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Maybe the rest Thome had in the second half of last season makes me more optimistic he'll be ready for a full year/might improve upon last years projected numbers.

While we don't know what specifically will pass: 1) The senate bill is funded by a tax of "cadillac" health care plans 2) The house bill is a tax on high income brackets.

how is this unfunded? Where were you for the 2003 ACTUALLY unfunded medicaid bill passed by Republicans?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 09:18 PM) I'm at a conference, I've been in talks and poster sessions all morning. Anyway...what's interesting here is that for decades it's been really difficult to image the upwellings under places like Hawaii or Yellowstone that we think are there. But as our data quality improves, we're now suddenly able to see it. THere are still people out there who don't think that what we consider to be Mantle Plumes actually exist because its been so hard to image them. But the seismologists and modelers are starting to get there and its really interesting. In other words you've started using "Tricks" and "lies" to create the images you wanted to see! I want emails!

that's some quality sat-tire right thur.

besides the cost saving measures that do a lot and survived, the most important part of this bill is the major stride it took for making insurance on the individual market more affordable. This is a very big deal. If people are able to afford packages on the individual market more easily, it makes work mobility more possible and the time after Cobra ends less scary. This wasn't possible without mandates, and further, pre-existing conditions really wasn't possible without mandates. You can't usher in a bunch of expensive sick people into the market without everyone feeling the burden, unless you add a whole bunch of healthy people. This is a good bill, it's not a great bill, but it's just the beginning. The fights will not be as hard in the future, this was the most comprehensive it will be. And things like expanding medicare could move in 4 years if Dems stop being whiney crybabies that just appeal to their government through the media to get things done. If you want to know why elitism works for liberals, it's because you just scream that what your doing is right for them without ever going and showing them. Where were the liberals going and working up the people, millions of people, that this would help and showing them instead of letting it get derailed by a bunch of old cranks remembering the non-existent american right-wing utopia. All the s*** we were doing for the election, door to door, phone calls, should have never stopped. But being a progressive is also about enlightening people. They already KNOW what they have right now, they don't know what you offer, and it's easy to taint that with stuff like death panels. This is the devil they don't know. but instead just cry and cry and beat your fists into your keyboards and cry about how you didn't get what clearly wasn't possible and now you are going to sit it out just to show how ANGRY and let the possibility of a more liberal caucus boil away. Yeah, they'll see how angry you are when they lose a bunch of seats, and then have to get them back by promoting conservative members again, and then in 12 or so years when it says 56 dems again you'll be oh yay now get our progress done and then you'll realize you pissed away the chance when you had 55 liberal senators to build upon that.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 04:38 PM) the music critic guys on NPR (I think they're from the Tribune and Sun Times) described her shows and videos as actually bringing some amount of performance art into them instead of the typical dance routines. yeah, not trying to be cute, she brings dada performance art into her shoes. As pop stars go I think she's by far the most interesting. I'd rather someone feign outrageousness than virginity.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 09:12 PM) That's kind of irrelevant to his career in the Senate, but I'm going solely off the asinine statements he makes all the time. Maybe he does that on purpose, I don't know. Whats worse, an actual stupid person, or a smart person who tries to act incredibly stupid and hoaky to fit in with his voters. (Grassley/Cobourne, I'm looking at you) Lieberman appears to be actually stupid. edit: also, both missouri senators are terrible. That state is not capable of producing a thoughtful senator, and house members are rare. Insane that truman came from that state.

kind of shocked at the lack of toby hall. In addition, luis terrero and cintron...really? They weren´t ever really the worst players on the team, let alone that they were so often bench players. Also, if you DO have terrero, Julio Ramirez was so much worse, although stellar at D (and that doesn't seem to matter here), the dude was like 0 for his first 46. Lastly, it really, really has to be Andy Gonzalez. Jeff LIefer was kind of a dick too, always complaining about P.T.

we probably shouldn't deride career years. Frankly, in our dominating years of 2000 and 2005 in terms of regular season, everything came together and a LOT of guys had career years. In 2008, a few did as well. Really, for us to win the division people are going to have to be great, not average, and things need to fit into place. Hopefully it happens early. In both 2000 and 2005, you knew it was on right away. Unfortunately 2006 it faded mightily.

Well. Alright. He isn't a top leadoff hitter. He's not great in the field. But, I guess he's better than most free agent alternatives, save someone like O-Hudson, but I suppose that wouldn't work with our infield. 4 mill isn't bad. And he is definitely a lead-off hitter for ozzie, and the more definitive lineup you can give him, I'd imagine the better. I wonder who we gave up though.

QUOTE (Hawkfan @ Dec 13, 2009 -> 11:10 PM) He was hardly in the system. Correct, however I think we are talking about our scouting. And you can screw up a top ten pick, happens all the time. I think one important thing Beckham did was kind of teach us what a real prospect looks like. When we produce trades we think our junk can compare with legitimate prospects with star potential. Seeing beckham made me realize the large difference between a future star and a potential future starter ala Brent Morel.

I'm anxious to see what Carrasco nets and if he signs early or people wait out.

BTW I too was going nuts when we traded Reed. But this was when I was young and tracked our prospects through stats alone. Seeing reed hit .400 made me very attached. Also, I thought Ruddy Yan was going to be a stud. Fun Times. I thought Kenny got fleeced in this deal. You mean to tell me he gave up reed morse, AND OLIVO?!?! THATS TOO MUCH

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 13, 2009 -> 12:26 PM) You're not getting what I'm saying. I know top prospects flop in every organization. My point is that it's mind-boggling with our recent history of pathetic drafts, combined with the fact that out of the dozens of prospects KW has traded over the years that not a single one of them has amounted to anything, that GM's are still willing to deal with him. If I'm a GM, I don't even look Kenny's way. Well they don't have coop to fix em.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 10, 2009 -> 07:46 PM) You mean the deal that was done until Hunter went back on his word and signed with the Angels? That deal? yes, I am talking about similar assertive posts that did not come to fruition.

s***.

I'd let Jerry Reinsdorf pay him money to play for our team.

Hey, I think there was a thread on this before but my internet is awful so I cant really search through google a ton. I'm leaving for BA tomorrow. Just wondering any great things to do. It's summer there, should I hit up the beach? Or are their beaches like, uh, NY beaches. Most importantly, I'm looking at a hostel that's in the center, that's not always the best idea. Is there a better, more fun neighborhood to reside in? This was all rather rushed since I was told I had 8 days to leave Brazil (I can return once I leave). Was hopin the experts could help me out.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 10, 2009 -> 04:24 PM) He'll be signed by the end of next week. reminds me of the infamous "Torii Hunter will be on the white sox by friday" post

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 10, 2009 -> 02:33 PM) We always do this. There were actually some decent arms out their too this year. we always do this, huh.

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Dec 9, 2009 -> 03:05 PM) Buster Olney reports the White Sox are indeed shopping Jenks. Good to know. With his potential price tag I don't have my hopes up for a nice haul.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 9, 2009 -> 04:07 PM) There is no accountability in the government anymore. There was a time that if you ran on Platform A but got elected and enacted Platform B, there would have been hell to pay...now it doesn't even matter. People have such short term memories, you can say whatever you want while campaigning and just do whatever you want after you win. when was this time?

it sounds like Y2HH is actually describing pretty accurately what those wonderful founding fathers hoped for in our republic. Two chambers to prevent populist outrage of people screaming what they want, at the expense of what's actually good for them. A lot of people wanted the U.S. currency to move to the silver standard, luckily william jennings bryan didn't win.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Dec 9, 2009 -> 03:14 AM) Do we have the pieces to even make this deal? In talks with LA, they want Billingsley (among others) and in talks with the Yankees it was Hughes/Joba and others. Do we have ANYONE in this entire organization other than Peavy with the stuff that Chad Billingley has? And that's just PART of what the Jays want. I see absolutely nothing here. Yes, people want things. People often don't get the things they want. I believe there is a song about it.