LittleHurt05

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 11:05 AM) Eh, I think the 7-day DL for concussion like symptoms was a nice change to give teams more flexibility, but 25 makes things interesting. The 3-day paternity leave option too, which lets a guy (Youk) leave the team for a few days for the birth of a child, without hurting his team's roster flexibility. I agree that 25 makes it interesting and shouldn't change. That's part of the intrigue of baseball, keeping your pitchers fresh every day, dealing with short starts, extra innings etc. That's why I hate the 40-man roster expansion in September. Playoff spots are on the line and they completely change the rules of the game.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 09:58 AM) Not that I think much of the White Sox farm system, but let's try to keep in mind that these "farm rankings" are a huge steaming pile of bulls***... Granted, this is the Cubs, but these same people ranked their farm in the top 10 five years in a row (even hitting #1, #2 and #3 in consecutive years). 2001: Cubs #2 2002: Cubs #1 2003: Cubs #3 2004: Cubs #7 2005: Cubs #10 ...that really seemed to make a difference. From http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/featu...ntrankings.html The Royals have had the best prospects in baseball for years and they still suck

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 08:52 AM) I am too, but it seems like a 50-game suspension isn't enough of a deterrent to not try to get away with it. The suspension is only a deterrent for proven major leaguers who are looking for that extra juice like A-Rod. If you are a borderline AAAA player, the juice could be the difference between millions in MLB or riding the bus in AAA. The reward is well worth the risk, especially since the testing doesn't seem to be very successful at catching people.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 10:01 AM) I'd like to get my hands on some hgh for my knees. Give Sly Stallone a call...

QUOTE (balfanman @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 09:28 AM) Other than Bartolo are you thinking of someone in particular? I despise mentioning names with no proof, but no one is above suspicion in todays sports world so.......could this possibly be the reason for A.J.'s well above average season? He never struck me as the type to do this, but again, I would not be totally suprised at anyone on that list. Along with Bartolo, Melky Cabrera & Yasmani Grandal were suspended for PEDs last season, and now all 3 of them were implicated in this scam.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 08:40 AM) Got him paid, because he was not very good at pitching. Which is as good of a reason to do it as any.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 08:55 AM) Yes, but the Sox faired very badly versus both the Royals and the Tigers. And they had A. J.'s left handed bat. You were talking about the entire division against whom the Sox play nearly half their games. In that half of the schedule, the Sox went over .500.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 08:50 AM) I don't propose to have the solution. It might be constructive to start by identifying the problem. Do you agree that the absence of another left handed impact bat is the highest priority? If you agree, then you tell us. How can the Sox acquire such a hitter? IMO, the biggest problem is that the Sox don't have Mike Trout, Ryan Braun, Justin Verlander, and/or Felix Hernandez. If you agree, then you tell us. How can the Sox acquire one or more of these players?

Remember when Toby Hall got injured in spring training and Soxtalk thought the world was gonna end? That was awesome.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 29, 2013 -> 07:22 AM) You can talk about contact vs. power, increasing OBP, or any other nuance of hitting. The Sox play almost half of their games against their division rivals, and they are not built to beat those teams. I've discussed how well the Detroit starters handled right handed hitters last year. The simple, unavoidable truth is that the rosters of Chicago's A. L. Central opponents are comprised almost entirely of right handed starting pitchers. The two notable exceptions being Bruce Chen and Scott Diamond, both of whom were actually more effective against right handed hitters last year. This is just one more reason that should emphasize the need for the Sox to add a middle of the order left handed bat. Well then it's even more impressive that they finished over .500 against the division last year.

Awesome. Anything that may quiet the "Gio should be in our rotation" club is good news.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 28, 2013 -> 12:31 PM) Ex-Bears head coach Lovie Smith plans to sit out the 2013 season and return as a head coach in 2014. The Chicago Sun-Times reported the same thing earlier this month, but head-coaching jobs were still open at the time, so it wasn't set in stone. Smith apparently has no interest in the defensive-coordinator vacancies in Philadelphia or New Orleans, even though they wouldn't seem to have interest in him either. Smith will be 56 years old once the 2014 season rolls around. Lovie PJs. Poor, poor Lovie has to sit at home and get paid a $5 million salary.

QUOTE (flippedoutpunk @ Jan 28, 2013 -> 12:34 PM) Is that SOXOBAMA?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 28, 2013 -> 10:27 AM) And yes, obviously the three ball is an issue. My point was more that it just doesn't matter anymore. Unless they're hitting 60% of their threes, they're still not good enough to beat the top 4-5 teams in the big ten. If they hit 40% of their threes against Michigan, Minnesota or Wisconsin, they still lose those games. Everyone in the conference knows they're weak inside and they don't run an offense at all. They've been exploited just like last year. Groce is to blame for part of that. I'm not seeing much adjustment. I mean, at some point it's just a lack of execution. But why aren't they running more designed plays? They've reverted back to last years offense where they just stand around and wait for someone to throw up a brick. Weber used to say they were fine when option A worked but they sucked at options B and C. Well, they're that same team again. They shot 40% from 3 vs. Butler and 42% agaisnt Gonzaga. In conference play, they are at 24.5%. That's nearly four 3's, or 12 points a game. That's a huge deal.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 28, 2013 -> 10:02 AM) I feel like hockey and baseball are better life, NFL is better on TV no question, and NBA depends on where you sit. I concur. My season tix for the Hawks are 10 rows up in the 300 level corner, but they are still solid seats. I wouldn't dare pony up the money for Bulls tix that high up, the view is so much worse for basketball. Watching the NFL is so much better on TV, especially since everyone has "action" on other games, but there is something about the atmosphere and experience of Bears games that keeps me going to Soldier Field every weekend.

Cue the "Rick Hahn is sleeping and/or dead" militia: Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal #Rays agree with free-agent 2B Kelly Johnson on one-year contract, sources tell me and @jonmorosi.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 28, 2013 -> 09:17 AM) Meh, I think he'll do well there. Expectations aren't as high, he's doesn't have the pressure to bring in 5* guys and finishing in the top 4 in the conference won't be that difficult. At Illinois he didn't recruit the right guys or missed out on guys and had no plan B. Hence why we're stuck without a decent PG or PF. I'm still in absolute shock that they've regressed so much. The morons on TV keep talking about the three ball, but that's not the issue. They shot well yesterday and still got beat easily. I really don't see this team making the tournament. 6-26 (.231) from behind the arc, 23-62 (.371) from the field. You say they shot well? It's Illinois basketball, not Northern Illinois

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 27, 2013 -> 02:06 PM) Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Derrick Rose offers his deepest condolences. Rose, Rondo, & Rubio all tore their ACL in 12 months, brutal. Point guards with a "R" last name, watch out!

QUOTE (The Critic @ Jan 27, 2013 -> 12:13 PM) The Wings aren't that good this year, but Emery's probably getting the start, so it should be a tough game to win. Still haven't made an official announcement about the starting goalie, still could be Crawford. Heading to the UC tonight, feels like I haven't been there in so long.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 26, 2013 -> 10:03 PM) Guy at Mizzou drained a half court shot during half time. It was after he barely made 3 of 10 free throws. Then this perfect half court shot. NIU just offered him a scholarship

5-0

I wish I was getting paid to gain 15 pounds by eating Taco Bell & Five Guys. That would be the life.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 10:27 PM) JJ Stankevitz ‏@JJStankevitz Asked Robin Ventura what the next step is for Chris Sale. His response was pretty great: "No-hitters." Pretty disappointing answer from Robin. The only correct answer is "Perfect Games".

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 10:52 PM) And I thought we had the best medical staff in the sport. Nobody was able to tell Paulie that he wouldn't be on the shelf for that long? Seriously. That may have cost us a playoff spot. From June-September, his highest monthly OPS was .785. Sitting out a few weeks to heal up could have been the difference.

September OPS: .730 October OPS: 1.764 September/October OPS: .896