Balta1701

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 7, 2012 -> 08:44 AM) FWIW, I agree with you, but I think they would be better off leaving Morel and Beckham alone at the very bottom of the line-up, where there's zero pressure. Alternating Ramirez and AJ in the 2 hole, depending on the match-up with the opposing pitcher...might be a better idea. Brent had his greatest success when he just "let her rip" at the end of the season, and he can't do that in the 2 spot if DeAza's getting on at a good clip like he did in 2011. Actually though...Brent's strikeouts went up quite a bit when he started "Letting her rip" and being more aggressive at the end of the year. He already seems to be doing 1 part of that in the 2 slot.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 7, 2012 -> 08:35 AM) Therein lies the beauty of this season. There's just no reason not to give Viciedo, DeAza, Morel and Beckham at least a full four months to prove they're major league regulars and part of the future, or spare parts/complimentary pieces/bench players/waiver wire bait. Viciedo, of course, is going to get a lot more rope. We simply don't have any impact hitters in the minor leagues...you have to reach all the way down to Trayce Thompson or maybe Mitchell if he has a great year in Birmingham. Except of course for the fact that people are trying to shuffle Morel's role after 1 game. Again.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 7, 2012 -> 06:03 AM) Morel struggled there quite a bit last season, and it took him out of his "normal" offensive game. Morel also might well have struggled because he wasn't given a consistent role to adapt to.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Apr 6, 2012 -> 10:17 PM) I'm not sure what you mean. It's a team option. What's up in the air? If he pitches remotely similar to how he has in the past, Kenny will be picking up his option without a second thought. "Up in the air" = on effectively a 1 year deal. He had 2 guys on that plan last offseason he needed to deal with...Danks and Quentin. He dealt with both in the offseason.

Terry Francona is disturbingly tan. Like orange tan. That is all.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Apr 6, 2012 -> 09:45 PM) Floyd doesn't need to be replaced unless he's traded. He has a 2013 option. Seriously doubt Kenny will go into next season with Floyd's status up in the air.

QUOTE (Cali @ Apr 6, 2012 -> 06:55 PM) Wow. When was the last time Mo blew his first save of the season? I can't remember it happening too frequently There was a season a few years ago where Rivera blew a couple early in the year

This had to be put somewhere.

QUOTE (sunofgold @ Apr 6, 2012 -> 12:02 AM) Maybe this is the Cubs plan. Suck really bad now and try to get the sucking out of the way. Take the hit now. Trade anything of value for young players and get anything off the books that they can. Might work in the long run. But considering how long they have been waiting for a championship..they are going to have longer. What other plan can you have when you have multiple bad contracts, an old team, and a spent farm system? They, quite deliberately, did everything they could to try to win in the 2007-2009 period and also get the team sold. That included mortgaging the next several years.

QUOTE (Brian @ Apr 6, 2012 -> 12:16 AM) Watson, we're trying to run clOck. Why take 3 with 10 left on shot clock? They gave him the open 3, and he had at least run some clock. Wasn't the greatest shot ever, but wasn't awful eitehr.

The high road is to suck it up, wish the other one well, and then stop talking about it.

Literally just fell over pumping fist at that Boozer dunk. This would be a big win.

JayEl3!

QUOTE (farmteam @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 03:54 PM) What's your specific issue with this? The State for having those laws, or at least not specially exempting the GOP convention? The GOP for adhering to them? The GOP for banning "lesser" items (super soakers, anything as a club, etc.)? Unless there was some drastic change in law between when they decided to have the convention there and when it will actually be held, they knew (or should have known) about the concealed weapons law, and planned accordingly. The state for having those laws in the first place. If "The protest zone at a national political convention" isn't a good place for everyone to be armed to the teeth (it isn't), then that's not the only place where people shouldn't be armed. That one's just much more ironic, since the people who voted for that silly law will be walking past those protest zones to get into the convention.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 10:56 PM) I saw this and about died laughing. I mean, what was she thinking? Oh wait a minute... Very glad someone enjoyed htat.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 03:10 PM) Bold: No, he isn't...not in any circumstance, not ever. Obama is a heavyweight debater and orator, in the same division of the likes of Reagan. Biden, meanwhile, belongs in Dan Quayle's division. Obama is a solid orator...but he isn't great off the cuff, and despite a lot of preparation...debates are all about off the cuff. He can go into policy details and he takes his time formulating a statement because of that...and honestly, debates aren't about that, they're about reinforcing your talking points and repeating them as many times as you can. Pausing, taking time, and illustrating detailed policy proposals is terrible TV. We don't elect guys like that, we want them to say what they have to say then get down to drinkin' beer with us. No one has made headway in any debate this year with policy. Policy has only sabotaged people (Rick Perry trying to defend actual humane actions towards immigrants, for example).

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 03:47 PM) Rubio says he's out. Somehow doubt they'd go for a Bush right now. Christie, I hate to say it, but his weight will be an image issue. He's also a little brash. They all have to say they're out right now...they can't actively campaign for the position while they have another job. The end result of that would be them losing both their current job and losing the VP spot. Everyone knows he's a candidate...the real question will be whether he turns it down if asked after vetting. Ditto Haley, from SC. I think it'll be Rubio...unless there's a private deal already struck.

And they made a game of it here in the 3rd!

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 08:35 PM) The most I read for any bounty was 10G, and I think that was Favre. I don't think the league cares that they are making extra dough on the side, it isn't like these guys are doubling their paychecks It doesn't have to be huge for the teams to really be angry about the coaches paying these guys outside of collectively-bargained numbers.

One other huge issue for the NFL that were not thinking about is that the players are getting paid outside the salary cap structure. Might seem like a small issue...except for that whole lockout thing. And for the fact that it's no longer a big leap to having some of that money come from a gambler.

QUOTE (IowanSoxFan @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 06:13 PM) I know he is a superstar, but I can't believe he controls whether the coach returns or is fired. Dwight is quickly becoming of the players I hate the most. Lebron could get coaches fired, I think kobe will get Mike Brown fired this year.

There's probably a 90% chance I'm staying in the same hotel as the white sox tonight.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 3, 2012 -> 11:10 AM) The media should stop telling us that CJ is a starter on many other teams QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 3, 2012 -> 11:18 AM) I haven't been impressed with CJ since he came back from the concussion. I wonder if he has really been healthy, or it just playing to bridge the gap until Rose is back. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 3, 2012 -> 11:20 AM) I believe he had an ankle thing as well, right? I'll bet there's a whole lot of gap-bridging happenign. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 3, 2012 -> 11:24 AM) Going back through Google, I see a wrist injury, elbow, and shoulder this year... Plus the concussion. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 3, 2012 -> 11:26 AM) So yeah, he's probably "Biting the bullet" so that the MVP can stay on the bench. QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 3, 2012 -> 01:16 PM) I didn't say that had anything to do with the media. The media has said absolutely every possible scenario for Rose. I initially posted in here the first game Rose missed that the injury might be way worse than they were making it out to be since he was sitting on a big ass pad on his chair on the bench and he said it was the "worst day of his life". QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 3, 2012 -> 01:29 PM) I've heard that his elbow injury is alot worse than being reported. Right on cue, here's "Thibs might rest CJ more during April".

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 10:00 AM) I just want to say that this particular use of the term "trust fund" is akin to politicians wanting to take away some group's rights and calling it protecting "freedom". What you are describing is not a trust fund by any reasonable definition. "Having a big pile of Treasury Bills built up because one particular program ran a surplus" seems to work for me. If you're taking issue with how its structured, then the thing that the extra revenues should have been used for is to take extra Treasury bills off of the market. Instead, we slashed taxes. That was the choice.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 09:42 AM) My sarcastic impression of Dr. House aside, what law? Some sort of plan that puts a price on carbon. The Republican concept was Cap & Trade before they realized they could just argue for doing nothing. I'd be content with a working version of that (key word: working, not just designed so that GS rakes in a fortune). Something that prices in the damage that emissions are doing.