Balta1701

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 8, 2009 -> 11:43 AM) That's the politically smart part I was referring to (in part). I think they know that trying ti fight the battle via a back door that way won't get them where they need to be as easily. Just like with the EPA now being ready to regulate CO2 emissions though...they're keeping the back doors open in case the Congress decides to lock the front door. It's exactly what they're doing with Health Care...they learned rapidly from the stimulus bill how the minority is going to respond on these matters. On Health Care, if the minority wants to filibuster, fine, the October deadline hits and it passes without a filibuster through the reconciliation process, so you better get in line. On Climate Change...if the minority wants to filibuster, fine, the EPA issues regulations that are a lot more stringent than what you'd get by setting up a cap and trade plan.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 8, 2009 -> 11:33 AM) I dont think Scotty would have been considered a top 50 guy if he never played with Jordan. How many of the top 50 guys can you say that about though? What if Stockton and Malone had never been put on the same team? What if one of those #1 draft pick busts hadn't gone to the Clippers?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 8, 2009 -> 10:37 AM) I agree with this decision - without it, their is a lot of potential there for throwing the whole thing into legal chaos, and its not the appropriate or politically smart way to attack climate change anyway. Again...I think it's leverage.

Manny Ramirez uses a gym 3 blocks from my apartment.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 8, 2009 -> 09:39 AM) That's fair to say but this is really kind of making a mountain out of a molehill. I think it's pretty obvious he's had other priorities. The reason I take issue with this is that negative things are continuing to happen while the President waits. That's my problem. I totally understand politically why he's waiting, the longer he waits the stronger his position is going to be, but it also is hurting the country while he waits.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ May 8, 2009 -> 09:23 AM) BTW, if there ever was a candidate for PED's in the NBA, it would be LeBron. 4% body fat and the guy looks like he's 260. That's a whole nother discussion as well. I didn't want to be the first to say it...but I'll go with it now...how many "absolute athletic freaks" have there been in the last 10 years who have so far turned out to actually be clean? I can think of Pujols...and we all know what road that goes down. The NBA's steroid testing program is no where near as intense as MLB's. The NBA is still in that boat of thinking "Oh it won't help, our guys need quickness and steroids won't help with that" like where MLB was when they were making excuses in 95-2000. And even then, Manny was able to get through a full cycle without ever testing positive, he was only caught because some documents proved he had the stuff to take when you're coming down off a cycle shipped to him. Everyone knows the NFL has an enormous number of juicers, everyone knows MLB has a problem but they're at least making an effort at it, the NBA is still off in the wilderness for now.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 8, 2009 -> 09:22 AM) I find this piece here incredibly annoying, it's like they're desperate for something to talk about. http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/08/dont...es-under-obama/ Yeah... an officer admitted being gay and got discharged from the Army... well no s***, it hasn't been repealed yet, whenever it happens it will be a pretty substantial change. Holy s***, we must really have ADD in this country really bad. Obama has over 3 1/2 years left in this term to repeal DADT. They're already coming after him as if he flip-flopped. The problem of course is that the President has the authority to end that problem any day he wants to with a simple executive order...he doesn't need to push it through Congress IIRC. So basically, the Arab linguist just dismissed yesterday was out because the President doesn't want to expend political capital on this issue yet.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 8, 2009 -> 09:08 AM) Right on cue, this is exactly where I was going with this. Now instead of that option, which may have actually been the best one, we have this current sloppy abomination of endless bailouts because that first option was taken off the table before it was ever really put on (nevermind that this is actually what the FDIC does and there is nothing "socialist" about it). Law of unintended consequences - see what happens when sloppy labels are thrown around? Even as an advocate of an FDIC like rapid takeover and reshuffling of BofA, Citi, and the other biggest few, I'll be the first to admit it's not as easy as you make it sound when you go from the smaller banks the FDIC is eating every friday night (My money says tonight will be 3 more) to the large, multi-national businesses that aren't just banks but are also owning other businesses, investment firms, etc. Unraveling these smaller banks takes the FDIC days. Unraveling Citigroup would be an abject nightmare. I think its a better nightmare than having the banks string along for the next 5 years as one bubble (option ARM, Commercial real estate, credit cards) pops after another, and I think simply breaking their stranglehold on Congress alone would be worth the trouble, but don't insinuate it would be simple or even similar to what the FDIC is already doing.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 7, 2009 -> 10:06 PM) What's going on there? Have they figured out why so many HRs? It's got to be a concern. The field has the same dimensions as the old Yankee Stadium, so it included the RF short porch, but it has turned out in practice that some combination of the orientation of the ballpark, seats, overhangs, etc., adds some extra wind heading out to RF that just wasn't predicted by any of the modeling. If they've come up with a detailed explanation for it, they're not releasing it, but the odds are they'll do something about it in time. Moving or raising walls or adding in some sort of wind screen could deal with it, but at least it's how its' going to be for this season most likely.

Stark at least puts in print basically saying "B.S." on every possible excuse ManRam could have used.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 8, 2009 -> 09:02 AM) At what point did temporary government takeover to clear off bad assets, recapitalize, etc. and return a bank to the private sector become "nationalization" (a dirty word)? When the Socialists seized power in that awful coup last november.

I usually only laugh that hard at the Colbert Report.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 8, 2009 -> 05:08 AM) I want my billion and a half back Wait, I thought you wanted to blow a few hundred billion by closing down all the borders and airports? I'm so confused.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ May 8, 2009 -> 07:15 AM) Well Balta? I know you went to a midnight viewing Actually no...movie viewing isn't exactly something that is in my budget right now, no matter what film it is.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 07:26 PM) Dodgers at it again, 5-0 lead in the first. Dude, you left out the key detail. "against the nationals".

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 07:34 PM) There's nothing better than a game where you score more runs in the 1st inning than the other team does for the whole game. Buehrle was very sharp on the mound tonight (obviously). We need to get to Harrison tomorrow, as he's just not a very good pitcher. I wonder if Ozzie will bench Alexei or play Nix over Getz at 2nd base? Keep Alexei on the bench at least 1 more day.

Nicely done folks.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 7, 2009 -> 06:54 PM) I've never been a Josh Fields guy, but he hasn't been so bad defensively this year. He needs to hit homers. 30 homers and 180 strikeouts isn't ideal from your #2 hitter Josh really, really shouldn't be hitting #2 right now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 7, 2009 -> 06:11 PM) I have actually explained this before. Because a bank is technically insolvent before they are bankrupt, the amount of asset valuations and capital don't always line up. Technically a bank with an 89% asset to loan ratio is worthless, no matter now much they own in assets. So if I'm reading this right, you're agreeing that GMAC is insolvent.

95 pitches through 7.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ May 7, 2009 -> 06:18 PM) Paulie's like a new man this year. I was going to go out but now this scoreboard is making me anchor myself here for a bit at least. He's healthy again and going to RF. That's when he's in a groove.

69 pitches for MB through 6. 4 k's, 2 of them that inning.

59 pitches through 5 through Mark.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 4, 2009 -> 05:26 PM) I heard this on MSNBC today and then got to thinking... Hello Mr SecTreas., you know, the guy out of the New York Fed bank... Why hasn't he been mentioned in any of this, because this is who GS was dealing with. The guy at the NY Fed has resigned, it seems.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 05:57 PM) Well, this is sure nice to see after a long ass drive home due to traffic. Also, just noticed that Boston has scored 12 runs in an inning without making an out. No worries for that Cleveland pitching staff. What do you think Cliff Lee would cost us?