Balta1701

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 05:59 PM) Viciedo's looks like he's set to have a monster second half. Two-Run homer and an RBI Double, so far tonight. In the 13 games since the all star break, hitting .348, 2 doubles, 3 home runs, >.900 OPS.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 05:58 PM) what in the hell are you talking about? This program is, so far, a raging success. So basically, you just said you want the government to run health care. Everyone might love the government plan because it's so much better run and flock to it, causing the dying insurance companies that have run our system in to the ground to send their last gasp of lobbyist cash to Congress and plead for them to shut it down.

This is kinda impressive. I think I'm close enough to my degree to qualify for the same earmark.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 12:40 PM) This is what gets me...now that some names have been leaked, might as well dump the whole thing (sorry Hammerhead, it's all or nothing in this case). And if I were the players, I would consider re-orging the MLBPA. I know Fehr is leaving/left, but I would be pissed. So what if Congress wanted the list...fight! That's what you do, you're a union. Take it to court. Cuz they had to know, once it's in government, it isn't safe. Certainly isn't a matter of National security. I say boo to baseball, the MLBPA and Congress on this one. The lists were seized under a legal search warrant associated with the BALCO case. The Feds had every right to take it. Just like everyone on it has the right to sue the feds if their name is on the list and it leaks that their name is on the list. The problem? You don't have a case unless your name is actually on that list. Thus...filing the lawsuit is tantamount to an admission of steroid abuse. The problem here is not that the list is being leaked slowly, or embarrassing people...the problem is...baseball had a huge steroid problem for years and 103 or so of its players were stupid enough to be caught when they had a 6 month warning that testing was coming.

There are 4 or 5 teams who will be going in to the postseason absolutely loaded this year.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 09:55 AM) Wasn't 2005 though the first year that they had testing? I would say it's very likely we were the cleanest World Series winners in a few decades. 2004 was the first year they had regular testing...but no penalties and no exposure for a first positive test. 2005 was the first year with testing and immediate suspensions for a first positive test. That's the year Palmeiro was caught.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 09:49 AM) Someone needs to link that incredible Bill Simmons article the day the Manny news first broke. Done

Seriously...he's not replacing Wise.

I'm sorry, between "Ozzie pissed at Colon" and "Maybe they will dump him now" I'm still enough of a 12 year old boy to snicker.

Here we go again. Man, that was an incredible Boston offense in 2003.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 09:13 AM) I guess it is another case of the government saving us all, huh? If by "Government", you mean Goldman Sachs, since they're basically the same thing after Goldman bought out the treasury department, pretty much yeah.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 07:18 AM) 9/11 was caused by Bush. Obama's real birth certificate was held in building 7.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 30, 2009 -> 08:38 AM) The only thing that is going to fix enforcement is a complete overhaul of the way we regulate the entire financial sector. The way we do it now doesn't work, and is a complete waste of money. But the people who built that system get really, really rich out of it, and that's really all that matters.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 06:03 PM) Yeah but apparently we'd rather spend the $500B on construction jobs, government health care, wars, and everything the hell else. Nevermind that energy infrastructure changes are without a doubt the best ROI candidate. No no, we can't be getting off our oil, now, can we? We have to create LOW paying jobs! Tech sucks, why invest in that? Actually, that would do almost nothing to get us off of oil. Like I said, that study doesn't include transportation at all. It is entirely electricity/energy generation, coal, natural gas, processes in factories, heating/cooling, etc. There's plenty of other stuff to be done with oil, but it's not in that study. And since 60% of the stimulus bill was tax cuts...we're not spending $500b on construction either. Wars, yeah, that's a good $2-3 trillion. Just keeping you honest

McKinsey & Co. Study: the U.S. could blow past the Waxman-Markey requirements by 2020 easily through fairly robust energy efficiency efforts, and at the the same time save over $700 billion in energy costs over the next 10 years (investment of $500 billion gives $1.2 trillion return in the form of cost savings)...and at the same time cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of the entire U.S. vehicle fleet. And that is without doing anything at all regarding installation of renewable energy generating capacity or doing anything at all to increase the efficiency of the automobile fleet. It takes serious regulatory work and actually challenging the energy companies, but the numbers are gargantuan. And it's all effectively waste; money and CO2.

QUOTE (Pumpkin Escobar @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 05:17 PM) Unfortunately some of those guys will be moved as well. Duke and Doumit will be dumped next year when the team is in dead last again while awaiting the arrival of Alderson or Alvarez to fulfill his potential. They need to basically come up with a wall like KW has...put a pushpin on a 3 year period, decide "That's the time we're going for it"...anyone who's a FA before then they should deal for prospects, and they should draft and trade with getting people who can be on the team during that stretch. Don't draft high schoolers the year beforehand, draft college guys who can maybe step in a year or two later. Draft high schoolers now and develop them for that 3 year block. Try to set yourself up so that you have very few people who are FA's after the first 2 years, so that everyone moves through on the same schedule and maybe you nail it.

And they did it without giving up Drabek.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 12:46 PM) The example I personally noticed was 2 iPods they were pricing. They listed two 16GB iPod Touches as $798. Actual retail price, per Apple.com, is $299 each, so $598. $798 is the ARP for two 32GB models. not that I am being picky. But had I been a contestant, i would have nailed those with the exact price, because I knew what they cost. I would have been really pissed that they either announced the wrong model, or told me the wrong price. Could you sue for that? I bet they make you sign a waiver when you enter.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 02:57 PM) Is there something wrong with Thome, nothing has been said but he is out of the lineup 3 games in a row now. Seems kind of odd considering nothing has been said or mentioned. We had a thread yesterday saying he had a sore back.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 01:49 PM) Are they really that desperate though? "The finger thing means the taxes!"

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 02:15 PM) Randy Williams is our new DJ Carrasco. Long reliever/RHP/guy who mysteriously helps us a hell of a lot more than he should?

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 02:17 PM) Happ hasn't proven s***, is Kyle Kendrick a proven Major League pitcher? No, but he had one good year (ERA wise). Happ's stuff and peripherals don't match his results, he's due for a BIG decline. I agree on Knapp though, he has some great K rates but his command is bad, as are his mechanics and he's been injury prone, those guys fail, often. Any time you do a deal like this for 3 or 4 guys, you're going for numbers. Last year we didn't think Clayton Richard looked like more than a reliever, now he's stepping up big time. Think about how many deals wind up being good deals because 1 or 2 guys develop? Or because a surprise guy develops? The Pierzynski trade...the big piece was Boof Bonser. The prize wound up being that converted guy named Joe Nathan. The original Colon trade was for Brandon Phillips. He was released by the Tribe, but they also got Sizemore and Lee. A couple of these guys are likely to bust. But it is an infusion of talent throughout the system that can either develop, be used for trades, or give you the ability to draft guys at other positions.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 02:20 PM) The move was to increase their chances in the post season. Leaves them stacked for next year too. Remember, if you're a team like the Phillies...your window is now, when Howard, Utley, Rollins, perhaps Ibanez, perhaps Werth, Victorino, Hamels, Lidge are all right around their prime ages. 2 years from now, guys are getting hurt because they're older, guys are in walk years, guys are more expensive, etc. They've got a shot at the WS for 3 years in a row. You want to face Hamels, Blanton, and Lee 3 times in the same 7 game series?

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 12:48 PM) A part of me is disgusted by what Fields has shown from 2008-present. At the same time you don't trip and fall on the power he displayed in 2007. If his value is *that* low then I see no harm in retaining him in the minors until/if Konerko is gone. If the organization wants to stick with Paulie long term at first, then I guess this would be the right thing to do. If we're talking 2008-present, we must remember that he was on bad knees for at least 1/2 of that time. All of last year his knees were hurting him.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jul 29, 2009 -> 12:25 PM) William Buffet is a rich motherf'er who stole all of Warren Buffet's riches. And I assume Warren Buffet is the guy at the Gates Foundation who is dealing with all of Warren Buffett's riches there? (Sorry, you miss once, I gotta go for the spellunk error).