DBAHO

Certainly wouldn't have any issue at giving up McCullough at all in a deal for Rios, nor would Sox fans I'd say.

Glad to hear that the weather actually co-operated for the occasion.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 02:38 PM) It really was a great night for White Sox 3rd basemen. Jon Gilmore went 3-5 with a 2b, 2 RBI’s and a SB. Nice to see Gilmore actually show something.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 03:03 AM) Figgins is 32 years old and will likely be looking for a 4 year deal worth around what Juan Pierre got in '07. Do you really want to pay a 34 or 35 year old Chone Figgins $8M-$10M annually? Definitely not. That's a Luis Castillo situation occurring all over again. I'd look at him on an inflated 2 year deal at the most, but he'll probably get some team to pay him more for more years.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 02:54 AM) There was another rumor that said the Blue Jays also might be interested in Jason Bay this offseason as he is Canadian and a pretty good player. Swapping out Rios for him would probably please their fanbase if that plays into it at all. It would be interesting to see what kind of contract Bay could command. 5 years $60 million, 6 years $73.5 million? That's what Rios has. The thing is if they did that, one of Bay, Lind or Snider would have to be the permanent DH, and I wonder which out of the 3 that'd be.

QUOTE (3E8 @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 02:51 AM) Is this a trick question? Of course No definitely not. I just have concerns that with Rios' offensive downslopes over the past couple of seasons, whether or not he can get back to the offensive player he was. Some people believe that he just needs to get out of Toronto more than anything however. I find it also interesting that we didn't sign Aaron Rowand to that 5 year deal, and now we're going after someone in what could be a very similar scenario. Albeit Rowand is 4 year older though, which certainly makes a difference in their value from that perspective.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 02:43 AM) His UZR numbers in CF last year were elite. Aside from idle speculation that, his athletic ability and elite numbers in RF are all we have to go on. And that's going to be a big issue. If Rios could put up a .800 OPS for the next 5 seasons and give you fairly good defense in CF, and you don't give up much for him, would you make the deal?

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 02:33 AM) And why do you say this? Well there's differing opinions on his ability out there. Obviously the Jays have Wells out there so he hasn't been given a huge run out there. Some people (Blue Jay fans) do think he is a natural CF though. His defensive #'s when he has played in CF are well average to above average I would probably say. You have to look at whether he could play center field for the next 5 seasons or not. If the Sox scouts and brass think he can, well then I'll give them the benefit of the doubt if they make the move. BTW, some Bluejay fans thoughts here; http://www.drunkjaysfans.com/2009/08/break...on-waivers.html

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 02:28 AM) Considering they play 1/3 of their schedule against TB, NYY, and BOS, and have been decimated by pitching injuries, 6 games under is a lot better than they used to be. They have some pretty good players on that team. I suppose not showing any confidence in your ability would be the way you would suggest a guy approach a GM job. Maybe your way can work. Ricciardi's did. You could also argue that TB have shown in that division, that unless you have a payroll over $100M, the only way you can win in that division is to have a great young core that can offer a lot of payroll flexibility. IMO, he should have traded Halladay and rebuilt around the likes of Lind and Snider going forward, but then again, Toronto is trying to remain competitive with the attendance / payroll issues they have, so I can see why Riccardi did what he did even though a lot of people don't agree with it.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 9, 2009 -> 02:20 AM) With Danks and Mitchell poised to be coming up within a year or two is is worth taking on a long contract with an underachieving Rios? Could this be a knee jerk reaction to the 3 errors per game we've seen the team put up the last 2 weeks? That's something to certainly consider also. But my thoughts on all of this. I have to say that looking at all of the numbers and the contract involved, I'm probably not in favor of this deal going ahead, for these reasons. 1 - Rios's OPS has declined from .852 in 07, to .798 in 08 and .734 in 09. That's a worrying trend. 2 - This season, Rios has a .859 OPS at the Rogers Center, and a .617 OPS away from it. For his career, he is a .735 OPS hitter away from the Rogers Center. 3 - Long - term I don't think he's good enough to be a center fielder defensively. If you'd acquire him, I'd say it's to replace Jermaine Dye in RF, as Dye moves to DH and Thome goes. Again, you have to weigh up the numbers and wonder if that's a good decision. 4 - Rios' GPA this season is .241. For comparisons sake, .265 is the average mark for an offensive player. And of course with the contract, paying $60M over 6 years to someone who has declined offensively over the past few seasons is a BIG risk. But Rios could certainly rebound at the Cell and become the player he was back in 2007 with a few adjustments. I just think ATM, the risk outweighs the reward, and that the Sox should look at better options in FA if there are any.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Aug 7, 2009 -> 10:09 PM) According to hoopedia, per the CBA, you only get suspended if caught twice. I found this, so I dunno which one is right;

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 7, 2009 -> 02:01 PM) And I should believe that because I've never heard it from an athlete before? I'm not saying you should obviously, I'm only saying what has been reported, such as this; He made a mistake, and owned up to it. Don't really see that it's that big of a deal.

Rashard didn't know what he was taking was banned on the NBA Drugs Policy FWIW, but he should have definitely known better than that. It's a blow because we'll have to start 2 out of Pietrus / Bass / Barnes now, or Ryan Anderson could even start at the 4 from the start of the season.

Hull missed out on Bobby Zamora and Phil Brown's been desperate for a striker. Cousin and Boateng are pretty crap by Premier League standards, so I think Altidore should start for Hull if he can perform.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 3, 2009 -> 09:13 AM) You should post some clips Enjoy;

Yep, with 23 back to back's and 2 road trips with 6 or more games, it's going to be just that bit harder for them to make the lower spots for the playoffs in the East this season. Compare them to 2 teams they'll likely be competing with, Toronto and Washington. The max road trip for those 2 teams is 4 games and they have 21 B2B's. Doesn't sound like much, but it can make the difference come the end of the season.

Big win after that kind of start from Jose. Terrific job by the bullpen and Carrasco in particular.

After watching the North Korean Bar episode last night from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the comparison is really pretty good actually.

Dye's fielding numbers and his outfield arms #'s are down from a season ago, so this obviously make some sense. http://www.hardballtimes.com/thtstats/main/player/911/ But don't count out Jim Thome yet either. If he finished the season with an OPS of .886, I'd certainly want him back for another season in the DH spot if the price was right. You'd have to find a replacement OF for Dye in any case, and didn't Dunn sign a 2 year deal last off-season (or it may be a 1 with an option, I can't remember 100%).

John Danks, Dan Hudson and Tyler Flowers AT LEAST. And that's why it will never happen.

Very interesting that they see Hudson as a potential option for the 5th starter spot if Torres can't get it done. Really has the feel of Brandon McCarthy in his debut season all over again.

Finally watched the replay of yesterday's game. Sox hitters need to be patient at the plate as they were yesterday and hit with RISP which has been the difference b/w the 2 teams in the series so far. Getting a 4 game sweep against the Yanks would be quite the accomplishment.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Aug 3, 2009 -> 02:01 AM) Maybe he will be back earlier than the end of the month. Coop I hear works miracles So Coop's a Spiritual Healer now?

No. You should see the Australian Versions of Sportscenter and PTI they put on. Cringeworthy.

So here's a Q to ponder. If you are undertaking a job interview, and the other person is basically speaking to you e.g outlining the role or asking you questions, what's the best body language you should use? For example, I'm prob more of the type of person who would say "mm hmm and yes" a bit too much, and I think I need to smile and relax a bit more. And yes I'm asking because I have an interview on Thursday and I want to nail it.