Balta1701

QUOTE (flippedoutpunk @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:57 PM) in 20.2 percent of 595 cases, not 100 percent. When it should be 6.75%, 20.2% is a gigantic increase, well outside of any reasonable margin of error.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:56 PM) But shouldn't that rate be higher given the fact that NFL players suffer concussions at a much higher rate than the general populace? Conclusions are being drawn. The study though is comparing NFL players to NFL players and then those 2 groups to the general populace afterwards.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:54 PM) The U of M study noted above seems to indicate that football players suffer the same rate of depression as normal populace. Am I reading that wrong? Regardless of the outcome I think it is really safe to assume that football players are gambling on their health and livelihood and are doing so by choice. It could be the concussions or massive amounts of other crap along with crashing into other large individuals and steroids that is causing this. Football players who suffer fewer than 3 concussions suffer the same depression rate as the normal populace (arguing against Steve's point that it's all about NFL players leaving the sport). But, if they've had multiple concussions, the depression rate skyrockets. In the case of 3 or more concussions, the depression rate triples.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:44 PM) ...Its security in a condo building... You'll still get some good overtime, I'll bet.

QUOTE (flippedoutpunk @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:49 PM) definitive studies = polling 595 players that have had 3 or more concussions and having only 20.2 percent of them say yes they suffer from depression. SCIENCE! The difference between: 40 out of 600 and 120 out of 600 Is a huge difference.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:45 PM) I realize that everything is not black and white. How about you? Let's ask this another way. I cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this specific person only committed suicide because of brain injuries. However, we have basically conclusive evidence that these brain injuries are directly related to concussions, that they are directly related to depression, and that they are directly related to suicide. Under what reasonable standard could anyone's response to yet another incident in a person who played that game be "it's just an excuse", with that statement basically used to justify continuing failure to respond proactively to this brain damage?

You realize that you just responded to a pair of statistically significant studies saying that there is a huge increase in the rate of depression directly associated with concussions with one anecdote saying "no there isn't", right?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:36 PM) Except that (and here we go 'round the political merry go round) Romney didn't say he wouldn't have given the go ahead. His comment was something like I would have focused my efforts elsewhere. Which, by the way, is exactly what Obama did until they got a solid lead with Osama's courier. Actually, no it isn't again, there was a total shift in orders back to "Find this specific target", and the intelligence agencies said it was about a 50/50 shot when the order was given, and there was substantial disagreement in the room, including by the secretary of defense who favored a drone strike (because then if it hit the wrong target, it was just more collateral damage).

QUOTE (mr_genius @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:33 PM) uh oh. you're doomed dude. He'll get some good overtime.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:32 PM) Going after Romney does seem pretty cheap, though. He could have done a victory lap and scored political points without resorting to that. It's pretty dumb politically because it's not like Obama's going to flip the "Dems are weak on military/CT" script with that shot. I totally disagree with the idea that this is somehow politically dumb. The whole reason why the Republicans, including both Romney and 2 posts above, are annoyed, is that this is an effective attack that can literally use the current candidate's own words.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:30 PM) you can use that lol emoticon all you want, balta. but this whole thing is being blown out of control. Of course it is, but that's not because it's Democrats doing it, this is what happens every time there is a major political gathering since the Seattle/WTO.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:19 PM) I really think that this whole concern about head injuries in terms of causing these guys to be depressed and off themselves is a bunch of bulls***. You see this everywhere with people who fall from fame - they don't know how to deal with it. You see child stars, actors and actresses, musicians, it happens in all walks of "celebrity", and that's really what I think should be to blame. To hell with any brain damage causing these guys to lose their s***. How on Earth can you possibly say that when we have the damaged brains actually sitting there in medical facilities after having been examined?

QUOTE (mr_genius @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:24 PM) i totally agree. just a bunch of chicago democrats in a total panic over nothing, wasting money as usual.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 2, 2012 -> 04:01 PM) No, the accomplishment is fine, the crap about Romney not making the same decision is crap. Of all things, finding and killing Bin Laden should have been a non-partisan issue. It should have been a collective, celebratory anniversary. Instead Obama crapped all over that and used it to try and score political points. I think the Afghanistan trip/speech is crap, but this is one case where the President has every right to take a victory lap on this issue. He got called Naive and inexperienced/unready in 2008 by these same opponents when he said he would violate Pakistani sovereignty if it allowed for "Getting" Bin Laden. He was intimately involved in the decision making that led up to the strike by multiple accounts. He would have taken enormous amounts of blame if things went wrong (Desert One). This was a major success for this Adminstration. It was clearly a partisan issue as early as 2002, when we refocused away from Al Qaeda onto Iraq.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 2, 2012 -> 03:23 PM) Who was that big guy we had who threw mid to high 90's with no control (pretty much) and he blew out his arm last year? I think we signed him as a minor league FA. Shane Lindsay? Forgot we briefly used Josh Kinney last year, too. Threets.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 2, 2012 -> 02:34 PM) Balta, This isnt about contractual obligations, if you start getting into WWF territory with deaths, congress and other people start to take notice. The NFL is also being sued by former players (including Jim McMahon) alleging that NFL knew risks of concussions and purposefully misled players. Doing more with counseling, etc, could only help. Unless it winds up being used as evidence that the former players filing the lawsuit are correct.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 2, 2012 -> 02:26 PM) So its not 100% confirmed suicide, but if it does turn out to be, the NFL needs to really start taking proactive steps to help veterans. They had their chance in the last CBA.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2012 -> 02:06 PM) Way to show that testicular fortitude Andy! To be fair, those body parts were probably effected by the steroids...

Having Vilma suspended for the full year apparently clears $4.9 million in cap space for the Saints this year, and could be the difference for them in getting Brees signed.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 2, 2012 -> 01:50 PM) Spoilers

Andy Pettitte is on the stand in Clemens's re-trial the last couple days. He's the prosecution's star witness because he can state that Clemens told him he was juicing. Clemens's defense is claiming that pettitte misremembered the conversation. Today, Pettitte admitted under oath that it's possible he misremembered or misheard the statement. This might well destroy the prosecution's case a 2nd time.

I will not be reading any of this, but here's 10 minutes of Hobbit spoilers for anyone who wants them.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ May 2, 2012 -> 12:21 PM) Packers signed Hargrove in the offseason, but they can cut him anytime without hurting their cap numbers. Well clearly they wouldn't have signed him if they didn't want to try him on their roster, so anything they lose helps the Bears. Ditto the Saints.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 2, 2012 -> 01:09 PM) Greg didn't respond to the most recent pending question yet? We know you're not exactly in our time zone, but people do sleep sometimes!