MiddleCoastBias

I know Paulie seems to be a great guy for the organization (didn't he say he would take a pay cut if it would help the team?), but will he be the type of guy that will take a 'play cut' ie move to DH? I know Dye is adamantly against move to DH; is it likely that Paulie is ready to take on that role?

QUOTE (gatnom @ May 1, 2010 -> 01:59 AM) When Brent Lillibridge grows up, he wants to be just like him. Wammy, made my night.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 28, 2010 -> 05:10 PM) Oh, and the Mets at least for now are liking Ike Davis at 1b. What other teams will we be competing with for theses big-name/big-ticket 1Bs/DHs? Can we expect their value to decrease at all given the number of names out there with (possibly) few destinations, despite the precedent that Howard set with his contract?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 28, 2010 -> 03:57 PM) I wonder if that has ever happened. A bunt double. I know there have been infield doubles, in fact I believe Guillen hit one back in the day, in Minny. Didn't Carl Crawford or someone on the Rays have some crazy play within the last two years in which they turned a bunt into a run? Throwing error to first, more errors, etc.?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 27, 2010 -> 05:39 PM) Yes, the more power you have the more acceptable your K-Rate is going to be. When the ball leaves the park, it still counts as a hit, so a guy hitting 40 HR can still put together a reasonable set of overall numbers with those sort of K-rates and won't be guaranteed to hit .220. However...34% is high even for a 40 HR hitter. Over a 600 at bat season that's >200 K's. Thanks. I guess my concern is WHAT IS an acceptable K-rate for Danks at his position, given his particular role and skill set? What would he have to get that rate down to so that we don't view it was an issue anymore?

I might be a little late to this discussion, but I recall watching the Braves game the other night, and they highlighted Hayward's K-rate as over 34%. Is it more acceptable for him to have such a high K-rate because he has more power than Danks?

According to Cowley, Coop didn't make the trip to Texas. What might this be about?

Nix and Lucy, following a sweep with momentum on our side, and after a rest day. Interesting.

QUOTE (bmags @ Apr 26, 2010 -> 11:38 PM) randy moss was consistently awesome his first 5 years in the league. True. But he had some issues with keeping his head in the game, and they were overlooked at first because of his super-stardom. My point is that Alexei has a similar issue (skill but no concentration), but he's not at the relative level of stardom to get away with it; he doesn't have the relative awesome skill that Moss possesses to compensate for his lapse in concentration. It eventually caught up with Moss, but he fought through it and overcame. The true test for Alexei is if he can learn from Vizquel or whomever to find the path necessary to overcome his brain farts, and become the player he has the ability to be.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Apr 26, 2010 -> 10:43 PM) We have a drawer full of those cowbells from the 2008 season and postseason. I want to melt them down so my family doesn't ring them in my face when my Sox suck arse against their Rays. Melt them down into the form of the World Series trophy as a constant reminder. What's better, cowbells and mohawks or World Series trophy and rings?

QUOTE (elgonzo4sox @ Apr 26, 2010 -> 08:18 PM) Did they mention if the trophy would get redistributed if the Sox and Cubs meet in the World Series? Or is this a moot point? Please note the highlighted words. If this actually happens, they won't be concerned about this trophy, but the Department of Child and Family Services will be on high-alert after all of the bets that Cubs fans have in which they are all willing to sell their first-born.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 26, 2010 -> 08:08 PM) I know I have said it. Alexei's baseball IQ is nil as far as I am concerned. He takes off way too many plays mentally, and makes the wrong choice all too often as well. It's sad to say, but it generally seems like he's the 'Randy Moss' of baseball (though he doesn't have the relative all-star capability that Moss has, if you can relate that across sports). He seems to be the guy that has the skills to really excel at his position if he can 'figure it out'. Moss seems to have settled into a solid role after a shaky start; I'm hoping Alexei is just experiencing those same growing pains and can break through that cloud. If he can, he can be something really special. I suspect Omar is here to really try to 'ground' him and keep him focused; I just hope it works.

Even Greg Maddux knows, chicks love the long ball. And Tom Glavine swings like a girl. http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/...g-the-longball/

Or blow-up dolls.

It's tough to follow that tirade. But seriously, it's more than a bit disconcerting to see how Peavy has performed this year. I guess I will give Ozzie credit for attempting something really new in the lineup; it days past he has said he's trying something new but it's really only been small changes. Today was a whole-sale lineup change: given Beckham will be in the everyday lineup, it was refreshing to see Q was moved down because something is clearly not clicking for him right now. I feel like if you replace the real pieces for their place-holders in today's lineup might make for interesting everyday lineup ie Beckham for Vizquel, Rios for Jones in CF and batting 3rd. AJ batting 5th was more than questionable given how he's hit this season, probably a reflection of Ozzie's boner for L-R-etc. Not many positives, but I'd like to think that at least Ozzie is trying to do something to get it going, though why he did it with the scrub lineup, I can't be sure.

This thread got off to a shaky start, but I think this has been one of the best discourses on here in a while. I'm loving this real debate, chock full of informed rebuttals.

QUOTE (SHIPPS @ Apr 21, 2010 -> 02:36 PM) Totally dude, I was just joking. Imagine like 30 thousand pointing and laughing at him though.

I went to a few Nationals games by myself. $5 to get there on the Metro, $5 for a ticket at the gate, just sit anywhere I wanted because no one is there. Great way to spend a night for cheap. Great experience, I totally enjoyed it.

I kind of equate it to Juan Uribe's swing, if you can follow this logic. Pauli is a smooth, body swinger, and his strong follow-through will naturally be through some added body movement. Uribe had an awkward upper body swing (that looked like it hurt), and it lead to a different follow-through than most. He always looked like he finished his home run swing with both hands with palm out to the pitcher and up high on his finish. Karko's Throatskin and I call him 'Magic Hands' because he looked like the old Mickey Mouse cartoons when he was a wizard, given that Uribe wore white batting gloves like Mickey and the end of the swing made him look like he was a doing a double-handed wave like Mickey. Bottom line, a batters' swing technique will lead to a different finish; Pauli has a hip-base swing. and it just might lead to more of a forward hip motion as he's getting older. Don't judge me and the Magic Hands, it's late and the local bars have been friendly.

Come on, Danks! Let's light a spark for this team. The bats need to get some solid hits and strong rips today.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Apr 20, 2010 -> 02:42 AM) I'd tend to agree. He could always come back in 2011 and DH if he likes it here anyways. We need all hands on deck in terms of guys who can even potentially hit for the forseeable future, unless of course all of our prospects turn out great or we go on a spending spree. Just like Thome.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 06:40 PM) In1983 the Sox were 12-17, 13-20, 16-24, 25-31. They went on to win 99 games and the AL West by 20 games. But when you have to look back 26 seasons to see an example of the positive end-result many expected this season compared to the start we have, it's not a bright outlook for our chances. Sure, it's happened. But compare how many times have we had a poor start and never kicked it into gear to the few years where we have actually turned it around. And no, I am not writing this team off at all; I'm just saying that it's tough to fully get behind the idea that in a few games we'll suddenly swing the bats and "oh, our lack of offense in spring training doesn't mean anything" and "our lack of offense in the first 12 games isn't a sign of things to come". I REALLY want to believe this, I do. I just fear that you can't ignore what's happening: we aren't hitting, and this team has not shown that they can consistently produce in the 2 months of baseball they have played, no matter what the level.

If it's in Champaign, go to Te Shurt on Wright St. They have everything you'll need, and they screen print anything you want. Not sure about if they do stitching on a jersey, but I do know that they do all their stuff for super cheap.

QUOTE (Disco72 @ Apr 17, 2010 -> 11:14 AM) Cardinals - Mets here in Atlanta too. I hate Fox Saturday games. http://myp2p.eu/competition.php?competitio...ipline=baseball The games are 5 minutes delayed and are poor quality, but it beats nothing for those out of market

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 16, 2010 -> 12:31 PM) We have the highest average fastball and slider velocity of any pen in the game. That's solid. Where did you find that, baseball-reference?