This is a great signing because of the short term commitment. If for some reason the Sox are not in playoff contention next year and Downs is pitching well (and does not have a lingering injury), he will bring more assets in a trade with a contending team.

This is a great signing because of the short term commitment. If for some reason the Sox are not in playoff contention next year and Downs is pitching well (and does not have a lingering injury), he will bring more assets in a trade with a contending team.

 

THIS WAS YOUR ONE CHANCE!!!!

Excellent. Now we have another arm to deal away in July for a couple prospects. Downs and Lindstrom seem to be the obvious guys to ship off.

Well they agree, but they are acknowledging that the team was deeply flawed. There is no other reason why they'd export 5-8 significant players with a few other heads on the chopping block. I mean, we're talking about Dunn, De Aza, Viciedo, Beckham, Keppinger, Gillaspie, Flowers, Phegley, Ramirez, and (John)Danks that people have suggested getting rid of and finding an upgrade on at one time or another. That's almost the remainder of the roster.

 

The Sox realize that they can be competitive next year, but that they needed to get young and re-develop or, rather, re-establish the foundation of the team.

 

If they are anything more than a .500 team - I will be the first to acknowledge it is very possible - I will be pleasantly surprised. Basically, I handicap there odds of certain milestones as such:

 

100+ wins: 1%

95-99 wins: 3%

90-94 wins: 6%

85-89 wins: 10%

80-84 wins: 10%

75-79 wins: 25%

70-74 wins: 25%

65-69 wins: 15%

60-64 wins: 4.5%

 

 

Of course the team was *flawed*. Who could, or would argue that?

 

Kenny left a real mess – in a wider sense, including years-long Dave Wildering of the draft/farm system.

 

Honestly even if the team *didn’t* lose 99 games, I’d be all for what Hahn is attempting to do. Generally, good GM has to always look forward; always reassessing, revitalizing the roster, looking for ways to structurally improve. It’s just that for obvious reasons, a true Rebuild would likely be catastrophic for this organization. Hell, even the Cubs with their much greater resource potential and a talent overload incl. Baez, Almora, Bryant, Soler, Starlin, headed by so called geniuses like Theo, Hoyer, Jason McLoud….are finding out how painfully slow and difficult it can be. My Cubbie bros were getting seriously pissed I’ll tell you that, that’s something right there knowing these people, bwa-haha

 

Sox wouldn’t survive the Royals or Pirates status in this city, IMO. So to see Hahn attempt to balance long-term considerations with desire to be least competitive in 2014, is welcome.

 

Btw Mr. Wite, a .500 record in 2014 you mention, would represent a whopping 18 game improvement while managing to cut payroll by, what, some 50 freakin’ million since 2011?

 

Ok, you know what? That’s a start, esp. if it means being 10 games over .500 at Home, with HR once again flying out of the Cell come summer-time. People pay a lot of money to see games; the least they deserve is a half-way competitive, young, exciting team that kicks ass in style at home, ya know? Cuz last year’s debacle was a disgrace, esp. that unprecedented Cub shellacking I’ll never live down, lol.

 

Though obviously I think and hope they are better than .500, woot.

 

.

 

Looks like Rick Hahn had a case of the Downs Syndrome!

Edited December 21, 201312 yr by Markbilliards

Looks like Rick Hahn had a case of the Downs Syndrome!

 

I try not to get offended and take things in stride as much as possible, but this isn't funny.

 

Welcome aboard, Scott Downs.

Looks like Rick Hahn had a case of the

Downs Syndrome!

 

Yeah, that's not funny. I thought we would make it through the whole thread without seeing this.

Yeah, that's not funny. I thought we would make it through the whole thread without seeing this.

 

 

Ehh. I am a Special Education teacher and I'm not really offended. It is what it is though.

Looks like Rick Hahn had a case of the Downs Syndrome!

This is so beyond tactful that I can't stop laughing.

Just a play on words, not putting anyone down....

I'm not feeling too bad about it. It isn't like he was saying it was a dumb move to get Scott Downs. He's saying it was a...Downs...move. Because of Scott Downs. Neither good nor bad move. Just a Downs move.

Ehh. I am a Special Education teacher and I'm not really offended. It is what it is though.

 

My niece and nephew both have Downs Syndrome, so I didn't like it. But I'm not a mod here and I am not going to report it either. I can't force people to not make jokes about mentally challenged people, only distance myself from them.

Not that my opinion is important or invited, but anyway: I'm usually relatively sensitive to offensive language, but I feel like this time it was more of a play-on-words than anything. Like, if the Sox had picked up Danny Graves, after scratching his head and cursing Hahn's name for a while, he might have said "looks like Hahn has....GRAVES DISEASE!" which has considerably less potential for harm because the Graves' Disease population is much less vulnerable to discrimination...but the spirit behind the two comments would be the same -- puns is fun and whatnot. So chalk me up as tenuously unoffended.

The first time he gives up 6 runs in .2 IP everyone on Soxtalk will be calling him some variation of a retard. Remember Palsy?

Looks like Rick Hahn had a case of the Downs Syndrome!

 

This is completely inappropriate and is the first time in my 15 years of message board posting that I have felt compelled to write a post calling out another poster. Yes, I have someone with Downs Syndrome in my family.

My niece and nephew both have Downs Syndrome, so I didn't like it. But I'm not a mod here and I am not going to report it either. I can't force people to not make jokes about mentally challenged people, only distance myself from them.

 

 

Not that this is what I want to turn this thread into but are they both from the same family? Like did your brother or sister happen to have 2 children with Down Syndrome or is it different parents? Just curious because you don't see it that often.

People are actually offended by that? Yeesh.

People are actually offended by that? Yeesh.

 

Alot of people have thin skin when it comes to stuff like that....personally I got a little chuckle out of it

Not that this is what I want to turn this thread into but are they both from the same family? Like did your brother or sister happen to have 2 children with Down Syndrome or is it different parents? Just curious because you don't see it that often.

 

Yep, the only 2 kids they had together. It's extremely rare and concerns my other brother and myself that we may carry the gene for it, which is even more rare, but would explain my eldest brother.

People are actually offended by that? Yeesh.

 

I think more people's lives are affected by Downs than you may realize. The joke was in really poor taste. Like I stated before, I can usually look past these kinds of things, but this one crossed the line for me. Whatever though, I'm done with the topic.

I just don't think the joke had anything to do with the definition of Downs Syndrome. If it was meant as a criticism and thus was a joke that was made at someone's expense, I wouldn't like it. I'm not going to beat my chest about my Downs Syndrome cred but it has certainly touched my life and that comment did not strike me, even for a moment, as out of line

I just don't think the joke had anything to do with the definition of Downs Syndrome. If it was meant as a criticism and thus was a joke that was made at someone's expense, I wouldn't like it. I'm not going to beat my chest about my Downs Syndrome cred but it has certainly touched my life and that comment did not strike me, even for a moment, as out of line

 

Yeah, because that's what we are all doing....showing off about it...

 

Can we just lock or delete this thread now? Or at least the page few pages? This thread is just horrible right now.

Edited December 23, 201312 yr by Chilihead90

Per the Sox FB page, the deal with Downs is finalized and Santos Rodriguez was DFA to free up the roster spot.

Per the Sox FB page, the deal with Downs is finalized and Santos Rodriguez was DFA to free up the roster spot.

 

Figured it would be him or Heath or Molina.