JUSTgottaBELIEVE

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 10:43 AM) Is there any type of precedent for what Schwarber is doing? I have seen a lot of people say that they don't think he'll be able to hit with such a long layoff but I'm in the who the hell knows camp. I could easily see him being just fine or being completely awful because I have nothing to go off of. I'm not sure but I know from personal experience that seeing live pitching after returning from an injury (for as little as a few week absence) took time to catch up with game speed again. This was only at the high school and college level so I can't imagine what it's like at the big league level. I'm very skeptical he'll enter the lineup after this extended layoff and immediately start crushing it.

QUOTE (whitesoxjr27 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 11:55 AM) http://thebiglead.com/2016/10/25/espn-forg...e-world-series/ and people wonder why White Sox fans dislike the Cubs

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 09:21 AM) http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...1025-story.html Apocalypse. Cub Hero Kyle Schwarber added to active roster.... Will likely DH tonight. Makes Tomlin even more relevant. I have a hard time imagining a guy that hasn't seen big league pitching in 6 months will be a big factor is this series. I'm more concerned with Rizzo and Bryant.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 08:51 AM) Arrieta starting Game 2 against ? Hendricks for 3 at home, Lackey for Game 4. Indians' rotation situation still a big mystery. Isn't it pretty much a lock that Indians go with a 3-man of Kluber, Tomlin, Bauer? I realize Salazar will be on the roster but I see him being more of a long man if/when they need to pull either Bauer or Tomlin before the 5th inning.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 04:04 PM) Yeah, and I guess it's not really "true" the Warriors are going to make wet, soggy, dirty diapers out of the nba this year. Afterall, it hasn't happened yet. Please. Bryant, Baez, Russell, Contreras, Rizzo, and Schwarber is as good as it gets - ever. They ain't goin' nowhere. Can you just stop with the over the top and factually incorrect posts already? Their lineup isn't near as good as the 90s Indians let alone Yankees' Murderers Row and mid 1930s Tigers. Heck even the Red Sox had a better offense than the Cubs this year and likely moving forward as well with fresh faces like Benintendi, Moncada, and Devers soon to graduate. One of the best things they have going for them is that they play in the inferior league. Almost like putting the Warriors in the East while moving the Cavs to the West.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 03:06 PM) You might be joking, but this is what I would do. I'd nuke the entire 25 man roster. No one would be spared. And you know what? If the Sox did that and acquired some exciting young talent, I'd go to a lot more ball games to watch them mature - even if they lost 100+ games for 2-3 years. I'm sick and tired of the same old stuff. I went to a game a in September and it was the loneliest time I'd ever spent around a few thousand people. There was no energy, no excitement, no buzz, nothing to look forward to. Nuke this entire squad. Bring in some fresh new young talent and let's watch them grow into major leaguers. I was serious. I see no point in trading Sale and keeping the rest intact. That includes guys like Anderson and Rodon, who combined should net a similar package to Sale. If the time horizon for competing is 3-5 years out, no sense in holding on to those two guys either. Having said that, I don't think this roster is as far away from competing as most others on here and I'd be looking to add rather than subtract this offseason. That of course requires JR to open the pocketbook a bit wider.

I mean if you are going to completely blow it up with aspirations of obtaining the strongest minor league system in baseball, why not trade Rodon and Anderson too? Combined with signing a bunch of low priced FA vets, that would guarantee top 3 draft picks for the next 3-4 years with the possibility of one or more number 1 picks over this same timeframe.

I wonder if Merritt gets the nod in Game 3. I suppose it depends on the health of Bauer and Salazar. Have to imagine Indians go Kluber and Tomlin in games 1, 2, 4, 5.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Oct 23, 2016 -> 08:19 AM) We just got to hope if there really is a baseball god, he's got something special in store for Cubs fans, something far worse than the Bartman event. The Cubs should win this thing on paper, but stranger things have happened. I won't make an official prediction, but I will be actively cheering for the Tribe for the first time in my adult life. I've been cheering for them all postseason. AL Central well represented in the World Series for 3 years straight!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 11:41 PM) but not sustainable Fowler and Cespedes will likely attract multi year offers, and the logic of having Jansen and Robertson and Jones and Burdi only works with a $150-175 million payroll, not $125 they're better off operating like the Marlins and waiting for a deep-pocketed investor group Well yea that's why I said if they had the financial resources of the Cubs and a similar payroll, which they don't

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 11:22 PM) Well to his credit, he paid $60 million to a player who had never had a major league plate appearance. And you are right, we aren't the Cubs. But even with all their financial resources, they were smart enough to know they needed to do it through development and not FA signings. But much of the Sox current core has been through development. Sale, Q, Rodon, Anderson, Eaton are all guys they have developed. The finanacial limitations imposed by JR absolutely make it more difficult for them to field a competitive team. Of course it's not impossible but it is much more difficult. Although they would never do it, signing guys like Cespedes, Fowler, and Jansen this offseason would instantly make them a contender in the AL central while maintaining payroll similar to the Cubs this season.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 11:08 PM) I think he might if we knew we had a core of position players locked up for years but that you needed to add some legitimacy to the roster. That is essentially what the Lester signing was about more than anything - showing the other FA's that the Cubs were serious about winning and should be a destination for those FAs. I'd like to think this is the case but there is no history to say he would. When Jose Abreu is your biggest FA signing in franchise history, I have a hard time imagining him taking the leap to a contract 2.5x as large regardless of the state of the rest of the roster. I'm one of the few optimists on this board that thinks the White Sox aren't that far away from competing. The bullpen and offense need some help but their core is actually solid - Sale, Q, Rodon, Fulmer, Anderson, Eaton, Abreu, Burdi. If they had the resources of the Cubs, now would be the time to make a big splash and their version of a Lester signing by signing Cespedes this offseason but that won't happen.

Tribe in 7.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:53 PM) I disagree. If the Sox invested in their development, and were able to keep their mlb payrolls low as a result of that, as well as punting on competing for a few seasons, they could absolutely afford a Lester-type contract. Don't think about it in terms of our current payroll. Imagine a payroll in the $75 million range for a few seasons. There is nothing prohibiting you from paying a few veterans at that point $15-20 million per year. In theory yes but JR would never commit to that type of contract, especially for a pitcher.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:44 PM) Yeah they have, although I'd argue that Lester is really the only one that made a big difference. Zobrist gives them a ton of flexibility, but he isn't a guy the Sox couldn't sign. The big signing of Heyward probably wouldn't happen, but he hasn't really made a huge difference in their success. I guess my point is that their big dollar FA moves, outside of Lester, are really not what got them here. It was the investing in development and sticking with the plan. I follow you but being able to sign an ace for that kind of money is something the Sox couldn't afford to do. I'm not sure a rotation of Hendricks, Arrieta, Lackey, Hammel gets them past the Giants. Probably not.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:35 PM) I disagree...while the Cubs have used their financial resources to their advantage, and most importantly, their ability to draw fans even in the midst of a rebuild, it's more about the way in which they invested their resources than the magnitude of them, IMO. They made a commitment to building through international free agency and the draft. Meanwhile, they made some shrewd offseason signings and then were not afraid to move those players at the deadline of seasons they were noncompetitive to add assets to their core. This is nothing the White Sox can't do. All it takes is patience. And I don't really want to hear about the fans won't support it. The fans don't much support the product now anyways. They also paid big money to free agents. They are still a good team without those guys but would they have survived the division series without Lester? Not to mention other hefty contracts Zobrist, Heyward, Lackey which has led to mixed results but can you imagine what kind of devastation a Heyward type signing would have on the White Sox. Many are complaining that Shields remaining 2 years/$20MM (Sox portion) is a huge financial burden.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:34 PM) Yep paying 155 million for An ace is something Sox could never do Or $184MM for an outfielder...

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:15 PM) You know, some team wins the Series every year. The Sox could just model their team after one of them - say the Giants or Royals. Not really sure why you pretend to not be rooting hard for the Cubs. I don't think anyone on here would really care if you didn't act like you weren't. I said this awhile ago. The White Sox do not have the same financial resources as the Cubs so modeling a rebuild after them is not even realistic anyway. If anything, they should be following the model the Indians or Royals have used in recent years. They can start by strengthening the bullpen and defense.

Can the mods please put an end to this Austin Illini/Deadpool guy?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:56 PM) I usually ignore him (didn't he claim to be a woman a few weeks ago?), but I didn't care for the way he responded to your post. Thanks. He's always been very arrogant and condescending in his posts. Acts as if he is superior to everyone else here when actually he's just a coward and troll.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:52 PM) You are acting like a complete douchebag. That's how he acts all the time. I'm surprised he hasn't been banned from this site yet.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:41 PM) Yeah you really paid a lot of attention to the AL and that side of the playoffs. I've watched every Cleveland playoff game but one and they have impressed me more than the Cubs have this postseason to be honest. Whether or not they can sustain that level of play is obviously the big question, but if they do they will give the Cubs all they can ask for.

QUOTE (Footlongcomiskeydog @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:40 PM) Lol. Andrew Miller is just one guy and this isn't basketball. The tribe have no chance. Continue to underestimate the Indians. People have done it all year but here they are...

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:37 PM) I was out of town on business working 14 hour days, honestly. In Cleveland. We'll talk Sox when this is all done. LOL. Convenient excuse. So if the Indians play really well and take Game 1 on Tuesday we can expect you to stop in and say how much you appreciate good baseball and congratulate them for the win?

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:32 PM) I LOVE good baseball. Many people I love like the Cubs. I want the cubs to win for them and I want the White Sox to follow them and rebuild their organization right. You don't like it, tough. I will continue to call you out for your petulance. But why do you only appear when the Cubs are winning. I mean the Dodgers played good baseball in games 2 and 3 but I didn't see you on here patting them on the back following those games.