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QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:18 PM) I've said it before: the "scorched Earth" rebuild is a relic from a different era. A true-talent .500 team is currently a contender in any given year, so every team has a shot. Profits have never been higher, so the resources to improve are there. Hard-slotting in the draft substantial reduces team's ability to re-allocate financial resources directly to future talent acquisition, and the IFA rules are following suit soon, so the benefit from failure has been drastically reduced. The rise in injuries has made the promise of future performance a riskier bet than ever before. That doesn't mean we should constantly splurge, but it does mean that we can never consider ourselves more than a year or two from contention. That means constantly stockpiling assets with surplus present and future value, and capitalizing on opportunity by flexing the financial muscle when the market/league situation indicate it is smart to do so. If every transaction makes sense in the context it was presented, than success is bound to come. The Hahn regime has been acting just like I described ALL THE WAY UP TO this year's corner OF situation. Here's my main point, I don't necessarily care about full rebuild. But upon being confronted with this tremendous sellers market for pitching, I wish they would have taken advantage. If there is a situation where ML assets are being undervalued, I want us to take advantage. If there is a situation where pitching assetss are being overvalued and we are not clear contenders, I want us to take advantage. I just can't get out of my head the question of whether we were closer to the playoffs trading Q for a haul than doing what we are doing now, with little left in the tank to acquire through anything but FA money, which we apparently have a strict budget on.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 01:10 PM) But the Sox gave Avi Garcia a young player a lot of playing time to fight through his struggles, correct? Is he going to breakout if given another chance? He played for one full year at age 24 and the team is already actively looking to upgrade. They played semien one full year and traded them. They played Sanchez one full year and upgraded over them. They traded Trayce Thompson. Micah was given 4 weeks and sent down and then traded.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 11:55 AM) Sanders supporters posted a video claiming all kinds of fun Clinton polling corruption. fuel engine can't melt steel beams

I never stop being amazed how hard it is to read articles on sun times.

Injuries and attitude. Never heard good things about him.

QUOTE (chisox802 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 11:20 AM) The sox can't do a true rebuild. 5 people would show up at games for however long the rebuild took. I love the sox but were not the cubs, and can't afford to do a true rebuild. I am very frustrated with the FO because we are a piece or two away from being a contender. None of these guys left really appeal to me, and have bust written all over them IMO. Not sure how the last two years have been any better in rebuild terms. The sox's strategy now is like turning off a street with traffic to go down a local road with a bunch of stop signs. It feels like you are moving and going faster, but you ultimately should have just stayed in the lane you were in. It is easy to imagine this team only getting 78 wins with a significant injury to Abreu or Sale or Q. Your attendance would look about the same as if you won 63. The faster you get to winning seasons the faster you get attendance boost.

He's an option available in RF on a team that has supposedly been looking to upgrade RF all offseason. Etheir has the least amount of discussion on all of the options.

awesome article on zika, we just still know very little: http://www.vox.com/2016/2/2/10893526/zika-...d-history-caess

Really love this group writing to a democratic-government owned property that the land has been taken over by the people.

I don't think Pau's problem is effort. He's a 7 foot, 35 year old player. He was never nimble. his reaction times and agility are just gone. A good coach could try and hide Pau, though.

Protestors screaming hands up don't shoot is really just making me want to shake these people. I really don't understand why this group is treated with so much delicacy and care in the media when they don't deserve it.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 10:09 AM) Long way to go. I havent been asked and either have most of the younger voting groups that dont have land lines for people to hit up for polling. Lots of factors here before it really matters. Cell phones are included in almost all polling now. Clinton's inroads into the black community is real and substantial. This is what happens when you spend the majority of your political life in a safe, lilly-white state.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 09:48 AM) I think what Bernie supporters are hoping for is what happened in 2008. Going into the Iowa caucuses, Obama wasn't necessarily seen as a "serious" candidate, and Hillary had the votes "locked up" in many states, including the black vote. Once Obama made a couple of strong showings, though, things started to really shift in his favor. It also helped that Clinton's campaign apparently didn't understand how delegates were actually awarded. But Obama won Iowa by 8 points in 2008 and Clinton finished 3rd. Bernie's going to crush it in NH, but I think Clinton has this locked up by Super Tuesday. Your point about choosing the nominee heavily on states the party won't even win in the general is another mark against the Electoral College in my opinion. If we had a national popular vote, those Democratic votes in South Carolina and the Republican votes in Illinois would still matter. I mean, I guess I like that it gets some attention to local democratic party politics in those states to be a part of the events, but that's it. 2008 theoretically should have been a great jumping off point for local dem races but man did that not happen.

Sorry - forgot about 5/10. That is bit of incentive they may need. Yeah, I just don't know what to think here. Everything about it screams bad idea, but I think he could be one of those players that is very productive late in career as a DH. Also just think he'd be badass in a sox uniform.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 09:51 AM) Yeah, I don't think the Mayor is anywhere near Trestman level. Gar really set his "friend" up for failure. It is crazy Dunleavy is now suddenly Michael Jeffrey Dunleavy, savior, to many Bulls fans. He's 35 with a bad back. I will say the Bulls team last year had some really bad runs when Dunleavy was out of lineup, much stronger with him in it. He is one of the few players who plays within the flow of an offense. He always makes decisions quickly and keeps things moving. Love him as a player.

One thing that seems to be much different to me: -Under Hoiberg, when players have lost confidence, it seems like they are encouraged to go out and try and shoot more and create to get out of the slump. Play more individual. -Under Thibs, if you lost it, you earned your PT by focusing on the little things, playing d and rebounding and playing within your role, to then get time to shoot out of it. I think that plays a part of it. There's a "I need to shoot out of my struggles" we see more on this team, like Jimmy doing stepbacks galore yesterday.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 2, 2016 -> 09:28 AM) They don't even run his system though. It's all iso's and guys taking turns getting theirs. So you are telling me players that ran the most strict, structured system for defense and offense under last years coach are suddenly now refusing to run the coaches system, but its not an indictment of the coach.

This is a hard one to hypothesize on, not knowing how little we give up at full value vs if they eat some cost and expect a better prospect. I also don't feel like the dodgers feel at all like they need to "give away" ethier for cash.

Yeah I'm actually excited for American Crime Story. I'm hearing great stuff.

Man I loved listening to Thibs on Simmons podcast. Biggest problem of Hoiberg for me is he has a "system" and is not out there minimizing his teams weaknesses well. He basically puts the weaknesses full on display.

Also, I have to say I'm almost disappointed Trump lost. I really don't see Cruz as any more "serious" and it's not like he hasn't peddled the same anti-immigration, anti-muslim nonsense trump has. At least with trump there was a feeling that he may actually make moderate dealings.

Just because something is obscure doesn't make it good, it just makes it novel. The caucuses are ridiculous which is why we of course give them so much prominence. I honestly don't buy that last night was good for Sanders. In 2008 Obama didn't just narrowly beat Hillary, she showed in 3rd place and Obama led the field by 8 points, when she was already polling behind in NH and tight in SC. Hillary now gets the "she won iowa" buzz even if delegate wise its a wash. Hillary's campaign is much better now. I mean, looking back its amazing how inept her campaign was which was a big reason it snowballed. They didn't know primaries weren't winner take all. They had lanny davis and Terry Mccullough on tv every day saying something dumb. She's much more disciplined now.

No, the important part of what Finland is doing is there is not often state run experimentation for UBI and the results will be very important which is why I mentioned it.

So, just to be clear, your contention is that if you took the best deal for Soler and Garcia they would be equal value... Soler will not get Q, but the difference between Q and DFA'ing avi garcia is a huge gap.

QUOTE (Baron @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 04:47 PM) Exactly and so far Soler is actually worse on defense And yet I'd love to see the return if Soler was traded vs. Garcia. It is not a question who is more valuable at this point, and all he cost was a relatively small sum.