BrandoFan

Drafting and player develoment are all a big crapshoot. High first round college can't miss phenoms bust out while 5th round midwest HS kids mature and become All-Stars. Unless you continuously get the first crack at talent pool (Twins, Marlins, Cubs sure did stack up on talent over the years by finishinf dead last) or you have the kind of money Yankees and Dodgers spend to have a scout in every Central American gas station bathroom.......relying on your farm system to compete is gambling. For every 2000 Sox team/2003 Marlins, you have 3 Tiger teams and 10 Indians teams. Going young might be a neccesity for the Sox at some point, but it's not ideal way way of going about trying to win the WS. Not by a long shot. What did you have in mind in terms of 2004 payroll? 60 is clearly too low for your taste, even though it will be the 2nd highest payroll in Sox history. How about 80, you like 80?

"Environmental experience", "formulation of creating radical mindset".....Before long, with fancy words one could probably explain how Nazis were too a product of their time/place and partly justify their actions. It comes down to this: don't f*** with Israelies, especially when you're a guest on THEIR land. Or there will be hell of a price to pay. And they got just the right blood-soaked butcher for the job in Sharon. Worship whomever you like, be as lazy as lazy as you want, burn whatever flags you like, chant hateful rhetoric from the hilltops til the cows come home, put all your eggs in PA basket and let Arafat and Co. steal billions from you, play the world's biggest violin at the UN assemblies, ally yourself with whatever Arab or Socialist cause, in short do anything your heart desires.....But when you strap on that vest, when you stick that rifle out of the window, when you overtly or covertly support terrorist organizations that want to harm Eretz Isroel, you're bringing YOUR people that much closer to total destruction and doom. Think of the children indeed. Sad life ain't no excuse for nothin'.

Now that's ridiculous. I was even willing to go along with the whole "My daughter's brains were blown all over my face on the playground by an Israeli bullet, I want revenge, praised be Allah" premise, but this is too much. It's akin to saying "Arab world hates us so much and considers us a world-conquering Zionist virus, we are traumatized and have no choice but to live up to the billing". At some point, you gotta accept responsibility for your actions as YOUR doing, YOUR fault. That cuts both ways, of course and you know what I think about Arab Slayer Sharon.... And, besides, how do you know Palestinians want peace at all let alone peace at a significant cost to their religious and national pride? Becuase one of your friends is Palestinian or maybe because you saw an activist on TV? Why noble Palestinians could never support terrorist organizations; all those mass flag burnings and rallys calling for Isralie blood are an unconventional way of expressinglove and desire for peace......And what is this BS about "radical right wing fringe group", wichih are presumed to be a minority? Israeli MAJORITY does NOT think Palestinians want peace and supports harsher measures such as the Fence. Majority, many quite centrist and moderate. I'll say this to you one more time: Zionism is NOT = Imprerialist Aggression. Zionism is about SELF-PRESERVATION. Zionism is about DEMANDING f***ING RESPECT FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD. And since the won territories RIGHTFULLY belong to Israel (you'll be giving up Texas and California any moment now, I presume? What, you mean UN won't be pressuring you anytime soon? Well, they must know what's best.....), that means there was NO invading, there is NO occupying either; Israel is DEFENDING itself and it's territories from hostile and desperate neighbors as far as it's concerned. Sure, it may feel magnanimous one of these days and throw Palestine a land bone in a grand Rabin-ian gesture of peace....but make no mistake about, it AIN'T no Imperialism, which incidentally you can inquire Britain, France, USSR, Germany and a few others about. And in the unlikely event that Israel gets attacked AGAIN and manages to capture half Asia Minor in the process, that STILL won't make it Imprerialist in any way shape or form but imaginary. Deal with it. [/wishing Palestinian economy will reboud propelled by the cash influx created by Arafat and Co reimbursting stolen money, and suffering stops and all is well in the region]

It's not there?

I think the Pale Hose one should stay up there pinned because many posters, including a bunch of new ones only browse that, most essential SoxTalk forum.

Israel is not wasting taxpayers' money. He is here investigating you and him and her but especially YOU there ducking behind the stained leopard print couch in a small Champaine dorm. I support Bush 100%

See now that just doesn't mesh with the picture Israel painted of you. I am confused here, Apu are you or are you not an antisemitic, antiIsraeli, intifada-favoring, dead linking punkass commie he's led us to believe you were? Edit: my bad Apu, I should have remembered you were a whore as well. A whore who dabbles in fiction.

Do you have any problem with what you've been told? Do you want me to get angry and do something stupid and unfair?

I can relate: if a "friend" of mine likes Pearl Harbor and Bad Boys 2 instead of Last Tango in Paris or Fargo, he/she can go f*** themselves. [/only slight exaggeration]

Blame Breakdown: 40% Palestine, 20% Israel, 40% Other** ** - Islamic countries, Arab countries, USSR, Europe, UN counsel, power cabals like FRC, independent wealthniks, etc

Steroid Wonder is older and more beat up than Valentin and will ask for twice as much while providing inferior defense at SS.

Vigor is missing. Heart is missing. Brain is missing. Everything is missing. Other than that, it's fine. But I do understand what you mean: it's like when you see the EARLY and last seasons of Fraiser or X-Files or Seinfeld or ER or West Wing or MASH-- the contrast is startling.

Actually I noticed it too. I just didn't want to say anything.

The murder capitol of the world is in South America and the murder Oprah house of the world is La Scala.

Why on shrinking Ozone layer would anyone put George Will alongside with Coultergeist and Dr. Laura? He wrote one of the best baseball books of the last 15 years and has a keen political mind...He is not even a Cub fan anymore!

You mean first?? (Shut up Brando, you fool )

You lost me at "regional bio-something"....But that's because I am stupid, it probably IS pretty damn exciting. If you're so smart, how come you didn't get my lame S&G/Berkeley/Graduate reference? Some academian.

What do you teach?

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Don't let Marlins fluke win fool you, last between 1992 and 2002, winner have ALL been heavy (top 40%) spenders. The Dodgers and Cubs and Red Sox have to literally burn money (Dreiforts, Hundleys, etc) to not win. And given their 2004 payrolls (120 and 95 respectively) they might just TAKE the whole thing...which is more than I could say for bargain-hunting Sox. Did anyone notice that in the 10 seasons between 1988 and 1997, the payroll increased roughly 900%....What would we say if ticket prices went up ten fold? Another thing that suprised me was the fun, young 1999 Sox team which played in the same division as powerhouse Indians (and much better Detroit too) and was Big Hurt injury away from breaking .500 on a 24 MIll payroll. The 20002 team won 95 games (and had half the team pitch injured in the second half) on the 21 Mill dollar budget...

Forgive him father for he knows not what he refereth to......Landau was so f***ing brilliant and tough that in all his entire Academia profesorship tenure, with all the bright aspirant minds that come and gone, he gave out only 20 passing grades....Twenty. Mehears quote a few of them are South Side-edicated, too...

Kidding, right? I guess you're one of those rare loons who's never considered suicide....

68 Mill is a LIE. Sox have NEVER in their histpry had that kind of a payroll, not in 1998, not in 2001. To my count 2003 payroll was about 52 Mill MINUS deferred-- and JR LOVES that kind of method of payment, lol.

Where do I go now? My car has broo-ken daa-own....

Go!