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One of the very few hitters that you would stop what you were doing just to watch every at bat. If you have to ask the question, you didn't see him hit.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Nov 23, 2009 -> 01:33 PM) I remember the days when fathom was BY FAR the most pessimistic member on the board. Over the last 2-3 years, I don't even think he's in the top 10. i was thinking the same thing when I started reading this thread.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 20, 2009 -> 12:05 PM) I just graduated on the 15th (online school, actual ceremony was in VA and I coulda drove but didn't feel like it) and holy s*** it feels great to come home from work and be able to do what I want. I see, not married and no kids.... Lucky Bas**rd

QUOTE (1977 sox fan @ Nov 20, 2009 -> 11:07 PM) You would think that being a professional baseball player and being that is your career you wouldn't have to tell them to be in shape . i spent 23yrs in the U.S NAVY as a SEAL and i know i was in better shape then most major league baseball players and never did anybody have to tell me and i was making much less money then these guys make . Yes, but you are out of shape people are in danger. If a baseball player is out of shape......they still get paid. When were you in? A good buddy of mine (Mike) was the Physical therapist at Coronado (sp?) from the late 90's to early 2000's. Excellent facilties.

I was sitting on the first base side near the dugout on the wall and a guy was mercilessly heckling Bo Jackson (when he was with KC) every time he came to bat. Jackson hit a screaming foul ball that hit the cement wall right in front of the guy, who proceeded to drop his beer and food all over himself getting out of the way. Jackson just smiled at him while we were falling out of our chairs laughing. A guy a few years ago heckling Milton Bradley in centerfield with a chant of "your not even as god as Parker Brothers" and invitations to play Parchessi with him. Getting ripped on free beer at a Springsteen concert while sitting in the skybox at Comiskey and watching the Sox lose to Minnesota on the TV. Watching people getting crushed in the standing area right in front of the stage. Getting Ivan Calderon (RIP) to bow to me and my friend (the only people in RF in Old Comiskey) while chanting "we're not worthy" and bowing to him. We started the United Calderonist religion to honor him.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 14, 2009 -> 08:51 PM) I'm just stating facts unlike yours where you say he waits around until June and asks JR for money. Its happened but its rare and its guys like you, the guys who think they spend every dime they make who should feel cheated when guys like Delgado and Soriano aren't acquired because by definition they would not be doing what you think they are. Its exactly the opposite of your thinking. If you are saying they left room for deadline deals and didn't make those deals, like most seasons, they wouldn't be spending all the money would they. The only year I ever b****ed about spending was 2009 and , as it turned out, I was right, as they upped the payroll significantly in season for the first time in KW's tenure. It must really kill you when I'm right. The big problem with waiting until the deadline to acquire someone is it takes two to tango. Who knows if the other teams will be at least slightly reasonable and who knows what other teams also need a push and are willing to meet demands. If the Yankees or Boston or the Angels are looking for the same players you are, there is a definite disadvantage. JR doesn't want to break even, although no one will be in trouble if he does, he doesn't want to lose money, and that's fine. All you really need to know about how he and his group really operate is to see the current state of the Bulls. It is a different situation because of the cap, but the Bulls make a lot of money and currently because of injury they have 10 guys who can play, Normally they have about 15 guys on the roster with 3 inactives but they only have 12 or 13 this year because they are right near the luxury tax. They won't take on a minimum salary guy because it will push them over that limit and instead of getting a piece of the pie from everyone over it, they would be forced to pay dollar for dollar what they are over. They would still make a big profit, but it would probably cost them a couple of million for a guy who would rarely play but with the shortage of players, may help the team. Now I don't advocate paying $2 million or more for a guy who may not ever play 8 minutes in a game, but if its all about breaking even, the extra player would certainly help in practice and in blowouts etc. While this is true there is another factor involved here. While JR is the managing partner for both the Sox and Bulls, the minority partners are the same group. He may have a different directive from the group in how he must deal with the Bulls profit line vs. the Sox profit line. I mostly agree with the sentiment but don't make the assumption that just because the Bulls are managed down to the bottom line that the Sox must be as well.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 04:53 PM) Didn't he have TJ surgery as well? Yes

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 03:16 PM) I was a bit suprised to find out that A.J wasn't his best friend on the team. I guess this makes sense, becasue Fields and Getz are closer to Beckham in age. I don't know if you ever met AJ but he is nobody's best friend. And if someone is I highly question their judgement amd character.

QUOTE (1977 sox fan @ Nov 6, 2009 -> 08:38 AM) Maybe Kenny will go out and get Adrian Gonzales if he did that i would be one happy fan . PK along with money or extra players might be part of this deal? He would waive the no trade to go to the West Coast.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 27, 2009 -> 01:25 PM) I agree with a lot of this. I just happen to believe that in the NFL, you need to really stay away from making harsh judgments as things can look really bad or really good based on very little...Personally, I need to see more. I agree. I look at the end of the season. Did the team win more games than I though they would. Coaches are responsible for wins. Some are bad strategists but are good motivators. I think Lovie falls in this category. Most of the seasons I think the team has won more games than I thought they would so overall I think he has done pretty well.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 27, 2009 -> 11:36 AM) I really can't believe how much s*** Lovie is taking in this thread. Funny how everyone wants Lovie gone but the same people don't seem to be calling for Ozzie's head. Seems like they are awfully comparable to me... The difference is Ozzie was the manager of a team that won a Championship. Just like Ditka is still revered by most fans in this town (even if he wasn't a good coach). Ozzie will always and deservedly so have some love in this town because he was the manger of a team that hadn't won a Championship in 88 years. As a matter of fact the team only won a division title once in the 70's and once in the 80's. He was won more division titles in 5 years than most of the other managers had in their entire careers. Now, is Ozzie the reason he won them? No. But they occurred on his watch and he didn't manage poorly enough to prevent it. So right or wrong when you win a Championship with a team that has historically been a loser you will be given the benefit of the doubt.

17/20 Being old does help.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 30, 2009 -> 12:03 PM) I'm not even sure Chicago will win. To be honest, I don't know what to think. The Chicago organizers are pretty confident they are getting it. The university where I work is supposed to host a couple of events if they get it and today there were people measuring for construction.

QUOTE (mmmmmbeeer @ Sep 16, 2009 -> 07:15 PM) So a back fracture is on what bone in your back? From your description it sounds like it's actually on his spine?!?!? Jesus, that HAS to be painful as all hell. I'm sure it is in the spine. Your vertebrae, which make up the spine, are irregular bones with thick bodies and thin projections to which muscles and ligaments attach. They protect the spinal cord but also serve as a guidance mechanism for movement. The facets joints are on the thin projections and are susceptible to stress fracture and cracks. it will hurts with any rotation (hitting) or with bending to extreme ranges. If the fractures progress far enough the vertebra can begin to slide on one another and in severe cases pinch the spinal cord. This extreme case rarely happens. It's best to rest and let it heal if a fracture can be detected because that is a sign of too much stress in the area and it will only continue to get worse. It will probably take 4-12 weeks to heal.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 15, 2009 -> 10:39 AM) So, doctor people...what's the long-term implications of a stress fracture in one's back? If it's truly a stress fracture, there will not be any long term effects. However, if it expands into a larger "crack" so to speak and is near the facets joint of a vertebrae, it can lead to instability and have a lasting effect. Im' sure this is why they are shutting him down, to prevent the problem from expanding into a larger fracture.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Aug 31, 2009 -> 11:22 PM) Starting Freddy doesn't make sense if we're rebuilding though. It does if the Sox don't think anyones else is ready yet.

QUOTE (dmbjeff @ Aug 31, 2009 -> 11:08 PM) you ought to ask Carlton Fisk about that Yeah, I hate it when an organization keeps a player around who can't hit or catch just so he can break a meaningless record which turns out only lasted a few years.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Aug 25, 2009 -> 08:53 PM) Most of Allagash's stuff is outstanding. When Austin's legendary Celis Brewery closed after selling their soul to Miller, Alagash Witbier was easily the best wit made in North America. Their Double and Grand Cru are also among the standout beers to emerge in the early 1990s before most of the country had a clue what craft beer was. I have a 750 ml bottle of the Allagash Hugh Malone Ale that I have been waiting to crack, and now that this wonderful brewery has come up in conversation i think I'll have to dig into this one soon. I have not exhaustively sampled the most recent offerings from Ommegang, New Belgium, Unibroue , or Allagash, but past encounters always led me to conclude Allagash was the best of the North American upstart Belgian-style breweries. Now of course, there are a couple more players on the scene, and a comprehensive comparative beer hunt may be in order. I agree. I've been to both the Ommegang and Allagash breweries and tried them fresh. I like both but the Allagash is the better of the two.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 25, 2009 -> 02:44 PM) Expect Getz to hit 40 points higher now. I may have asked this before, but why isn't Hriniak the hitting coach? We seem to send our guys with continual hitting problems to him, and he seems better than Walker. Also, how do you pronounce his name? I have just figured it was her-nee-ack. I believe it was health problems but I'm not positive. He didn't want the grind of a full season schedule.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 25, 2009 -> 05:51 PM) I blame the team's constant lackadaisical play and lack of any emotion/sense of urgency on the fact that we have no punishment for guys who perform well below any reasonable standards for a significant amount of time. I believe making an example of Contreras, along with letting Dye walk after this year, would go a long way in showing them that they can't get too comfortable. This is an awful reason to punish someone in general. Being emotional has absolutely zero correlation with playing well or caring for the game. Some people have mellow personalities and deal with stress by internalizing it. Not caring about playing is a very difficult thing to judge from the outside. If you begin to puclicly do this to players you will lose them qucikly. This is not high school or even college where emotions can help a lesser talented player play a little better. All of these players are talented. Emotions in baseball usually have a deletorious effect. If you're amped up you will squeeze the bat or ball tighter and not perform at the optimal level. In baseball the most important factor for a player is comfort and consistency. We aren't talking about unproven rookies. We are talking about established veterans. They may be past thier prime or even time but the only way to decide that is to let them play and decide. Punishment on a perceived lack of emotion is not a good way to get respect from the players. If they performing poorly that's one thing. Players slump. Even for 1/2 or full seasons. We've seen what nagging injuries and slumps have done to guys like Konerko. We didn't know the extent of his injuires at the time. So before you call for players heads for "lack of emotion" Let it play out

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Aug 25, 2009 -> 05:24 PM) My issue here is, sure, proven veteran deserve to hit out of slumps; but they shouldn't be hitting out of slumps at spots in the order where production is crucial, such as the third or fourth. With Dye, especially, it's inexcusable that after 100+ ABs of sub .200, sub .600 ops production out of our #3 hitter he was finally moved. If these guys are grown men, surely they understand that when you're not producing (and not just over a week, but a month), you should be moved down in the lineup. My reply was to the point of the DFA for Contrereas. Moving players down in the lineup or to the bullpen is different than getting rid of them to make a point. I fully support moving players down in a lineup.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 25, 2009 -> 03:00 PM) Fine, we can keep being pussies and allowing our players to perform like utter s*** with absolutely no consequence. We can't move a guy out of the third spot in the order because it would offend him. We can't take a guy out of the rotation until he becomes a complete embarrassment. Sign with the White Sox and you'll never be held to a decent standard again! You perform, you keep playing regularly. You don't perform, you keep playing regularly. You win either way, plus you get all of the money you're not earning. With this ideal in mind, no one is allowed to have an off year. Beleive it or not these are people. They have slumps and difficulties. Some the public know about, others such as injuries, we don't. You don't earn the respect of grown men by intimitading them into playing well. If anything baseball is a sport that if you are too wound up you play poorly. If a player is truly giving 100% effort you can demote them but you don't treat them like crap. This is all under the assumption that they are giving 100%. This was always the problem Gullien had with BA. The team didn't feel he was giving his team 100% and that his focus was elsewhere. The White Sox management will give a player every chance to do well, especially if they have given the team everything they have. Contreras has shown some signs of putting it together in some starts. I'm sure that's why they stayed with him. It just hasn't happened. In a case like Contreras he not only played well for them but busted his rear to return from injury to help the team. He deserves respect for his efforts. Demoting him is warranted. Treating him like a 2 year old is not.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Aug 21, 2009 -> 08:56 PM) student now and for a while...unfortunately its not the fun undergrad stuff anymore What do you mean? The graduate degrees are at least more interesting. There are alot more work however. Good Luck!

QUOTE (WCSox @ Aug 21, 2009 -> 09:01 PM) Since when was Reinsdorf "more aggressive" in the '90s? What a poorly-written and factually-incorrect piece of crap. I think that is in reference to the supposed involvement in MLB management. Things such as pushing for pay-for -play contracts, pushing for the mid-90's strike, concsulting with Selig on breaking the union.....etc. I don't think it is reference to being aggressive with the Sox but the overall landscape of baseball. It's this reputation that caused players like Schilling to say he would never play for him.

University professor in a physical therapy program (also the chair of the admission committee if anyone is interested). I teach the biomechanics (how the body works and moves), the orthopedics rehabilitation (musculoskeletal injuries) and health and wellness courses. Also work on the side as an athletic trainer covering athletic events at various high school and kid leagues in the southern suburbs.