Southwest Sider

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 5, 2015 -> 12:37 PM) Mark Lazerus ‏@MarkLazerus 6m6 minutes ago Quenneville says Trevor van Riemsdyk is ahead of schedule. Can "ratchet up" his rehab soon. #Blackhawks That's exciting news. That Richards goal was shades of Kanes last goal of the 2010 playoffs. Just higher off of the ice.

Thanks! Normally, I just lurk and with the Sox stinking up the joint, it's easy to keep my thoughts to myself. But anticipating a fun off season, I had some thoughts I really wanted to throw out there this time. My only regret so far is saying that Bears fans deserve better then Cutler. Oh, and the Blackhawks/NHL thread needed more love, too.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jan 3, 2015 -> 12:41 PM) Let's just be happy Q didn't have Patrick Kane as a rookie. That is an interesting point. Any guesses as to how Q would have handled younger Kane? Perhaps, though, during Kanes first years, there wouldn't have been as much of a win-now mentality because the Hawks were still building. As such, defensive responsibility might not have been at such a premium as it is now. Then again, this could just be how Q is, young rebuilding team or not. It's interesting to ponder.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 3, 2015 -> 03:32 PM) Seriously? http://www.csnchicago.com/blackhawks/winte...pitals-practice Heheh... now I think I'll add Washington to the list of teams that I would prefer to see the Hawks face if they make the Cup Final. Detroit, Montreal, Toronto and Pittsburgh would also be a blast.

I feel as though Saad has shown Q that he is not a black hole defensively. For Q, that is what matters most. I speculate that our top line, talented as it undoubtedly is, is better as a so called checking line, to battle the opponents top lines. Toews, Hossa and Saad are all very talented defensively. They all have great offensive upside, but usually play the other teams best. While they will take advantage of offensive opportunities, they no doubt will have to play top notch defense, because the other teams best is coming. I'm okay with that, and the difference between a guy like Saad and a guy like Morin or Pirri or Hayes is that he is responsible defensively. These guys all had time to prove to Q that they are responsible defensively, and anything offensive is a bonus. In the end, Q liked guys like Smith and Kruger better. That Saad was able to work himself into the top line speaks volumes about him. I know that a lot of Hawks fans take issue with Q's handling of players, but it's likely that fans of the rest of the leagues teams also take issue with theirs. Q thinks very highly of Saad, evidenced by his promotion to the top line. Plain and simple, there should be no surprise that Saad has "survived" Coach Q... because Saad is better then Morin, Pirri and etc. As for TT, with his promotion you can expect that Q will give him every chance to succeed. But, if for every nice offensive play he makes, an equally as horrid defensive one is made, you can expect he will be sent back to Rockford. I'm as excited about TT as anyone else, but he has GOT to be responsible defensively to stick on this team. It's not just Crawford/Raanta/Darling and happenstance that the Hawks have the best goals for/goal against ratio in the entire league by 10 goals. (Hawks +38, Nashville +28)

Merry Christmas!!! s***ters full!!

If Jeff were interested in re-signing, I think that at the earliest it would be around midseason, and there need to be a couple things satisfied for him to sign. He needs to absolutely love the organization. Not just as a fan, but the front office, everyone. He needs to be sold on JRs loyalty, and becoming a beloved White Sox figure. Also, the money is going to need to be competitive. If he's not going to hit the open market, then his contract needs to be competitive with the contract given to Lester, and the contracts that will be given to Shields and Scherzer. It will be real interesting to see what those guys sign for. I also think the Sox will need to be right in the thick of it for either party to be interested in a contract extension. If the Sox, for some reason, tank next season, they will probably deal Jeff at the trade deadline. I don't foresee that happening and I believe the Sox will in the very least be in the hunt by the trade deadline. I think the Sox will respect the fact that he wants to get to know the organization before considering an extension. That's a perfectly reasonable request. You want to know that you're not going to sign up for a situation like the Bears... I think Jeff knows the Sox are a good organization but just wants proof positive to be certain.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 07:01 PM) Holy crap, this is the greatest thing ever. http://www.csnchicago.com/blackhawks/black...utely-hilarious Wow. Just.... wow. That is hilarious!!!

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 09:23 AM) Padres / White Sox World Series. Book it. I'm down with that.

It's true that when you want to make your pencil lineup, it starts off great until you get to Garcia's spot because we still don't really know what to expect from him. But Avi seems like a big competitor out there, and a hard worker. Those features should work well his pure talent, and in his limited playing time, he has shown that he is not completely clueless with the bat, which is another good sign. Hopefully in a larger sample size we can see Avi's talent really start to shine! :-)

Everyone is sick of Cutler. Just knowing that it will be someone else getting creamed instead of same ol' number 6 might bring a few more fans to the game. And possibly curb the boo-fest a little bit.

Just watched the first part of the Road to the Winter Classic. Lots of good stuff, a lot of behind the scenes stuff. Highlighted the Seidenberg hit on Toews, but didn't really get into the concussion protocol. A lot of cool stuff from the Capitals side of the show, too. I'm excited to see the rest!

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 17, 2014 -> 07:15 AM) He's almost 30. To me, that doesn't mean as much of a return than if he was say, 25 or 26. Also, as much speculation as there is about TB wanting a kings ransom because of his fair contract, is it not possible that TB is looking to get out from under that contract? That contract to a large market team is great, but to a team like TB maybe the term is a little too much? Just food for thought, as it could potentially water down their return a little bit.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 16, 2014 -> 10:33 PM) If you got 18 minutes to kill, go watch the Capitals/Panthers shootout on NHL.com. It went 20 rounds, longest shootout in NHL history, very entertaining. Although I am disappointed the goalies didn't get a chance in round 19. Thanks for the reminder, I was going to check it out when Pat Foley mentioned it on air... then forgot til I saw your post!

This has been a fantastic run the Hawks are on. Keep it rolling, boys. Stack up those points.

Maybe KW could implement his "extreme... less-then-desirable" strategy if it came down to it and the Sox could acquire Longoria. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/104180786/wh...news-conference Ehhhh.... I'm dreaming again.

You never know guys! MLB Trade rumors is saying there could be a 3rd team involved in the Wil Myers deal... Unlikely? yes. Possible? Also yes. I don't know what I'd do if we acquired Longoria. I'm already stoked beyond belief for next season.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 16, 2014 -> 10:28 AM) Frankly, Abreu could put up even bigger numbers, and the Cuban thing was correlation at this point and it is not causation. I just think EXPECTING Abreu to put up bigger numbers is setting ourselves up for disappointment. Thanks for the bit of reality check. On one hand, it is amazing to think about the potential of Abreu with real baseball players around him. Melky instead of Beckham (though Alexei isn't horribad in the #2 spot), and Laroche instead of Dunn. It's a pretty exciting proposition. It really does seem like Abreu is the real deal, and he could put up MVP numbers next year. But as you said, expecting it would set you up for disappointment. But I still wouldn't be disappointed if he had a carbon copy season to last year. I seriously doubt he'd regress too seriously considering how he handled himself in the first and second halves of last season. It seemed as though, in the first half, he tried to hit more home runs, and did, but what followed was a lower (but not unacceptable) batting average. Then, in the 2nd half, he decided he wanted to hit for more average, and he did. Point is, he did what he wanted, not what the pitchers wanted. That being said, I'm not quite as excitable a fan as I used to be, and I can't speak for others, but as disappointed as I might be for Abreu to have a poor season, I'd still be able to chalk it up to sophomore slump and believe that he's better. Now, I have two questions for you. One, has anyone ever told you that you use the word "frankly" a lot? And two, assuming Abreu is able to "decide" whether he wants to hit for average a power, which would you prefer him to choose? Or would you prefer he went about it like he did this past season?

QUOTE (ron883 @ Dec 15, 2014 -> 10:19 PM) I'm glad some people feel the same way I do. I just can't morally bring myself to support this team. I have zero respect for roiders. Signing a third roider to this team? I don't want this to be thought of like the Bosox teams that were fueled by steroids. Maybe it will get better if this team is winning, but I just can't bring myself to cheer for Melky. I think you're overstating a little bit here. I wouldn't go so far as the team being "fueled" by roiders... and I really do believe if the Sox were to win a World Series next year, not many people would point at the Melky signing and say "They're cheaters". It's in his past now. You will want to cheer for Melky in the #2 spot because he should be seeing a lot of good pitches to hit with Abreu right behind him... and by all accounts, the guy knows how to hit. Another way to look at it is, had the Blue Jays won the World Series, would you be calling them cheaters and fueled by steroids? That's almost impossible to have happen. I know I wouldn't have.

Just maybe if we can find a taker for Danks who will pay his whole salary... Wouldn't that be sweet? Dream on

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 09:33 AM) i can imagine all the negative side effects this is doing to some of the teams gm at breakfast this morning. the sCrubs, they are seeing their control of chi just keeping slipping Dodgers, prob thought they had the sox over the barrel, enjoy eating more salary. and yous guys can add more. this will be great for that Hilter snippet of getting pissed. Yeah, this probably helps push Ilitch to sign Scherzer. We'll see.

Absolutely yes! In another thread I posted that it would be very difficult and expensive to upgrade 3B and C. Sandoval wasn't worth all that extra money, being a marginal upgrade over Gillaspie, and there really isn't much of a catchers market out there. The Sox probably never targeted upgrades at 3B and C anyway. I'm so trusting of this front office that I feel, if they are excited about Gillaspie at 3B and think he be better, I'm with them. Flowers isn't the best hitter on the planet but will provide adequate defense with some pop. I'm so stoked!

Can't wait for Spring Training! Already have my plane tickets. :-) What an excellent offseason.

WOW! Signing Melky. I thought it would only happen in a movie. But if it is really just a 3 year contract... HOOORAY! We got a guy to hit lefties and righties alike, and provide adequate defense. I am thoroughly pleased with this move.

I've been a big Jay Cutler apologist for his entire tenure as a Chicago Bear. "He'll get better" I kept telling myself, and everyone. Has he gotten better? I've wanted Jay Cutler to succeed ever since he got traded here. Has he succeeded in the slightest? Call it meathead if you want, but I fully disagree. Bears fans deserve better. I'm fed up with trying to tell myself that he's going to become a better quarterback. But you know what, I will give you that he probably cares just enough because why? It's his job to care about football. But what he lacks is the mentality to push himself to become better. To be one of the best, instead of an average QB. And I'd honestly be shocked if, 15 years from now when Cutlers long gone and retired, he cared at all that he was a Chicago sports disaster and certainly not beloved by some of the best fans in sports. I give you, my post was very passionate, but that's equally as passionate as I used to be about being a Cutler believer. I don't know about you guys, but it's been long enough for me. I would gladly eat my words if Cutler was a top QB next year... but do we really see that happening, under any coach, in any system?