ptatc

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 05:06 PM) Here's the thing. Not living in a swing state allows you to be loose as hell with your vote to some extent. True. But to me I still want it to mean something to me. Even though in the actual voting only Clinton has a chance in Illinois.

QUOTE (Tex @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 04:55 PM) BTW, I prefer to think of free college more in terms of expanding public education from 13 years to 15 or even 17 years. A good start would be 15 years. That would then include either two years extra of remedial K-12 years, a couple years of trade, tech, or community college, or if you do enough concurrent enrollment or AP classes, it would get you pretty darn close to a bachelor's degree. And that is really what is being proposed, extending the 13 years that we already provide. I could get on board up to an associates degree. There are far too many student in 4 year institutions now who don't belong. And that is not a knock on them. It isn't for everyone. I think the free college degree will "force" too many into thinking they need to go when they 1. don't really want to or 2. really aren't able to handle it. I think the money for this program would really be better spent on improving the K-12 to prepare the ones who do want to go and prerpare them better, increase the opportunity at that level.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 04:51 PM) A health care access system that's on par with every other industrialized nation on the planet and a plan for expanding free school to include college (something that worked well for California for decades and works for other countries as well!) is not on par with calls to essentially abolish the federal government, to build the largest wall in the world to keep out immigrants, or a blanket ban on visas for a particular religion. Those are both awful ideas. Working with international athletes alot, there is a reason they come to the US for care. Free college is also an awful idea, talk about a way to really increase debt. government is far too big and costs far too much for little gain. I know you won't agree with any of those ideas but I just wanted to respond.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 03:29 PM) This election is tough. For how much I dislike Hillary there is still no way I could vote for Trump. Im just going to vote for Gary Johnson. I keep thinking the same thing. however, let's be honest we know it's either Trump or Clinton. Voting any other way is as good as not voting. So I'm really trying hard to find the lesser of the evils.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 03:24 PM) Voting for the one who isn't a thin-skinned con artist with no apparent grasp on policy at all and is a big racist to boot seems like a pretty easy call? There are plenty of problems ie. honesty and integrity on the other side as well.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 03:14 PM) "At least our candidate isn't a Giant Orange Racist Baby" is a fine selling point. This is why deciding between the two is really going to be tough.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 02:49 PM) In my opinion a little of both. But Kenny to me is the single biggest issue with this organization. Mark I would disagree with JR as they have spent money just not allocated it well. KW isn't the current GM he still has oversight but he focuses more on scouting than being the day to day GM. The one to look at is Hahn. Have his moves since he has been GM been good? The results sure haven't. however, by public perception if Hahn goes KW will need to as well because he will still be the fans scapegoat.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 02:08 PM) And regarding the salary cap issue. As long as the MLBPA is among the strongest unions in the world MLB will NEVER have a salary cap. I've very confident making that statement. So either you learn to live with it, adapt, spend money and succeed or you swim against the current, consistently lose and alienate your fan base. It's simply a matter of choice although I understand there are many more factors, stadium lease, concession / parking revenue, MLB as a whole almost literally printing money today with all the revenue streams. Frankly the desire to actually win among some owners may not be all that strong anymore. Mark I agree here as well. hence, JR telling his heirs that keeping the Bulls is the better option.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 01:47 PM) The sox strategy of being a lower-half payroll team that will stay competitive through free agency signings doesn't seem like a strategy anyone would advise. But here we are. They aren't lower half. The 25 man roster ranks 8th in salary.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 02:03 PM) If the salary money isn't allocated properly, it really isn't. Part of it is the money is and has been spent on players who weren't that good. Dunn, LaRoche and Danks come to mind. How about the money paid to Jeff Keppinger a guy the Sox signed and paid with a bum shoulder? Mark Correct. So when he said that it's primarily JR's fault, I would disagree. The is money being spent. How it is being spent is the issue. So is it JR or front office?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 01:11 PM) But by fighting against that, JRs made this league reach a state where teams that don't have the highest payroll regularly make the playoffs and win the world series. MLB has, thanks to the structure they've built, much more turnover in their playoff teams and much better competitive balance than happens in the other 2 major sports (I don't remember if I've seen similar numbers for Hockey or not). The big market teams have something of an advantage, but the world series winner has been a top 5 payroll team only 3 times out of the last 10 years. It's an obstacle, if you're a team like the Padres or D-Backs or Orioles or Rays you can't make bad decisions because those high payroll teams will be in the way, but it's no where near an obstacle that can't be overcome. It's still not as effective as leagues with a salary cap. Anyway the point was the poster was trying to make it sound like JR wanted his heirs to sell the Sox and keep the Bulls because he doesn't care about the Sox as much. Which is actually the opposite because of the huge baseball fan he is. The true reason he told them to keep the Bulls is 1. He actually owns the Bulls whereas he owns a small portion of the sox and 2. It's much easier to compete in the NBA due to the salary cap structure.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 10:47 AM) You are absolutely correct. The angst over the current stretch of losing is misplaced. Ventura is merely playing the hand he's been dealt. He's not the one who, in an attempt to "upgrade" several positions that contributed to the league's worst offense last year, went dumpster diving last winter to do so. Rollins, Jackson, Avila, and even Navarro were the results of dumpster diving by the front office. And not to mention, but Ventura was originally going to have to trot out LaRoche again, too, only to then be forced the need to employ one Avi Garcia instead. So my frustration at this point lies more with Hahn, Williams, and You-Know-Who more so than Ventura. At the same time, as I mentioned earlier, managers are hired to be fired, so I do think he needs to go at this point. But that is only curing a symptom rather than the true root cause of what continues to ail the White Sox. So what you're saying is that the 8th highest 25 man roster isn't good enough to compete?

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 11:53 AM) This is so depressing but it is likely true. From what I'm hearing, when JR passes, he told his family to sell the White Sox and hold on to the Chicago Bulls. FWIW. Apart of me really wants JR to win one more title before the Cubs get theirs, unfortunately the Cubs are much closer than we are. How did they get there? The new owner made some bold moves and brought in a GM who made the bold decision to tank for 4+ seasons in an attempt to replenish the team with young talent and right now they are enjoying the fruits of that hardship. It pains me to say, Reinsdorf does not have it in him to make these type of bold moves. I'm not saying-- let's lose for 4+ seasons to build up the farm. However, when your front office tries over and over again to patch up the team via trades, middle of the pack free agency signings and continuously neglects the farm, why should we even expect to see different results? This lightning in a bottle method needs to end. The problems of this team goes well beyond Robin (who i dislike as a manager). The problem of this team is a true lack of direction. In 2013-14 I saw the promise of a team actually acquiring young talent and they put a premium on draft picks. Suddenly 2015 hit and instead of maintaining the course- they decided to prematurely GO FOR IT! Which meant the farm system once again took a back seat and the evidence on the field demonstrated that they were not even near ready for that yet. By the look of it this year, even with the additions of Frazier, Shields and Lawrie-- they are still not even close to where they want to be. They will be lucky to finish .500 this year. How much longer will they try this 'retooling' crap? I guess we can question their methods until the cows come home and crave change as much as want, unfortunately nothing will change with this team until that time where the Riensdorf family does sell to new ownership. Because of the awful imbalance in the salary structure with no salary cap that makes it difficult for teams to compete with the "richest" owners. JR has said many times that it's mostly who spends the most money has the best chance of winning. He has fought against that for decades.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 05:12 PM) Pain coming from the neck to the arm wouldn't concern me so much, could be a sublexation or a pinched nerve, but it kind of alarms me they would take an MRI . They did the MRI to rule out a cervical disc issue. This tells me it's most likely a nerve issue. The question would be what is "pinching" the nerve if there is no disc involvement.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 04:13 PM) Re-reading the title of this thread... I have to laugh at how many completely odd turns this thread has taken. The posters way of making a catch-all since the mods don't want them.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 05:06 PM) Muscular things don't send pain down the arm. Could this be another reason why they traded for Shields so soon?

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 04:15 PM) Connor McKnight ‏@C1McKnight 24s24 seconds ago Chicago, IL Rodon will skip his Thursday start. Discomfort in neck. Went down to arm. MRI was clean. Muscular thing. Gonzalez will slide in. Muscular things don't send pain down the arm.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 03:12 PM) Buddy Bell was mentioning the Latin players who are signed after these showcases, and how they really don't play games. They just train to get signed. After they are signed, many don't know which base to throw or how to run the bases, situational hitting.. any of the nuances of the game most take for granted, because their actual game experience is so limited.. Never heard that one. Aren't usually 16 though? They should have a good 4-5 years in the minors to learn.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 03:29 PM) Actress Theresa Saldana, 61. RIP. I remember that horrible attack on her in the early 80's. It was a miracle she survived that.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:06 PM) This is great information. I don't think many people believe there are ANY negative side effects to weed. There are side effects they just aren't the ones that are immediate like the "take one hit and it will kill you." This is my problem with making it legal. I really don't care what people want to do to themselves but if it increases the use, it will put a bigger drain on the healthcare system which is already messed up.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:39 PM) Yep. Rooting for one's favorite sports team should be a hobby, and nothing more. Especially if you work, have a spouse, and have kids. I think it does change though. Prior to having a family, the sports world was important, as kids came along it fell back. As the kids got older and move out, there is less going on around the house and the sports world has begun to climb the daily ladder.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:35 PM) It almost sounds like you were a team doctor or a team physical therapist. Mark I'm a physical therapist and athletic trainer. I've worked for many different organizations, professional and amateur.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:46 PM) Unfortunately in baseball as in many other sports, fundamental skills have gone by the wayside in favor of an attitude of "what will get me on ESPN highlights?" Mark not only that but players are coming to the MLB with less games in the MILB in many cases. The learning in the MILB hasn't occurred.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 11:21 AM) Wanna go watch them get swept by a divisional opponent because they dont really care again? You really need more proof this team is mentally weak? Do you honestly think the players aren't trying?

QUOTE (MEANS @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 01:11 PM) What? Consistent marijuana use is pretty much a guaranteed ticket to a heart attack. THC does a number of these to the body. The primary effect is being powerful anti-inflammatory drug. This is why it's prescribed for things like glaucoma. However, it also slows the healing process because of this and makes injuries take much longer to heal. It also has about a 5x the effect of tobacco in causing cardiac issues.