Balta1701

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 01:22 PM) It is something that wouldn't surprise me this off season, that's for sure. The longer you go on, the harder it becomes to convince a player to sign a deal that options away a year of FA. Longoria signed his a month after he was called up.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 01:21 PM) That's OK, the Republicans are taking over soon, I'll be OK. Until you realize that's just what the executive branch wants you to think.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 01:19 PM) Relax, I have all of the serial numbers filed off so they can't be traced anyway. Someone is going to get an ATF visit fairly soon...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 01:07 PM) Which one sounds more like the Sox? I know I am going with the money. They don't spend on injury prone pitchers. Period. I know there are complications because not all the injuries were pitching injuries, but the counterpoint to that is Jake Peavy.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 01:05 PM) If Gordo ends up being that good, he could very well price himself out of Chicago. Part of me is surprised they haven't sat down and gotten a Longoria-style deal done with him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 01:06 PM) Perhaps... or summary executions could work... Quick, we need to borrow your guns!

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 01:14 PM) Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) said over the weekend that he's been encouraged to consider running for mayor of Chicago. via In about 2 months, Rod Blagojevic will appoint him to that position anyway.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 12:32 PM) Now the liberals can't even get along? What is the world coming to??? Obviously, the solution to this problem is to raise a group of people to start dumping various beverages into the ocean.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 12:35 PM) I don't think I have ever seen a kid get made a free agent and sign for cheaper than they could have been paid by their original team. In other words if we weren't willing to draft him and pay him as a mid first rounder, I doubt we bid against the rest of the league for him. There's 2 issues here though...on one hand, the Sox might not have been willing to pay for him as a first rounder...on the other hand, the issue might have been that the Sox didn't want to spend their first round draft pick on the guy. They might have been willing to commit the money, but not willing to commit the pick.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 12:39 PM) The implication was that JR has spent more comparatively. Under JR the Sox have been in the top 10 of payroll and I believe even the top 5. Im pretty sure that no other owner has had them that high. But JR has been the owner basically through the entire free agency era. Prior to that, payroll and performance really weren't connected and there was no way that spending more on payroll would translate to an improved team.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 12:30 PM) Mitchell probably would have been up this year without that injury, i still think he has the highest ceiling of the bunch. I read this statement and my first instinct was to think "No way"....then I thought for a moment longer and said "wait, that is exactly what they'd have done isn't it". I'm still not sold on this rapid advancement of every talented youngster experiment that we're doing now.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 12:24 PM) Leaving me no option but to put you on ignore. Might want to ditch out of this thread then, otherwise you're going to run into some spelling errors.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 10:48 AM) The head injuries have always happened, it's only now that the NFL gives a s***. You want to lessen the head injuries? Better helmets and mandatory mouth guards. The problem with the improving helmet design has been that it makes the hitter more comfortable in going in harder.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 10:15 AM) It is pretty accepted knowledge that the Sox liked his tools, but his injury history made him a no-go. There was a segment that is attributed to being Loux during The Show. Which makes it that much more surprising the Sox didn't take in his workout.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 12:11 PM) Jumping in to make me look like a fool? Thanks pal. Kind words...brings a tear to my eye.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 10:23 AM) Halloween is just around the corner so the timing is impeccable. I'm pretty sure that was the whole idea.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 11:56 AM) JR has spent more money on the Sox than any other owner has. This statement really means nothing to me since salaries have gone up at a rate much higher than inflation. The only owners you can't say that about in MLB have owned their teams for only a couple years. It'll take the next owner probably less than 5 years to be able to say the same thing.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 09:41 AM) My point being Danks is need on the White Sox pitching staff. If trading a pitcher is a must, trade someone else. Buerhle for sentimental reasons is the guy who pitches opening day. Peavy when healthy is probably the best pitcher of the bunch but will he ever be healthy again? Danks is the best pitcher on the Sox roster. You don't trade the best pitcher on your roster if you are trying to win. You can upgrade your offense with 2nd or 3rd tier FAs like KW did in 2005 and win that way. If the Sox don't bring Konerko back, they are going to have some money to spend. Oh come on, 2nd and 3rd tier FA's as the solution to the offense? In 2005, frankly, we got lucky with a giant score on a 2nd tier FA right fielder coming off of several years of injuries. While that might work again...you're flat out not going to convince me you'd be happy about that. You want some examples of 2nd and 3rd tier FA's right now? Andruw Jones, AJ Pierzynski, etc. The same type of guys that we're letting go, and the same level of guys that would set off the "the Sox are always cheap, look at the crappy 2nd and 3rd tier FA's they signed to try to plug their offensive holes!" people.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 09:24 AM) You are trying to make something black and white, that isn't. First, yes, obviously, the systems need improvement. Second, do you really think that any institution dealing with something as complex as mortgages and foreclosures and HAMP is going to get everything right, every time? Third, you have these banks taking on all these new programs and regulations, and it takes time to adjust to them. In the meantime, people will get hurt, I never said otherwise. Still, this particular situation is weird to me. It sounds as if, if she missed just one payment, but kept paying, she'd be at worst a month behind. That one month of mortgage payment is not enough to make financial sense of the bank to foreclose - it would cost them a lot more than that just to handle a foreclosure. I really feel like your guys' opinion that it's just a casual series of unavoidable mistakes really misses the essence of the problem. Your argument makes sense if the case I cited above was a rarity. It really isn't; that is explicitly how the program has worked for the millions of people who have had their trial modifications denied. There are a ton of examples. If it's an accident and a mistake...it's a mistake that has lingered for a year and a half, which no one has had any reason to correct. LAT

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 12:15 AM) Feel like this needs to be mentioned: Anyone see Desean get lit the hell up today? Of course he's on my f***in fantasy team. Lot of helmet to helmet hits it seemed like today. Peter King felt compelled to start off his weekly column with the matter.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 08:57 AM) No I didn't. I saw when the Sox struggled, the pitching staff struggled. It would have been very nice to have a real DH, and the Sox could have had one for $1.5 million, but chose to pass. If you saw how the season went, you would come to the conclusion with injuries to Peavy, Sale's age and lack of experience, Garcia's recent health history, Buerhle's workload the past decade, Floyd finishing 2 seasons in a row hurt, that pitching depth is a must. Trading Danks for a hitter will result in more runs, but fewer wins. I guess runs are more important to you. There's always a question though about how you define pitching depth, especially in a starting rotation. This fanbase still has scars on it from 2003-2004 when the "5th starter" spot went >1 year without recording a win, but that's not how it normally goes with 5th starter spots. Take a look at each and every team in the playoffs right now and their 5th starter spot. Name a team that has a solid, every-time 5th starter. The Giants...their $20 million 5th starter didn't even make their playoff roster as a LOOGY, and they've shuffled in guys like Baumgartner midway through the season. The Yankees...their 4th starter wasn't even on tap to get a start in the DS, they're probably unhappy about giving him one in the LCS, and their 5th starter didn't make their postseason roster. The Rangers have a clear 123, all of whom pitched 200+ innings, but no one else pitched 150+. Hunter pitched 128 on the season due to some injury problems, and their 5th starter was unclear at the start of the year and bounced around. The Phillies have a great top 3, Joe Blanton is a reliable #4, but their 5th guy (Moyer) got hurt for the season and so they wound up needing Oswalt. They have the most complete starting rotation in the playoffs, and even they had to go out and deal for a starter. Freddy Garcia for the Sox last year was a positive anomaly. Most teams shuffle through several 5th starters over the course of a season. Most teams get an ERA of well over 5.5 out of their 5th starter spot, cumulative. Teams can get to the playoffs by having a solid 5th starter because it can be worth several extra wins, but it's no where near a requirement. If this team can hold onto the 6 man pitching staff and field a competent offense with an upgraded DH slot compared to last year, then doing so is a good move. If this team has to choose between going with their top 5 pitchers and fielding a competent offense, their top 5 pitchers are likely to be good enough to do it. Signing someone to be a long man and occasional starter would be a solid move for depth, but that's not worth more than a couple million dollars to us.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 08:59 AM) What is the surprise there? And still, your original point that the mortgage company somehow makes out well in all this is unsupported. They will LOSE money by foreclosing on that property, they aren't getting away with a fast one. They are screwing up, and in the process, its sounds like, screwing themselves AND their customers. I'm sure that happens here and there, no doubt. Then here's my question, and this is why I refuse to believe that "they're not getting away with a fast one". If everyone is losing money on this...if the mortgage servicers, the banks, and the investors are all losing money...isn't it worth their money to build a better working system? Why do we have this system? If you're running a program at a bank/investment firm that you set up and run from the ground up, and it takes a good portion of your investment portfolio and significantly degrades it, losing your company a ton of money, shouldn't you be fired? Wouldn't your superiors step in and say "Stop losing money" if they were losing money? Either these guys are the worst businessmen in history or they're not losing money like you say they are.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 18, 2010 -> 02:16 AM) Balta, that article tells me nothing. It tells me she renegotiated, but nowhere does it say why she got foreclosed? Maybe it is because she decided to stop making the payments. I see nothing to show me that anything was done improperly. Additionally, when you renegotiate with a bank you need to agree to something before it works and if what you agree to isn't something you can do or afford than you shouldn't agree to it.She got foreclosed on because she missed a payment...because the mortgage modification company told her to skip a payment. From that point on, they started tacking on fee after fee until she was canceled out of the modification program and given the option of either paying the full amount with fees or losing the house. I'm not disagreeing on that point, from the taxpayer's point of view. I'm just arguing that we wouldn't have the current system if the banks didn't want it this way; their lobbyists designed the entire structure of the program. It's been a disaster for everyone except the banks.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Oct 17, 2010 -> 09:55 PM) Wow. Mike Fontenot sucks. Which tells you something about how much the Sandoval implosion hurt this team.

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 17, 2010 -> 08:48 PM) I wish they could change the pass interference rule in the NFL to not give the receivers such a huge advantage. Some of these calls are so weak. The rules aren't the problem when the call is a mistake.