Jerksticks

The absolute best lessons in life and work are learned through complete failure. So I for one am glad the CH got exposed. Clearly he needed to learn that his swing/eye won't play up levels. Back to the drawing board kid. I'm not against what happened.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 12:15 PM) If any of you see that I have viewed your profile its because I am on my iphone on soxtalk and my fingers are just clicking away at everything that I don't want to touch. or I am stalking you. Haha totally! That definitely happens. And I'm not chilling in the threads all day, I just leave windows open I promise; somebody believe me!

I think this is all proof that SP can't really be helped through FA any more this offseason. I think we'll see a mid-season move like some have alluded to. I think the Sox brass sees April-July as an evaluation period because we don't know if this new roster will gel into a contender yet. Plenty of time. The bonus of waiting is that some of our A ball guys might make some pushes to give us more trade ammo.

Hi my name is Jerksticks and my smart phone has enabled me to spend an unhealthy amount of time on Soxtalk. 365 days a year I'm checking at least something. I have 8 possible windows on my 4s version of safari, and at any time 3-4 windows can easily be Soxtalk. Haha sometimes I wish I never got so damn curious about the CLee for Pods trade. That's when I discovered Internet baseball. How about you?

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 07:00 PM) oh man, looking at the top 6 in any order, who can't be excited about this sox club future. now some may say that the sCrubs may have a better nucleus, but i will reply this was done with a handicapp and with nothing in the systems. the handicapp >> KW. LDF, would you be open to changing your tune on the handicap? What about calling it "aged, flawed contender" instead of "KW"? We had some really nice pieces 2008-2013 but Peavy's fluke health, among other things, really cost us a few division titles. We had teams that in theory could win each year. Of course every GM wants a young nucleus but you can't always have that. People age. It's not like KW is locked in his office clammoring for us to trade the farm for vets. This is his plan too. He taught Rick Hahn the job.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 05:56 PM) Rizzo is a fine player, but I agree that Abreu will separate himself further this year. Dude hit .392 in Cuba, so not his best year, just sayin'. Rizzo has struggled mightily in the past - far less likely to repeat last year, imo. His defense is excellent though. No slight to Rizzo but how's he even going to sniff .365/.565/.665?

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 01:55 PM) Ha, they've now acquired 2 of my least favorite Cubs players of the last decade (Shark/Soto) Grudzielanik would be the icing on the cake.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 08:51 AM) Rizzo is younger, LH, and much better defensively though. Abreu is a monster but you have to account for that. Rizzo is a really good player. That trade value column from Jonah Keri this offseason listed them at 6/7 respectively I believe. Can't go wrong with either guy. For sure both good players. I just think Abreu widens the gap between them in year two.

He can take any ball to right field and seems to like doing it. Pull power homers will eventually come. Thanks, Nostradamus.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jan 20, 2015 -> 08:34 PM) Right. I remember having this conversation back in the fall when people were comparing the "core" of each team, and my thoughts were the Sox "core" has a higher floor, mostly because they are proven, while the Cubs "core" has a higher ceiling, but mostly because they haven't have their expectations lowered yet due to any major league failures. But now that the Sox added a ton of more proven veterans, I don't really think the talent of the 2 teams is very close. Sox are a MUCH better team, in my opinion. Yea i agree. They don't have anything in the pipeline that projects to be as good as our current stars. Maybe Bryant can match Abreu? I dunno. I think Abreu separates himself from Rizzo substantially this year though.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 20, 2015 -> 01:10 PM) Compelling. Adam Eaton vs. Dexter Fowler - Adam Eaton definitely the better player all things considered (defense, contract) but Fowler might be slightly better offensively. Melky Cabrera vs. Chris Coghlan - Coghlan had a great year but I'll give Cabrera the nod here. Jose Abreu vs. Anthony Rizzo - They're very similar. I think Abreu definitely has a chance to better. Call it a slight win for Abreu. Adam LaRoche vs. Starlin Castro - LaRoche is better. Avi Garica vs. Jorge Soler - I'll take Soler quite easily. Conor Gillaspie vs. Miguel Monterp - Montero has more power, more OBP and BABIPs normalizing favor Montero heavily. Haha sorry I saw "Cubs 1-6 is better than Sox" and then saw Coghlan penciled into the 2 spot and replied. What about power and damage? Conservative XBH projections: 1. Fowler 40 / Eaton 40 2. Coghlan 45 / Cabrera 55 3. Rizzo 65 / Abreu 75 4. Castro 50 / LaRoche 55 5. Soler ? / Garcia ? 6. Montero 40 / Gillaspie 35 I feel like I was generous to the cubs' players (best case scenario) and not so much with our guys. If we used best case for Sox players it looks even more lopsided. What do you think of these projections?

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 20, 2015 -> 12:40 PM) RF - Soler CF - Fowler/Denorfia LF - Coghlan/Denorfia SS - Castro 3B - Alcantara/Olt 2B - LaStella/Alcantara 1B - Rizzo C - Montero Bench: C Ross, 2B/3B Olt/LaStella, OF Denorfia Then they probably break with one of Sweeney/Lake (I'd assume Sweeney) and another infielder. CF Fowler LF Coghlan 1B Rizzo SS Castrp RF Soler C Montero 3B Alcantara/Olt 2B LaStella/Alcantara Speaking objectively, their top six is better than ours. Eeeeeeeeeaaaaaassssy there

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 20, 2015 -> 11:50 AM) I'm usually more worried about Detroit, Minnesota and now Kansas City in any given year than the Cubs. So is everybody here. Don't forget Cleveland! That completes your list of AL Central opponents the Sox play almost 20 times each year, in a competition to reach the playoffs! Well said!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 07:29 PM) Not to mention the fact that the Royals are making inroads in western Missouri, Nebraska (farm team there), Kansas and southwestern Iowa. The Brewers pen them in from the north. Tigers from the near East. The major market opportunity they have is the opening up of Cuba, but how to take more advantage of it economically...where the money would go to the Sox directly and not be split with MLB? Lol finally unlock the CSN Chicago channel on everyone's direct tv dish down there?

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Jan 19, 2015 -> 12:16 PM) This. The amount of butthurt in this thread is unbelievable. I don't think we as Sox fans should pretend cubs news doesn't really bother us. It bothers us man. That's the enemy. That's our most hated rival, the enemy constantly at the gates year round. They have control of the town. A part of growing up a Sox fan is the hope that one day maybe the Sox could be SO good that the cubs become irrelevant in this town. How can you not want that, to own the town one day? Everything positive about the cubs is so annoying to me. I mean, do you really want all your cub fan buddies calling you non stop for eternity if they finally win it? Please heavens mercy no. Not calling you out or anything, just saying some people feel this way and can't have a cavalier attitude about it.

Like someone said, Trayce Thompson + would be nice. But that's probly pretty homer.

I think he will take less salary to help the team plug more holes next year. Probably a lot of secret compensations available as well. Makes you wonder what Chris Sale actually gets paid by the White Sox. He's gotta be getting hooked up somehow.

^ Yea and I think many people are over-looking the whole respect issue and the human side involved here. The only time we are going to get a hometown discount is AFTER the season, not before. The dude doesn't even know if he likes pitching here yet or if he likes his teammates etc. It looks good though, being a hometown boy and all, so there is no need to worry that we aren't extending him at the moment. Let him pitch a season. If we are winning and he's having fun here, he will sacrifice dollars to stay.

I hope we let this go to FA. Anything else would feel really premature and creepy.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 11, 2015 -> 11:45 PM) found these quotes from the comments section of a yahoo question on the topic....take them for what they're worth!!! By percentage of Gross National Income, the top most charitable nations in the world are among the least religious nations on earth. And guess what, the largest recipients of these money also happen to be among the most religious nations on earth. It is funny how the world works. Bill Gates, the most well known atheist in the world, gives more money away than anyone else on the planet Earth. Also, "Christians" like yourself give to feel better about yourself, I volunteer to make those that are less fortunate feel better about themselves, which do you think is a more generous act? Here's a hint, most modern "Christians" are selfish egotists. Believers, don't be afraid to question religion. If God is so almighty, why must he ask people for their money? Or is bleeding mostly the poor and middle class for thousands of years, God's special type of love? if you exclude donating money to churches which for some reason is labeled charity, then atheists actually do give more money than religious people. i dont think donating money to churches should count as charity because the churches just spend it on themselves rather than helping other people Some people are so lost. Bill Maher injured the human race lol.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Jan 12, 2015 -> 02:28 PM) eXcited for tonight's championship game! (that counts, right?) Zealous indeed, but I like it.

Finally

Yea I agree. It seems like it all hinges on Danks fully embracing the slowballer mindset. Hope he wasn't ignoring Buehrle all those years thinking he'd always have 93-94 gas.

"I'm not here to hit singles and doubles"...mercy. Absolute mercy.

Great thread! I want to play for the Pirates or Yankees. Never play for the toilet towns