Balta1701

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 7, 2013 -> 08:37 AM) I'm sure Rose has more three pointers to practice first. Someone did post in here KC's statement that he thinks Rose will be out for the year, right?

QUOTE (Jake @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 11:59 PM) I don't like Rand Paul, but Obama's handling of this and pretty much all drone issues are puzzling. Has he gone completely paranoid? He's going all in on a program that shouldn't matter much to him. If he goes forward with a plan to create some sort of oversight on this program he'll look like a hero, instead he looks like a guy with very dubious motives. I don't know where the President himself stands on this, but I'll bet you that the air force and the CIA absolutely love this program. It gives them a new toy where they're able to flex their muscles in the military conflict, and it allows them a degree of safety and detachment that they never had before. I would bet that there are some very powerful people in those organizations who would be very, very angry if the President started supporting restrictions on the program. Agreed totally on the need for oversight from my side though.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 7, 2013 -> 11:31 AM) DKnobler ‏@DKnobler Rafael Furcal to have Tommy John surgery, Cardinals announce He always had a great throwing arm.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Mar 7, 2013 -> 07:08 AM) This is just a terrible post. You want to lock up a pitcher you're certain will need Tommy John surgery in the next two years? That makes absolutely no sense. If you actually believe he'll need surgery you do one-off deals through his arbitration years. An early-career contract may be easier to insure.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 7, 2013 -> 08:38 AM) And the Yankees are trying really hard to get under that luxury tax number. Konerko's deal expires this year though right? So he'd be a stopgap that wouldn't impact their ability to get under the tax for next year.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 04:43 PM) Wow that's a lot of money. I am torn about this one. On one hand I want to keep our young talent but on the other hand at what cost and is it efficent for the team and has he a proven track record. But, it is most lkely most cost effective if we want to keep Sale and he wants to stay If it was $30 million through his arb years, I'd be all for it. I'd gamble that on an ace. Just want an option year or two at the end.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has led an actual talking filibuster today of the nomination of Intelligence Chief Brennan, focused mostly on the issue of drones and the targeted assassination program. He's over 4 hours so far. I pretty much think everything quoted in this article sounds spot on. No idea what else he's talked about, but he's due some credit for this move. #filiblizzard

Watch out for lens flares in act 3!

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 10:29 AM) The more I tell people about this, the more people claimed it's happened in last few weeks. I had a credit card (Citi) get closed in Feb. after someone used it in Vegas. I just assumed it was Shack.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 12:37 PM) I don't buy this. Some might, most won't. You're talking about gigantic gambles and potentially even more lost revenue. You think consumer won't change their perception of GE if they stick it to the US, refuse to pay their fair share of taxes and go work out of X country? Heck, make it part of the bill that if a company leaves because they don't want to pay taxes they're estopped from conducting business in the US. No company is going to risk that. (And yes, that's an extreme measure that would never ever happen, but i'm sure there are ways to keep businesses from leaving). GE hasn't paid any federal income tax in >4 years.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 09:21 AM) Illinois was the letdown game. This one they got outplayed. Getting outplayed, at home, on Senior Night, with the Big Ten Title in their grasp? I'd call that a letdown.

QUOTE (SpainSOXfan09 @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 09:00 AM) Balta, what do you think is the going rate for an up and coming LH starter with ACE potential to lock up at least his ARB years and 1 FA year? 4/40 or 4/44? I'm trying to remember the last example of someone like that signing. I came up with Jon Lester, who signed for 5/$30, with an option year at $13 million, back in 2009, but I think he was only at 1 year of service time at that point. Who else should I be thinking of here? Crowdsource that? I think most teams would try to tack a fairly expensive option year onto that, but yeah, something in the 4/$40 range might sound realistic, and I bet you could get Sale's side to agree to that.

Lousy Smarch weather.

That was the classic "Complete letdown" game I'm so used to from my teams.

QUOTE (SpainSOXfan09 @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 08:48 AM) Link: http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/white-sox-t...ussed-extension Well, I thought they would not discuss this until next year so we could gage the after year effect (Verducci effect) on his workload and arm. 1. Is it too soon to discuss extension with Sale or do we lock up his 3 ARB and 2 FA years for example? 2. What would be a reasonable offer based on his past performance and future stock plus the possible/probable issues with his arm mechanics? Thoughts? A good read on the "Verducci Effect" from a few weeks ago. The earlier you lock him up, the cheaper it is in the long run.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 01:24 AM) I never brought rich into the discussion. What I'm saying is if you cut this net out from under them that enables them to do basically nothing and get by they'll be forced to find some way of making money. Some will get jobs, some will find some scheme, some will resort to crime (in an ideal world however the 2A deters that path). Either way, no matter what happens, the people who actually earn their living wont have to shoulder this burden of handing them free s***. This same basic idea applies to business and the epic welfare packages they receive in the form of corrupt contracts and straight up handouts. You know what? We actually tried this. We made "Welfare" much stingier in the late 90's. You could only stay on it so long, there were very strict limits to who qualified. The end result has been fewer people on welfare, but slow and steady increases in poverty, children in poverty, and people in deep poverty over time. That includes poverty increases during the last so-called economic expansion as well, not just from the collapse. A decent number (~20% of the recipients) simply fall off the map after their time runs out, and presumably wind up on the streets. Resorting to crime, btw, is far, far, far more expensive than people on welfare.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 07:40 AM) Also fidel castro will outlive us all Viva socialized medicine!

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 02:13 PM) I thought it was new, but who knows. Vaughn Mcclure didn't mention it. Aggrey Sam also left out the fact that: "Bulls say Carlos Boozer did not make the trip to San Antonio. The reason is unclear but not believed to be injury related" which Vaughn reported.

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 01:54 PM) Aggrey Sam: Rip didn't make the trip, Kirk doubtful for tomorrow's game, Taj still day-to-day and so is Derrick, per Thibs. Has Rose been "day to day" for a while or is that something new? (and yes, I know it's meaningless for Thibs, just wondering if it's an upgrade).

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 01:44 PM) Very intriguing. Is there room for a guy who was almost franchised under the Bears cap? Depends. They owe Kellen Davis something like $3 million+ this year. Remove him and that could free up enough money for a TE upgrade. And let's be honest, there's always another trick to pull to move money around to get under the cap, and the Bears haven't been forced to do those yet since they were under the cap coming in to the offseason (teams like the Jets, Cowboys had to do the bloodbath to get under the cap already, that deadline is next week).

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 01:30 PM) I just went to IL Snap page and tried to sign my son up for food stamps. If he wanted to do it, he would be eligible for $200 a month in assistance. I am sure every state has some differences, I am telling you what I just found out here in IL. And after checking, they're calculating housing costs and dependent costs into that also. I could get $320 a month in IL having rent, minimum wage income, and several dependents. What a generous bonus!

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 01:21 PM) Is it your point that only poor people in the city are on welfare/food stamps? That all people getting food stamps don't have cars? In most cities, out of the lowest income groups (bottom 20%), 1/3 to 1/4 of the people actually own cars. So for the most part, yeah.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 01:15 PM) So you're agreeing that no one actually spends $37 a day on vegetables because the people you're talking about don't have access to groceries anyway! Goalposts, consider yourselves moved. What's your ACTUAL point balta? Because if it's lack of access I agree. If it's cost, I disagree. There's a reason why the "live on $4 a day" challenge exists in the first place.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 01:15 PM) Except government is actually outgrowing GDP. Using the graphs already posted, federal spending is at the same level it was in 1950. It actually does need to outgrow GDP over the next 20 years though, because of the baby boom retirement. It's going to have to happen.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Mar 5, 2013 -> 08:23 AM) dont know if it was posted but same guy that broke the Melkey Cabrera suspension weeks before it became official is sighting a unnamed source that says MLB is getting ready to suspend A-Rod, Braun, Cano, and Granderson. just a rumor now, who knows if true but he did break the melky one. Earlier this afternoon, DAPS’ sports beat writer, Joe Ball, tweeted the following: @joebisceglie Anonymous Source: Cano, Granderson, A-Rod and Braun will all be suspended for failing PED test this season. 7:41 PM - 04 Mar 13 He’s unable to disclose his sources, but Joe’s been right about this type of news before. A full month before the suspension became official last summer, Joe’s anonymous source correctly identified Melky Cabrera as the next big name to be slapped with the 50 game fine. This time, that same source has named Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, and Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees and Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers as the next star players who will receive suspensions. then he said: RE: our breaking news on DAPS. I totally get the reluctance to believe us, this news is gigantic and we are the only ones to report it. Quote: We were as shocked as you guys are by it. All we ask is that you remember where you heard it first when ESPN "breaks this" in 4 weeks. Back in 2005, I think I bought the "online rumor someone is about to get suspended" a lot more. Guys who actually have been suspended, we didn't hear about it in advance. And now Twitter is out there, which makes promulgating these rumors even easier.