The Critic

I'm not that worried about Freddy. I still "kind of trust" what they're telling us.....sort of.....maybe..... My guess about the contract is, I would think that Freddy gets paid by the insurance company that the Sox bought a policy on him from. I would think the Sox have some sort of injury insurance on all their contracts. Just a guess, though, I have no insider info...."I'm just a fan".....

Not to be a nitpicking little b**** ( cuz I am NOT little ), but shouldn't it be "dominant"? As in "Contreras is dominating A's hitters today." "Yes, he certainly has been dominant today."

I SMELL A CLOSER!!!!!!! ...or maybe it's that 4th time through the order I smell.....

Skipping lunch today. Saving some $ for tomorrow night's game - going to games on Wednesday and Friday makes Thursday very sad. Always more expensive when I go with the Mrs. and kid - I take the train to games when I'm alone ( monthly pass ), but park at the park when they're with me. 16 bucks a shot = UGH, but it's my own fault, because I don't want to make the kid walk all over the neighborhood to get back to the car. Then there's the habitual nachos for the wife, cotton candy for the kid, and beverage for me - not always a beer, sometimes a soda like last night. Little things, yes, but they do add up. So there's one hungry Critic waiting for 1:30 to hurry up and get here, so I can drag my sorry ass home and EEEEEEEEEEAT!!!!!!! ( I start at 5 am, in case you wondered about the 1:30 out time... )

oh and my nickname for Robbie is Dishrag, cuz he's all washed up.

If I did that for Borchard, it would sound a little sumpin' like this: "OOT OOT OOT OOT OOT OOT OOT OOT 504-foot hit OOT OOT OOT OOT........"

Maybe they will offer websites about how to remove the "foot and ass smell" from clothing, upholstery, etc.....

I enjoy where this thread has gone very much. Very enlightening back-and-forth with NO venom being spewed whatsoever. Bravo! This is much more informative and thought-provoking than any recap of either side preaching to their choir. Maybe it should have been done in a separate thread, but here it is and I don't mind a bit.

7. The answer is 7. You're welcome.

The apology was a condition of the charges being dropped, and "can't be used against him" in the civil case. BUT....most, if not all, potential jurors in the civil case probably heard his "apology" and as the saying goes, you can't unring a bell. I doubt the civil case ever goes to trial - there's got to be a framework in place for a settlement. I think she just wants to "get on with her life" with a few bucks in her pocket at this point, at least that's how it looks from the outside.

I'm going to boldly predict that I will miss the overwhelming majority of Bears games this year. The combination of fall softball, taking care of my kid and my general indifference to football in general and the Bears in particular will put the over/under of games I watch at 3.

I hope they do too, but the fact remains that they play Montreal, Pittsburgh, Cincy and the Mets ( also 6 with Florida and 3 with Atlanta ) while SF and SD play each other and LA. I don't know the Marlins and Astros remaining schedules, but I'm going to assume that the Marlins have to play the Braves a bit, and the Astros have some Cardinals games left. All things considered, if the Cubs play like they SHOULD against the teams they face, I think they should still win the Wild Card, unfortunately.

Honestly, it's like Joe Carter's broadcasting f***ups - there are SO MANY that I can't remember any specific ones. Well, that's not true - I remember when Joe Carter called cumulus clouds "cunnilingus clouds", causing Chimp to say at the end of the inning that "the Cubs sure got licked that inning". Maybe the only funny thing Chimp ever said...

And the charges would be dropped WITH prejudice, meaning they can never be brought again. Interesting, to say the least.

My mother-in-law is in Florida right now, and SUPPOSED to fly home on Saturday. Something tells me her visit will be extended, and not much fun. I'm a little worried, to say the least.

It's my daughter's first day of school, too. It's preschool, and she's 4. One of her classmates is the daughter of my buddy who drunkenly staggered through my screen door at a party two years ago. He never did pay for the repairs. Now I know where he'll be 3 times a week....MWAAAAAHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....... PAY UP OR !!!!

I noticed that the other day when I looked at his stats for laughs. He had a fantastic 2001. I think he might be too much of a headcase to ever be helped, though.

Thought about it, but I already have a green Sox hat and besides, all Irish people are belligerent drunken maniacs!!!!! ...unless they post here....remember the policy, remember the policy....

Betcha he starts Friday night, since I'll be there. My last 4 attended games have featured the following Hall Of Famers: Jon Garland Jon Rauch Josh Stewart and TONIGHT....the IMMORTAL....Jason Grilli. ...hey, at least Munoz's name doesn't start with a J....as in JUNK.....

Uh oh....somebody didn't read the new policy....

I read it was 1990, Alex Fernandez.

The three people invited back from last year: Alomar Everett "The Fat Lady" :banghead

Just for sake of conversation, let me suggest that this thinking could backfire. Most ML hitters are most comfortable hitting a fastball. If Shingo throws a successful and frustrating ( to the opposition ) 8th inning, I'd think that opposing hitters would welcome a fastball pitcher in the 9th. They'd be back in a comfort zone, facing what they're used to. As we've seen with Koch, if a fastball doesn't have some serious movement, it's extremely easy to hit, even at 93mph. I'm all for a "traditional" closer, but only if the job gets done. Shingo's been doing the job. As far as adjusting to pitchers and then pitchers adjusting to the adjustments goes, that's the case with anyone, not just Shingo. He's a crafty pitcher, and he's been battling hard. He gets the 27th out when it's there to be had, and that's ALL I care about.

...I hate that broad....

I refuse to believe that if the Sox had gone out and danced in a big circle with the Twinkies, then Garland would be more consistent, Crede and Valentin's batting averages would be better, the Sox would have a right fielder and 5th starter, Robbie Alomar would show any signs of life at all, etc etc etc.... Maybe the lack of retaliation was embarrassing to some fans, but I think it had very very little to do with the Sox' slide this year. There just isn't enough talent on the roster to withstand the injuries AND the lack of production from that many everyday players.