P.O. Sox: Positional and payroll flexibility! Olympic curling! Guide to Bridgeport!
This week's mailbag includes:
- Can any prospects increase Craig Kimbrel's allure?
- Which curling teams should I pay attention to this Olympics?
- Should the Sox play more players at different positions?
- How come the White Sox didn't front-load some of their contract extensions?
- Are the Sox still weak at drafting, scouting and developing?
- When's the time to consider a change to the White Sox's uniforms?
- What are the most realistic free agent targets now?
- Where should a first-time visitor to Guaranteed Rate Field do around the ballpark?
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Don’t worry. I’ve been assured by many that eventually kids stop being so disruptive. My oldest is barely out of college so it hasn’t happened for me yet but at least part of me looks forward to the day I can return to my pre-kids life.
For Mexican, my personal preference is Carbon (basically next door to Riccobene’s) over Pancho’s but your mileage may vary (probably because I don’t eat beef).
I think Josh had a guest on the podcast who said his “fat hack” was to get fries from Riccobene’s and food from Carbon.
Big Boss Fried Chicken is a bit west of those two spots but has the best fried chicken sandwiches in terms of flavor and size.
I don’t follow curling but I know Ken Pomeroy (of college basketball analytics fame) has a lot of curling analysis and rankings on his site. Is kenpom respected in the curling analytics world or is he viewed as more of a dilettante?
As far as I can tell, there aren’t really gatekeepers when it comes to wider curling discussion. His rankings pass the eye test.
Nice list of yummy foods in greater Bridgeport.
May I also suggest for a non-Chicagoan the Chicago Style Hot Dog. Yes you can get one in the ballpark, but a much better version is found at O’Malley’s (assuming it’s still around post-pandemic). It was also my preferred place to park the car in those few occasions I didn’t walk or take the CTA to the game.
Oooh new Patreon identity for this longtime Sox Machine lurker! Guess I need a new Soxy nickname. I assume I can change my handle…
I’m just going to assume you’re Paul Konerko and you’re sending this from your 14,000 square foot home in Arizona.
Welcome, and looks like you found the option.
I think both Scottish teams are going to be tough at the Olympics. Mouat on the men’s side has been on fire since March. About the only two teams he has lost to are Edin (Sweden) and Gushue who just happens to be team Canada. As much as I will be cheering for Schuster, I think those three are ending up on the podium.
The women’s side is really deep. I don’t know that there is an “easy” draw in the field. Eve Muirhead (Scotland) looks like she isn’t messing around having to go through the qualifying event and winning Euros last month. Tirinzoni (Switzerland) hasn’t been great this year, but has won the last few world championships. Like you said Hasselborg is always there. The US finished third at world’s in March. Jones from Canada has a gold already, but it feels like Fleury lost the trials final rather than Jones winning. Japan and Korea both medaled in 18, and Kovaleva of Russia has been solid as well.
Don’t forget Persinger and Plys in mixed doubles. I think they have a good chance, but it is so easy to put up four in an end, anyone can pull an upset.
Mouat is a good call. I was kinda hoping Jacobs would’ve beaten Gushue because his games seem to generate more excitement, but Gushue never seems to find himself in a bad spot the way it can happen to Koe.
Ha, yeah, that is definitely Koe’s style. Being able to throw up-weight like he can will get you out of trouble a lot of times, but can lead to four enders too.
I’m glad you mentioned Kovaleva. Hasselborg just beat her in the European Championships, and I think it was the first time ever that Hasselborg managed that.
As for the question about stuff to do around the park, isn’t U of C not far from there and with a Frank Lloyd Wright tour or museum? Or am I misremembering?
It’s a bit of a haul (20 blocks south and a bit east), but the Robie House tour is excellent.
Much closer (a short walk!) is the IIT campus, if an architecture buff wants to see some of Mies van der Rohe’s buildings.
If you are venturing to the U of C (Hyde Park) and craving culture and knowledge, also visit the Oriental Institute
I’m confused by the positional versatility of star players thing. The best players in an Org are the ones that stick to their positions, it’s the non-stars that need versatility.
Positional versatility is a virtue for any player, star or not. Because it’s a path to relevance, there’s more motivation for non-stars to try it, so we’re used to seeing that more often. But it’s not without precedence in stars. Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger (who may not count as “star” anymore, but was 2 years ago), and Kris Bryant are recent examples off the top of my head of players who clearly didn’t need versatility to stick in the bigs, but are versatile nonetheless.
Jose Ramirez is another one, at least for the first two years of his stardom.