almagest

Out of spite the Braves should sign Cabrera. That'll show 'em!

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 17, 2008 -> 08:59 PM) When you go to a movie theater, do you walk into the showings of movies that don't interest you and yell at the screen about how stupid the movie is?Hahaha I'm totally going to do that now.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 08:57 PM) The problem is that Taveras just MIGHT be the best option out of all the worst-case scenarios out there. Jerry Owens also has a better than 50/50 shot at not getting the job done or staying healthy. Anderson can't lead off. Wise isn't a CFer. Are you in the lead off with Getz/Lillibridge (2B) and put Anderson at 9th in the order camp?Yes. Taveras is a #9 hitter anyway. No hit + speed != leadoff hitter. If we are in a rebuilding year, let's give Anderson one last shot at the job, and see if he can play. If he can't cut it, Lillibridge may also be able to play CF, otherwise just stick Owens out there because you'll get almost exactly the same out of him as you will Taveras -- Willy might be a little bit better, but not nearly enough to make any sort of substantial difference.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 16, 2008 -> 05:25 PM) trading him, or letting him go is going to get them pretty good as well. The kid really hasnt had a consistent shot to succeed at the major league level IMO.What are the chances of this happening, do you think? I've always been a fan of Pie, and wondered why the Cubs continually stuck him on the bench. What would it take to get him? On another note, let's stop with the Taveras stuff, ok? He's gotten on base at a good clip exactly ONCE in his career, for about a half of a season. He's also never scored more than about 80 runs in a season. He's. Not. Good.

No thanks. If the Royals non-tender a player, you know he's beyond awful.

QUOTE (klaus kinski @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 01:43 PM) We are gonna lose bailey to another deal-while Rome burns & Nero (KW) fiddles It has happened to him before-for all the kudos he gets about making deals, he also has procrastinated himself out of players he has wanted in the past And you know this is the case how?

Sometimes the posts on this board leave me speechless.

Peanut butter Weiters and a baseball bat.

QUOTE (Jimbo's Drinker @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 01:21 PM) I guess I have never seen KW clean house, he is definitely cleaning house right now. To think, were a good leadoff hitter from being an elite team last year. Now its a combination of prospects, and I hate prospects. So hit or miss. No we weren't. Our bullpen and Javy were awful in the second half of the year, Contreras was hurt, and our MVP-candidate LF injured himself with a month left in the season. A leadoff hitter wouldn't have done squat to change that. Let's stop it with the myth that a scrappy leadoff hitter is all we need to reach the World Series again, OK?

If I'm reading those stats right, Viciedo has a career BB/K ratio of 98/123. These are from professional seasons, at the age of 16, 17, and 18. Impressive -- if he can maintain that sort of strike zone selection, and hit for power, he'll be something special.

QUOTE (1399 @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 02:15 PM) Ummmm, no. I am just like everyone else in that I have two favorite teams, the Sox and who ever the cubs play so nice try. As for trying to piss people off. Thats not it at all. I have opinions and are entitled to them just like everyone else. Just because my opinion on this matter is different from the rest doesnt make me a cub fan or less of a Sox fan. Inflammatory statements about a popular player, who won a World Series MVP, made the all-star team, and finished in the top 5 in MVP voting, with no stats to back said statements up (other than cherry-picking a .269 average w/ RISP in a season where Dye posted a 126 OPS+), are going to piss people off. Also, you're entitled to your opinion, but if it's flat-out wrong and not based on any actual relevant data, expect to be called out on it. QUOTE (sayitaintso @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 02:25 PM) You flat out said that he WON'T be missed. You were trying to speak for the majority while you are in the minority on this particular subject.Also ^. Anyway, mark me down as wanting this to happen, but only if we get something else in return along with Bailey. Dye is worth more than just a reclamation project with an extremely high upside.

Guys, don't feed the trolls. It's probably just some Cubs fan or random internet douche trying to piss people off, because saying Dye is trash and lots of people won't miss him is obviously flame bait. He's done nothing but produce his whole time here, and the only year he could be considered a disappointment was 2007 -- when he was still pretty productive. Obviously his production is in decline, since he's in his mid-30s, and that's the main reason we should trade him now, but not because he's "trash".

I really would not mind having OC back for one more year. I think it would be one of the best things that could happen -- hit him 2nd, 8th, or 9th, and keep Alexei at 2nd for another year. Hopefully get a lead-off hitter for CF, and give Beckham, Lillibridge, and Jordan Danks a chance to build up some confidence and experience in the minors. If he puts up .280/.330/.370 or more, with decent defense, he's worth it, jackass or not.

I second the Picasa suggestion. Also fantastic, but far more advanced, is the GIMP.

Why do you need 10 megapixels? Are you printing lots of oversized images, or doing any photo work that requires digital zoom? 10 MP is way overkill for most people -- you're better focusing on a camera with a better lens, photo sensor, image stabilization, and/or faster shutter time. Also, are you looking for a simple camera, a small camera, a "prosumer" level camera, or a professional/DSLR camera? Do you have a price range in mind? What's the memory card format on your HP? Do you have a preferred memory card format? Do you want a rechargable battery, or a camera that takes AA/AAA batteries?

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 11:52 PM) LMAO A pitcher can control where he throws the ball and how he throws it. Some pitchers have trouble keeping their body under control, but that is not because they are unlucky. If a pitcher can control the opposition hitting home runs, why do pitchers allow that stuff? And BTW, if you've never seen a pitcher's pitch hit for a home run then you have never seen a very good hitter in action. If this were the case, then HR/9 wouldn't be a sustainable stat -- you'd see wild variations for almost every pitcher. A little research shows this isn't the case at all. Also, just because a good hitter hits a pitcher's pitch for a home run doesn't invalidate the point. I'm not sure why you'd even say that.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 10:51 AM) No two draft picks =/= young players because they will be more expensive (if they even sign,) have less experience, and cannot be immediate trading chips for a possible larger package.If they don't sign, we get compensatory picks in next year's draft. Experience doesn't always outweigh potential. Who cares if we can't trade them right away? You don't base a player's worth on whether you can spin him off for someone else or not. QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 10:51 AM) Wait. Are two draft picks equal to two young players or not? Garland would've brought back compensation for the sandwich picks which evens out Cabrera's. So why are we even saying it's two picks when in reality it's a draft pick no lower than 16th in the draft at best. There's even a possibility that Cabrera's pick won't even be in the first or second round because the same team might sign another type A free agent.Garland is type B, Cabrera type A. We get two picks for Cabrera -- one between the first and second rounds, and either a first round pick after the 15th pick, or a second round pick, depending on who signs Cabrera. I also don't think we'd get a pick lower than the second round, for any reason -- where did you find that? Even if true, I think it's a little much to say that the Cabrera trade was bad because we might get a 3rd round pick in the draft for him if the team that signs him also signs another type A free agent.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 08:50 AM) That's true, but I'm not going to get a boner over getting them based on the Sox's history of draft picks over the past 10 years. Draft picks are more exciting and important to smaller payroll teams who live off their farm system. High payroll teams who cannot settle for rebuilding years don't care about draft picks as much. Look at the Yankees declining arbitrtation to everyone yesterday. For once and for all can we please stop assuming that someone who doesn't/didn't favor the Cabrera acquisition thinks/thought that Garland should've been on the team? I didn't want either of them here for 2008. I'd rather trade Garland for a package of young players (or even something like the Garcia deal at the time) or a prospect that might be 1 year away. That way we wouldn't have to worry about paying million dollar signing bonus for guys 2-4 years away. So two draft picks doesn't equate to "a package of young players"? I also don't know how you can criticize Kenny Williams for not making a deal that might not have even existed. Speculating that one year of mediocre ol' Jon Garland was worth some nice package of young players is dreaming, and assuming that Kenny Williams wouldn't have considered taking Gavin Floyd-esque "projects with upside" for Garland is silly.

All I've been playing lately is Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff, and Chrono Trigger DS. My girlfriend has been hooked on Mario Party 8 -- I need to send that back to Gamefly to liberate the TV.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 1, 2008 -> 01:48 AM) Willy Taveras is an aggressive hitter whose OBP depends entirely upon his average, and if he doesn't hit for a good average, he won't be a good player. It's as simple as that. If Willy Taveras is the last ditch effort and the Sox trade for him in the middle of January, I'll understand. Willy Taveras should not be the major move for the White Sox this offseason. Yeah, this pretty much sums it up. You can ignore and/or cherry pick whatever stats you want, and you can post however many "intimidating" walls of text that you want, but Wily Taveras is a one-dimensional player who relies entirely on his batting average for offensive production -- if he doesn't hit ~.300, he's worthless.

Everett posted an OPS+ of 92 in 2005 -- same as Nick Swisher last year. So if we replace '05 Everett with '08 Swisher, we lose nothing. Everett also managed to hit .300 (all singles!) with 1 walk, and 3 RBI in 40 postseason at-bats in 2005. Fantastic. You all can have your fond memories of Everett and his majestic 2005 season. I'll live in reality and continue to think he was mediocre, and thank Kenny for getting Thome instead. P.S. We won in 2005 because of pitching.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 03:05 PM) I see a signing announcement this weekend for us, I really have a good hunch.Any ideas/info on who? Viciedo? Hudson?

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 02:52 PM) I'll recap quickly BA's take on Marquez from last season... Sinker-Slider guy. Power sinker 89-93. Curve and change improved to solid-average pitches. Great pickoff move. Doesn't miss any bats meaning he relies heavily on his defense. Projects him to be a workhorse number 3 or 4. Again, that was last year's scouting report when he was the Yanks' #7 prospect. Sounds like Jon Garland.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 10, 2008 -> 04:56 PM) No, Gomez's upside doesn't even come close to what Gonzalez's. Gonzalez is a legit five-tool guy. He was the centerpiece of that Haren deal. Gomez's will probably top out and about 15 hr's per year, Cargo has abour 35 in him. Gomez is a plus-defender with great speed, Gonzalez combines these elements with a bat that allowed the D-Backs to be comfortable with trading Quentin.Like I said, they both have talent, and are very young, but have a long way to go to live up to projections. Does Gonzalez have a far higher upside? Yes. Does that mean he'll be better? No. I'm also curious why a guy with Gonzalez's talent would be traded twice in 2 years.

If the Cubs couldn't get Roberts for their best trading chips, there's no way they'll get Peavy for what's left over after the Harden trade. The Cubs are turning into the consistently-losing version of the Yankees -- they apparently can get any player they want for Kevin Foster and Ryne Sandberg's wife.