hogan873

What are some of your favorite cities to visit in the U.S.? What makes them special for you? Would you recommend others to visit? My family and I recently took a trip down to St. Louis. It was our first visit there, and it is definitely one of my favorite cities now. There is a lot to do for everyone...my three kids had a wonderful time and have not stopped talking about it. Aside from the Arch (which is pretty cool), there's Grant's Farm, the City Museum, and the new CityGarden downtown. There's a lot more that we didn't get to do and will be going back for sure. Busch Stadium is a beautiful downtown baseball park, and the downtown area springs to life on game nights.

Absolutely disgusted with last night's offensive performance, I am.

I thought he looked okay. It was actually about what I expected, but I was hoping he'd make it through 5. The offense let him down by not taking advantage of the bad pitches by Meche. I'm not saying a pitcher going 4-1/3 and giving up 6 ER is good...it's not. But, I feel better with Freddy going back up there than Contreras. Freddy made about a half dozen bad pitches and paid for almost all of them. Contreras of late throws a lot of balls and walks way too many.

Pods Beckham Konerko Rios Thome TCQ Dye AJ Getz/Lexi

QUOTE (rangercal @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 03:16 PM) Thome Dye Getz AJ Rios Beckham TCQ Konerko Lexi We are screwed Haven't managers done stuff like this in the past? They just draw the lineup out of a hat?

Okay, so say Ozzie is suspended for the rest of the season for well, being Ozzie. No one else wants to fill out the lineup cards after reading too much Soxtalk. The phone rings, and it's KW. "I need ya," he says. "You need to set my lineups for the rest of the season." So, considering the roster we have now, what's you're lineup? Against righties; against lefties; resting Thome, Dye, Konerko, etc. Have fun with it.

Don't worry about Sweaty Freddy tonight.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 11:51 AM) I think we can definitely use Carrasco in the 8th, especially if we dont want to win the division Carrasco isn't going to lose it for the team if he comes in to pitch in the 8th. I wouldn't want to see Carrasco used in those situations as he is our best long relief guy. But he seems like the type of pitcher that would get it done where ever you put him in.

Just consolidate Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusets into one state...just call it New England.

This is a pickle. The quick answer would be, "Yes, why couldn't we?" I wouldn't want to see Ozzie holding on to him for the 8th if his services were needed earlier. I think Carrasco would do fine in a pressure situation late in the game, and therefore could be an asset. But, he's probably more valuable as a long relief guy.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 08:21 AM) Mike Fontenot vs. righties, Aaron Miles vs. lefties *turns head towards camera* Say what?

QUOTE (knightni @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 08:08 AM) Alexei at 2B, Beckham SS, Evan Longoria 3B. The universe as we know it would cease to exist if Beckham and Longoria were on the same team.

Scott "Clutch" Podsednik Bobby "Chubs" Jenks Ramon "Don't Call Me Fidel" Castro

I got sidetracked in watching the game when it was 4-3 KC. When I finally got back to it, I saw it was 7-7, and I eventually saw Pods come through for us. I first assumption was that the Sox had come back from being down to tie it 7-7. Now, I'm just glad I wasn't watching when Linebrink gave it up. I might today be short a TV.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 07:31 AM) I like Nix but come talk to me when he's developed some consistency at the plate. Power is nice but an average in the .220s is not (OPS be damned, this isn't Jim Thome, you can see the effects too many Nix-like players has on this offense). I agree. I do think, however, that he could get his average up a bit if he was playing regularly. Now, by a bit, I mean he might be scraping .240. He needs to develop for sure, and consistency at the plate is where is begins.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 07:22 AM) If you're listening to Hawk he's likely to be a 70+ HR guy. Dagnubit, this guy is gonna break Barry Bonds' record if he gets in the lineup regularly.

I've had some very good Dogfish Head beers. And I've had a few that were so-so. Their Raison D-Etre is fantastic, and the fall seasonal Punkin Ale is top notch.

I like brewers who are a bit daring in their creations. I've had some beers, however, that had no business being brewed. A very good Midwest brewer that isn't afraid to experiment is Three Floyds. I've never been to their brewpub, but I've tried quite a few in bottle form. The Gumballhead Wheat is wonderful.

I'm impressed with Nix and his potential to be a good power hitter. If he were to get more paying time, he could be a 20-25+ HR guy. I had to vote for Getz, though. Getz gives the team more of what they need now. Speed, good defense, bunting ability, base stealing skills.

Bells has made a resurrgence in Illinois lately. I suppose it was about a year ago I started seeing it around. I try just about everyone I can get my hands on. One brewery I wish sold beer in Illinois is New Glarus. Spotted Cow is one of my favorites.

I've had the porter: Nearly opaque dark brown body with a lasting tan head. Aroma of chicolate,coffee and cream, and a touch of smoke. Medium palate with a surprising amount of carbonation. Big malty flavor with the chocolate and coffee evident right away. Smooth finish with a slightly bitter coffee aftertaste. A delicious porter. They also have a Trumpeters Stout, which is a winter brew.

Bells Special Double Cream Stout - Pitch black body with a lasting brown head. Baker’s chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt make up the wonderful aroma. Smooth, full mouthfeel. Absolutely delicious with the chocolate and roasted malt sweetness up front fading to a great coffee and cream finish. A beautiful, tasty, and easy drinking beer. Bravo. Bells Cherry Stout - Pitch black body with a very thin brown head. Nice aroma of chocolate, cherries, and tobacco. Full, smooth mouthfeel, appropriate for a stout. The flavor is quite unique. There’s just a touch of the chocolate goodness up front, but it is quickly overpowered by the tart cherries. Aftertaste is a bit cloying. Okay stout, but I think the tartness of the cherries is a bit too much. Bells Kalamazoo Stout - Not a hint of light escapes this brew. Pitch black with a tan head that leaves nice lacing. Chocolate, caramel, coffee, and licorice make up the fine aroma. Medium-full bodies with decent carbonation. The beer starts sweet with chocolate and caramel notes. Finishes with dark coffee/espresso bitterness. Absolutely delicious. These are the only three I've tried. There are at least two or three more.

QUOTE (G&T @ Aug 17, 2009 -> 12:02 PM) Sweet stouts are an awesome thing. I recommend the Left Hand Milk Stout. This is one of my favorites. Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout is a fine brew also.

Underachievers for sure. Taking 3 of 4 from the Yankees and 2 of 3 from the Angels was great, and the team showed that they can play and beat the big boys. But losing 3 of 4 to Oakland at home and losing many other series where they should have played better... Hawk said it best a week or so ago. The Sox play to the level of their competition. Not good enough when you have to play to beat Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, and KC. A good team (not great, but good), should beat up on the sub .500 teams and hold their own against thhe great teams. The Sox should be in sole posession of first place with about a 3 or 4 game lead on Detroit right now. But instead, they are looking up and the Tigers because the couldn't take care of business against Cleveland, Baltimore, Oakland, etc.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 17, 2009 -> 11:32 AM) Cleveland and KC are very capable of beating a .500 ball club, which in essence is Detroit and the Sox. Oh, I know...like I said, the Royals love to play spoiler.