Balta1701

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 10:47 AM) It could very well make a big difference. Footing half a season of salary up front is very different than paying it out normally. When the Cubs traded Sammy Sosa in 2003 it was a large enough instant hit that it actually appeared in the Tribune company's financial statements and affected that quarter's bottom line. I think if you cut a guy, you pay out the entire thing right there, unless you can get that player to somehow agree to a payout schedule...which he doesn't have to do unless he really wants out.

QUOTE (ChrisLikesBaseball @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:23 PM) But really, what's a lineup without Omar or Teahen? Well...I'd like to say "Better"...but that also means that Beckham is back in the lineup.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 11:10 AM) http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/colu...&id=6689555 Article ripping Ricketts for his lack of a coherent, audible message and direction with the Cubs Why on Earth is it the owners job to articulate a public vision for the franchise? Remember the days when the Blackhawks finally had their ownership hire good people and then just get the heck out of the way?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:12 PM) http://www.google.com/search?q=welfare+rec...on&vss=true From the HHS 2006 report to Congress on the TANF program.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:17 PM) This happens already at least here in Cook County. Most first time drug offenses sends you to a treatment facility, not jail. And since 70% of Illinois prison inmates are in jail for drugs, and the newly elected Cook County president recently came out and said drugs are a healthcare problem, not a criminal one, I think we're moving that way. Edit: Sorry! Sorry, that's just Cook County, so it doesn't apply to other areas of the country, and it doesn't speak for a general trend in policy or thinking. My bad! My bad. I'd love to actually believe it's a general trend in policy or thinking...problem is, the undermining data is in your first statement...70% of illinois prison inmates are in jail for drugs or drug related cases.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:03 PM) That's disconcerting. The NEI's and the NRC's responses can be found here: http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/dis...AP-article.html Their response is equally disconcerting. "But look how much money we're spending. These are big numbers. We must be doing a good job."

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:12 PM) http://www.google.com/search?q=welfare+rec...on&vss=true I'm several google searches ahead of that. Your data is from 1994, probably covering FY 1992. By 1996 the African American rate had climbed higher, and 1996 was when TANF replaced AFDC. Like I said, i'm trying to find more up to date data.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 10:44 AM) The idea that somehow we are saving money without testing is just silly. If they are addicts, or turn into them eventually, who do you think is paying for treatment and prison anyway? The quicker you stop a problem, or even prevent it, the better. If you stop even one percent of people from starting to use because they are afraid of losing their incomes, much like employees who won't use, or quit using, because they fear the drug test, you have won in the long run. It doesn't matter what class of people we are talking about. I don't care how rich or poor you are, if you are abusing, you really shouldn't be qualified to get a handout. In this case, 2k5 is fully right...actually providing testing and treatment would be much cheaper than dealing with the long term consequences of abuse. Problem is...there's a big assumption here...that a positive test provokes treatment and not jail time. SS is right that if you have people fearing that they'll get caught and go to prison, they'll be even less likely to get assistance. Can anyone argue to me successfully that this country would rather take the people who test positive while qualifying for a program like this and offer them treatment rather than punishment?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:03 PM) Speaking of stereotyping... There are more white people on welfare than any other race. As of the late 90's this wasn't true, African Americans were in fact a larger group on AFDC and TANF (when it was created) than whites. I'm trying to find more up to date data.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 09:32 AM) I think you have your cause and effect backwards. The dollar drives commodities prices. I think if we really did the math, the correlation coefficient would be ~0.25, which means they are correlated but very weakly. If you look at the charts in detail, and you tried to predict commodities prices based on the dollar or the reverse, you could do so weakly, but you'd have a very poor overall success rate. In general they line up in direction (one goes up the other goes up) but it's not a hard and fast rule, the magnitudes aren't well correlated, and they're often out of phase. The real answer is most likely that it's a very chaotic system, with outside economic forces dominating both, and various feedbacks depending on the type of outside forcing, but that isn't something that can be easily put on a policy bumper sticker.

Link

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 09:26 AM) and THAT is how you get a 16,000 square foot house in Scottsdale b****es. He needs a bigger house.

I'm actually impressed at how the correlation between commodity prices and the dollar is at best a second order feature. The things that show up much, much more strongly are global events. The Asian Economic crisis (98), the 2002 bottom, the pre-2008 spike, the post-2008 bottom. Here's the last couple years if you'd like to stitch them together.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Jun 21, 2011 -> 10:20 PM) By the way...Pretzel M&M's are the shiz. Couldn't stand em. All pretzel, nothing else.

Which tells me I was right all along to be skeptical of the owner's statement that the league was going down but couldn't open its books to prove it.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 08:13 AM) I keep telling people he is not what he is portrayed to the media/general public. Though you could say that about any player, but with Pujols it's a complete 180. How is he portrayed in the media that is wrong? I'm not in St. Louis, but I've gotten very little about the guy personally.

The F***?

QUOTE (OilCan @ Jun 21, 2011 -> 10:36 PM) Here's what has to happen. 1) Pierre - You know the Sox want anything in return. Or Ozzie will still play his teacher's pet at the top of the lineup much to the dismay of this White Sox fan. So Pierre would probably be a deadline day trade (July 31st) in order to get some kind of compensation. That should open the door for Carlos Quentin to slide to LF, then Dayan can play RF. 2) Rios - what to do what to do. The Arizona series had me interested in Rios again, but it just looks like he's thinking way too much at every home game. He's not going anywhere, again much to the dismay of Sox fans, because Brent Lillibridge deserves PT time. *SIGH* Nothing to do with Viciedo but IMHO. If we want to talk about a "Return on investment" guy, the guy that really applies to is Rios. With $40 million+ still on his contract, we just can't eat that salary. He has to be playing.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jun 21, 2011 -> 11:17 PM) Konerko should finish his career here. At the rate he's going, if he does...he's got a legit shot at Thomas's team career HR mark during 2013.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 02:53 AM) "In-between swings, Beckham chatted with hitting coach Greg Walker about the type of adjustments struggling .230 hitters need to discuss." Walker - "Have you tried just closing your eyes and swinging for a home run every pitch?.....Oh you have?.....Well just keep trying that, it will work eventually" What a unique and original joke. How on Earth did you come up with it so quickly?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:32 AM) Kudos to Konerko, Morel, Crain and Santos. Typical Buehrle start. Brent Morel is so getting benched for this one.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 01:36 AM) but man are the stinking twins hot. Can you believe the production they've gotten from all those AAA replacements? Their offense still hasn't been good, they've been carried by the 2.01 ERA their pitching staff has put up in June. They're hitting .268 with a .716 OPS in June.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 12:44 AM) Watch the Sox get to .500 exactly at the half, record 41-41. (I realize 162 games) I'd take it.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jun 22, 2011 -> 04:37 AM) If Konerko hits another HR before he strikes out again, he will have just many HR as K's in June (11). When does this week's player of the week start? Is it Sunday or Monday? Based on the fact that he's homered in 5 straight he's kinda getting that one in hand.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jun 21, 2011 -> 03:12 PM) No clue but it'd be an interesting stat to find. ESPN's mobile app shows the "Odds of winning" for each team during the game. Last night in about the 3rd inning the Sox were up 2-0, and it showed the Sox with an 80% chance of winning the game.