Balta1701

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 09:06 PM) Not to start over Flowers, but to be the back-up catcher. I doubt the AAA guys in Phegley and Gimenez are going to be trusted much the rest of the way. Is Flowers out of options? If so, your hypothetical catcher would also have needed a roster spot.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 09:03 PM) If Kenny knew this was a possibility a few weeks ago, I'm surprised he didn't try to get another catcher on waivers. Sox better hope Flowers' wife isn't having more kids the next month. How do you know he didn't try?

QUOTE (TitoMB @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 08:54 PM) Don't want to jump the gun.. but.. after all these years of defending this guy, if he ends up doing this... Yup.

QUOTE (Brian @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 08:46 PM) I know people all over the place but my buddy who works at the Sun Times just texted me and said its legit and suspension will be announced tomorrow. Hope he's wrong but I personally know him so I have to trust him. F***

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 08:33 PM) Yes. .873 OPS with home games in Petco is not bad. And yet, San Diego LFs have only put up a .775 ops on the season. Almost as if the .873 OPS guy misses half the year.

QUOTE (knightni @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 08:20 PM) Manning. Not a second thought otherwise. Dont know rules, RG3 might get you more rushing yards and have a shot at a rushing TD. Manning likely throws for more yards, TD, and fewer INT, unless thy get out to a big lead early.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 07:46 PM) So what do you guys think about the big controversy of the changes just made to the 2012 Democrat Party Platform? I think "Democratic" is the appropriate adjective.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 07:00 PM) I don't know what all goes into such an appeal process but it probably shouldn't take 2 weeks IMO. 2 weeks is probably rushing it, given that the player would have to have time to review the evidence and present any sort of defense, in addition to simply scheduling time with the arbitrator. If an extra test is done of a "B" sample or something like that, it would likely add even more time.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 06:57 PM) Not if we are about to lose AJ for 50 games. Does that include playoffs? God I hope not. Yes. He would basically be on the restricted list until the opening of the 2012 season.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 06:52 PM) Appeal process takes time, it was the same way with Melky, even tho I'm not quit sure what they are trying to appeal? Are they testing sample B to confirm it? It also gives the player the chance to review the procedures, present a defense, etc. If a player actually did take something unwittingly and happened to have a sample of that for testing, it might be taken into account. If there were any irregularities in the testing procedure, the player should have the right to know about them.

I wonder if the person writing that article actually knows that they're writing about a crime.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 06:48 PM) I find it strange that it would take weeks after the failed test to suspend them. You'd think once they found out he failed then the next game he should be out, why let a known PEDer go out there for another 2 weeks, esp. in the heat of a pennant race, before discipline? If its a sound testing system then he should be gone already. MLB players are entitled to an appeal. This is the case for almost any suspension.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 06:41 PM) That's probably a big reason. Shawn Merriman & Brian Cushing are/were good players, but not on the same level as Manny, Bonds, A-Rod, etc. Another thing could be that people kind of expect football players to be juiced based on the nature of the sport and size of the athletes? Another big thing is the level of history that is buried within the "Numbers" in baseball. 714, 756, 60/61 in a season...I knew those numbers when I was a 10 year old. Maybe younger. I don't know the sack record offhand in the same way. The fact that the roiders blew past that history is a big part of the focus on MLB as well.

Did you just endorse voter fraud?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 06:14 PM) My point is even if all prison rape stopped today, which it should cause it's against the law, that the perception (fear) that it could occur would still be out there for the next 25 years or so. Whenever you hear about a child molester going to jail, somebody out there mentions the fact the prison population will be happy to meet this molester up close and personal. That won't change for 50 years even if all rape stopped today. I'm against prison rape, but for people like Holmes fearing it. I don't know why that makes me a bad guy. The bad guy here is Holmes, the scum of the earth in fact is he. What you're missing is that the people who think "ha, that child molester is going to get raped" are part of the problem. Yes, Holmes is a bad guy. That does not mean we need to be bad guys, be part of the problem, because of it. Your statements that you like people fearing prison rape but want no prison rape continue to be incoherent. If it were actually punished, no one would legitimately fear it. Your statements that he should fear prison rape are tantamount to me saying that he should fear dealing with the real Batman now that he's in jail...you responding "There is no actual batman", and me saying "Sure but he should still be afraid of it". It's nonsensical unless you want to actually have batman put into the prisons. The only way that is a legitimate fear is if it continues to be rampant. And if you really want to get down to it, James Holmes will never have to fear prison rape. If he's convicted and jailed, he's going to go to one of those places where you put multi-murderers. He's going to be one of the ones who are in solitary, maximum security for 23 hours a day+, possibly on his way to death row. So even your revolting desire that he goes to bed fearing rape will not happen.

QUOTE (Frank_Thomas35 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 06:15 PM) This would truly be disheartening and a punch in the gut to all Sox fans and the organization as a whole. Personally if true I would hope the Sox make an example out of him and release him outright for putting his personal agenda before the teams. Sorry, I have no sympathy for players who continue to try to cheat their way to a paycheck, and find it even more alarming how dumb they are to keep trying to get away with it. Normally a name doesnt have an affect on me, but when its your team its an embarassment. All that being said hope this is just someone making a muck over a disliked player. AJ has been a favorite of mine for years, so for now ill give him the benefit of the doubt until its official. But there is an awful lot of whispers out there. Technically I don't think the Sox actually could release him. He'd be suspended for the remainder of his contract, if this rumor wound up being true. He'd have to sign another contract and still have 25 games or so left in his suspension (depending on if the Sox have any playoff games).

CBS hires Frank Luntz, basically the guy who has written 20 years worth of GOP messaging, as an "analyst" for this election. Sigh. If only there was another thread nearby where someone was suggesting that the media were a bunch of liberal hippies...

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 05:37 PM) If this were true there's no way it wouldn't be leaked by a real source by now. (I'm sure something along those lines have been said many times)... MLB's typically been pretty good at avoiding leaks about tested results before the appeals are complete.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 04:51 PM) Not disagreeing. When it comes to PEDs in baseball, I can't help but be of the where there's smoke there's fire mindset- I don't see how anyone watching this game for the last 10-15 years can look at it any other way. That's why it would be a bummer- my comment stems from my fandom. Pierzynski is a favorite of mine right up there with some of the other more typical Sox favorites. I can think of at least 1 example of a PED rumor starting at a message board and winding up being incorrect.

QUOTE (scenario @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 04:15 PM) Guilty until proven innocent. The new normal in the Internet age. Have people seriously been assuming he's guilty?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 03:09 PM) I don't think it means there's a lot of rape. There's a perception out there that prisoners bang each other in prison and some of it is forced. That perception will probably be there forever cause there's no proof of it either way. So would I be happy if Holmes fears the possibility of that? Sure. I don't like Holmes. I am a supporter of victims; I don't care about the people who ruin lives. Always been that way. Just because I want him to fear the possibility of what lies ahead doesn't mean I want prisoners to break the law and rape him or whack him in the knees with a baseball bat. But should he fear that, that'd be nice. And judging from what I read about Holmes complaining about the prison food, I'm thinking he will be a little concerned about what awaits him in general population if he doesn't get a cushy 40-year stay in a mental hospital. It's difficult to do a true estimate since neither outside-of-prison rape nor prison-rape ever actually gets reported, but the justice department in 2008 finally put together the most basic estimate you could do and they wound up concluding that it's likely that the majority of rapes in the U.S. are prison rapes (there are more prison rapes than all other rapes combined). This has likely made the U.S. the first country in the history of the world where there are more men raped than women. This has even led to multiple documented cases of prisoners acquiring AIDS solely through prison rape. There is...a lot of prison rape in this country.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 02:47 PM) All he said was he heard the rumor, just like the rest of us, and it was over a week ago. Really nothing. How long was the Melky Cabrera appeals process?

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 12:56 PM) Those scumbags who rape women or children is a great start... No, it isn't. Put them in jail, keep them there as long as needed. Rape is not a punishment.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 12:36 PM) Supposedly the 2013 schedule will be released next Wednesday. September 12. So the 2013 schedule will be included with the iPhone5?

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 02:06 PM) Mark Liptak over at WSI posted Mark Gonzales is saying he heard rumors last week too. I'm not surprised by AJ, and quite frankly, I didn't want him back next year anyway because he was probably going to get a multi-year deal from somebody, and I didn't want a 37-38 year old AJP on this team. If he tested positive, he'd be very unlikely to get a multi year deal. Hell, he'd still have games to miss starting next year. Could legitimately cost him $10 million.