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Right, it just pisses me off that the way they built it...it was just like, we're putting it in an island, no need to wander around it's not worth it.

QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Apr 14, 2010 -> 04:59 AM) The Sox get good revenue for the lots during the season, but for the right price, I am confident some type of deal could be worked for future development. The fact is the returns on an investment are not high enough yet to merit building a mixed use structure incorporating first floor retail with a multi-level parking garage above and maybe some residential units above the parking component. First point, the sox didn't pay for the stadium, so a stadium design that would've fostered quite a bit more commercial activity is far more beneficial to me than allowing people to drive to the games and pollute and add traffic at an already awful time. BUt to your second point, you are correct. However, had it happened 20 years ago we'd have had that much more progress. Look at Wicker park 20 years ago to now. Look at South Loop. It was so god damn boring and stupid. But, there is clearly overregulation right now that could really help create something by the sox stadium. Look at the restrictions the new jimbos is working around (liquor license freeze).

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 14, 2010 -> 03:06 AM) It would help Greece a lot if they could devalue their currency. That would only be a band-aid fix though, they basically have to take a sledgehammer to their government and start over. defaulting tends to do that. However...argentina is the key example here. The IMF let them float along for a while and finally they defaulted. They went through hell, but they did recover rather quickly. If Greece defaults while being under the Euro...damn, their people are f***ed.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 14, 2010 -> 01:50 AM) It's not that easy for Greece (or any European country for that matter) to leave the EU. Eurozone /= EU. I think they will allow Greece to leave it, but not Spain or Portugal even though being allowed to devalue their currency would help them a lot.

Really? I was wow'd, the entire time I was wondering how the f*** this alternative universe mattered at all. In 2 episodes they integrated it, and now we see that it mattered, that those connected can possibly change either universe.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 14, 2010 -> 12:12 AM) Sure, that's the part I agree with. I just didn't understand your reference to some sort of lack of mass transit, which didn't make sense. You'd have to follow every post i made, I stated that we already had the infrastructure for public transit, which is why needing acres of parking spots to bring congestion to the city isn't a great decision.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 14, 2010 -> 12:04 AM) Are you referring to Wrigley or the Cell? Because The Cell actually did this 100% right. Its right next to one El stop, 3 blocks from another, and squeezed between two Metra-used rail lines where we are now going to get a Metra stop. I'm not sure another ballpark in the country has this as good as we do. I do agree with the overall point though about eschewing a neighborhood type design being stupid. There were alternate plans out there to really develop the neighborhood along with the park, but they were rejected for cost. hence the "that we already have infrastructure" part of it. All that parking lot space is a waste, all of that could be developments.

QUOTE (KipWellsFan @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 10:30 PM) It's a really easy read, but I'll go along with what everyone else said. How did they get inside knowledge of all of these private conversations? Let me give you my impression from being in journalism. There is a LOT that we know, that we can't report. This was a book basically about all that. I'm sure this was all the gossip going on at the time that they knew was happening but you can't report this stuff in the paper. and frankly, when thinking about that, it makes that NY Times article understandable, not right, of course, but i think you saw some reporters trying to show what they knew, but couldn't go on the record reporting.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 11:30 PM) I second this I wasn't in the game thread last night, but I think people are being misunderstood. Obviously we don't know the whole picture, but I don't think the questions over whether he's hurt or something is wrong is misplaced. Lower velocity and lack of control are usually a sign of that. Jake isn't just missing right now, he's missing by a lot. He misses huge at least once every at bat.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 11:48 PM) I'm not sure what you guys are referring to when you talk about the neighborhood integration of Camden Yards. Yeah it looks like that on TV, but the park is right in the middle of downtown Baltimore. Those buildings you see on Eutaw St., if I recall, those are actually stadium property and they're right there on the concourse, mostly for show. The gap you see in center field, if you look with the right view up high enough, you can see traffic on Camden Street, and then the next street is Pratt Street which is one of the main downtown streets. So there is nothing neighborhood/residential at all with that stadium, it looks nice, but that is all decoration. Yes there is public transportation that goes right there, but there is a big parking lot to the south between Camden Yards and M&T Bank stadium just like there is at the Cell, and to the west of it is expressway that becomes downtown streets. For Camden i was actually referring to how the stadium ITSELF looked and how the sox built, like, the very last stadium before the "new" ballparks that Camden ushered in (Jacobs Field, etc.). Now, of course, our park looks beautiful. The roof improvement and centerfield absolutely made our park gorgeous. No complaints now. I was more referring to that early in the process, the sox were planning on integrating the park in the bridgeport neighborhood, then were going to move to schaumberg i believe. Then they decided to move the schaumberg design IN chicago. It was really dumb.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 11:17 PM) A restaurant in Bronzeville? What do you mean? You mean from my current job? From your job, yeah. Southsidedon...if you didn't have the choice to drive, you wouldn't. As for the other stuff you said, i'd rather the sox have created a situation where lots of bars and restaurants and housing opened up around it creating jobs and community surrounding the team, rather then a bunch of decay. I don't want to give the impression that there hasn't been development around, but nowhere near what was possible. Huge opportunity missed.

a restaurant, lost? Pretty big jump over

NO ONE ASKED i'm about to read an urban planning book and then am currently reading philosophy intro books so i can understand what the hell sullivan and yglesias are referring to sometimes.

I think that's not as bad as Zambrano mows my lawn...i mean...yeah if girls wear it it could be funny, but out of that context and to most people, it's just ridiculous slight to American hispanics.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 10:58 PM) Should I read Game Change? Yeah, it's ridiculously entertaining. It's kind of shocking, actually, that more stuff doesn't leak. Shows how good campaign staffs are. I'm glad the book was written, but it's not an important book. It's just complete politico trash, but it's very entertaining.

I wish I could be seeing a more exciting team than Houston, but I suppose I'll get to see Lance Berkman before he becomes a White Sox - knock on wood.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 09:51 PM) Being able to drive is one of the nicer things IMO. I like being able to tailgate outside the park. I understand that people from the suburbs like that they can drive, but encouraging congestion and pollution into a city is just silly when we already have the infrastructure to support the alternative. You could have a surrounding park, lots more bars...but whatever, lost opportunity.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 09:44 PM) For real. Talk about bumbling a potential goldmine of an opportunity. We really must've hired the world's dumbest architects. They got completely trumped by Camden Yards at the time, and instead of building it in a place encouraging mass transit they invite a gridlock to the neighborhood. Those were the times though. Efficient urban planning has a lot more street cred now.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 09:44 PM) I'm going to Wrigley next sunday, I'll probably just wear normal clothes and a Sox hat. I certainly am not going to look for fights or anything. I just wear Sox hats alot. People that go all out and wear other teams jerseys and are trying to call attention to themselves is something different entirely though. nice, i'll be there too, got a free ticket. I'll just wear some neutral colors. Should be a beautiful day.

I like going to cubs games. I don't get to see NL players very often. I'm going on Sunday, in fact. Wrigley field is old, but it does look nice in that neighborhood. I wish they had integrated Comiskey into bridgeport the same way, and hadn't encouraged so many people to drive there.

David Simon is the reason i keep HBO.

True. I liked KC fans. They have a rough go of it. In that state, they get pooped on by some very very intense and annoying cardinals fans. It'd be like the cubs, if the cubs consistently won and many world series. I can't imagine going through the drought they've gone through.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 07:23 PM) Maybe the booing and adverse reaction will light a fire under Alex? Would be nice to see him playing with some fire and motivation...although he does everything so smoothly and effortlessly (the anti-Rowand or the modern-day Devon White) that it looks like he's not trying. Aka the non-chalant Jon Garland Effect. He did go 3/5 last night with some SBs? (one or two?) I think there is something to the fact that it doesn't look like alex is trying. But Last night his swing was super level. I liked it. He's a smooth player, and I really love him in CF.

If we're gonna score 8 runs, i'll definitely take it on a night we give up 7.

The thing about Alexei's play is that it was a play he absolutely should've made. Takes some of the luster out of it.