Balta1701

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 23, 2011 -> 11:20 AM) FINRA does in fact protect consumers as part of their mission... but their consumers are, specifically, investors in the financial markets. If you are talking about consumer protection beyond that, like into say mortgages or retail banking, then FINRA has nothing to do with it. Wait...I'm right?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 23, 2011 -> 10:16 AM) And I love how you can throw in this - "which frankly is not uncommon in these cases" - which just proves you're inherently biased against cops/prosecutors and believe that every case is a conspiracy to wrongly peg and kill the black guy in the case. I wouldn't think that after the events in the state of Illinois a decade ago the claim that police coercion in capital cases is disturbingly commonplace would be even a subject for debate.

QUOTE (La Marr Hoyt HOF @ Sep 23, 2011 -> 10:33 AM) Welcome to the next 10 years ... He spent 125 because they still have enough advanced ticket sales and tv revenue due to past successes and made one final go at it given the aging roster. Now that the team stinks, is generally aging and has a couple bad contracts, we are in a rebuilding mode. JR (cheap/good business man/whatever) will be happy to have Ozzie back to oversee what will otherwise be a lousy couple years because he is still a media/fan draw regardless of how much most of us can't stand him ... The problem is though that there's always a level where keeping a failing guy around because he's a fan draw turns around, and the fact that you're keeping a failing guy around drives people away. I can't say how it would affect me were I a season ticket holder, but the lack of professionalism towards the people paying their salaries coming out of the front office has been a major turnoff for me. I still went to my 1 game, because I'm only in town for a brief stint every year. Would I upgrade to a 13 game or 26 game package if I were in the area? Prior to this year yeah...but I'd really be questioning spending that money next year.

Phillies have lost 6 straight since clinching the NL East.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 23, 2011 -> 09:50 AM) Really? Are you being intentionally dense again? No. If I were looking to file a complaint against my bank over something in say a mortgage document, I'd read through FINRA's website and decide I was at the wrong spot. If I felt defrauded as an investor, I'd look through FINRA's website and decide I was at the right spot.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 23, 2011 -> 09:36 AM) FINRA is supposed to be the advocate for consumers. That's why complaints are supposed to flow through them. If that's the case, they hide it really, really well. Here's their "About" page, word for word. The only part where they refer to dealing with the public is in educating the public in how to be good investors. Nothing about helping the public deal with mortgage documents or credit cards.

Link

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 23, 2011 -> 09:21 AM) The sad part is that this is what the rest of the alphabet soup of regulators was supposed to be. But because they are all disconnected and fighting with each other for funding and rule making supremacy, all they end up doing is being a waste of money. For example why does FINRA exist if it isn't to advocate for customers? We're just throwing more money after past failures. It seems to me that based on their charter, FINRA is supposed to exist to ensure compliance with the rules on wall street, such that they are an advocate for other investors. I don't see how that org is designed to be an advocate for consumers in any way. If a financial firm is making large profits by doing things which generally hurt consumers, say payday loans that get 90% of the people who use them in trouble or something like that, then I don't see why FINRA would have an issue with that as long as they are honest in their public disclosures.

League starts canceling training camp and exhibition games.

Incredibly plain headlines.... "Sox like Morel's power surge." Anyway...I think Ozzie is discounting Morel's strength here, but he's half right in that Morel is a much better hitter to all fields.

Greg Walker agrees.

Depends on how you define "hurting" those some programs. This is all about money anyway. If a slightly larger amount of money goes to the conference, and that money trickles down to the programs that are being "Hurt" competitively, then those programs might well not care.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 22, 2011 -> 10:55 PM) With Rios it's hard to define "they once were". Even if those guys have good season maybe this team is still not good enough. Starting pitching is starting to look suspect.You know how fairly often people will discount performances based on it being September? This team stopped caring 3 weeks ago and made it clear. The starting pitching right now is just trying to finish up. Stewart is probably trying to learn, Humber is trying to get a workout, the others are trying to stay healthy. None of them are trying to win games.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 22, 2011 -> 08:32 PM) I can't complain about this in general, but if like to note a couple things...this agency needs to be well funded enough to attract legit workers, which is difficult for the government in the first place...and there needs to be an independent CPFB, like Dr Warren described. Otherwise...yes, regulator shopping is awful. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 23, 2011 -> 08:38 AM) And also the funny part is in both of those articles, they argue for exactly what NSS and I are talking about.

Very unlikely I'll remember though.

The letters screwed me, I wanted Sunday bloody Sunday.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Sep 22, 2011 -> 09:54 PM) Exactly. It's insulting as hell. And did anyone else get a little angry looking at Beckham's s***-eating grin in the 9th today? Wipe that smile off of your face. Your team is terrible and about to drop another game. And obviously I'm happy that they're losing to get better draft positioning, but I don't want the players to act like they couldn't give a s*** less about the game. I can't get mad about a guy finding a reason to smile in a 7 month season and after a 3 hour game.

CNN/fortune Economist

The reason you can try to hang peavy on Cooper is that Peavys mechanical issues contributed to and caused that injury. That said, the sox always lead the league in starters innings, so keeping his guys healthy is usually one thing coop is great at.

Npr's version Same story, nyt. Latimes version Bloomberg and business week version. And you cant even say this is some crazy blog rumor.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 22, 2011 -> 09:25 PM) Ozzie shared my view of Reed having a good fastball/change but needing to refine his slider. Maybe his change just moves that much.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 22, 2011 -> 09:07 PM) Reed's slider is really mediocre...good thing hitters seem to struggle against his fastball/change-up combo A mediocre 3rd pitch on a reliever? Ok.

QUOTE (Brian @ Sep 22, 2011 -> 08:55 PM) Sam here, but some reviews are down because of Caviezel. Jesus can't act?!?!??

Rollin on the river.

QUOTE (VictoryMC98 @ Sep 22, 2011 -> 08:48 PM) I beg to differ.. The Sox needed to make an impact at the trade deadline if they were seriously going to make a run.. They didn't and the rest is history. The team was inconsistent all year, Not since Juneish did I think this team had a chance to make it... Unless they made a move, or somehow Dunn recalled how to be Dunn. At the deadline we move at the time our 3rd best starting pitcher and KW screw up.. for a bag of peanuts, and old sock. DET went and fixed their problem at 3rd, and got a SP and some RP.. What need did the white sox have that was fixable? The only legit needs were cf and dh. They could have gone for Beltran or some dh option, but Ozzie would have had to bench his guy. 3b? MOrel has actually outperformed Betemit. And Beltran would have not only cost Viciedo...he wouldn't have outproduced De Aza.