Random Thoughts 2.1

[Mingo]

White Sox players you wish were never White Sox players:

Adam Dunn
Steve Sax
Jose Conseco
Edwin Encarnacion

I'm certain I will think of more....

 

[idseer]

in no particular order:

jeff samardzija
aj pierzynski
jim king
bartolo colon
david wells
albert belle
craig kimbrell
gordon beckham
frank thomas
adam dunn
adaqm laroche
carlos rodon
james shields
nick swisher
todd frasier
don kessinger
dave nicholsen
sammy sosa
joe borchard
jim thome

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

White Sox players you wish were never White Sox players:

Adam Dunn
Steve Sax
Jose Conseco
Edwin Encarnacion

I'm certain I will think of more....

No I-Hate-White-Sox-Players list can be complete without having Ron Santo on it. He was disgusting as a Cub and pathetic as a Good Guy.

 

[Jiddy]

in no particular order:

jeff samardzija
aj pierzynski
jim king
bartolo colon
david wells
albert belle
craig kimbrell
gordon beckham
frank thomas
adam dunn
adaqm laroche
carlos rodon
james shields
nick swisher
todd frasier
don kessinger
dave nicholsen
sammy sosa
joe borchard
jim thome

*record scratch* Frank Thomas and Aj Pierzynski?!? EXPLAIN THYSELF.




Also, Jaime Navarro must be included on any list of this type.

 

[idseer]

*record scratch* Frank Thomas and Aj Pierzynski?!? EXPLAIN THYSELF.




Also, Jaime Navarro must be included on any list of this type.

well .... aj was a complete jerk. well known before we got him. i never changed my opinion of him just because he was acquired. i don't knock his ability. i just never liked him

i liked thomas for about 2 years. then i saw a side of him that i really didn't care for. his attitude. i never felt he was a team player. he played for himself. saw many ab's that required sacrifice on his part but he just wouldn't do it. and the fact is the sox never won a thing because of him. the year we took the ws he contributed almost nothing in. i remember very clearly thinking around the '00 we should trade him. i'd wager it would have brought a bundle in talent and 3 or 4 titles in the early '00's. i'd have felt differently had he been already supported by some good players & pitching.

fact is i've always felt having a star supported by a bunch of scrubs was a waste of 'star'. same reason i wanted to dump sale!
i remember when i first felt this way. mid 1950's the cubs had ernie banks and nothing else. what good did that do them?

*a little surprised you didn't also ask about thome.

 

[Jiddy]

well .... aj was a complete jerk. well known before we got him. i never changed my opinion of him just because he was acquired. i don't knock his ability. i just never liked him

i liked thomas for about 2 years. then i saw a side of him that i really didn't care for. his attitude. i never felt he was a team player. he played for himself. saw many ab's that required sacrifice on his part but he just wouldn't do it. and the fact is the sox never won a thing because of him. the year we took the ws he contributed almost nothing in. i remember very clearly thinking around the '00 we should trade him. i'd wager it would have brought a bundle in talent and 3 or 4 titles in the early '00's. i'd have felt differently had he been already supported by some good players & pitching.

fact is i've always felt having a star supported by a bunch of scrubs was a waste of 'star'. same reason i wanted to dump sale!
i remember when i first felt this way. mid 1950's the cubs had ernie banks and nothing else. what good did that do them?

*a little surprised you didn't also ask about thome.

Did you live in Chicago in the 90s? I did. Big Hurt was always sh*t on by the local media (which mattered way more in those days)...led by that asshat Mariotti (who conveniently called him "The Big Skirt.") He got hosed hard by the media because he wore the chip on his shoulder while other players of his day cheated their asses off with roids/etc. They made him out to be way less of a team player than he was.

He's the best White Sox player of my lifetime by a country mile. He deserved better than what Reinsdorf Co. gave him and I still get a tickle in my pickle thinking of him throwing those oh-so-obvious jabs during his HOF speech about some folks who weren't able to cheat their way into the HOF. I felt his schadenfreude in my core idseer. My core. You should too. I call blasphemy on any insinuation that he was the problem with the 90s and early 2000s Sox. If he wasn't on the team, those teams would have been on the wrong side of .500 more often than not.

 

[idseer]

Did you live in Chicago in the 90s? I did. Big Hurt was always sh*t on by the local media (which mattered way more in those days)...led by that asshat Mariotti (who conveniently called him "The Big Skirt.") He got hosed hard by the media because he wore the chip on his shoulder while other players of his day cheated their asses off with roids/etc. They made him out to be way less of a team player than he was.

He's the best White Sox player of my lifetime by a country mile. He deserved better than what Reinsdorf Co. gave him and I still get a tickle in my pickle thinking of him throwing those oh-so-obvious jabs during his HOF speech about some folks who weren't able to cheat their way into the HOF. I felt his schadenfreude in my core idseer. My core. You should too. I call blasphemy on any insinuation that he was the problem with the 90s and early 2000s Sox. If he wasn't on the team, those teams would have been on the wrong side of .500 more often than not.

didn't live there, no. but i did watch him play ... with my own eyes. i remember clearly times when a walk puts a runner in scoring position and him swinging away at bad pitches, and yes it's ironic because he did walk so much and was a good hitter. i SAW him put himself ahead of the team on multiple occasions! he didn't get that tag because someone just made it up.
stats-wise i agree he was the best hitter (i stop short of calling him player cause all he could do was hit) the sox ever had in my lifetime. i WAS proud of the fact he did it without the roids. and yet i disagree the sox wouldn't have been a better team without him. with a top reliable reliever and a top starter (should have been easy to get at least that for him plus more) i think that team could have been a lot better.

i know i'm not the only sox fan to have felt this way. so .... this is 'agree to disagree' time. :P

 

[Jiddy]

didn't live there, no. but i did watch him play ... with my own eyes. i remember clearly times when a walk puts a runner in scoring position and him swinging away at bad pitches, and yes it's ironic because he did walk so much and was a good hitter. i SAW him put himself ahead of the team on multiple occasions! he didn't get that tag because someone just made it up.
stats-wise i agree he was the best hitter (i stop short of calling him player cause all he could do was hit) the sox ever had in my lifetime. i WAS proud of the fact he did it without the roids. and yet i disagree the sox wouldn't have been a better team without him. with a top reliable reliever and a top starter (should have been easy to get at least that for him plus more) i think that team could have been a lot better.

i know i'm not the only sox fan to have felt this way. so .... this is 'agree to disagree' time. :P

So I guess this means it's a no to being sold on some Nugenix? Come on iddy...Time to get some sexy time into this Christmas. Or at least steal some other man's wife in an airport...

 

[Jiddy]

Oh...And I have no beef with Jim Thome. He's just always be an Indian to me so I'll never see him in the same way as some of our franchise players of the past. But he's been good to the White Sox so I'm not sure why anyone else would have beef either. I mean, he was in his mid-30's and gave us some good years. To put him on an all-time worst Sox players list is pretty extreme in its own right.

 

[Mingo]

White Sox players who would make a good Santa Claus:

Greg Luzinski
David Wells
Frank Thomas

White Sox Christmas Carol:

Ghost of Christmas past - Tony LaRusa
Ghost of Christmas present - Tony LaRusa
Ghost of Christmas future - Tony LaRusa

Grinch - Uncle Jerry

Elf - Eddy Gaedel

Elf on the shelf - Adam Engel

 

[idseer]

Oh...And I have no beef with Jim Thome. He's just always be an Indian to me so I'll never see him in the same way as some of our franchise players of the past. But he's been good to the White Sox so I'm not sure why anyone else would have beef either. I mean, he was in his mid-30's and gave us some good years. To put him on an all-time worst Sox players list is pretty extreme in its own right.

ok well ... it was never the all time worst list (elsewise how could i have thomas on the list?). it was players you wish were never on the team. and you described the exact reason i put thome on that list.

 

[Jiddy]

ok well ... it was never the all time worst list (elsewise how could i have thomas on the list?). it was players you wish were never on the team. and you described the exact reason i put thome on that list.

I mean...I'm pretty easy going...But if I have a definition of a person that I don't want them associated with me (or in this case, my team), I usually associate that with them being somebody I dislike because of their on-field performance (or they're just sh*theads...so I can relate where you are coming from in AJ's case). I may be vocal about the players that I do dislike on here, but it takes some a pretty unique circumstance for me to dislike decent or better performing players where I would think: "Hmmm...I really wish they never were on the White Sox."

Every year is situational and unique. I can't remember all the nuances of each FA season and/or draft from years' past, so I'm sure there were better theoretical options if you really dig on most player signings. (IE Opportunity cost) But that's delving down into some SciFi "space time continuum" type stuff. Where, well if we signed "A and B" instead of "X" where would we be? Nah...Yeah it might come up in the current as we analyze every possibility to the most minute detail as it applies to the current team...but trying to do that for a season 15-20-30 years ago? My aging brain ain't going there anymore. So at this point looking back I fall back to assessing a player on how well I remember what he did as a White Sox both from memory and statistically.

Just like the grass is always greener, there's always a better move if you really want to stress it that much...but that's not realistic. Frank, AJ and Thome were all benefits to the White Sox organization and I'm glad we had them.

 

[idseer]

I mean...I'm pretty easy going...But if I have a definition of a person that I don't want them associated with me (or in this case, my team), I usually associate that with them being somebody I dislike because of their on-field performance (or they're just sh*theads...so I can relate where you are coming from in AJ's case). I may be vocal about the players that I do dislike on here, but it takes some a pretty unique circumstance for me to dislike decent or better performing players where I would think: "Hmmm...I really wish they never were on the White Sox."

Every year is situational and unique. I can't remember all the nuances of each FA season and/or draft from years' past, so I'm sure there were better theoretical options if you really dig on most player signings. (IE Opportunity cost) But that's delving down into some SciFi "space time continuum" type stuff. Where, well if we signed "A and B" instead of "X" where would we be? Nah...Yeah it might come up in the current as we analyze every possibility to the most minute detail as it applies to the current team...but trying to do that for a season 15-20-30 years ago? My aging brain ain't going there anymore. So at this point looking back I fall back to assessing a player on how well I remember what he did as a White Sox both from memory and statistically.

Just like the grass is always greener, there's always a better move if you really want to stress it that much...but that's not realistic. Frank, AJ and Thome were all benefits to the White Sox organization and I'm glad we had them.

yeah? .... well all i have to say to that is .... merry christmas & happy new year, jid.

 

[Mingo]

Interview with highly touted White Sox prospect Norge Vera | Sox On 35th

White Sox top prospect Norge Vera talks about signing with the White Sox, life in Cuba, his relationship with Jose Contreras, and more!

www.soxon35th.com

Norge Vera will probably start in High A ball this year and with good results move up to AA. He is the pitcher in the White Sox farm system with the stuff to be a #1 or #2 starter - and closest to the Bigs.

 

[Jiddy]

Merry Christmas to all my White Sox brethren. Here’s to the boys making a legit run at the title in 2022!

 

[Mingo]

Happy New Year - White Sox fans!

I am reminded of the great poet Alexander Pope's observation: "Hope springs eternal in the human breast."

Remember when we wrang our hands all year on a good White Sox season because the White Sox didn't have a winning record against winning teams? Only to find out the Atlanta Braves - World Series Champions had the same regular season problem. The difference was - the Braves trade deadline deals came up 5 stars - and the White Sox had their trade deadline deals look good on paper but blew up in return on investment. Some crazy sh!t happens in baseball.

I think this Sox team as it stands right now - can win the World Series with the right number of breaks and improvements. If you are "completive" as a team, you have that possibility.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Happy New Year - White Sox fans!

I am reminded of the great poet Alexander Pope's observation: "Hope springs eternal in the human breast."

Remember when we wrang our hands all year on a good White Sox season because the White Sox didn't have a winning record against winning teams? Only to find out the Atlanta Braves - World Series Champions had the same regular season problem. The difference was - the Braves trade deadline deals came up 5 stars - and the White Sox had their trade deadline deals look good on paper but blew up in return on investment. Some crazy sh!t happens in baseball.

I think this Sox team as it stands right now - can win the World Series with the right number of breaks and improvements. If you are "completive" as a team, you have that possibility.

Get ready for Random Thoughts 2.2, Mingo - just a few days away.

I like what you said, but I might be just a touch more skeptical on our fortunes. There's no doubt we have some serious talent on this roster, but we also have question marks. I would like to have seen a more aggressive offseason than what was given us. I'm sure once this nasty ass CBA issue gets resolved, there will be more activity, but this unfortunately remains to be seen. I'm not comfortable going to war with the roster as is, at least as it pertains to winning the whole enchilada. But I am excited that no matter what, we're in for another winning year and taking part in the playoffs.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Two articles from MLBTR worth perusing:

Five-Year Deals For Free Agent Starting Pitchers Rarely End Well

What can recent history tell us about five-year deals for free agent starting pitchers?

www.mlbtraderumors.com

Kind of a snapshot as to how 5 year+ contracts more often than not fail to work well for the teams, at least for the entirety of the contracts.

Largest Contract In Franchise History For Each MLB Team

Here’s our list of the largest contract each of the 30 MLB teams has ever signed. Each contract is linked …

www.mlbtraderumors.com

Sox are 27th when ranking the highest paid individual contracts for each team. And the max player contracts for two of the three teams below them, the A's and Pirates, date back to '04, and '00, respectively.

 

[Mingo]

Uncle Jerry really means to buy top talent for his team, but at the moment he needs to put up the money - he realizes he left the money in his other pants.

Funny thing - MLB free agency. The Sox miss signing the top FAs to play 2nd base, but even in losing out - those signings created a market for the current 2nd baseman on those teams. Story and Caberra still to go. Turns out some of those guys are pretty good - Jeff O'Neal of the Mets - Kiner-Fila of the Rangers - and Jean Segura of the Reds. The Yankees are the favorite to sign Caberra, and bringing back R. Cano which may leave Gaybar Torres expendable. If the National league adds the DH - in the new labor agreement - that would give the Sox some trade opportunities. Also - Reynaldo Lopez created some value for himself around the league the way he finished the season.

 

[Mingo]

OK baseball fans - what do we talk about today?

What to do with Vaughn and Sheets?

I think Sheets is the rare kind of player who is especially locked in at the plate during big moments in a game. If Sheets is on the MLB roster - he ought to be the primary backup for Jose at 1st. Sheets can also use some time back at AAA proving he can hit Lefties.

Vaughn is developmentally ahead of Sheets at the plate. He can play a corner OF. He needs more work on hitting Righties. I'm really impressed with Vaughn's professional approach to the game. I expect he will show up this year - having worked on his game this winter and improve his numbers.

I wouldn't trade either of these guys this year.