Balta1701

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 02:33 PM) And it is very simple to sit here and second guess all the picks that didn't work out, without offering any of your own opinions when the decisions had to be made. That's why the only reaction here to Mike Trout being drafted was "Well, the Angels sure do love outfielders, don't they". Because everyone here knew Mike Trout was the best draft pick in history, but no one wanted to say so.

QUOTE (Tex @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 12:25 PM) But he's making Billy Botch seem like a nice memory. This actually took me longer than I want to admit...

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 11:43 AM) But you can't shut him down. What if the Bulls make it to the 2nd round and Rose wants to play against the Heat? At this point...no. That's the one thing he's not doing. His first games back will not be a 4 game stretch against the Heat.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 11:37 AM) This is the earliest in the year that I just can't stay interested in the outcome of games. This is just bad, ugly baseball. I'm a patient man, but this is just garbage. It's not fun to watch, and it's not fun to follow. I hope it gets better. The hitting almost has to get better. The fundamentals though, they've been so incredibly bad that I wonder if that's just who this team is this year; a team that forgot to practice anything in the spring and will miss the cutoff man 9 times out of 10 the whole year.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 11:10 AM) Is there a limit for how many rehab assignments he can make? As for hoping for disaster, starting pitching is easily where the Sox are deepest and I'm more concerned about Danks being able to contribute long term than any short term impact he could make this year. The timetable for his return keeps getting pushed back, and all I was saying is that there's no need at all to rush him. No, if he starts a rehab assignment there is a time limit on the rehab assignment (I believe that is 30 days), but if he's not ready to be called up at the end of that he can be put back on the disabled list, have a few days off, and then begin another rehab assignment.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 11:01 AM) Sorry it took so long for me to comment on this, but this charge bothers me a bit... If that qualifies for the definition of "weapon of mass destruction", then by that rational, GW actually did find WMD's in Iraq. Seems like we're being a bit loosey-goosey on the definition of a WMD here. There was discussion of this around the internets yesterday...basically, the version of "Weapon of mass destruction" used in the U.S. legal system is different from the version used colloquially. Here's a summary from a "Wired" piece.

So far, the government has failed to find any evidence that the suspect produce ricin or even obtained information about how to produce it, and admitted that in court yesterday. This could be a serious threat to their case against this man if they can't come up with some evidence directly linking him to its production.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 10:23 AM) Need to ask the guys in the UFO's how they manage. Maybe they have some kind of immunity. If you could actually have an industrial setup in space, you're set, because there are plenty of resources on asteroids, just no processing facilities. The problem is having a rocket with enough lift capacity to lift large masses out of a planet's atmosphere. If you can come up with power from some sort of fusion source, great, that does it also, but chemical propulsion is very inefficient in energy per mass. It's a tough problem unless you stop caring about costs, and the only time that ever happened was when we beat the Russians to the Moon.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 10:18 AM) Easy response to that is everything remains the exact same as it is now. The same federal/local laws apply, just as they always have. The only change is that the feds mandate a minimum sentence for those CONVICTED of gun crimes. So you said "if you have a gun register it" for what reason? That's completely different from what you've said here. All you've said here is that you'll make sentencing laws tougher, which brings a "la de freaking da" from me.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 10:07 AM) It can easily be considered. You are only federalizing gun crime. Not LEGAL ownership of guns. I'm not suggesting anything that overturns local guns laws. Those laws remain the same. The only change you make at the federal level is imposing a MINIMUM sentence, so the local judges can't just let you off with a warning, like they're doing now. All it is, is a federal mandate that if you are arrested for a gun violation, you do a MINIMUM prison sentence without possibility of parole. That's all. The local courts can still try the case, but if found guilty, they have to abide by the minimum sentence set by the feds. "If you have a gun, register it" Immediate response from the only people who matter: "OH MY GOD THE GOVERNMENT IS COMING FOR MY GUNS THEY CAN'T DO THIS I'M GOING TO HAVE TO START KILLING PEOPLE FOR FREEDOM!!!!!!!"

QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 10:07 AM) Mars has radiation? Or do you mean the lack of a magnetosphere? Once you get outside of the Earth's magnetic field, you enter a radiation environment impacted by both the sun and galactic cosmic rays. The Earth's atmosphere and magnetosphere protect people while they're within it, but on a 6 month or year long voyage to Mars, you're getting a lethal level of exposure. You can line a spacecraft with something like several inches of lead to cut down on the radiation exposure, but that's an enormous amount of weight to lift off. The radiation dosage you get would be near lethal on the voyage there.

Would only apply if they explained how they'll deal with the radiation problem. Have not done so.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 09:49 AM) Federalize gun crime. Problem solved, across the board. If you have a gun, register it, and you have X days to do so before the new law goes into effect. LOL. I'll leave it to someone else to predict what the response to this will be and why it can't possibly ever be considered.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 09:46 AM) If he is healthy and throwing well, what purpose does it serve to keep him in the minors? Bragging rights for the people who predict every year to be a disaster.

QUOTE (Knuckles @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 08:24 PM) Remember when Red Sox and Yankees were suppose to suck? Remember when the Royals were running away with the AL in April that one year?

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 06:22 PM) I still think a rotation of Sale, Peavy, Danks, Quintana, & Santiago/Johnson can be amongst the best in baseball next year, which is why I'm completely against a firesale. Building a strong rotation is always the hardest part of putting together a playoff caliber team and we already have that part down. However, revamping the offense is going to be a serious challenge for Hahn. He's going to have to use his limited resources very wisely. We desperately need an impact bat or two and generally need better all-around hitters (more AVG/OBP). I'm not sure what's going to be available in free agency, but we should have some money to work with. Hahn is going to have to get really creative with his moves though. I don't envy the position Hahn is in right now, but I do think he can put together a good enough offense by next season with the right moves. There are some pretty solid potential bats available around the infield. Robinson Cano is obviously the prize, but some other names like Jhonny Peralta, Brian McCann are on the list as guys who regularly produce. Then there's a good number of guys who might be able to give you moderate production or short deals: Utley, Morneau, Morales, Adam Lind, Mike Morse, Stephen Drew if he stays healthy this year. 3b is pretty weak, and outside of Granderson and Ellsbury the OF doesn't impress me, but there are some other DH types in there as well. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/02/2014...ree-agents.html

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 05:21 PM) 3 out of 4 starts. So Chris Sale can't possibly keep up a rate of 3 good starts out of 4? Yeah, that'll never happen.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 05:14 PM) And the bullpen will keep a 2.22 era and Quintana, Peavy and Sale will continue to dominate. Sale has been dominant?

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 04:22 PM) Probably Quebecois separatists CNN has called it "Al Qaeda linked" for whatever that's worth. (keeps reminding me that I need to change the news alerts app on my phone after their fail last week).

QUOTE (Wedge @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 03:08 PM) More than anything, awful contracts to position players have killed the Sox over the years. Picking up Rios's contract, signing Dunn. Williams was solid at finding guys in other organizations that could contribute as everyday players, but drafting and splashy FA signings were real killers, especially for a franchise that just couldn't afford a lot of bad money. Don't underestimate here how important 2011 was to this franchise. You don't go out and sign guys on the FA market for what they're going to do in 3 years. That's a terrible strategy given where the dollar amounts are. If you're signing a guy on the FA market for good money, you sign a guy to win that year. Anything you get at the end of a deal is a bonus, you're signing the deal to improve your team that year. We spent that money in 2011 and guaranteed it a couple years down the road, at which point, the 2011 team completely imploded.

This is from the federal complaint filed against him, summary of what they have on video:

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 02:37 PM) So after the rebuild they were extremely profitable. What course of action do you recommend the Sox currently take? Do what they did to ensure profitability right after that rebuild. Get the state of Illinois to buy them a brand new ballpark.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 02:25 PM) Finished with another K. 6 1/3, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K's... Oh, and I forgot, Saladino yet another struggling/disappointing Sox hitter after a decent start. Seems like he's hit a wall in the last year...not sure if he will emerge on the other side or not. There definitely have been some whispers about him falling out of favor with the org starting last year.

Anywho, federal charges filed against him today, for using a weapon of mass destruction against persons and property in the U.S. resulting in death. Charges can qualify for the death penalty.