Balta1701

QUOTE (KipWellsFan @ Dec 28, 2009 -> 12:48 AM) Are there any reports that this guy or the Ft.Hood guy are members of Al-Qaeda? It depends on how you define Al Qaeda at this point. There are press reports that this guy claimed he was a member. There are press reports that the Ft. Hood shooter had email contact with a cleric in Yemen that you might have been able to call sort of linked to that. Neither one of them appear to have trained in camps, served in Afghanistan, or had any dealings/funding from any sort of central organization. If you define AQ as the remnants of the centralized organization that existed on 9/11, then no, these guys didn't have any dealings with it. If you define AQ as the looser network of anti-American groups that grew up after we failed to kill off AQ in Afghanistan and the remaining guys spread throughout the region, then we might be getting closer.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 08:48 PM) I hope the Colts lose their first playoff game. I can't believe the s*** they pulled today. Resting your starters doesn't work, in 05 and 07, they did the same thing, came out flat and lost their first playoff game. Keep the momentum and avoid rust. To be fair, in 05 and 07, didn't Dungy basically give manning a quarter or even not play him at all in those games? Caldwell did give him a full half, 2 touchdowns and a field goal on offense this week.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 28, 2009 -> 01:15 AM) Caldwell is trying to out-think himself. "What Would Dungy Do?" He should have left the starters in. They were at home, inside. The likelihood of injury is lower than on the road and outside in bad weather. I think i would have given them one more series with PM to try to put at least another field goal on the board.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 28, 2009 -> 08:53 AM) Or, they can shovel Garcia off on a desperate team before Spring Training is over. I'd be fairly surprised if Garcia was moved before June 1.

Can't complain.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 05:31 PM) Honestly, I think it is more likely right now as teams get up against their salary budgets for next year. Especially as FA prices start to drop for the middle and lower end of players, teams are going to want to go bargain hunting. If they can move a salary for a prospect, they could still do it. Here's my logic. Who would be the guys we'd likely move Hudson for? Gonzalez, maybe Crawford, and that's about it. The only position the Sox really seem to still have open is 1b/DH, so unless we're moving for Fielder, Pujols, or AGon, I'm not sure who else is out there that we'd build a deal for. KW clearly took a shot at AGon earlier this offseason, but he didn't have enough or wasn't willing to meet the Padres price. The other teams after AGon seem to also have figured out which way they want to go; about the only Q remaining is where Bay and Holliday wind up, which might still impact Boston's desire to make that move, but it seems like everyone would have already given their best offer for AGon and been shot down. Unless some other team suddenly realizes that they're way over budget and they need to move their expensive 1b/DH, I'm not sure who else we'd move him for other than AGon, and it's pretty clear we're just not in a position to do that deal right now.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 05:19 PM) It depends on your definition of "killing". ... So basically, you've improved your outfield defense by 3-4 wins. That in itself could be the difference between a great team and a good one. The White Sox lost the division last year by 7 games and were farther back in the Wild Card. Your own numbers suggest that the OF defense hurt us, but it didn't kill us. Those games could have made it closer, but not put us in front.

QUOTE (chimpy2121 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 05:00 PM) Well, from the press conference it sounds like Urban will be back for the start of the season. He said the players working hard at practice this morning is the reason he wanted to come back. If there's any dithering here, it could make it really difficult on UF to have a coach lined up to start next season.

The people who were right on the housing bubble seem to be gradually aligning behind a belief in a second-dip hitting in the 2nd half of 2010.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 04:54 PM) They will find an O coordinator to promote... There's nothing a priori wrong with that, it depends on the person and how their style fits with Angelo (presumably) and the Bears personnel. For example, he better have some ideas about how to work on that O-Line.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 04:46 PM) The big picture of this and the Ft Hood attack seems to be that Al Qaeda seemingly is moving into much smaller/softer attacks. If they are transitioning into more manageable projects, instead of the huge 9-11 style attacks, things could really start to change in this country. This is another interesting point, although I hesitate to include Ft. Hood in this discussion. We might actually have to focus on legitimately working on security, rather than the window-dressing version we've been happy with so far. AQ could long ago have started launching olympic-park sized events in, you know, malls or other public places and probably had serious impact

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 04:46 PM) Its all right, once NIPSCO goes bankrupt, no one will have electricity anyway. You'll just have to stop eating that electrified corn.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 04:43 PM) So I wonder if a move like this potentially means a guy like Dan Hudson might/could be dealt soon in a big move? IMO, if Hudson was going to be dealt this offseason, I think it would have already happened.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 04:14 PM) When I first read about this I started laughing my ass off. As soon as I read he was Nigerian I thought he's probably a Nigerian businessman, and then a couple paragraphs down it said the kid's father is a Nigerian businessman! L-O-f***ing-L! Seriously, these people can't do anything right. I wonder how that new Nigerian Disney World is going? Based on press reports, it sounds like the guy did everything right, the problem seems to have been that the explosive wasn't mixed/prepared correctly and thus became more of an incendiary. And anyway, Nigeria does plenty of things right. Unless you don't like filling up your car's gas tank.

Oh, and this is useful to note. Cowher plans to coach in 2010, the Tampa Bay Bucs appear to be on the top of his list.

I hate watching overtime games that are decided before 1 team gets a chance to touch the ball.

Since we were a bit away, I figured let's create a thread for this and post a few things in case some folks wanted to comment on the guy detonating his underwear in an aircraft landing in Detroit. Top Republican on the House Intelligence committee Pete Hoekstra (MI) thinks that it's the Obama administrations fault. Joe Lieberman thinks the appropriate response is to bomb Yemen. The WaPo on how the guy could be on the terrorist watch list but not on the no-fly list. I'm thinking this may be the real lesson here; the complete joke that is the watch list/no fly list system was probably key to this guy getting onto this flight. The TSA has responded to the attack by deciding it has to be an even worse experience to fly; now you have no choice but to check that 2nd bag, which I'm sure has nothing to do with the fact that the airlines want to charge for it. And if you happen to have to pee, you've got an hour that you need to hold it. And a commentary on why having the President remain on vacation is the right move.

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QUOTE (Ranger @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 02:43 PM) I didn't say they were good, I just said I don't think it killed them last year. Lots of things could be said hurt the Sox, I'm not sure I can label 1 and say "this killed them", perhaps aside from Quentin's injury. Jenks has a better season, are they a playoff team, probably not. Dye doesn't stink in the 2nd half, are they a playoff team, probably not. The Sox have a better defense, are they a playoff team, probably not. 2 or 3 of those start happening...are they a playoff team, probably.

Wow. Anyway...yeah, the Giants, I probably underestimated them earlier. That's a top 4 rotation too, probably better than that even.

QUOTE (JorgeFabregas @ Dec 27, 2009 -> 03:10 PM) So if the Bears have to "get over it" how is Rivera as head coach inevitable? Who else is going to want the Bears' job if the Bears aren't willing to spend serious money on a new coach?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 26, 2009 -> 12:05 AM) Wait until it cap and trade bankrupts NWI. Wait until it's too hot and dry in Indiana to grow corn in the summer.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 26, 2009 -> 10:53 PM) of......? I doubt its the Bears, from what I heard he burned a lot of bridges with that messy divorce from the Bears a few years ago. If Rivera could get over it, the Bears might go for something like that. Rivera's name is no longer on the list of "he's going to be a head coach soon" it seems, since he's been passed over so many times.

Wow, is Tyrus Thomas that important?

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