nitetrain8601

Damn, that sounds good witesoxfan! I usually order pizza from Pete's Pizza.

That's the whole thing with almost all SEC schools, especially in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. I remember when I was applying to schools down there, like Miami and U of Florida, Alabama, LSU, their standards were much much lower to get into.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 23, 2009 -> 03:46 PM) So I was forced into seeing Mall Cop today...and it wasn't bad at all. Great soundtrack, and I'd have to say it was infinitely more entertaining than the last movie I saw at the theater, Changeling. You didn't like Changeling? Holy crap, how did that happen? Such an excellent excellent film.

There are a ton of Cubs fans(not saying all), who would love to see the Cubs win just for a big celebration party. I'm not saying there aren't/weren't Sox fans like that, but there are many more Cubs fans like that. They could care less about the product on the field. Heck, I remember I went to a Cubs game this past summer when they stomped out the competition, it was an ESPN game Ryan Dempster pitched, and I got some beer and asked the score, and 3 people said, "Who the fk cares? You got another beer?" And the whole left field, right field sucks thing is so annoying. Here is your team, doing great things on the field, and they aren't cheering or even paying attention. Cuban was at that game, and he drew the loudest pop. After that, even after Soto hit his 2nd HR I believe, the stadium didn't even care.

Butler is really really good. The way they came back on UIC was amazing, all in the second half.

I love Nathan's!

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 23, 2009 -> 01:28 PM) Except the NBA is much different in the sense that the extended season (ie, tournaments) won't impact there future days unless they are battling an injury. Where as in baseball, pitchers are a very unique position which couldn't handle a ton of additional work. It would be like there being an international football tournament after months of rest. You just couldn't do it and have it be that great (this is besides the fact that football is pretty much US only). Plus it's much easier to have a team of 10-13 guys travel and practice together since basketball players don't have the extended off-seasons that baseball players due (due to the grueling nature of the baseball season). In the NBA, it is not much different. The wear and tear on your knees, affects you much more. They take on an additional load as if they weren't playing in the Olympics or FIBA, they would not be playing basketball at all, they would be enjoying their vacation. In Soccer the wear and tear on the knees is arguably the worst since you're playing the whole game minus about 3 players. And it's 90 minutes. With the exception of a few games, you are playing the entire game. In baseball, they don't even ask you to play the whole game and for pitchers, they take extra care of them. The players, if they weren't playing there, they would still be playing, the same amount if not more in Spring Training. That's even starting Spring Training as they usually start you with about 2 innings.

Entourage. Listening to the hate by the people who watch the show on this site makes this a good option.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Jan 22, 2009 -> 08:49 PM) They can't do that and still give the player a max contract. The maximum raise per year when signing another team's free agent is 8% per year, so their offer would only come out to 5-87 instead of the maximum 5-105, meaning they'd be EXTREMELY unlikely to get them. A max contract has to start at a bit over $18 mil in the first year (note:I'm fairly confident these numbers apply to Lebron/Wade/Bosh/Amare, but some others may be higher due to more service time and thus a higher salary). Again, I'm not saying that they can't go after a max contract guy under any circumstances, they just can't throw around money without careful consideration and still do that. Some guys are going to have to go. Most definitely. I think we are arguing over the same thing, but just different. We will have to rid ourselves of Hinrich and Noc if not Gordon and Noc to get a LeBron here. I think though, for the big FA's, they are going to hold out for a S&T so they could receive that max money because their current team could offer more than a new team.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jan 23, 2009 -> 10:23 AM) Unless Paxson is launched soon, you know they are going to re-sign Gordon and end up not having the resources to do anything in the summer of 2010. It's the Pax thing to do, he has cemented his status as one of the worst GM's in the league this year. Management has made it clear they do not want Gordon here. That's why the pulled their offer at the last minute when Gordon wanted to agree to it. Kirk will be here. Gordon will only stay if he drastically takes less than what was offered despite him playing better. When JR was asked by a media reporter in an elevator last summer before negotiations began with anyone, and was told they would lock up Deng, they won't resign Gordon. JR does pay a huge factor in signing and resigning guys as he played a large part in the D'Antoni negotiations. QUOTE (DBAHO @ Jan 23, 2009 -> 10:32 AM) I saw Marc Iavaroni got fired by Memphis last night also. My guess is he ends up coaching Toronto next season. I would be shocked if he ends up in Toronto unless he changes. The problem with him in Memphis from all reports is that he didn't have a consistent lineup and he would often deviate from what lineups worked best. He also would not run with Memphis despite having the perfect PG's to do so and being a D'Antoni disciple. He really didn't run any type of offense at all. My guess is he ends up on D'Antoni's staff next year.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 23, 2009 -> 12:42 PM) What makes it king....the fact that 98% of the best players in the world all play in that domestic league. Thats what makes it king. What makes it not King? The fact that not all the best players come from the US. I still don't understand how other sports couldn't be compared to baseball. Again, the best players in baseball want to compete, therefore they should and they are. They are not made to and there are people who do decline, just like Danks. And like SoxFan said, at one time the Olympics and World Cup were new events to. SMH at some people here.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Jan 22, 2009 -> 08:05 PM) The $35.8 mil still doesn't count all of their "cap responsibilities". You can use whatever site you want, you still have to make sure it accounts for everything that affects their cap space. That number simply adds Rose's option (which will obviously be picked up) and Noah's option to the $27 mil from the guaranteed multi-year contracts. That doesn't factor in the qualifying offers for Tyrus and Thabo, and until we renounce the rights to those guys those totals will count against the cap (or sign them to an extension, but then it'd be more). Granted the team has total control over whether or not those stay there, but with their history on guys they've drafted and "developed" I wouldn't assume that they'll be renounced. And we really don't have "more than enough" to keep Gordon and still have room for a max deal, at least not without some dumping. Their guaranteed deals and Rose's option alone are at $32 mil, add $10 mil or so for Gordon and you're over that $40 mil threshold, making a max deal unlikely. Even if you can move Hinrich, the total for the remaining 4 is at almost $34 mil with plenty of roster spots left to worry about (6 mil for even the 8 active players is a stretch), or at $36 mil if it's Nocioni going instead of Hinrich. At least two of Hinrich, Nocioni and Tyrus have to go if they want any hope of signing Gordon and still getting a max contract player, and probably Thabo as well. I don't see how that's "more than enough room". Even with the rights of Thomas and Thabo not being renounced, the Bulls would have about 15 million to play with. They could backload the contract to account for when Noc would be let go off the books and Hinrich as well. Also, I think you will see Thabo, Tyrus and/or Noah traded by then. But yes, the easiest way would be to get rid of Kirk and Noc.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 22, 2009 -> 07:29 PM) Let's call the WBC what it is...it's an international marketing tool. It's not for the US or most Americans. If there are some Americans that are into it, go for it. That's your prerogative. But don't try to throw it down people's throats that they're bad Americans if they don't give a s*** about this thing. No one said you're not patriotic if you don't like this thing. What I and everyone else is arguing is the importance of the WBC being lower than that of Spring Training. No one said, "OMG, you are so Un-American." It's more like, "How can you be mad or not want someone to represent their country because you think they somehow have a greater chance of injuring themselves playing the same sport they would be playing in Spring Training.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 22, 2009 -> 07:02 PM) I'll put country pride when it matters. I'm not actively rooting for the US chess team just because the rep. the US. The WBC is boring. I root for the US in all the olympics and in the world cup because those are cool longlasting traditions that people get behind and they matter. The WBC is just made up because they think there was a demand for it when there wasn't...like womens softball. Really? Because it got excellent ratings from around the world. Maybe not in the US it wasn't as strong as the World Series, but I wouldn't expect it to be. And how do you think traditions get started? By putting it together and keep it going. The demand was there, from the players alone.

I love Orange Juice and Mayo, especially together. I hate the Bears and Cubs.

For 2010, if Gordon isn't resigned, their salary is $35,869,696. Without including options being picked up, we're at $27,195,000. Which leaves more than enough to resign Gordon and also a max contract. The cap is currently at, $58,680,000. http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/da...aries/bulls.jsp Trust him, he actually spends thousands of research on getting that info. Hoopshype really isn't considered to be as accurate as shamsports, though some may think otherwise. I digress. I don't think Noah and maybe even Tyrus should be retained. Noah is part of the problem. He cares more about the grass, him and Tyrus can't seem to learn a playbook to save their lives along with Nocioni. And Noah really has frustrated the coaching staff already with his antics(from the inside). Bulls shouldn't focus on LeBron as I think he is staying in Cleveland or he will be in New York. There is no other option for him as New York is his favorite city, but Cleveland could give him the most money. Management feels, however, the main target should be, and will be Dwyane Wade. So if they are serious about getting him, Gordon is off the books. You probably could sign another impact FA as well. I personally think Wade would be redundant with Rose as they both are excellent at getting in the lane, but can't stretch the floor. I think the main target should be Amare. I thought I should add this as my summary, as to the Ben Gordon situation, and as to why Paxson is such a screwup. ReRisen posted this at RealGM and I honestly could not say it better.

I was going to add with gas stations, I've seen pre-authorization amounts of $150. Also, Hotels, Airlines and even doctor's offices for the most part use pre-authorizations. As far as receiving OD fees as a result of pending cash you didn't spend, the bank shouldn't hit you with any as the system should always read your current balance as your final balance before deciding if it wants to charge you a fee. If a bank does it otherwise, I would probably switch banks. ALSO>> http://www.computerworld.com/action/articl...rc=news_ts_head If not you, then probably your neighbor. Oh yeah, go to 2008breach.com people. Smart people are getting desperate.

Soxfan said it best for me. Again, I don't understand how one views local pride over worldwide pride. It would be the equivalent of me saying, "Man, I hope Dwyane Wade would not just play in the NBA because he might be injured and he wouldn't be able to play in my park league." And yes, it is exactly that since you guys are putting local pride over global pride. And yes, it is that f***ing stupid to say such. The best league may be the major leagues, but the MLB does not let us know what country has the best baseball players. For example, the European/Spanish league in soccer are considered the top leagues, but the best players don't come from there. More like Brazil, Argentina, even the USA. It's the same as this. And I'm pretty sure that Venezuela would beat the USA over the course of a season or playoffs. But then again, that's what this tournament is for. To see what country can field the best team. To say it is meaningless is like saying the Olympics is meaningless as it is just an exhibition. Every country around the world respect international competition way more than local championships, minus Americans. That is so weird.

Did all the charges already post? Also keep in mind, there can be a delay from the authorization and request of funds. For example, you go swipe your debit card for $20 at the pizza joint. They send through an authorization(aka a pre-authorization) and that's when you may or may not see(depending on your back) the item pending. Then when the pizza joint requests the funds, it posts. Now what any place of business could do(the sheisty ones usually do this), is they'll retroact a request of funds to the original authorization date. So even if your card is cancelled, they keep debiting the account, because the bank reads it as an item coming through before the card was cancelled as the computer system itself can't read it is fraud. Then you end up with a bunch of charges. I see this all the time with car rental companies. File a Reg E dispute. The bank will fight back and prosecute that company for their money. It is way easier if you just call up the company and ask for a credit since a dispute takes much longer than a credit back into the account.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 20, 2009 -> 08:05 PM) No, the fact is, pitching any amount of competitive innings when your arm isn't ready, is a lot different and a lot more stressful than just getting ready for the season by pitching spring training. I hate having any of our pitchers in this stupid thing(yes, I think it's stupid) especially a guy who is as important to our team as John Danks. Which is why baseball players keep themselves in baseball shape year round. Also, I'm sure players are not notified a day or week before they are supposed to pitch for the WBC. Most importantly, the players want to play in it, it's not like players are mandated to participate. The best players are asked, and if they want to, they accept.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 21, 2009 -> 01:09 AM) I think Sox fans are still spooked from the 2006 debacle (all the tired arms from the playoffs/WBC). All 6 innings of Freddy Garcia injured him? Wow. And again, I don't see how you people consider a WBC championship worthless, while an MLB championship is the most important thing. WOW

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jan 20, 2009 -> 06:51 PM) I don't know about that. McCain, in a losing effort, still got a hell of a lot of votes. I just think that this was one of those elections where people felt like they had a choice for the first time in a long time. I may not agree with Obama, but I respect his position and he ran an excellent campaign. I respect his campaign as well. In my opinion, he himself did not try to exploit the fact that he was black or anything. His angle was that he represents a changing of the guard. There's nothing but the utmost respect from me regarding his campaign. QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 20, 2009 -> 06:51 PM) Ha! Actually I experienced something of that nature when a lady wasnt allowed to ride the CTA bus because she had forgotten her card and she mumbled that this wouldnt be the case when Obama takes charge. This is the type of person I was getting at. The type of person, who I've personally heard myself say, "Oh, we won't have property taxes anymore baby, Obama is going to take care of that for my people". I'm not trying to attack anyone who voted for Obama. He was an excellent choice. Heck, I think Hilary as well would've been a great choice. What I am saying is, there is a ton of what seems to be fake interest in politics because of Obama, or people who think Obama is going to bag our groceries and take them to our car.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jan 20, 2009 -> 06:41 PM) I think this is really meant for nite and not you bmags but I would say a very small fraction of the voting population voted for Obama purely because he was black - say 2-3% at most. The remaining black people would have voted for any white Democrat and it makes no difference in this election cycle. Or not have voted. And this just doesn't include "black" people. Minorities in general(which I am), believe Obama will solve their money problems, or social problems. And kap, those remaining people who would have voted Democratic, probably would not have voted at all. Not just black people, a ton of people.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 20, 2009 -> 06:13 PM) But what if the kid that said he can go to college isn't expecting people to take his statement at face value. Maybe he realized the value of education from obama's life, that blacks really can climb in the world with an education. Maybe he believes Obama will help get more young people to college with his service deals. Again, it could just be that seeing a man like him in a position like that means, at that basic level, anyone can make something of themselves. Obama is better than Kennedy to relate to, his Ivy League education first began at a much less prestigious college. He isn't a Kennedy or a Bush or a Rockefeller or anything like that. So his success means things to people. And the insistence that people are stupid for thinking Obama can fix everything isn't really painting many people accurately. I think you are underestimating just how much it means to people to feel counted, thought of, represented, and there were a great many americans who did not feel that until now. And I'm talking about more than for racial reasons. Policy be-damned, that's why Obama can be successful in things that have nothing to do with policy. That's a stretch. I could see if he said, "Obama has inspired me to do things I didn't think I could achieve." or "Obama is an example of what happens from hard work - we are able to achieve anything, regardless of race." Instead, he said, "Now I can go to college." I'm not saying this is representative of everyone, not even the majority, but there is a huge amount of the population that do believe this, again from 5-9%. Again, I am behind Obama and I think he is such a strong candidate and I wont' be dissapointed in what he does because almost anything is an improvement over this current regime. I'm speaking of people who expect Obama to part the red sea.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 20, 2009 -> 06:32 PM) I watched the oath again, and at first I thought it was Obama that blew it both times. Now what it looks like what happened is Obama interrupted Roberts on the first line, which seemed to throw Roberts off, and Roberts gave him the wrong words for the second line. Obama paused after a couple of words and nodded at Roberts to give the correct words. Funny moment indeed.