SB Nation User Blog: spengler

Sources: Bowden, Rijo investigated in pair of probes of Dominican signings

spengler — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:22:09 -0000

Sources: Bowden, Rijo investigated in pair of probes of Dominican signings

wilder mentioned.

OT: To Play or Not to Play?

spengler — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:58:34 -0000

Fantasy Baseball.

Until 3 years ago, I shunned fantasy baseball, prefering not to dilute my loyalties and to focus on the mostly wayward fortunes of the White Sox.

Then I was suckered into a 13-team NL-only 5x5 keeper league (I live in NL-territory). I figured I could keep my loyalties true enough, considering the limited nature of interleague play.

I renamed my team the Black Sox, inherited a bunch of hacks, the best of whom was Tomo Ohka, and started off by sucking tremendously. Luckily, it was 2005, and who cared? The White Sox won it all.

This year, however, the White Sox suck, and their alter-ego Black Sox are riding the backs of Brad Penny, Francisco Cordero, Jose Reyes, and Prince Fielder to a 10-point lead in the standings. (I'm still waiting for the bottom to drop out, <knocking on wood>).

So I'm conflicted. I dread the boxscores for another statistical demonstration of White Sox futility, but then... Reyes just stole 5 bases in 2 games. I find myself scanning the free agent wire for possibilities to replace Ryan Freel, and wonder just how many starts to give to Wandy Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, the White Sox tumble further, and Kenny trades prospect Cunningham for some guy named Richar. I wouldn't have done that, I think. Hell, I'm a GM too...

So, I'm wondering how many on SSS have fantasy teams. Are they winning? What kind of league do you play in, and can you really root for Travis Hafner? Is this the year to say thank god for my fake team, because the real one sucks?

Poll

Fantasy Baseball:

Is a stupid, dorky waste of time

6 votes

Is great; my team is contending

10 votes

Is great, but my team is OK

6 votes

Is great, but my team sucks

4 votes

Meh, who cares

5 votes

31 votes | Poll has closed

and in other news

spengler — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:54:23 -0000

omar minaya goes insane, offering jose reyes for juan uribe straight up.

kenny turns him down, stating publicly that he is confident that the imminent return of scott podsednik will provide the Sox with the necessary speed on the basepaths.

when minaya throws in carlos beltran to sweeten the pot, kenny still demurs, stating publicly that he is holding out for shawn green.

frustrated, minaya who is rumored to be dating uribe's sister (who, as it turns out, shot a farmer and an italian sailor in a fit of rage because minaya had heretofore refused to acquire the torpedo boat), again ups the ante, now offering reyes, beltran and lastings milledge straight up for juan uribe.

demonstrating a stubborn ability to ignore reality otherwise unknown outside of the oval office, kw turns up his nose at milledge, stating publicly that milledge is an idiot, that he doesn't need two brian andersons in his organization, and that the sox need veterans who understand the game.

spontaneously, (perhaps finally overwhelmed by the perversity of an organization that traded away its future to give b. nikola a chance to man CF over the longterm, only to turn on him and toss him into the trash without even trying to play up his value for other teams) sox fans begin a mad rush on old disco LP's in chicago, and on one sultry night in July, with the sox 14 games under .500 and with a collective obp of .289, 6,432 anguished fans fling the disks frisbee-style onto the field, hoping to put at least one doddering veteran out of his misery by decapitation.

oddly, the only one struck is oswaldo, who nevertheless lurches headless onto the field gesticulating wildly towards the bullpen, apparently attempting to bring all his relievers into the game at once...

hell, he won't need them tomorrow.

Danks vs. McCarthy Pt.1

spengler — Sat, 12 May 2007 05:35:15 -0000

Through the first 20% of the season

W/L IP K BB WHIP ERA BAA
Danks 1-4 35.1 28 11 1.30 4.33 .254
McCarthy 3-4 31.1 16 16 1.76 6.89 .300

So far so good for KW.

Buuuuut:

AB AVG HR RBI STATUS
Brian Anderson 17 .118 0 0 demoted
Chris Young 120 .250 6 17 starting CF D'Backs

It's true. The Sox offense does suck. But would anyone prefer B-Mac to Javier Vazquez?

W/L IP K BB WHIP ERA BAA
Vazquez 3-2 38.1 33 11 1.07 3.52 .216
McCarthy 3-4 31.1 16 16 1.76 6.89 .300

Poll

Whom Would You Rather Have Right Now?

Brandon McCarthy and Chris Young

24 votes

Brian Anderson and Javier Vazquez

43 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

Cheer up, damn it.

spengler — Fri, 04 May 2007 00:58:39 -0000

The tone around here has been fucking ghastly-- glum & hopeless, with the occasional vitriol and ledge-jumping thrown in.

Folks, as frustrating as the mishandling of Brian N. Anderson has been, as patently useless the signing of Grinderstad, and as stomach-turning the stubbornness of Captain Oz (and KW's apparent inability to stand up to him) has become, sometimes you just have to shake your head, chalk it up to the vagaries of baseball, and have a good laugh.

Which is why I'd like to share the following link with you: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7n36lYGA9Nw

I don't know whether any of you remember a less than stellar ballplayer by the name of Jim Traber, or how many of you already know what that link is, but that is apparently how baseball brawls are done in Japan. Please note Traber's power-mullet, and the heads-up use of instant replay for Traber's final "move"...

I challenge the SSS faithful to link to a funnier baseball clip.

And in the meantime, quit cryin', and revel in our $100 million Mendoza-line nine.

Danny Wright, the Gyroball, the Decline of SSS, and other thoughts

spengler — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:17:23 -0000

I used to post comments and diaries here all the time. I still read the blog almost every day, but it seems to have changed. Did I miss something? Was there an announcement? I see Cheat posting comments but muy pocos articulos. Not complaining, just wondering.

Anyway,

The Sox have no 5th starter. I woke up the other day from this nightmare: a game during the Manuel era and Danny Wright is on the mound. He throws one a foot high. He throws one in the dirt. He is visited on the mound. He still can't find the plate. He walks people. When he throws a strike, it is crushed. He is shelled. He is lifted. It is the first inning. In 2007, somehow the Sox have gone from 6 starters to 4.

The gyro ball is bullshit.

I don't care if A-Rod and Jeter are friends.

Anderson should play in CF.

If Ozzie starts Pods-Erstad 1-2 consistently, I will go insane.

Watching Chris Young might get kinda painful this year.

The day Bonds passes Aaron I will wear black.

The Dominican legal system apparently has no equivalent to the "motion to dismiss".

If I get a DUI, can I inherit the Yankees?

Spring Training Location Update

spengler — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:26:40 -0000

I promised I would write something on this topic when a substantive event occurred that affects where the White Sox train in the spring.

The Arizona Republic reports that deals have now been struck regarding two facilities in the Valley of the Sun. One is in Glendale, the other in Goodyear. Both are formerly barren cotton-farming communities that have now been absorbed into the metastasizing megaloplolis known as the Phoenix metropolitan area. Some of you may know that Glendale just got through building state-of-the-art facilities for the Arizona <cough> Cardinals and the Phoenix Coyotes.

I live in Tucson, and I'll be blunt: I'm writing this just as much as a Tucsonan as a Sox fan. Phoenix sucks. Tucson and Phoenix have a bitter rivalry. UA vs. ASU. Liberal vs. Conservative. Cool vs. Dorky. Poor vs. Rich. Small vs. Large. Soon-to-be-without-the-Sox vs. Soon-to-be-with-the-Sox.

The Sox had signed a memorandum of understanding with Glendale stating their intention to abandon Tucson pending funding for new facilities in Glendale. The rub was that the Maricopa Sports and Tourism Authority, which allegedly only had funds for one new ST facility, was looking at Goodyear, which had been courting the Indians. Of course, when it came to finding a way to screw Tucson, the MSTA came up with the $$ for both facilities, which are now scheduled to open in 2009.

Glendale plans to host the White Sox and the Dodgers. Goodyear gets the Tribe and whatever other team it can scrounge up. Meanwhile, Tucson loses the Sox, and due to a quirk in its deals with the D-Backs and Rockies, maybe them as well. (The Rockies require that Tucson have at least 2 other teams to stay in their lease at Hi Corbett field; the D-Backs require 1 other team. You can see the potential domino effect.)

Now, the Sox' lease with Tucson runs through 2013, and the city has vowed to fight. It is obvious that the land of urban blight is growing its spring training operations at the direct expense of Tucson. The MSTA is funded by a hotel tax in Maricopa County, to which countless Tucson (Pima County) residents have contributed. Incoming State Senate President Tim Bee (R-Tucson) has vowed to introduce legislation blocking such cannibalism.

Furthermore, the Sox' lease requires them to find a replacement team should they bail on the lease early- or face a large penalty for stadium construction costs. However, I don't think Reinsdorf cares either about finding another team for Tucson or the penalty. He seems intent on moving, as he maintains a residence in the Phoenix area. It is my experience that when teams in this situation want to move, they move, especially when it's "just" for Spring Training.

Personally, I don't really care if the Sox find someone else. I very much enjoy having the Sox here every spring and really really really really don't want to drive to friggin Glendale to see them.

That's just me. For many Sox fans in Chicago, it may seem like a good move, as the Phoenix area has more teams, which allows a fan to see more games in a smaller area, and traveling to Arizona is the same either way. I would caution, however, that the traffic in Phoenix is ghastly, and Phoenix is, as previously stated, pretty damn horrible.

In conclusion, absent something unusual coming out of the state legislature (which is dominated by ultra-conservative a-holes from Maricopa County anyway), you can count on the Sox leaving Tucson for spring training in 2009 in beautiful, cheesy Glendale.

Boo.

Ode to Gload

spengler — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 18:14:43 -0000

Always remember
The slam in Camden and the
Shot off Santana

"One-line diaries are prohibited on South Side Sox. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread."

Don't Look Now- Latest Thome vs. Thomas Comparison

spengler — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:05:59 -0000

Going into today's play

Frank Thomas (120 games):
410 AB; 36 HR; 98 RBI; .283 AVG; .396 OBP; .566 SLG; .961 OPS

Jim Thome (127 games):
442 AB; 39 HR; 97 RBI; .292 AVG; .415 OBP; .609 SLG; 1.024 OPS

Thome has more runs (102-71) doubles (23-8) and walks (91-73) but also more K's (129-70).

No matter what happens for the rest of the season, both players have far exceeded my predictions for them. While Thome maintains the statistical edge, Frank's recent hot streak is making this a very interesting comparison.

Knowing the Big Hurt, he will be highly motivated when the Sox pull into Oakland on Friday.

Draw whatever conclusions you want.

If McCarthy starts, who's out?

spengler — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 09:33:01 -0000

If Ozzie gives BMac a shot in the rotation, you'd have to assume Buehrle, Garcia, or Vazquez would be the odd man out.

There are good arguments for each one.

Buehrle: steep decline seems to indicate injury
Vazquez: baffling inability to get outs after 5IP
Garcia: pitches like Tommy Chong

Never thought I'd say this, but right now I would vote Buehrle off the island. His consistent performance over the last 5 seasons means a lot, and I'd hate to see him tear up his arm.

Meanwhile, with the deep bullpen, Ozzie could actually follow through and yank Vazquez after 5. For his part, Freddy is still averaging more than 6IP Over his last 10 starts, and somehow manages to keep the team in the game.

Poll

If you're Ozzie, what do you do?

SIt Buehrle

4 votes

Sit Vasquez

22 votes

Sit Garcia

8 votes

Keep McCarthy in the pen

8 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed