Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 07:26 AM) My question is why are Sox fans offended? Ricketts was talking at Cubs Convention with Cubs fans and made a joke. First of all, the attendance problem is real and true. Second, it's an innocuous joke. Sox fans would get a similar kick out of a joke told by KW at the Cubs expense if the circumstances were similar. Because Tom Ricketts has accomplished nothing during his brief ownership of Cubs. On top of that, attendance has decreased significantly since he acquired the team. Why is he talking s*** exactly? Until the Cubs become competitive, he should avoid taking cheap shots at other teams.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 07:03 AM) What am I spinning? His quote was ,"Can't be that many kids having fun at USCF". I would think the attendance number would matter. If USCF is better for kids, and I would agree with that, (even though when I was of that age, I was totally into the game and not the other stuff, and am sure my dad wouldn't have brought me to a White Sox game after the first couple if I wasn't all that interested in what was happening on the field) why are more parents, in these days where everyone gets a trophy, and speaking to your children in a loud tone is considered abuse by some, really abusing their kids, and tsking them to Cubs games and not Sox games. Again, the one thing White Sox fans can do to stop these types of comments, is quit finding excuses not to go, and buy some tickets once in a while. The White Sox fanbase set themselves up for this type of comment with all of their apathy. I'm done, no need to waste another second on your straw man argument.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 06:25 AM) As bad as the Cubs have been, their attendance last year would have been a top 5 all time number for the White Sox. People paying much attention to the comment, and upset he is breaking out the attendance trophy again, need to come back with something better than the Sox have face painting and a fundamentals deck. The fact is more kids do go to Cubs games, and really that is all Ricketts said. Lol...talk about spinning. Not one person is arguing the validity of Tom's statement. We all know the Cubs draw better than the Sox. Again, the initial statement was regarding who offered the better fan experience for children. Until children start buying their own tickets, attendance numbers really don't matter in this discussion. At the end of the day, Ricketts clearly took a cheap shot at the Sox to cover up a weakness in the Wrigley experience. There really is no denying this. But go ahead and keep defending the Cubs owner who has literally accomplished nothing on the baseball field.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 07:34 PM) There are more kids at Wrigley Field than USCF. Ricketts said there weren't many kids at USCF. He is correct. We all laughed several years ago when there was a billboard around Wrigley that stated major league baseball was played 8.1 miles south. It was an off the cuff comment at a convention for the team. if people are upset he speaks the truth, change the truth Come on man, he took a cheap shot at the Sox because he didn't want to admit there is more for kids to do at the Cell than at Wrigley. There's really no debating this. But go ahead, defend Ricketts for no reason other than the need to argue.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 07:04 PM) QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 07:05 PM) Most not have been Beanie Baby day!

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 07:08 PM) IMO, if White Sox fans don't want to be the butt of attendance jokes, they should go the the games. I don't understand the outrage here. The draw 1,000,000 more fans a year, and some guy questions him using a team that doesn't draw anything but tumbleweeds as his example. The question was on kids having more fun, not more of them attending games. There's clearly a lot more for kids to do at the Cell than at Wrigley. Not sure what you're arguing here.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 06:09 PM) Forget Zimmerman and stras , what about fister? Honestly, I think any trade with the Nationals is unlikely due to our relationship with Rizzo.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 05:36 PM) as i been spouting about, the nat's want to sign Schezer and that will leave Zimm to be traded. it can be done.. again if the cost in players is reasonable. The cost for Zimmerman will most likely be unreasonable. The Shark trade was the exception, definitely not the rule. If we decide to trade more prospects, we should be targeting a long-term answer at catcher, not another rental SP.

Tom Ricketts is a such a f***ing tool.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 02:54 PM) Because he hasn't done it either consistently or in AA. Spectacular year, but didn't even reach 100 innings. There ought to be guys who have put up much more consistent numbers than that. And these guys have Montas' stuff?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 18, 2015 -> 12:52 PM) Those guys seem too far away to reach top-100 in MLB lists to me. Montas will be in AA next year, how is that too far away for top 100 status?

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Jan 17, 2015 -> 10:06 AM) Do you see Montas as a starter long term? I thought I saw somewhere that he projects to be a closer. It depends on how his changeup develops and if he can maintain the command he displayed last season. Those are both big questions, so it's really impossible for me to guess one way or the other right now. However, the potential to be a top of the rotation starter is legit. I'm hoping they give him the opportunity to start until he proves he can't handle it.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Jan 17, 2015 -> 09:23 AM) The White Sox have definitely improved the team this off season. But still, the bottom of the rotation with Noesi and Danks scares me to death. I try to point out the positive. I'm not the second coming of Jay "Woman Beater" Mariotti. I don't see the 2015 White Sox making the playoffs unless they acquire another decent starting pitcher. Maybe Noesi and Danks will have a good 2015 season. I hope so but I'm not counting on it. Rodon is going to be a part of this rotation at some point next year. We'll also have two of our top four pitching prospects at AA in Montas & Danish and two wild card prospects at AAA in Beck & Johnson. We'll actually have some interesting options if we need a starter later this year.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Jan 17, 2015 -> 04:23 AM) World Champion A.J. Pierzynski: 2005 WAR 1.8 Tyler Flowers : 2014 WAR 1.8 Do you really believe WAR is that accurate for catchers?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 16, 2015 -> 10:26 AM) Gallo at #5, lol The list is in alphabetical order.

Dumb question, but is it possible Viciedo made mechanical changes to improve against RHP which ultimately affected his ability against LHP? It's just amazing how much he's regressed against LHP over the past two years.

I'll say he agrees to a contract extension for 6/$115M. Covers his remaining arbitration year at 10M and adds five years at $21M per. Slight home team discount IMO, but Shark still ends up with the nine figure deal he's looking for.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 10:33 AM) I don't think there is any doubt that if the White Sox staff feels like they will get .250 and 25 to 30 HR out of Davidson, that he will be the starter. We know he won't be a worse defender than Conor, so it all comes down to the bat. Now the odds of that happening are about zero, but then again, we have no idea what the Sox think happened to Davidson this year, and what they are looking for to see if is different. I just think the Sox will want to give Davidson a few months in AAA no matter what. Matt has fully admitted his confidence was pretty much shot last year, so throwing him into the major league fire from the get-go next year seems like a recipe for disaster IMO. I'll be honest, I'm pretty low on Davidson at the moment, but I'd rather see him regain his confidence and show some actual results before I give him a major league role. Spring training simply isn't enough for me.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 09:35 AM) It may not be the most popular opinion around here, but with the Bonifacio signing, I think Viciedo has a better chance of staying on the team than a month ago. Viciedo could provide power off the bench and platoon with LaRoche at DH. I could see the bench something like Bonifaco, Viciedo, Brantly/Kottraras, Davidson (providing he has a good ST to platoon with Gillaspie). I think there is almost no chance Davidson is on our opening day roster next year. Overreacting to a small sample of spring training at-bats would incredibly short-sighted. After last season, he needs consistent playing time in AAA to prove that he can still be part of the big league picture. As for Viciedo, I agree that having Bonifacio makes it easier to have Tank on the bench. And I know it's not a popular opinion around here, but I'd actually be ok with him as a reserve, since he could fill in at 4 spots (LF, RF, 1B, & DH) and provide a league average bat (if you assume last year was an outlier). The problem is both guys will make decent money and I just see Hahn committing that many resources to his bench.

QUOTE (Tex @ Jan 10, 2015 -> 10:25 AM) For anyone with a job that involves making these sort of predictions for a deadline in December, picking someone that no one else picked is both a f=great attention getter and if it pans out, makes you look like a genius. Not the Mr.Genius but a genius. Now be one of the guys that picks a team that has had a historical and for us hysterical streak of sucking (Cubs) to win and it happens . . . Wow. It gets people reading and talking. Great, and when the Cubs don't come close to even making the playoffs, the person who made the ridiculous World Series prediction should lose all credibility as an expert.

Anyone picking the Cubs to win the World Series next year is a joke and should lose all credibility as a journalist or sports writer.

The oldsox/witesoxfan beef has got to be one my favorites on Soxtalk, although it seems to be a bit one-sided.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jan 5, 2015 -> 12:29 PM) I don't get that feeling at all. Think the Sox have Bonifcatio pegged as the 10th man and they'll give Sanchez his shot. Just that platoon numbers from year-to-year are pretty small samples. You're talking no more than 136 PA's against lefties in any of those three seasons. Look at the career numbers (.291/.340/.380/.720) and it's clear he's capable enough. I really think Micah is the favorite for the 2B job. If you assume he's the long-term answer and anywhere close to ready, then giving him the starting job this year is the better alternative than spending two full seasons developing rookie 2Bs (Sanchez in 2015 and then Micah in 2016). And quite frankly, I think the Sox believe a healthy Micah Johnson is ready enough for a shot at the majors. His speed gives him a tool that will make him at least somewhat dangerous at the bottom of the order even if he struggles with the bat. And they may feel that working with the major league coaching staff and playing alongside Alexei would be good for his defensive development. Not saying that's the right call, but Merkin has pushing him hard since the end of last year as the starting 2B for 2015 and this is one of those rare occasions where he actually might have some insight into what the front office is thinking and is not just spitting out the normal fluff.

I think it's all but certain that Hawkins starts at AA next year.

I think some people are using the term "utility guy" incorrectly in regards to Zobrist. It's almost as if some people feel that him being a "utility guy" is a bad thing and makes him less valuable. Just because he plays multiple positions doesn't mean he's not an everyday starter. If a team wanted to use him exclusively at one position, he'd still be well above average at most spots. In fact, I'd argue that his versatility makes him more valuable than his individual numbers alone suggest. His presence allows for more matchup plays and provides insurance at multiple spots in the event of injury. Neither of those can be quantified very easily and his rolled into his WAR, but both make him more valuable to the team.