Soxbadger

ESPN Link Seems that the Nets are going to be sold to some one else, also... Ratner's group, which includes rapper Jay-Z. Next up will be Puff Daddy trying to bring a team to Brooklyn. Biggie would be proud. SB

If Reinsdorf percieves the competition as being to great and will put the Sox in a position where they will not compete, Reinsdorf will actually get more free agents The problem is that we play in a division that does not spend money, so as a businessman Jerry knows he does not have to spend money and he can win. If we were in the AL East or West, we would have a 80-90mil salary cap. Unfortunately its hard to be a good businessman and a good owner at the same time. Maximizing profits and value is not winning games. SB

I will never again refer to Irod as Pudge. As Irod has 1 fewer letter than Pudge, and therefore why should I devalue a player that I actually have feelings towards for one that I could care less about. Unless Irod signs here for like $1mil, in which case I will say he bought the rights to the name "Pudge". Otherwise hes Irod hehe SB

And I would be a Sox fan regardless of whether they win 50 WS in my lifetime or 0 WS. I just wont let anyone bash on my team, especially if they have no reason too. SB

NL Central is not exactly filled with world beaters, considering the Tribe went to the World Series two times during those years, meaning we were finishing second to a World Series team, where as no NL Central team has been in a WS since the Cincinnati Reds. If you want to be a Cubs fan that is fine, but dont bash on the AL Central, when the NL Central has been equally as bad if not arguably worse. SB

I did not even want to go into the subjective arguments, just purely objectively why would you want to be a Cubs fans besides for "Everyone else is one" Be original. SB

Okay then you can join everyone else in rooting for a team that since 1993 has finished: First: Once Second: Once Third: Twice Fourth: Twice Fifth: Three times Sixth: Twice Four times they have finished over .500 The Sox have finished: First: Three times Second: Six times Third: Twice Seven times have the Sox finished over .500 They also have higher ticket prices and a ballpark that is nostalgic but starting to become less functionable. They can only play a handful of night games so Id have to miss work to see the games. I want to support a team that has done nothing but been consistently crappy over the last decade. For what its worth, the White Sox are successful every year bordering on .500 almost every season. Maybe they are not the Yankees, but they damn well are better than the Cubs. If it was not for 1 game the Cubs would not even have made the playoffs. This is fair weather fanism at its best. SB

Maybe Im wrong then. I heard that he was part of the Bulls ownership, with Lamar Hunt, etc. The same people do not own the Bulls and White Sox though, Seeing as I know some of the White Sox owners and they have no share of the Bulls. The first time I heard it was when Krause was hired by the Yankees, I read that Steinbrenner was part of the bulls. If im wrong then im sorry just reprinting what I read. SB

Steinbrenner is also a part owner of the Bulls. Why are Steinbrenner and Trump enemies? I see no reason why Steinbrenner would not want to sell to Trump, or even be part of his new ownership. If Jay-z can look into buying the Nets seriously and the price was for around $250mil, then I think Trump can too. SB

NJ Nets It said "around" $250mil, the Nets are for sale, and they are close to NY. 18 NJ Nets ('98-$150mil) 157 166 179 169 $218 $4.50 Id say they are 2:1 favorites for being his interest. SB

Because Herbert "The Milkman" Perry mights till be available? I dont know, because eventually even if you are spending a penny it will add up if you spend enough of them? SB

Its the Nets. Jay-Z was also looking into buying them, and had a NY firm look into it. Also Basketball teams according to Forbes are more profitable, not to mention they have a salary cap, meaning the league is stabilized. That being said, the Bulls were bought for $8mil, and are now worth $330mil. Youd think that Reinsdorf being the great businessman he thinks he is, would realize establishing a winning franchise in the end makes up for the small amount of money you might lose in the short term. Oh well SB

I did not know that about Debartolo, thanks for the information. I was talking about Trump moving the team and the difficulties he would have. SB

Why would Trump move the White Sox? And I assume that there would be some sort of clause that would either limit where he can move the team, how much time would have to pass before he could move it, etc. Not to mention, I dont think Denver can support 2 teams, and since MLB can not find a suitable area for the Expos to go, I doubt they have areas lined up for other teams wanting to move. Trump needs a big city, NY, LA, Chicago. Also, if Trump bought the White Sox, I would expect him to try and purchase the Robert Taylor homes and other proprety in the area and make Comiskey the epicenter of the new area. Through development he could make that area just as successful as Wrigleyville, that is why the White Sox would be such a steal. SB

The Cubs also have a $90mil payroll compared to the White Sox's payroll of $58mil. The White Sox need to be compared to the Tigers, Twins, Marlins, etc. Other teams that can not win by purely outspending the competition. Money wins 4 out of 5 times, but it is clear Reinsdorf is banking on trying to win that 1 other time, like the Marlins, Angels, etc. SB

Last numbers are win range with upper and lower boundaries: Burhle 15-22 Loaiza 14-17 Garland 13-19 Scho 7-14 Mystery Starters, 6-12 Bullpen probably 5-10 wins. So.... High End: 94 wins. Low End: 60 wins. Avg: 77 wins. Personally I think I skewed it a little towards the low side so that is why the Avg fell, I belive that realistically the White Sox should win 84 games with their current starters, and it will be + or - 10 victories depending on luck, ability to get a player at the All-Star break, and whether or not key players slump or get on hot streaks. SB

You can call KW stupid, say he makes mistakes, and perhaps he does not have the collective iq of a pack of rats... But to say that he just tries to get by shows that you havent been paying attention to his tenure. You dont try and get by trading for Colon. You dont get by trading for Alomar, Everret, and Sullivan. And for that matter, 90% of this board was b****ing how Alomar and Everret sucked when we got them, and now 90% of this board is b****ing how we didnt keep them. It can not be both ways, that is not logical. It is either: 1) Alomar and Everret suck, we should not of traded for them, but atleast KW cut his losses and did not resign them or 2) Alomar and Everret were good acquisitions, and it was bad for us to let them go. The argument that: Alomar and Everret were bad trades, but we should resign them anyways would make KW a bad GM. KW wants to win, and thats all you can ask for. If we want a brilliant tactical mind we should not be hiring Baseball players in the first place. It always makes me wonder why a team does not hire a Lawyer to be their GM, as they would actually have knowledge of Contracts, Arbitration, etc, and could deal with Agents on equal footing. I mean, I would take Abraham Lincoln to do my negotaiting over Tony Gwynn, just like I would take Gwynn hitting over Lincoln. The whole insider system of baseball is amazing, and I wonder when a team will take a shot at getting some one who is an actual bad ass negotiator as compared to some one who played for a few years. SB

Debartolo was not accepted due to his "mob" affiliations, and organized crime. It had nothing to do with he was going to spend to much money. Also, If Trump bought a team, I would suspect he would use it as an investment to promote his business, and put a good amount of money into the team. In his new show on TV, I wished I was on it to try and tell him he should buy the Sox, because they were one of the easiest ways to make a huge return on investment. SB

Now this is what I find amusing, you blame KW for the contract status of players. For the most part, Reinsdorf is the one that writes the checks, and Reinsdorf is the one that gives KW the salary to sign these players. Maggs is slightly overpaid, maybe 2-3 mil a year, it is doubtful on the open market he would get less than 10mil, seeing as he is a legitimate MVP candidate every year and has almost no past injuries, making him one of the most reliable players in the game. Red Sox, Yankees, etc would love to have Maggs at 14mil a year. Miles for Uribe... The verdict is still out on this one, but in my opinion the Sox traded a strength "hitting" for a weakness "defense". The Sox are filled with players that can hit the ball, we have very few infielders that can field. If Uribe can hit .270 and field almost at Gold Glove standard, we stole him from the Rockies. Miles is a AAAA guy, he has some pop and a good bat, but nothing spectacular. $5mil for Jose, marginally overpaid, even if we got him at a bargain he still would of commanded $3mil. If you look at most teams rosters they almost all have albatrosses, the White Sox have 0. Even are worst contracts are to the tune of $7-8mil, not so damnig that if Koch and Konerko get off to hot Aprils and Mays, there will be teams wanting their services, especially if we are willing to pay $2-3mil. If you want a perfect GM, sorry but there are none. Atleast KW goes out and tries with what he has, or would you rather have Dan Evans who has dumped Brown, and gotten Weaver in return. Imagine if we traded Maggs straight up for JD Drew. SB

Hes building a brand new building in Chicago... I would say that the White Sox are a team that he inquired about buying regardless of whether he does or not. From the standpoint of Trump the Sox have a lot of positives that no other team could have. 1) One of the biggest television markets. 2) One of the biggest populations. 3) A very good staduim lease. 4) A relatively new staduim that is being renovated through advertising dollars. I doubt he buys the Sox, but I think he would make a great owner, and would try and knock Stienbrenner off the block. Damn didnt realize it said "Sports Franchise" Probably will be a NY team, at first I thought Baseball team, and in that regard the Sox are probably one of the best investments in baseball. SB

Perez, Jackson, Hanrahan. for Maggs. Perez, Jackson, Miller For Maggs and Brochard (He might not have that much value to us, but LA is hardup for offense, and he would provide a bat next year) From what I have read the Dodgers also dont want to give up Mota, and Williams is insisting on him. So I say we scratch that from what we are asking and try for a Hanrahan or other high level pitching prospect. Jackson can do the job Mota would have in the pen, or start. But I really doubt this deal gets done, I see the Dodgers overpaying for Hidalgo, and then watching him revert back to his sub .300 stats. He will be moving from a hitters park where he has hit .020 higher in the last 3 seasons, to one of the worst hitters parks. If the Dodgers are even considering Perez for Hidalgo, then Maggs is worth Perez, Jackson, and Hanrahan. Personally, I say if the Dodgers dont give us a deal like that, we just stand pat, might as well take our chances that our pitchers will be average and our offense above average and makes some moves at the deadline. SB

Why do people bash KW for signing players to cheap contracts who at worst will cost the Sox very little money, and at best could become MLB players or traded to another team. I am sorry but KW has a LIMITED payroll, I doubt he seriously does not want to sign free agents. A lot of GMs when given bad payrolls just roll over and die with their team, atleast KW is trying. With a 90mil payroll the White Sox would be pretty much locks to be in the playoffs, the Cubs with a 90mil payroll statistically should not have made the playoffs. If KW could of improved our team by 30mil, we could of signed 2 pitchers, and filled out our bullpen, putting 2 cheaper players, Alomar and maybe a Payton in 2b and CF respectively. The sad part is, KW puts us in contention every year with these limitations, and every year has done something to try and improve this team, whether it worked or not. I do not think he is the best GM in the world, but I do think he is better than Evans and a bunch of other GMs out there, who have no payroll excuses. The LA Dodgers are crying that they cant win with a payroll of 90mil, most White Sox fans feel with 90mil we would be serious contenders. On an even playing field I think KW would and could do great things, if the White Sox fire him, I expect he gets picked up by another team. SB

Jackson used to be pretty good, his stats with Minn. represent this. I expect the Sox are hoping he will be a cheaper version Flash, a guy who if given the chance to pitch an inning and not over worked can still pitch 1 good inning. If he is anything like his former self he could be good. The bad news is, all of our signings are prefaced with "if". But oh well, atleast its something. SB

If he has been signed, and stays healthy, I would say that 10 wins from him would not be out of the question. I doubt that he puts up Loaiza numbers, but we will get a better picture in ST. It says that he is trying to learn how to pitch, maybe Cooper will be able to turn him around if he is willing to listen. SB

Not to mention, inflation, interest rates, etc. If you have a $30mil contract and pay $25 mil up front you only have $5 mil getting interest. If you have $25mil getting interest, you make more money. Also if the player is injured after getting the $25mil youd never be able recoup it in insurance. Backloaded contracts are not just a baseball thing, they are a contract thing. Frontloading contracts are to much of a risk, and would give the player much more power, also they can hold out after getting the money upfront and then you are even in more of a bind. If we are going to bash the Sox, atleast do it for something that is stupid. SB