Balta1701

I believe we decided a while back that wishing people were dead because you disagree with their politics was somethig we don't want in this forum.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 08:10 PM) Well yeah, but it's an editorial piece, not a report. I think the guy makes a lot of good points, especially regarding a generation of youths that have grown up without role models, without aspirations, without concern for the future. That's what i'm referring to when I say we're in the same boat. I don't think our position is as bad....yet. Yeah, our kids have LeBron James to look up to. I mean the guy killed JFK and won 2 straight MVP awards.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 08:20 PM) I'm in the same boat. For the real investors in here, assume the markets continue to drop and hit like 10k or under. Smart to buy into an index fund? Or is the all-equity position not a good one? Aren't there 2 distinct statements here, buying into a index fund doesn't have to equal an all-equities position does it?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 08:36 PM) No way dude. It was obviously Oney. You know I'm right too. Somehow the story involves AJ in a key role. Hell, he has a better view of cf than the pitcher.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 08:37 PM) 11 fly balls for the Sox tonight. Looks like we're going to have to beat up on Tillman tomorrow to salvage this series and have some momentum for Friday. A loss tomorrow, and you're probably looking at a half-empty Cell. Salvage the series?

It only takes a slight Chinese Telephone miscommunication to go from it being a pitcher saying that to it being a catcher. AJ. Not even worth thinking it's anyone else. Don't care that this writer says it's a pitcher. Somehow AJ was involved or caused it.

QUOTE (since56 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 05:58 PM) The Sox have always tried to get Lillibridge to be a slap hitter. I think they finally unleashed him. Let him hit his natural way. I wonder how many he would have if had as many ab's as Done. I dunno about that. Lillibridge has always had a long looking swing, this year a lot of the HR's he's hit have been on short and lightning quick strokes.

For the 120 games a year he gives them it could be quite good...but well...if he's getting paid for 160

I've got to agree with 2k5 here (why did I feel sick after typing that?). Corporate profits are through the roof right now, all 3 of those companies are dividend paying companies, they've probably already taken the biggest hit that they'll take in terms of consumer spending and weathered it. Stocks are pretty likely oversold already, but they're oversold based on the assumption of decreasing profitability if the economic conditions worsen...which means that there's room for upwards recovery if things stabilize.

QUOTE (JoshPR @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 04:07 PM) How have his atbats looked? Is he making contact even if there outs? Is he getting Jamed? Out in front? He's had solid at bats the last 3-4 days.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 03:35 PM) I use that line and tone an awful lot. Good. Good.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 03:20 PM) Well at least tolerance for the person in your own party... I'll give Mitt Romney loads of praise if he flipflops again and supports action on carbon pollution.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 03:06 PM) Or a burst of tolerance know as "not a Republican". Yeah, on things that would put you on the "Not a Republican" list, I'd say tolerance is pretty high up there.

QUOTE (God Loves The Infantry @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:57 PM) Sounds like someone who said what he had to say to be appealing and then either would not or could not keep the promises. If it's the first one, he's a liar. If it's the second, he's a guy in over his head. Or, there is such thing as a "Congress".

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:33 PM) This exact same scenario happened with Obama. On and off. Not ok with a debt limit increase, now all for it. Not ok with continuing Gitmo. Still in operation. Not ok with keeping troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still there for the forseeable future. Not ok with unilateral military action. Oops, we have Libya. They're politicians. They're all a bunch of lying sacks of s***. To argue one is better than another or different than another is a fools errand. To be fair...the changes for Obama happened "When he got into office." On the debt limit, its really easy for a minority party member to make a protest vote as long as the thing is going to pass. Not ok with Gitmo...but Congress has blocked the White House from doing anything with that. And you're simply inaccurate on one detail...he ran on a policy of increasing troops in Afghanistan, not on pulling out. He ran on a platform of removing combat troops from Iraq, and at least for now we're on schedule...although the DOD seems to be pushing back hard on that lately.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:34 PM) Is that average velocity or average velocity on all his pitches thrown? It just seems his stuff isn't as crisp as before, based just on the eye test. And maybe if all the pitches are in that category, he's never thrown more fastballs than any previous season it seems. Once again. Perception. Could be wrong easily enough. How much less is he throwing his offspeed pitches in 2011? Average velocity shows his average fastball velocity. The graph shows average fastball velocity per game. There's no obvious trend downwards this season, and his average velocity on the season is the same. If I did this same exercise back in May, I'd have given the same number within error. His velocity hasn't changed. Use of the fastball: 2009: 88.2% 2010: 88.1 % 2011: 87.3% I'd call that within error almost the same. The only thing that is really obviously different this year is what Pitch F/X thinks his offspeed pitch is. PFX thinks he threw mostly sliders as his 2nd pitch the last 2 years (correct) but this year it's categorizing most of those pitches as changeups. Same pitch as far as any of us can tell, but something about the motion or release point is different. Whether that means Matt is tipping pitches more or his release point has changed or the movement on the pitch has changed, that's not data I can get from here. Clearly something is different, it's not velocity, but it may be showing up in the numbers.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:29 PM) http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=829909...ate&section

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:28 PM) Thornton hasn't been missing as many bats as in years past. It's largely because the more fastballs you see in an at-bat, the greater your chances of timing it are...and command/location. Where's fangraphs on this? I'd swear he's down at least 1-1.5 mph on his fastball average this season. Finally, because there's so much more contact being made....there's always a bloop, bleeder, broken bat single (he breaks more bats than anyone I've seen in recent years but they almost always wind up with a man on base), he's just also a little bit snake-bitten. But that IP-H ratio has never been so lopsided. I would guess there's only one other year since he joined the Sox that he's given up more H and IP. You know, you can actually google "Matt Thornton Fangraphs" yourself. It isnt' that hard. Velocity: 2008 95.4 2009: 95.7 2010: 96.1 2011: 95.7.

Link

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:27 PM) Caulfield, I think you need to accept the fact that Crain is not going anywhere. If we were to do a total rebuild, get down to $80 million in salary next year, he's still moveable, but he's fairly paid for the work he's doing.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:25 PM) I agree with this. But he hasnt lost the heat, it is still there. To me, its the location. He isnt spotting the fastball inside on righthanders, so they are just waiting on the meatball down the middle I think there's also a little bit of a change in his arm angle or path, maybe very subtle, but somehow setting him up in a way where batters simply see the ball earlier.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:22 PM) pretty much the same across the board as every other year. His struggles this year haven't been about velocity, they've been some combination of control and simple "Hittability". Dude used to be lights out when he'd get 2 strikes on a guy. Santos-level lights out. Then this year, all of a sudden, he couldn't put anyone away with 2 strikes.

QUOTE (God Loves The Infantry @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:19 PM) And is Obama really anything less than the left's version of the TP? He's as ideologically tied to the left as we are to the right.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:15 PM) Why wouldn't we? Because a good return would hurt our competitiveness this season and likely next season.

I'd still only move him for a good return.