Controlled Chaos

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 25, 2007 -> 11:34 AM) So, Mark Gonzales, the Trib's beat writer for the Sox, apparently misquoted a statistic in a column about Buehrle's no-hitter, saying he got a WS victory in 2005 that he did not. Not a huge deal, it happens (though it seems to happen to Mark a lot). But here is the kicker. In a column today in the Trib, someone calls him on it, and he says that he and Mark L. from Whitesoxinteractive.com apologize for the mistake. So, let me get this straight. The Trib's beat writer needs to go to a message board to get stats and data? Either I'm missing something here, or Mark should be embarrassed. Anyone here know of any good reason why this should have happened? I remember reading the article and he quoted the WSI guy. It was something like "so and so from WSI, says Buehrle is the only pitcher to have won an allstar game, won a world series game, saved a world series game and pitch a nohitter. Found it Mark Liptak of White Sox Interactive pointed out Buehrle has the distinction of starting and winning an All-Star Game in 2005, earning a victory and a save in a World Series that season and throwing a no-hitter.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 25, 2007 -> 11:22 AM) I think the Sox did pretty darn well in setting up what they needed this season personally, I just think they aren't handling it the right way. The price on all the out-of-house options was clearly through the roof, as the previous person pointed out. The thing the Sox needed last year was a backup, Lefty outfielder who could play good defense and give Anderson time to develop and hopefully work through the kinks. They found exactly that. That was good. Then, they decided to sit Anderson 80% of the games. That is the mistake. To even make things better, the Sox went out and grabbed a guy who, although he's a bit older, put up a >.900 OPS in AAA for the D-Backs last year in Terrero, who also plays good defense. If we're not going to be a $200 million a year salary team, this is exactly how we should set ourselves up. We have a talented kid who struggled last season. We have a backup option from the other side of the plate. And we have another backup option who is not as much of a prospect, but who might well turn into a decent bench player if our youngest option needs to get sent back to AAA. There are 2 ways that we should be doing this, and we're doing neither. If Erstad is the starting OF, then Brian Anderson should be in AAA and Terrero should be up as a platoon partner. If Anderson is the starting OF, then he should be on pace for 500 + at bats until either we give up on him completely and send him down or someone gets hurt. I'm not a huge Erstad fan, but I'll tolerate him succeeding if it helps the team. But what really bugs me about this situation is how the White Sox are dealing with their young guys. We are simply not going to remain competitive in the next few years if we can not keep subbing in some of our young guys to free up salary. Sweeney, Anderson, Owens, Fields...some of those guys need to become regulars. We just don't have the salary freedom to put in a $10 mil + guy at every position. We need to develop some of these guys. Anderson is a prime candidate to turn into a Crede...a guy who struggles at first offensively but grows into the role. But he is not going to do that in 100 at bats. Either play him every day, or send him down and give Terrero a shot...there's at least a non zero chance that Terrero could turn into a very good OF as well. My sentiments exactly.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 25, 2007 -> 09:27 AM) But if you are going to trade in every couple of years anyway, it doesn't make a difference. I am in the club that will drive the wheels off of a car. If I can get away without having a car payment, I will damned well do it. Right...I've thought about leasing cause I put hardly any miles on my car. I walk to the train and take the train to work. The only time I put miles on my car was when I was dating my wife. In the last 2 1/2 years though I've probably only put 6,000 miles on my car. A lease and a new car every couple years would be nice, but man I'd just hate to have a payment every month. I'm undecided, but hey I don't know anything anyway I drive a chick car.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 24, 2007 -> 06:42 PM) I am the type of person who likes a new car every 2 years at least. I never own a car 5 years. Is it a serious downside having a lease? I got 20k miles in the offer per year I think the only downside to leasing is you'll ALWAYS have a car payment.

QUOTE(StrangeSox @ Apr 25, 2007 -> 08:55 AM) Bad at the plate. Made some good plays in the outfield, but looked lazy out there. I missed the error...what happened?

Mike LaValliere plays tag with the kids in my neighborhood, but he's always it.

Let's get this kid his first W.

Wow only took 19 games for you to be able to make this thread.

Happy birthday (clap clap) to you! Happy birthday (clap clap) to you! Happy birthday (clap clap) to you! Happy birthday (clap clap) to you! First you're one Then you're two Then you're three Then you're four Then you're five, even six And you're gonna grow more. There's so much you've learned So much you know You had a great year It deserves a cheer, so come on (hurray) Way to grow! Happy birthday (clap clap) to you! Happy birthday (clap clap) to you! Happy birthday (clap clap) to you! Have a happy, a snappy A super, a duper A wonderful, funderful Incredible, spectacular Amazing, awesome Terrific, sprouterific (oh, boy) bir-thday! I've got nothing left to blow out the candles

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Apr 24, 2007 -> 09:38 AM) The first rule of DPBL is we cant talk about DPBL Then don't talk...just type. What is it?

Maybe some people just want to bust a cap in someones ass for breaking into their house.

QUOTE(StrangeSox @ Apr 24, 2007 -> 12:27 AM) My dad has a 3rd gen Eclipse (2003) and that car is an absolute turd. I haven't heard much about the latest (2006 MOY, I think) Eclipses. The older ones (mid-late 90's) are decent and can be had for a reasonable price. You're going to have to watch to try to avoid getting one someone beat on for the last 50k miles. As far as modifications go, it depends a lot on the car. Some cars have terribly restrictive exhausts from the factory -- others have systems that were designed reasonably well. Same for just about any other component. Your best bet would be to find a good enthusiast forum for the car similar to SoxTalk and see what other people have to say. Nothing wrong with letting other people spend their money first to figure out what works and what doesn't! The best way to go faster is to reduce weight! It improves not only acceleration, but also cornering, braking, and fuel efficiency. As for your earlier question regarding low-profile tires and snow, here's my thoughts (take with a grain of salt, I'm no tire expert): The size of the sidewalls shouldn't matter too much. What's really going to matter is the tire width (narrower is better for snow), tread patterns, and the compounds used. Aside from allowing people to shove huge wheels on cars, low profile tires help performance because the shorter sidewall is stiffer so there's less compliance in the tire. I don't think this will effect your traction in the snow. I have a 2003 Eclipse Spyder GTS and haven't had one problem since I purchased it. Thinking about selling it now that I have a kid though.

Alright Javy keep the ball rollin.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Apr 24, 2007 -> 03:49 AM) IIRC didn't he bat 3 or 4 in Japan? I wouldn't blame this all on Ozzie, Iguchi seemed to want to make the switch as well. If this was by his request/suggestion, and Ozzie gave him a chance, It won't be the worst experiment that a manager ever tried. Exactly. Moving down is what Gooch wanted. He was a power hitter in Japan. Lucky for us he unselfishly learned to thrive in the two hole. There probably aren't too many players out there willing to make that transition. The job of a two hole hitter isn't very sexy and won't get ya the big pay day, but Gooch adjusted. He just wanted a shot to show what he can really do. Ozzie gave it to him. I agree he is much better in the two hole, but I have no problem with Ozzie giving him the chance to be a more complete hitter.

inning ova!

MB mowing em down! 2 outs

he gone

MB out there 1-1 count

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Apr 23, 2007 -> 07:55 PM) What a crock. Post September, April, May and June. LET'S GO WHITE SOX Why is it a crock. Someone said Anderson NEVER hit last year. Balta should two months where he did. Seems clear to me

Alright Sox...lets get er done!!

Sopranos Rewind: Remember When Posted by Alan Sepinwall April 23, 2007 3:45AM Categories: The Sopranos WARNING: This column contains major plot spoilers for last night's "Sopranos" episode. "Things are going great, finally," says Tony Soprano. "Maybe I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop." So are we, Tony. As this final season has gone on, fans have been waiting to see who will die, who will wind up in jail, who will rat. If a sad, moving episode like last night's "Remember When" is any indication, the wait might not end -- and that might be okay. "Remember When," is an entire hour of shoe-levitation. The FBI digs up the body of Willie Overalls, the first man Tony ever killed. Tony and corpse-disposal accomplice Paulie drive down to Miami to lay low, but everything's fine after incarcerated capo Larry Boy Barese pins the murder on the late Jackie Aprile. On the road trip, Tony's first prolonged exposure in years to Paulie's verbal diarrhea makes him wonder if Paulie can keep his lips zipped in front of the feds should it come to that. On a celebratory fishing trip in the Atlantic, we're cued to believe that Tony is on the verge of sending Paulie to sleep with Pussy, but at the last minute, he backs off, not ready to kill Paulie for something he only might do. There's a murder, as Phil Leotardo's guys give the food-poaching Doc Santoro a Moe Greene Special, but the biggest explosion of violence is perpetrated on Uncle Junior, who takes a nasty beating from his mental hospital protege Carter Chong (guest star Ken Leung). I expect more misdirection like this as the season goes on. Thus far, the murders have involved minor characters like Doc and Gerry The Hairdo, while Johnny Sack had a non-homicidal passing. David Chase and company (in this case, writer Terence Winter) have never liked to do what the audience is predicting. I think we're going to see a lot of characters suffer a fate worse than jail or even death: being forced to confront who they really are. In episode one, it was Bacala who had to abandon the pretense that he could be a made man without blood on his hands. Last week, Tony saw how much Christopher resented him, while Phil and Johnny Sack questioned how they had lived their lives. Here, Junior and Paulie -- Tony's biological uncle and his unofficial one -- come to terms with their decay into lonely, pathetic old men, not useful for much besides dirty jokes and stories about the good old days. Characters have been telling old stories all season, often about the resentment that grows between fathers and sons, or between mentors and proteges. Here, Junior recalls the day his father (Tony's grandfather) made him walk home 11 miles for turning down a 25-cent tip from a rich woman. Carter loses his temper recounting the time his father dismissed a 96 score on a third grade spelling test because it wasn't a 100. Paulie notes that Johnny Boy Soprano gave Tony the Willie Overalls hit when Tony was 24, but Tony quickly and forcefully says that he was 22. It's those details they don't forget. Even in the grips of dementia, Junior knows he walked 11 miles. Carter remembers the exact grade on the test. Tony remembers how old he was when his father made him into a killer (which he in turn would do to Christopher and Bacala). Earlier in that conversation, Tony suggests that Johnny Boy never believed in him. Paulie counters that Johnny trusted him with the hit, after all, but Tony clearly resents that Johnny didn't believe he could become anything but a thug, condemning him to this life. Tony's always been one to dwell on the past, but spending so much time with blabbermouth Paulie takes away his taste for it. Annoyed by Paulie's endless stories -- including one, uttered in front of civilians, about an apparent murder at a Jersey shore house -- he excuses himself from the table "because 'remember when' is the lowest form of conversation." At least Tony still has a present to hold onto. Junior and, to a lesser extent, Paulie don't. Junior tries to recreate the past in the hospital, enlisting Carter to help him run a funhouse mirror version of his old Executive Game, with the patients playing for buttons and non-diet sodas. But he's not as strong as he once was, and faced with the threat of being transferred to a less cushy facility, he consents to a new drug regimen that leaves him a blurry, sleepy shell of himself. Carter, bitter at the perceived betrayal by another father figure -- and perhaps having read "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" too many times -- gives Junior a beatdown. Our final glimpse (ever?) of the official boss of New Jersey shows him sitting in a wheelchair, a cast on his arm, a blank, depressed look on his face, and a cat from pet therapy as his only companion. (Can Dominic Chianese and Vince Curatola share the Emmy? Damn.) Midway through their fugitive vacation, Tony and Paulie are shown a black and white photo of Paulie in his '60s heyday, flexing a bicep for the camera. What we realize instantly is that Paulie is trying to preserve that image all these decades later. He still pounds the dumbbells, even though the skin sags around his muscles. He still wears the same hairdo, even though the hair is grey and thin. He lives alone, has no real friends, is the least-productive, least-respected captain in the Family and he can't stop talking. The only real difference is the amount of TV he watches; in the '60s, he didn't know who Barney Fife was, while today he cackles hysterically at a "Three's Company" rerun. Paulie's just self-aware enough to know that Tony's displeased with him. He has a flashback to Pussy's oceanic murder as he and Tony cast off in their fishing boat, is terrified throughout the voyage and later has a dream (very literal by "Sopranos" standards) where he confronts Pussy the rat to ask, "When my time comes, tell me: will I stand up?" Paulie hasn't had to make that choice yet. None of the major surviving characters have. Right now, Paulie's punishment is simply having to be Paulie Walnuts, just as Tony's punishment is to be the boss of a decaying empire, and having to work with guys like Paulie. Will that be enough for the fans? Some other thoughts on "Remember When": -More foreshadowing that Tony was going to murder Paulie: the three men who took Tony out for a celebratory dinner after the Willie Overalls hit were Pussy (killed by Tony), Ralphie (ibid), and Paulie. -Art inadvertently, awkwardly imitating life: days after the Virginia Tech tragedy, we have an episode (shot months ago) featuring a violent, emotionally disturbed young Asian American man, as well as talk of on-campus violence (another patient at the hospital is a Rutgers professor who stabbed his dean and then slit his wrists in the faculty lounge). -Know your Family: The two gentlemen volunteering to spring Junior were Uncle Pat Blundetto, whose upstate New York farm featured its own buried corpses in season five's "Cold Cuts," and Beppy Scerbo, a member of Junior's old crew. Beansie Gaeta, Tony and Paulie's Miami host, is the pizzeria owner paralyzed by a Richie Aprile hit-and-run in season two. -Not since Junior confused himself and Bacala with characters from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has there been as hilarious a Junior parallel as him writing to Vice-President Cheney to note that they're both "powerful (men) all too familiar with accidental gunplay." Alan Sepinwall may be reached at [email protected]

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Apr 21, 2007 -> 06:38 PM) I love the Revenge of the Creature avatar. Classic. Ava - opposite of truth. Poster - Good in my book ...cause Buehrle is > Wood

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 21, 2007 -> 06:15 PM) Danks looked good, but I would have liked to have seen the killer instinct and pitch over the Uribe/Mack misplay. Hopefully that doesn't mean he has the old Garland thing of falling to pieces when something bad used to happen behind him. It's not like he gave up a homer or a line shot even. It was a grounder between Crede and Uribe. I thought he handled it well and just caught a bad break. Tough crowd

E6 1st and 3rd