Balta1701

QUOTE (Jake @ May 17, 2012 -> 04:10 PM) And then 89mph.... One would assume this is not a 4 seam fastball.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 17, 2012 -> 04:07 PM) Replay of the Rios catch. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_...6998365214-1024 That is some of the best manicured sand/lines on an OF warning track I've ever seen.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 17, 2012 -> 04:04 PM) Just because the response to some non-violent protests is illegal doesn't make the violent protest (the initial questions) itself justified. And we have this wonderful judicial system that when police/the gov't abuse their authority, people get paid for the injustice. I'm curious if the UC students sued and if so what they ended up getting out of that. Of course they sued, and of course it hasn't been settled yet, but obviously it will be, since UCD has zero urge to have the case go to court. We also have this wonderful judicial system that if the protestors actually turn violent and are arrested doing so, face charges.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 17, 2012 -> 03:59 PM) If they play Viciedo 1 game in LF, with Dunn being a PH that game... Viciedo 1 game in right with Rios being a PH... and sit Viciedo 1 game and PH as needed... you can still get Viciedo 2 full games plus an AB, same for Dunn and Rios. You could also add in Konerko to that puzzle. In any case, they can still get them all some good AB's in a 3 game NL set. Who goes for the Cubs on Sunday? It's Samardzija and then Dempster the next 2 days, and if we have to choose we may as well do the platoon thing.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ May 17, 2012 -> 03:57 PM) So when an Obama PAC decides to run more adfs against the Koch brothers or something highlighting Mitt's Mormonism, or something somebody Mitt once worked with decades ago did or said that was racist or criminal, you all will be b****ing about that too, right? About how bad it is, how out of bounds to be attacking someone not even in the campaign, etc.? Just want to get that straight. The attempted bribing of the pastor to shut his trap by a a friend of Obama who just happens to be on the receiving end of a lot of governmental money is off limits. Got it. Frankly yeah, I'm going to hate seeing ads about how bad it would be to vote for a Mormon if they do show up, and that ought to be considered out of bounds.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 17, 2012 -> 03:31 PM) Basically said he doesn't expect to see Dayan at third or even right field. Seemed more comfortable talking about him going to RF, but said he'd need to talk to him for "a long time" before doing it. Yay Robin!

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 17, 2012 -> 03:06 PM) He's the main source of funds for the ESAF, which had this hilarious/depressing plan drafted. I don't think anyone said he was the actual author of it. Even with the quick attempts to disown this, KEEP YOUR GOVERNMENT HANDS OFF MY TAX PAYER-FUNDED RENOVATIONS Ricketts doesn't come out looking good. Yeah, the Times is standing by their story that it was drafted by a group he funds, so even if he didn't do it directly...he ought to have laundered his money better to keep his name off of this if it was going to be anything political, because this is the end result. It's not like it's that hard.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 17, 2012 -> 02:49 PM) I think that a few more old school NL owners need to sell/die and then the NL will be able to adopt the DH, which will be immediately followed by the elmination of the AL and NL altogether, which will be immediately followed by wholesale geographic realignment. I can't see a scenario where the NL ever adopts the DH and I can't see a scenario where the AL ever gives it up. At least not in the next couple decades. The AL has the Union on their side (since it extends guys careers), while the NL has tradition and history to not having it.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 17, 2012 -> 02:32 PM) Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales RV cool to idea of putting Viciedo at 3b vs. Cubs but said he'll look for other places to play him with Dunn in LF Robin, I will hunt you down...

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 17, 2012 -> 02:30 PM) Right, and IMO people today remember King more than they remember Malcolm X. They remember the message of a dream over the acts of the black panthers. If anything, all of that violent stuff fed racism even more ("look, we give them a little and they become unruly and violent!"). And I'm not talking about the Rosa Parks sitting on a bus and getting arrested for it type thing. That's not violent. That's an act of defiance that doesn't involve anyone but you and the officers that arrest you. Marching down a street where you're not allowed to be is also non-violent until the police decide you're not going down that street. Sitting at a counter or sitting at the wrong place on a bus is non-violent only until someone decides to use force to remove you. Under this standard, the only thing that makes a protest non-violent is that the police arrest rather than beat up first.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 17, 2012 -> 02:09 PM) Underlying this is still the assumption that whatever force the police use that these protesters supposedly desire is actually justified. Even if protesters organize a sit-in fully anticipating being sprayed in the face with pepper spray and welcome the media attention it brings to whatever their cause is, it still doesn't excuse unjust use of force. Yeah, those women who were arrested in NC fully expected to be handcuffed and detained for filing for a marriage license. Yeah, the marchers in Birmingham fully expected to be beat by police and sprayed with fire hoses. That doesn't make their protest less legitimate or ineffective or legitimize injustices. Now, in the case of the NC couple or the 60's civil rights marchers, the link between their cause and the police action was direct--being removed from the court house or from the lunch counter that they're trying to gain equal access to. In a case like UC Davis, the students aren't primarily protesting for access to the quad. In that instance it is clear that they did not expect the use of chemical weapons before the protest began, but even if they had the police aren't suddenly justified. But those policemen turning firehoses on the marchers were just enforcing the law. Obviously they were doing the right thing and those marchers should have gone back and done something else.

Which is why so many of them had guns. Cause you know, voting.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ May 17, 2012 -> 01:53 PM) My biggest worry: a 6-under record against AL teams through May a 10-over record against NL teams a 5-under record against the rest of the AL schedule grumblings about how close we were, despite the obstacles, if the team had only performed ....and no real long term plan. or in other words, what's come to be known as "a typical White Sox year." If this team plays .500 or better ball, this is a good thing. It's not happening unless the struggling part of the pitching rotation steps up, the young guys in the bullpen step up, and some out of Beckham/Morel/Viciedo/Lillibrige/Flowers step up. And they found their leadoff hitter for the next few years in De Aza, and Dunn and Rios continued playing pretty well. Meaning, if this team plays well against NL teams and pushes up to .500, they've actually set themselves up surprisingly well for next year, because Peavy and AJ's contracts clear, saving $28 million ($5 million or so of that spent on the Danks extension already). That means the Sox could be legit players in FA for someone really big, like Hamels or Hell even Hamilton, as long as it starts with an H, and that could well push this team to be a legit player next year.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 17, 2012 -> 01:48 PM) I also feel like a Youkilis trade would get the town buzzing. It would send a message (maybe not a terribly accurate one) that we're still trying to win and are willing to bring in a big name to do it. Given that Youkilis seems a bit flakey, a change of scenery might result in a production surge as well. Only if Hermy can work miracles.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 17, 2012 -> 01:35 PM) I will be shocked if this team gets broken up. The ONLY way I can see it is via trading for a big piece. The truth is that when you have a decent point guard playing, it's not a bad team. Having 3/5 starters leaves us as still a playoff team. Adding Luol at some point will be a nice boost (if he gets surgery). You act as if you won't get Derrick back, but of course he could put us over the top, or not. It sounds like they may bring CJ Watson back, which I didn't expect. I sure do remember a time when he was pretty good other than jacking up a few too many shots. Can't decide if he was injured, bad, scared, or some of all three in the playoffs. I do think Kirk would be a nice addition and still fits well if we get Derrick or something like Derrick back. Hinrich and Taj are pretty good first reserves, I've gotta say. I could certainly see them just declining the final option years on Brewer, Korver, and Watson, or doing a trade with them after accepting their options. David Haugh suggested that today.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 17, 2012 -> 01:44 PM) Ignoring the pen and rotation? And the bench.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 17, 2012 -> 11:34 AM) Yeah, I can't see this convincing anyone who isn't already very anti-Obama The bright sides continue to be: screwing over the Wrigley Field renovations and taking $10 million sitting on the sidelines and turning it into a small economic stimulus by having it be spent.

You can post a similar graph with a near-vanishing federal deficit though, for the people who actually care about that.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 17, 2012 -> 01:22 PM) Looking at some UZR's for our guys and I'm not sure what to make of it. Guys with negative UZR I expected to be positive: Alexei, Gordon, Morel (Morel had a ~0 rating last year, too) Surprising to see that it was positive: ADA, Paulie No surprise: Dayan (negative), Rios (positive) I don't feel like Gordon and Alexei are playing poor defense by any stretch. Is there a sample size issue with UZR, am I overrating the stat, or what? There is a huge sample size issue with UZR, especially early in a season, because one play where you get a big jump or cover more ground than expected or where the ball hangs up because of the wind can push you more positive than you should be, while a unique misplay/error/wet ball/wind can push things negative. It's not "useless" early in the year, but it has to be taken with a grain of salt. A full season of data is usually the minimum to really start making comparisons...sometimes even multiple seasons. Morel might be disappointing on D a bit because of his back.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ May 17, 2012 -> 01:35 PM) You keep saying this as if it's an overt plan by the organization. In another thread, you said "they didn't" after someone said "....for a team that expects to compete." Am I missing something? Where exactly did they say "we are rebuilding"? I've never heard Williams say that, nor do I believe for a second that if this team was 3 games under but 3 games out that he would throw in the towel. Do you? We said it there.

QUOTE (iamshack @ May 17, 2012 -> 10:49 AM) I've read that there could be a jump in price for next year when a lot of these sites reach their 2nd and 3rd years of production and the supply decreases...but I have no idea as to whether the development of new sites has slowed or not...my guess is you are right about the rush to beat the regulations, however... There have been some press stories of "slowing gas production because of the price drop", but when you look at things like "supplies of material required for use in fracking" (i.e. sand), it is showing exponential boom levels, and North Dakota oil production just can't account for that. There really is no good reason why they can't start development of one of these wells, break up the rocks, seal the pipe off, maintain it, and then re-access it in a couple years, so getting it developed now, especially while labor and funds are cheap due to the economic crisis, in addition to beating regulation, it's a great reason to get everything drilled as fast as you can. Edit: The one problem for companies like Cheasapeake is that if they're spending the money now to get these sites developed, they need to be able to finance that spending long-term, because the gains will only happen over the long-term.

At least interesting...Facebook's Eduardo Saverin has renounced his U.S. citizenship just about the time to save $70 million on his U.S. tax bill. This is technically illegal, but it hasn't really been enforced, although this case is so blatant that they may actually be able to enforce it and bar him from ever entering the U.S. legally again.

QUOTE (iamshack @ May 17, 2012 -> 10:41 AM) Balta, I've read that the fracking sites tend to have a boom in production in the first year or so, but then it tails off dramatically....is that how you understand it? Absolutely true, and how much it tails off actually has a pretty big impact on how financially productive every drilled well is. A couple years ago they really didn't know if "Fracking" in the Marcellus shale would be profitable at all, because the decrease could have simply made it unprofitable. I'm not privy to industry data, but the fact that money has continued to pour in (despite the decrease in gas prices) and people have continued to drill tells me that the depletion curves aren't at the extremely bad end. They're probably also getting better at the technique the more they do it, which would allow for better long-term recovery rates.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 02:57 PM) I'm not sure how big of a buyer they were, but GM announced they wouldn't be advertising with FB any longer. GM had spent about $10 million directly on Facebook ads and $30 million on other types of advertising (presumably FB pages for their brand lines).