or Danks, start I'd go defense with Lillibridge. When the B pitchers start I'd go with the bats. The ball isn't going to land any deeper in the bullpen if Fields is watching it fly out instead of Quentin.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 30, 2009 -> 01:44 PM) Meanwhile, Gonzales notes the "anticipated spike in ticket sales" at the White Sox' new Camelback Ranch Spring Training facility has "fallen short because of the recession as well as delays in building the complex that prevented the Sox from selling tickets and marketing the team in advance." The team will "review their entire spring operations and revise their plans where needed." Reinsdorf: "But the place is terrific. It's really functional" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/15). Them SOB's charged me for FOUR parking spaces in a half empty dirt lot the day I brought my RV, $20 in spring F'ing training! Then they hit me for $26 a ticket for equivelent seats I paid $10 for in Oaklands park. I did one date at Camelback and 2 on the road (Clevelands facility is also nice and parking with a shuttle was free). If I go again I'll likely avoid Camelback altogther. Its a wonderful trip that I recomend to everyone but stay away from the bandits at Camelback. Stick that in your budget and smoke it, Jerry. You're doing it to yourself.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Apr 26, 2009 -> 03:37 PM) Um actually Lillibridge made the team because we needed someone who can backup the MI. If Nix never got injured, I'd bet Lillibridge would have never started the season on the 25 man roster. Jason Nix can't play shortstop. Even in the minors, he hasn't played a game there since he was 18 years old back in 2001. Ozzie tried him one game there in ST, I didn't see it, but Ozzie never put him back there again. Lillibridge is #1 backup at both SS and 2B, #3 in CF. Nix is in an either or proposition versus Chris Getz. One or the other will be on the DL or in Charlotte.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 21, 2009 -> 06:09 PM) According to Cowley there's a window 30 to 45 minutes from now. Rongey, Cowley, Farmer and Jackson in rain delay theater are very funny. Unusually good radio for WSCR.

Look at the pitch Brian swung at against Humber on Saturday. Then resume your arguments.

QUOTE (shipps @ Apr 8, 2009 -> 10:45 AM) There is no way fans will boo Joe. If they do I would be ashamed. They should boo him for taking a year off on the team's dime to get the very surgery the White Sox wanted him to have at end of 2006. In '07 he took $5 million for playing 47 games. Last year he took $5.1 m for 97 games. If it weren't for him they wouldn't have had to raise the price of beer. And he's a Twin too. Booooo!

QUOTE (joeynach @ Apr 7, 2009 -> 04:01 AM) A couple things I think would make the field look better and would be quite simple; paint the Sox logo on grass behind home plate (like the Yanks, Tigers, etc have), and place brick facade around the backstop between the batters boxes. I think both would really add to the look and feel of the park, both live and on tv. Bricks? cub fan? Its a baseball park not a Portillo's. The old park had a painted concrete wall so the current padded wall is more traditional to the White Sox.

What group do you think will deliver the most well thrown games over a 162 game season? I'm not talking Cy Young winners or great peripherals, but good starts where your team has a chance to win the game. That's how you win a division. Indians C. Lee F. Carmona C. Pavano S. Lewis A. Reyes Royals G. Meche Z. Greinke K. Davies S. Ponson H. Ramirez Tigers J. Verlander E. Jackson Z. Miner R. Porcello A. Galarraga Twins *DL S. Baker is supposed to be back in 1-2 weeks. F. Liriano K. Slowey G. Perkins N. Blackburn R.A. Dickey White Sox M. Buehrle J. Danks G. Floyd J. Contreras B. Colon Everybody has some injury questions. Overall, I like the Twins and White Sox, Detroit is better than their reputation, Cleveland is in trouble and KC is gonna get killed a couple times a week.

RotoWorld Interesting. But at 38 would you really get more mileage out of him than DeWayne Wise? Both are LH hitters.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 11, 2009 -> 07:30 AM) I was talking mostly about middle infielders so I'll forget the 3B. There was a grand total of something like 2 INN played at 2B and SS by Mattingly, Marquez, McDowell, Crowe and Gehrig and not a one of them recorded an assist. So never in the history of the game has a left handed thrower recorded an assist from a middle infield position? That's awesome. Jim Bottomley recorded an assist at 2B in 1924. In the infancy of the game they were more common but no left thrower has played more than a handful of games at SS-2B since the 1890s.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 10, 2009 -> 05:43 PM) There are no left handed middle infielders anymore (not a single regular at either position last season). It's nearly impossible for a lefty to play 2B so only righties play second. It's incredibly difficult for a left handed fielder to play middle infield, the angles are all wrong so most get moved to the outfield or 1B (with the LARGE majority becoming pitchers). SS is still a more difficult position for a righty, the long throw to first and amount of balls hit in the hole make it much more demanding. Imagine being a lefty and fielding a ball hit in the hole at short, that throw to first in insanely awkward you either have to turn your whole body back to the left or spin around to your right. It's very inefficient. Last 10 left hand throwing IF in MLB history: throws yearID teamID POS Player L 1997 CHA 3B Mario Valdez L 1986 NYA 3B Don Mattingly L 1985 MON 3B Terry Francona L 1984 CHA 3B Mike Squires L 1983 CHA 3B Mike Squires L 1983 NYA 2B Don Mattingly L 1973 OAK 2B Gonzalo Marquez L 1970 CLE 2B Sam McDowell L 1958 CIN 2B George Crowe L 1934 NYA SS Lou Gehrig Mattingly, Squires and Marquez are the only ones to actually start games.

It might boil down to Beckham & Wise Vs Lillibridge & Getz. If you keep Beckham he can back up SS but you need another OF, assuming they are in still love with Owens, and that would be Wise (no pun) as the 5th OF. If Beckham goes down then Lillibridge has to be on the team as the only legit SS backup but I don't think he'll hit enough to play 2B everyday so you need Getz on the team too. Since Lillibridge can also back up in OF you wouldn't need Wise. Simple.

How did you like their "Brady Bunch" take me out to the ball game opening? Glad I have a remote.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Mar 4, 2009 -> 03:01 PM) So how long will it be till son Brenden mans the ace spot for us (to continue the MBINAA/BBINAA) about 2030? Brenden is not an ace.

Beckham hit the heck out of the ball, but right now they are just trying to get a look at everybody. Keep in mind, the guy he hit, Scott Strickland, hasn't played in the Majors since 2005. He's also a Tommy John project. Around St. Pat's day start paying attention to who gets the at bats against good starting pitchers. That will tell us who is really being considered for the 25 man.