Chisoxfn

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 11:11 AM) I have no issue with picking Jay's successor if the right guy is identified and available, but can you really justify picking a guy at 11 that you don't plan on starting right away? I can. The Packers did it with Rodgers. And if their was ever a time you could do it, while still ascending, now would be the time. Lets face reality...this is a team that has to get better, not worse, or the people leading the organization are gone anyway. So the reality is, unless the Bears advance to high level of success with Jay, they aren't going to get a chance to draft a future QB. Given White will already be an addition, this is one of those rare times, where you might have that luxury (I'd argue you can probably grab Wentz a little later in the 1st and it is super unlikely Lynch moves anywhere but up, although who knows), but if you see a guy you really like, why not get him now, knowing you can use Jay for another year or two, continue to develop this guy, and than potentially deal Jay for something else (and thus attempt to minimize any transitional downtime as you can focus on your defense, etc.)/ Not sure whether I'd ultimately do it, but if they think pretty highly of a guy (and that his talent is that of a higher pick and he's the right guy, given the importance of QB, you have to do it). Theoretically we are only going to be getting worse picks from here on out (at least if you are viewing this from Pace / Fox's perspective), so I could see the argument to be made (again assuming the scouting reports back up the fact that you think they are a potential All Pro / Above Avg QB).

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 11:10 AM) Good comparison, except that Cosby isn't on a team. His fans don't have loyalty built up the way Steelers fans do. I don't see too many people saying they are still Cosby fans after all this has surfaced the way plenty of people are still fans of Ben. See, I don't know anyone that is a fan of Big Ben. I know plenty of Steeler fans and they might think Big Ben is a great QB, but they aren't necessarily Big Ben fans.

Oddly enough, given who and how much money we have in FA (along with fact we get White back, so essentially have 2 first round picks), I'm starting to think now might actually be the time to use a 1st rounder on a QB. Of course, I'll say that this purely assumes Fox, Pace & company are very high on said QB and I'd presume the QB would be Lynch or Wentz, guys who need a little more time and thus might be their at 11 because they don't offer teams the "quick fix" alternative. Of course Dallas could nab one of them as the predecessor to Romo (as could the Giants for Eli). They are the only two QB's (outside of Hackenberg) who have what I call those elite QB skills (from a pure physical perspective). Hackenberg is talented, but you have to ding him for the lack of production / improvements (poor coaching or not). Gabriel (former Bear front office man) has raved about both Wentz & Lynch.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 10:57 AM) Neither myself not any of the people I was having my original discussion with are big enough hockey fans to know enough about Kane to compare him to Ben. Personally, if I were to throw out a comparison, I'm throwing out Cosby (not that Big Ben's is to that extent, but it seems pretty clear to me their is a lot of smoke around all of Ben's incidents vs. Kane with one incident).

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 10:43 AM) Not same position. Not even close. Prince Shembo - what he was accused of, in the police statement, was not sexual assault, rape or even a felony. Prince even admitted that her statement was more or less accurate Ben Roethlisberger - what he was accused of, by multiple women, was sexual assault, and even though he wasn't charged the NFL thought it was serious enough to suspend him It's a very serious stretch to equate the two (again, consult a lawyer if this is over your head) just because both were labeled with the term "sexual assault" and both weren't charged. Imagine trying to make an argument like that in a courtroom? Then to add on a bunch of other things at ND that aren't even player-conduct related is pointless. I'm talking about, as a husband and father, having a very hard time supporting a team headed by a guy with Ben's history. I'm on the record now, if Ben were to somehow become a coach at ND after his career is over, I'd be furious about it. Ok - This discussion is over. Done. The ND element is no longer being discussed here (by you or Jenks or anyone else). If you guys want to keep talking about Ben, fine, but this ND spiel has been killed to death over the years here and is just a done argument. OVER. Capoot.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 10:41 AM) I think they'll probably add an ILB in FA. What does worry me a bit is I've heard them say good things about SMC even after the season. Fangio seems to like him for some reason. I'd rather see Timu be a starter next year over Shea. I would love them to get Wolfe & Trevethan or whatever his name is from the Bronco's. Both would be tremendous upgrades and are young (plus they are "known's" from the sense that Fox is very familiar with them and their work ethic. It also ensures that Pace has more flexibility to target best available (and I kind of am hoping that a tackle falls to them). I don't think Shea is breaking the bank so it is probably a depth move / protection move. Plus I'm not going to argue Fangio here (not yet) and I presume they might view SMC as a good secondary player (meaning...put him around better talent and he will be better / solid at a cost effective spot). So much crap all over the defense last year, hard to truly judge people. Plus...this was SMC's first year playing that position. But I really hope we see a couple new LB's and ideally a safety and corner.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 10:32 AM) Jaylon Smith enters the NFL draft. I would still love him in a Bears uniform despite the knee injury. I think he can be a Luke Keuchley I keep hoping he slides to the Bears in the 2nd round. In fact, I'd be thrilled if we could somehow add two injured LB's (Jack & Smith) in the first two rounds. Reality is only one is a possibility and I'd also be fine moving down and grabbing Jaylon later in the 1st.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 10:16 AM) Isn't it at least a little bit different when it's the QB though? The Bears picking up someone with Ben's past to be their nickel DB may make me uncomfortable, but the Bears picking up Ben may very well make me not want to be a Bears fan anymore. I don't really think so. QB or anyone else, it is still the same crime. Plus, it isn't like the Steelers picked him up after he knowingly did this, his incidents happened after he was on the team and the league and court system handled it (I might think he's guilty and a scumbug who got away from it, but the reality is none of us knew all of the facts and we have a court system for a reason).

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 09:31 AM) Given the things that are coming out of Trump's mouth, yes, you need to be pretty terrible to support the man. Terrible person, no, misguided or stupid, yes. I happen to think Donald is a terrible candidate though.

I think the biggest thing is, just cause you are a fan of a team, doens't mean you have to be a fan of said player and it doesn't mean you have to root again the team or the player. My perspective is, you were a fan of the Steelers before Big Ben and while he is a POS, it doesn't mean you can't root for the team, etc. You can say you don't like Big Ben and knock him or boo him, but at the end of the day, you are going to root for him to do well (as your team ultimatley does well as a result and I wouldn't fault a fan for that). You don't pick and choose who your team picks up, although if a fan base wanted to, it could clearly make a statement if a team consistently hired / had players with checkered pasts (e.g., if you were the Cowboys...but I don't know that I'd put the Steelers in that category).

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 9, 2016 -> 09:40 AM) You don't have to be an idiot to support trump, but you do need to be a terrible person. This is absurd. You think that half of republicans are just terrible people? I think they are misguided people and I cant say I understand how anyone could vote for him, but to just assume they are terrible is absurd too. But yes, if my only two choices on the ballot were Trump or Hillary, I'd vote Hillary. In reality, if Trump is on the ticket, I'll write in a candidate.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 11:09 AM) Just guessing but I think the Sox have moved on since Colorado asked for Q in return. That's the rumor anyway... Reds supposedly needed one of Fullmer / Anderson for Frazier. Rumors are what they are. I guarantee Sox and Rocks have talked and will continue to talk from time to time on their outfielders (given our need). I can't imagine a scenario where Hahn and Kenny are entirely focused on one guy. Just not the reality of things (and it isn't as if their is one guy who is hands down the better option, imo). I'm sure they have preferences though, but the situation is fluid and they do not control the situation, so those preferences probably change depending on market circumstances.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 09:42 AM) They wouldn't lose that pick. They'd lose the Upton pick. Why do insiders keep saying things like this? Presuming since Upton has not yet signed, technically the comp pick doesn't exist (and won't exist until he signs). So the reported statement is technically true, right now, they would lose the 2nd round pick, however, upon Upton signing a deal (as long as he doesn't end up not signing until after the draft), it will instead be the comp pick that goes (vs. the draft pick).

The question is, will the issues in China ultimately prove to be a boon / drive inflation in the US, more specifically real estate inflation / other inflation (as people try to get cash out of China and parked in safer institutions). You would also think, these would be more things that would put pressure on treasury rates (since demand on US Treasuries will be through the roof or so I'd suspect).

Yeah...I was quite puzzled why he isn't getting the calls. I'd even think with all the injuries, refs would end up protecting him more.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 07:15 PM) Rose is really starting to get it back He looked darn good in the paint. Now if only he could get some calls. I hope we start seeing him get some better lift on his jumper. I'd love him to find that mid range jumper he used to have (which was lethal).

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:32 PM) So let's narrow it down: CWS, BAL. DET sitting back along with LAA. I still like our chances. Baltimore is bringing back Davis. I think LA gets Upton. To me it's down to CWS and DET and this is why they're being patient. Whose to say the market value isn't to the point that the Yankees or Red Sox don't decide to pick up the phone? While I think the above teams cover the large percentage, I think the actual field of potential suitors is still larger.

QUOTE (brett05 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 10:56 AM) I have not seen the best Arnold Movie get mentioned yet. Commando?

I wouldn't be all that worried, especially if you are looking more long. In fact, if you stick to Dollar cost averaging, than I still say best bet is continue to DCA through good times and bad and have bulk of your equity exposure in index funds. To extent you want stable value / fixed income, adjust accordingly (depending on useage of the funds...whether long-term savings, shorter term, etc).

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 10:28 AM) The Rock True Lies Terminator 2 They don't make action movies like they used to Totally forgot about those two. Both epic movies. I think True Lies was one of the best movies ever back when the sound systems at the movies were going crazy (and people were getting into in home surround sound). I remember our old neighbor friends dad was a tecky and he had one of those laserdisc players and the biggest speakers I've ever seen. We'd go over to our friends house and watch true lies and would always be blown away. Under Siege to me, while absolutley hokie, was badass too. Chuck Norris, Segal, and Arnold were the kings of action. Closet thing in recent year is the Expendable series.

Indy Jones (original trilogy) Lord of the Rings Star Wars Back to the Future Snatch Usual Suspects Lethal Weapon Die Hard Sandlot Under Siege (in my opinion an all time action classic) Original Terminator Saving Private Ryan Not a comprehensive list (and in no particular order), but all of the above are fantastic flicks and in almost all cases, movies that I'll watch any time they are on.

There is no way the Bucs should have fired Lovie. That said, If I'm Gase, that becomes the most attractive job. Lovie got jobbed.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 04:38 PM) For the life of me I can't figure out how Trevor Hoffman gets so much support in year 1 on the ballot and Mussina is still below 50%. I believe Hoffman has like the highest save percentage of closers in 1 run games (or something like that). It might be him and Paplebon. His save percentage in 1 run games and the amount of saves he had in one run games is significantly more than say Rivera. When I think of great closers, I think of Mariano and Trevor. Trevor was truly elite at what he did and for a very long time.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 04:37 PM) Here is something I came across while thinking about investing more. We were looking at increasing 401K vs. deferred income. I read that deferred income is not guaranteed. It is a promise to pay in the future. however, if the company declares bankruptcy they can just say there is no money to pay it. My questions is: did I interpret this correctly and being a state employee how would this apply to a government agency. Any help wold be appreciated. With two kids getting close to college, we were thinking the deferred income may help with decreasing FAFSA income assests. I haven't looked into this in detail (as I'm not yet eligible for any deferred comp, but something I will consider in time as a way to potentially manage taxes + another potential option to stagger for long-term future in regards to helping kids with college), that said, my understanding from a high level read I did of my companies policy lead me to believe what you mention above is true. Not sure how it works in terms of government employees though. I'm curious what happened for some of the counties in the country that have BK'd (if deferred comp was lost). Is their someone within the state who you could discuss with in more detail?

Recommendation #1 is pay off credit card debt. Recommendation #2 is figure out way to get 401K loan paid off (for points Mike mentions). Recommendation #3 (and this is more forward looking) but I know you've taken vacations and my personal opinion is until you have the credit card debt and 401K loan paid off, you shouldn't be taking vacations. Yes, I'm a scrooge with my money but I truly believe that (unless you have other stashes and you strategically took these steps because you are making a float and generating returns elsewhere, in which case, my tune would change). Given that you know you are not going to be able to catch-up on the CC debt before you are going to come due and the rate will become exorbitant and be a much larger economic hit, that is why (unless you play some sort of balance transfer game, which I think is probably possible) (and knowing that you work for the government so I presume your job has additional security vs. a private sector job). Also, depending on overall liquidity, Shack's suggestion to have some emergency funds would be key as well. Note: Please note, I do realize their can be unforseen circumstances which come up which necessitate the need to have significant liquid cash and that could very well be the case, but in those situations, my best advice, is live as below the means as possible, until you can pull yourself out of those holes (and to be frank...even after...continue to live below the means, develop emergency funds, grow 401k, take advantage of tax advantageous accounts where possible (FSA or HSA's, Dependent Care accounts where relevant).