Balta1701

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 12:20 PM) Would love to see Hawk's entire verbal repertoire retired as a starting point. I'd really like to not hear "El Canon" this weekend, it just doesn't work.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 01:32 PM) Iran....Carter was the high interest rates and "national malaise/I sinned in my heart" president. Smart enough to run a nuclear submarine, best "after Presidency," but had no idea how to work with Congress or delegate. Completely ineffective/inept. But it was the inability to resolve the hostage crisis quickly and Americans' overall sense of weakness that pushed Reagan over the top in 1980.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 11:12 AM) He knows and has known all along what teams can offer him. If he goes back to the Knicks, it will be about the money, which is fine, but makes him a phony.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 10:29 AM) Are you saying that Brian Cardinal wasn't deserving of a $34 million contract ten years ago? Good point. Tyrus Thomas got 5/$40.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 10:22 AM) So it's a labor of love, pretty much purely. When I went on that trip last August to see the teams in person, or when Balta goes to nearby games to report, we pay for that out of our own pockets. I suppose it may be career-aiding for some people, but that's about the only potential financial reward in sight. One of the BHam ballplayers rolled a ball to us over the dugout when I wasn't looking. It hit my moonshine-containing cocktail. I'm still waiting on FS to replace it.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 10:26 AM) Yeah, ideally from his financial standpoint he would not have opted out, but then there is zero chance LeBron stays and he is screwed either way. Taking the new deal with Miami is still probably better than what other teams would have offered him given his recent sucktitude. I think you're seriously overestimating NBA owners/GMs.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 10:21 AM) Why is the Int'l signing age set so low? Most are just 17. you know what I mean. Teams are throwing money around as if they have their own printing presses to kids still in high school, assuming they go to school at all. For most, they won't even be ready for low Rookie League for at least two years. I think the problem here is the assumption that they're in high school.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 10:18 AM) See, I think rounding up an entire race of people simple because they had slanty eyes and putting them in camps is worse than "torture" of actual enemies who were caught trying to kill Americans. But FDR is a liberal wet dream so... forgotten? Reagan was great because he rallied the country and made Americans proud to be Americans. He came after Carter, so of course he was going to look like a savior, just like Obama did in his first term. On top of not accomplishing much of anything in 6+ years, Obama has made Americans feel terrible about being Americans. It also cracks me up that Obama has continued and expanded about 95% of the policies that Bush implemented and was chastised for during the majority of his terms (basically all of his foreign policy choices, GITMO, drone use, the Patriot Act/NSA scandals, etc.). But let's ignore that. He's a cool dude! I agree. How FDR is not at the top of a "worst president since WWII" list is a question I'll never understand.

Insert other thing said by one particular poster.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 09:45 AM) When teams can abuse the system at the expense of the teams that play by the rules there is something inherently wrong in the system. International draft makes perfect sense, gets rid of the abuses of the system, distributes talent evenly across the leagues, and helps remove some of the corruption in the process. Here's the thing though, the Yankees might well not be abusing the system. There's some pretty severe penalties coming for dumping everything they had into this year.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 09:21 AM) I could see Milwaukee taking a shot at him. I imagine he'll wind up with the Heat for like $1 mil or something.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 08:40 AM) So if the Bulls do amnesty Boozer, what's the odds that somebody puts in a bid on him? Isn't the way that this works someone will put up a couple million dollars for him and the Bulls will pay the remainder? No way he's out of the league this year.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 3, 2014 -> 02:35 AM) We're collecting upper 90's fastball guys who can't get the ball over the plate...first there was the Sisco/Aardsma/Masset trio. Now we have Henry Rodriguez, Cleto and Angel Sanchez. Hopefully they can bring some excitement to Knights' fans...who knows, maybe they can even make a run at the playoffs in the 2nd half. Yes, we're collecting them. I certainly think of things I got in 2006 and things I got today and call them a collection.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 09:19 PM) it's not a 'new' rule, it is a legal interpretation that the RFRA applies in this case. The RFRA that was supported by many of the same Democratic idiots that are now complaining that it is a travesty, such as Reid, Boxer and so on. Democrats praised the RFRA back then. Now it is the devil! Much like defense of marriage act, its name gives away how much bull it actually is.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 05:34 PM) I said that's an option, yes. Then it's an option for these people to give up their business

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 05:25 PM) Actually, you now do! The 2nd bolded is laughable. how is this bringing more Christianity INTO government? It's removing government from Christianity if anything. Which is why today the Obama admin received a request citing this decision from privately-held military contractors requesting that they be allowed to discriminate against gays and lesbians in hiring. Because less christianity if all the gays are unemployed.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 05:00 PM) Closing a business and losing a livelihood is less substantial than having to obtain contraception on your own? Really? You're going to stand behind that argument? U guys are the ones who have said that the people who lose their coverage should just quit.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 04:29 PM) Jesus, I missed this. Balta 2.0. No one is forcing these employees to believe anything. I can't think of any other case where having to pay an additional ~$1000 or so is termed anything like an "individual mandate", can anyone help me out?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 03:53 PM) Typical. Nobody cares if they offend people over religious issues. Thanks for the confirmation. I'm genuinely offended that you refuse to even read people's replies to you when they say you are flat out wrong. And you don't care either.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 02:49 PM) One thing is for certain. We will find out. The question is, will we find out in the next 29 days?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 11:25 AM) That is complete bulls*** but we can go with it. Probably a lot of bias in the answers. They might stay on it for some of those reasons when they are married but they didn't go onto it for those reasons. Total load of s***. Common sense tells you that. My wife actually used them to treat one of those conditions. She got sick enough that she couldn't continue working due to the number of days she was missing, wound up both unemployed and losing her insurance, at which point she lost that treatment. The condition was described as "having her insides strangled". 4 years later I finally had good enough insurance to cover a family and we got her covered again and she wound up having surgery last year. So yeah, there is a post here that is complete bulls*** but it isn't mine.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 10:44 AM) Or if you do you bring in enough guys to make it worth it. If you bring in like 4 guys and pay over by enough to prevent yourself from signing anyone, nobody wins, but if you bring in 7-10 guys, then you're doing something OK. And then you have the question of whether it's worth it to do so that year. If we went a couple million over this year, who else would we grab if the Yankees are bringing in like 4-5 other guys?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 10:40 AM) Lakers might be that team. Do they have a large salary they can give back? It actually doesn't help the Bulls much aside from saving Reinsdorf money if the Bulls trade Boozer to a team that just absorbs his contract.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 10:20 AM) The Sox aren't going over the cap. They just don't do it. The 2nd year penalties are enough that you better be getting a guy who is much more of a sure thing than your typical 17-18 year old if you're doing so.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jul 2, 2014 -> 10:17 AM) The main reason to S&T isn't to get rid of Boozer though. It's to acquire Carmelo while being over the salary cap. They can't sign him outright and go over the cap but if they trade for him they can. If they do that, they get to use the Full Mid-Level Exception and a Lower Exception as well. They could realistically slot Mirotic into part of or all of the MLE, while signing a backup C and guys like Ben Gordon, Caron Butler, etc to fill out the team with the exceptions. Being over the cap is actually a good thing this offseason for sure. If the Knicks won't take Boozer then that means the Bulls would have to bring in another team who was wiling to do so, making things extraordinarily messy.