Second Season :: Round 2 :: Days 2 and 3 -- Future SS edition

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 12:04 PM CDT in Game Threads Comment 108 comments

Jose Silveiro, who joined the White Sox in the Instructional Leagues a mere two weeks ago, could be the team's shortstop of the future. It's a little difficult to rate Silveiro at this point, though, considering he just became of age to drive.

"He has soft hands, a strong arm and a nice approach," said Regier, who added that Silveiro played nine innings against the Angels during Instructional League action Thursday.

"There's still a lot of work to be done there, and we have to help him with things like the language barrier," Regier added. "But, baseball is baseball."

Wilder and the rest of the White Sox Latin America crew signed Silveiro out of the Dominican Republic. There's no basic timetable set for Silveiro's progression upwards, but the talented middle infielder could be a Major Leaguer before he turns 21.

"You hope a guy like this will be an impact player," said Regier of Silveiro. "When you get a player of his talent, at this age, you are hoping he comes fast."

***** In other news,

The Legend's agent wants a 6-year, $84 million contract! Also, the Phillies may be after Joe Crede.
Jim looks at Arizona's bullpen and contrasts it with ours.
UPDATE:
Minnie Minoso received the Jackie Robinson Lifetime Achievement award
Baseball America published the International League (AAA) Top 20 Prospects List and the Pacific Coast League (AAA) Top 20 Prospects List. Josh Fields is at #4 in the IL list. BTW, here's the Texas League (AA) Top 20 Prospects List to go along with the Southern and Eastern League's AA prospect lists.
Keith Foulke is coming back for the 2008 season.

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another good sign

from our minor league/scouting/player development. obvioualy he's real, real young and it's a merkin fluff piece - but at least we're signing players from the DR. this is what other teams do and what we really haven't done much recently.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 12:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

This goes back to what Larry said...

a few weeks ago. Even if everything goes right for this kid, when could we honestly expect him to arrive at the big league level -- 2012, and that's if everything goes right?

I'm glad he's in the organization, don't get me wrong, but I fear the Sox are way late too the party. Speaking about looking for 'market inefficiencies (sp?)', I'd love to see the Sox set up camp in a country where (a) baseball isn't as popular and (b) not a whole lot of other teams are there yet. That, or pimp the hell out of Ozzie in Venezuela and get every 16 year old who can throw a baseball into a White Sox camp.

by CWSKeith on Oct 12, 2007 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

do the play baseball in peru?

the machu picchu sox!

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

better late then never, though

and if you're looking for market inefficiency, the place to go now is west africa. set up academies in ghana, ivory coast, so on.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Russia is more appropriate

They play basketball in W. Africa. You should know that, larry.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

the mets are already making inroads

http://www.myjoyonline.com/archives/sports/200703/2823.asp

inviting players to their spring training, minaya has been to ghana, so on. i've never heard of baseball in russia. i have heard of the league they have in ghana. time to get started - we're already behind one team.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

here's what MLB is doing

this article lists players from four african countries who attended the european camp this year (first time any african nation other than south africa has attended).

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070808&content_id=2138011&vkey=news_mlb&fext=. jsp&c_id=mlb

i know the mariners have a scout in europe. the mets are making contacts in africa. this is how you develop a system. it's all about who you know (and employ) and who they know.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And who you blow

if business is done similarly as in the States, right?

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

it is always about getting blown.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 12, 2007 9:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

and here's what other teams are doing

13 MLBI European Baseball Academy graduates have signed professional contracts with MLB organizations

Player Position Academy Year(s) Country Club 

Alex Liddi Third Base 2005 Italy Seattle Mariners 

Alessandro Maestri Pitcher 2005 Italy Chicago Cubs 

Kalian Sams Outfield 2005 Netherlands Seattle Mariners 

Jacob Toufar Pitcher 2005 Czech Republic Minnesota Twins 

Jakub Hajtmar Pitcher 2005, '06 Czech Republic Minnesota Twins 

Rodney Gessman Pitcher 2005, '06 Germany Minnesota Twins 

Tom Stuifbergen Pitcher 2005, '06 Netherlands Minnesota Twins 

Petr Cech Catcher 2006 Czech Republic Cincinnati Reds 

Mauro Schiavoni Catcher 2005, '06 Italy Cincinnati Reds 

Ramon Romeijn Pitcher 2006 Netherlands Seattle Mariners 

Joris Bert Outfield 2005, '06 France Los Angeles Dodgers 

Donald Lutz Outfield 2006, '07 Germany Cincinnati Reds 

Frederic Hanvi Catcher 2006, '07 France Minnesota Twins

notice how a few teams have made multiple signings. even if these guys don't work out, they're good bets to become contacts, you have the contacts the scout made with the player's team, and so on.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i've seen

maestri pitch. was at peoria for the cubs. he looked pretty legit to me - had some very nice stuff - and his numbers from this year back it up. major league talent? he's definitely got a shot at being a decent reliever.

i have a friend who follows the twins gulf coast league where gessman and stuifberg pitched. said they looked pretty good, too - definitely have a future in the minors at the upper levels.

don't have any other information on the others - i'm sure they're hit and miss just like most signings are - but these teams are seeing a benefit.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was half-joking about Africa

Man, emerging markets are the play in any asset class, aren't they? And some are more emerging than others.

They'll play cheaper than the Latins, I bet.

(Russia is at least letting the kids play:

http://espn.go.com/moresports/llws01/s/2001/0821/1242157.html )

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Soviet Russia

Baseball scouts you

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Oct 12, 2007 3:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Da

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know that the team is getting desperate...

when they're touting 16-year-olds. I don't care how high a ceiling this kid has, he's not even done growing yet. Also, assuming he's really 16 (he is from the Dominican Republic, after all), that means that kids half my age are now in professional ball. I feel old. Also, this - Infielder Josh Fields did not attend Instructional League, after accumulating more than 650 plate appearances between 2007 stints with Triple-A Charlotte and the White Sox. The adjusted plan to aid Fields' development in left field will be to have him work privately with first-base and outfield coach Harold Baines and Daryl Boston, the team's Minor League outfield instructor. ... "Josh did not come, but it wasn't a negative. We just pushed some of the work back into a different time frame." Has me a bit confused. Does this mean he refused to go, or that they decided not to send him? I was hoping against hope that they were giving up on the outfield experiment with Fields. Apparently not.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 12:24 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

well

i think this is the sort of stuff that constitues news in this era of 365 days a year coverage of mlb. just wait until they get that mlb only channel. merkin is really only doing his job of finding stuff to write about during what is probably one of the deadest times of the year for a baseball club not in the playoffs. at any rate, considering this is the sort of stuff we've talked about (and has been a topic elsewhere), i'm kind of surprised at your reaction to it being reported. it almost seems like merkin/sox are responding to it.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm encouraged...

that they're signing more Latin American ballplayers, I just think it's a bit depressing that the only "shortstop of the future" in the system is a 16-year-old with no professional experience.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

depressing?

aren't we over this by now? we haven't had a SS of the future for a couple years now. time to move on. jose for president.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mark Gonzales' Instructional League observations

mg:

For the Sox, 19-year-old left-hander Justin Edwards doesn't stand anywhere close to his listed 6-foot height, but Edwards threw his overhand curve for strikes consistently.

Shortstop Robert Valido has issues with his hitting, but he displayed why Baseball America ranked him as the top defensive infielder for third consecutive seasons by making two off-balance plays with ease.

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 12:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Burrell + $ for Crede?

It would help the offense, and Burrell would get some nice stats going into free agency. Not sure Gillick would do that deal given Crede's back issues.

by asinwreck on Oct 12, 2007 12:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Where are you getting that?

I haven't heard that one before.

It would be an absolute steal for the Sox, given Crede's contract status.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

here

mlbtr:

Finally, Pat Burrell has surfaced as a solid trading chip. He's left with a reasonable one-year, $14MM commitment, albeit with a full-no trade clause that would require more compensation. How about Burrell to the White Sox for Crede? Phils kick in a couple mil, the White Sox get much-needed OBP for '08 plus draft picks when Burrell leaves.

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

who comes up with this stuff?

how 'bout this one i heard: crede, jerry owens, jack egbert, cash considerations, a PTBNL, and a case of old style for johan santana and nick punto.

see, it makes sense. they need a 3B, they need a CF, and they need a starter to replace santana. i don't see the old style for punto as being fair but santana is a pretty good pitcher.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think we're giving up too much

who's this santana guy anyway? it isn't like he ever beat the sox!

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's

probably about right....buuut...I could see that as viable, say, two weeks into March if Crede looks right....

by dantesox on Oct 12, 2007 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heh.

I know I come across as not liking Sox players, but I keep hearing all these ridiculous rumors. Your trade rumor probably makes as much sense as Burrell-for-Crede.

If Williams gets anything more than an A-ball reliever in a trade for Joe Crede, I'd be pleasantly surprised.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

quick update

the PTBNL the twins apparently want is ray liotta. they said they saw him hit in field of dreams and were impressed - though they're wondering if he could maybe be converted to a pitcher.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Legend

6 years and 84 mildo?

You know Kenny won't go that long for that much.

But I imagine the Cubs have probably already made an offer...for even more...bwaaaa ha haaaaa!

"I give Ozzie an 'A'... This team has never packed it in and I give Ozzie the credit." - Jerry Reinsdorf

by tailgater on Oct 12, 2007 1:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Rowand going headfirst into the ivy...

ouch

Methinks he'd come out of that with a little more than a broken nose.

by Hazymania on Oct 12, 2007 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mildo?

Is that like Johhny Hildo (a Jason Priestly SNL character)?

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/91/91mhildo.phtml

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

buddy bell tries to access the situation

"There's so much to do with the Minor League side, with the coaches and players, so much more to it than being a manager," said Bell

translation: what did I get myself in?

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 1:41 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

it's encouraging, at least.

the last year or so has been brutal wrt front office decisions, minus danks and gio, obvs.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 12, 2007 2:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

here's a surprise: mazzone out as O's coach

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/10/12/bc.bba.orioles.mazzonef.ap/index.html

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 4:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No press release yet, but...

ESPN seems to think that the Mitchell investigation results will be huge

The report will reportedly "include many names; names which have so far not been disclosed publicly; and the names of well-known players."

Either way, it should be fun.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 5:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

when was the last time

we saw the two best pitchers in a league match up in the playoffs? this is a great match-up; i hope it lives up to expectations.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 7:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Santana?

Is he an Indian now?

;)

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It boggles the mind

but I think these two put up better numbers than Santamaria this year.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 12, 2007 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

both were better than santana

this year. i'd still take johan for the long haul - but you really can't go wrong with any of them. though things are going wrong for cc tonight.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yup.

Just like last game. Toast.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Where are you baseball fans?

Injuns/Bosox? CC Rider perhaps struggling like last game.

Who do you root for? Neurotic, arrogant Bosox fans or a-hole, thirsty for WS victory, Central Division reps Injuns. (I am not biased.)

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hmm...

I would add a-hole to the neurotic and arrogant descriptors of Bosox fans.

I go with Cleveland, though I feel dirty saying that, cause Bosox fans are just that annoying and, like cockroaches, they are everywhere.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 12, 2007 7:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

bosox by default

there is absolutely no way I'd root for the indians

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Manny es en fuego

I'd walk him.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

good call

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 7:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lucky call

0-2 and then 4 straight balls -ain't CC's night.

PS May I frame the "good call"? I believe this is my once-every-month-good-call-corroboration-by-larry event.

I knew today was a good day. I have to shut this posting down now and give my wife a shot tonight, then play the Lotto.

;)

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

PS

Arguably the BEST call this whole season is a post by none other than you re: your prediction that you "expected a breakout year", or something to that effect, from Beckett this year. You nailed that one early and laserlike.

Very impressive. And, better yet, he's stepped it up in the postseason. More impressive.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i didn't just expect

i guaranteed it. of course, i've also said repeatedly the indians would win the world series. yes, the playoffs are far more of a crapshoot but, as the wolf said, let's not start sucking each others dicks yet.

On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 8:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You have a difficult time

accepting and giving props, don't you? Remind me to think twice the next time. I don't want to go hom(o) with you, Pulp Friction, just thought it was a good call.

Fer Chrissakes, lar.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 8:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i already accepted my props last time

beckett pitched. i don't rest on my laurels, unlike the white sox.

On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 8:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Na na na na, na na na na,

hey hey, Auf wierersehn/adios/ciao/arrivederci.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 8:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

If you strike out

chances are you won't get on base...
Joe Morgan talking baseball at the start of the game tonight. Can't argue with that kind of knowledge about the game.

by Brush Back on Oct 12, 2007 8:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I heard it on the way home

and my ears started to bleed.

Hot dogs, armour hot dogs.

by omnipotent grab on Oct 12, 2007 8:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Moneyball changed my opinion of Morgan...

Billy Beane, et. al describe in detail how his analysis is mostly bullshit.. I do love listening to John Miller, tho...

by RoyEgan on Oct 12, 2007 11:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Listening to the game last night on the drive home

and Joe Morgan actually seemed less insane than John Miller. I don't recall exactly what was said, but between the 5th and 8th inning, John Miller was atrocious and even Joe Morgan seemed to be trying to gloss over his comments and change the subject. Miller was nearing John Madden's incredible level of crappy / worthless commentary, a level I thought would never be approached again.

In addition, I think Morgan and Miller were still in TV mode because those two wouldn't stop talking about insignificant stats / details and let the play by play slide for their color analysis. It should go without saying that on radio, describing the action is first and foremost.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 13, 2007 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The both of them have great voices to listen to

but the things that come out are just so ridiculous. By the 7th, I'm usually just listening to them as an aesthetic experience because I eventually get to the point where I can drown out the individual words.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 14, 2007 12:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What a Grinder

Eric Byrnes didnt disappoint tonight, he made another trademark throw so hard he could help but fall.

Hot dogs, armour hot dogs.

by omnipotent grab on Oct 13, 2007 1:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Sacrilege!

Chico Carrasquel, Louis Aparicio, Ozzie Guillen - What no Venezuelan shortstop in the pipeline!
Sacrilege!

by phastphil on Oct 13, 2007 7:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

nothing significant

so I just added a couple links at the end of yesterday's post for now...

by The Wizard on Oct 13, 2007 1:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Question for Fellow Season Ticket Holders

Did anyone receive a 2nd box of promotional items from the Sox? I know we got one mid-season but just wondering about a second one (Thome bobblehead?)....I moved and might have missed it. Thanks.

by stanchar on Oct 13, 2007 4:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Not yet...

Couldn't respond on the diary thread. Friend of mine had asked at the end of the season, he was told it would be a few weeks.
Just curious - will you be renewing? Most people I know are still about 50/50 on it. I change my mind about every other day.

by Brush Back on Oct 13, 2007 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You should have gotten the invoice though

by Brush Back on Oct 13, 2007 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have two tickets in 150.....

and two in 520, Row 2.....

NOT going to renew the 150....why pay $5300 bucks for those when I can pay $2300 for the 520 tix and still sit downstairs? So I will renew the 150....

by stanchar on Oct 13, 2007 8:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

154 and 152

Will def drop the 154 (4 partial weekend), still not decided on the (2) 152... It was pretty easy and cheap to pick seats up on ebay this year - if they don't improve, or only improve somewhat, it will still be easy and cheaper.

by Brush Back on Oct 13, 2007 10:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Joe Morgan's commentary

I remember him once saying about upper deck home runs that"you have to hit them both long and deep". Try to figure that one out.

I'm waiting for him to one day to inform us that pop ups are hit high.

Canada's finest

by MarkD on Oct 13, 2007 5:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Sox happy about last night's TV ratings?

Rox/D'backs'game the lowest rated televised playoff game since Sox/Angels in '05. So we have that going for us.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 13, 2007 7:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

East Coast Bullshit

If ever a game was set up for TV failure...a Friday night game that doesn't end until around midnight PACIFIC TIME.

Make good money, five dollars a day.

by Toonderstrook on Oct 13, 2007 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously, if baseball was as good as the NFL

at marketing itself, the Rockies and West Coast teams in general wouldn't have "snuck up" on everybody and I would have seen Matt Holliday on TV before they made the playoffs. But Selig has let the media decide what's important and that means our game looks a lot like the Premiership, where there are 4 teams that everybody cares about and 16 others that some thousand of people care about. Selig is such a bad commissioner. Stern and Goodell know that you have to sell their game, Selig spends his time implicitly or worse excoriating his most popular players. No one even flinched when Merriman was suspended. Gah.

The NFL tries to make sure you care about as many teams as they can make interesting and make them available to watch every week. MLB, on the other hand, makes sure you can't watch anything but the one Fox game on Saturday afternoon and it's almost always the Yankees or Red Sox versus whoever, which emphasizes the crap media line in the first place. So now the NFL is more popular despite the fact that it's boring and often seemingly random. It's underlined well by Simmons' weekly betting columns that always complain about how bad the football is and how little sense it makes, yet he keeps churning out the column.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 14, 2007 12:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i don't think your comparison to

the premiership is particularly apt. they have rules to ensure that all their teams appear on the "showcase" TV times - you ever seen the rays on espn sunday night? and if you ever watch the EPL produced shows - preview show, premier league world, review show - sure, they'll probably lead off or finish the show with one of the big teams. but it's not like baseball tonight or something where you get a home run highlight and that's it of the jays-royals game while twenty minutes is spent on yankees-sox. if anything, mlb should look to the premiership for exactly how to market their league.

On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 14, 2007 10:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've seen them and the difference

is that they just don't waste their lives talking without some sort of highlights to back up what they're saying. This despite the fact that they've got far more time, since it's 10 games per weekend, divided into 2 days. Baseball is a bit of an onslaught. I don't think it's as egalitarian as you're making it out to be...it's somewhere in between our descriptions. But the majority of the news I get is The Big Four. What wackiness did Rooney perpetrate this time? Why is Avram Grant a shitty coach? Okay, really, no one ever talks shit about Arsenal as far as I know, but that's because Wenger is awesome.

It is true, though, that FSC will show whatever the game of the week is, regardless of the teams. I think last week was Spurs vs. Tottenham? I wish I would get a damn tivo. I wish I could get into the Premiership more than I am, especially since watching hockey is such an ordeal and I don't care about most of the other fall-winter sports.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 14, 2007 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think you're viewing it

from the perspective of an american watching in america. it's quite different when you're in england. football there is very much like football here - it's the 800lb gorilla (probably even moreso than the NFL due to lack of competition). grab a newspaper there and, other than increased coverage of the local teams, you'll find pretty much equal coverage (and i'm talking a half to full page recap) of each game. you don't even see that for the NFL. obviously the big games draw more attention but you'll still see plenty of people out at the pubs watching a fulham - bolton monday nighter (and when would you ever see a similar baseball match-up so highlighted?).

the other thing you have to keep in mind is that they're playing in multiple competitions governed by different bodies. the big teams obviously get more attention because, in addition to being top of the league, they're in the champions league and tend to stay involved in the other cups longer. consequently, they have the financial muscle to also market themselves overseas. if you're comparing to the baseball playoffs, you're better off comparing it to the FA cup. you would never, ever see such poor ratings for an FA cup quarterfinal or semifinal - no matter who was in it. obviously there are some salient differences to consider (likely a one-off game, no time difference considerations, etc.) but the FA markets the hell out of these games, in addition to the marketing the EPL has done throughout the year on the teams. they make sure everyone knows who the main protaganists are. and they're huge, huge events acorss the country (and in many other countries) even if a particular match doesn't include a big club. no one in england was watching benni mccarthy or hameur bouazza for the first time during the FA cup last year.

and no one talks shit about wenger? i think you haven't been paying very close attention for very long.

On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 14, 2007 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm jealous of your englandy experience

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 15, 2007 3:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

aren't you in college?

get on a study abroad. i've spent a lot of time in manchester (and other part of the north of england, in addition to london so many times on business), though not on anything school related - athletics make it hard to fit in such things. unless you have serious money constraints, do a study abroad somewhere.

On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 15, 2007 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I second this study abroad thought

Although it was only for a semester, my exchange was absolutely amazing.

Do whatever you can to study abroad / exchange, there are plenty of scholarships and grants available to help pay for the total cost. If you can't find a scholarship, take out a loan. It is well worth the money.

I also highly suggest learning a second language, if you don't already know one, and studying some place where you can be immersed in your second language. It only adds to the experience.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 15, 2007 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pilsen? Greektown? Chinatown?

Cabrini Green? Little Italy? New Town? Old Town? SO many diverse places in YOBY. Just go to live in one of these highly ethnic, culturally diverse areas and save the air fare.

Unless you want Fench. Then you HAVE to leave Chicago - we don't do no stinkin' French.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 15, 2007 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey Ugly, guess what?

PURDUE SUCKS!!!

Go Blue!

Signed,
Your good friend Pete

"We've missed a little bit of that grind and edge and we've got to get that back." - Kenny Williams

by ChicagoPete on Oct 15, 2007 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why, yes we do. Thanks for noticing.

Chris Fowler said it before game time - "This is the time of year Purdue turns into Pur-DON'T."

BWAHAHAHA!

You are our daddy, Pete.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 15, 2007 6:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We're #24 Baby!

I can finally talk trash again now that we're ranked.

"We've missed a little bit of that grind and edge and we've got to get that back." - Kenny Williams

by ChicagoPete on Oct 15, 2007 8:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Until everyone remembers we lost

to fuckin' appy state.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 15, 2007 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also, why is Tiller such an asshole?

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 15, 2007 9:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Studying abroad

I'll be heading here for two weeks next summer -- it'll count as a three-credit class for me (in other words a class for one semseter). I don't think I could do a whole semester away from home but the two-week rip I can handle. Anybody been to Strasbourg, and while I'm there, anybody want anything? Wine? Cheese?

by CWSKeith on Oct 15, 2007 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nylons? Blue jeans?

Someone in that country to show a spine in wartime? A 40 hour workweek? Free and open trade? A woman who showers twice a week and shaves her armpits AND legs? And explanation of why Jerry Lewis is akin to God there?

You asked....

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 15, 2007 8:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Strasbourg is awesome

I was there about three years ago, great food city, one of my most favoritest restaurants in the whole world is there, Restaurant au Pont du Corbeau. Little hole in the wall place, nothing fancy, even though the euro is crushing the dollar the prices should still be fairly reasonable. The food is just the basic Alsatian classics done up really well. Make sure you get the jambonneau grillee, that's a roasted ham hock (tastes much better than it sounds) that's just amazing. My guess would be that it's still a really good place even though a few years have passed, it looks like it's been around a few hundred years so I can't see the quality going downhill in such a relatively short time.

Order riesling wine wherever you go - just ask for "un verre riesling SVP" (a glass of riesling please), they'll bring you a glass or earthenware pitcher of the house wine which is always very good and a perfect match for the food. And eat the muenster cheese, it's not that junk we call munster here but it's the glorious stinky runny stuff. Alsatian beers are pretty good too, but I love their wines.

The city you can discover on your own, the old town is very compact. Outside of town definitely go check out Mt. St. Odile, an old monastery on a bluff with a fantastic view of the Alsatian plain. The town of Riquewihr is interesting too, perfectly preserved medieval village, all half-timbered houses and everything. Get a car and cross the Rhine and check out the Black Forest too, just find some back roads or some hiking trails. It really is fairy tale land, very Hansel & Gretelish. Very cool corner of the world over there, you'll have a lot of fun.

"We've missed a little bit of that grind and edge and we've got to get that back." - Kenny Williams

by ChicagoPete on Oct 15, 2007 9:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And you called ME pointy-headed

when I got back from Boston. Elegant description - are you a writer? Amazing you can be so flowery in your verbage and refer to Rusty Trombones and Dirty Sanchezes.

You are quite diverse, Mr. Pete.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 16, 2007 6:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds

"We've missed a little bit of that grind and edge and we've got to get that back." - Kenny Williams

by ChicagoPete on Oct 16, 2007 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm at michigan and i love hockey and football

and now i'm a senior. i didn't make it a priority, though i do expect to do something after school europe-wise.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 15, 2007 9:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You love hockey?

Then why don't I see you posting your excitement about the Blackhawks? Kane! Toews! They've been as good as they were hyped and the Hawks are 3-2 playing all five games against teams who will probably end up as top-five teams in the West.

Of course, this assumes that you're a Hawks fan, which may not be the case.

by CWSKeith on Oct 15, 2007 10:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Michigan family means Wings fandom

though I'm a bigger college hockey fan than NHL. I love watching games at Yost, whereas I've never seen an NHL game live.

I am happy that the Blackhawks are turning it around. Hockey's a great sport and Chicago getting a good franchise again will really help. Perhaps that sounds blasphemous as a Wings fan, but it's not like I want tOSU to suck either. And, as I've alluded to, I'm not the most intense NHL fan or anything. Much better game than the NFL though.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 15, 2007 10:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So from my perspective I'm just

glad that Toews won't be around to go nuts in the tournament again.

On a somewhat related note, did you catch any of the Icebreaker tournament? BC-Michigan and Michigan-Minnesota were both great games. Where are you going to school again? Wisky? You've got to a least get some college hockey love going then right?

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 15, 2007 10:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope

I'm at Marquette. The only hockey I'll watch live up here is when Rockford -- the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate -- comes up to play the Milwaukee Admirals.

And while last year I kept a close eye on college hockey -- mainly Skille at Wisconsin, Toews at North Dakota as well as a couple of other Hawk prospects (one was at BC, IIRC) -- I don't do so much anymore. That's not to say NCAA hockey is bad -- I went to Wisconsin/North Dakota last year and the atmosphere was phenomenal, as was the play -- but it's tough more me to stay on top of a sport where I have no rooting interest.

Speaking of OSU, is their goaltender Joe Palmer? Or maybe not Joe, but still a guy with the last name of Palmer? If so, he's under Chicago's control. And have you seen Kyle Turris play this season? If so, how's he look?

by CWSKeith on Oct 16, 2007 12:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Turris went to Wisconsin, so I haven't seen him

yet. And league play (the CCHA, anyway) hasn't started yet, so I haven't seen Palmer this year...pretty sure he started last year. And I don't remember thinking he was anything special, if I noticed him long enough to say much. He had a .890 save percentage last year, which obviously isn't spectacular. Looking back a few years, there have been plenty of freshmen who have played better than that, so in the very least, temper your expectations.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 16, 2007 12:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

How many drugs has "Sweet Baby James"

done? He read the Sox lineup like the "Flowers for Algernon" retard before he got smart. Or like the lawyer in "Regarding Henry" after he was shot in the head.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 13, 2007 7:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

If he opts out....

is AROD a possibility? I think so....Reinsdorf would have to consider it---think about the impact on attendance and within a couple of years the Konerko-Thome-Dye contracts could be off the books.

by stanchar on Oct 13, 2007 8:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think not -

esp. w/ Borat ("very nice market for The Rod") wanting TWELVE years (?! - rumor or fact?) and seeming to want to sign for more than the exisitng $252MM, just to top his currently biggest contract.

Plus, if we are serious about building the farm correctly wouldn't it make sense to spend the $ on that, rather than one guy who doesn't hit in the playoffs? I think it's the quickest way to Rangerville if we sign him.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 13, 2007 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fair enough....another question....

Uribe back?

by stanchar on Oct 13, 2007 10:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Probably - (shudder)

Too cheap to pass up and it appears Ozwaldo really wants to figure him out before shipping him out.

Plus, he was on the '05 team! Have you heard, we're getting the band back together? Gooch, Legend, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, the lot of them. Who says lightning can't strike twice?

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 14, 2007 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

'08 is really going to be a

shitty Blues Brothers sequel isn't it?

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 14, 2007 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not at 5 million though, right?

by stanchar on Oct 14, 2007 6:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sweaty Keith Foulke

I wouldn't mind if the Sox took a chance on him. Why not? Obviously we can't offer him the closer role, but he'd be a nice change-of-pace from the other guys in the bullpen.

by CWSKeith on Oct 14, 2007 12:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i'd do that

a nice base ($1.5 million or something) plus generous incentives for appearances or what have you.

On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 15, 2007 9:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rowand...

The legend, the myth, the answer to life's problems....I hope he is dealing his way out of Philly with this insane deal to give the sox a "hometown" discount. As crazy as it sounds, why not? Konerko and Buerhle did it. If he comes back, where do you guys think he would bat?? #2, #6?

by ckimcircles on Oct 14, 2007 1:10 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Why -

I don't get the hometown discount for him. He was traded, that was 2 years ago. I'm sure the emotional ties are dfferent now. Both Konerko and Buerhle were with the team when they re-signed + Paul was coming off the WS win, a very emotional time for him. Buerhle's wife was about due and I'm sure that played into it + the fact he is very comfortable here.
Aaron is at the peak of his career - there's no telling how much longer he will play (consider the style of his play). His agent has got to be pounding that this is the time to strike for a large payday. If he gets it is the unknown, but who would have thought Lee would have gotten what he did last year.

by Brush Back on Oct 14, 2007 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs