NUKE_CLEVELAND

QUOTE(beck72 @ Feb 6, 2005 -> 07:05 AM) The Crede thread got me thinking about some keys to the sox season. So here goes, I'll start the ball rolling with my top 3 before spring training starts [hey, anything could happen before opening day to change my mind]: 1. Scott Podsednik. If he can hit .280 at the leadoff spot and take more walks, the Sox should be OK. He comes anywhere near .300, the sox can withstand some big injuries and still fight for the playoffs. With him on base and able single handedly to get in scoring position, the 2, 3 and 4 hitters should be chipping in to buy him a new rolex at the end of the yr with the RBI chances they should be able to get. 2. Jose Contreras. The guy is as strong as a horse, and can dominate at times. Yet mostly what the sox need from him is innings. The sox know they can get innings from MB, Freddy, and Garland. With Contreras consistently giving the sox 6,7 innings a start, El Duque could then be babied a little to save him for the entire season. If Contreras blows up, can't find the strike zone every couple of starts, only going 2 innings or leaving after the 5th or 6th having given up 7 runs, the sox will need Garland to really step up [a sub 4.00 era] and El Duque [to log more innings than he should] to make up the difference. 3. Juan Uribe. If he can stay healthy, give the sox stable defense at SS and hit with the same pop as last yr, the sox don't have to rely on Crede and Iguchi to have breakout yrs. Defensively, he can make both Crede and Iguchi better. Any possible replacement would no doubt be weaker defensively and not have his offense. If he goes down to injury, or falls back to his Colo. days with low avg. and inconsistent defense, the sox would need to have big years from both Crede and Iguchi to even what the 2004 Uribe gave the Sox. Yours? Mine is not so much in terms of people but in terms of the following. 1. Getting on base. The top of the order has to get on base and do it often. The whole key to the offense is the top 2 in the order setting the table for the likes of Kong & Everett. 2. Starting pitching. MB needs to be MB and everyone else needs to follow suit. 3. Fundamentals. They can't afford to start the season the way they did last time. It seemed that the 1st few weeks they couldn't get out of their own way. They have to cut down on the errors too. Valentin is gone so there goes a bunch and hopefully Crede spent his winter fielding ground balls and mastering the art of transferring the ball from his glove to his throwing hand.

QUOTE(BamaDoc @ Feb 6, 2005 -> 09:31 AM) Much has been made of our club record home runs and our power loss for this year. I am wondering if we really might not suffer as much as many expect. 2004 homers lost Lee 31 Valentin 30 Maggs 9 Borchard 9 Harris 2 Olivio 7 Davis 6 total 94 I included Borchard, Harris, and Davis though still on team I expect at bats to drop or vanish(Borchard). 2005 replacements Pyrzinski as primary catcher I think can handle the 13 of Olivio/Davis Podsednik and Iguchi (I don't want them swinging for fences) I don't think a combined 15 is unreasonable. That would nearly equal what Maggs, Borchard, and Harris provided. That leaves 61 from Lee and Valentin. Dye and Everett if both can remain healthy should reach a combined 40-50. These are pretty realistic projection, I think. Net loss is around 15-25. Now I expect some of our regulars may not repeat their numbers of last year but I don't suddenly see us as a Go Go Sox team. We still have pop. I have intentionally left out Frank. 74 games in 2004 with 18 hr and 434 OBP. I think he can improve on the totals. If he takes a while to get healthy and we only have him for the second half, no team in our division will add as big a presence to the lineup at the trading deadline. When people talk about our power numbers last year they forget Frank and Maggs (our mashers to most general public) only accounted for 27 homers. I don't think 200 -220 is unreachable. I dont know why people are so fixated by homeruns. I know they are exciting and everything but the last 4 seasons we've had boppers up and down the lineup, led or nearly led the leauge in HR's and won nothing better than a tee time in Florida in October. I for one welcome a transition from a musclehead lineup to one that has a little more speed and singles/doubles.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Feb 6, 2005 -> 02:17 AM) Ya, Nuke brought it up and I agreed with him on AVP. Yeah and I got laughed at. I guess we all have different tastes in movies. I just saw Shaun of the Dead the other day and it was........ok. It had its moments like that scene in the back yard where the 2 dudes are flinging records at the 2 zombies and debating which records are expendable.

QUOTE(SoxAce @ Feb 6, 2005 -> 12:00 AM) Look Nuke, I do aprreciate what they do for us and protect and I'm not saying shafar was on the right here but there are cops who are b****es to teens and older people which irrates all. I know you will give me the nobody is prefect bulls***, but there are cops who are racist, cops that do s*** that is very overboard (I had a thread on a kid who got tazered in my school) and cops who do everything they can to people who are innocent bystandards for eigher driving, drinking etc. Open your f***ing eyes and see for yourself. And I still do appreciate what they do to the bad guys but they are b****es too. Period. End of story. That's a bunch of bulls*** and you know it. I agree that there are cops that go overboard and abuse their authority but they are a tiny fraction of the whole. You can't label the whole based upon the actions of a few........PERIOD!

BEARSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Seventy two to tree

QUOTE(Mr. Zero @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 11:30 PM) I'm giving up urinating. I'll tell you all how I'm doing in a week. LMFAO!!!!

QUOTE(SoxAce @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 10:58 PM) Welcome to my world. Cops are f***ing b****es. Period. Nope, you're a f***ing b**** :fyou

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 06:10 PM) The blueprint for perpetual war for perpetual peace is being laid out right now. And the original intent of the Bush Jr. War in Iraq was WMD (intel shown to come from many less than reliable sources) but later it became about human rights/murders by state leader. Well, if stopping Saddam's state murdering is fine and a legitimate reason for military action then the GOP hacks who whined about Clinton in the Balkans have a lot of crow to eat. And the rhetoric of spreading democracy all over is like "benevolent empire". And I agree that we won't do every regime -- just the ones that threaten our ally Israel and sit on that precious precious oil. If that's true then why are the no plans to "do" Venezuela? Or Russia? Also, if not for U.S. support there would have very likely been a second holacaust against the Jews, this time perpetrated by "those little brown people" you keep alluding to who's stated national policy was and in some cases still is "the complete annihilation of the Zionist state".

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 06:11 PM) Vlad -- career .325/.390/.589 -- 147 career OPS+ -- 5yr/70M Maggs -- career .307/.364/.525 -- 127 career OPS+ -- 5yr/75M That's a much better way to frame the argument that Maggs is being overpaid.

QUOTE(UofIChiSox @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 09:47 AM) I'm in quite the pickle with this. I hate to straight up lose it, but I'll feel dumb wearing it at games. I wouldn't feel dumb wearing the jersey of a former player, especially one of that stature. You ever see how many folks still wear Jeremy Roenick jerseys at Blackhawks games? Wear it proudly since he was a great player for us in his time here. If you still want to get rid of it though might I suggest EBAY?

QUOTE(YoungstownIndians @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 09:27 AM) Actully I did. And I plea the first. This is a website where I am GOING TO EXPRESS MY OPINION! I have no problem having a discussion with an Indians fan but if you want to stick around here you would do well to remember where you are and use a little more tact.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 05:05 PM) Salaries increase every season. 15 in 2009 is far different than 15 in 2005. Career .300 hitters with some pop in the bat make a lot of money. Agreed. Which is why I snicker somewhat when I hear people complaining "Babe Ruth never made that kind of money" or something to that effect.

QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 05:35 PM) FOX NEWS: KEEPING AMERICA SCARED Uhh, that was being covered on other news channels as well and in the same context. I just happened to be watching Fox at the time.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 05:26 PM) Yeah and for Bush to say that we needed to invade Iraq because the smoking gun could "come in the form of a mushroom cloud" was over the the top as well and "you damn well know it". Or the threats of Bush to "spread freedom all over the world" -- coming from a man representing the party of less government and fiscal responsibility. Last time I checked, it wasn't the role of the US to be global policeman cuz I sure as hell remember the GOP hacks getting on Clinton's case for his activities in the Balkans (which are war crimes too, btw for the use of DU and cluster bombs) but then they shut their mouths now that a man with an R next to his name is able to take credit for the dead bodies. Nuke, when a high ranking military officer proclaims that its "fun to kill people", there are smiling people taking photos of torture, the US actively engaging in torture etc. etc. etc., the institution itself loses any sort of moral higher ground that they supposedly have. And its a slap in the face to have a President who wraps himself up in the Bible while completely throwing it in the face of "Thou Shalt Not Kill" Now maybe I have a different Bible that doesn't have the subsections where they detail the parts where ending somebody's life isn't killing There is a pretty big difference between the Balkans and Afghanistan and Iraq. In the Balkans there was clearly no threat to our security as opposed to the obvious threat posed by Afghanistan and the percieved threat posed by Iraq. Interesting how you portray Bush's calls to spread democracy as a threat. Somehow I dont think we're going to invade one country after another to do regime change until the world is 100% democratic. Regarding the idiot general who opened up his yap and those assholes involved in Abu Grhaib they will get what's coming to them.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 04:10 PM) That's what they do right? They end peoples' lives. They kill which according to the dictionary definition of "murder" (n.) To put an end to; destroy. The military is simply paid killers -- and it amuses me that there are problems putting gays in the military because that would harm the "morality" of the military which has such bright shining moments like My Lai, Abu Ghraib, the Taguba report discussing the vastness of abuses going throughout. Its just hilarious watching a "Christian" President endorsing mass murder of brown people without evening saying "Whoops!" during the times of "collateral damage". But I see that irony is probaby lost on such a staunch supporter of the imperial Bush doctrine. We haven't even neared finishing up in Iraq and Bush is already making threats toward Syria and Iran. Sorry but America is not built on perpetual war for perpetual peace. When PNAC, the group founded by Rummy, Wolfowitz, Cheney etc. comes out and says "The United States will not and should not become less engaged in the world in the years to come." That is not a recipe for a protected, Constitutional republic. It is the recipe for a quasi-fascist empire. And yes, I know the Orwell quote that people sleep well at night because other strong men are ready to commit violence at our behalf -- but there is a major league difference between SELF-DEFENSE and "pre-emptive" wars with 3rd world countries that did not and do not threaten us. All the bombing campaigns, invasions, etc. do is just over-spread our self-defense force, give our enemies more targets, more ability to recruit and lead to another generation of terrorists and increased anti-American sentiment. You cherrypicked the hell out of that defenition didn't you? http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=murder The actual defenition of murder: The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice. There is a huge difference between combat action and murder but you convienently overlook that. You're quick to point out regrettable incidents committed by U.S. troops and indeed Mai Lai was murder and so were several killings committed by U.S troops in Iraq but when stuff like that happens those responsible are punished in accordance with the law, something else you convienently overlook. You're just as quick to sweep under the rug all of the humanitarian aid and reconstruction work the military is involved worldwide ( Who were some of the 1st people to start helping provide aid for the Tsunami victims providing clean water, medical treatment and airlift capacity? Oh yeah, that bunch of evil "paid killers" as you so eloquently put it ) but I expect no less from someone like you. Our job is to protect this country and if that requires that we kill someone then so be it. To blindly label the millions of men and women who wore the uniform , myself included, as murderers is wrong and over the top and you damn well know it.

I was watching that on Fox News as it was happening. It appears to have all been a false alarm. Thank god!

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 08:47 AM) "Thou shalt not kill" means just that -- not Amend Section A. That's why Marquette, a "Catholic" institution stopped it. Where do you get off calling U.S. troops murderers. Scumbag. :fyou

QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 5, 2005 -> 10:42 AM) True, I never saw an asterisk on that. I say let the kids do what they want, but if the Jesuits don't want it under their auspices, can't say I blame them. Although it is kind of sad that private citizens have to raise money to provide better gear for our military which I thought was funded from our money to begin with. Every time I see a body armor drive or something like that, I always wonder a little. I can completely understand why a religous institution has issues with this and I never said I disagreed with it. My issue is with a little punk like LCR calling US troops murdererers. Things like that make my blood boil and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that his alleged support for the troops is as fake as a 3 dollar bill.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 10:47 PM) The irony is that they're at a Jesuit school and are selling bracelets promoting murder. They aren't saying that the CR's can't fundraise but rather that the private University believes that such bracelets do go against the crux of the religious doctrine on which their school is founded. Murder? Shut the f*** up. Combat does not equal murder you dolt and snipers are the most surgical instruments the military has at its disposal.

Not really clear whats happening there but they have 2 Delta planes on the ground and swarms of authorities around them in the wake of a hijacking threat.

QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 09:28 AM) Yeah, and he really hit a home run with Phase IV Iraq too. On that one I completely agree.

QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 09:24 AM) Not til he starts doing things well. Like Afghanistan?

QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 09:14 AM) Well, there are ways to do that without the "tort reform" that's been proposed. A little common sense applied goes a long way. Common sense? If some of that would be applied in jury awards there would be no reason for this debate. The fact of the matter is that lawyers care nothing about the welfare of their clients, all they care about is getting the big awards and then taking half or more of it in fees.

QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 09:22 AM) Rumsfeld: "Sir, you can hold me accountable if you'd like." Bush: "You're the Secretary of Defense, not Treasury... I don't see what math has to do with it." Now that this has come out are you people gonna lay off Rummy?

QUOTE(Texsox @ Feb 4, 2005 -> 09:10 AM) Florida has the death penalty, they use it, and it didn't prevent this It was just a matter of time before one of these kids died. Thank God they were found first. I agree with you that the death penalty is a joke but that's because the appeals process takes an average of 8 or 9 years and it is not applied in a uniform manner. That being said I want to see these two sick f***s hung upside down and beaten to a bloody pulp. There is no punishment too extreme for those who do things like that to defensless children.