Balta1701

QUOTE (maxjusttyped @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 09:23 AM) I don't understand the appeal of someone who "puts the ball in play." If he still makes an out 75ish percent of the time, what does it matter if he doesn't strike out? Wouldn't you ideally want someone who provides value in the #2 spot? I'm confused. IF he's putting up a punchless .240 average that's one thing, but he shouldn't be doing that. If he's "putting the ball in play" and not striking out, a normal BABIP should push him towards being a .300 hitter, or something close to it. But the real nice thing about not striking out is that it moves runners along. If he's got anyone on base and he strikes out, that has zero chance of being productive, while if he grounds the ball to one side, that can be a productive out that can move a guy to 2nd or 3rd. You don't accept below-tolerable production from that slot obviously, but if you can get average production and the guy has good bat control where the ball gets put in play, then that makes the defense have to respond to things and should help set the table more.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 09:32 AM) What law? You want to outlaw global warming climate change? Yeah, that would be ideal.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 09:28 AM) You guys still having this same conversation from 3 years ago? Move on already. Seriously. As soon as we pass the law we should have passed 8 years ago, then we will.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 09:26 AM) First, don't do that. Black people carry guns, and use them, too...the way you framed that, you're making gun carrying a race thing...and it has nothing to do with race. This is a rather shallow mindset. Second, you just said no one is saying anything like this about, for example, gun carry laws...directly after you say something about it. So obviously, people are. If people weren't talking about the FL gun laws combined with their SYG rules...we wouldn't be having this conversation now. So, they kind of ARE talking about exactly that. People are talking about it, but they give appropriate respect to the position that "everyone in Florida is safer when vigilantes can drive around starting fights and shooting people, because then we avoid Katrina again!". They don't ridicule the position like you're doing with Jackson and Sharpton, they treat it with respect and then pass laws making it ok.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 09:19 AM) It might be IS a real, major issue, but when the loudest voices are also the most obnoxious, the only message that gets across is that of the nut jobs on the both ends of the spectrum. It's no different than listening to radical religious nuts, like the Westburo Baptists (unless I'm confusing them, and if so I apologize). They undermine the very thing they're attempting to fight for because of their lunacy. Sharpton and Jackson are nothing more than opportunists. They think their the next Malcom X's or King Jr's, but they're not...if anything, they are Malcom X BEFORE his awakening. But no one is saying anything like this about, for example, the people who successfully pushed for expansion of Florida's gun laws. Those laws are insane, but people stopped paying attention to how insane it is to have people riding around in their trucks armed to the teeth starting fights (and dealing with the black suspicious looking people appropriately).

QUOTE (MAX @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 12:41 AM) What do you guys think of the spurs? I haven't seen them play yet this year. It's really darn near impossible to know what to think of the Spurs, because Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili might well have another gear that they can turn on during the playoffs. They're a well constructed team but they won't challenge the Thunder based on what Tony Parker is doing with the rest of the team...but if he can get help from the 2 elder statesmen in the playoffs...that could fuel a serious move. I'd worry more about their size up against the other teams in the West though. The Lakers, Thunder, and Grizzlies all can put together a better big man/power game than the Spurs can.

QUOTE (balfanman @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 08:59 AM) I don't care one iota about Ozzie Guillen anymore. Joe Cowardly is a scumbag and I refuse to listen to the "Score" when he is on, especially when the hosts refer to him as a baseball "expert". I do wonder why Eddie Einhorn and Frank Thomas were on hand though for the Marlins opener or did I read that wrong? Or was Cowardly just making that up? I don't know about Frank, but it makes sense that a lot of the other owners would show up to the opening of a new ballpark on opening night of the season. They all probably had hands in getting it approved, and having it built helps their franchises as well.

Inside the protest area at the GOP Convention in Tampa, a lot of things have been banned. You can't bring in a super soaker, you can't bring in something that could be used as a club, you can't bring in things that could be flammable. All seemingly logical things to ban from a protest area outside a convention. You know what you can bring? Guns. Florida law says you can't ban people from carrying concealed weapons if they have a permit. So, unless something changes, people will be legally armed inside the free speech zones at the GOP convention. And they have the right to stand their ground too.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 08:55 AM) I get the issues at play, Al, Jessie et al can't get past the single issue, which the media was all to happy to play up. You can't ignore all those players, much as we all wold probably like to, simply because YOU can see thru the racial crap. And people on the opposite side of the spectrum refuse to acknowledge that race might be a real, major issue, both here and in a lot of other places in the country.

QUOTE (Cali @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 01:48 PM) I think he's overrating the Tigers rotation a bit. Outside of Verlander everyone is pretty inconsistent, but certainly with potential to be good if they fix that problem, I will give him that. The Tigers have 2 MVP candidates sitting at the heart of their order. It's fine to overrate them right now. IF someone wants to beat them...they actually have to stand up and beat them.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 08:50 AM) OUtside of bunting, I have always felt that Brent would make a great two hitter. He does what you want a #2 hitter to do. He puts the ball in play. He can take pitches/take a walk if the pitcher is going to give it to him, but otherwise he'll put the ball in play. He needs to make more solid contact than he made last year...don't care about the HR numbers, just put a little more authority on the ball when he hits it, and that'll make him a nice, reliable #2 hitter.

Opening night no-hitter? Nopening night?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 08:42 PM) I don't think the Heat would stand a chance in the Finals to be honest. The Thunder have multiple superstars and incredible depth, the Heat only have multiple superstars. Plus, the Thunder have hit another gear, if they carry this into the playoffs I don't know that anyone stands a chance. I think the Heat have clearly backed off on the gas pedal the last few weeks. They'll try to hit their next gear when they hit round 1.

Rose officially participated in a full practice today and is actually, for one, legitimately a "Game time decision" tomorrow night.

By the way, on the thread topic...it's actually official...Barack Hussein Obama has gathered up enough delegates to become the Democratic Nominee for President in 2012.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 05:11 PM) Davis is very similar to how KG was in HS. Great leaper, shot blocker, dunker with a pretty good shot with no real consistency. We all have to remember he was a small guard about 2 years ago and only now has started to get ahold on life in the paint. So if he were to develop things like a better post game and midrange game, it wouldn't be unprecedented, but that's the level of step he needs to take to make himself an all-star, and that's a multi-year process.

US recorded temperature records in March..."record high temperatures" outpace "Record low temperatures" by a whopping ratio of 35-1. There hasn't been a single month with as many record low temperatures as record high temperatures since January of 2011.

Google unveils prototype of "Computer glasses" (with picture).

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 04:38 PM) I may be misunderstanding this... but if the general fund is negative outbound, and therefore is using equivalent funds from the Treasury that would otherwise had been held in trust for Soc Sec, then it is still borrowing. In reality, the positions should be segregated, but they don't really do it that way. Even if the general fund were positive, if we were paying off the national debt, the Social Security trust fund would still be purchasing treasury bonds any time it is a positive state, unless we got rid of the trust fund. If both funds are positive, the Trust Fund would still be stockpiling Treasuries...and the moneys the government gets for those treasuries would then go towards paying off other treasuries that aren't renewed. Effectively you're right that the government has been buoyed towards surpluses the last 30 years by the fact that the trust fund has been positive, and those surpluses have been the fuel for the upper class tax cuts...but there's no real obvious way to segregate these funds unless the Trust Fund doesn't exist. If excess funds come into OASDI to create a trust fund, they have to go somewhere, and Treasuries are the only logical candidate.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 04:16 PM) What? I am saying that the added revenue in the short run could be used to cover the IOU's for money that Congress has been borrowing for general spending. Did I miss something here? I don't think it works that way. The OASDI trust fund buys up what are (hopefully) risk-free US Treasury Bonds. That money then is transferred directly to the treasury. As long as there is a Social Security trust fund and the Trust Fund is invested in Treasuries (and God help us if they ever try to invest it somewhere else), that money is going to go into the general fund. The question then is not one of there being some level of "IOU's" that the Treasury has written the Trust Fund. If the trust fund exist, that money gets put into buying treasuries and thus is supplied to the general fund. Basically, all that matters is whether the general fund is running a deficit or not. If the general fund is balanced, then there's really no such thing as an "IOU to the Social Security program" or anything like that, because the balance there would include payments on the bonds owned by the OASDI program. The only way to have there be no "IOU's" is to have there be no trust fund.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 04:09 PM) That would be sweet if Mitchell fixed something in his swing and now he's on the right path to the majors. That would be huge for the Sox. An outfield in a couple years with Mitchell and Thompson would be appealing. Keenyn Walker would be gravy if he turns out too. As raw as these guys are, the odds of all 3 succeeding are pretty low. Before Mitchell's injury, I might have said we could have a shot at 2/3 getting there, but I'll stick with "it'd be really great if 1 of these 3 became a legit, starting, MLB outfielder".

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 04:12 PM) Then do both, and use the extra funds in the short term to offset the stupid IOU's hanging out there. When those are wiped out, lower the overall rate to however low you can go and still maintain the future of the funds. Huh? Do you mean you'd be interested in eliminating the entire trust fund?

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 03:50 PM) Indeed, and to be honest, I think the Sox would be a better team with a Fukudome/Lillibridge platoon in RF instead of Rios playing every day. If it weren't for the money, you'd get an agreement. We've got to find a way to make him worth something.

Flowers adds a hit for himself, 2 on with 2 out for Becks.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 4, 2012 -> 03:36 PM) Fuku RBI single makes it 4-3 Sox. All RBIs have come with 2 outs in this game. 2/2 with a walk for Fuku. He's right where he usually is in April, on fire.