The Ultimate Champion

The only real question I have at this point is whether or not Rickyboy sees his shadow once he pops out of his hole. This has been a mild winter so far but with that said I could still go for an early spring.

Now that the calendar is about to turn over to 2013, the big question becomes whether or not Hahn is going to be able to make a move before 2014. I believe he is still holed up in his Montana bunker surrounded by Chef Boyardee products & batteries as he waits for the world to end. Ricky, turn your ham radio back on. We're still going to play this thing.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Dec 28, 2012 -> 08:46 AM) I think a major trade is going to happen soon. It has been way too quiet on these parts for over a month! Hahn has pretty solid pieces to move in Viciedo, Beckham, Floyd and possibly De Aza... I expect 2 out of those 4 to be dealt soon. My guess would be Viciedo and Floyd will be the ones traded. BUT to go along with this thread- here is my 2013 starting lineup if the season started today: De Aza CF Beckham 2B Rios RF Dunn DH/1B Konerko 1B/DH Ramirez SS Keppinger 3B Viciedo LF Flowers C It's quiet because he's still sleeping. I'll call it right now: January 14th Nappytime Hahn awakens from his slumber to trade Matt Thornton to a contender for a middling prospect.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Dec 23, 2012 -> 07:15 PM) Exactly. I'm battling through some deep depression myself but I know its temporary and when I kick it I'll be that much more happy knowing where I came from. Yeah I went through that too & it sucks the big fat hard one. But the good thing about depression & going downhill fast is that once you reverse it, the good stuff gets great fast, and everything snowballs into awesomeness. If I could give a lil advice I'd say look for some sort of personal victory, however small or large. For me it was quitting smoking. That controlled a big part of my life & I felt like I'd never get away from it (I didn't want to anyway) but it's pretty amazing how one good thing leads to another 20 good things in short order. Find something that bothers you/controls you/'etc and kick its ass, then take the confidence gained and run with it. QUOTE (YASNY @ Dec 24, 2012 -> 12:26 AM) I'll only say in reply to the 'dumbest s***' comments that I have seen what suicide does to those left behind. I stand by it. So have I. It can shatter lives in every way, emotionally, financially, break families apart, etc. But that doesn't mean that people afflicted with mental disorders are selfish. Nobody wants to go through every day life feeling like a pile of dog crap. The best analogy I can make to people who get that bad is it's like being colorblind. Ten people can look at the same object and see it for the color it actually is, but then someone else looks at the same object and interprets it very differently, and can't really help it. You see yourself & the world in a different way than what others can understand, you feel like an outcast, and you can't just "change" out of nowhere, because it's a multi-step process where you don't know where to step first even should you muster the courage to do so. The mind is a crazy thing & when things go bad it creates this whole web that encourages bad decisions and then seeks to reward them chemically. Falling into a s***hole isn't selfish, nor is it selfish to lack the strength/desire to try to pull yourself out of one. I'm just giving you the straight talk here homey. QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 24, 2012 -> 02:27 AM) When I almost offed myself last year it was because I felt like I was a useless burden to everyone. Fortunately, I was able to hang in the balance long enough for my friends to help me. It wasn't because I was selfish and just wanted to end it. I didn't. I thought it was what was best for everyone else. Right. And the fact that you didn't means that today the world is a much better place for yourself & many other people. What would SoxTalk be without Quinarvy? Nothing but a worthless, despicable hellhole full of AJ & Mark haters. But because you're here it's just another internet discussion forum full of AJ & Mark haters. QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Dec 24, 2012 -> 02:36 AM) Awful. Sad for his family and friends. Unfortunate that he couldn't overcome whatever it was that was eating at him. It's a topic that probably conjures up immovable opinions, but I wasn't walking in his shoes, nor was anyone else- No one should be condemning him. http://hcgchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/cookie.jpg

QUOTE (YASNY @ Dec 23, 2012 -> 01:55 AM) No disrespect intended, but suicide is a very selfish act. This is the dumbest s*** people say when suicides happen. I've had several people close to me do it & it's never about "me," it's the product of a deep depression where generally one person feels useless/worthless to those around him who care. You can't ration with people who are that down on themselves. Thinking the world is better off without you because you constantly bring others down... is that really so selfish?

Kubel is a tread water move. I have no problem with these moves as long as they are attached to other moves which deepen the talent roster in 2014 and beyond. This division still sucks compared to the West (Hells Angels alone) and the AL East... we can win with a s***ty roster comparitively. But we can't lose focus, and we have to create a long-term window supported by good, young players. Please Rick Hahn, get off your lazy ass and do something already. You're embarrassing us. Or at least me.

I'm not sure there's another FA who fits in with the Indians scatterbrained organizational mentality better than Swisher does. Match made in Purgatory IMO.

QUOTE (beck72 @ Dec 23, 2012 -> 06:51 AM) Kubel could be had for maybe a bullpen arm. It won't take much. Axelrod plus a lower level prospect. But I view that as the beginning point of deals, certainly not the end. With a supposed decent market for Gavin, this is the year he's traded. I could see the Sox going for Markakis around a package of Floyd and Viciedo. That would mean two OFer's going in deals. Probably Rios if they could land Nick. They could sell high on Rios with a consistent bat like Markakis in order to get near major league ready talent, something the sox are sorely lacking, esp. position players. The sox get an injury or two in a few keys spots-SS esp., and they have few options to go to. The same question will come up, why trade Dayan? I think it's all about getting consistent, steady production, getting on base, and diversifying a RH heavy lineup. Right now, SS, 2b and C are not consistent spots, with low avg. and OBP. 3b is a question as well. LF with Dayan also. Yet he could also bring back the greatest return. The sox aren't in a position where they can just stand still. Rios and Dunn could easily fall back and the Sox would be in a huge hole. Standing pat won't be enough to overtake let alone be competitive with the Tigers. They need to take some calculated risks to get some proven talent in, along with acquiring some new talent that is near ready for the bigs. Axelrod lands no one with a pulse. Reed for Kubel straight-up is a pretty fair deal; Jones + a halfway decent spect is also fair. Kubel is a good lefty bat under control for 2 years at a reasonable salary. He has value. If Dayan and Floyd went to Baltimore there would have to be a hell of a lot more coming back than Markakis. If Dayan is on the block it is IMO because the organization doesn't want to commit a possible large future salary to a LF who isn't a true #3/#4 hitter. He's getting paid now so if he's not in the 3-5 year plan then make the deal if you get the right return. You take back prospects though, with very high ceilings, and/or Beckham-like players who are still young, talented, and may need a change of scenery. Short-term high salary players shouldn't be on the table in any Viciedo deal unless we're taking on a contract in order to land better prospects.

AJ, Mark, Big Frank, Hawk Harrelson and KW's face would be in there too somewhere hidden like Masonic symbols in government buildings.

Floyd + DeAza for Markakis + Arietta is a great deal for both teams IMO. For Baltimore, they cut salary, get an easily extendable Floyd (few good SP are going to want to play in Baltimore, especially at fair market value or less), plus they get a controllable OF who they can also afford. And for the Sox, Arietta has a lot of potential, is a righty, and Markakis helps now. Also if I spelled Arietta's name incorrectly it is because I am a rebel & rebels like me do things like that on purpose, not necessarily because they are too lazy to look the player up on baseball-reference.

QUOTE (sayitaintso @ Dec 21, 2012 -> 01:29 PM) So what constitues "pretty significant"? Any deal that is well above any sort of criticism.

I was at that game too. IIRC wasn't that the same game where Jeff Kent bit off a chunk of Hee-Sop Choi's ear? AJ leaving the Sox is a lot like how you feel when a great humanitarian passes away. What do you say? What can you say? There aren't enough words for it. AJ is one of the greatest & most influential players in franchise history and he is also responsible for some of the greatest moments in franchise history. I have faith he'll be back here again, maybe even as a player to retire in our uniform, but until that day, a piece of my heart is going to reside in Texas. AJ, you know how I feel about you.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 21, 2012 -> 02:16 PM) Pretty much. 2005 over-inflated Ozzie's already gigantic ego to epic proportions, leading to his teams' repeated underachievement over the years. Disagree. The lack of controls on Ozzie & the massively long leash he had here led to Ozzie's head blowing up. I mean, just the Oney s*** alone would have been enough to get any other manager canned. IIRC Jerry extended Ozzie's contract right around the time when his little bastard son squealed on Bobby Jenks in public & brought hush-hush Sox clubhouse matters to the forefront of the baseball world. Jerry's extreme loyalty is one of the reasons so many of his employees love him, but the downside is it occasionally can lead to an Ozzie situation, a Dave Wilder situation, etc.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 03:11 PM) The Andrew Bailey trade happened shortly after the Santos deal was completed and it netted the A's Reddick and their current #6 prospect. That's incredibly more value than KW got for Santos, especially considering he had signed a cheap long-term extension with three team options earlier that off-season. I wish he had made that deal instead too. But it is worth noting that Santos was out of options & that would havebrought his value down a lot, since you'd have to pass him through waivers to send him down in the event of a struggle.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 03:05 PM) I need a beer. Me too.. I just drank the last 1 I had. It's rainy & muddy outside & I've only had 7 so far, & what sucks about 7 beers is it puts you right ar the point where you won't go driving... yeah, I'll run. I haven't run in a little while, I think I'll run to the liquor store & pick up another 30pack & walk back. That's a good idea. See yall, & if you were here I'd give you a beer but since you're not I'll just drink an extra one for you.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 02:50 PM) I am hoping this was a green fail. He's exactly right. We have a 1-year closer, a 1-year setup man, a vet lefty setup guy & a vet righty setup guy who have been among the better setup men out there during their careers, plus an excess of LHSP (I doubt anyone is looking for that...) plus 2 OFers one of which has serious potential and the other who is a lead-off hitter. Right, little to no value there. Oh yeah, also a vet SP in Floyd. We have lots of chips & have made no moves. I want to know what Hahn is trying to do here. He brought back Peavy but Peavy basically brought back himself. In the wake of the Annabelle Sanchez deal & knowing what EJax is going to get, Peavy left a gigantic amount of money on the table & only Peavy deserves the credit for that. But hey, maybe Blake Tecotte or whatever is going to be a serviceable 5th OF. That'll help. NOT!QQ!

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 02:54 PM) And let's be honest, one of KW's weaknesses was his impatience. He often took the first deal he liked instead of waiting for a market to develop for his players. We saw this most recently with the Sergio Santos trade where some teams didn't even know he was available. And if he had held onto Sergio because the deal wasn't there, then what? He'd have an injured player he couldn't trade. Also Kenny's lack on info on Molina makes me very seriously think that this was a Hahn move & Molina was a Hahn target. Kenny IIRC didn't even know what Molina was doing over that offseason. I wouldn't be surprised if last offseason KW kind of let Rick make some decisions on his own to prep him for the promotion.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 02:44 PM) Seagulls sit around parking lots waiting for someone to drop a bag of McDonald's french fries. Then they eat said french fries, make noise, get fat, and then poop on cars. Right. And people wait in lines at McDonalds for french fries they have to pay for, then eat said french fries, make noises (via their bums), get fat, and then also poop in toilets at home which they also have to pay for. Seagulls have bopped their heads on the question-marked block, collected the mushroom, and have 1-UP'ed their human competitors. Ricky "The Mild THing" Hahn has 1-UP'ed whom? Exactly. At least cars are afraid of seagulls, cars which by the way are cared for & pampered by people. What does that tell you?

You guys are all making sense. What I loved about Kenny though was the fact that he would make a move without thinking all day about whether or not it was a mistake. Aggressiveness is an excellent quality for a GM to have and I see none of it with Hahn. It seems like Hahn is playing it way too safe and I don't like that one bit. Look, if you don't think DeAza is a long-term piece then f***ing trade him. Yes, as "dominos" fall, there are fewer players on the market. The flip side is that there are then fewer teams looking to fill holes. Sitting around all day doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get a better return on a player. Often it means you end up getting nothing done & have to take less than what you wanted at a later date. I will now echo the statement of another poster on this thread who asked Rock Raines which direction are we headed in. What is the plan here? Do we have one? Seagulls have a plan. Seagulls have a direction, a very clear direction. When you watch the geese fly overhead, they actually know where they are going. Do the Sox even know that? Is Rick Hahn smarter than a seagull or a goose or a gander? None of this is certain, and the lack of action & the uncertainty surrounding it makes me think about monster trucks. THat is all.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 01:08 PM) This might stand as the biggest overreaction I've ever seen. Can we at least give him a baseball game before throwing him under the bus? What's the point of baseball if you're not even going to try? I've said this before and I'll say it again: bring out the monster trucks. US Cellular in 2013 + Gravedigger = match made in heaven.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 12:56 PM) The season is over 100 days away. And it'll be the most exciting 100 days Rick Hahn's XBox has ever seen.

Hey Ricky, keep sitting on your eggs all day & pretty soon they're going to hatch. It's great how we've gone from under the radar to completely off it. I want Kenny back. This is like when Terry Ryan left the Twins & all hell broke loose. Where's my Kenny? Kenny, the joke is over. I miss you Kenny. We get it now, you really were the best, and your absence has made us all realize how great you were. Please come back. We need a real GM that isn't a-scared to make a move. And please don't shout back "Peavy" because that was all him; he left god knows how many millions on the table to stick around here. He made a bad business decision that is going to work out great for the Sox, but Peavy gets all the credit for that one. Keppinger is it for Hahn, time to pull the plug IMO.

Mild thing Keep ascertaining You make racing Feel like parking Mild thing I think I... Meh. Ricky "The Mild Thing" Hahn IMO.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 10:13 PM) I hate Jason Kubel. He would be underwhelming, but like Keppinger, at this stage it might be better for the long-term success of the organization to try to stockpile talent and at the same time try to run out smart money type contenders. The Sox love to draft the uber-athletic OFers (usually K machines also) and seem to salivate over these types when they're out there on the trade market. Maybe they feel their next major window is 2 years away and Viciedo isn't athletic enough for them in RF. If that's the case, and there is a deal out there that brings back a young player or prospect that fits their ideal vision and time frame a bit better, then maybe they make that deal happen. Also, the Sox have a habit of putting cheap (especially speedy & rangey type) players in LF. Viciedo might seem to them as a LF who will be making too much money very soon and maybe they don't want that. In theory, if you can add the MiLB talent to deepen the farm, use a couple MLB pieces like Santiago to get the more average types of players rather than the star types, and then sign the Keppinger types over the Youkilis ones, you're trying to tread water as a borderline contender rather than all-out rebuild, and when you're in a situation like last season, where the team is unexpectedly good mid-season, you can look to add and make a run without greatly altering the greater picture.

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 09:57 PM) I'd rather get kicked in the nuts than trade Viciedo for Jason Kubel Nobody would do that. If Dayan could bring back the right prospect(s) then you can deal the Rockies Santiago + or something for Kubel. You don't have to trade world beaters to get Kubel. He'd be a nice 2 year stopgap in LF if your long-term plan in the OF doesn't involve Viciedo.