Balta1701

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Nov 5, 2011 -> 10:04 AM) I thought Big Jim could no longer play in the field because of his back. Clearly the Phils and Jim are both willing to risk it for a few months. It might also be a matter of preparation too.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 5, 2011 -> 11:04 AM) Isn't it pretty obvious? He wants to win a WS and the Phillies will be favorites in the NL again? He also won't be on the bench the full season, he'll probably have a month or two of regular play to start the year while Howard is on the shelf. Maybe longer.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:53 PM) You're missing my point. You rdeduce the pool of athletes to choose from because kids know they can make more money in football quicker. Mix that with the fact that most would rather go to college for free than pay for it. Hard slotting is just another reason why kids choose football and basketball. Plus, if hard slotting is so good for the NBA than why exactly do the small market teams never win a damn thing? And last, I can never understand why people are for giving the eowowns more money. That's what a hard slot does. If it's "Just another reason", then you're explained to me why it's very likely unimportant compared to other issues.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:45 PM) Two points. One being kids chose football lever baseball in college because for football you get a full ride, as with baseball you don't. Second, you get paid much quicker in the NBA and NFL than thou do in baseball. Meaning, in baseball you have your minor league stuff THEN you are still under control for years once (if) you make the big leagues. So...because college baseball doesn't offer full ride scholarships...baseball can't have a hard slotting system. Hell, I bet you could get MLB to contribute $10 million to scholarships a year in exchange for a hard slotting system.

QUOTE (MAX @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:37 PM) Does the nfl have a hard slot now? Yes, imposed it this year. Cam Newton's guarantee was 40% of Sam Bradford's guaranteed money. Clearly, that's it for the NFL, their athletes are going to totally give up and go to a sport without a hard slot. I assume this is what Americans call soccer.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:23 PM) And again, to hammer this point home, a hard slot only turns away athletic players (potential stars). Why? Do athletes avoid the NBA or NFL because of their hard slotting system?

QUOTE (Tex @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:12 PM) In the past 11 or so years since he left often, how often have you heard it? Every time a Republican has a scandal involving sex. Or when there's a good clinton joke.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:09 PM) Except no players do this ever. There are still usually what, 2-3 first round picks who don't sign during a normal year?

QUOTE (Tex @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:05 PM) Versus millions of liberal Americans who didn't say it was OK. And have they really been saying it for years? I think that battle was fought for a period of years, yeah.

Well whaddya know about that. Jim Thome goes down in 05, Ryan Howard steps in. Ryan Howard destroys his leg, Jim Thome steps in. I'd imagine he's almost got to play some 1b while Howard works back.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 08:09 PM) In other words they aren't being nearly as aggressive as people want to think. They are caught in between ala Nick Swisher. For 5 years.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 07:32 PM) And he sees no pitches I have less of an issue with that than I do with the fact that the bottom of the AL BABIP says the contact the Sox are making is incredibly weak.

Michael Jordan is leading a group of 10-14 owners who intend to vote against any cba agreement with the 50/50 revenue split the league already offered. They are unwilling to go past 47.

QUOTE (Tex @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 06:54 PM) Patriotic music, a notice to call a number to have the calls blocked, and a Cain stump speech. Who told you that? Most of the democrats in congress.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 06:38 PM) I'm willing to see the Sox overpay, a bit, for a few more years of Mark. And I'd rather they do that than extend Danks, who will cost a lot more in money and years. Completely agree.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 07:14 PM) AJ and Alexei. Hes another guy with a .292 babip. Not great, could be better, above average for this franchise

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 05:58 PM) That's what I'm saying. 3 yrs/$36 is probably my limit. Hypothetically imagine it took $6 million more than that to lock him up. Would you really be willin to lose him over that? I wouldn't.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 06:09 PM) Will he though? There are no guarantees he does. If we're going to use that as an argument against m-56, then we pretty much shouldn't sign anyone, ever, because that statement can be applied more strongly to almost everyone else.

Before I take off, figured I'd note...the Italian government debt has not responded positively at all to the supposed improvement in the Greece situation. Since Italy has exposure to Greece, I'd say that's a pretty clear statement that the people owning that debt do not believe this Greece deal has solved anything.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 03:36 PM) Aren't the Sox routinely at the bottom of the list of "pitches per AB"? They don't need to be swinging at more marginal pitches. I think that one is in no small part because of AJ, who tends to be at the bottom of the league in pitches/PA. AJ's BABIP though is as good as or better than the team's in most of those years.

Ergo...the Sox don't strike out much...but they don't put the ball in play strongly. Almost as if they're being too aggressive on pitches out of the zone.

CREW has also filed an ethics complaint against the Cain campaign over some actually serious campaign finance shenanigoats which would be getting more play if they hadn't come out this week.

THIS IS NOT HOW YOU MAKE A STORY GO AWAY, MR. CAIN. Herman Cain's campaign threatens to sue Politico for accurately reporting things that happened in the 1990's. Oh, and one of the accusers hopes to have an agreement to release a statement later this afternoon.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 01:17 PM) Is it common for universities to put out a job announcement saying they will be accepting applications for more than a full year? Rutgers has had an open position for a year and a half in their geology department. It's not common, but not unheard of. I would never have guessed that the date went into my calendar a year from now until I saw it, my brain didn't process the 2012 when I first read the posting.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 02:01 PM) The White Sox are not a good situational hitting team and they have a low BABIP because they swing at any pitch that is close to being a strike and then get themselves out. This is the mantra that I heard from Jeff Manto this morning. This appears to be their philosophy and the Twins pitch to this and admit that they simply let he White Sox get themselves out. What is changing? Am I to now believe they will change this theory based on the pitcher? I am not getting a good feeling about this the more I hear. And let's remember the stat...the Sox have the lowest BABIP in the league over what, a 5 year period?