The Ultimate Champion

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 28, 2013 -> 12:53 PM) I don't think there should be any true physical reprecussions. The re-attachment of the tendon should be fine. However, it is tricky and you never know. The biggest detriment is the lost time for learning. That's kind of what I was referring to... there's the injury itself, but then you have all that missed time, then him probably feeling like he has to hurry up and prove himself before the door closes, while the organization is still trying to push him up levels. There's the confidence factor, everything. Sometimes it seems like for a player with the talent of Mitchell but also with the major holes in his game Mitchell has, absolutely everything has to go right, every fit, everything, at unless unless you are a pitcher. Jared at the point of injury was really putting himself on the map and he hasn't even been close to getting back there since.

Personally I hope that after these moves we will make at the deadline & during the offseason we end up with a better CF option than Curtis. Nothing against Curtis, and again I have no problem signing vets to fill the spaces that the young guys aren't ready to take, but really CF & SS is of major concern. You just can't count on Trayce. If by some magical turn of events he becomes an MLB starter then you thank your lucky stars & consider it a potentially excellent player falling into your lap. I keep mentioning Martin because he might be out there, and he's MLB ready with a nice floor. We should try to get players like that, real CFers who aren't going to K 4 billion times and can play now.

Knowing the Sox, any big deal they make that returns 3-4 players is going to include at least one pitcher. We'll be adding to our organizational pitching depth after these moves, just getting better probably on the starting front if worse in the pen, and if Peavy goes, given all the salary we will be moving, we should be able to sign at least one more righty to go with Johnson. ***IF*** there actually is someone willing to take on Danks' contract, then we already have 3 lefties + Johnson, so if Peavy goes we sign a FA to slot in at the #2 with some of that cash and add the prospects we acquire to that picture, and we're sitting pretty. We're in the catbird seat.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 28, 2013 -> 11:59 AM) This is really funny. For years KW was blasted for drafting safe guys from college like McCullough and Broadway. Now he is getting blasted for high ceiling projects. FAce it for years the Sox spent all of their resources on the MLB team which left no bonus money for the draft. Now with the new rules for the draft the Sox can still allocate most of the resources to the MLB team and be competitive in the draft. If Jared Mitchell doesn't get hurt making that catch who knows what that pick looks like now.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 28, 2013 -> 10:48 AM) And spend nothing on the draft. This is truth. And KW also had as much to do with that as he had to do with the length of Ozzie's tenure here. This new CBA is the greatest thing that could have ever happened to our farm system. Hahn will undoubtedly build a much better farm than Kenny had during the majority of his reign, but it will have more to do with ownership than anything else.

Maybe Robin should publicly beg for an extension rather than express doubt over his future. Maybe he should yell at everyone, throw his players under the bus all the time, instead of trying to be so level-headed. Maybe he should give more detail in his dealings with the media, I mean, why doesn't he have a better relationship with the media? That's what a manager is mostly there for, right? To hold court? Maybe Robin should try to take the pressure off the players and put it on himself. That always works. You know what we need? OZZIE YeAH

Stubborn as Kenny? Huh? http://majorleagueaholes.com/2010/12/03/going-for-it/ That did happen. Kenny was going to start this thing 3 years ago but Jerry, of course being an evil cheapskate, decided to up the Sox payroll to record levels & go for it all.

C 1B 2B Beckham 3B Gillaspie SS LF CF RF SP Sale SP Quintana SP Santiago SP Danks SP CL Reed RSU LSU MR Jones MR/Righty Specialist Lefty Specialist LR Axelrod Bench C 2B/SS 3B/1B Morel OF Danks

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 28, 2013 -> 08:16 AM) These players all destroyed AAA. That's why it's a minor league team and they are on a major league team. I f***ing hate when people say s*** like this. An "above average AAA" team was the 2003 Tigers. They won 43 games. And 8 of those wins came against us. IIRC wasn't that the origin of Corpseball? They took 2/3 from us is May, then July 8-10 they swept us by scores of 2-1, 4-2, and finally 1-0 following a masterpiece by Esteban Loaiza which just wasn't quite as great as the one painted by Cy Cornejo. Remember that? Those were the days.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 07:47 PM) What is the solution to that, getting rid of DeAza, Viciedo, Keppinger, Flowers, Gimenez and Alexei? If they're going to clean house, they better find a good defensive 1B so that Dunn doesn't have to play there next year. And I guess we have to be resigned to Rios going, because he's the second most valuable entity (or first, depending on the team), along with Crain and the huge question mark wrapped in an enigma known as Jake Peavy's future. I don't think you have to be resigned to Alex going. I've been one of his biggest fans here but the fact is he's no sure thing mentally. I mean, would anyone be surprised if he turned, say, a bad August 2013 into a bad 8 consecutive months? He's done that before. Buyer beware, Alex Rios is the hottest item on craigslist, the coolest toy in the neighbor's garage sale, etc. You can sell him without being too worried. Peavy is the one guy I worry about. It's not very often you have a player so talented who actually means it when he says he wants to stick around, who actually will take a discount, who is such a great clubhouse influence... and cap it off with the injury factor potentially dropping his value. I think you put him out there but only if you get a lot thrown at you do you move him. I don't want to see Peavy go for a couple A ballers, that's for sure. And not really on Hahn, more on the entire organization including KW & Buddy Bell, Marco Paddy, Laumann, etc. it's due diligence time. No more Molinas. Scout the f***ing players, don't just trade for them blindly. It's one thing to make a mistake after you've done the legwork, that happens, it's baseball, but it's another to trust someone's word/influence so much that it negates proper procedure.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:57 PM) There's still a real good chance they try to field a competitive team for 2014. If they sign some FA they may have an outside shot at a 2008 type of club where they back into the postseason & lose in the first round. They're a couple years from being a serious title contender IMO. And really there's nothing wrong with making a few veteran signings to put something respectable on the field, but the focus needs to be on finding more young pre-arb pieces. Of course that's easier said than done. In 1998 a 21-year-old Mike Caruso hit .306/.331/.390 as a SS, the following year... poop.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:48 PM) I was listening to that same conversation and wish I could have called him a f***ing idiot to his face. He really knows nothing about the White Sox. I don't follow other sports this closely, but I'm pretty sure everyone thinks he's a moron. I remember him going on and on during the NBA super summer free agency period about how he'd rather have Wade over LeBron. Really?

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:10 PM) OMG WHITE FLAG TIME, SOMEONE THINK OF THE ATTENDANCE Ha!

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:06 PM) Depends on how you define "massive amount". Personally I shoot for saving just under 1/2 his contract next year; if the team can't save $6 million or so, then may as well hold onto him. I agree, but that's why I said if you can use the PA. For the sake of argument, let's say Hahn pulls the trigger on a deal tomorrow that sends out Rios + Lindstrom, we get back an MLB ready RF who starts right away, a prospect in A ball, and the 3rd piece is a position player who is kind of a butcher in the field but is ready for MLB AB now. Not saying this would happen, but if something like it did, you've hit the point where what is more valuable, the playing time of your young guy who needs to prove himself, or the few million you might get out of Dunn's deal? But in general agree, you don't eat a ton to dump Dunn unless you have someone to play there who you think has a shot at being a regular contributor. I'm just so happy right now. I've fought & fought, like all of us it seems, posting & posting & posting, wishing and dreaming, hoping Ricky The Wild Thing Hahn would read these trade threads & get the message & finally get to work, and now it looks like he has. Thank god. I want to hug everyone here. We've all done it together, we've forced Hahn's hahn-d.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 05:57 PM) His versatility to play multiple infield positions could be helpful to an NL team. We'd get nothing back but if we could clear the contract that would be great. For a rebuilding team you want your UT AB to go to someone who might have a future as a starter at some point. Same with Dunn, even if you have to eat a massive amount of the deal, if you can use his PA to try someone out, go for it.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 02:54 PM) I don't know why you guys want to trade pitching. It's like you want us to be out of the race in April the next several years. You know how long it's going to take to rebuild if all facets of our team suck? We're going to be out of the race in April next year most likely. And there's nothing wrong with that if it gets us into another long period of contention. BTW pitching is really the one thing we can do right as organization. As long as it isn't Sale, if it's a pitcher, I feel like we have a good shot at replacing him in a year or two. Not that it's easy, but it's our one real strength.

Yes! Thank you, Mr. Hahn. Everyone but Sale & Paulie, that is exactly what I wanted to hear.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 02:03 PM) Marty34 argued this for months and months... I know. I think he's right, too.

Well he sure is blowing hard.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 01:45 PM) Yeah I am starting to think Alexei's contract becomes too much. The guy isn't hitting 15 HRs and 70 RBIs anymore and his OPS is dropping bad. I am/was a big fan of Alexei but he's falling off offensively. I really feel like this year will be an outlier in his defensive statistics so maybe next year would make more sense to move him if we're not contending in July and his defensive performance is restored. Either way, good SS are hard to come by. It wasn't long ago that Alexei was definitely in the argument as a top 5 SS. Even though power shouldn't be important from your SS it was a nice additive when he was at his peak. HR/AB '08 - 22.86 '09 - 36.13 '10 - 32.5 '11 - 40.93 '12 - 65.89 '13 - 296 Contract '13 - 7 million '14 - 9 million '15 - 10 million '16 - Team Option for 10 million, 1 million buy out Anyone think the Cuban age factor may have played a role in his decrease of power? This is what I think also. His contract will just become harder to move, and you have to think that by now he is what he is offensively. We should try to land a young SS if we can.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 01:17 PM) Get a heavy, industrial bag. Line the insides with food and beer. Now see that's brilliant. You'd better hurry up & patent that thing before Ron Popeil gets the same idea. Those big lawn bags you put grass clippings & stuff in (some people anyway, I use the free mulch because I'm smart) would hold all kinds of stuff, you could even wipe the BBQ sauce off your face on the inside of the bag if you wanted to. You could pick your nose whenever you felt like it & nobody would know. Imagine eating nachos without fear, I'm always afraid of what people will think watching me dig in & get the cheese on my hands, then licking the cheese off my sweaty palms & so on. Great idea. Put a fan in there too so it doesn't get hot, just make sure the beer tube doesn't come in contact with it.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 12:32 PM) Hopefully never. People who do that at games just look stupid. And they mostly belong to franchises known for futility. I don't want to be associated with that crap. I know they do but I always laugh when I see them on TV. I mean come on, imagine trying to eat with one of those things on.

Re: Danish, here is my orginal post: QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 22, 2013 -> 09:11 PM) I wonder if there's some thought in the organization about trading Reed, grooming Danish quickly in the minors to fill that role immediately kind of like Sale, work with him on his mechanics piece by piece at the MLB level ala Sale, then try to convert him to a starter in the big leagues. Now the angry elves living in Dick Allen's head hang onto this post (as they build their horrible little toys for some satanist christmas party) and 5 days later out comes: QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 12:14 PM) How anyone who suggests the Sox second round pick who just graduated HS and has not thrown a pitch in professional baseball be the closer this year, tries to tell someone they are not a knowledgeable fan is beyond comprehension. So here's innocent little me throwing a thought out into the air, letting it blow around like a little balloon for a sec or two before IMMEDIATELY BEING SHOT DOWN as stupid by southsider2k5 (okay fine), but yet oh look the little angry elves just can't let it go, can't get out of the workshop making their horrible little toys which cause childrens eyes to bleed on the sabbath. Why? It was just a thought! And I like Danish, call me a baker's pet but I like Danish.

TYVM Mr. Steve

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 11:18 AM) When they trade Reed for Garcia. That's when *you* show up with a bag over *your* head & the knowledgeable fan next to you laughs at you because it's a great trade. Then he probably stands up and makes makes funky gestures with his arms, pretending to be an ape, making ape noises and going "Derr Addison Reed ERERER" and so forth.