Middle Buffalo

QUOTE (Tex @ Nov 22, 2013 -> 12:15 PM) By my count there were 10 - 12 years of hmm, is there something? Then 5 or 6 years of "don't look over there, it's selling tickets". Finally a few years of trying to get it cleaned up. 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.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 10, 2013 -> 06:16 AM) I think if the Sox actually won 10 in a row like he said, and the Cubs continued being the Cubs, he would be wrong, but I do think it would take something really extreme. Not just winning once or twice. But there definitely was a change in Cubs' fans attitudes once the Sox did win. There is no denying that. 10 in a row would surely change some minds, but the real problem that the Sox have to contend with is that the media is about 80% Cubs fans. If that doesn't change, it really won't matter. The media basically act as and advertising wing of the Cubs.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Aug 26, 2013 -> 02:48 PM) I have to say, I think Hawk's TWTW thing is stupid and overblown.... I agree in as much as Hawk's dismissal of "modern" statistical player evaluations is short sited and comes off as bitter old guy. However, TWTW in some manner is what most people point to when they compare someone like LeBron James to Michael Jordan (or insert your own example of hero of yesteryear to current player). They always point to Michael's will and refusal to lose as the thing that separates him from everyone. Bill Russell had TWTW. Wilt Chamberlain did not. Really, how is it acceptable for ex-jocks and broadcasters to constantly say things like that, but Hawk's TWTW is the subject of ridicule?

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Aug 20, 2013 -> 06:29 PM) Why are the Sox and Royals combining announcers? It's a cool idea. Although it won't officially become a cool idea until the Cubs do it.

QUOTE (Brian @ Aug 8, 2013 -> 04:17 PM) Probably for ptac, I'm having shoulder pain. When I move my arm like I'm throwing, I feel it but it doesn't hurt, but when I lift my arm like a chicken wing, I feel a pinch or strain. Sound serious? Serious enough that you should stop lifting your arm like its a chicken wing. Problem solved.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 09:34 PM) Sale is obviously great. Alexei never played in the minors, so he doesn't count. This organization can produce pitchers but we absolutely can not develop young hitters, that needs to change. I thought about the Sale thing after I posted it, so strike that. And we signed Alexei, so I give the Sox credit for that. It's splitting hairs, but I think the Sox should get some credit for developing him on the major league level.

4/10. No excuses - just dumb. Which I suppose, in a way, is an excuse. That makes me a liar, too.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 5, 2013 -> 07:38 PM) The important thing down the stretch is the production of our future pieces. If we lose, I want to lose with our talented young players doing well (and our pitchers kicking ass)...basically exactly like we have during the losing streak. I don't pretend to know much about our minor leaguers, but all I ever hear is how bad they are and how bad our system has been for years. Nate Jones, Quintana, Reed, Santiago, Sale, Beckham, Alexei Ramirez, Viciedo - not terrible production coming from a team's minor leagues. Granted, no superstars, but decent depth. Again, I'm not saying any of them are great, but they're all legit major leaguers.

It's crazy that I was actually getting mad watching that video.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 12:49 PM) Whether or not I disagree, I don't hold any anger towards people who believe Hawk's time for retirement has come or even came a long time ago. All I really would like is a little bit of respect for a guy that I have spent my entire life listening to on the tele. You can say "he should have retired". Fine. Let him get the Frick award and head off into the sunset at some point. Actually, I'll back off the retirement comment because he's still better than 90 percent of the guys out there. I would like someone in the organization to tell him to engage his partner more, stop the silly silences, etc. Hawk is at that dangerous point (eg. Chris Berman) of being a self parody. That's not good.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 12:17 PM) People who hate Hawk are idiots. Yes, I am resorting to name calling. Hawk lost his fastball a few seasons ago. I don't "hate" him, but I think it's time for him to retire. If that makes me an idiot, so be it.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 24, 2013 -> 08:19 AM) Jaws is perhaps the most respected game-tape watcher in pro sports, so his opinion is notable. I wouldn't dispute this, but a few years ago Jaws analyzed each of Cutler's 26 INTs in the previous season and came to the conclusion that all but one (I'm pretty sure it was all but one) was Jay's fault. I know that when I watched the games, the announcers said on several occasions that the receiver fell or didn't run a good route, but Jaws concluded somehow that each INT was Jay's fault. I'm not a Cutler apologist, and I get totally frustrated watching him force balls into coverage, but the idea that 25 of 26 INTs were his fault was laughable when you consider the offensive line and weak bunch of receivers he had prior to Marshall arriving. http://beargoggleson.com/2010/02/12/breaki...-interceptions/

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 30, 2013 -> 02:08 PM) You listen to Harrelson when the team actually has a good overall game and buy into the kool aid for a couple of days before everything falls apart again. Never recommended.

I like reading, but I never liked trying to figure out symbolism, etc. I just like reading a book for enjoyment. I sometimes wonder if teachers assign meaning to things that the author never intended.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ May 6, 2013 -> 10:49 AM) You can not like Bernstein all you want, but he nailed it here: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/05/05/ber...ire-bobby-hull/ Bernstein's totally correct here. Ultimately, I don't think Carmen will last because he has a fake persona that he puts out there. He seems like he has melded McNeil & mike north into his radio persona. He does mcneil's food and entertainment "takes" and has North's phony "Italian" thing going - right down to the wise guy accent that he uses from time to time.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ May 1, 2013 -> 02:24 PM) He just owned a guy while talking about how wearing clothing from two different threads is a sin according to the Bible, but no one acknowledges that. Ask any gay guy, and I bet they agree.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Apr 8, 2013 -> 08:03 AM) In case people missed the post in the basketball forum: http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?s=...t&p=2779876 Interesting. I take back anything I said in defense of Alford. I really didn't know much about the case other than a few articles that I skimmed after reading through the thread, but I was wrong.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Apr 4, 2013 -> 08:48 PM) Um, he knew he wasn't innocent and even if he believed he was, he wouldn't have tried to shut her up I doubt Alford KNEW anything for sure in this case. He took the side of the player he coached. He went too far. His involvement in the case is being overstated to stroke Bernstein's ego. False accusations of sexual crimes do occasionally occur. http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/exone...topstories.html http://today.duke.edu/showcase/lacrosseincident/

I'm willing to accept that Hawk isn't going anywhere, but I could do without the silence when the Sox are doing bad. If I want to watch a tantrum, I have three kids who can take care of that for me. I just wish there was a strong voice who had the guts to tell Hawk to cut out the nonsense that doesn't work. He forces catchphrases too much, and I just wish someone would say, "Hawk, (fill in the blank) sounds really dumb and we don't want you to do it anymore." Be careful what you wish for when it comes to announcers. I always thought Mark Grace would be good because he has a good personality and I've been entertained when I heard him in interviews, but he is really boring and cookie cutter as announcer. Hawk is unique, and even though I suspect he's not a great guy (based on the way he's treated Wimpy, DJ and Stone), at least he tries to be entertaining. Now, let's all pitch in and buy him some polident, because he's reached the point where it sounds like his teeth are going to fall out when he opens his mouth.

Count me among the anti-Bernstein crowd because I believe that he is a huge phony. However, my defense of Alford's actions that will follow aren't colored by my dislike of DB. From what I've read, Alford basically supported his player and discredited the accuser. It doesn't appear that he went way over the line and participated in a cover-up of any sort. The AIA thing is pretty bad, I agree, but who knows exactly what his level of involvement was in the situation. Obviously, he backed a bad guy, so he probably should have just stayed out of it entirely and let the university handle the situation. What if he really believed Pierce, though? What if the accusation turned out to be made up? Remember the Duke Lacrosse team? Three members of the team were accused of a sexual assault and tried and convicted in the media. People still associate Duke Lacrosse with out of control behavior even though they were found to be doing little more than underaged drinking and shenanigans. It's a tough situation for a coach. I think it's human nature for people to protect and believe people they know versus believing the accusations of someone they don't. Again, I'm really not defending Alford, but I can see where stuff like this gets really confusing for people who are asked to answer for the actions of those around them. To drag it up 11 years after the fact when Alford really didn't do much wrong reaks of desperation for attention on Bernstein's part.

I was at the Sunday game, too. Best part was that my wife found tix through groupon for $6 each - 30 rows back behind Sox dugout. Free parking is a plus. It's really annoying that the guys whose signature fans might actually want walk in and out of the stadium about 30 feet from the rail. You can fill up a ball with guys with jersey numbers in the 70s and 80s, though. DeAza signed for all my kids, so I'd rank him as the coolest regular. Oh well, I'm not an autograph hound anyway. One of my first posts on this board was regarding a ST game at Oakland's Muni Stadium. It was and away game for the Sox (obviously), so the bus was outside the stadium. There couldn't have been more than 40 Sox fans there. One of the first guys out and on the bus - in full uniform - was Konerko. He stayed on the bus at least 30 minutes waiting for the rest of the team to come out and didn't sign one autograph. It was a little disappointing, but I was able to forgive him in the fall. World Series HRs will do that.

It doesn't help the Sox much that most of the local media act as a de-facto marketing department for the Cubs. I still hear/read things that refer to the location of the Cell as dangerous. I always park west of the park and walk through the neighborhood and never had a problem, nor have I seen anyone else being hassled in any way. Also, there's a huge police presence around the park before and after games. I still hear/read about how bad the upper deck is at the Cell. It's rarely mentioned that a good number of seats at Wrigley are useless because of pillar locations, etc. I still hear/read about how Cubs fans have always been more loyal to their team. I'm old enough (40) to remember all of the games early in the season and late in the season having the upper deck closed because nobody was at the games. Heck, Lee Elia's rant took place in 1983. The crux of it was that there were a handful of fans who showed up, and they were bad fans. That said, I'm tired of the excuses about Sox attendance. Attendance is becoming a problem throughout sports as prices increase and the comfort of home viewing is weighed versus the cost. Unfortunately, the Sox are accross town from one of the very few sports franchises that seems to be somewhat immune. However, like SS2K, I think their fans are finally demanding some results before they go out to the park.

I thought "Silver Linings Playbook" was very average. Good performances by Cooper and Katniss, but the rest was pretty lame. There was nothing convincing about the DeNiro character or storyline at all. "Django" was very entertaining - minus the Tarantino over-the-top shootout. Waltz and Foxx were a good team, and Dicaprio was fantastic. "Argo" was great. Best thing I saw all year - in a year where I didn't get out to many movies. The opening scene at the embassy is so realistic (as far as I know). Edge of my seat for the whole sequence. Affleck should have been nominated for best director. Hollywood ending was the only flaw. DDL was great as Lincoln, but he's pretty much great in anything. The movie is worth seeing, but it's pretty slow. Love the Oscars. Not really sure why actors can't have a prepared speech that says "something" though. Thank your list of people on your time. Say something significant about why you got into acting or your film's significance, or anything. Just prepare. You're an actor. Act. You have a 20% chance of winning. 50/50 really - because you either win or you don't. Stop acting like you have no idea you would win. If you weren't nominated, and they announce you as the winner, then it's acceptable to stammer and do the Sarah Jessica Parker act.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 20, 2013 -> 07:00 AM) The situation stood in stark contrast to their North Side neighbors, as the Cubs regularly were at near-capacity despite carrying one of the worst records throughout the season. One look at their games on tv would prove this statement untrue. Games may have been sold-out, but there were plenty of empty seats and give-away prices on StubHub and the like.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 31, 2012 -> 06:43 PM) Also Oklahoma City by Andrew Gumbel on the bombing of the Murrah Building. It really outlines the whole plot and trials, as well as a lot of what the federal government potentially left on the table in order to bury McVeigh and Nichols. **bump** Driving cross country from AZ to Chicago last summer, we side-tracked to the OKC Memorial. I remember exactly where I was when the bombing happened, but I never really followed the story afterward. Not sure why. I wasn't expecting much, but the Memorial is very well done, and worth the trip if it's not too far out of your way. The letters that were taped up to the walls around the Memorial were heartbreaking. Back to books - I'm listening to 11/22/63 now (kills time while at work), and I'm near the end. Do we count listening to books as reading? So far, it has elements of what King does best, and some of what he does worst. I find his longer books a little slow to get going (100 pages) while he introduces characters, then they hit their stride hard and are great until just before the end. For whatever reason, I'm usually not too impressed with his endings on the long stuff. Hope this is different. Read "Gone, Girl" recently and liked it quite a bit. Easy read with some twists that I didn't expect.