Balta1701

QUOTE (Y2HH @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:28 AM) Yes. Reported. Dude, I vote Democrat. My phone/email was monitored for the last 8 years.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:25 AM) I can't believe you are still defending this mess of a system. The problem is the way this system is regulated is 100% wrong. If you can't see this by the regulating bodies flailing blindly, and waiting for another body to figure out what is going on because they only have a small sliver of information, I don't know what is. At the end of the day, it isn't going to be the government that figures out what happened, it is going to be a firm telling the federal government what happened. All of the money that we spend on regulation is a joke. The fact that you think we should be spending more, is unbelievable. The system needs to be blown up and started over. Anything else is make up on a turd. The fact that you can't understand that there are people who benefit from this regulatory environment and that they're the ones you're defending with your argument is equally unbelievable to me.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:26 AM) So how many people have you taken in from these kind of situations? Why, so you guys can arrest me?

Let me re-say this...if you're not willing to move Rios right now, then you're not willing to go forward with a fire sale. It's not a fire sale until you target a top 25 in baseball prospect and move the most valuable trade chip you have to get that prospect, while at the same time saving your team $50 million over the next few years. If you're willing to hold onto Rios, then you're still holding out hope for this team as currently constructed.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:18 AM) I'm not pretending to have the answers or know what to do with them. But I do know that we cannot ignore it, and continue to let illegals swarm in here. We simply CANNOT support that. You can pretend we can, but we can't, wake up and realize that. And if we let it go on, you'll soon be suffering, too. Then what, we should all run up to Canada? No. f*** that. This MY home. My father immigrated here -- LEGALLY -- from a situation FAR WORSE, so let's not pretend it can't be done. We make excuses, we set bars lower, we tolerate the intolerable, and all in the name of good...but in the end, it's going to crush us...we simply cannot support this. Stop pretending we can. It's real easy to shout platitudes when you don't have a reasonable solution to the problem to offer.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:15 AM) But with our core of starting pitching the window to be a contender is about 2 or 3 years. You trade him away and spend how many years trying to replace someone like him in our outfield? If our core of starting pitching only lasts 2-3 years, then considering we've totally blown a year, we're really in trouble.

This could be an intelligent and effective reform. At least as long as professionals, and not industry cronies, are put in the regulatory positions, as was common the last 8 years.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:09 AM) I'm not pretending to say it's fair, or even good. But I'm trying to be realistic. We don't have the means to take all the suffering in this world and save them. I really wish we did. But we don't. And you need to start being realistic about that, which I know is against what your heart is telling you. Believe me, it's against what mine tells me. But in the end, it's just not there...it's impossible. You can bring them all here, and for a few months their suffering would end...and then everyone living here would be suffering just as much. It's bulls*** that the cartels have such a stranglehold on that country, it's bulls*** that murders and rapists exist...and it's bulls*** that the unjust in this world seem to be getting a free pass while the innocent suffer. But again, it's not the problem of the American people, no matter how much you want it to be. It's unfair. But it is. So what would you have us do with the person who tries to escape it with his or her family? Would you have us lock them up permanently? If you've got a cartel hunting you, do you really think that's a bad option? If you drive them to the border and drop them off, aren't they just going to come right back across?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:06 AM) Rios is untradeable in my eyes. He brings too much to piss away and hope we can build something from within. The guy is terrific on defense, an area we continue to sorely neglect. IMO, no one who is high priced and could bring back high return can be considered untradeable if you pull the plug on the season. He's the guy I insist you must try to move, but for a high price. Lots of teams could have use for him for the same reason we'd want a high price. The Red Sox's OF plans are a disaster right now and they need bats. I don't know how Westmoreland is after his surgery, but if they offered him straight up for Rios, you'd hesitate? Remember, this is a good defensive CF putting up a >.900 OPS right now. That's a killer commodity, but a luxury a rebuilding team can't afford.

The state of Florida paid this ***** $120,000 in tax dollars in exchange for his expert testimony on the evils of homosexuality. Arkansas paid him $65,000 after a couple of years of legal wrangling over the bill.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 11, 2010 -> 10:04 AM) Day 5, and we still don't know what is going on. Excellent. The free market at work.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 11, 2010 -> 09:51 AM) And you actually trust KW to go out and find another CFer? That's been a hole in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009...a huge one. The reason that position has been a hole is that the guy we had for that slot busted (which I still say the manager helped contribute to, but that's another argument) and because we traded the 2nd candidate for Vazquez, and because we traded the 3rd candidate to Oakland for Swisher. Yes, I expect that its possible to find another CF. Between D2 and Mitchell we have at least 2 candidates who might be able to take the job over the next couple years. And if we're doing the legitimate fire sale, including Rios, Konerko, Jones, and Putz...I wouldn't be surprised if one target in that sale was an A-ball athletic OF from some team. The only reason why that position was so hard to fill was that we kept trying to give Anderson a shot.

The WSJ today is running a detailed article suggesting that there really may not have been any "Fat finger" error in the collapse last Thursday, but instead, if I'm reading things right, it may have been the natural response to a large bet taken against the markets, amplified by high-frequency trading up to the point that several exchanges started shutting down trades as a defensive mechanism, leaving only the sellers on the market. In other words, not a mistake, but an inherent flaw in the trading systems.

The Red Cross today confirmed at the behest of the BBC that Bagram Air base, the lesser-known version of Gitmo, actually houses a second prison facility that previously hasn't been acknowledged. It appears to be casually known as "Tor Jail" which translates to black jail. I assume it won't be long until someone there makes use of a blowtorch.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ May 11, 2010 -> 09:40 AM) I was only kidding Mr. Statistic! It actually surprises me how poorly he's hit against some of these guys.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 10, 2010 -> 03:53 PM) The AP may strip Cushing of his ROY award. I'd be fully in favor of that. The AP will revote on the award.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ May 11, 2010 -> 09:32 AM) Kenny and Jerry liked because it saves $$$$. Yeah, that's the problem with this team. If only they'd spent more money...how dare they go after cheap options like Jones at the DH spot.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ May 11, 2010 -> 09:15 AM) In fairness, Mauer is like a career .350 hitter against everyone. He's 2/10 career against Jenks, 10/39 against Buehrle, 7/26 against Floyd, 0/5 against Putz, 0/3 against Linebrink and 0/3 against Peavy. He's actually only a .278 hitter against the guys currently in our pitching staff.

QUOTE (hogan873 @ May 11, 2010 -> 09:16 AM) I see your point, and I suppose I have to agree. I'm guilty of blaming the rotating DH thing because, like many fans, I had an idea that it would fail. And I still say it failed. Jones has been a nice surprise, but there are still too many games where Kotsay and/or Vizquel are in the starting lineup. Let's say the Sox had signed Damon or Matsui...there'd be no use for Kotsay, and maybe Pierre would have ridden the bench more. I don't know. It's all hindsight at this point. But you are right about Quentin, AJ, Beckham, and Alexei. Kotsay is in the starting lineup fairly often for 1 reason...he's an adequate backup defensively for a guy who we legitimately need to give some extra time off to...the Major league home run leader. If Konerko gets extra days off, so that he avoids things like stiff necks...I can't complain, even if the guy we're replacing him with is a career .250 hitter with little power. Things like that happen. Vizquel...well, everyone knew he was going to play too much and hit too high in the order. But again...there's a reason why we keep seeing him...because Beckham has been Beckrap and Alexei has been just as bad. I can't find myself getting too worked up over the guy hitting .100 in the 2 hole...because he's replacing a guy hitting .143 in his last 76 plate appearances in that very spot. If Quentin, Alexei, AJ, Beckham, and Pierre were at least being average hitters right now, we might well be only a couple games behind the Twins, and then we could legitimately be caring about why Kotsay is getting so many at bats, or why Vizquel is replacing a guy hitting so much better than him so often. But with 5 gaping holes in our lineup...I can't get worked up about the backups, because crappy backups aren't the problem when the regulars are just as bad.

If we're going to go into selling mode this season, yes, I think you trade Alex Rios. He's moved back to very high value this year to a team missing a CF bat who can play defense (Boston? SF?), he's terrifically expensive the next few years for a team with our salary level, and there's every reason to think that we're going to see a salary cut in the near future after this implosion of a season. Peavy I'd consider moving...but first of all, he has a no-trade clause that makes things difficult (See: last year), and second, between his injuries and his slow start to this season, unless he's in the middle of a 60 inning scoreless streak in July, I don't think you'd get anywhere near full value from him.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 11, 2010 -> 09:16 AM) all dislike would be out the door the second LeBron slipped on a Bulls jersey. If we can forgive Rodman, we can certainly let Lebron in the door. I know, I know. Just not sure if I like the way his mind works.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ May 11, 2010 -> 09:17 AM) Loved the episode. Jack Bauer has clearly lost it and his character has really been written well this season. I'm really interested in what's going to happen because there will be a movie. I almost feel Jack needs to die at the end of the season but that wouldnt make sense with a movie coming out unless the movie was going to be a back story of sort. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Really, killing him is the right way to end both this season and the series. They've really done a surprisingly good job of making you both kind of root for Jack, because you've been doing it for 10 years, and at the same time want the snipers to actually kill him because he's clearly wrong and gone off the deep end this season. It's an impressive twist.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 10, 2010 -> 09:25 PM) Don't like the picture or don't like the idea of LeBron being a Bull? I've spent long enough disliking Lebron for being a Cav that I'm not sure I'd like him being a Bull...but mainly, the picture.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 10, 2010 -> 10:49 PM) If it's a close game in the 8th or 9th against the Twins, and Mauer/Morneau are coming up, Thornton should be brought into the game. Mauer is a career .350 hitter against Thornton. Morneau is at .143 against him.

QUOTE (hogan873 @ May 11, 2010 -> 08:58 AM) I agree about making it interesting. I would find it hard to believe that KW could make a move (a big bat) and make this team a contender. There are too many holes. We'd need Beckham, Pierre, AJ, Quentin, Floyd, and Buehrle to turn their seasons around right now (and that means tonight) in order for this team to have a chance. I would put Santos as the closer vs. Thornton, though. So, who gets dealt? If Jenks is dealt, there's not going to be a whole lot coming back for him. But, at this point do we care? Otherwise, I could see AJ and maybe Konerko plus one of either Danks or Floyd. Plus, maybe sell high on Jones. Time will tell, but I have a strange feeling that KW will not wave the white flag anytime soon. At the same time, I don't see him adding anything either. Depleting the farm for Gonzalez makes no sense at this time. If you wave the white flag...I think you start doing it after Memorial day, if this road trip goes poorly and you're looking at being 10 games out. Guys you have to try like crazy to deal: Jones Konerko Putz Pierzynski All 4 of them are Free Agents at the end of the season, and with each of them, you ought to be able to get back more than you trade away, esp. if you put Putz in the closer's role for a month or so and he's average at it. Guy I think you should try to deal for a real major return: Rios. Big salary savings, and now that he's looking like an all-star again, most of that trade value he had in Toronto should be back. Guys you deal if anyone will take them off your hands: Jenks Linebrink Pierre Castro For being this bad, this team has a lot of tradeable assets...because the reason they're this bad, aside from AJ and Pierre, has mostly to do with the guys you don't want to give up on (Quentin, Beckham, Alexei).