ptatc

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 11:09 PM) Ptatc is probably deserving of the benefit of the doubt here. I'm not saying he's a liar, he's one of our best posters & obviously he believes he's telling the truth. He probably even is. Maybe AJ isn't exactly a "perfect" teammate. But let's just go back in time for a sec here. We all remember that dropped third strike against the Angels which helped win us the game, kept us on our roll and ultimately resulted in a World Series Championship, but some of our younger fans may not know or remember that the opposing catcher in that situation who cost the Angels the game happened to be Josh Paul, who was one of many complete horses*** catchers that Sox fans had to suffer through during that long drought between Fisk and AJ. That play is emblematic of pretty much the entirety of the Sox catching situation during that period and it is also emblematic of pretty much the entire Sox team attitude during those years: stupid as Bevington, careless as Manuel, lackadaisical and under-committed like the entire unbalanced homer happy offense, etc. AJ coming here was the absolute best thing that could have happened, and we won a title in large part because of it. AJ is gone now. We're not a better team without him, but he's still gone. He's gone from our world. And when important people are gone from your world shouldn't you remember them for the best things that they did? Shouldn't you first think of their greatest moments before everything else? Shouldn't you choose to remember him more as you would have wanted him to be when you weren't there rather than how he may have been when you still weren't there but wish you were? For such a significant piece of Sox history, shouldn't we all just bury our heads in the sand when it comes to all this "clubhouse" malarkey and choose to remember him as a hero? Of course we should. And as far as Hawk being honored somehow not being a classy move, let's first consider what season we're in now. Now is a time for thinking about others. Imagine what this great tribute feels like if you're Hawk. Imagine you're sitting there in front of the fire, cozy & tucked into your loud multicolored flannel suit, sipping your beverage and thinking about what you might get yourself for Christmas this year as you gaze up at that giant stuffed bird which you also bought for yourself several decades ago to symbolize your human greatness - imagine you're sitting there when the phone rings, and it's your old buddy AJ, and he says he's going to wear your old #40 just for you, because you mean so much, and because he feels you deserve it. How great does this make Hawk feel? Think of that! It won't even matter how big his gift under the tree is this year, nor how expensive or superficial or self-gratifying, because the greatest gift has been given to him, it's right there his heart, to Hawk from your old pal AJ. For f***s sake people if that doesn't warm your f***in heart I don't know what could. Let's just cut it out from here on out. No more crap about AJ. You don't have to say he was a great teammate, but you don't have to say he was a bad one either. Let's treat him like the hero he is. It's the holiday season. He is a bad person. Not a bad player. He was a very good player and helped the Sox win. No doubt but let's not confuse that with being a class act or good person. I don't believe I am telling the truth, I'm speaking from experience. Although I did drink alot more in those days.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 10:08 PM) No one will ever change my mind about AJP. You can do whatever you want. I think criticizing him is almost sacriligious. OK I know that's the wrong word, he's not a religious figure. Criticizing him I think is ... ridiculous. Can't think of the right word. I praise him and applaud him as a Sox fan. No one can ever disagree that he wasn't a very good player and did everything he could to win. That is a whole different discussion than him being a class act off the field.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 06:01 AM) "A lot of people have this bad image of A.J. in general, it seems around the league, but the guy is one of the greatest guys when he needs to be," Beckham said. "It's something nobody sees. He can be a really great friend. He was there for me in tough situations off the field and was a big-time mentor. So, it's tough to see him go." What a s***ty teammate. Even the biggest jerks have a few friends. As you noticed the quote was "he can be a a really great friend." He wasn't to very many.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 11:39 PM) Why the hell was he a s***ty teammate? He sounds like a team leader to me. He is not a leader and you will not find more than a couple of people who tolerate him let alone follow him.

QUOTE (Tex @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 09:20 PM) It is interesting how weight lifting in all sports came into the spotlight in the 1980s. When I was running in the late 70s and early 80s my coaches would have shot any middle and distance runners they caught lifting weights. Then by the late 1980s milers had some muscle mass in the upper body. Same here. That's when I started running competitively as well.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 07:30 PM) For one, using Sale as a comparison has become a regular practice around her which is bulls*** on several levels. I have never seen Webb start because he only started in Toronto except for four games in Kanny in '12. In those 4 starts he had 10.3 ERA and 2.2 WHIP. So yeah, I have never seen him start but I have seen his stats. They tell the full story. I know his velocity jumped from 91-93 up to 95-100 when he moved to the pen. I know how his K/9, BB/9, WHIP and ERA have changed dramatically after he switched to the pen. Again should have been green only illustrating a point. Stats never tell the full story. They give good insight but they aren't everything. I've seen the numbers as well and think it could be a good move, definately worth a shot.

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 09:53 AM) Article says if Napoli comes back AJ intends to wear #40 to honor Hawk, who wore #40 during his run with the BoSox. Just wanted to provide the link, pretty cool if you ask me on AJ's part. You can hate the guy but he bleed black and silver for us and will go down as one of my favorite players ever. Always went about the game the right way, and I loved seeing the oddities he would create during games by his knowledge of the game. Thanks again AJ for your years on the South Side and continuing to honor those who supported you from day one in this city, and it really did start with Hawk. Link: http://www.csnchicago.com/white-sox/pierzy...&ocid=yahoo Hawk has known AJ since high school and has done alot to help him in baseball. It's not surprising that AJ would do something like this for him.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 08:44 AM) Ha. WTF does Beckham's girlfriend need to be on the team plane for? Was there some dire situation where that was the only way she could get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible? Beckham can use all that draft bonus money and arb salary he hasn't lived up to and buy her a first class ticket. AJ knows how this game is played. AJ knows how a team is supposed to be run, how a clubhouse is supposed to work, he knows both the rule book and all the rules that aren't written in there but should be. Beckham's girlfriend scenario, IF true, would be what you call an error of omission, not an error of commission, by Robin. Robin doesn't necessarily get nicked for it in the media because no one is scoring on it, but AJ is right in taking corrective action because it is the type of error that can lead to a whole host of greater mistakes later on. It's also laziness & lack of leadership to allow an unestablished and overall a fairly unimportant player such privileges. In fact, not having AJ around to help Robin along may have contributed to last team's horrible season. And IF there is truth to this, then I also believe that Beckham's girlfriend may have cursed this team in which case the plane should be thoroughly washed and blessed by several priests and Minnie Minoso and Steve Stone too just to cover all the bases. He knows nothing about being a good teammate. Everything else you said is true. He knows the game and is an outstanding player. It's not a shock that he left Texas. He will not be in Boston long either.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 10:37 AM) The AJ haters hate Hawk too. BTW I've got a whole line up of bulls*** sources too, I just don't quote them. AJ is a legend and a helluva competitor, wish he was back. He's the smartest position player we've had in a long time and whatever his attitude is like on and off the field, we need more of it. No.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 05:48 PM) Yeah because Webb and Sale are completely similar. It's not like Sale was a first round draft pick as a starter. You conveniently leave out the fact that Sale had dominated in every capacity and Webb started as a SP and nearly pitched his way to being a non-prospect until the Sox got their hands on him. If you don't know anything about Webb don't jump into a conversation with these foolish arguments. I guess it should have been in green. Boy people are sensitive. The point being all pitchers throw harder in the pen. How often have you seen Webb pitch in each role? Unless you have I know as much you do.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Nov 9, 2013 -> 10:03 AM) I thought the Cubs were idiots for not hiring Martinez...but what do I know. Maybe he's a horrible interview? Renteria is just keeping the seat warm for somebody else tho... They didn't hire Martinez because everyone was afraid for their wives.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 07:37 AM) Webb picked up like 8 mph on his fastball when he switched to relieving. He was throwing low 90's at best as a starter and hitting 100 as a reliever. When a guy does that, you keep him in relief. Shouldn't Sale be in the pen then? He threw harder out of the pen, most pitcher do when they don't need to worry about 5-7 innings of work.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 01:49 PM) I also want A-Rods money to remain on the Yankees books. They've benefited from him, why should they be exempt from punishment of his downfall? Because it's not their job to police the sport. Players and teams will always cheat to get an advantage. Not every team or player but many will especially when this much money is involved. That's why the commisioner's office and the union need to work together for the "good of the game."

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 11:33 AM) Andro hardly did anything and was legal at the time. I would guess that McGwire was using actual steroids and had the Andro around as a distraction as if to say "I got huge like this legally" Part of the murkyness early for him was that weight lifting in baseball really didn't get going until the mid-80's. Until then weight lifting was considered wrong for players because it caused them to lose flexibility. This is also when steriods started to appear as well. So some of the difficulty was what is the benefits of weights and what was PEDS.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 11:25 AM) That "Locker room culture/everyone does it" aspect plays in there also. When McGwire's bottle of Andro was found in his locker by a reporter, the big complaint from baseball people was violating the privacy in the locker room, not the guy having a PED sitting in his locker. It's one reason why I hold Frank and the 03 White Sox in such high regard...for actually being willing to do the right thing despite that no-snitching culture. Totaly agree. Most of the Sox were clean and were trying to skew the tests to create enough positives to make testing mandatory. Although some (an RF who remsins nameless) did it because he was using PEDs.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 05:50 PM) I doubt it took 10-12 years in an athletic environment for athletes, trainers, and medical professionals to figure out PEDs were rampant in the clubhouses. If someone at my job, your job, any job is up to something, word spreads pretty quickly. That could be affairs, drug use, alcoholism - you name it. People like to talk. There were 10-12 years of teams and reporters ignoring the information available. The fans were a little slower to catch on because the fans were fed improved technology, smaller ballparks, tighter winding of the baseballs, etc. Propaganda in other words. That said, count me among those who think ARod is a victim of a witch hunt, and a part of me wants to see him get off just to stick it to the Yankees and MLB. And I'm not an ARod fan. And I'm one of the old school fans who loves baseball a little less because PEDs ruined the stats that I grew up memorizing. When I was working in the league in the late 80's and early 90's there wasn't really much proof. We all suspected but never saw anyone do anything. It was hidden pretty well. The worst case I ever saw was in football. This was when I first recognized the "steriod body"When I was with the Packers in 88 or 89 they drafted Tony Manadarich. The first day he was in camp he just looked different and you could tell something wasn't right. He got busted twice in training camp, at the time drug results were not made public. He was just too blatant with it. He went from 320 lbs. to about 285 early in the season. This case is what really made sports aware of the problem and really peaked my interest in the phenomenon of PEDs

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 14, 2013 -> 02:01 PM) I would say they're crazy to spend it on Ellsbury when they have Almora coming up in 1 1/2 years. Now there's no guarantee that he's going to be an All-Star (we heard the same things about Brett Jackson 3-4 years ago), but it would be irresponsible to spend hundreds of millions until you know exactly what you have in Baez, Bryant and Soler, and what positions they eventually end up in (Baez could be at 2B or SS, Bryant at 3B/LF/RF, etc.) They would be stupid to trade Castro at his lowest possible value unless they feel he's completely uncoachable. They would be stupid to offer Mr. Notre Dame a long-term deal and pay him like a front-line ace. The one thing the Cubs really don't have is pitching. If they believe they will be contending in 3 years, it may be worth giving him the 4-5 year deal. They will need to spend money on pitching at some point. Stick with the devil you know, maybe.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 02:28 PM) Meh. If it's possible to get back on the court, you don't say it's impossible. If everything goes swimmingly, he's ready for that Pacers game. The tear is not a minor one. It is a significant tear. I don't really think there is much chance of him returning before 6 months. At that point, it becomes "why take the chance."

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 02:27 PM) I don't think it's as much as you think. Bernstein had a tweet earlier today that they'll get like 11 million back. They're still paying out a ton of money. Not that i'm complaining, Rose brought the Bulls back to the national conversation for the first time in a decade. Just a crazy amount of money for one real playoff run. About 25%-30% is a pretty good guesstimate when it comes to contracts that big. The amount you can insure varies on how large the contract is. That's why a said a good portion.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 02:13 PM) In that hospital bed today, Rose made $48,309 from the Bulls and $50,881 from Adidas. He made $99,190! Today! Rose chose to sit out well-past when doctors cleared him, skipped out on his teammates who fought all season for him last year, and skipped out on the playoffs. He then proclaimed he made the right call. Guess what? He didn't. Why is he already out for the season now? Players can come back in four months from this injury. The Bulls play the Indiana Pacers on March 24th. That's four months from now. Nope - better give this KID FROM CHICAGO another free year of $99,190 per day to do nothing but work out in the gym. The Bulls play 12 games beyond the four month period that is plausible for a player to return from a repaired meniscus. That doesn't even include the playoffs, which you know this tired-ass team is going to make because the East sucks so hard. But nope. Not going to happen. We must continue babying Derrick Rose. Take another one off, bud, no big deal. This is injury is a 8 week minimum healing then it's what a month to rehab and a month to get in shape? It's the 4 months depending on the extent of the tear it can be much longer. With the fiasco and bad publicity from last year, I'm not surprised the Bulls just ended any speculation now. If it progresses faster, great. But now you won't have everyone constantly asking questions for the next 6 months. Plus if they end his season now it saves alot of money in paying him salary as the insurance will kick in.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 11:13 AM) Bulls have paid Rose 42 million for about 50 games the last three years. The insurance has paid a good portion of that. The Bulls are getting good use out of their premiums.

QUOTE (Jake @ Nov 23, 2013 -> 05:28 PM) Can't wait for ptatc to swoop in and correct me, because I'm sure I have some things wrong Nope, you were pretty much spot on.

QUOTE (Brian @ Nov 23, 2013 -> 05:23 PM) Sorry. I'll change it... Don't....do...it......

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 23, 2013 -> 05:08 PM) No way. If you can repair it I would. In my own experience I wish I would have gotten a second opinion. I have always had pain since they snipped it. With the techniques today you always repair it if you can. Studies have shown that the most you remove the more unstable it is. Cadaver studies have shown that the menisci have as much to do with the stability of the knee as the ACL,PCL, MCL and LCL. Back in the day before arthroscopy (I'm showing my age) they used to take out the entire meniscus and the knee was very unstable and these patients are now on their second or third knee replacements.

QUOTE (Jake @ Nov 23, 2013 -> 04:51 PM) Basically, the question here is whether they will do a "cleanup" or "repair" Neither is ideal, but we'd probably prefer a repair. Cleanup is usually a fairly quick recovery, but that means they deemed part of the meniscus irreparable and cut it out. It doesn't grow back. You'll have less of it forever. If you have a very little tear, it's not a big deal. Repair is much longer because you want the meniscus to actually heal at the site of the tear, so you stitch it together and basically just wait for it to heal. This is what they did with Westbrook, even though it was supposedly a relatively minor tear. The doc in the interview mentioned that he assumed it would be a repair based on the team saying he would be out "indefinitely" -- this entails multiple months of recovery. It is hard to image the severity of the injury, so post-surgery will be a very informative moment. The key is where the tear is located as you said. The mensicus is avascular except for the out third or so. When they do a repair they need to cut a line down from the outer third to channel blood to the area to allow it to heal. This is why the healing process take so long. Tissue healing normal takes 6-8 weeks. This is 8 weeks or greater if it's a significant tear. It depends on how long the tear is, how far from the perimeter it is and even if it an undersurface vs. a surface tear. But 8 weeks minimum is a good time frame to start. The reason the lateral mensicus is trickier is that it is attached only on the ends of the C shape. It needs to be highly mobile to support the knee rotation yet it needs to be firm enough to add stability to the knee. The medial is attached all the way along the border fo the C so it is easier to repair as you just tie everything down.