hogan873

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 16, 2010 -> 10:46 AM) Peavy and Rios were midseason pickups. They should not be used in any objective look at the offseason moves. The rest of the names don't instill anything major in me. In fact, there's a decent chance that the production of guys like Vizquel and Jones could be replicated with in-house options. Say, Nix and Flowers. I do, however, like the Teahen and Putz moves a lot. I agree with Teahan and Putz. The Vizquel and Jones moves are huge question marks, but cheap ones. If nothing else, some veteran presence was added. One or more of the questions marks (Jones/Vizquel/Kotsay) will most likely not pan out. Let's just hope the failure happens early so KW can acquire someone mid-season...and then slap Ozzie in the back of the head.

The frustrating part of "ending up with Kotsay/Jones" as the DH is the fact that they chose to do this. KW could have signed Thome...easily. He could be actually pursuing Damon. He could still sign one of the few names left out there. But he's bending to Ozzie's plan of a rotating DH. They've had time and options, and there is still time and a few options left. However, I think what we see is what we're going to get.

J. J. Putznstuf?

Ponce de LeJuan Pierre

I just spent the weekend in St. Louis and partook in quite a few Schlafly Pale Ales. Aside from being difficult to pronounce correctly, I found this brew to be quite good. Gives me another reason to visit this great city.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 03:43 PM) I'd easily throw 2/14 at Damon. I'm sure it wont happen though. I agree...on both points.

Apparently the Braves offered him a one year deal worth about $4 million. If the Tigers' offer is actually 2/$14 million, that is quite a difference.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 12:14 PM) Does JD not realize that he can't play the outfield anymore? Apparently not. Maybe he'll realize that when he doesn't get any offers other than to be a DH or 4th outfielder.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 12:00 PM) i think it is safer to say he has no desire to be a dh Might be a bad decision on his part.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 11:51 AM) If people are constantly willing to offer Damon >$6 million, I'd be fairly confident that people have made offers of at least half that amount to JD, but they're just holding out for something better. I suppose it's safe to say that the Sox have not spoken to JD about coming back as a DH?

If JD would improve his attitude and accept the fact that he could be quite useful as a DH, I'd welcome him back. But he seems bent on playing in the field. I don't know that he's going to get many offers.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 11:13 AM) Is it badd when I'm buzzed, on the way to being drunk, before lunch time? It's bad only because the rest of us are jealous.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 11:29 AM) So in other words, there is zero chance he is back here in 2010. If that wasn't the case yesterday, it is today. Whining attitude certainly doesn't help.

QUOTE (LosMediasBlancas @ Feb 10, 2010 -> 05:44 PM) Im sure I noticed it before, but the weather was beautiful that day. Clear skies helped capture those clear shots. It's strange what we remember about that day. It truly was a beautiful day (in New York and here) until one of the most horrifying events I can remember happened.

I've always been a fan of Big Love, but this season is by far the best. Great new direction, new characters, and issues.

I was a bit shocked to see this, but after suffering a massive stroke a couple weeks back it's not a total surprise. Very sad news. He was one of the best parts of that show. I feel for his sons, as they truly loved their dad. I wonder how this will play in the next season of the show. They were offloading the boat during the opilio season when he had the stroke. I imagine they were filming at the time. I'm sure the Discovery Channel will handle it well.

QUOTE (gosox41 @ Feb 9, 2010 -> 09:53 PM) I think the gap is narrower then people think. One thing many aren't taking into consideration is how the Twins new ballpark plays. The gap between the Twins home and road record will likely narrow as the Twins are moving outdoors. Whether they took advantage and cheat at the Metrodome, I don't know. And while the Twins have great hitters, it's a lot harder for hitters to find a groove when they are playing home stands in April/May in 40 degree weather with changing wind conditions and not relying on the same 70 degrees every game. Maybe I'm overanalyzing the move to a ballpark, but just having less of a 10th man effect in the fans should make a difference. Bob I honestly wasn't even thinking about the fact that the Twins have a new ballpark...an outdoor one at that. There's no doubt that the Metrodome was very favorable to the Twins, and most other teams hated playing there. Who knows how the new park will play, for and/or against the Twins. On paper, the Twins probably have a better team, but the 10th man effect has been removed...or has it? Only time will tell. If the Twins play differently in the new park, this year is when it will be most pronounced as they adapt to the different weather conditions day in and day out.

As far as in literature: Serge A. Storms in the Tim Dorsey books.

QUOTE (Felix @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 09:34 PM) Al Swearengen from Deadwood (also one of the all-time best characters from any show) Great one! One of my favorite shows.

Alby from Big Love

Another from Lost: John Locke

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 11:29 AM) The simple version of why is that "Global warming" as a phrase implies that the entire planet warms by an equal amount. This is not the case. With what we're doing currently, some areas warm an awful lot (the poles shoot upwards in temperature), some areas warm mildly, and some areas either warm not at all or even cool off (i.e. the Eastern U.S. and Western Europe). That makes sense. I never bought into the idea that the planet as a whole was warming. I know there is the concern about the poles and the potential resulting ice pack melting. The history of climatology has shown us that climate changes have been cyclical. You can look at one particular area and see examples. Look at the history of snowy winters and hot summers for Chicago. If next year we only get 15" inches of snow, and there are days in January in the 60s, it doesn't mean the world is coming to an end.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 11:25 AM) That they (I hate saying "they" since it's not one group of people) changed the definition because they didn't want to be wrong and get called out. The term "global warming" was never accurate and is misleading. Balta could explain that much better than I could I understand.

From Wikipedia: Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It can be a change in the average weather or a change in the distribution of weather events around an average (for example, greater or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change may be limited to a specific region, or may occur across the whole Earth. It can be caused by recurring, often cyclical climate patterns such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or come in the form of more singular events such as the Dust Bowl.[1] In recent usage, especially in the context of environmental policy, climate change usually refers to changes in modern climate. It may be qualified as anthropogenic climate change, more generally known as "global warming" or "anthropogenic global warming" (AGW). This is what I was driving at, but in doing so I was actually just being a smartass.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 11:07 AM) The term "climate change" doesn't mean what you appear to think it means What do I think it means?