Balta1701

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 01:26 PM) There is no way Fields gets the ax on a starting position again this year. Either he starts with us or he gets traded. With guys like Getz, Beckham and maybe Viciedo waiting in the wings, it may make sense to trade him for the right price. IMO, after an injury marred season where he couldn't even crack our roster...his value has gone down enough that it makes little sense to trade him right now. Unless a really good option comes along, give him a shot at 3rd, at worst in a platoon, and see if he can give us something like the 25 home runs he gave us 2 years ago if he spends next season healthy. Then he'll actually have a lot more usefulness in a trade.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 11:06 AM) My thinking is fairly simple. If bankruptcy isn't a good solution for GM and they require a bailout...then either there is something terribly wrong with our bankruptcy system or there is something terribly wrong with how large we've allowed these companies to get. To answer my own question here, I at least am giving an argument about why Chapter 11 simply might not be possible in the current lending environment. In other words...if the first bailout had done it's job, we wouldn't need to bail out GM. But if that bailout was constructed in such a way that it did not force lending to resume, we may well have to bail out GM because GM won't be able to finance its way through Chapter 11.

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 11:58 AM) 915 just hit. And it only took an hour. Oops.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 02:53 PM) You have to think they'll take a run at AJ Burnett, Lowe, etc. I doubt they get involved with Sabathia, whose first offer from the Yankees is in the $140-142 million dollar range. With the Soriano and Fukudome deals looking less and less attractive going forward, we'll see if they show some financial restraint. Derek Lowe would probably be the best pitcher on the market for them to spend money on if they were spending that kind of money on a pitcher.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 02:09 PM) Isn't Danks supposed to be like CF Jesus ala Brian Anderson? Haven't seen him play at all of course, but he's supposed to have good speed, and everyone on here has said he is supposed to play some solid D. But ya know, it's a message board.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 01:28 PM) Smart move, even though I think Richardson or Lugar or Kerry might be better qualified. Not only does it embrace his team of rivals concept, it also helps neutralize any attempt on her part later to set up a 2012 run against him. Hard to do that when you work for him. But if she waits for 2016, he could be in a position to help her out. The potential issue though...most of the time, there's a lot of cabinet turnover mid-administration, especially in the SOS position.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 01:22 PM) At worst, there were teams that tried to claim him on waivers last year. If I was a team like the D-backs, Brewers, etc., someone with still a reasonable shot at the playoffs, and I had a hole anywhere in my infield (Assuming Hudson and Durham walk both of those teams do) a 1 year, $4.5 million deal for Uribe would be very nice.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 01:20 PM) would we get picks then? No.

Posted for the Republicans without comment:

QUOTE (scenario @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 01:00 PM) My guess is that Mac cleared waivers without anyone claiming him, so they outrighted him to Charlotte rather than releasing him (and eating the contract). All of which leads me to believe he will be traded pretty soon. I can't imagine how we could possibly trade him if he cleared waivers and no one grabbed him.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 12:59 PM) Uribe made what $4M or 5M in 2008? What do you think he'd make realistically if he were to accept arbitration with the Sox? For only playing 1/2 a season? I have a lot of difficulty imagining him winning an arbitration case. He'd be at $5 million. At the worst, he's then still reasonable trade bait that we could use to peel off a minor leaguer from some other team. There's enough teams out there with no one left in their infield that he makes a ton of sense (Arizona comes immediately to mind).

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 12:56 PM) They? I assume you mean the few crazies who did this. But, I can all but guarantee you that they pal around with Senator Obama.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 12:58 PM) We really do need to get a good nickname for the kid. It's the least that he deserves. I think I'm using that one until Hawk gets his hands on him.

D2: The Mighty Danks

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 12:32 PM) It sounds like with the aquisition of Betimet, we aren't going to risk Uribe accepting arbitration, so we won't offer it to him. IMO, that'd be a huge mistake. Bigger than with Riske.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 12:43 PM) Macdougal was just outrighted to Charlotte. Correct me if i'm wrong, but i belive that's another one bites the dust off the 40. Does that mean he cleared waivers completely? Guess no one wanted to pay him the rest of that contract.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 11:49 AM) If the Cuban signs, the Sox basically acquired 3 1st round picks in Beckham, Danks, and Viciedo. Not a bad start in re-stocking the system. And assuming we don't sign a type A guy this offseason and we offer arbitration to Uribe and Cabrera, we're at least looking at a late first rounder this year, 2 sandwich picks, a 2nd rounder, and a pick that's either a late first or early 2nd rounder also.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 09:19 AM) In my opinion, a Tech Czar has several tasks in the next 4 years. 1) broadband deployment 2) digital health records 3) insure network neutrality what others am I missing? I know there has to be others. Hell, over a period of 4 years? God only knows, with the rate at which some things have been advancing.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 10:30 AM) What is idiotic about the unions refusing to negotiate is that if the company(ies) fail, and go bankrupt, the union contracts go fully out the window anyway. Then they will get far, far less. They are taking a huge gamble with people's careers and lives. I for one think that bankruptcy may actually be better, in the long run, for GM and possible the others as well. They would come out the other end as stronger, more competitive enterprises. My thinking is fairly simple. If bankruptcy isn't a good solution for GM and they require a bailout...then either there is something terribly wrong with our bankruptcy system or there is something terribly wrong with how large we've allowed these companies to get.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 10:52 AM) Since there are way more right handed pitchers than lefties , Thome would still get the majority of AB's at DH. Asking Dye to DH once in a while against lefties isn't a bad thing considering Thome's struggles against them. So by platoon I mean Thome and Dye, because of age, getting more rest and getting more quality AB's from the DH position and otherwise Dye will play the OF. I think that's very reasonable and not laughable. But you know what? There's been plenty of reason to do exactly that over the last 2 seasons, but Ozzie just refuses to do it until someone is actually injured.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 08:32 AM) Reading the entire article The Nats don't have money to make a play for Manny, but are front runners for Teixeira? If Boras would represent me, I'd hire him in a minute. Hello Grad School with a $100,000 guarantee and no TA load One player doesn't work on a small or medium payroll, this isn't basketball. No matter if he's "worth" $20 mil per year or not. With a new ballpark and potentially a solid-looking fanbase there in D.C. (I think lobbyists will survive the economic downturn quite well), they probably have a decent amount of money to spend if they want to.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 05:25 AM) Obama creating a Tech Czar. Depending on the selection of the person and the authority granted to them, that sounds like a very, very good idea. The tech regulatory market has been a disaster the last 8 years, we've fallen behind the rest of the western world on all sorts of things from internet penetration to broadband access to communications costs, and that's a direct function of the regulatory environment and the fact that we just hand the biggest couple companies whatever they want.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 14, 2008 -> 06:10 AM) Its been more like 7900 and 9500. Told ya to sell.

Basically paid for honeymoon trip, although probably would have taken it at the time anyway. Yes, it "Helped" the economy relative to doing nothing. That is reflected in the 2nd quarter, non-negative GDP numbers. They probably would have been negative without that package. However, if the question is...was this the single most effective stimulus method the government could have done? That's a different question, it's no longer relative to doing nothing, it's relative to every other potential stimulus method, and given the current situation, it's clearly not.