Leonard Washington

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 4, 2011 -> 06:47 PM) I can't see Pittsburgh taking a player of Konerko's age and contract. I actually could. If they feel like they've finally reached a point where contention is within grasp, which is totally possible given their first half of 2011, they might want to make a push by targeting some established players to put them over the top. It also signals a change, that the organization is no longer a seller. This sounds really lame, but for a fan base that has dealt with historical levels of incompetence, it means something.

Who dares sully the good name of Southpaw?

I hope he succeeds. The nickname possibilities are outstanding.

QUOTE (MAX @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 11:35 PM) Oh? Please elaborate on why. I am ignorant and curious. It would be the same as using his picture on the team website, putting his picture on tickets or schedules or programs, etc. Using players to promote the team and thus ticket sales comes with the territory of being a player. They don't get paid extra for it.

QUOTE (MAX @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 02:04 AM) I think its so they don't have to pay him. I mean, he is on the team, but that is still an endorsement thing, right? They wouldn't have to pay him.

Guys like this....you just have to let them advance and see how it goes. Most of the time you end up with a nobody. But every now and then (and then again) you get a Shaun Marcum. Occasionally, guys defy expectations.

Know what? Grammar mistakes aside (and I'm a writer by profession), his overall point wasn't far off. Of course he didn't know the intricate details that we might know, but I think he did an OK job all things considered for a young'n.

I guess I'm lazy, but I don't feel enough energy to go through this entire thread. So if I regurgitate any comments or ideas....my bad. I love Frank. He is one of the smartest hitters I've ever seen. However, I'm not sold about him as a hitting coach. He was smart, yes, but he was also a guy that just seemed to inherently know how to hit. I'd lean towards types that really had to work for it. That's my first problem with him being the guy. My second issue is simple. I don't ever want to see Frank Thomas fired. Third, his technique was very different. I have a hard time seeing Beckham lacing doubles to the gap with his back foot off the ground. I just don't see it. Frank had an impeccable approach, but his mechanics were something that wouldn't work for a lot of people. Fourth, Frank Thomas was a better hitter than Mark McGwire, even without taking steroids into account. Just saying. I'm shocked this hasn't already been pointed out.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Oct 29, 2011 -> 01:22 AM) They won. Their winning is completely independent of our not winning. The same thing goes for the Blue Jays.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 29, 2011 -> 12:17 AM) Right...saying the Cards won the trade because they won the WS is kind of like saying they were better off this year without Adam Wainwright. The bp arms they acquired definitely helped them more than anything, especially Eyechart. I'm just looking forward to Dotel hugging Obama again.

QUOTE (MAX @ Oct 29, 2011 -> 12:14 AM) I agree with pale sox. Trades, much like everything else in the world (but that's another argument), are not dualistic. Saying 'the cardinals won the trade' implies that they are. Yeah, basically. I've found it to be a common fault in many aspects of life, like you said. I think it goes back to the journalistic narrative. Singling out winners and losers is fun, but it really doesn't represent the actual reality of most situations. I think a lot of people adopt that mindset from reading the same slop over and over again, but it's a counterproductive way of thinking.

The idea that Ventura had to be "talked into it" is ridiculous. He was presented with a career decision that was undoubtedly unexpected. He has a family. Of course he's going to have to mull it over and discuss it with his loved ones. If he didn't want the job, he wouldn't have it. He talked it out, gave it some thought, and decided he wanted it. I'd prefer that over someone who jumped at it without the thought, no? In his spot wouldn't all of you do the same? I understand the frustration over the decision to hire him. I feel some of it too. But let's not be Red Sox fans here.....be reasonable.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Oct 28, 2011 -> 11:51 PM) The Cardinals won the World Series. You can easily say they won the trade. Sorry. I have a hard time believing the Blue Jays regret trading a bunch of non-cornerstone bullpen pieces for Colby Rasmus, a potential star CF. Staying on the Blue Jays as an example, I remember them trading Jeff Kent for David Cone. They Jays won the WS, but the Mets (who were not a contender) received a HOF second baseman. Both teams won. The situations of teams involved in the trade dictated the needs and the therefore the outcome. To say the Cardinals "won" inherently says the other team(s) lost. This is simply not the case. Each team had different needs, and each teams needs were fulfilled. The Cardinals got pitching depth, the Jays got upside future talent, and the White Sox shed payroll (with a slight infusion of young talent). It's a common flaw of those outside the industry to assume one team is trying to fleece another. It makes for a nice narrative when it's time to print some stories, but it's an inaccurate representation of reality.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Oct 28, 2011 -> 10:55 PM) Is it now safe to say the Cardinals were winners in this trade? The constant need to single out winners and losers in trades is misguided. It's an incorrect way to go about analyzing a trade. The Cardinals did well, yes. To say they won is to say the other teams lost, which is incorrect.

When GB's swing path gets short, he does well. It's almost as though he'd do OK with a half competent hitting coach. Who's our hitting coach again???? Maybe he should be fired? You heard it here first!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 9, 2011 -> 02:58 AM) Didn't Hendry do the same thing from a hospital bed? Well, for what it's worth, it seems Daniels operates the same way in Texas. He had to, because of the mistakes he made in the first couple of seasons down there and because of the gaps in his baseball background/knowledge compared to many other young GM's. Hendry signed Jason Marquis from a hospital bed. Daniels made horrible moves before coming into his own (as did KW). AA has been a good moves machine. There is no GM in baseball I would take ahead of AA to run the sox.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 9, 2011 -> 02:09 AM) I would say the same thing about KW, except you could (recently) replace competency with ego and drive with "ambition." Unfortunately, his risk-taking/gambling side of the brain has won out too much since 2008. And having both of his sons in the minors is just embarassing. Can you imagine being asked to write game reports or a scout being asked for an honest appraisal about his sons' level of play. They just can't say the truth. But everyone in the system knows they shouldn't be there taking up roster spots from more deserving players, Shaffer's kid, the Guillen kids, etc. It's bad enough to be the worst farm system in baseball. Having his sons take playing time away from someone...anyone, that's even worse almost. I've never met KW, so I can't say for sure. But he's had as many hits as misses. He let's his stubbornness and ego get in the way of smart decisions. AA is unbelievably humble. He'll discuss potential deals with everybody from his assistant GM's to his scouting coordinators, to his interns. He receives and genuinely considers information from every possible qualified person. This is likely the main thing that gives him a leg up on KW. I also think have a hard time believing KW has the same work ethic. This is a man that was on the phone discussing offers to Aroldis Chapman (which I was involved with) minutes before walking down the aisle with his bride to be. He's an absolute machine.

I'd imagine most of it is just coincidence. Likely the home record and home performance feed off each other. The bigger deal that's made of it, the bigger deal it will ultimately be.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 9, 2011 -> 01:47 AM) 1) Valentine is a top candidate for the Marlins' job. Of course, there is a rivalry there. Oney wants his dad to have a job SOMEWHERE managing. 2) I'll bet Ozzie made a comment around the house or dinner table about Valentine never winning anything (besides Japan)...I highly doubt Oney came up with this on his own 3) Does Valentine routinely say the same thing about the Reds, Rockies and Twins' managers? What about Buck Showalter? Adam Jones made a throw so fundamentally bad it would have made Alex Rios red with jealousy. And, of course, because the winning run was then on 2B instead of at first, the baseball gods decreed that he be driven in to put the O's 24 games under .500. Instead of fixing that problem, Showalter's calling up the league offices in NYC to get a ball hit by Jones ruled a hit (instead of an error). 4) Will anyone in South Florida support the team because Valentine's the manager? Doubtful. He's getting up there in age. Maybe not like McKeon or Davey Johnson, but he's not the same manager he was 10-20 years ago. 1.) This is an interesting point. He might be overly critical of Ozzie if he sees him as his primary competition for a job he wants. Who knows? 2.) I doubt this. Oney is (barely) smart enough to wikipedia Valentine's accomplishments before tweeting his childishness. 3.) Another interesting point. I'd be interested to see his other preseason picks and if he's made similar tweets about other teams. 4.) Nobody in any city will support a team because of the manager.

As a unit, I can see the team pressing for the home crowd. But I don't buy for a second that the booing of individual players is to blame. Maybe it's a culmination or some kind of mindf***, but these guys are professionals. They're used to getting booed and razzed.

Somewhere, Darryl Strawberry is crying right now.

Alex Anthopoulos is a bonafide genius. I worked with the man. He interviewed and hired me. I've never met anybody in my entire life with such a strong combination of competency and drive.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 09:14 PM) I recall it being 2002 because I was still a little twit then and anybody who picked on my big Frank was a meanie butthead. Thomas was hitting something like .215 in the middle of the year and I don't even remember the gist of his comments but it was most definitely in criticism of Frank. The closest thing I got was an article from July 24, 2002, where Thomas hit a monstrosity of a homer (longest in the park's history at that point) like a day after Konerko had criticized him for his poor performance. That's all I have, and any articles from that far back through Google cost $3 a pop. I'm not going to pony up $3 for an article. This is the only Sox home game I've ever been to. I have the newspaper article from the next day framed in my room. The Sox jumped out to a huge early lead against the Twins (off Johan Santana of all people), but Buehrle coughed most of it up. The Sox held on to win 8-7 I still am grateful that my first (and only) Sox game in Chicago featured such a mammoth Thomas HR. The picture of him in the newspaper says it all. He looks pissed off rounding third base and the headline reads "Thomas answers the call"

Kevan Smith needs to be A-ball

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 14, 2011 -> 07:29 PM) Bartolo Colon got hammered tonight. More and more pressure building on Cashman to make a pitching move (Jackson, Floyd, Danks, possibly Buehrle). ESPN's choice of wording was interesting. "Colon Pounded"