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QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 08:14 PM) I dont want a union, so why would I ask why can't I have a union? Unions breed laziness because your raises are based on collective bargaining, not personal merit. They also protect worthless employees instead of just the good ones. There was once a great need for unions before workers had rights...today they're a corrupted version of what they were meant to be. So I repeat...why would I ask to be a part of that? No thanks. This is totally true especially in teacher's unions. Some raises may be negotiated but most are performance based. For example the attainment of a degree. The only raises I've gotten in the last 5 years, prior to this year, was being granted tenure and being elevated to Associate professor. This took 6 years of research, presentations and publication as well service to the community to achieve. Who else needs to provide pro bono service outside of their job to earn raises. I don't agree with everything the unions do but they do not all breed laziness and do promote personal merit.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 04:59 PM) Why dont you tell me what this strike is about because I have it so wrong. The ones who didnt show up clearly dont take it seriously. Some of these kids are going to be adversely impacted, its just not fair to them. And as a person, I put the needs of innocent children over the needs of adults who are getting paid considerable money to show up and help these kids. If being a teacher in CPS is so bad, why dont they go to another school district? The strike is really about who gets to evaluate a teachers effectiveness in the classroom. Administration, peers or both. The administration wants it to be the principal only so they can hire and fire who they want. The teachers want a checks and balance system with a team to evaluate. The real problem is the only way to legally strike is over economic issues so the teachers cannot use only this issue. They must continually bring up the salary or benefit issue or their strike could be declared illegal.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 01:04 PM) I don't think you do, actually. You are still entitled to what you put in. You're pension doesn't change that. You are just not eligible to contribute more or continue taking part. I do lose it. It's called the Windfall act or something to that effect. I cannot draw from my pension and social security. I have to pick one.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 12:44 PM) They also don't pay into the SS fund, so it's not like they lost the money. No but we not get any choice in the matter either. I lose all of the social security I did pay for the years that I worked prior to teaching. Granted I teach at the university level not the CPS but many of us do lose alot of money due to the screwed up pension system.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 12:47 PM) And really, this whole way of doing things by pre-setting numbers like that is a crappy way to do things. Set a baseline set of salaries per level/seniority/degree/merit, agree on a market basket, and say in the contract they get a COLA based on that basket for the length of the contract. Then, seperately, if they want to argue for a raise beyond that, that can be up for discussing and adjustments to the original baselines can be set. But predeterming raises like that seem, to me, to be a stupid way to do things. It is very poor way of doing things. This is part of the reason for the strike. I haven't read all of the posts but the strike is essentially centered around one issue: review. The money and hours are all bsically agreed upon. What they can't agree upon is who reviews the effectiveness of teaching in the classroom. The administration wants it to be an adminstrator only and the union wants there to be an administrator and peer team.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 12:30 PM) Yeah, my degree also took me 3 extra years and cost $100 grand. Most teachers to even make a little more money need to go get a Master's degree as well.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 12:30 PM) CPS isn't college and professors are often researchers first, teachers second. It's not really the same thing. This is only true in Carnegie Level 1 universities which most schools are not.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 10:33 AM) Aside from a publicly funded pension + lifetime health/dental benefits, you mean. The pension is a point of contention. It should be publicly funded as our entire job is to benefit the public. Our job isn't to make money or profit as it is for most people. With your pension you have options as well as social security. Teachers do not get the social security. We do not get lifetime health and dental benefits. We currently get it to 65 and go to medicare like many other retirees. The benfits are self insured meaning we pay a large portion of all of our medical and dental benfits as the state contrbution has decreased to almost nothing. Also there is a member of the administration who decides on what our medical and dental contrbution is without input from any other sources. The teachers benefits including retirement currently ranks in the bottom 1/4 of states in the US. Currently our retirement doesn't include a death benefit for spouses. If you die does your spouse get anything from your retirement plan?

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 10:27 AM) Isnt this what youve been claiming? That teachers have it so bad that they should be getting all of these benefits, pay raises, etc, while the rest of us struggle and either take pay cuts or get no raises? Because if they arent working harder than anyone else, why are they deserving of special privileges in a time of economic strife? I received my first raise in 4 years this year. Teachers aren't getting any more benefits than most others.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 10:23 AM) I did read the rest of the post. Once again, you need to read your own post. They only spend 1,000 hours instructing. That is their job. You have been arguing that teachers spend so much time at school teaching, but now by your own admission they only spend 1,000, with almost another 1,000 coming OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM, where they can, POST ON SOXTALK, and take MENTAL BREAKS. Most people go to a job and have to do at least 1,600 hours at the work site (that is 8 hours a day for 200 days), I dont know anyone who has a 48 week work year and gets 2 weeks vacation, plus all federal/state holidays (read your own post for gods sake). Last I checked there were 52 weeks in the year, where did that other month go? Their job is also to prepare for the instruction. If you really think that most teachers (I know there are some but it is the minority) don't spend more time outside the instruction time then you need to go work with one for a month.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 10:14 AM) What full time employee only works 1,000 hours per year? Some firms expect attorneys to bill 200 hours a month (50 hours per week). That is 2,400 hours. I know I put in more time out of the classroom between preparation, Grading etc. than in the classroom. Teachers must do more outside the workplace than most other professions. Also the compensation is slightly different from a law firm to a school. Do law firms make you buy your pencils and such on your own? Many teachers purchase thing for their classrooms that schools do not provide any longer.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 06:44 AM) Anybody ever hear an explanation of why Robin made a pitching change with a 7 run lead in the 9th inning with 2 outs and the bases empty? Seemed very unnecessary, and from the expression on Veal's face he seemed pretty surprised. My guess is that Jones hadn't been in a game in awhile and he wanted to keep him sharp. Too lazy to actually look it up but that's usually why moves like that occur.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 10:39 AM) I am sorry, but most of the daily prospection evaluations on this board is done through numbers. Why are you suggesting something here that no one has information on? Unless you are a scout or you watch all of Thompson's games, you wouldn't know "how ready he looks." Everyone who knows a thing about baseball knows that scouting in person is better than scouting by numbers, I don't think you need to tell me that. But the closest thing we have to scouting is how players make adjustment at a new level. Thompson's last 5 games suggests that Double A pitchers have made adjustments to him, but he hasn't made adjustments yet to the pitching. And yes, I, along with most other posters, am aware that this is a move for Thompson to get more playing time and playoff experience. That's why I said this isn't a long term promotion. Now begins the next war of the old time scouts vs. SABRmetrics people.

QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 03:30 PM) Baseball has the least amount of teams in the playoffs, I don't understand how you say too many teams.... The problem is baseball isn't as fun to watch as the other sports and it's as simple as that. This may be part of it but a larger part is that it's the most difficult team to bet and a play fantasy sports with. The NFL has an easy betting line and with games on no more than 3 nights a week (usually 2) it lends itself to the fantasy aspect.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 01:53 PM) It was a ruse to convince the Tigers he had dead arm Fatigue.

Stripes: We're going to Czechoslavikia not Moscow. It's like going to Wisconsin. I got my a$$ kicked in Wisconsin once.

QUOTE (Spiritinthesky @ Aug 27, 2012 -> 08:21 AM) Some people believe our lives are profoundly influenced by whatever pop song was #1 on the day we were born. US: Light My Fire: The Doors UK and Australia: All You Need is Love: The Beatles It's going to take me awhile to process this one.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 26, 2012 -> 08:52 PM) It's legit, he had a solid 2nd inning. It's the same elbow that had a tendinitis issue in July. this is turning out like Danks. We now know the reaso. he has been pitching poorly.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 24, 2012 -> 11:27 AM) He got a lot more consistent as he got older. His walk totals really dropped as he aged, which is when the wins started coming. His walk rates fell by about half during his career, and his K rates stayed pretty similar. I wouldn't have wanted the 1970's Ryan starting for me in the World Series game 7, but the 80's version should could have. He also played on some pretty bad teams along the way. True, he did become a better pitcher after 10 years in the league but for his career his average season was a 14-12 record and he was really never even considered for a Cy Young. As stated, he really wasn't a winning pitcher. Great and dominating stuff but not necessarily a pitcher.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 23, 2012 -> 09:34 PM) Yeah, there's that. Although, to be fair, he never gets thought of as a "winning pitcher." When you think of all the arms in history you'd want for the 7th game of the World Series, would you even put him into your Top 10 possibilities? He wasn't. He was a guy who had great stuff but was far too inconsistent. He was great one start and awful the next. He could throw a no-hitter one game then walk 9 the next.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 23, 2012 -> 11:15 PM) That's true...if you look at all those pitchers who come straight over the top, most of them succumb to injury sooner or later. PTAC might be able to support this, but I remember reading once where the shoulder is not meant to take the strain of that motion and that pitching from a 75 degree angle, parallel to the ground or Bradford-style is actually healthier for the shoulder and elbow, ceteris paribus. His arm slot was never an issue. I'm not sure why Schilling even mentioned it other tham to talk about a good pitcher. LHP typically do have a lower arm slot than RHP. The issue with Sale is how he gets there. He really flexes his elbow then quickly whips his shoulder into external rotation. Then he needs to quickly extend his elbow to get it in a good position. The issue was and will be can he continue to do all of this motion in the really short period of time, especially when fatigued. If he can't do all of this he will begin to put a great deal of stress on either his shoulder or elbow. If his case my guess would be the elbow. Hopefully, he really continues to work on conditioning and he can keep the majority of the stress on his lower extremities and spine where it should be.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 23, 2012 -> 02:36 PM) When you have three superstars, you can get away with it...and that payroll. They still don't know how long Cabrera's going to be out with that ankle injury, either. It could be they win the battle today but lose the war. We've got a "budding" or baby superstar in Sale, but there's not much evidence that there's a huge upturn in home crowds when he pitches, like Greinke in KC, Halladay in Toronto, Verlander in Detroit, etc. Some of this is a mind set. Are you a fan of a player or two or the team. I'm not sure that everyone will go just to see the player believe it or not many fans go to see the team win or lose.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 23, 2012 -> 02:27 PM) Tigers are just amazingly tough to beat at home with those crowds. It's the advantage they're always going to have over us with dynamic pricing. The Tigers have certain games that they call "premium games" that they charge more for as well.

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 23, 2012 -> 02:23 PM) Tied on a wild pitch. Nice going, Oliver. Relievers are insignificant compared to starters and you can easily find them anywhere.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Aug 23, 2012 -> 12:05 PM) Fine the team an equivalent amount to what the player loses due to his suspension? Maybe the team luxury tax threshold gets lowered by this amount.