Eminor3rd

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 13, 2015 -> 09:25 AM) They made the playoffs in 2008, yet their attendance was lower than 2007 when they had the worst record in baseball for most of the season. And it was lower in 2009, then lower in 2010, then lower in 2011, then lower in 2012 when they led the division most of the season. They have lowered prices to where you can pay $20, $15 on Sunday to see Chris Sale pitch and they give you a t-shirt. 50 people a game take advantage of that. If you need 3 or 4 playoff appearances in a row to attend games, you are a fair weathered fan. As was stated previously, White Sox fans are excuse makers. It will always be something. And yet the team continues to grow its revenues every year, just like every other baseball team, because no matter how many times we have this conversation, everyone keeps pretending like it's 1980 and the internet and regional sports cable networks don't exist. Everyone is just going to HAVE to accept the fact that going to the game is no longer the most attractive option for following a baseball team. The ballpark experience is unique and valuable, but if you're a "die-hard" fan and want to follow the action, there's a better and cheaper option in your living room. Fortunately, the teams ARE being compensated handsomely for these channels, too.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 12, 2015 -> 01:28 PM) However, they're "Not" contending every year. Not on that, they're not contending this year at a cost almost $30 million more than not contending last year, and they're doing so with another payroll increase already on the books for next year just based on the contracts they currently have - so revenue growth this year in the form of at least a wild card hunt was an absolute must just to keep things balanced. "They're better off contending every year than following the boom & bust cycle". When do we get this boom exactly? Heck, when do we get any year of contending? Well we got a new GM two years ago. It should start now.

There it is. Sale is back.

QUOTE (La Marr Hoyt HOF @ May 12, 2015 -> 12:51 PM) Not just Robin, this was Rick's big step-up year in terms of asking JR for license to 'go all in' and he blew it. Bunch of mid-level, mid-aged FAs who thus far were bad signings.... Could be a defining moment for him as well. How do you know that? That's not consistent with anything that was said at any point by front office staff, nor is it consistent with the prevailing trends of the industry. Our team, like at least a dozen others, realized that they're better off contending every year, even if it's only for the Wild Card, than they are following the "boom & bust" rebuild cycle. Most of the acquisitions Hahn made this offseason are designed to help for two to three years without sacrificing much beyond that. The only significant move he made for 2015 only is Samardzija, who he'll recoup some of the value on with a QO offer or a deadline trade.

Revisiting this topic with a month of actually seeing him pitch, the command issues that have popped up intermittently have me thinking that the best thing to do with him at this point is Lyle Mouton.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 11, 2015 -> 07:37 AM) That is what I was saying about Adam Dunn for years but you guys weren't buying it. The thing with LaRoche is, he is hitting much better lately, and I bet if you looked at his numbers when he isn't a DH, they, sample size be damned, are MVP-like. I think it's moot because if Abreu isn't 100%, I doubt he plays 3B. Edit: LaRoche when he plays 1B: .471/.571/.942 And I wouldn't expect LaRoche to hit like that if he continued to play 1B, but I think it does show that he is having problem adjusting to being a DH rather than just not having the ability anymore. You were right.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 11, 2015 -> 01:30 PM) I guess it has to do with where they projected teams but Cameron had an article about Oakland still having a shot and they are 12-21, which would be the White Sox record if they lost their next 5 games, and they have 3 starters with ERAs under 3.00 and have several guys hitting at levels that more than likely will not be sustained. I'd take the 12-16 team with Robertson and Duke putting up unsustainable numbers, maybe Beckham, but he's a bench guy, and everyone else due to improve. But they supposedly have next to zero chance. Yeah I saw that article, I think the biggest differences in the two interpretations are the BaseRuns model, which is basically a much, much more sophisticated version of Pythagorean record. According to BaseRuns, the Sox should actually be even worse (10-18), which isn't surprising considering how many late-inning comebacks they've had. So I think that's why Cameron was painting the A's with a different flavor of "optimism" than Sullivan with the Sox. But yeah, as downright ugly as this season has been so far, 12-16 really doesn't look that bad. When Sale/Samardzija/Abreu/Eaton/Melky return to form, it should far outweigh the negative regression due to Garcia/Beckham/bullpen. The only thing that also lingers is those late-inning comebacks, which will most likley slow down as well.

It has, indeed, been ugly. Fortunately, regression works both ways. If they can manage to not sink themselves while they're all simultaneously slumping, then they've got a shot to get back in it when the pendulum swings the other way.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 10, 2015 -> 03:23 PM) Beckham making contact against Chapman....never saw that coming. No joke. Before that pitch, I literally said out loud to myself, "Welp, just throw that 101mph fastball chest high and he's done." I know nothing.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ May 10, 2015 -> 07:55 PM) 6/75? Might as well spit in his face. OP is Beckham-hating scum. Srsly. If you really want him, you can't insult him with your opening bid. Look what the Red Sox did to Lester -- and he;s worth maybe half what Beckham would command on the open market right now.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 10, 2015 -> 03:44 PM) LaRoche has an OBP about .355. And a SLG of .341, good for a below league average wRC+ overall. OBP overrates base-clogging singles hitters. Study came out about a year ago that identified the misperceived value of walks/singles for slow dudes.

This makes no sense at all. Abreu would be terrible over there and LaRoche isn't hitting anyway.

Adam Eaton BABIPs low for a month and everyone wants freaking Hector Santiago back, Jesus.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ May 8, 2015 -> 10:46 AM) Marquis vs Noesi on a warm humid night has high scoring game written all over it. Hope the Sox can out slug Cinci tonight. Came in to say the same thing -- this should be a night for homers.

QUOTE (LDF @ May 8, 2015 -> 09:07 AM) i am as superstitious as you can imagine. but it is not me, its is one of those situations. no team is going to win every single game. things happen. it is aggravating when a team looses b/c of lack of attention, or coaching, or effort. that is what i saw last week and before. the monkey is off their back, build on the good things, but not all things will be good. Exactly

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 8, 2015 -> 12:37 AM) I hate to say it and won't just yet, but soon I may be saying, "Eaton blows." Man he is off to a horrific start. Dumb to wear the unis 3 days in a row. Dumb. More symptoms of Team Dysfunction. Like the unis had anything to do with the wins. Wear em two days and the other ones the third. Show some confidence. There's never sense of urgency. Thanx for that s*** at bat, Lexi. This should be on a poster for "damned if you do, damned if you don't." You know damn well that if they swapped the uniforms out, everyone here would be spouting some BS about how changing the uni during a winning streak was stupid, players are superstitious, etc. If they don't matter, how could it be dumb to keep wearing them? And Alexei drilled one right down the line, if he had struck out in a full count, you know damn well you'd be complaining about how often the team strikes out and how you'd love to see some players get aggressive.

His K and BB rates are basically identical to his ML career -- the difference is that his BABIP is .243, and, as a result, his ISO is down. He needs for some balls to start finding holes. There's no better option at leadoff, we need to let him work out of it.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 7, 2015 -> 11:35 AM) South Side Sox ‏@SouthSideSox 39m39 minutes ago Tyler Flowers has been one of the best pitch framers in baseball so far this year, and he showed it Wednesday. http://www.southsidesox.com/2015/5/7/85642...d-what-he-could … Fixed the above. I hope it continues, but I don't think we should brand him with this skill quite yet. But hopefully we'll be able to do so soon -- he talks about how much he works on this stuff a ton in his interviews, so it stands to reason that we should see some improvement.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ May 7, 2015 -> 08:38 AM) Lobstein (2-2, 3.91 ERA) at Quintana (1-2, 5.28 ERA) 1:10, WGN v. You are gamethread maker of the year so far, easily.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 7, 2015 -> 09:51 AM) MLB Daily Dish ‏@mlbdailydish 1h1 hour ago Jarrod Saltalamacchia expected to sign with D-Backs http://sbnation.com/e/8329134?utm_campaign..._source=twitter … QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Apr 27, 2015 -> 05:21 PM) I'll be shocked if he lands anywhere other than Arizona, honestly. Yeah, this made way too much sense. No one was worse off then them at C.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 6, 2015 -> 01:46 PM) And that can be easily solved by firing the manager, and hiring a guy whose teams lost 99,96,96,92 games from 2011-2014 becoming the first Twins manager to be fired since the same season Hawk fired Tony LaRussa. I think that's exactly the point I was trying to make -- we had a hitting coach who said ridiculous things like "I want guys to expand their zone with runners on base," to a guy who came from the A's and says things like, "I need our hitters to be patient so that they force the pitcher to give them a good pitch to hit," and we've seen no real change in the results.

Have things really changed? The org is still a black hole when it comes to OBP.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:43 PM) If Rick Hahn found another GM as high on Carlos Sanchez as a few here, he would be insane not to trade him. I've been #TeamSanchez since the start, not because I think he's amazing, but just because I think that a contending team should value floor over ceiling with its role players. Carlos Sanchez's bat isn't going to win us many games, but Micah Johnson's defense sure might lose a bunch. No question Johnson is the better prospect, but that doesn't mean he's the best fit for the 2015 team. But again, this isn't about the role players, it's about the stars. I can't get worked up for Johnson right now because, while it's true that he's sucking, I can't make an argument that it's losing games. The studs have to produce before it gets to the point where Micah Johnson's failure becomes relevant.

I love Jeff Shamuljaja and his boundless ERA.

QUOTE (shysocks @ May 5, 2015 -> 08:41 AM) It all burned down when we played the Orioles... hire Ozzie and a hooker. Did I get that right? I think it's just "Fire Robin; Hire Ozzie"