danman31

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 07:36 AM) You're just looking at recent history. Yes, the top clubs all have a huge advantage and generally finish at the top but the way it is in La Liga is absurd. Since 1984, only 4 titles have been won by someone other than Real Madrid or Barcelona, Atletico last year, Valencia twice and Deportivo. Bayern's absolute dominance is relatively new. They've won a ton of titles but they haven't run away like they until recently. There is generally more competitiveness throughout that league. Serie A is generally a three team race with Juve/Inter/AC Milan but Napoli, Roma and Lazio have won in recent memory too. And PSG in France is a new Arab money phenomenom. 6 different French clubs have won the title in the past 10 years Good points, especially about France. I always thought of PSG as a bit of a sleeping giant though. Lyon won 7 titles in a row and had some nice Champions League runs in the 2000s.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 10:19 AM) The lack of parity in La Liga is kind of lame. At least EPL fluctuates a bit. Athletico winning La Liga last year was good for parity, but let's not kid ourselves that anyone else has a chance outside of Real, Athletico, or Barcelona. Atletico got raided this offseason. They won't be much of a contender.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Jul 16, 2014 -> 10:08 PM) Spencer Adam is on point tonight, 5 Ks through 4. Adams is yet to walk anyone. That's very impressive for a kid just out of high school. Man, I'm loving this 2014 draft from the Sox.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Jul 13, 2014 -> 09:28 PM) Nate Silve--Germany best team ever? Ehh, I'm not buying it. The Brazil game inflated the results. For me, 2010 Spain was more impressive not because of goal differential, but because you could never get the damn ball off them. Teams just conceded so much space because they couldn't possess the ball at all, and that meant teams just bunkered in. That Spain team and the Barcelona team (with a bunch of those Spanish stars plus Messi at his best) that won every trophy in similarly dominant fashion are the best teams I've seen by a wide margin to me.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Jul 13, 2014 -> 05:12 PM) Germany was the better team but Argentina had 3 clear chances to score and win the game and would be just winners if they had. Congrats to Germany Argentina played the right gameplan. Defended well and went forward with numbers well. I don't think Germany was really the better team today. For the whole tournament, absolutely. Today it was pretty even. Argentina had better chances by far. I'm still bothered that they called the foul on Higuain when Neuer flew at him. You can't protect the goalie when he comes flying out at the edge of his box. That's a bad precedent to set.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jul 12, 2014 -> 12:42 AM) 0-5, SO in AZL debut. Had a .329/.424/.471 line with 12 BB/18 SO in 85 AB in DSL. Not bad. Hopefully we see something from these DSL guys. Rodriguez is looking interesting because of his power. Adolfo seems a bit overmatched so far.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 11, 2014 -> 10:46 AM) LOL at Mizzou being a top SEC baseball program (and I went to Mizzou) Yeah, they've been awful in recent years. Has nothing to do with the move to the SEC. They were trending south in recent years regardless. They had three MLB pitchers in the same era with Scherzer, Crow and Gibson so I was hoping that would draw in more pitching prospects like Montes de Oca, but they've only had slim pickings.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Jul 11, 2014 -> 05:13 PM) a vote for Jacob May at the bottom of the top 10. Come on, that's ridiculous. He's hot lately, but that doesn't mean we can conveniently forget his poor two months to start the season. He's 22 in high-A with a .729 OPS. I would argue that's not a very good season and his stock should still fall from where it was before the season. If he stays hot the rest of the year you can say he's maybe inside the top 20 or 15, but top 10? No way.

It's not a requirement, but they heavily favor teams that at least made the quarters for any of the major awards.

Everyone must be asleep. This is huge news obviously. Congrats Sox, you have a new #1 prospect.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jul 7, 2014 -> 08:52 PM) I'm ready to see him get called up a level.....Though at just 19 I can see him sticking there for a bit. Part of me agrees with you, but I also want to see the Sox show some patience for once.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 7, 2014 -> 07:56 PM) Slam for Trey M.! Boy it sure is nice to see a young hitter actually perform in the minors.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jul 7, 2014 -> 09:59 AM) I think Japan could be interesting in the next 10-15 years. They have completely changed their youth program and have brought in someone (I forget who) to help implement it. There's videos online showing kids as young as 4 or 5 working on skills on the ball. I think of anyone outside of UEFA/CONCACAF to win other than USA/Mexico, I'd put Japan as next most likely Is this how their women's team became so strong? The US probably should have won that final in 11, but Japan was far better on the ball.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Jul 6, 2014 -> 07:15 PM) Reports that Yedlin might be moving to Roma. I wouldnt have mind him staying in MLS for another year or two so he gets plenty of playing time but I dont know the Roma situation so hopefully this is a good thing. I think Roma is loaning him back to Seattle as the deal has been reported. Sounds like he will play with the Sounders until summer 2015. Roma has two World Cup right backs, Brazilian Maicon and Greece's Torosidis. Maicon's contract is up after this upcoming season so Yedlin can likely share time with Torosidis then. Roma is in the Champions League this season and if they get back when Yedlin arrives he should be able to play some by then. I don't see him being the starter right away unless he really impresses, but he should get enough matches. If Roma was in the Champions League when Bradley was there he might have stayed. He wasn't good enough to beat out their midfielders. For some perspective, the guy who took Bradley's spot at Roma (Radja Nainggolan) didn't even make Belgium's World Cup roster. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 6, 2014 -> 07:15 PM) Saw something in the news where even the English team was looking to the US efforts as an example of how to prepare for the World Cup...and set up their national team for the future simultaneously. I'm listening to a BBC podcast now talking about how they think the US is the fittest team at the tournament. Training the team that hard may have resulted in all those hamstring injuries, but it earned the team some respect. England is searching for any way to get the team to play better. It might start with getting better talent. England's roster is solid, but unspectacular.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 07:46 PM) Poll question: When do you think the US will first win the World Cup: A) 2018-2022 B) 2026-2034 C) 2038-2046 D) 2050 or later (entire team not born yet) Bonus poll question: Yes or no, the US will be the first team outside of UEFA and CONMEBOL to win. Woooow, what a question. A would be extremely shocking. Can I cop out and just say the next time we host? Maybe that's 2026, maybe it's elsewhere in that B range. As far as any team outside of Europe/South America winning, the only possible candidates to me are the US and Mexico. I don't see an African team winning with the lack of organization those federations seem to have. I don't see any Asian country having the resources and the necessary push to win (maybe South Korea?). When Mexico next hosts they have a chance if they also happen to have an above average Mexican team at the same time.

Sexy semis ahead. Can't wait. Hopefully we get better games than some of the quarters, but the drama has been in every match.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 4, 2014 -> 04:38 PM) Cesar could have gotten a red there. I thought so too. I do hate that rule though. Penalty and a yellow is enough when the goalie is involved. By the letter of the law though, that seemed like a red.

QUOTE (Knuckles @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 01:53 PM) Any chance MLS will convert to play fall/spring rounds like most European leagues? Any chance you'd want to go to a game in Chicago in November or February? (And that's assuming a December-January break) QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 07:00 PM) After watching this it kind of makes me want to get into MLS.. Chicago Fire any good? No, but going in person is fun. The Fire don't have the atmosphere of Seattle, Portland or KC (I've been to KC, it was unreal), but they typically will get good crowds when the weather is nice and it's fun.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 06:04 PM) I really, REALLY get annoyed at people on social media who want to make it known that they're thrilled the Americans lost(when they're American) just because they're not soccer fans. I want to punch all those people in the face. Yeah, the game is now accessible enough that I don't feel the need to defend the game or get mad at people who hate on it. I can watch as many games as I want and the coverage of the game in this country is actually quite good if you know where to look so why should I care if some random guy doesn't like the sport? That said, one of my best friends hated on social media so I had to unfollow him. Why go out of your way to hate on something that so many people are clearly enjoying? Let them enjoy it. QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 1, 2014 -> 11:46 PM) Overall participation may be 3rd or 4th nation wide and MLS attendance is better than many NBA and NHL teams, but TV ratings paint a different picture. The Premier League ratings did quite well considering the times they are on here and the US games do very well. MLS doesn't get ratings of any significance, but the league isn't as good so that should be expected to some extent. Chicago is in the middle of a hockey bandwagon because the team is in its most successful stint, but I don't think hockey does too well in many US markets. It's also tough to say on this board, but baseball participation is struggling a bit at the youth levels and has been for some time. I don't think soccer is the thing taking away from baseball, but the sport is definitely struggling. I'm just saying that saying soccer is the 5th sport in this country is certainly being challenged and will probably shift.

Good to see Barnum showing some life lately. Power prospects tend to take a bit longer so maybe he's just starting to turn the corner.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 29, 2014 -> 12:59 PM) Marquez was a bit lucky he didn't get called for another foul earlier in the game...at age 35, he just doesn't quite have the quickness anymore to stay with Robben one on one. I have been baffled that Marquez is even on the roster, but you have to say Mexico didn't give up any meaningful goals in the tournament until the 88th minute of their fourth game (Croatia scored a late garbage time goal with result decided) so the defense was excellent. Ochoa deserves big credit for that, but Mexico's defense was strong as it was in qualifying so I don't think you can put too much on Marquez.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jun 29, 2014 -> 12:55 PM) Damn Mexico should have just kept attacking. That turtle s*** can always back fire. Yeah, I agree. They don't play teams like Netherlands very often, but I don't recall seeing Mexico play that defensively. Pretty crazy ending.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jun 29, 2014 -> 12:50 PM) The reactions to get his hands up and punch it onto the post were unbelievable. Maybe it would have struck him in the face and gone safe, maybe it would have ricocheted in, maybe it would have fallen to a Dutch player. I give him a lot of credit. Agree to disagree, but the hard shot hit right at the keeper is the most overrated save in the game.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jun 29, 2014 -> 12:19 PM) Wow at that save from Ochoa. Has anyone raised their value more during this World Cup than him? It was hit right at him. He gets no credit. It would have hit him in the face.

QUOTE (Joxer_Daly @ Jun 28, 2014 -> 08:22 PM) Betting against Greece in that fixture is a risky business. Yeah, I agree. Costa Rica has scored and defended. I don't see them having enough quality to break down a defensive team. It's still Costa Rica after all.