Balta1701

Maybe he should acknowledge that the Palestinians don't deserve a state. I'm sure that would help right? (Interesting timing of those 2 discussion points)

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 04:16 PM) It looks like the Bears will HAVE TO spend at least ~30 mil, I had no idea their cap situation was so strong. Could be an exciting (and obviously fast) free agency period for the Bears once the CBA is agreed to. For all the talk that happens about them being cheap...they're also incredibly smart about where they spend their money. Even guys who are on "Bad" contracts for the Bears are still productive guys.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 04:12 PM) There were a few of us last offseason trying to say sell high on Rios but too many posters here were shooting us down. I just wanted under that contract and was willing to put up with a below-average replacement player if it meant having those resources available to help elsewhere. Personally I still want to see if De Aza can pull anything together. But yeah, he'd be a terrible weakness next to Pierre.

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 04:11 PM) http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id...with-120m-limit Things that will make Chicago fans celebrate.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 03:28 PM) This surprises me coming from you. But I totally agree. You may not remember, but the person on this site who was the strongest advocate of trading Rios at the end of May last year was me. I shut up mid-June because I realized we weren't going to be selling anyone, but it's not the first time I've written this.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 03:12 PM) What have the Indians lost of significance the last couple years? You're not trying to go back to Cliff Lee, are you? When they sucked anyway. The Rays lost multiple key components from a 95 win team. There's no comparison. Sizemore has been a gingerbread man for going on three years now. Choo hasn't hit all year. They've taken advantage of a weak division. Highlighted by the massive busts that have been the White Sox. So the Indians are nearly tied with the Rays despite getting nothing from the guy who should have been their best hitter? Well, that sounds exactly like your argument for why Maddon gets so much credit for the Rays being good despite losing Longoria.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 03:04 PM) So the Rays have a better record than the Indians in a by far better division, lost 57 free agents, have been without their super star 3B for 35 games, and Acta is more deserving? If you look at it in a vacuum, yes, Acta is more deserving because they're closer to first place. But that's corny. And that gives me more reason to hate on the Sox. If they were playing at 85% of what I believe to be their optimal potential, we wouldn't even be debating this. As we'd be in first by at least 6 games or so. How many games has Grady Sizemore missed? Or Shin-Soo Choo? And how many players did they lose the last few years?

QUOTE (docsox24 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:59 PM) what do you want him to do with rios? his mistake was picking him up not sticking with him At some level...that 25-5 run last year was sort of a shame...because after the month of May that Rios had last year, June/July was probably a time when he could not only have been traded but moved for a decent return as well.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:53 PM) By what criteria is Acta more deserving than Maddon outside of his team is closer to first place in a clearly inferior division? They have nearly identical records and one team is substantially better than they were last year or were expected to be this year, while the other team is worse than they were last year and about where they were expected to be this year.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:52 PM) Not a chance. With Buehrle up soon, there is no reason. No reason to trade him?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:44 PM) The Tigers don't need offense...they need starting pitching. That doesn't mean that offense can't help them. They've gotten a .682 OPS out of LF and a .688 OPS out of CF on the season.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:42 PM) I know. But it was supposed to be a tug-of-war between the Yankees and Red Sox from day one. The Rays weren't even supposed to be in the picture. I'll just say that if the Rays finish with a better record than the Indians and/or within five games of the playoffs then Maddon wins it. If you want to ignore the difference between the divisions, something I refuse to do, then you could go with whatever crummy AL central team wins. The White Sox are closer to the AL Central lead than the Rays are to the AL East lead.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:36 PM) And MacDougal/Linebrink are the first two times in KW's tenure we admitted a mistake and sent money the other way. My argument is that he stuck with those guys forever and gave them way TOO many chances before he cut them loose. At their point, their value collectively was basically less than zero. Well, I guess we saved a couple of million with Linebrink, but we ate the majority of his 2011 deal. Cutting guys who are expensive is really quite silly. A couple months of solid production and they might suddenly be moveable. We're going to see that in a few weeks if Beltran gets moved. We saw that last year when somehow Vernon Wells was moved.

But...think of your own example with Swisher. KW traded for him at high cost, gave him 4 months, then traded for yet another CF (Griffey) and basically exiled Swisher to the bench. He'll admit that moves fail...the problem then becomes how to piece things together afterwards. Unless Anaheim wants another Toronto OF contract, then that's much harder.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:28 PM) I forgot to add Garza. And I challenge you to find any major publication that had the Rays finishing any better than a distant third going into the season. But...they're in third. Right where they were expected to be.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:18 PM) Maybe. The majority of sportswriters usually go for the "surprise" team that nobody expected to be in it at all. With the Rays a contender in every season since 2008, they're probably a victim of their own success here. And maybe there's this idea that their minor league system has been so productive that they can just plug in new pieces and automatically be successful...like the Twins seemingly do. Other than the Indians, is there really a surprise team anywhere in the AL right now?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:22 PM) I would assume there are a lot of swears and red marker on that list. Maybe a meme or two

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:21 PM) Hmm. I wonder what that list looks like. My question would be whether you hold onto guys who are expensive but who are here for a number of years. Konerko, Thornton in particular. If you sell one, you try to sell everyone who won't be here at the end of 2012. You don't necessarily move them all if you don't get a good offer, but you at least listen.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:18 PM) In other words the logical conclusion of your post. I'm still lost so I'm giving up on that point.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:17 PM) Last I looked we're a representative democracy! Serious question...is there a functioning direct democracy anywhere in the world?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:16 PM) Seriously, I don't get what "disenfranchisement by association" means?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:15 PM) I guess that means you are in favor of disenfranchisement by association? I'm not quite sure what that term means.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 01:54 PM) To me, one person, one vote is way more democratic than one billion dollars or five justices. Thank you for your strenuous opposition to the Citizens United Decision and for your sudden and unexpected opposition to voter ID/disenfranchisement efforts.

QUOTE (chisoxt @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 01:49 PM) Given all this, wouldn't you as a GM excercise more caution with someone like this Peavy given the large contract in place? Kenny needs to stop looking at the back of the baseball card when evaluating deals and consider what the player may provide to the team going forward. Heyman, amongst others, has reported that there is a fairly substantial insurance policy covering Jake Peavy's contract which has already hit its deductible. Wouldn't you also factor that in when you're trading for an injury risk?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 13, 2011 -> 02:05 PM) If they don't bring up Viciedo, I agree with you. WE ALL know what's coming this weekend in Detroit. What are they afraid of in bringing him up? Pierre knows the drill. We need the other guy's pop. You just know what KW is thinking. "I put together a good lineup here with Dunn. We're still getting good to great pitching. We can win this thing if I just stay calm and realize Dunn and Rios are very very good hitters and will turn it around and we'll be fine." Fine, Kenny. Stick with the overpaid Dunn n Rios, but at least give us something to dream about in the added pop of Viciedo. Really, I don't think that's what KW's thinking at all. I'd guess he's thinking "Rios and Dunn are flat out unmovable. I have to get something out of them, there's no benefit to me to benching them, either this season or long term. This team is borderline ready to be dismantled, and I've got 2 more weeks to the deadline. Let it play out as-is, and if things don't snap back immediately, I'm going to have to be a seller."