Balta1701

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 11:30 PM) Already seen about 4 different tweets saying "Let's call them the Big Two & Bosh" I was wondering to start the year how "in shape and motivated" those guys would be, especially after Wade spent the whole preseason out. So far, the only one putting up anything close to normal levels of effectiveness is Wade. I wonder if we aren't seeing the partying, quantified.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2010 -> 11:17 AM) When Rondo and Rose were on the floor at the same time, the Celtics were +21. I bet most of that was early in the game though when the Celtics built that lead.

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 6, 2010 -> 11:02 AM) The Sox should look at Vlad in the offseason. See what he wants. Leaves the team pretty RH hitter heavy unless they can find a LH player at 1b, and puts Quentin back in the OF as a regular player. It's an option, but it has its weaknesses. Not to mention the playoffs.

Now is probably the time to admit that some part of me really wants 1000 ppm CO2 because that'll be the last snow the world sees for the next 100k years.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 07:02 PM) It didn't work yet. Because the rest of the world is trying to do the same thing...and the countries that should have their currency appreciating (i.e. China) are the ones fighting the hardest against it.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 07:33 PM) even MSNBC is running off marginally progressive voices. You say that like it's the first time. Am I the only one who recalls the only anti-war TV host, who also had the best ratings on that network, getting canned in 2002 because the network needed to support the President's war?

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Nov 6, 2010 -> 09:51 AM) What states received the most stimulus money to keep public employees employed? What states are going to get bailed out by the Feds for pension give aways? What states have received the largest subsidies from Build America Bonds? I can assure you TN, MS,and VA, will not show up on the top 5 maybe even top ten. CA, IL, NY, NJ are broke. Who do you think is going to end up footing the bill? Of course they're not going to shwo up in the top 10 (although Alaska probably does)...because there aren't as many people there! They very well could show up there if you looked at per capita numbers.

QUOTE (Brian @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 11:02 PM) What games are you watching? They outplay a very good Portland team the whole game. They could of easily folded away in this game in the 3rd but didn't. Knicks will never shoot like last night again. Refs didn't help Bulls at all tonight. Seemes like refs were making up calls or refs making calls that weren't in position to make. The team defense is garbage. No rotation. Can't defend pick N roll and I would bet Thibs is teaching it. Guy not learning it. I've got to agree with Fathom here. If you watched the Bulls and compared them to the Celtics last night...the first big difference is that the Bulls's bench is a disaster in the 2nd quarter and dominates the 4th for some reason I can't figure out. The second big difference is that the Celtics just weren't making the kind of mistakes the bulls were making. 2 turnovers off of inbound plays with under 4 minutes to go? That was horrible and frankly they were just careless mistakes. Or the time after time that they failed to rotate on the pick and roll...usually Rose again but sometimes the other guard...that is just killing them. Better backcourt defensive positioning and the Bulls might have beaten both the Knicks and the C's. The Bulls still look like a poorly coached team half the time. The big difference between now and last year is that they are now actually running better sets on both sides of the ball...the ball movement on offense is vastly better, and the frontcourt defense is vastly better (everyone Deng guards seems to shut down). There are still too many little mistakes though. If this team played like a veteran team...i.e. like the Celtics...they'd look like a team that could win 60.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 10:32 PM) I'd rather have Morel playing than 3B than Vizquel. They both offer great defense (although I'd given Morel the nod given his strong arm), and they are both "meh" offensively. However, I'd rather let the young guy play everyday and bat everyday to get better than the 44 year old player who is more useful to use plugging in at multiple other positions. Why do we think morel is "meh" offensively other than the fact that he's a rookie? This guy had a solid approach to hitting the whole year last year and, although it took him a week or two to adapt, basically has mashed everything since the 2009 AFL.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2010 -> 10:24 AM) Depends on how much money we are talking about. It would have to be in the couple of million dollar range. Anything above that would scare me. Obviously. If someone wants to offer him $8 million guaranteed then we're outbid. You could probably talk me into $3-$4 plus incentives as my limit on him...depending on what my medical staff says.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 08:04 PM) No. Actually the Sox could even go to AJ and ask him to decline arbit so that they could get the draft pick when he signs. Of course...the flaw in that is that if AJ is a type A free agent, and AJ declines arbitration per a deal with the team, it may well wind up that no team signs AJ because no team wants to give up the draft pick.

If the Sox have a Kotsay style 1b mess this season, stay in the race (i.e. Healthy Peavy), and the Padres Fall out...KW would at least put in the call, but realistically what are the Sox going to have that the Padres would take over the 2 draft picks? If Mitchell has a good season he could qualify, and Sale could qualify...but even if someone else starts off having a great year in the minors, a great 2-3 months isn't going to turn a guy into trade-bait for Gonzalez.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 07:58 PM) So, with the free agent signing period about to begin, it's time to step up and guess where the big names will go. : Crawford: Angels (6/$130M) Werth: Red Sox (4/$75M) Lee: Texas (5/$110M) Beltre: San Francisco (4/$45M) Konerko: D-backs (3/$35M) Dunn: Nats (2/$30M) Victor Martinez: White Sox (3/$34M) Crawford: Angels, 7/$140 Werth: Red Sox, 4/$70 Lee: Yankees, 6/$156. Beltre: Angels: 4/$48 Konerko: White Sox, 3/$33 Dunn: Braves, 2/$24 Martinez: Red Sox, 4/$48.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2010 -> 09:37 AM) Berkman turned down the trade here, but was very gracious about saying that it was because he wanted to go with Pettite. I just wonder how much he has left. I'd totally try him on as a DH...if my training staff said sure. Not sure exactly what his injuries were this year though, or his training regimen. He could easily be a guy who puts on a Guerrero like comeback season.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Nov 6, 2010 -> 09:44 AM) What I'll remember most about Lucy was that he was selected eight picks ahead of Kurt Suzuki, five picks ahead of Hunter Pence, and six picks ahead of Dustin Pedroia. Just an awful pick. All things considered has to be one of the worst in Sox history. Really, no. Not even close.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 08:11 PM) I have to imagine someone will offer McCarthy a better shot at the bigs than the Sox will. Not to mention there wasn't exactly nice stuff said about Brandon after he left. He can go to the Royals and try to play CF.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 06:53 PM) He would have played there a little. There were many on this board thinking KW should sign him, and NOT as a full time DH, but part of the rotating DH, and KW almost did sign him. The guy is going to get hurt whether he's playing the field or DHing or just taking his dog for a walk. Hendry is stupid for signing him, but if its for minimal money is it any dumber than any other GM who traded for him or signed him or offered him even more cash? Its weird, when the Cubs don't win its the GM's fault. When the Sox don't win, its on the hitting coach. Which is of course why the Cubs replaced their hitting coach last year. Because of Greg Walker.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 06:31 PM) If he's healthy what's the difference signing him this year or last except this year will be much cheaper? The team that was signing him last year had no interest in having him play the field.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 06:32 PM) Or the dollar is deteriorating from a flood of dollars into the economy. Which would set the U.S. up for a boom in manufacturing job growth.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, some where else.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 5, 2010 -> 06:17 PM) The markets have been loving the past two weeks for some reason. QE2.

Just when you thought the right and the left would never agree...

Hate snow. Hate it.

Seriously? The iPhone doesn't know very much about daylight savings time?