Balta1701

QUOTE (Jake @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 03:41 PM) There's a segment in the documentary (which plays more like a serious of short documentaries) Freakonomics where they think the recent drop in violence is in large part explained by Roe v Wade. I posted this one a couple weeks ago, here's my version; environmental cleanup of lead.

Man, Julio Jones is becoming one helluva player.

Nobel-Economist Joseph Stiglitz argues in the NYT that inequality has become a major issue holding back the recovery.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 01:54 PM) Of course, this isn't going to be easy. However, getting a left handed hitter, and one who can hit the Tiger's starting RHP has to be the goal. The Sox have no chance to compete with Detroit with the kind of offensive numbers they put up last year. No, I wouldn't trade Sale for Markakis, but I'd consider giving up something significant to get someone of his caliber. I'm not sure that the White Sox have a trade chip of significant value other than Chris Sale right now. The Sox can make the kind of deals that got them Youkilis and Linebrink last year...and Hawkins will rapidly be a tradeable asset who could bring back a quality player, but if we want a MLB level starter that a team isn't trying to get rid of, Sale is about our only real bait. You might be able to pull something off with Viciedo + Quintana + Reed/Jones. I would probably take that if I were in the Orioles GM spot, but I'm wondering if that would get vetoed by Angelos.

QUOTE (Tex @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 01:25 PM) I'll take a stab at a more thought out and serious post and watch the points get misconstrued, twisted, and lost "Wussification" would indicated American society is becoming less violent, less physical. I'm not certain that is true. Road rage, serial killings, and overall violence all seem to be increasing, not decreasing. Now, some may see any attempt to stop that (watching how children play, well regulating guns, etc) as unnecessary or a bad thing. damn gotta go before I finish. Here's the start I can't speak to road rage and serial killings in particular, but compared to 20 years ago, overall violence is way, way, way down. Violent crimes per 100000 people was at 750 in the early 1990's, it's dropped below 450 in the most recent years. That's nearly a decrease in violent crime by a factor of 2, nationwide, over the last 20 years. About the only type of crime that isn't screaming downwards is gun crime.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 08:16 PM) So would you guys be comfortable with going into next season with Webb as the LT? I've been more positive on him than most, but I dunno. They clearly need talent on the O-line...but if a guy can be an average blocker with the horrible setup the Bears were running, that's saying something...and they don't have the room to bring in 7 new o-linemen this offseason. If he can be average at LT, you put an average LG next to him (Louis?), you get Carimi succesfully blocking at RG, you bring in a RT who can actually play, and you get rid of the stupid system that leaves him on an island alone against Matthews...it's got a chance to be both effective and affordable enough to keep Melton and perhaps Urlacher. The real trouble is...if he could put up an "average" performance last year, being the strongest part of a very weak line, then you don't just want to discard him. He wasn't terrible, but he's also not expensive, and you can't just toss away assets.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 01:05 AM) No undefeated teams in the Big Ten. What is it, 5 teams tied in first place? I can't say enough how much fun this is. Every game is like an elite 8 game, in talent and intensity.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 20, 2013 -> 12:24 PM) I agree that it isn't merely a matter of from which side of the plate the "Tiger slayer" hits. However, wouldn't you agree that the Sox need another left handed, middle of the order hitter? Doesn't it also make sense that he should be someone who has demonstrated success against the Tiger's right handed starters? If there was a person available for a tolerable price, then sure, the Sox should be looking to trade for such a person. However, there is little reason to believe Markakis is available for a reasonable price. He's signed for 2 years with an expensive 3rd option, taking him on would add $32 million to the Sox payroll over the next 2 years, the Orioles made the playoffs last year, and unless there's someone I don't know about, the Orioles don't have someone behind him that would push them to move him. Would you be willing to part with Sale for Markakis? I'd be stunned if they wouldn't do that. Anyone else on our roster? No idea.

Obviously it can't just be the handedness of the batter, look at Pierzynski and De Aza, they did decent but they're not going up nearly as much as the others are going down. Highly doubtful Markakis is available. By all accounts the Orioles ownership just loves him. Of course, I'm sure they'd happily give him up for Sale, but even if Viciedo for Markakis was a good swap for both teams, I doubt their ownership would allow it. He's in the same mode as Brian Roberts was, where they wouldn't trade him for the longest time...except now they actually made the playoffs last year, so they have even less reason to move him.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 06:23 PM) Numerous times Ive seen Jarod Allen absolutely embarrass him. I just dont understand how he can be considered an average offensive lineman that doesnt negatively affect his team, its amazing to me He had a really good game against Jared Allen the last game against the Vikings. In fact, Allen has struggled against him a lot...Allen only had one really good game against Webb (2nd game of last year). And especially considering he never, ever, ever gets help, holding his own against him is pretty good. The guy who beats the crap out of him is Matthews. But again, he never got help against him.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 05:16 PM) Unfortunately though it's the tallest midget problem. He was the best of an awful group. Hopefully on the right side, he can be an average tackle. According to Emery's #'s, he was just about an average tackle on the left side. If that's right, the problem was he had gaping holes next to him, on the right side, and was assumed he could block everyone in the league one on one.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 04:42 PM) I dont really want Webb anywhere near the starting OL I gotta feeling he's going to be there next year. Emery's own numbers that he presented in his post-lovie-firing press conference, seemed to support this.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 04:22 PM) In the article it compares Rios to Encarnacion, Dunn to Sexson, Beckham to Randa, Konerko to McGriff, (Viciedo to Walter Young.) I'd love it if Beckham could rip off a year like Randa.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 04:10 PM) Dunn is in his early 30's though. My bad, I assumed you were looking at comps for Viciedo. (Edit: And I have no idea why Juan Encarnacion would show up as a comp for Dunn).

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 04:03 PM) Juan Encarnacion, Richie Sexson, Joe Randa those are some ugly offensive comps. I'll take the Sale and Quintana comps, deal Peavy and Floyd by the deadline and put Santiago in the roation. Build around a Sale, Danks, Quintana, and Santiago rotation for 2014. Richie Sexson was a really good player until his early 30's when he fell apart in Seattle. 45 HR, .927 OPS as a 28 year old.

QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 03:38 PM) Right, obviously anything can happen in baseball, they very well could win 100 games, or only 80 games. But, I feel that given the evidence, and the circumstances, the latter is more likely. I don't think either of those is more likely. I think they're about equally likely, because I think they're about a 90 win team, so a whole lot would have to go wrong for them to be below .500, just like a awhole lot would have to go right for them to close in on 100 wins.

QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 03:33 PM) I'm not saying the Tigers are awful, or that they're not any good, but I gotta look at things from all perspectives. I know the media is going to slobber over Detroit, KC, and probably Cleveland, but I find them overrated. I think Detroit has probably gone from being an 88 win team to a 91-92 win team with Martinez back, Sanchez for the full year, and Hunter in the fold. They could be seriously better than that...but they could also be worse. Injuries always play in, and a small decrease in performance from Cabrera if he doesn't get in quite as good of shape this offseason or has his ankle go bad again at 3b could hit as well. Why you play the games.

QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 03:12 PM) We won the home opening series against them too. I know its going to sound biased, but I'm still not overly sold on Detroit. They are a solid team and are the favorites to win this division. But hell, the favorites to win this division never seem to win this division.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 03:11 PM) If Long leaves as a free agent, he has to be priority No.1 for the Bears right? I know he regressed a little this year, but he is 27 years old and a legit above-average, if not, top 5 left tackle. I would pay top dollar for him because of the dire need we have there. Not only would we have a legit LT, but also you could live with a lesser LG because of it. Figure Lance Louis comes back as one of the guards. And you draft one in the top two rounds. Then pray that Webb can be a decent RT. Regardless, I think an impact FA like Long would go a long way toward turning this team around. My worry continues to be the cap space...in this sense. Long is, IMO, likely to get close to $10 million a year. Maybe more, just off of how much people will pay for O-line help. If that's the case, the Bears will not have the room to sign both him and Melton (along with the cap holds). So, are you willing to let Melton walk in order to sign long? Create a D-line weakness to shore up the O-Line?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 02:50 PM) Just backing you up a bit However, the huge effort expended by this country during WW2 very well may be a large part why you and I are able to do just about everything we do in our everyday lives, and we need to always remember that. Efforts, undertaken...by a very intrusive government.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 02:38 PM) Getting over .500 in the division will require beating Detroit, which I still envision being an issue. But as far as the other 3 teams go, (re: Marty's post) I see no reason why the Sox can't do just as well against them again. There's really nothing stopping us from being tolerable against Detroit either. We were an above .500 team. There's no reason why we're obviously unable to make a challenge against them in an ordinary game...except for the mental ones.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 02:04 PM) I hear ya, but last season (6-12) was the worst it's ever been. I'm not saying they will go 14-4 against them, but just getting closer to .500 will help the division record. Since we were back by 3 games...going 9-9 against them produces a division tie.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 01:53 PM) Reading the transcript of the interview is crazy. Schaap failing to follow-up on anything that sounded suspicious is ridiculous. I don't know about this case, but getting these interviews sometimes means submitting questions in advance for approval and giving up your right to follow-up questions.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 01:37 PM) Skipping the fact that you think the government has nothing to gain by ripping up the Constitution and dissolving the republic.... and that our cities, which have the toughest gun laws, are flooded with guns anyways... As a country, were addicted to outrage and sensitive to everything that happens to us (even s*** we do to ourselves). Kid get bullied, we act like its a war-crime. Girl gets date-raped, move over World War 2 and the Black Death there's a new Greatest Tragedy in the History of Mankind. A CEO of a company donates to organizations that dont fit a pro-gay agenda, were at DEFCON 0 THE MISSILES ARE IN THE AIR. Look, all of that s*** is bad. From hating the gays to kids getting bullied, I'm not saying this should be happening and that we should encourage it. However that doesn't mean we have to mobilize ourselves every couple weeks and demand the government come swooping in to fix all of our problems. That's not the right move. Because every time we do that the government winds up doing something, maybe it isn't as dramatic as a law but its always something; a new (or expanded) bureaucracy, a new executive order, a change in policy from the executive, hidden amendments to benign spending bills... it all comes around. None of it actually makes us safer, or does anything to stop any of the bad s*** that happens, but that's not the point. The government really is God to people, we come to them humbly begging their favor and even if they dont deliver we keep trying. That's like the definition of blind faith. Meanwhile we keep have our rights limited, the government's power expands and grows (mostly with no function other than to just expand and grow), lawmakers pass more useless laws and the establishment sits comfortably on their throne. Bad things happen. 20 kids are going to die sometimes in tragic fashion, that's not a new human phenomenon (though rabid media exposure is), doesn't mean we need to ban guns. A bridge is going to collapse in Minneapolis that kills a few people, doesn't mean we need to greenlight billions in pork spending. Terrorists are going to attack us and people are going to die every once and while, doesn't mean we should wage two unwinnable wars for a decade. s*** happens, and government is almost never going to be able to stop that. Worry about what you can control, and that's your actions and your attitudes... because when we stop trusting ourselves to do the right thing government and its pals are right there waiting to take all they can from us in exchange for instilling a false sense of security. Turn this around though. Look in the mirror for just a second. A school disciplines a couple kids for playing in a way that they judge to be something they don't want to have to deal with. A kid gets suspended for slamming another kid into a locker when 10 years ago no one would have said anything. New bridges are built. A kid who otherwise would have died goes to the hospital and the government pays for the treatment. Those things are not the end of the world. You say yourself that you don't need to mobilize about small stuff...read through the first post of this thread. The very topic of this thread is a person getting outraged about small stuff, about how it is making people "Wussies". Every example you give of some terrible restriction on your rights is getting outraged and trying to mobilize about small stuff. Every single thing you argue is a slippery slope. Any time the government does any small stuff, you mobilize like it's the end of the world. If you lost your important right to assault rifles, or to carrying a handgun into the city of Chicago, you call it a "gun ban". My argument is the same as yours...it's not the end of the world when a school overacts. It's not the end of the world when a city wants you to keep your guns at home instead of on their streets. It's not the end of the world when we build a new bridge. These are not stealing your rights.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 01:18 PM) Detroit . . . 88 Sox . . . . . 85 KC . . . . . 72 Cleveland 68 Minnesota 66 Looking at the 2012 win total for the AL Central, it's difficult to see where the Sox will get more wins from. Is anyone willing to wager that KC, Clev, and Minny win less games than they did last year? KC has gotten better but it will take major moves by Moustakas and Hosmer for them to be serious contenders. I'm not sure what Cleveland has made themselves much better. Gave a lot of money to guys like Swisher, Brett Myers, and Mark Reynolds, the latter 2 who might be mid-season trade candidates. Minnesota, I'm not sure they're not worse. Lost span, bringing in guys like Pelfrey and Rich Harden?