iamshack

But we should have gotten more....if for no other reason than he is "the handsome" Neal Cotts!

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 11:01 AM) Resigning both Buehrle and Vazquez absolutely does not mean that the White Sox won't have room for 2 young guys in the 2008 rotation. Well than one of the veterans would be out- I assume you are implying Jose, who, if I'm not mistaken, is signed through 2009. Seems to me he would be worth the least on the trade market considering his age and injury concerns. Regardless, if Mark bounces back this year, any extension under $15 million or so will be alright. But I have to assume he would ask for some kind of no trade protection as well. I would just rather avoid the difficulties, and $45-50 million being put into the starting rotation when we have so many positions in the field to fill. We got all these kids for a reason; let's put some faith in them.

QUOTE(joeynach @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 10:46 AM) Id say both sides agree in the middle say 4 years 50 Mil with some backload to get his 14 mil per. 11 in 08, 12 in 09, 13 in 2010, and 14 in 2011. Sounds fair on both fronts. MB is 30 games over compared to Vazquez being 5 games under, seems to deserve more. I'd rather they just not extend him. We've got 3 pitchers locked up through 08' at about $32 million annually and contracts up after this year for Dye/Iguchi, and after 08' for Thome/Crede/Garland. We've got a slew of position players to either re-sign or replace on the free agent market. We don't have the capacity to have $45-50 million locked up in the starting pitching again. I like the idea of having three veterans and two young guys in the rotation for 08', and if there are others coming along, one more can move in after Jon's contract expires. Extending Mark at 14-15 per just puts us in a number crunch again, unless of course they decide to trade Jose next year or in 09. But as far as I am concerned, they can let Mark walk or deal him.

QUOTE(Hideaway Lights @ Jan 25, 2007 -> 10:00 AM) Has anyone else noticed that Jenks sort of resembles the guy they bring in to pitch to Hobbs in final sequence of the Natural He absolutely does...a little heavier version maybe, but probably pretty similar to what he looks like now with the weight loss...

He isn't going to need to throw 100 mph to be a stud closer in this league. If he can just continue to maintain a solid fastball, and follow it up with that wicked hook, as well as that slider of his, he will be more than capable of shutting down major league hitters. They key for Bobby is to continue to develop the pitches other than his fastball...

I think the fact that the White Sox just won makes any title from a Chicago team not quite as special as it might be otherwise. For those of us that are Sox fans, I think this Bears ride has been special, but since we just went on a similar ride a year and a half ago, it wasn't as anticipated. I know that as the final minutes of the Bears game Sunday ticked away, I was crying like a little girl just as I was when the Sox made the World Series. It was joy and relief from all those years of watching us struggle to find a quarterback; of having to watch Lewis Tilman as our starting running back; of having to see John Shoop's offense in action every Sunday. It was so nice to see us finally dominate such an important game. But as a previous poster said, there is just so much to be said for a 162- game baseball season. And the tenseness of being in a short playoff series after the dog day of Summer as Fall begins to grip the nation. I don't know that any sport can truly approach baseball for it's postseason tournament. It's a sport that spans the year and the seasons unlike any other. Football is just a game played on Sundays a few months of the year.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 15, 2007 -> 05:44 PM) I for one could certainly tolerate taking Figgins in such a deal...it might not be totally balanced, but given the needs of the 2 teams it'd be pretty close to balanced, but I'd also hope we could find something to do with Podsednik as well, because I don't particularly want Figgins in CF everyday (although that would give us a really nice backup-OF option). I would say that Cintron probably strikes out somewhat more than Aybar, takes a few less walks, and has a little bit more power. But Aybar has a hell of a lot more speed, and should be able to hit for a much higher average over a full season. I have to say that I don't see much of a point in selling Joe so low. While Aybar is an intriguing prospect, and the Sox have nothing particularly inspiring in the system in terms of MI's, I don't believe we are so without leverage here that we need to make a desperation move. Getting both Aybar and Figgins is redundant, IMO. Aybar would be nice, because he can eventually be the long-term ss here, but another significant piece would have to be added to even interest me in such a deal. Cintron is no world beater; but he is a suitable stopgap who was signed to avoid just this: being forced to make a desperation move because of something happening to Juan. I would gladly entertain a trade of Crede, as much as I like him, because of the injury and salary concerns. However, that doesn't eliminate or diminish the fact that he is an elite defensive third basemen, and appears to be reaching an above average echelon offensively. Field's emergence may provide some security for the loss of Crede, but by no means does he figure to actually replace his skill set any time soon, if ever. For me, Crede has to be dealt only if the "right" deal comes along. What is the right deal? Well, one in which we get back players we have been high on for some time. A deal in which we suffer only marginally in the present and improve in the future. Looking at the Angels system, they have several pieces we would undoubtedly be interested in. However, Stoneman is notorious for dry humping his prospects despite his owner's very public desire to win now. If it were me, I would demand Wood in any Crede negotiations, or else I would be content to stand pat for the time being. We've built up the pitching in Charlotte and Birmingham; now we need to build some positional strength in the system, as we have several veteran position players with the ability to walk in the next two years. If we cannot strengthen that area, like I said, I am content to bide my time until this becomes more of an urgent issue.

When I was two, my father started taking me to White Sox games. He was a die-hard fan. In 1980, when I was 3, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He continued taking me to games when he could, although it was difficult with his chemo. But he managed to get me out there a bunch of times until May of 1981, when he passed away. As I was only 4 when he died, I didn't, and still don't remember much about him. What I do remember about him is his love for the White Sox and those times we spent together behind those annoying gold metal bars in the box seats at Old Comiskey Park. The guy was always thrifty with his money ( he was a university professor), but he never allowed that to get in the way of good seats at the ballpark with me. So I vowed to take that part of him with me for the rest of my life. And I have. I am a die-hard White Sox fan.

QUOTE(shipps @ Jan 12, 2007 -> 03:03 AM) This seems like a good assessment but Iam not sold on JD not feeling like he needs to be paid even more because he signed for less and still produced huge numbers for us.He wants his big reward after this season. Well, if JD feels like he has been overproductive for us and thus, should make above and beyond what he'll be worth over the next three or four years, he should harken back to his days with the A's, when he raped them of close to thirty million. JD has made his fair share of money in baseball; he deserves to be paid what he's worth, but nothing more.

This all boils down to the fact that a great majority of Chicago Sports fans are misinformed and would rather place blame upon certain people than to actually spend the time to learn the truth. With all the venom for both Jerry's, as well as KW, one would think this is Titletown, U.S.A. or something.

I don't know why I am taking the bait here, but I guess I am. Ozzie is not a bad manager. That's just foolish. Stubborn and silly at times, but certainly not bad. He was brilliant in 05', especially the 05' playoffs, and is one of the few managers who manages a starting rotation the way it was meant to be managed. Just as he probably got too much credit in 05', he is taking too much blame for 06'. Stop and think about how difficult it is to not only reach the postseason in consecutive years but to repeat as well. Then stop and take a look at the man's win-loss record (and remember he is not a college coach). As much heat as Ozzie and KW have taken here over the past 6 months or so, I could not think of any other tandem I'd want running this ballclub.

I'm hesitant to even consider "historic" at this point, knowing how inconsistent bullpens can be from year to year. Especially considering how *historic* the "best starting rotation ever?" was supposed to be last season. I am just hoping for above average at the time being.

No one can be sure exactly when McGuire started on the roids; many mocked Canseco when his book came out, yet now he looks like the one source of honesty here. Regardless, if you look at McGuire in his glory days with the A's, he was a big man, but more like a Richie Sexson build. Then his career started tanking. Then all of the sudden he is Paul Bunyanesque proportions and his career is rejevenated. The guy had nice slugging numbers from 88-94/95. Then he starts struggling with injuries. Then all the sudden, he manages to not only stay healthy and avoid the injuries, but he starts putting up whopping slugging %'s in 95 until 2000. We are talking about a guy whose slugging percentage increased from about an average of .480 or so during his great years with the A's to about .690 during his great years with the Cards. Now no one here will seriously debate that McGuire was using performance-enhancing drugs, but the point is that he probably saved his career with them. The McGuire situation is entirely different than the Bonds situation, where Barry had HOF numbers prior to getting on the juice. McGuire had the numbers only AFTER he got on the juice, and that's why he should not be allowed in. In fact, in the book "Game of Shadows," the authors even make the argument that Bonds only began juicing BECAUSE of McGuire and Sosa and their ridiculous home run totals. I'm sorry, but I would let Pete Rose in before McGuire.

QUOTE(Hideaway Lights @ Jan 9, 2007 -> 04:07 PM) Call me crazy, but I don't think McGwire's numbers are necessarily good enough to get in, roids or no roids. He was a .263 career one-dimensional hitter. The only thing he did well was hit home runs while juiced up and take walks. Dude only has like 1600 TOTAL hits in career. Also, no MVPs. 583 home runs probably won't even be in the top 25 all-time in 2020. Especially when you consider that steroids saved his career. It was over, and then he found the juice. Suddenly, he became a monster home run hitter again. Gee....

I was thinking more along the lines of OC and a prospect. Without Joe we would need a steady defensive presence at ss, with Fields and Cintron platooning at third. I don't see Stoneman giving away Kendrick with his love for prospects. Maybe we could squeeze OC and this Jose Arrendondo kid out of them....

One can see why KW and Cashman were not able to get a deal done during the winter meetings. Even though RJ requested this trade, it seems both Cashman and KW have the same agendas- building back up through youth after all these years of trading it away for veterans.

QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Jan 3, 2007 -> 10:31 PM) So the past successes tell you that whoever they acquire now will be turned into something good. What do the failures tell you? What does Boone Logan tell you? It tells me that you can't always count on every KW bullpen acquisition to be good. I'm not exactly going out on a limb here. No, past successes tell us that the organization is establishing a pattern or practice of being able to identify pitchers with mechanical problems and rectify them. Keep in mind that this is a narrow scope of players with certain characteristics, i.e., power arms, poor control. There is absolutely something to be said for the ability to identify players like this. It is different from blind faith. They are not just picking up ANY guys who have not fulfilled their potential, but rather, guys who fit a certain profile, and who have mechanical issues identified on film.

QUOTE(beautox @ Jan 3, 2007 -> 02:23 PM) No, of people; him and Gary Buesy hunt poor inner city folk, maybe you've seen their documentary. Hah! We now have Gary Busey, Dick Cheney, Ice-T, Garth Brooks, and Bo Jackson references all in one entertaining thread.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 3, 2007 -> 10:48 AM) Not to come across as racist or anything of the sort, because Iam not, but I was surprised when I learned about it as well considering I didnt really picture a black athlete as an avid hunter. Hey, as long as he doesn't go hunting with Dick Cheney, he can hunt as often as he likes!

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 3, 2007 -> 10:36 AM) JD is an avid hunter, he has several pictures on the web with his kills. He is also a very good golfer. He is a man of many talents! It's always good to be well-rounded...

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jan 2, 2007 -> 11:36 PM) He's hunting in Sascatchewan right now. Ok, that was too funny. I never pictured Jermaine as a hunter, especially not in Saskatchewan... I saw him and AJ at Kincades one night (cheap bastards were there on dollar-bottle night), and Jermaine was sitting at the bar with his playstation portable...

QUOTE(Cerbaho-WG @ Jan 2, 2007 -> 03:28 PM) Look at McCarthy's home run rates over the past two years and then realize he'll be pitching in Arlington. US Cellular actually inflates home run rates far more so than Arlington does. The notion that his home run rates will increase over what they were at US Cellular because of the ballpark he'll be playing in with the Rangers is a myth.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Jan 2, 2007 -> 01:52 PM) So be it. I think the Mets need Buehrle more this year than the Sox need Pelfrey and Milledge. The White Sox have what they need, it is up to them to make a logical offer. If not, then it is their loss and the Sox will move on. Oh, I absolutely agree with you that the Mets need Buehrle more this year than the Sox need Pelfrey and Milledge. However, that doesn't mean that the Mets cannot fill the void elsewhere, which is what they will likely do.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 2, 2007 -> 11:35 AM) Of course...the only problem with that...Cleveland's asking for an option year/2 year deal as well, when Millwood managed to get a 1 year deal. Well, because of Mulder's timeline, I don't think there is any team out there that would be willing to give him a 1-year deal. Not now anyway. If Mulder were to demand a 1-year deal, IMO, he would have to wait until he was closer to being healthy before he got a deal, or take a 1-year deal for basically nothing- all incentives-based which he likely could not reach. From what I have heard, he actually wants a 2 year-deal. Most people seem to believe that in any deal with Mulder, it would be the second year that would be the valuable year for the team, not this year.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Jan 2, 2007 -> 10:44 AM) I wouldn't call him a "big name" free agent, in fact his situation is somewhat similar to Kevin Millwood's. Which you have to believe is exactly what Shapiro is trying to sell to Mulder and his agent...