Cali

Oh I LOST it for the Robin hiring. Haha... I'm glad now, and last year was great (cept that last part) but it still seems Robin isn't 100% committed haha, and i'll always kinda think that.

I would trade the Cell as is right now for 23 of the 29 currents ballparks in baseball. They really just bungled the whole thing. Got rid of the old park as decaying as it was, before Fenway/Wrigley became these altar worshiped Mecca's to baseball just because they were old. And being old was suddenly a selling point instead of a demolition point. Build the last ballpark before the Retro takeover happened. Start renovation before the park was even a teenager, basically admitting they f***ed up. The renovations are nice, i'll admit, but it's plastic surgery on an Ugly ballpark that we're stuck with for the foreseeable future, while everyone else has these beautiful Modern Parks. It's a shame.

Just perusing that site (which is awesome) I really like what the Dodgers are gonna do with their bland ass park. It's about time they realized that their Park is in a cold MASSIVE parking lot, and maybe you could build up around it. Cause Once you get inside the park it's nice, but walking around the outside it's terrible.

That Addison park looked awesome. That would have been much preferred.

Don't get me wrong I'd love for the Tigers to sign him to a ridiculous contract and have it haunt them for the next decade with Price and Miggy's deals. Paying $20 million + to players way past their primes...

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 7, 2013 -> 01:20 PM) This joke would be funny if Mike Illitch didn't have made cheddar and clearly enjoy spending it on his professional sports franchises. And the Yankees don't?

Nowhere else to put this but here: Randomly was on MLB.com and saw a link to this video of Big Frank's first Grand Slam http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_...5589557&v=3 And my first thought, besides the awesome hair, is how AWFUL the stadium used to look. My God that place was hideous when it first opened. Just stale and bland. Especially the Upper Deck. The place looked outdated before Camden even opened and showed us what new stadiums should look like for the next 20 years. Such Chicago luck. If only Baltimore struck a deal first or the Sox had had different leasing options on Old Comiskey.

Can you imagine what the Yankees are gonna have to shell out for Verlander?

QUOTE (flavum @ Feb 7, 2013 -> 12:02 PM) It's correct to pick the Tigers to win the division. They're the defending division winner. They have a more than solid rotation with the best starting pitcher in baseball. They have two position players playing in their prime, probably on the way to the Hall of Fame. They have good veteran players. They have a good manager. They have kicked the Sox ass the last couple years. Their downside is defense, which cost them games last year. And you never know with bullpens, and you never know with injuries. But let's not pretend the Tigers aren't a very good team, and they are rightfully the favorite to win the division. One thing to remember--the Sox don't play the Tigers until Game 89, so we really don't have to think about them until July 9. Let's just see if the Sox can get to 50 wins before then, and go from there. That is RIDICULOUS. I still can't believe that. Is there any other division rivals that are waiting that long to play in the rest of the league?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 02:35 PM) And yet, the Sox are still closer to averaging 90 wins than they are to averaging 79. Yes, by 1 whole win! So close! Anyway, never said "averaging 79 wins", still don't know where that is coming from. The start of this was saying 79 wins in 2013 would be so far out of the norm, when in fact, looking at the last 7 years as you've pointed out, it wouldn't be THAT crazy of a guess from that horrible website. Saying they were gonna win 110 or only win 40 games would be A LOT of things going wrong (or right) That was my point. Ironically, I do see them winning like 84-85 games anyway this year haha

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 02:21 PM) Except that 79 wins is just as far from the team's average performance as 91 wins and a likely playoff birth is. If 85 wins is "around 81 wins", then within your error bounds, the Sox average being a playoff team also. I'm giving you a +/- based on ONE number, right in the middle. The number in which every single sports team in every league is judged. 85 is around 81, so is 79, so is 80... Oh, and judging '06-'12 is a pretty good judge on what's been normal for them lately seeing as that is how they've performed the last 7 seasons in a row until now...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 02:09 PM) Dude, seriously, you're pretending that 79 is normal when normal is 85. That's - 6 games right there. Which is still right around .500 which is 81 wins. So normal is +4 which falls into my +/- and ya know, the most important thing, missing the playoffs.

I'm not saying 79 on the dot is normal, I'm saying around .500 is normal. Like + or - 3 or 4 games, which is what you're all mentioning.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 01:12 PM) 82 wins for the Royals sounds about right. 79 for the Sox means A LOT went wrong. Really? Cause thats their normal... right around .500 every year.

Until the Royals can prove they can beat ANYONE ELSE, they aren't gonna finish ahead of the White Sox. Ever.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 5, 2013 -> 02:25 PM) Given that the bench doesn't show up, presumably they're just highlighting the key players. I'd say Lindstrom is pretty key to the bullpen. Moreso than Veal I think...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 5, 2013 -> 12:29 PM) Dave Schoenfield's (ESPN Blogger) take on the 2013 White Sox. So... doesn't think Lindstrom is making the team then? And the Sox are just going with a 5 man bullpen?

I knew I would be, but I'm already on the ANYONE but the Tigers to win the division bandwagon. Based on that BJ of an article and I'm sure the many other to come. Also, still plenty of class on that team even without Valverde and Young. Makes you root against them....

Here's the Tigers Preview from Yahoo... Also done by Passan http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no--7-tigers-...-001753162.html

Santiago. Stuff plays. Unless Q is gonna turn into Buehrle, finess pitching in his second year is gonna get him rocked. That (and of course being gassed) got him at the end of last season already. I do however, like the mental approach by both of them. Unlike some members of the staff... FLOYD. (No coughs.)

I want Lars to turn into a masher, so that Red Sox fans freak out at losing him. "I AHLWAYS KNEW LAAHS WAS A SUPAHSTAH!"

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Feb 1, 2013 -> 11:56 AM) Beckham hits .310 with 25 HRs and keeps playing stellar defense. That goes beyond pleasant surprise into Miracle territory for me haha

Manto'll fix em

What would you love to happen in 2013 for the Sox that you completely don't expect? (One Caveat: Your answer can't be "Winning the Division") Mine? Gavin Floyd has a GREAT season. 2008-like...

I dig the new Alkaline Trio song... I haven't LOVED that band since Crimson, so I hope this is an improvement from Agony & Irony (which I liked) and This Addiction (which I found very bland and boring)