Steve Stone / Yoan Moncada's "Lack of Effort and Interest"

[Sambuca]

27 minutes ago, harkness99 said:

Hard for me to imagine Yoan Moncada caring much about what Steve Stone says about him.. if he even knows.

Pony saying it to a random person next to him, maybe not.

Pony tweeting it for all Sox fans to see and potentially agree with, he knows and he cares.

Not to mention, I’m sure it made him start wondering if the front office and/or owner feels the same.

[NCsoxfan]

Everybody doesn’t have the same body language. Sometimes I think people judge Moncada unfairly because of his

[chitownsportsfan]

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by chitownsportsfan

[ron883]

Stone should be disappointed in himself. I hope somebody on 670 calls him out on it. They won't though, because he comes on every one of the shows frequently and the hosts adore him. 

[chitownsportsfan]

Incredible article from Fegan tonight:

 

https://theathletic.com/2592695/2021/05/16/how-jose-abreus-outstanding-instinctive-baserunning-stole-a-win-for-the-white-sox-against-the-royals/?source=emp_shared_article

Usually quoting 500 words in a post gamer might not constitute fair use, but James wrote quite a few more.  Get your sub.

Quote

“You don’t want to say anything hurts when you see a guy just get absolutely pummeled and then come out the next day and say, ‘I’m good,’” Carlos Rodón said. “There’s definitely no room for excuses when you see that.”

“A guy like that, that has won MVP and has the accolades that he has,” Adam Eaton said. “He’s going out there every single day, he’s putting the effort and the love into the game — who are you to not do that?”

The White Sox stranded runners in scoring position with opportunities to tie in the seventh and eighth innings. They were held to just a two-run homer from Eaton off Royals right-hander Brady Singer, whom the team passed on in the 2018 draft, over 6 1/3 mostly dominant innings.

Reliever Codi Heuer saw both of the singles he allowed in the seventh come around to score despite a strong effort from Aaron Bummer, spoiling the 2-1 lead handed over after 5 2/3 innings from starter Dylan Cease.

As much as the past two weeks of baseball, played admirably without the stalwart services of Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert, have vaulted the White Sox into first place in the AL Central, they were headed toward a letdown series loss to the third-place Royals, who seemed intent on avenging a sweep in Kansas City the previous weekend.

This is the extra context that Abreu stormed into that created catharsis out of an otherwise mundane one-run win by a contending team over a rebuilding club.

“What I love,” Eaton said, “is we didn’t have it right away.”

And maybe they never really had it. Royals manager Mike Matheny was furious postgame, insisting that two replays showed Abreu clearly out from Gallagher’s lunging tag. When broached on the topic, multiple White Sox treated the topic with a knowing smirk: as if they knew the truth, but would rather not ruin the poetry of their leader charging forward to claim victory when there should have been no opportunity for it. Maybe that carried the day in the replay review, as well.

“Yeah … we’ll take that,” said Cease after a pause.

“They said he was safe, they even gave it replay,” Eaton said with a smile.

Asked about third baseman Yoán Moncada’s seemingly opaque body language earlier this week, White Sox hitting coach Frank Menechino said it’s no easier for him, as someone who works with the man every day, to interpret. But that stoicism through pain, success and difficulty can make Moncada into an effective weather vane in extreme moments.

When the White Sox were walked off by the Reds in that fateful 10th inning 11 days earlier, Moncada stood frozen in his defensive stance for 10 seconds afterward, taking an extra moment to move on from the heartbreak. As he punched the game-tying single through a drawn-in Royals infield in the ninth Sunday, Moncada mirrored the evocative Tim Anderson as they strode up and down the first and third baselines, respectively, both punching the air in triumph. As replay review held up Abreu’s effort, Moncada leaped over the dugout railing to hug his mentor and teammate.

“He always wants to play, and he came yesterday ready to play,” Moncada said through team interpreter Billy Russo. “That is just the way that he is.”

Despite such a valiant effort to lead the American League in on-base percentage and average more than five runs per game without two of their stars, the White Sox offense lurched for much of the game, giving a view to what still could be lean months until Jiménez and Robert return. Second baseman Nick Madrigal, picked rather than Singer, is mired in a 1-for-15 stretch. American League rookie of the month Yermín Mercedes has had plenty of big moments, including a ninth-inning single Sunday that inspired a fired-up Moncada to run through a Joe McEwing stop sign for the second out, but has cooled off in May. But in the end, it was the remaining core that pulled through.

“The thing that was noteworthy there was Tim’s two-strike double,” La Russa said. “There’s your leader, he gets on. You got a ridiculous bunt by Eaton, and Yoán gets the base hit to tie. The guys, the big-time producers, produce. I don’t care who did it, but it’s even greater when the big guys are big.”

 

[South Side Hit Men]

53 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

 

Andrew Vaughn is getting a little sumpin' in the upper left hand corner of Ryan's tweet.

Good for him, he deserves it, and the number 99!

"Wild Thing" indeed!!!

Edited May 17, 2021 by South Side Hit Men

[hi8is]

1 hour ago, South Side Hit Men said:

Andrew Vaughn is getting a little sumpin' in the upper left hand corner of Ryan's tweet.

Good for him, he deserves it, and the number 99!

"Wild Thing" indeed!!!

Talk about an Easter egg. ?

[Sambuca]

2 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Incredible article from Fegan tonight:

 

https://theathletic.com/2592695/2021/05/16/how-jose-abreus-outstanding-instinctive-baserunning-stole-a-win-for-the-white-sox-against-the-royals/?source=emp_shared_article

Usually quoting 500 words in a post gamer might not constitute fair use, but James wrote quite a few more.  Get your sub.

 

So is he lazy? 

[caulfield12]

Moncada 33rd out of 163 qualified players, 1.3 fWAR.

Pace approximately 5.2-5.3 fWAR.

What could he do if NOT so lazy and so many Twinkies and all those reggaeton/gold chains weighing down on the basepaths?

And TA, #17 with a bullet.

[35thstreetswarm]

I can’t stand this type of BS meatball armchair psychology.  Stone should stick to sparring with 14-year-olds on Twitter.

[bmags]

Here's what I hate most about it:

- Stone would certainly be more clued into locker room dynamics than us, and may know some legitimate stories of moncada being an unapproachable teammate or doesn't put in work outside, whatever. Maybe doesn't listen to staff.

- He wouldn't be able to say any specific stories like that, so instead he tries to intimate that there is a deeper story by laundering it into snipes about hustle.

Basically along the same lines as people trying to show they know an injury. If you know something say what it really is, or don't say it. But the hinting and sniping is bullcrap and incredibly unfair. You can't defend yourself against vague assertions of "hustle".

[Harold's Leg Lift]

Fegan took two shots at the Sox for passing on Singer.

Even to a guy like me that's cold

[Jack Parkman]

1 minute ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Fegan took two shots at the Sox for passing on Singer.

Even to a guy like me that's cold

I was pretty anti-Singer, but that's only because I thought his stuff wouldn't play in MLB. 

I was Meh on Madrigal, but I thought he had ++ speed and defense, which is wrong. 

I thought that a guy that could hit .320, play GG defense and swipe 30 bags was valuable.....there was also talk about Madrigal being a special hitter, in the Ichiro, Gwynn, Carew mold. I was like, sure.....but the guy that Madrigal is has no business in MLB. 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

8 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Incredible article from Fegan tonight:

 

https://theathletic.com/2592695/2021/05/16/how-jose-abreus-outstanding-instinctive-baserunning-stole-a-win-for-the-white-sox-against-the-royals/?source=emp_shared_article

Usually quoting 500 words in a post gamer might not constitute fair use, but James wrote quite a few more.  Get your sub.

 

Ok I'll say something about that Fegan article . This might be what he thinks he's perceiving based on his own thoughts  or is it truly the mood ?

I'm talking about the real or perceived idea among the Sox players as if they caught a break. He's intimating they know that Abreu was tagged out by smirking their way through answers when they talk about it.  Use the word "smirk" and it implies something conniving or sly like you got away with something.

Fegan's a fine writer and he may be telling the truth as he sees it but I don't like it. I would have preferred something like " we all saw the replay and there wasn't irrefutable evidence to reverse the call" . I'm sure some quotes like that were available. I don't like that he says the truth was different than the calls made on the field or by the league after further review.

[caulfield12]

Just now, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Ok I'll say something about that Fegan article . This might be what he thinks he's perceiving based on his own thoughts  or is it truly the mood ?

I'm talking about the real or perceived idea among the Sox players as if they caught a break. He's intimating they know that Abreu was tagged out by smirking their way through answers when they talk about it.  Use the word "smirk" and it implies something conniving or sly like you got away with something.

Fegan's a fine writer and he may be telling the truth as he sees it but I don't like it. I would have preferred something like " we all saw the replay and there wasn't irrefutable evidence to reverse the call" . I'm sure some quotes like that were available. I don't like that he says the truth was different than the calls made on the field or by the league after further review.

Looks like he was tagged on the back before he could reach over Gallagher’s glove to get the plate...90% think he’s out.  So they all know they caught a break and avoided extras after watching Moncada get gunned down with a perfect Merrifield throw on the fly.

[NWINFan]

13 hours ago, Blackout Friday said:

Steve stone says lots of stuff. 

A lot of stuff gets said all over. I know it is difficult for a player or anyone to ignore criticism, but a player should do all he can to shut out this stuff. Being a major league baseball player is hard enough as it is to allow for distractions to affect play. I never thought that Moncada wasn't showing effort. His defensive play has been good even with some lack of communication with Anderson on pop ups. Fans say things. Announcers say things. The rest of the media also chimes in. None of it will mean anything if the Sox head into the playoffs.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

36 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Looks like he was tagged on the back before he could reach over Gallagher’s glove to get the plate...90% think he’s out.  So they all know they caught a break and avoided extras after watching Moncada get gunned down with a perfect Merrifield throw on the fly.

See what you said there. "It looks like"  is not the same as there was 100% irrefutable evidence that he was tagged. That's what is needed to overturn the decision.

This kind of misinterpretation of the intent of replay just lends credence to Matheny's beef. I'd like to find out where you get this "90% think he was out" stuff .

Benetti was looking at replays and thought he was tagged twice , once on the foot and once where you said he was tagged but eventually came to the conclusion that nothing was definitive. SOme might say they saw the jersey move  but is that definitive? A jersey is loose to begin with and Abreu is sliding. If the jersey moved who is to say it wasn't just rippling or moving from the act of sliding ? I couldn't see anything to say 100% he was tagged.

[Chris Sale]

1 hour ago, Jack Parkman said:

I was pretty anti-Singer, but that's only because I thought his stuff wouldn't play in MLB. 

I was Meh on Madrigal, but I thought he had ++ speed and defense, which is wrong. 

I thought that a guy that could hit .320, play GG defense and swipe 30 bags was valuable.....there was also talk about Madrigal being a special hitter, in the Ichiro, Gwynn, Carew mold. I was like, sure.....but the guy that Madrigal is has no business in MLB. 

I believe it was Newton's fourth law that says "all threads on Soxtalk must eventually become Madrigal threads" 

[caulfield12]

1 minute ago, Chris Sale said:

I believe it was Newton's fourth law that says "all threads on Soxtalk must eventually become Madrigal threads" 

Or Grandal...or the mostly garbage bench and OF options, followed up by “we’re the best so no point in constantly questioning or second guessing TLR or Hahn.”

[caulfield12]

28 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

See what you said there. "It looks like"  is not the same as there was 100% irrefutable evidence that he was tagged. That's what is needed to overturn the decision.

This kind of misinterpretation of the intent of replay just lends credence to Matheny's beef. I'd like to find out where you get this "90% think he was out" stuff .

Benetti was looking at replays and thought he was tagged twice , once on the foot and once where you said he was tagged but eventually came to the conclusion that nothing was definitive. SOme might say they saw the jersey move  but is that definitive? A jersey is loose to begin with and Abreu is sliding. If the jersey moved who is to say it wasn't just rippling or moving from the act of sliding ? I couldn't see anything to say 100% he was tagged.

https://theathletic.com/2592901/2021/05/16/something-needs-to-be-done-royals-manager-mike-matheny-heated-at-game-deciding-replay-against-white-sox/?source=freedailyemail

[35thstreetswarm]

18 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Or Grandal...or the mostly garbage bench and OF options, followed up by “we’re the best so no point in constantly questioning or second guessing TLR or Hahn.”

All jokes are funnier when converted to list form

[chetkincaid]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:36 AM, fathom said:

I’m fine with him dogging it to avoid injury 

This x 1000. Don't blow out a hammy sprinting as hard as you can to first after a routine ground ball just because old timers think that it's "playing the game right". 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

16 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

https://theathletic.com/2592901/2021/05/16/something-needs-to-be-done-royals-manager-mike-matheny-heated-at-game-deciding-replay-against-white-sox/?source=freedailyemail

Can't read any The Athletic articles if you are providing a link to provide any kind of proof to  your opinion that it looked like he was tagged or the 90% thing you said. I don't think your opinion is in the article . Did you not see the replay and thus are adapting someone elses opinion as your own ?

[southsider2k5]

1 hour ago, NWINFan said:

A lot of stuff gets said all over. I know it is difficult for a player or anyone to ignore criticism, but a player should do all he can to shut out this stuff. Being a major league baseball player is hard enough as it is to allow for distractions to affect play. I never thought that Moncada wasn't showing effort. His defensive play has been good even with some lack of communication with Anderson on pop ups. Fans say things. Announcers say things. The rest of the media also chimes in. None of it will mean anything if the Sox head into the playoffs.

The problem is that it shouldn't be people within your own organization who are sabotaging your players.

[chitownsportsfan]

2 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Ok I'll say something about that Fegan article . This might be what he thinks he's perceiving based on his own thoughts  or is it truly the mood ?

I'm talking about the real or perceived idea among the Sox players as if they caught a break. He's intimating they know that Abreu was tagged out by smirking their way through answers when they talk about it.  Use the word "smirk" and it implies something conniving or sly like you got away with something.

Fegan's a fine writer and he may be telling the truth as he sees it but I don't like it. I would have preferred something like " we all saw the replay and there wasn't irrefutable evidence to reverse the call" . I'm sure some quotes like that were available. I don't like that he says the truth was different than the calls made on the field or by the league after further review.

I get what you're saying and I had the same impression that Fegan was sorta doing that sportswriter narrative insert when guys are just giving sorta boilerplate reactions and not thinking too much about what they are saying, but for James I will allow it because he's just that good of a writer and if he felt the guys were feeling that way that's fine.