Balta1701

QUOTE (The Critic @ Jan 19, 2010 -> 10:01 AM) Fukudome's a pretty decent right-fielder. But he's at best seemingly an average RF with the bat, with a sub-.800 OPS, and at worst a below average RF with the bat.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 19, 2010 -> 09:35 AM) 70 of 825 (using that article's numbers) is about 8.5%. But I think you have to keep in mind, that only a small portion of that small portion, is the increase over last year. The rest is the amount from last year, recurring. But...it didn't have anything to do with economic stimulus.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jan 19, 2010 -> 09:28 AM) NBC to Pay $40 Million to Show Conan O'Brien the Door If the contract bars him from criticizing NBC execs, then that "Incompetent fools" song he started last night with makes little sense.

Yawn.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 19, 2010 -> 12:59 AM) Yes but why sign a guy like Jones over Dye? Money? I think we could sign Dye on the relative cheap. Unless he'd be all upset and is bound and determined to play elsewhere. Frankly, there's one other answer; defense.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Jan 19, 2010 -> 12:20 AM) Keith Law indicates Felix Hernandez is signing an extension The question will be...have they bought out any of his FA years.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Jan 19, 2010 -> 07:06 AM) Vince Carter needs to become a 6th man in a Jason Terry role, while I would not be surprised at all if we try to get Arenas if he is let go from Washington. When are playoff rosters set? I.e. If he winds up with say, a 4 month jail term...

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 19, 2010 -> 07:36 AM) The increase in ceiling for the AMT over last year is $500 per individual ($1000 for married/jointly), and only effects 3% of tax paying households (about 80M of those). 3% of 100M is 3M, multiplied by a blended amount of about $750, gives you $2.25B. That, by my math, is about 2.8% of the Stimulus bill - not anywhere near the 15% you claim. Or, are you creatively saying that the amount of money in the stimulus bill for the AMT was the amount to cover all the way back to the 1986 origination levels? Here's the numbers I'm using: $70 billion for a 1 year fix. That's about 10% of the package.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 11:13 PM) So far, I have really liked the start of 24. Not real into Freddie Prinz, but I'll live. He looks and acts like Tony way too much for me (the first few seasons Tony). It seems like they just wanted Tony 2. Honestly, I didn't complain about the first 2 hours, but I started to feel a bit bored through that 2nd 2 hour block. Too many long, pensive pauses involving the blonde.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 06:31 PM) There are good unions and bad unions (in terms of how well they represent you), and there are good non-union employers and bad non-union employers. My dad's worked for them all at some point in his life. But there are some employers out there that seriously do not give a f*** about you, at all, and will bend you over dry to make a few extra bucks. And right now...the law is fully on the side of those employers you talk about.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:48 PM) Going out and literally giving a mark to people who refuse to join unions is only going to put a bullseye on them for the organized violence that we have been seeing all over the country at any event that is perceived as anti-union. Instead of giving general targets, you are going to be providing these groups with specific names. I guess from your point of view that is just evening the playing field or something. There have been illegal and unprosecuted firings in 30% of attempted unionizations over the past few years. Over 90% of employees go through closed-door anti-union sessions during attempted unionization movements. 50% of companies/offices face threats of closure because of union organizing. Unionization processes typically are drawn out for years even when union organizers do everything correct and legal. Penalties have been stripped back so far that they're less than a slap on teh wrist. According to a Human Rights Watch report: I'd be more than willing to admit that a card-check plan could be the wrong way to go. But the playing field ABSOLUTELY needs some leveling in favor of workers and to say it isn't is simply to ignore reality. The last 30 years it's gone the other way, and it's gone quite a bit too far.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:43 PM) Because we all know there is no history of organized violence and intimidation by unions to try to get what they want... And there's never been violence or intimidation to keep workers and unions under control.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:39 PM) I'm in the wait and see camp with Konerko. I want to see who does what the minor league level, and what Konerko does this year. He'd be wise to be in the best shape of his life going into this season. The difference between him hitting 20-25 and 30-35 HR this year could easily be worth $10 million or more to him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:40 PM) Daniel Cabrera in the DJ Carrasco role. I wonder if they weren't thinking of giving him a shot when they let DJ walk. It really didn't make much sense on its own at the time.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:40 PM) um... can't tell, are you playing Kap or something? Also, keep in mind that most tax credits and write-offs targeted at individual taxpayers end up helping everyone BUT the top wage earners, thanks to the AMT. If 15% of the stimulus hadn't been a cut in the AMT, I might have agreed with you.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:40 PM) But yeah...i wonder what comes of this..probably nothing. The executive branch will never be held accountable for crimes forevermore. Of course they will. Just wait until there's a Republican Congress and a Democratic President. I guarantee you, they'll have no problem prosecuting. Moving forward, or bringing the country together, or all these other excuses that the press has given for why we can't investigate the last administration...well, you remember the scene in 1984 where they switched enemies and suddenly we'd always been at war with Eastasia?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:37 PM) I like the idea of doing both, in the energy space - direct funding and competitive research, as well as targeted tax incentives and breaks. No. Unless it goes directly to the top wage earners it's wasted.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 02:34 PM) Yet another reason why the stimulus should have been energy-focused. This is all so predictable. But tax cuts! Everyone agrees on Tax Cuts!

It's also worth considering that if all PK can give is 15-20 home runs a year and a .280 average, he might not make a great DH next year either. Depends on the kind of production we can get from him. He might fit better as a 1b in the NL, giving some power to a team that has nothing at 1b (NYM), rather than DHing in the AL.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 01:50 PM) Such a strange election: apparently the Brown campaign doesn't have many volunteers so they are hiring temps to work GOTV operations. Are you sure that's not some weird thing coming out because all of his staff are independent contractors anyway? (Reported yesterday I believe, probably so that he doesn't have to pay for his staff's health care).

QUOTE (Tex @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 01:41 PM) It is all part of our "Manifest Destiny", not only sea to shining sea, but the rest of the "non Christian" world. Don't forget non-white.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 12:39 PM) Since those assets were overvalued, I guess so. Just remember, government saves. And the free market is efficient.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 01:04 PM) Yeah but they were all dark skinned Muslims so who cares. ^ this.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 01:13 PM) One of the reasons peyton is the best QB of all time is longevity and consistency, but Phillip Rivers at this moment is pretty damn close. There's more to being a winning QB than putting up big numbers. If you were paying close attention, you actually saw it in the 4th quarter yesterday; Rivers realized he needed to do something Manning figured out in about 2005 when facing the Patriots; he figured out how to move the ball against a team pressuring the Hell out of him using the quick passing game.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jan 18, 2010 -> 12:34 PM) It depends on where the money comes from. Trace the dollars on almost everything and it answers a lot of questions. So, when the money comes from banks and investment firms, based on the evidence from 1998-2008, it's a totally unsustainable bubble.