WCSox

QUOTE (Texsox @ Feb 9, 2009 -> 09:59 AM) The truth IMHO is if there was a no steroid league, and a cheat all the want league, the cheat all you want league, with 500 foot homeruns and 110 mph fast balls will outdraw the clean league. The casual fan wants to see rooftop shots. Agreed that a bunch of people would pay hand-over-fist to watch a bunch of steroid-addled freaks slowly kill themselves, in the name of "entertainment." Didn't the Danny Bonaduce reality show get decent ratings? Hell, look at the ratings that Pro Wrestling draws. Would the Steroid Freak league out-draw the Clean League? I don't know about that. Quite a few people strongly disagree with PED use. And I'm sure that the heads of the Clean League would be tipping off the Feds about the illegal activities in their competitor. I don't think that MLB or the MLBPA would exist in their current forms if they didn't have a monopoly in America.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 9, 2009 -> 08:57 AM) That's a pretty solid base to build on... I don't see how you guys can say this stuff. When I was 20 I was like 155 lbs. Most people are small when they are young, and bulk up through their 20s, and then start adding weight to that bulk in their 30s. You can't assume that EVERYONE who gets bigger over the course of their career is a cheater... that's a bad idea. Manny's entire head didn't jump sizes like others. Sure, there's a lot of hair and image there, but I haven't seen Manny implicated yet, and his transformation wasn't unbelievable. Frank also got quite a bit larger over the years. And not the Sosa-like muscle "larger" - more like general bulk and what appears to be a little fat. That doesn't necessarily mean anything, but steroids tend to not make people look "pudgy." As for HGH, well, that's a little more complicated. I wish that we could go back to the old days when players looked like toothpicks and 30 HRs in a season was near the league-lead. I liked the game just as much back then, without the added home run entertainment.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 7, 2009 -> 06:56 PM) So who are the sure-fire Hall of Famers from this generation that are left? Thomas, Thome, Griffey and Manny Ramirez? Pujols, if he's clean. My guess is that Frank, Thome, and Manny are all clean. Their physiques don't suggest steroid use (although HGH use is still a possibility). Griffey was never a workout freak and didn't even include stretching in his routine until his 30's (a dumb decision that most likely lead to his many leg injuries), so I would guess that he probably wasn't a PED guy, either. Pujols, on the other hand... man, I just don't get a good feeling about him. I hope I'm wrong. Sadly, I can't say I'm surprised by A-Rod. Never did much care for the guy, anyway. IMO, the real story here is Gene Orza allegedly tipping off players as to when they were going to be tested. If there's enough evidence to support this allegation, he and the MLBPA are in some serious trouble.

QUOTE (Jeremy @ Feb 5, 2009 -> 06:51 PM) I think that in that quote Kenny comes across as smug and self-righteous; he frequently comes across that way and it's a big part of the reason I don't care for the man. Bill Polian (Colts) is much worse. He's also in the playoffs a lot more often than Kenny.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 5, 2009 -> 02:42 AM) He's also one of the few GM's who openly says he really doesn't care what the fans think about his moves/trades and whether they understand them or not...that he doesn't have to answer to bloggers, fanboys, SABR club stat geeks or anyone else but JR. Of course, it's a lot easier to do that with a WS championship so recently in the rearview window. Kenny's always had a massive ego. And I'm glad does, as the last thing we need is a GM who second-guesses himself when knuckleheads like this guy question his decisions.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 01:40 PM) I want you to look at every World Champion of the last decade, and tell me that power doesn't have more to do with those wins then speed. I would also like proof that drawing walks, and letting your players try to hit the ball and drive people in is ever a bad thing. Sure, power is great. OBP is great as well. But an overweight slugger doesn't score from second on a single. And some sluggers (like Paulie), are double-play liabilities. It's nice to have a base runner steal second every once in a while to avoid the double play. I'd strongly prefer a balanced lineup to our current collection of station-to-station sluggers. Even a .340 OBP slap hitter with 30-steal ability would be helpful.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 10:16 AM) I honestly dont even care if they steal bases. I just see the scenario of a hitter getting on base in front of Q. Q singles and the runner is only at 2nd base, and all of a sudden you have eliminated a sac fly op for Thome or Konerko who both have the ability to hit fly balls on demand. Instead you get a K and a ground out. I just HATE the station to station bulls*** and the lack of being able to take the extra base when needed. You can look at a small sample size of the 05 team in the World Series and the ALCS and you can see us constantly looking to take the extra base, even though we hit a ton of homers, we scored several times just being able to get to second on a throw or go from first to third with one out. Agreed that stealing bases isn't really a necessity, and that getting to that extra base on a hit is probably the greatest benefit. However, the THREAT of stealing a base is also a bonus, taking the focus of the opposing pitcher off of the hitter. QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 10:36 AM) Well, Abreu does indeed solve the #2 hitter issue. If we do sign him, I am 95% sure that one of Dye or Konerko (probably Dye) is getting traded very soon. It would almost certainly be Dye. His recent health/productivity issues and price tag would be major obstacles.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 10:06 AM) I would say the complete opposite, that you arent taking into account the type of power hitters we have. Thome is a strike out machine and Konerko is a DP machine. This team needs runners off of first base and in scoring position as often as possible, and with high avg hitters like Q, Konerko (maybe) and Dye behind them, they need to be able to move from first to third and score from second on a hit. Speed in front of these sluggers is very important. If you put Thome at the lead off position and he was station to station, would you think it wouldnt matter if someone with speed was in that spot? Speed isnt always stealing bases or bunting like you seem to picture. Its being able to move up a base on a wild pitch or a bobble. Its being able to move into sac fly position with 1 out, going from 1st to 3rd on a bloop and being able to take dp's out. THATS the kind of speed we need. I agree with this. I'm not suggesting that the Sox need to field a track team out there, but they need to do a better job of manufacturing runs that they have over the past few years. Right now, there is NOBODY on this team who can steal bases and hit with a high enough OBP to lead off. Look at how many runs Lofton and Vizquel scored for the '90s Indians teams... with Manny, Thome, Belle, etc. hitting behind them. Speed at the top of the lineup is INCREDIBLY helpful.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 09:57 AM) All speed does in front of a bunch of power hitters is equate to fewer base runners after they get caught stealing. Yeah, you're right. Station-to-station baseball is the way to go. It works wonders against good pitching in the playoffs!

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 09:54 AM) We have a 3/4/5/6 in our lineup with immense power. Don't we already have that in Thome/Konerko/Dye/Quentin? Wrong

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 09:45 AM) Because they need power, and we need OBP and a 2 hole hitter. What we need is a leadoff hitter with speed. Figgins makes a lot more sense than another corner outfielder in his mid-30's who can't play defense. If Kenny can sign Abreu and trade Dye for Figgins, I'd be in favor of it. But I don't see why the Angels would think that Dye's extra 10 HRs per season would be worth the extra $5 million or so in comparison to Abreu. I think that Kenny would have to eat some of Dye's contract for that to happen.

QUOTE (flavum @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 09:29 AM) I don't think Figgins is in the picture at all. If you have Quentin and Abreu in the corners, you can't have Figgins in CF. Owens is already suspect out there. Figgins is not a good CF. Also Figgins won't be going to 3B unless they trade Fields, and I think they really like Fields and want him to play a full season in Chicago before giving up on him. Agreed with your logic, but that hasn't kept Swisher, Griffey, Erstad, and Mackowiak out of CF in recent years. My guess is that Figgins would probably end up playing 3B, but history suggests that Ozzie would make room for him in CF if Fields had a good ST.

Signing Abreu to a one-year deal to replace Dye who is already under contract for this year doesn't make much sense to me. Why would the Angels want to pay Dye's salary in a Figgins deal when they could simply sign Abreu for less? I don't see this happening. If Kenny does end up signing Abreu, it'll be for more than one season... and he'll be eating some of Dye's contract in a trade.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 30, 2009 -> 09:20 AM) Would anyone trade Jim Thome's homer against Minnesota in the play-in game if they knew they could exchange his 2009 contract of $13 million for $6.5 million and Bob Abreu/Adam Dunn AND another veteran starting pitcher at the back of the rotation (like Wolf, Byrd, Looper, Glavine, Pedro Martinez, etc.)?? Interesting question. If I could've gotten Abreu and Pedro for Thome last year, I probably would've pulled the trigger. At the very least, it would've taken Javy out of the rotation. I appreciate Thome hitting the playoff-clinching homer and all, but losing 3-1 to the D-Rays in the ALDS wasn't all that exciting. Don't get me wrong, I was REALLY happy that the Sox made the playoffs last year. But just getting there doesn't do it for my anymore.

QUOTE (klaus kinski @ Jan 30, 2009 -> 07:28 AM) He's going nowhere Agreed. Unless his demands are ridiculous or he wants to leave for some reason, Kenny will be with the Sox for a while. I realize that anything can happen in baseball, but this appears to be the last year that the Sox will have a really good shot at the playoffs again, before losing a number of vets to FA this winter. If that turns out to be true, the Sox are going to have to begin somewhat of a rebuilding phase next year. So if they start slow, I wouldn't mind seeing guys like JD or Thome (if he'll agree) dealt mid-season. The money saved this year can be spent at a later date.

QUOTE (Sec101Row1 @ Jan 26, 2009 -> 03:45 PM) Was that his blow-up doll in the Clubhouse last summer ? He can go back to Anaheim and play for his favorite manager. :oldrolleyes So Cabrera the prima donna and Swisher the obnoxious 10-year-old didn't get a long with Ozzie, eh? Shocker. ETA: I'm speculating about Swish. His .219 BA and sudden decline after leaving the 'roids-infested A's may have had something to do with it as well.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jan 26, 2009 -> 02:19 PM) Danks is arb eligible for the first time following the 2009 season so his cheap years have just about run out and Alexei can walk in free agency following the 2011 season he has a clause in his contract that allows him to forego arbitration. Whatever. The bottom line is that the Sox aren't going to be crippled with massive contracts after this season and they have the option of going year-to-year with the arb-eligible players. They *could* spend this winter if they wanted to. But they're choosing not to.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Jan 26, 2009 -> 12:01 PM) its going to cost a lot to keep floyd, danks, alexei, cq, and jenks though True, but Alexei and Danks aren't arb-eligible for a while. Jenks will almost certainly walk when he hits free agency. And by the time that CQ will needs to be locked up, Paulie, Mark, Dotel, and Linebrink will all be gone. Swisher's departure has also freed up a moderate amount of payroll.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 25, 2009 -> 07:21 AM) Keep in mind that signing players to multi-year contracts requires projecting revenues into the future. I think they are more concerned with that than anything right now. I agree with this. And they have something like $60 million coming off the books next year, which means that Kenny COULD legitimately commit $50 million or so to another FA if he really wanted to. That said, I don't see Sheets being that guy (even for $30 million). He's already had the trifecta of shoulder, elbow, and back injuries. That doesn't project well into the future and, frankly, I wouldn't blame the Sox for taking a pass on him.

I'm kind of surprised that Colon got a major-league deal, while Freddy could only muster a minor-league deal. Are there still serious velocity questions with Freddy? He doesn't seem that much less of an injury risk than Colon.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 20, 2009 -> 09:22 AM) not really. I think BA could come close to that, plus we got Javy who was a good starting pitcher for us. Then we turned him into the prospects from Atlanta and I think flowers is going to turn into a very good hitter. He might be a DH but he will hit and have a good OBP unlike the others we're discussing. So, personally I like the Javy scenario better than the Young scenario. As much as Javy (deservedly) gets pissed on here, he helped the Sox win quite a few games and became a valuable part of the rotation when Freddy fizzled out and Contreras suffered a number of injuries.

If I were Ozzie, I'd start the season with Anderson in CF and Owens as a 4th outfielder/pinch runner. Owens has zero power, is a mediocre contact hitter, has too low an OBP to hit leadoff, and isn't that great in CF. I'll take Anderson's Gold Glove-caliber defense and his ability to drive in runs at the bottom of the lineup.

Thanks for the link, Steff. QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 16, 2009 -> 10:03 PM) Jose is an animal! Gotta love this guy. Say what you want about him being 274 years old, he is in outstanding physical condition. Agreed. Even if he flames out this season, Jose will still be one of my all-time Sox faves. I love his toughness.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jan 16, 2009 -> 09:45 PM) Vazquez is worth a whole lot more than $11.5m a year, he's really a terrific pitcher, And those of us who've actually watched him pitch know that his lack of testicular fortitude renders him worthless in pressure situations. QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jan 17, 2009 -> 07:52 AM) Firstly, I didn't say I have a great knowledge of the game. Well, at least you're being honest now. I never claimed that ERA+ was some sort of flawless stat, so I'm not sure where this silly straw man argument is coming from. I tend to prefer WHIP, which I cited yesterday and you conveniently ignored. Your characterization of Javy Vazquez is a "terrific" pitcher and Jon Garland as a "terrible" one clearly shows that you're the clueless one. And your special combination of ignorance and arrogance is making you look really silly here.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jan 16, 2009 -> 04:36 PM) Cherry-picking stats? I used tRA, Over one season. Try again. Your posts are heavy on hyperbole and lacking in common sense. Too bad sabermetrics can't help you with that.