shysocks

Quality of the bullpen is fully controlled in this stat. It's about what each manager did with his options - whether he had his best guys pitching in the most important situations. Aside from a few undeniable head-scratchers, I think bullpen usage is one of the areas Robin has definitely improved. That includes the atrocious 2014 pen, which I think he handled with about as much grace as he could have.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 20, 2015 -> 09:48 AM) Yeah I don't know. I think the interviewing after a win at the big bars is kind of a way for people in their homes to feel like they are celebrating. But the morning interviews are only funny if Pat Tomasulo is doing them. I'll give you that, but getting reactions after a win feels different than asking Guy No. 12 in line if the team can pull it off.

http://kotaku.com/konami-denies-hideo-koji...acat-1737501388 I finished Phantom Pain - not only was it brilliant, but it made that company a lot of money. Kojima can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. I know it's all about the profits, but the direction Konami has taken is pretty sad.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Oct 20, 2015 -> 09:33 AM) In early December, my wife and I along with some other couples are doing one of those touristy holiday trolley rides in Chicago. We're looking for a good place to have dinner beforehand. The tour starts and ends at the John Hancock Building. There will be 8 of us, and we'd probably be looking to eat around 4:00 - 4:30. Not looking to spend a lot of money, and we definitely wouldn't be comfortable in a fancy place anyway. Just looking for a place with good food, good drinks, and a comfortable atmosphere. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks There's a Lou Malnati's about a mile from the Hancock Center. If you're okay with deep dish, that will always be my suggestions no matter where in the city you're hanging out.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Oct 20, 2015 -> 09:18 AM) I give a s*** Liar

This is not specific to the Cubs, but I caught the news this morning and I have a complaint. Why are we still interviewing people on the street about their team? Has anybody in the world ever given a s*** that the guy waiting outside Wrigley for SRO tickets says the Cubbies are going all the way?

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Oct 19, 2015 -> 03:12 PM) I was typing out hell no when I realized I'd rather have him then Avisail Garcia. Debating those two would be like arguing douche vs. turd, but I would rather have Avi.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 19, 2015 -> 10:19 AM) Semien's defense alone probably makes a comp pick better than him. No it doesn't. The systems disagree on his performance and UZR rightly penalized him for making a lot of errors, the rate of which he cut back from one every 27 innings in the first half to one every 80 innings in the second half. Even still, he is a capable hitter playing shortstop, and he put up roughly the same WAR last season as a comp pick is expected to produce in all his years before free agency (see chart titled "Cumulative WAR, Pre-Free Agency"). This notion that Semien's defense is a dumpster fire that makes him useless seems to have run wild on this board at some point. It isn't true; he's a pretty good player, guys.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 19, 2015 -> 10:06 AM) This trade is getting the Sox a comp pick who should be a better prospect than Semien was. That's very debatable.

Blargh Harold Reynolds.

QUOTE (shipps @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 01:11 PM) I am actually really excited to watch this series. There is going to be a lot of powerhouse matchups throughout that whole series. Freaking fun stuff. If I didn't hate the Cubs and - to a lesser extent - the Royals so much, I'd say this is one of the better pairs of LCS in quite a while.

QUOTE (ron883 @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 10:14 PM) QUOTE (Wanne @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 05:10 PM) http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz338/W...1/64_banner.jpg LMAO this is really funny actually. I vote this one for the temporary banner. It's also objectively higher in quality than the one I made. I'd be okay with it.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 09:25 AM) Some blamed Coop for MacDougal, Linebrink, Aardsma, Sisco and Masset. Danks and Floyd regressed...Danks hurt. Crain and Jenks got hurt as well. Javy V. was never going to be straightened out. Blaming him for Paulino or Erik Johnson would be really pushing it. Maybe Liriano and Myers didn't click with him in 2012. A lot more success stories: Marte, Contreras, Loaiza, Thornton, Quintana, Humber, Jon Garland, Danks and Floyd early in their Sox careers, Crain and all the rookies in 2012, Hector Santiago, Putnam, Albers, Petricka, Nate Jones, Jenks, Sale, etc. Politte, Hermanson and Cotts in 2005. Liriano is a good example of a guy Coop couldn't turn around, but it's hard to blame him too. He basically did with us exactly what he did with Minnesota that year. Also hard to give Coop credit for all of those guys, especially some of the relievers. But Contreras, Loaiza, Thornton, Quintana - those are the standout examples.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 07:40 AM) Murphy has been a good hitter, and the playoffs probably will make him some money, but do you really want to pay a guy that much money for several years in his 30's who is probably the 2014 edition of Conor Gillaspie ? Murphy's track record is a lot more extensive than Conor Gillaspie's, I don't think they're comparable at all. If the amounts being thrown around in this thread are true, though, he wouldn't be a smart pickup. I'll pass on Frazier too. People are underestimating what it would take to get him.

South Park is having an excellent season. I still have the closing number from "You're Not Yelping" stuck in my head...

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 02:42 AM) Well admittedly Greg has been off a bit on predictions. So Chicago Cubs fans are in trouble if this holds. For I see NO WAY the Cubs can lose to the Mets. Cubs are a lock. Why? Well the Mets aren't prime time material No. 1. No. 2? I hate to go there, but this is all for Ernie Banks. The Cubs are wearing 14 on the sleeve this year for Banks. So what happens? Somehow they actually make the playoffs ahead of schedule, beat the Cardinals of all teams and now play the Mets, yes the Mets. The team that made Ernie's life hell as Leo Durocher blamed him for the 69 collapse. the Mets are the team that prevented Ernie from going to the Series. The Cubs were never the same after that. I'm pretty serious about this. Is heaven letting Ernie orchestrate this postseason?? It sure as hell seems that way. Cubs are a lock to play Toronto in the series. Does this mean KC and New York are assured the WS? We shall see but Greg has given his honest analysis and I've been off my predictive game a bit of late. #analysis

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/an-announce...spect-coverage/ Dan Farnsworth will be his replacement at Fangraphs. He wrote an excellent breakdown of Jose Abreu after the signing that I cited to all my friends as evidence that Abreu would hit like a stud.

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 12:18 PM) Semien would serve no purpose on the current Sox team. Sanchez/Johnson cover 2nd, Alexei/someone else plays short, and Olt/Saladino/etc play third. His glove is awful, especially on the left side of the infield. He'd probably be best suited for 2nd base and there's no space for him. I have to take issue with this. The Sox offense was a complete mess last year, one of the worst units in the team's history. I think Semien would have managed to scratch his way to some playing time. He had a better year than every player you mentioned.

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 12:11 PM) That looks great. Can you replace Robertson with Rodon or Q too? Thanks! I can, but I kind of like the symmetry of having the team's best position player, starting pitcher, and reliever on there. I also wanna make sure that this would go up and I wouldn't be wasting my time.

He gawn.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 10:14 AM) And that will sell how many season tickets next year? That has nothing to do with what he said. QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 09:34 AM) On the bright side our playoff trio of Sale/Q/Rodon would easily best any of the other AL playoff rotations, and is at least on par if not better than the NL playoff rotations. And that will rescue how many puppies?

F.M.K. Rick, Kenny, Jerry. Go.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Oct 14, 2015 -> 09:08 PM) The Sox had money to spend, numerous holes to fill with not nearly enough in the farm to fills those holes so what else were they supposed to do? I went into last off season expecting '15 to be a year for youth and development but since the Sox opened up payroll, I bought into the idea of trying to contend. Things didn't work out but I still give them credit for trying despite having so many voids. I do hold the FO responsible for the Samardzija trade, never did like it since I was high on Bassitt and Ravelo but its not the FO's fault Samardzija sucked so badly either. I can see why a few people around here use the word fickle. Sox are criticized for spending money and yet also criticized for being cheap. I'm not directing that anyone in particular, just an observation in pessimism. Some just seem hell bent on complaining about any and everything. This is a terrific post. Balta's thing is the idea that the failure rate of free agent contracts is fairly high, but not all contracts are equal. The LaRoche and Melky signings suck in hindsight, but they are not albatrosses. The Samardzija trade didn't work out, but no blue chippers were involved. Do I now wish those moves hadn't happened? Yes. In fact the only move I really liked at the time was Melky. But the fact is that the Sox went for it in 2015 without dooming the future.

Canadians didn't grow up playing baseball so they don't know not to throw s*** on the field.

WHFMSHTBWIC!!!