ChiliIrishHammock24

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 05:14 PM) The only thing that sounds like it is stopping me from watching is that it takes place in the 80s with the Cold War. Don't like the 80s?

So the mlb rankings for The Show '15 came out today. The Sox rate out as the 22nd best team in baseball. I'm not terribly surprised. They rate Quintana as a 4th/5th starter. Abreu and Sale are the only highly rated player, and Abreu is still only rated as an 84 overall. The Cubs.....as you would expect, are highly, HIGHLY overrated in this game. But I was thinking they'd be around like #15 or so. NOPE. The Cubs are ranked as the #2 team in baseball!!!! LMAO. Number f***ing TWO. The Cubs are better than the Nationals. I haven't seen their ratings yet, but I'd bet Lester is about a 96, Arrieta a 90 or so, Kris Bryant is probably an 88. Just disgusting.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 03:53 PM) That is a very important part of the show. Now that you mention it, the scenario does resemble the Walt/Hank situation. And like Breaking Bad, I think that is where the show ultimately ends, with Stan vs. the Russian guy (I can never remember his name or her name. I just know he goes by Clark sometimes. It's weird that I know Henry, Paige, Stan, Nina, Igor, but I can't remember the names of the 2 main characters. lol. Elizabeth maybe?)

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 10:43 AM) rougned squared He should change his name. Maybe something like Fausto Odor.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 12:35 AM) What exactly is this show about? What would you compare it to? QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 06:25 AM) I don't know what I would compare it to. But it takes place in the '80s when the US was still engaged in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The show centers on a couple who are Soviet spies living in the US and have been for years. They're completely Americanized (at least to everyone else's viewpoint). They have a couple kids and run a travel agency...by day. They work covertly for the Soviet Union, running missions, turning people against the US, etc. There's a lot more to it, but that's the general idea. One of the best shows on TV. ^Pretty much that. I guess you could compare it to that new NBC show called like "Allegiance" or something, although I refuse to watch that show because I feel like they are trying to capitalize off The American's success. Pitts forgot to mention that the family lives next to a guy who is an agent with the FBI, and they have befriended him. So it has the Breaking Bad element of two characters are close friends (Walt and Hank), but yet the one is unknowingly chasing after the other person at work. It's a really good show. The only negative about the show is that about 25% of the show's dialogue is in Russian, so you have to read subtitles, and the main characters have so many different disguises and personas that it can be a little hard to follow who they are pretending to be with whom.

Richar days until P&C report!

The Americans tonight...... gross.

And as I said in the predictions thread for him, I think the 2nd half Abreu is closer in line to who he will be. I don't think he will ever hit 40 HR. I think he will be somewhere around 30 each year, but can hit .320+ and drive in nearly 120 runs now that he has Eaton and Melky, and maybe LaRoche in front of him.

Well first off, don't use bWAR. Abreu was 4th in offensive fWAR..... http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=...0&sort=19,d And he was 4th in wRC+.... http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=...0&sort=17,d

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:18 AM) I have no idea how knowledgeable Russo is, because his voice is so annoying I can't listen to him long enough to evaluate him. I have to turn off MLB Network even when commercials for his show are on. Well, I say he is probably the most knowledgable about trivial baseball facts/stats because I hate-watched a segment of High Heat where they had some famous baseball historian on to challenge Russo in a baseball trivia competition, and Russo destroyed the guy. Russo was able to name every losing and team of the World Series in the 80's and each of their managers, in order, in about 30 seconds. It was pretty incredible. He also named like every rookie of the year winner the Dodgers had.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 12:28 PM) Last I remember hearing, everyone thought he was already locked up... maybe by Toronto? Has that changed? I thought I had heard Kiley McDaniel say the scouts all thought he had an agreement with the Cubs like back in the fall.

Real, real solid editing job.

It's funny because baseball is BY FAR my favorite sport, but I know the numbers of my Blackhawks players much better and maybe even my Cowboys players. You don't spend much time in baseball guessing who a player is based on his jersey number, because players rarely come in to contact with each other in a group. Just as a random exercise that benefits no one, I'll attempt to type out our line-ups numbers.... Eaton - 1, Alexei - 10, Melky...33?, Abreu - 79 (took me a while to remember), LaRoche - 25 (no idea why I know that), Avi - 26?, Micah - 7, Gillaspie - 12 (I think), Flowers - 17?, Bonafacio - 38?, Sale - 49, Danks - 50, Q - 28?, Shark - 29, Noesi - 38?, Jones - 45? Petricka - 43? Putnam - 58? EDIT: Okay, I guess I did better than I thought I would.

QUOTE (woods of ypres @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 02:40 PM) The only reason to ever watch an episode; White Sox episode. Show is otherwise v terrible IMO. I actually really enjoy the show. I watch it probably 3 times a week. I learn almost nothing, but it's nice to have on when I'm making lunch and I can laugh at how stupid Kevin Millar is. Chris Rose knows a decent amount, but the show really evens out watching a numbers and info heavy show like MLB Now. I watch and enjoy both. I HATE High Heat though. Russo is probably the most knowledgable baseball person at MLB Network when it comes to trivia and remembering stats and standings, but my god he is so so so so so bad when it comes to analyzing players. I remember for a while last season he was saying Jose Abreu was the best player in baseball. I get that it was fun for us Sox fans to hear, but the intelligent guests he had on obviously countered that statement with Mike Trout, and he still said he'd take Abreu over Trout. And of course he thought Derek Jeter was a terrific fielder and slobbed on his knob, so that's another reason to dislike him.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 03:35 PM) I think that's the highest I've seen both Rodon and Anderson. Which is good, because I think McDaniel is probably the best public guy now that Jason Parks is dead. Did you ever listen to the Fringe Average podcast that Parks and Mike Ferrin used to do? I absolutely loved it. Good insight, LOTS of talk about Rodon, and really funny as well. I was so sad when Parks got the job with the Cubs and died.

Yeah, I'd do it.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 10:48 PM) 3rd episode of Better Call Saul was awesome. Yeah, pacing was a little slow, but I like how we finally saw flashes of Saul being clever.

Comment From Eminor3rd Micah Johnson close to the 200 at all? I think the Chicago media has overrated him, but I was still surprised to see Michalczewski ahead of him. Are you further down on Micah than consensus? Kiley McDaniel: Yeah, Johnson is another guy that could be #201. Just injured a lot and limited upside. Could take a step forward with a strong, healthy 2015.

I think today is the White Sox episode. May want to record this when it re-airs in a couple hours. The intro to the show was all White Sox related.

Comment From Will Let’s say that this time next year, Courtney Hawkins is a 50FV… What adjustments would he have made? Kiley McDaniel: He’ll hit and not strikeout. That sounds overly simplistic but that’s about it, stop chasing the slider out of the zone and make more contact. Mostly mental at this point.

Love this.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 16, 2015 -> 09:37 PM) Bruce Chen stays within in the division. Signs minor league deal with the Indians. God forbid we have any double-headers against them.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 16, 2015 -> 05:06 PM) That is just nasty. If he can develop that change up into an above average pitch, I would love if the Sox take him at 8. I don't care about his size. I said a few months ago that my pick for offensive player would be Daz Cameron if they go HS, Ian Happ if they go college. And my pick for a pitcher would be Carson Fulmer. He seems to be impressing right now.

Carson Fullmer's 95 MPH heater, look at the movement on this thing, good god. https://twitter.com/cistulli/status/567449985122574337

Strangely good timing for Cameron Monaghan that his character in Shameless goes on the deep end of crazy this week and they show that creepy close-up scene of Ian walking through the mental institution, a day before his debut as The Joker on Gotham tonight. That worked out rather perfectly for Cameron and Gotham.