lasttriptotulsa

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 02:41 PM) How can you say he's reached his peak in light if the progress he's made this season? He's raised his velocity considerably since being called up and his change has been downright nasty, at times, over his last few starts. GreenSox has spoken. If he says Quintana has peaked, Quintana has peaked. It doesn't matter that his WHIP, H/9, K/9 and BB/9 rates have all been better this year than last, Quintana has peaked at the ripe old age of 23.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 02:36 PM) So all the teams will be flush with money and the FA market is terrible. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. I think a lot of teams have already expanded their payrolls with knowledge of that extra $25 million coming next year. The average salary of players will probably adjust for that $25 million over a few years, but I think this offseason you won't see as many teams going on a shopping spree as you might think.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 11:13 AM) I think your price on Quintana is high. But regardless, we've got to do something to fix the defense and offense. It's atrocious. And I think teams will give us a good package for Quintana. You seem to severly undervalue Quintana. According to Baseball Reference, he has a 3.4 WAR thus far this year which is good enough for 10th highest out of all AL pitchers. Add 4 more years of team control and he becomes a very valuable commodity.

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Jul 27, 2013 -> 10:46 PM) It was only a week or two ago that I heard (for the first time) the original 1966 version of "After Midnight". Great song. RIP The original "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" are both vastly superior to the Clapton versions in my opinion. I do, however, like Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" better than Cale's originals. This is a pretty tragic passing for the music world. JJ Cale is one of those guys that may not have been a household name, but everybody knew his work even if it was through Clapton or Skynyrd.

QUOTE (kwill @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 11:49 AM) Does anyone think we should hang onto Crain? I am actually not opposed to hanging onto him and trying to get an extension done. He has been one of the only guys to actually live up to his contract in a sox uniform. My thought is this, you should not trade him for a marginal prospect. I agree to trading him only if you actually get something that has value and not just a lottery pick. If you cant, see if you can get a deal done with him going forward. Look, if you are not going to do a complete rebuild with Sale then you are trying to compete next year or 2015. Reed,Jones and Crain are three tremendous assets to do that. The rotation figures to be pretty solid. It's our position players who are just awful. I am not saying don't trade him. I am saying just make sure you actually get value instead of trading him for the heck of it. The White Sox do that far to often. (Simon Castro)... If you want Crain on the 2014 White Sox, you can sign him as a free agent in the offseason. Might as well get whatever you can now.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Jul 26, 2013 -> 02:52 PM) Interesting story about why some of the best hitters in MLB can hit 95 MPH pitches from other ML pitchers but can't even get a bat on a 65 MPH softball pitched by Jennie Finch. I've always said it's the pitching motion that messes them up. I had the exact opposite problem. I played fast-pitch for 10+ years with no problem when I was a kid, but struggled like hell to hit a baseball on my HS team. Link I always hate how she thinks its so funny to pitch her hardest at celebrity softball games and have major leaguers not be able to hit it. Yet I've never seen her stand in the box against Randy Johnson. The only reason big leaguers can't hit the softball is because its different. If they had a couple days to practice, they would light her up.

QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ Jul 26, 2013 -> 10:29 AM) Sorry typing on my phone and didnt have exact number but he threw 124 pitches. Also didnt pitch from May 18th to June 2nd. I think that's around 15 days. also has had 3 other appearances this year where they gave Sale 1 to 3 extra days to rest. Sporry i was off 2 pitches. Still not smart on a wasted year to abuse Sale like that. Your kind of missing the point. Sure this is a wasted year for the White Sox, but it is a tremendous year for the development of Chris Sale. It's the perfect time to try and extend to build him up. If he needs to miss a start, he misses a start. The team isn't going anywhere anyways. It's pretty common to have your young pitchers build up to the 200+ inning mark over a couple years. What do you want them to do? Keep him under 200 again this year? What happens next year then if by some miracle we are competing for the division? Sale will get to mid August or early September and start to burn out because he's never been pushed. The White Sox know a hell of a lot more than any of us on this message board and I have faith they are doing what's best for Sale and for the team.

QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ Jul 26, 2013 -> 07:00 AM) Name another elite pitcher in the majors that get shuts down for a week or two and has skipped starts throughout the season due weakness in his arm particularly his shoulder. Sale comes off the DL this year and his third start back he throws 126 pitches. Doesn't make sense. The only negative thing about Sale is whether he will stay healthy. Our organization has shown they have concerns with Sale the past 2 years. Okay, now you're just making things up. 1st - Sale has not been on the DL this year. 2nd - Sale has never thrown 126 pitches in a game in his career. Sale is still only in his 2nd year starting in the big leagues. He will never build up the arm strength to go 200+ innings per year if you coddle him. It's become pretty evident that the White Sox are trying to extend their pitchers out a little more this year. I'm sure this is in the hopes that next year or whenever we contend again that they will have built up the durability to be able to go the distance when we need them. I've got a good feeling that Don Cooper and the White Sox training staff know a hell of a lot more than some random guys on a message board and are doing whatever they think is best to maximize their value out of Chris Sale.

QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ Jul 26, 2013 -> 06:20 AM) We need to trade Peavy ASAP. Worried our coaching staff can have another Cain on their hands. Coming off an injury and they let him pitch 118 throws on his second start. Anyone else think Robin Ventura makes some questionable calls on handling Sale, Peavy, Santiago, and Crain this year. Sale is second in the league with throwing over 120 pitches in a game. Santiago is 4th in the league/and he's been going back and forth between starting/bullpen, and the abuse they did in the month of June with Crain knowing he was going to get traded. Come on Robin wake up here. Peavy had a rib injury, not an arm injury. I don't feel like 118 pitches was too many. Are you trying to say that Sale has the 2nd most number of games with over 120 pitches and Hector has the 4th most? If so, Sale has only reached the 120 pitch mark three times and Santiago once so if you are taking those rankings as meaning anything, that is pretty ridiculous. Sale's average pitch count per start is 109 and Santiago's is 103. If you can't handle those pitch counts you have no business starting.

Our old friend Buehrle with a 2 hit shutout. 9k. Lost the no no in the 5th.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 25, 2013 -> 01:30 PM) Anyone else having a hard time getting Soxtalk to load? I have been. Wasn't sure if it was the website or the crappy Internet Explorer that I'm forced to use at work that was causing it.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 08:05 AM) I assume they can do a conditional PTBNL. If Crain makes this many appearances, you get this guy. But if he suffers a setback, you get this lower-level prospect. Yes they could do that if they so choose. I believe when Sabathia went to the Brewers they did a similar scenario. If the Brewers made the playoffs, Cleveland got to choose the PTBNL from the pool they previously agreed on and if the Brewers made the playoffs then the Brewers got to choose.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 08:10 AM) He wouldn't have to "pass through" waivers entirely to get traded, only get to the Braves. Whether or not a team in the NL might try to block him getting there is a different question. He would have to get throught the AL first which there is zero chance of happening.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 08:12 PM) I was thinking today when the announcer said Tampa had won 17 of 19 (with the Sox help of course). If the Sox starting today won 17 of 19 (which we won't, but...) how many games do you think the Sox would be out. I still think we'd be a bunch of games behind. Stat people? QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 08:19 PM) Let's say everyone else plays .500 baseball during that time, the SOX would be roughly 8-9 games out. If the Sox were to win 17 of 19 (which of course isn't going to happen) and everyone else went 10-9 in that stretch the standings would be as such. Detroit 63-53 Cleveland 62-55 (1.5 back) White Sox 56-58 (6 back) Kansas City 55-59 (7 back) Minnesota 51-63 (11 back) Now lets really have some fun. Lets still say the Sox win 17 of 19. 16 of those 19 are against the Central with the other three against the Yankees. Let's say the two losses were both against the Yankees and they swept the Central in that time. If everyone in the division played at their current winning percentage during this stretch in all games not against the White Sox the standings would be as follows. Detroit 60-56 Cleveland 60-57 (.5 back) White Sox 56-58 (3 back) Kansas City 53-61 (6 back) Minnesota 48-66 (11 back) Obviously not going to happen, but it's fun to pretend.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 19, 2013 -> 10:23 PM) According to BBREF, Hawk never hit two homers in a game off Whitey Ford like he claimed in the intro. Not the first time his baseball stories have been disproven. No, but in 1964 he did have a two homer game against the Yankees that Whitey Ford started. The first one was off Ford. Cut the guy some slack, it was 49 years ago. Who cares if he doesn't remember the details 100% accurately.

Per Rotoworld, Manny signs with the Rangers.

If I remember correctly, didn't The Big Hurt hit a walkoff hr in extra innings that game after like a ten pitch at bat?

QUOTE (Joxer_Daly @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 06:50 AM) Would be nice for Danks to notch up a 'W', but, well, let's just see. Our recent record against the Os, putting aside our recent record full stop, doesn't inpire optimism. Konerko back today? Per Rotoworld, Konerko is expected to return today.

QUOTE (Paulstar @ Jul 1, 2013 -> 11:48 PM) I wouldn't call that sufficient proof, but rather an argument opposite my argument. I do not recall watching Dunn in 2008 when he was with the D-Backs, but he was a big time mid-season acquisition for a team in the heat in contention, and the Diamondbacks wound up going 22-22 with Dunn, two wins away from making the playoffs (or at least game 163). It would be really interesting to hear some Diamondbacks fans opinion on him during that 44 game stretch. As for last year, he did aid to the hot start, but he started to fall off right around the same time when the Sox surprised the whole league and were in first place. He played his best when nothing was expected of the Sox. Was it injuries, another reason, or was it that he does not preform when the pressure picks up? It was well documented that it was injuries. He missed quite a few games towards the end of the year. He had the same back problem that plagued him at the start of this year. You are seriously starting to sound like Hawk with this completely discounting stats in favor of your opinion of a players will to win attitude you have. Before he came to the Sox, Dunn was a .900 OPS player. Seriously what the hell more do you want from the guy. Somebody already posted his low, medium and high leverage stats and they are pretty damn close to being identical. Is this not enough for you? No team has ever missed the playoffs because he is a "losing" player. This assertion is just ridiculous. When Dunn was with the Reds, he was a HOF type player that played on a garbage team. So give it a f***ing rest.

QUOTE (Paulstar @ Jul 1, 2013 -> 01:44 PM) .800 OPS can kiss my ass if your batting .200 and striking out over 200 times. There is something telling when a player puts up his best seasons when a team is in last place, and when a team is in contention he's nowhere to be found. Some guys are winners and some guys are losers, and the fact Dunn has never appeared in one post season game, is very un-clutch and does most of his damage in non-pressure situations, I'm sorry, the guy is a loser on the baseball field. Again, if surrounded by the right people in the right situation, sure Dunn could be a productive player for a contender. But he is being paid to be the guy, and he's never been the guy with the white sox until this past June when the Sox fell into the laughingstock of the league. You are being ridiculous. This isn't the NBA. One guy cannot carry you to the postseason.

Yes you are correct. I saw it posted on the Sox official Facebook page as well.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 26, 2013 -> 09:31 PM) 1) Viciedo trying to cut down the runner at 3B when he was going to his left (the viewer's right), throwing across the body, and letting the trail runner sneak into 2nd. Overshot the cutoff man, etc. 2) On a play that would have surely been a double play ball to end the inning (were Ramirez back at double play depth with runners at 1st and 3rd)...Ramirez ole'd a ball into left field instead of getting in front of it...failing to get his glove down (what do they teach you in Little League? Get your glove down to the ground, then adjust upwards, rather than trying to go down from a higher position) or even block a ball that he played off to the side...reminiscent of the game-losing play against KC. 3) Ramirez, down 3-0, is out by a mile foolishly trying to steal second base. You can add DHing Jeff Keppinger with a 530-something OPS and losing to a guy with an 0-9 record (as I'm writing, the shutout is up in the air) and a mid 5's ERA. Who would you have rather seen DH? Your only other options were Gimenez, Danks or Wells. None of them really light the world on fire either.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 26, 2013 -> 12:22 PM) It's not an end all, be all, but it at least gives some foundation for comparing pitchers to hitters and relievers to starters. You just have to use discretion when using it. I don't mind WAR as a stat and generally the numbers are similar whether it's fangraphs or baseball reference, but I absolutely hate dWAR. In '09 Dunn had a dWAR of -5.2. There is no chance in hell that a major leaguer, no matter how bad they are on defense, is costing their team 5 wins a season.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jun 26, 2013 -> 11:16 AM) Marcum is tied with Peavy with a 1.3 WAR this season. Baseball Reference has Marcum with a -1.0 WAR this season.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jun 21, 2013 -> 11:02 AM) Well, Dunn is 33, and he's never been as consistent as Konerko. Thankfully he's only signed for one more year. Unless he's traded (ha!), he'll be around next year, frustrating us while somehow hitting 30+ HRs. Right now, though, he's not one of the biggest problems on this team. Before Dunn came to the Sox, he was a far more consistent player than Konerko has ever been. He was actually one of the most consistent players in baseball year to year.