Sox Offseason Moves; Reinsdorf opens the pocketbook again and again.

I was prepared for the worst for my White Sox this winter; greatly slashed payroll, youth movement beginning, the whole works.  I had written off Sox heroes like Paul Konerko and AJ Pierzynski.  Too old and too expensive.  Cast aside for the oncoming rebuilding project built around (cheap) youngsters like Gordon Beckham, Brett Morel, Chris Sale, and Dayan Viciedo.

Then a funny thing happened; Sox GM Kenny Williams convinced owner Jerry Reinsdorf to open the Scrooge McDuck money vault on the offseason.

Money has flowed like wine over the past 3 weeks.  $2.5 on Alexei Ramirez's club option, $8 million on AJ, $56 million on "Big Donkey" Adam Dunn, $37.5 million on Paul Konerko, and, just yesterday, a 3-year $12 million commitment to former Sox nemesis Jesse Crain (Fairview Product, as Tuba John would want me to point out).  This year alone the Sox will have close to $130 million in commitments; absolutely unheard of on the Southside.

Kenny Williams' enduring legacy has to be his ability to get a famously thrifty owner to open the pocketbooks again and again on a franchise that traditionally has been second tier.  If you would have told my younger self that I'd grow up to see Jerry Reinsdorf willingly increase payroll like this, without a guarantee of success or, more importantly, increased attendance, I'd have called you nuts.

After all, it was Reinsdorf who was famously the most steadfast of the owners during the '94 players strike that crippled his own franchise.  It was Reinsdorf who threw in the "White Towel" in 1997.  In my childhood, despite 6 Bulls championships, despite the early Frank Thomas years, he was always wearing the black hat; especially in the press.

(For a man who's brought 7 titles to the Windy City, he's gotten a lot of grief over the years)

Now he's boosting payroll to try and sustain a decade-long run of general excellence.  Maybe the elderly Reinsdorf is legacy-shopping.  Maybe he's still high with post-2005 giddiness. Maybe his love for Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen keeps him from holding back.  Whatever the reason, I'll take it, and the Sox are in a better position for it.

What the what; Cliff Lee signs with...... the Phillies!?!!??

Apparently spitting on a prospective big free agent's wife isn't a good enticement plan for Yankee fans.  Cliff Lee is supposedly spurning both the Texas Rangers and the aforementioned spitting-crazed Yankee fanbase to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies for $30 million and 2 years less than he probably could've gotten ($120 million over 5 years).  The players association won't be happy about this (they never like to see players signing for less).

Talk about hometown discount; that 2009 stretch run with the Phillies must have made one hell of an impression.  But this is the same Phillies franchise who, not a year ago, decided they couldn't afford to re-sign the superlative lefty and unceremoniously traded him to Seattle.  Lee had been talking career-long deal with the Phillies before that trade; instead of being angry over the situation, he must have decided to make it right this time.

(Lee is shockingly headed back to Philadelphia.  At least my Phillies-loving roommate will be happy. 

From: ESPN)

To say that this move simply came out of nowhere would be an understatement.  For months now it was simply a matter of Texas or New York for Lee.  It was a foregone conclusion that he'd be in one of those two locations, and only one of those two locations.  Then, like a bolt of lightning the Phillies landed Lee to go with Roy Halladay (who they got to replace him), Roy Oswalt and 2008 World Series hero Cole Hammels.  I talked last year about the potential of last year's White Sox rotation, but holy-schlamoley this is a staff to be reckoned with.

How can the Phillies not be the front runners to win not only the National League, but the World Series as well?  If pitching truly does win championships, then we might as well crown the Phillies ass today.

Monday Grab Bag: We've got our guys, now it's time to go to work.

Better late than never, right?  Besides the new coach there's a mea culpa, some White Sox news, and the Bears saving my ass in my suicide pool in the bag.  Let's get to it...

The good ship CU Football has a captain at the helm once again - Jon Embree arrived last night, along with his good buddy and Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy, to officially accept the job as CU head football coach.  Among other things, he promised at his press conference this morning to "restore the luster" that had faded from the program.  I'll say this, after hearing him talk this morning I can say that he certainly does love his university.  Now we get to the meat of the matter; can he actually do the job?

(We'll, we've all gotten our wish; a Buff is leading the team.  From: the BDC)

Recruiting - Hawk's career uncertainty had put a damper on recruiting over the last few years, and Embree's first job has to be shoring up the weak 2011 recruiting class.  I was pleased to read him immediately talking recruiting last night.  Fresh off the plane he referred to:

"[...] a certain kid in-state that I want to go see at his house.  I'm anxious. I've heard he is a very good player and had a very good season. I'd like to go see him and other in-state kids who are committed and the ones aren't. I want to go see them and see if they want to be a Buffalo." -link

I'm betting he's talking about Mullen standout RB Adonis Ameen-Moore who had been holding off on a decision on college until after his senior season concluded.  It's good to see that Embree recognizes that love of university alone won't bring wins to Folsom, and that he needs to work quickly to salvage this years recruiting class to shore up the cupboard for future years.  Grabbing Ameen-Moore would be a great first step...

Bieniemy is along for the ride - After nabbing over $500,000 and a signing bonus, Bieniemy is along for the ride.  I knew we'd have to pay him big bucks, but daaaaaaaaammmn that's a big financial step for a university used to short changing their assistants.  It's also a 5-year deal (same as Embree's) which hopes to guarantee some stability in the coaching staff.  This sort of move is unprecedented in CU's athletic history and is an example of Bohn putting the cash where his mouth is.  Earlier this year he promised to actually spend on assistant coaches, and he came through in a big way.

(Bieniemy got paid, and is ready to help get this thing back on track.  From: the BDC)

My apologies to Austin Dufault and Levi Knutson - I've hammered Dufault and Knutson quite a bit over the last few years, but they're having pretty good season so far.  Knutson is grabbing 11.5 points per game, shooting near 55%, and is providing some greatly needed on-ball defending for a team that has struggled with its defense at times.  Coming off his disastrous sophomore campaign, Dufault is both scoring more, and rebounding more than in previous years; adding a much needed post-threat.

(Levi provided 22 big points Saturday night, and is looking better than ever this season.  From: the BDC)

Knutson, who I would swear missed every shot in conference his sophomore year, dropped 22 points (6-8 from 3!) in Saturday night's blowout win against future Pac-12 foe Oregon St, and has earned my biggest mea culpa.  I'm sorry Levi, I was wrong.  I didn't think you could hack it at this level, but you've consistently been an offensive threat this year.  CU needs you to knock down open looks off of kick-passes, and you've been there to answer the call this season.  I wrote you off too soon, my bad.

Kenny Williams gets his man... again - White Sox GM Kenny Williams always gets his man.  No matter how long it takes, if he wants you on the White Sox roster, he'll get you.  You may be old a decrepit by the time you arrive (see Alomar, Roberto and Griffey, Ken Jr.), but he'll eventually find a way to land you.  Luckily this time, the player Kenny grabbed isn't nearing the end of his playing days.  Late last week, the White Sox signed their first big name free agent in years as they inked slugger Adam Dunn to a  4-year, $56 million deal (great write-up by the excellent Jim Margalus here). Kenny has been after Dunn for quite a while.  Specifically, this past summer Dunn had been part of a rumored 3-team deal which would eventually send him to the southside.  The Nationals GM ended up playing hardball (read: went back on a deal) and kept Dunn, so the Sox got "stuck" with flame-throwing Edwin Jackson.  Now we get Dunn and Jackson, and the Nationals GM get's a couple of lame draft picks instead of field-ready talent (i.e. he's about to lose his job).  The Sox now head into the season with a coveted left-handed power bat.  Regardless of what Sox legend Paul Konerko decides to do, my Sox are looking like they're headed in the right direction.

(Big Adam Dunn should love the cozy dimensions of the Cell.  Welcome aboard, Donkey!)

Bears save my bacon - We're getting down to the end in my NFL suicide pool, and I'm forced to start taking some risks; like taking the Bears on the road.  Some might say playing the Detroit Lions, when they haven't won a divisional game in 3 seasons, would be a lock, but I know my Bears.  Hell, they even trailed 20-14 in the 3rd quarter.  With my season on the line, the Bears scraped and clawed their way to a 24-20 victory, and thereby keeping me alive for another week.  There is only 51 people still alive in my group which started with thousands on the board.  This one's gonna be close....

Happy Monday!

Rockies move into competative franchise mode

Over the past 3 years the Rockies have fielded some pretty competitive teams; yesterday they took some steps to become a truly competitive franchise. 

First they locked up team leader Troy Tulowitzki.  When I say locked up, they took a man already under contract through 2014 and extended him out through 2020.  2020!  By then we'll have flying cars!  It's a decade long $134 million commitment that's none to surprising coming from Rox GM Dan O'Dowd.  This totally fits his M.O. of providing long term deals to franchise-level talent so they can act as the rock of the franchise (pun intended).  While O'Dowd whiffed on Mike Hampton's $124 million, 8 year deal in late 2000, in 2001 O'Dowd threw 9 years and $141 million at franchise cornerstone Todd Helton, and it's obvious that this Tulo deal is meant to echo the Helton one from a decade ago.  Position players are much easier to project long term production for, and this is why deals like the Helton one, and potentially this Tulo one, are usually safe-ish bets for a franchise.

(Homeboy's about to get paaaiiiiiiid)

Second, they agreement, in principal, to re-sign free-agent pitcher Jorge De La Rosa.  The word is that the pending deal is a 2-year contract for $21 million with various options for 3rd and 4th years.  It was widely accepted that Jorge was the second-best free agent starter available heading into the free agency period, and for the Rockies to keep him is a firm sign of their continued commitment to stay at the competitive level they had shown over the past 3 seasons.  Reportedly, they had been interested in Carl Pavano, but I'm glad they chose to stick with DLR.  Besides the fact that Jorge is 5 years younger than Pavano, and that he is a strong Latino role model in an area with a large Latino population, Carl has a history of blowing up in the faces of GM's who put financial faith in him.  Anyways, I think it's good policy to stick with talent already in your system as it avoids transition pains and keeps expectations in the realistic range.  The Rockies, from field staff to the front office, know what they're going to get from Jorge.

(Resigning talent like DLR is the first step to ensuring that the current success continues)

Sure, the Tulo deal is useless for current purposes, since he wasn't going anywhere (but I still like the deal.)  But combine it with locking up your big free-agent potential departure, and you've shown, in one fell swoop, that you are serious about remaining on top.  If the knock on Dan O'Dowd is that he routinely lets young talent leave after their 6 team-control years are up, then this can be a sign that the status-quo has changed, and that the Rox are willing to spend to keep the good times rolling.  Kudos to O'Dowd and the Rox for taking the necessary steps to remain competitive.  If they add one more decent free agency chip (say a veteran bat) for a reasonable price, then O'Dowd will have done his franchise a good service, and positioned them to win not only now, but in the future as well.