Well Hello There

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 11:12 AM CDT

If you scroll down to the bottom of SSS, you'll see colintj listed under "contributing authors". It's been there for a few weeks now and hopefully this post will go towards making that less of a misnomer, but in general it's tough to do posts without a laptop and until that bugger gets fixed, there won't be many of these unless our esteemed overlord tells me otherwise.

So why am I here? Well for one, Cheat asked if anyone wanted to and I like writing about baseball a hell of a lot more than writing about To The Lighthouse (we can still be friends, Virginia...Now get those large stones out of your pockets. Yes, I said now.) or whatever and whenever it is I get a real job, I'll still prefer baseball. Apparently no one else signed up and I won thanks to the two sweetest words in the English language: de-fault. So as long as Cheat will have me, I'll try to get up some interesting commentary in the vein of the diaries/fanposts I've done in the past. My focus will probably be on the pitching aspect of the game as have my posts in general, but I'm also hoping this will inspire me to really get after some of the loftier thoughts I have from time to time. Maybe I'll even take Stats 350 in the fall.

In terms of what I'll be looking for this year, I'm going to try to see if we can't start perhaps predicting Kenny a little better. He's a pretty constant surprise, to the point of refusing to make the most obvious trade ever (Crede). It would appear he's boxed himself in, forced to compete now with little help coming in the minors. If he can simultaneously get a .500+ ball club and make '09 and '10 look somehow sunnier, then he'll have had as much success as the aftermath of '07 allowed him to. This draft is huge, as will be letting go of the OC. As to the latter, I have to think the hitting of the Cuban Missile will be a matter of intense scrutiny. If Ramirez can make Cabrera redundant, we will be well poised to end up with more assets. We still desperately need young position players and the draft is becoming the only way to get them, thanks to no trade clauses and crap performance. It's a balancing act that Kenny is playing; making one more move that leaves him an asset shy may handcuff this team no matter how stealthily KW manuevers on the trading block. It's going to be a close one, folks.

Tweet Comment 44 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Glad to have you...

in a more official role. But add some paragraph breaks, there, Dickens. ;-)

And now that the Badgers are gone (F you, Fighting Sioux), I'm rooting for your Wolverines.

Well, Kenny, I have to hand it to you. It's the best mindfuck yet.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 31, 2008 11:17 AM CDT reply actions

bloody hell, I'm trying!

iPhone editing is not easy. And I can't believe we're in the Frozen Four. Go blue, baby. It's a lot easier when we have the easiest bracket rather than the hardest. (effin Sioux)

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions

One thing...

about Williams I've noticed - if he likes a player, expect that player to be in a White Sox uniform, come hell or high water.

He might give up the farm for him, or the player might show up three years past his expiration date, but dammit, he'll be on the Sox at some point.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 31, 2008 11:21 AM CDT reply actions

dont we usually find out that he likes them

after he gets them

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions

Sometimes.

We knew he loved Darin Erstad for years before he picked him up.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 31, 2008 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions

we did? I didnt, apparently.

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions

Remember how...

he almost traded Jon Garland for Erstad a few years ago?

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 31, 2008 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions

Hmm, I did not.

useful data point though

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions

what about rowand?

williams won't pay the whole farm for somebody no matter how much he likes him.

without trying to state the obvious, the trick in being a good gm is to pay less and get more. The market is set by what the other gm's think somebody or something is worth. As long as you are a little better than the other gm's, you'll come out ahead.

but the other gm's are pretty smart too, so it's hard to come out ahead all the time.

being a gm is a lot like gambling. the market and the other gm's are the "line." You pick your games on which to bet. Unfortunately, you have to also bet on some games you'd rather not bet on. This is where gm's can get creamed.

by ruffster on Mar 31, 2008 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions

Who said...

that Williams liked Rowand?

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 31, 2008 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions

That is to say...

enough to pay above market rate for him?

That's another thing about Williams - he won't pay top dollar for free agents perceived as stars, whether they deserve it or not. He'd rather overpay 3 mediocre players (because they're cheaper) than pay a lot for one high-priced free agent.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 31, 2008 12:29 PM CDT up reply actions

but you have to give kw credit...

for '05, especially if he takes the blame for what has happened since then. Look at the transactions in the 04-05 offseason:

Free agent signings:
Dye was an absolute steal.
AJ was a brilliant pick-up.
Hermanson worked out great until he got hurt.
Iguchi.
O Hernandez.
Ozuna

trades:
Lee for Pods and Vizcaino worked out great for 05. The Sox had too many RH bats so letting Lee go was ok.

Jenks off waivers!

Blum for Meaux.

What a run of incredible beneficial transactions.

It's hard to do that every year.

One thing about high-priced free agents-- they aren't always worth what they cost-- especially if you get into a bidding war. Since free agency came into existence, owners have overpaid for players.

Time will tell if he was right passing on Hunter, Rowand and others this off-season.

(http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/2005_trans.shtml)

by ruffster on Mar 31, 2008 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions

"It's hard to do that every year."

Ha Ha Ha.

by ballyb on Mar 31, 2008 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Who has it set in stone that Alexei

will be THE alternative to O-Cab? Who says O-Cab will be gone if Alexei works out? The Sox have made their wishes known of wanting the OC to sign an extension (no matter how many teeth are gnashing on this site). And if Missile turns the AL on its head in CF we've solved a major problem. (Think Robin Yount's move - yes, I know, he was an AS SS first.)

I, for one, would be OK with Alexei working out at CF, SS, or 2B. As long as he works out. And give the kid some time - a month isn't enough. Paulie/JD/Big Frank have been slow starters, too.

Breathe deep,the gathering gloom....OMMMMMMMMMMM.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Mar 31, 2008 11:29 AM CDT reply actions

I'd be happy...

with Ramirez in center, too (although he'd be more valuable as a shortstop), but that wouldn't make me happy about a Cabrera extension.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 31, 2008 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions

it isn't set in stone

but we know how cost conscious Kenny is. Cabrera is quickly going to turn into a slap hitter with no on base skills and will lose his plus glove work and command something like 8-10 mill per. Ramirez and Uribe both would be preferrable.

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions

Positional needs..

Are all up the middle:
CF
SS
C
2B

And I'd rank them in that order, though I guess SS and CF are sort of tied. If Ramirez can be league average or above at either position, it's a fantastic win for the Sox. But they still have the other hole to fill. I agree with those who think OCab long-term would be a mistake. You can't expect him to approach his 2007 going forward. The CF free agent market is more barren than the SS market (which is Furcal/Renteria/OCab I think). Even if Ramirez succeeds at one position, filling the other will be hard and will probably have to be accomplished via trade.

I really don't think 2B is an issue. Richar and the Frenchman both have a shot a being above replacement level fiil-ins in 2009 and acquiring an OK veteran 2B isn't hard either (look at Iguchi).

by hitlesswonder on Mar 31, 2008 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions

one of the thing I've come to think

is that 2b is an easy position to fill from year to year.

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions

that is something you should do a post on

because i'm not seeing it, though i'm open to your point of view if you can back it up.

the law of conservation of masset: no matter how much masset you use up, there is always masset in your system.

by larry on Mar 31, 2008 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions

Perhaps because this offseason had a more than a few 2B candidates

(I do recall Cheat doing some analysis in 2007 on why Gooch would not bring much in a trade, and it was tied to the plethora of 2B mid-range talent available) it's being extrapolated that every year this is the case. I, too, would like to see evidence. It makes sense to me from an intuitive standpoint because 2B seems to be an easier position to play than SS or CF and thus would have more guys able to fill in at a replacement level.

Maybe?

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Mar 31, 2008 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions

Hasn't been a good 2nd baseman available since '85.

At least that's what Joe Morgan said.

Next time, Bhoov, do some research.

by Chiburb on Mar 31, 2008 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions

i'm sure joe

still thinks he's the most complete player in baseball...i mean, after all, you can tell that right on the paper.

Well, Kenny, I have to hand it to you. It's the best mindfuck yet.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 31, 2008 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Joe Morgan...

has an argument for being the best second baseman ever.

That doesn't mean that he's right when he talks about baseball, but he was a hell of a ballplayer.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 31, 2008 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions

No doubt.

I just find it hilarious that anybody would say...well, it's really tough to say who the best player is, but the most complete player, well, that's just right there on paper.

Well, Kenny, I have to hand it to you. It's the best mindfuck yet.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 31, 2008 12:35 PM CDT up reply actions

He sure was consistent.

Next time, Bhoov, do some research.

by Chiburb on Mar 31, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions

I dont have access to excel right now

but if I did, I would go to baseball musings and look at plate appearances by each position, then make some easy batting metric (2xOBP + SLG maybe) and check the standard deviation of performance. The lower the STDEV, the more nearly average performances there are.

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions

No info to back this up

But.. because of the lack of great players at 2B.. finding a replacement level guy really isn't that hard at 2B. It's a relatively easy position defensively, and there just aren't that many great hitting second basemen out there you need to compare to. I think that's why it may seem like it's easier to find a replacement vet. at 2B just b/c they don't have to be great or probably even good in most cases to match the other guys 2B.

by Grinder in Training on Mar 31, 2008 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions

Hey, I'm going to at least one Sox game this season...

Just got four tickets to the Sox / Yankees game on April 24th from my boss, right by the Sox bullpen in Section 159.

by SSH2005 on Mar 31, 2008 11:47 AM CDT reply actions

Unlikely, but if Swisher remains at top of the order

what stats would you expect? Still hovering around the community projections with lower marks for HRs/RBIs, I assume?

I added him in the late rounds because I needed more HRs and RBIs from my outfield; my expectation is that the Cell would boost those stats.

That he's leading off is an upgrade for the Sox, but not for my fantasy team me thinks, perhaps for the short term.

Anyway, I'm excited about the Sox season. I may even get Gameday Audio with Stone on board, but I may as well postpone graduation for another 6 months.

by onlysoxfaninboston on Mar 31, 2008 12:59 PM CDT reply actions

sunshine

Glad to see you back writing hear Sunshine. I look forward to your usual sarcastic undertones. You gonna be home at all this summer, me, you, Catz, and Perk need to hit up the Cell. Opening day, lets do it to it guys.

Ground ball to first, and the White Sox have won the Pennant!

by beanohatesthecubs on Mar 31, 2008 1:11 PM CDT reply actions

I'm here right now

took the semester off for mental health reasons.

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions

I had no idea...sweet then for sure well hit up the cell..maybe some cards who knows...ill let you know when ill be home next, but if you just say Sox game, Ill be there

Ground ball to first, and the White Sox have won the Pennant!

by beanohatesthecubs on Mar 31, 2008 1:25 PM CDT up reply actions

thanks beans

we should definitely get down to the cell.

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions

You know I'm down

Good to see you're alive, Sunshine. Haven't heard from you in a while.

But can we talk about how it's opening day and I have to suffer through the f*cking Cubs/Brew on ESPN2 and WGN and NO Sox? I'm surrounded by the second biggest Cub hating population I know of and I still have to suffer.

I'm sorry, I thought this was America.

by brndnprkns on Mar 31, 2008 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions

You OK, kid?

Just needed a breather?

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Mar 31, 2008 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions

needed anti-depressants actually, heh

but I'm fine. Anxiety just took over for a while and I'm on my way. I'm lucky to be in a time and place where, instead of being called a pussy and told to suck it up, I got told to come home and get better.

dude, that was totally not swish you saw on rush street last night. swish was at home playing xbox.

by colintj on Mar 31, 2008 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions