Chisoxfn

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ May 14, 2007 -> 03:12 PM) The HR people and anybody below you. You asked a question so it should end with a question mark as well. Funny thing is, at work (I work in teams at my various clients) I'm the first person everyone looks to when they have a question about spelling or grammar (because I actually am pretty decent at it, but naturally I write as fast as possible and certain gramatical rules get ignored). It should also be noted, I only work with college graduates and all of those college graduates had to have at least a 3.0 in college.

My big debate is just the type of opportunities there are. I realize the pay is a bit less, but I also see major perks in the benefits (and the flex scheduling). I currently work a ton of hours during my non busy season, than during my busy season I have no life for 2 and a half months (think about coming home from work around 9:30 everynight, knowing that you got in at 7 AM) and than have to come in ocassionally on weekends to boot (yep, its that fun). That said I realize the private sector pays more, however, I have very little interest in becoming a controller (most likely thing you'd do when you leave the public sector as an auditor) and think it could be interesting working for the SEC (supposed to be a pretty good department in the gov to work for). Plus I think having the flex schedule would enable me to have the flexibility (time) to get my side-busines off the ground (which is what I really want to do). Plus, how can you not like the fact that if you retire in 30 years (i'd be less than 65) and assuming I get up to one of the higher levels of pay grade, be getting a low to mid 6 figure a year pension annunity. That said, if I go the MBA route I'd graduate with a six figure a year salary (assuming all goes well) and if I stay where I'm at in 5 years I'll be at that point with the upside of making around twice that in the private sector. There and their, who gives a hoot.

Later on this summer I'm going to both Seattle & Vancouver and I was going to see if there are any must see attractions (or things that I must do when there). And yes, I will be catching a Mariners game so I will definitely be seeing Safeco field.

Yes...I'll take that win. Hinrich/Deng/Gordon and even Tyrus THomas and PJ Brown contributed. Gordon hit a couple big threes but sans that he's useless (horrid defense and decision making) while Noc at least looked confident out there (a few more shots fell and he made better decisions so I am looking for him to have a big game 5) and well Duhon has probably played his last regular season game as a Bull.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ May 10, 2007 -> 12:18 PM) 4-4 in steals. .517 OBP. We always knew he had the ability. QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 12, 2007 -> 03:20 PM) J.J. Hardy with homer #11, RBI #34, and run scored #25 to get his average to .333 on a grand slam that put a 12-3 Brewers win at the Mets out of reach. Now he's been amazing, but this is a guy that had 25 home runs and a 737 OPS in 1122 minor league at bats. Color me suspecious. Still glad the Brewers are doing well. Tony Gwynn Jr. lead off and played RF, going 3 for 5 to improve his average to .406 in 32 at bats, Prince was 2 for 4 with a double, even Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino got into the act hitting (although the previously red hot Geoff Jenkins was 0 for 5 with 7 left on base, ouch). I love Gwynn Jr. The guy plays the game right (just like one of my all time fav's, his old man).

I remember when Iowa had Hamga, Tyler Smith, and a very good chance at Negedu. We now have a guy that looks to be a good coach but god we've had no major recruiting coupes and look to be a team that will battle NU and PSU for last in the Big 10.

Wow...I was reading through the retirement plan and I really really dig there program.

Long is a reliever but they are stretching him out so he doesn't just rely on one pitch, rather he actually develops additional secondary pitches. In his stint with the club last year (after being drafted) Long lost a ton of velocity and didn't have any bite on his off-speed stuff. He's been much better this year.

Happy Birthday Ian and Drew. Hope you guys have fantastic birthdays.

Does anyone here work for the government? I have a friend who is interning with the government and I have been looking into various options (go back to school for my MBA) or try my career at the government level and I was curious as to whether anyone has worked for the government and what there experience was. My background is in accounting and I currently work for one of the big "4". However, I'm always looking into other possibilities and I must admit I'm intrigued with the idea of the 5/4/9 workweek (you work 9 hours a day, plus one 8 hour a day shift for 9 days and get a day off every two weeks). Plus from what I was looking at it appears there are 10 holidays, 13 vacation days and 13 sick days a year (starting and I guess you get more vacation time as you stay with the government) in addition to a great pension plan. One of the main things I am curious are the chances of promotion because If I were to leave my job (one where I know if I stay I will get promoted and promoted or fired if I'm not meeting there standards) I'd want to make sure I could continue a steady climb wherever I went. Another concern was pay as I know in the past the government just didn't seem to pay as competitively as private business, but I also know the gov have recently up the pay for many of there positions (accounting positions being one of them) and I'm starting to think there benefits (is it something like full pension after 25 years of service???) mixed in with other stuff could make it something worth while (for someone who absolutely is beginning to hate working long hours). So anyone have any experience with this or the MBA approach (ie the type of jobs you can look for coming out of an MBA; I know I read about the average salary an MBA makes starting but I wonder if those things really are that realistic).

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:50 PM) Our 3 best hitters right now are Ryan Sweeney, Juan Uribe, and Darin Erstad (and NOBODY else is hitting). The fact we are 18-15 is an all out miracle, if we EVER hit even close to our potential we have a chance to do big things. Get the damn sweep tomorrow. I also agree with Joey Cora's assesment...if last years team had this pitching, they would have won 100 plus games (I don't know if they would have won 120, but it would have won 100). However, I think we'll see this years team take care of business.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:44 PM) If Thome can come back strong,(HUGE question mark at this time) and just 1 of Kong-Dye-Crede get really hot, its a whole new team. The pitching has been outstanding, and if it does stay like this, missing the playoffs would be a huge disappointment. As it stands, this team IMO should have 22, 23 wins. It's stunning how the Sox are 3 games above .500, and the combo of Kong-Dye-Crede are batting a combined .202. Even without the offense, I think this team should have a couple more wins (although I also admit the Sox have stolen a game or two). But ya, I think it will be a different team and I do think they have had better approaches at the plate as of late (still not good ones though).

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:29 PM) I care. I agree it's damn near impossible but for any team, let alone the Sox to bat this bad all season, but how long is it going to go on? You and I both know it will catch up to them, and if this was any other team but the Royals, we are probably talking about a series loss right now. As I said my original post, a win is a win, and thats all you can ask for. However, the O still isn't showing much life, and squeeking out W's against the Royals, at home, is only going to go so far. I think its a valid concern (when these guys are going to figure it out) and I have actually said I would have no problem with the Sox making a move for a new hitting coach (if there is someone out there that they like). Even though I personally dont' think Walker is the problem, however, I do think it could just be one of those things where the players have heard it from Walker for a long time and they simply need to hear it from another voice so to speak. Thome comes back, Dye/Konerko get even semi productive and we are talking about an entirely different offense (still not an amazing one, but a much better one). Mix that in with an acquisition at the trade deadline (if its necessary) or a couple more roster moves and I think they will be just fine. I am very confident if the pitching keeps up (stays healthy and keeps pitching strong) we'll see this team in the playoffs and than getting fitted for some nice fancy rings during the off-season.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:29 PM) People have been wanting to boot Uribe out the door for the past couple winters. I really don't know why... there's no readily available option who is clearly better than Uribe. If that happened to show up, great, but that player better be a great defender. I don't think people understand just how many runs Uribe saves with his glove -- he's arguably the best defensive SS in the AL. I agree with you and to make an upgrade at SS not only do I want the guy to be good defensively, he needs to be a pretty darn good hitter (preferably a top of the order guy, simply because I always want Ozzie to have a couple speed options to keep him happy and prevent him from trying to have guys like Paulie or AJ stealing a few times a season). So unless they are able to get a Furcal or Rollins (and financially those guys don't make sense) or even a Cabrera (whose a darn good 2 hole hitter) I don't really see an upgrade (barring Arod moving back to SS or us getting one of the other big bopping SS's, but again I don't see that making financial sense). Basically put, I expect Juan to sign a multi year deal sometime this season (or off-season). I think the key will be Juan putting in the work (because we know despite the ocassional negative comment, both Ozzie and Kenny love Juan).

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:23 PM) He could stay in the 2 Hole for a bit just becasue of the lack of options we have, but it won't work for an extended amount of time. The low OBP will eventually show up from Uribe, and we already have enough problems getting guys on base. He'll likely see a lot of fastballs, especially if the middle bats get going (plus insert a healthy Thome in there).

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:21 PM) At this point, I am just happy getting W's. You take them any way you can get them. With that said, playing like we have the last two nights is going to get us no where. I am rarely negitive after a win, but once agian, the pitching is just masking the offensive struggles. The bats need to wake up, quick, because these types of games aren't going to work against the Yanks... Who cares...no team is going to hit this bad all season. I'll take the pitching, you can buy bats a lot easier, plus there is no way Dye/Konerko stay this bad. I wouldn't be surprised if Crede struggled (wish he wouldn't, but I'm less confident about him) plus Thome should be fine and Pyrz has proven he's a pretty consistent .270 plus hitter (at the very least). I'm impressed, they continue to find ways to win and have had great starting pitching and I expect us to get strong pitching all season and better offensive play and that is a recipe for a world series type of ball club.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:19 PM) Baseball Tonight also claimed Ozuna as a starting caliber LF tonight. I saw them say how he has made an adjustment to the outfield (the segment where they were talking about guys moving from IF to OF) but nowhere in that segment did I ever see them claim he was a starting outfielder (however I may have missed an earlier segment that insinuated such). But I want Ozuna starting at 2nd right now (I'm a big Ozuna guy because I think he does a lot of things that help teams win, more so at 2nd than LF). Especially if Zuna would start hitting more like he did the past two years.

QUOTE(danman31 @ May 12, 2007 -> 06:22 PM) Toby Hall is on rehab tonight in Charlotte. hitless so far.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:14 PM) Prove it. How come he wasn't signed until the end of January? Derrek Lee is by FAR a better first baseman than Grinderstad. Just look at the improvement of Aramis Ramirez. Injuries. No one would be stupid enough to question his defensive prowess. Plus, while I like Erstad he's a horrific offensive solution over at first (where I think its a near must to have a power hitter). And I have heard many a former player comment on Erstad being the best in the biz (from Mark Grace to most of the experts on Baseball Tonight) to a couple people I know around baseball (and obviously Derek Lee is the other name that comes up).

QUOTE(BearSox @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:03 PM) He has a team option for 08. If he keeps this up, he will stay in the 2-hole, and that option will be picked up. But that is a BIG IF, no a HUGE IF. Uribe is known as an incredibly streaky hitter. His option will be picked up regardless. He adds an assload of value to a team thats built on pitching (especially with the Sox having a lot of ground ball pitchers). Plus you have the organizations lack of middle infield talent and the fact that they will already be looking for a replacement for Iguchi. QUOTE(DBAH0 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:05 PM) I'm sort of wondering about Iguchi's long - term future here at the moment. I saw that Chris Burke got demoted to AAA, and he would be someone who could be an ideal #2 hitter for us in the years to come if we could acquire him on the cheap. I want to sign Ichiro in the off-season though, and for that to happen our chances would increase if the Gooch stayed around here as well. So it's something KW's gotta weigh up here. Of course it's too early to make decisions about players etc. based on this season. I know a lot of people here love Chris Burke, but why would the Sox be super interested in having a guy that can't cut it with a weak offensive team like the Astros (I think Burke is a very good defensive player and I don't mind his long term prognosis as a prospect, but by all means I don't necessarily consider him a sure fire answer for the 2 hole). However I know I've cursed and thought Iguchi was done at other points of his brief career (because he can have such an ugly, long, slow swing but somehow has found a way to get by).

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:11 PM) So yeah, turns out Terrero is a pretty decent baserunner. That's what I took from the tenth inning. He's got decent speed, but its not like he did anything amazing (took an extra base on a wild pitch that a cripple could of taken second from and he damn near went into no mans land at second and got picked off. So I can't say whether he's a "good runner", but he has solid speed.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:06 PM) Seriously Jason. Erstad's glove over Lee's (both Travis and Derrek,) Helton's, Meinteizixziacaiz, and Pujols. Ummmm, no. Derek Lee is good, but no, Erstad is the best in the game over there. Mient is very good too and while I think Pujols is one of the best first baseman in the game there is no way I'd take him defensively over Erstad over a full season...NONE. A, no first baseman has the range Erstad has B, only one first baseman picks it as good as Erstad (Lee, who I think is the best when it comes to picking it and making the stretch) C, super soft hands (Erstad ranks amongst the very best). You can go back to saying how I rave about all Angels former Angels but I could give a crap, the majority of scouts/experts in baseball would back what I say about Erstad.

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ May 12, 2007 -> 08:06 PM) He hit it hard up the middle and the Royals had him played perfectly. I think the benching Iguchi for Gonzalez controversy will be the next board topic, lol. I can't imagine keeping Terrero over Sweeney after tonight. Even if you have Sweeney, Cintron and Mack on the bench in some situations...you go with your best players. Sweeney should be starting for us for the next 10-15 years (yes, he's that freaking good). Beautiful swing, great athlete and he'll be a premiere defensive left fielder (he's pretty good out there, plus most left fielders are pathetic defensively). He is just flat out impressive for someone his age and I think he plays up to his competition and sooner or later he'll improve when it comes to turning on inside pitches (like the way he turned on that pitch today) and develop 20 plus HR power to go with a high average.

Uribe makes plays almost no other shortstop makes. However, last year he didn't have near as good of a season (he was bad offensively and while still better than most defensively, he wasn't his usual self). I also stick to my theory that there isn't another shortstop in baseball that would have been able to make both plays that he made against the Astros in game 4 (the running catch into the stands and than having the gun to make the throw to first in time and get the final out).

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ May 12, 2007 -> 07:55 PM) We used Gload quite a few times in the late innings over the years. It's a non-issue for Erstad to go over there, Ozzie just doesn't want to move him out of CF to LF. And judging by the jumps he gets out there I have no problem with that. However, I think its assinine for people to actually be concerned about Erstad playing first (no other first baseman in baseball touches Erstad...the guy is a freaking stud defensively at first).