Balta1701

Perspicacious.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 08:07 PM) Shocker that a liberal thinks the answer is throwing more money at the problem. We should have just given the 15 million unemployed in this country a 40k a year salary. That would have solved the unemployment problem. Actually, it kinda would have. Can't do it forever, but you're guaranteed that money will be spent.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 9, 2010 -> 05:27 AM) But we're all still operating under the assumption Morneau will be back next year...is that really a certainty? Unless he takes another blow to the head, yes, he's reportedly ready to go.

I have a sudden urge to say the phrase "I told you so..."

QUOTE (Lillian @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 06:39 PM) Yes, you're correct, and if Pierre could always lead off and inning, I would agree that he might be a better choice than Rios. The problem is that many times he will not be leading off, and then I would prefer that Rios be at the plate. Then the highest priority is not having runners on base.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 06:33 PM) Rays trade Bartlett to Padres for Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos. Who is their SS? Beckham? Brignac? The same Adam Russell we traded them?

QUOTE (Lillian @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 06:33 PM) For those of you who are Pierre fans, I personally don't care about the stolen bases. We are going to have a lot of thunder in our lineup, and the highest priority for our lead off hitter is to get on base. I want those Konerko, Dunn and Quentin home runs to come with one or more guys on base. Moreover, the Sox will have very good balance up and down the lineup. Pierre could very well be hitting with Beckham, Ramirez, or A.J. on base, and when he does, I will likely have no more confidence in his ability to do anything productive than I did last year. This team has a chance to score a lot of runs, especially if they can find a productive hitter to play either CF or RF, moving Quentin to LF. At that point, Rios could lead off, as I have advocated for some time. The Sox don't need to steal bases to manufacture runs, although Rios can do some of that as well. I'd be very happy to see Pierre moved, or relegated to a bench player, even if he is costing the Sox $5 million. I don't know if you noted this...but Alex Rios's career OBP is .331, and it was .334 last year. Juan Pierre's career OBP is .347, and it was .341 last year.

QUOTE (bulokis @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 05:20 PM) If we can trade Teahen and use his money for bullpen help. Maybe cubs will bite because they were wanting Teahen before we got him also. If anyone would have taken him at this point, he'd be gone already. That might change once the FA market dries up, but not likely.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 02:27 PM) I thought it was said that wasn't for the last year of the contract, it was only before this year? I'm pretty sure that's true...because of the fact that mark's 10/5 rights just kicked in. He doesn't need the trade kicker when he has a full NTC: he can ask a team for an extension to waive that clause.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 05:11 PM) I don't disagree that the health care system needed help - I just contend that the economy needed other measures more AND that the health care system could have been fixed better for far less money. I can agree with you that the economy could have used other measures...but how many of them would have gotten past the Senate? If you want to argue where the mistake was, it was in ignoring the advice of some people to shoot for the moon in the Stimulus package and start off by asking for $1.3 trillion, so that it was $1.1 trillion or $1 trillion when Snowe and Collins pared it back. Once they spent their chance, that was it, and you know that. We've gotten "stimulus" type items through the Senate since then...a couple short unemployment extensions and the small business bill, and those had to be paid for by cutting food stamps.

Nein.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 05:07 PM) Wow I didn't hear that. So Jackson's in, Freddy gone? I thought we dumped Jackson. Jackson had a contract through the end of 2011 before we even traded for him. He gets $8.5 million this season IIRC.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 05:06 PM) Would not be a bad ide or hurt my feelings to keep Freddie Garcia You ready to go 2/$12 on it?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 04:58 PM) Paulie needs 90 homers to tie the Big Hurt as the White Sox all time home run king. 3 hours late to this party DA.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 04:28 PM) The extra $2.5 million this year probably just cost them JJ Putz. Why? The Sox weren't willing to go to 2+ years with Putz. That 2nd year was important too.

Let it die then, if that's how you feel.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 04:07 PM) deciding this economy was the time to re-vamp health care I hate to be the one to derail the thread, but I have to. This reminds me a ton of the classic "Obama should have focused more on the economy and not on health care" line that we kept hearing before the election. What else should he have done instead? I can give you procedural quibbles with how it happened, but what else could he have gotten done instead? Getting more "stimulus" out of Congress certainly seems to me to have been darn near impossible. Leaving the health care system as-is was a horrible move.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 03:57 PM) Better wording might have made my idea clearer. But, what you are saying is exactly what I mean. Give the job now to Morel and trade Viciedo and/or Teahan and Morel falls on his face in ST. I can see one of the two being moved in a good deal, but maybe Viciedo still is in a competition for 3B with Morel? Frankly, even if Morel has a bad ST, he played so well in the minors last year that the job ought to be his, or at worst his platooned with Vizquel, for the better part of this season. Viciedo just simply doesn't belong there right now. If you were 100% committed to putting Viciedo at 3b, first you should never have moved him last year...second, you need to commit to playing him there in AAA every day this year. He has the arm to handle the spot, but he doesn't have the instincts, footwork, experience, etc., to be anything other than a butcher there right now. (You need to do the same thing with him at 1b this year anyway).

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 03:51 PM) I agree that this seems to be their thinking. But, you know how things change and I would hate to lose other options by a quick reaction to trade someone "A quick reaction" would be having Morel come up this year, struggle some at the start, and wind up replaced.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 03:37 PM) Wait, what? 1.8-2 million jobs? How do you figure? Or is this one of those "if we spend 15 trillion we can save a million jobs, which if you think about it, IS creating jobs" arguments? This is one of those jobs saved by stimulus arguments, yes. The CBO estimate formula says that roughly 1% GDP growth = 1 million new jobs. The US GDP is currently just over $14 trillion, so 1% growth = $150 billion or so. The $308 billion in payroll tax cuts and lower/middle class tax cuts over the first 2 years year produces approximately 2 million jobs/year using the simplified formula and the Moody's estimated multiplier for lower/middle class tax cuts of 1.03. The upper class tax cuts and business credits produce a small additional increase, but the multiplier for those is much lower, especially now since they're already flush with cash. The payroll tax break has a stronger effect than the extension of the normal tax cuts because of how regressive the payroll tax is, and unemployment benefits have a huge multiplier because, as 2k5 noted, they're 100% certain to be spent. Within reason, that pushes to ~ 2 million jobs this year.

Anyone else just get an official season and package ticket sale email from Whitesox.com?

The hacker group "Anonymous" has apparently crashed Mastercard's website as retaliation for Mastercard's decision to stop processing credit card contributions to Wikileaks.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 03:10 PM) Does Buehrle have a no trade clause? Mark Buehrle is a 10/5 player; he's been in the big leagues for 10+ years and with the same team for 5+ years, so he has the right to veto any trade to anyone. His contract originally had more limited NTC protection, but now, he's got the veto.

Mark Buehrle has 10/5 full NTC rights and I'd give you a strong guess that he'd block that deal. Furthermore...that Wood deal, ew.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 03:06 PM) Right, and the important numbers there are 2010 and 2008. Since Konerko's down season, you have since been provided with overwhelming evidence that his career is not shot because of injury or diminished skills. What has Lee shown you since his down year? An .888 OPS in the 2nd half of that down year.