lasttriptotulsa

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 26, 2013 -> 01:50 PM) keithlaw ‏@keithlaw 23m Easy calls for me: Raines, Bonds, Maddux, Bagwell, Clemens, Thomas, Piazza, Biggio, Schill, Mussina. Leaves off 5+ worthy names. Jim Callis ‏@jimcallisMLB 24m Biggio, Bonds, Clemens, Glavine, Maddux, McGwire, Piazza, Raines, Thomas, Trammell. All but impossible to limit to 10. I love seeing the support for Raines. It might not be for a few years, but I think eventually he gets there.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 26, 2013 -> 11:59 AM) Morris should not get in. Yes, he has a couple of incredible postseason runs, but his numbers just don't hold up. He's already immortalized in the Hall of Fame with a lot of his performances, especially game 7 in 1991, but, hell, Miguel Batista had some pretty damn good outings in 2001 too and we aren't going to nominate him because of that, are we? I mean, Freddy Garcia is nicknamed "Big Game Freddy," and he had a pretty incredible performance in a World Series clinching game, but nobody is nominating him for the Hall of Fame. I agree 100% on Morris. He should not be in, but I just don't trust HOF voters at all. I mean someone actually voted for Aaron Sele last year.

Thomas, Maddux and Glavine, all in. Biggio and Morris possibly in. Morris has the whole final year on the ballot thing going for him. Coming close but falling short will be Bagwell, Raines and Piazza (all in the 60%+ range).

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 22, 2013 -> 01:48 PM) Nellie Fox was pretty overrated though, wasn't he? I mean, just looking at his numbers, he was more of a "good player for a long time" than a HOFer. A few good seasons with the stick but overall a below league average hitter for his career that added a ton of defensive value. EDIT: Luis Aparicio looks like the same thing but more extreme -- even better defender and a much worse hitter. Another very valuable player but not a HOFer IMO. Now, Luke Appling, on the other hand, looks like a stud. Elite D on top of a career 115 wRC+ out of a SS. Damn. Biggio is the prototypical "good player for a long time". If you look at any one of his seasons, he never really had a single season that would stand out as "hall of fame". But when you have very good seasons for 20 years and amass 3000 hits to go along with nearly 700 doubles you deserve to be in. When you look at Frank Thomas, I count 8 hall of fame type season along with other All-Star level seasons. While I like Biggio, if he gets in before Frank or even Bagwell I will be disappointed. As far as Appling goes, yes that guy was awesome. If he didn't lose nearly two full seasons to military service, he would have easily eclipsed 3000 hits.

QUOTE (Tex @ Nov 22, 2013 -> 09:48 AM) Which is a valid question now that Frank is making a claim along those lines. There are many reasons to support Frank playing clean so a close scrutiny will only help his cause. About the only time I can remember any discussion about PED and Frank was after his tricep tear and some uninformed writers were speculating along the lines of who the hell tears a tricep? I never really got the first ballot thing, it isn't like a player goes out and adds to his career after not getting in on the first ballot. But I also see the "honor" thing that comes with it. It's kind of the elite of the elite. Frank was the most talented batter I ever saw. He silenced bars, home or away, when he entered the batter's box. I have nerv really had a desire to visit the HoF, and I've been in the neighborhood a few times. I will make a stop after Frank is inducted. If he is never elected, I will never go. I can understand the whole reserving the 1st ballot thing for "inner circle" type HOFers. What I think is incredibly stupid is how guys like Dawson and Rice (possibly Morris) weren't good enough on the first 14 ballots, but suddenly became HOFers on their 15th ballot.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 22, 2013 -> 11:06 AM) So did Biggio The only thing Biggio has going for him as far as HOF (and I do think he should be in) is the counting stats. They look at much more than that. Biggio never really came close to winning an MVP, never was a dominant player or near being the best in the league and to be honest I really never looked at Biggio as being a HOFer using the eye test. When you watched Frank play, you knew you were watching one of the greatest hitters to ever play. I never had that kind of feeling with Biggio.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 01:26 PM) It scares me how many people talk about Avisail Garcia like he's a sure stud. I don't think he's a sure fire can't miss prospect because there is no such thing. However, the time he spent with the Sox last year showed me enough to be really excited about him going into next year.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Nov 19, 2013 -> 03:29 PM) Interesting comparison: http://www.fangraphs.com/graphsw.aspx?players=242,319 LOL, also: http://www.fangraphs.com/graphsw.aspx?players=319,242,255 Seeing things like that just reaffirm how amazing of a hitter Frank Thomas was. To accumulate the WAR that he did despite have negative fielding and base running levels is quite impressive.

The way I look at that play last night is that, was it pass interfernece by the very definition of the rule? Probably. While I don't think Gronkowski had a real shot at catching it, it was still close enough to not get the "uncatchable ball" treatment. I think the refs got together, decided that if they call PI and give the Patriots the ball at the one yard line, that they are basically gift wrapping the game for the Patriots on a play that the reciever really did not have a chance at catching. I'll admit that if this had happened to the Packers I would be mad that the PI was not called, but as an unbiased observer I like the no-call.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 13, 2013 -> 05:53 AM) I don't think he comes back, but it is a bench spot, and would mean the end of watching Adam Dunn trying to hit LH pitching. Not ideal, but not the end of the world, especially if you don't believe the Sox can contend in 2014. I've posted it before, but I'll post it again. Dunn had a .973 OPS off left handed starters last year and for his career his OPS is higher off of left handed starters than it is right handed starters. If you sit him against lefties to start Konerko you are hurting the lineup.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 12, 2013 -> 09:52 AM) Depends on how many of them are hit to RF down the line versus the area in RCF where it really juts back out...you have that Pesky Pole, what is it, like 308-309 or 314? Obviously, the Green Monster saves a lot of homers and doubles and turns them into singles...but, just like old Tiger Stadium, you can hit a fly ball/pop up over the wall and it would be an easy out at Safeco or in Minnesota, for example. I'd love to see the hit chart for where most of his doubles were hit....were they pulled down the line, to RCF or to the opposite gap or down the 3B line? Pesky's pole is marked 302, but people say it's really quite a bit shorter than that. Pesky himself said it was 295.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 9, 2013 -> 02:22 PM) Why would you be upset? Everybody admits he can still hit lefties. It's not like Dunn is some magical bat. Let Paulie and Dunn DH if you can't trade Dunn and let Abreu DH once in a while and let Paulie play first. I'd cut Dunn's at bats in half until his contract runs out. Adam Dunn hit five homers in August and four in September. It's not like he's still raking. I hope Abreu is a good fielder, because we've been spoiled by Paulie's digs. Versus left handed starters last year Dunn had a .976 OPS. Konerko had a .807. Do you really want to keep Konerko on the roster for those thirty or so at bats Dunn has against LH reliever? Its time to move on.

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/mlb/4505...y-afl-prospects Little write up about AFL prospects. Has paragraphs on Mitchell and Semien.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFan05 @ Nov 6, 2013 -> 10:42 PM) Has Granderson accepted the QO yet? Everyone's been saying that it's over for us, but I haven't heard an official word yet. No and he probably won't accept it. The reason it's probably over for the Sox is they would have to give up their 2nd round draft pick and probably aren't willing to do so for a player of Grandersons caliber.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 11:15 AM) I doubt that. I bet Flynn is already packing his camo parka and long underwear QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 11:25 AM) I don't think they will. Packers believe Flynn has been dealing with elbow issues dating back to his year in Seattle. As a Packer fan, I'd like to see them activate Scott Tolzien from the practice squad and give him a shot vs the Eagles. Not that I think Tolzien is that great, but he can't possibly be worse than Wallace was last night.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 10:20 AM) good god the meatheads calling the Score today. "I just want to say, well the Bears wouldnt have won if Rodgers was playing. But I am a Bears fan" "They didnt have their QB..." "Lets not get excited about this" STFU, the Bears are just as injured if not more injured than the Packers at the same positions, as well as DL Do you honestly think that Packers wouldn't have made up that 7 point difference with Rodgers playing? The Bears are not more injured than the Packers, that just ridiculous to say. The Packers were Rodgers, Lang, Bulaga, Matthews, Perry, Finley and Cobb. That's 7 starters. 3-4 of which are Pro-Bowl caliber.

Not that I have anything against Salty, but I think if the Sox sign him we are all going to be let down by the season that he has. He is a nice complimentary piece but is not the game changer that the Sox need. If the Sox were to also sign Ellsbury or Granderson, then a Salty signing makes sense, but if not then they should really target McCann.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 4, 2013 -> 04:27 PM) Worth noting is that like $17 mill of that is on Abreu this year. They've already spent a significant chunk The way I kind of look at is the $10 million bonus Abreu is getting is roughly equivalent to the money saved by moving Thornton, Rios and Peavy last year.

If the Sox were even entertaining the thought of trading for Ethier, which I can't imagine they would be, the conversation better start with the Dodgers paying at least half of that remaining contract.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Oct 29, 2013 -> 01:21 PM) Do the Sox have an opt out option or just Abreu? I took it as Abreu would have to opt out. If he sucks, the Sox are still on the hook for the $68 million no matter what.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Oct 29, 2013 -> 01:07 PM) So are the Bobcats going to continue to be so bad that the Bulls will continue waiting forever for that draft pick? If I'm not mistaken (and I could be, just going from memory), in 2014 it's only top ten protected, 2015 is top 8 protected and 2016 is unprotected. So we will probably be waiting until 2016 to use that pick.

So apparently the Rams called Favre after Bradford's injury. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9871023/...ce-sam-bradford

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 23, 2013 -> 02:08 PM) 4800% return on investment isn't bad, is it? You mean to tell me I won't get the same kind of return on my mutual funds investments?

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 10:25 PM) Is he not going to play on Sundays or when Chris Sale starts? Weren't they only wearing those uniforms in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the '83 team? My guess would be they don't wear them next year.

Why would we for a player who is twice as expensive, a free agent to be, and is no better than the player we already have on the roster?