Balta1701

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 03:18 PM) I think next season A-ram will be starting SS and Richar at 2B I think we're all hoping that. Between Fields, ARam, Richar, Quentin, Anderson, Owens, and Swisher...we could have about 7-8 lineup spots covered by guys who are either making the minimum or who are signed to really cheap contracts because they're still young. Say what you will about the Sox having a barren system...that's an awful lot of payroll flexibility if they all turn out.l

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 02:14 PM) I really think the post-SNL, let's be fair to HRC thing has worn thin, and Obama is pulling away again in national polls. Incidently, I have been getting quite a few survey calls here in Indiana about who I intend to vote for in May. I think it's a bit more than that. After Texas/Ohio, there's really starting to be a realization that Hillary really can't win unless she absolutely destroys Obama. The math makes it virtually impossible, she needs to win something ridiculous like 58% of the remaining delegates to pull off a pledged delegate lead, she needs to win big chunks to overtake the popular vote lead, and her campaign is still in the red in terms of fundraising. The only option she really has is the Tonya Harding option where she destroys him enough that the Superdelegates have no choice but to vote for her, and within the same party people don't want to see that. So there really is movement by some of the people who stayed out of the race, some of the online organizing groups, guys like Richardson, etc., towards Obama now just based on the math.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 01:27 PM) I am not sure about the law on this, but its possible that legislation at the national level may override the states. Even if not, the national parties could find a way to force the states' hand. Should be interesting. Anything to make the primary system more dynamic and involve more states over time, and anything to get away from the electoral college for presidential voting, are good things. I'm pretty sure that the Electoral college can only be reformed by constitutional amendment.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 01:23 PM) Gameday must be a bit behind. Masset's control slipped (even more than usual) after a line drive hit him off the forearm. He already gave up a 2R HR to Jackson before being replaced by Thornton. Is Gameday actually working for anyone yet? I'm still just using the live box score, which is darn slow to update. Hmm...Masset got plunked in the arm by a line drive. DL trip followed by a rehab stint as a method of getting around the lack of options left for him?

Has Nick settled down any more these last couple innings?

QUOTE(iamshack @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 01:01 PM) Well, it isn't a trade or anything...he was just in the booth talking to Hawk and DJ. OK. I just didn't want it to be because of an injiury.

Um, since the parties and individual states themselves set the rules for when states are going to be having primaries and how delegates are going to be divided up, how exactly does proposing this at the national level do anything?

Is there some reason that Konerko's been replaced?

QUOTE(lostfan @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 12:07 PM) Well, yeah, that's sort of my point. But both him and Granderson (and Hunter, who used to be in our division) are flashier and you'll see them in highlight reels a lot more. Anderson, the only time I remember seeing him in highlights is when he made his first MLB error like 3/4 of the way thru the season. That's because the plays that Sizemore and Granderson made while diving Anderson got to while standing up. The only thing missing from his repertoire out there was the climbing the wall home run robbing catch.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 11:40 AM) Best range in baseball? Thats a bit of a stretch, does he even have the best range in his own division? Unfortunately it doesn't appear the highlight is on MLB.com's video...but if I could post Anderson's catch of a Hafner ball from back in June, 2006, you wouldn't even have to ask that question. The ground he covered out there was simply incredible.

QUOTE(Pants Rowland @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 09:45 AM) I know he was a few years younger at the start of his career, but he sounds like an early career version of Lance Johnson (http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/johnsla03.shtml). Lots of speed, no arm, needs work in CF, punch and judy hitter, no power, lots of singles, high amount of triples, not as many doubles as you would like. I think he could be as good, if not a better player than old One Dog. If we're plugging Owens in to the leadoff spot on this team as it looks for the next few years...then the key stat I'm looking at for him is OBP. In his best seasons, 1-dog put up OBP's of around .360-.370, although a lot of that was in his batting average. But if Owens could avoid losing a step due to this injury, and give me OBP's in that range, I'd be more than content with his performace in his role. I might not be happy about him getting playing time in front of Anderson or Quentin...but that's another story.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 09:27 AM) Given the Spring that MacDougal has been having, I'd say that he gets the nod. (Plus, Wassermann has three options left and Mac has none.) When Mac is on, he's effective. But keep him on a short leash. If he's putting up '07 numbers for the first month and a half, cut his ass and bring Wassermann up. MMac has one option year remaining. Not sure exactly how but that's been reported repeatedly, it has something to do with his DL time I think.

QUOTE(Pants Rowland @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 09:20 AM) As much as Ozzie frustrates me at times, there is a lot to be said for this strategy. Besides, am I oversimplifying to think that shading BA toward CF and Swish toward RF would minimize the difference between swapping their positions? I know the winds will be different, but they should be able to cover comparable ground, shouldn't they? Honestly...based on Anderson's performance in 06 in CF...no they won't be able to cover comparable ground. Only because Anderson was just THAT GOOD. From what I saw, if you put Brian Anderson in CF, you have hands down the CF with the best range in baseball right now unless he's lost a step or something.

Attempted, and failed, to do a cartwheel. Mind you, I can't do a cartwheel while sober.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 07:37 AM) Are Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Elton John breaking U.S. laws by allowing the British pop singer, a foreign national, to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign by performing a concert on her behalf? McCain held a fundraising dinner in London a week or two ago.. Whether or not it's appropriate is anyone's guess, but I think that the law probably makes these events ok as long as they're not directly contributing the cash themselves.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 08:05 PM) In Peter Gammons column a month or so ago, he reported the first draft of Canseco's book had a little piece about Clemens at the now infamous party they claim he didn't attend. That got taken out of the book. I wonder how big of a check the Rocket had to write for that. I still wonder why he wouldn't have had something on ARod in his first book. He's the biggest name in the game. Maybe he was still trying to get something from him. I think a reasonable idea about why none of these folks appeared in the first book is that the first book was him actually telling the stories he knew and the next few books are him trying to cash in more based on being proven right on the first one.

QUOTE(rangercal @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 07:09 PM) he would be nuts not to trade the bulls 5 best assets for kobe. I came to the realization that it is a superstar league. ( with the exception of the Detroit Pistons) . Don't get me wrong, I think there is a lot of talent on the roster. But, our coaching staff is too inconsistent with minutes given out. How do they expect the team start winning on a consistent basis? Now the players (who are supposed to be high character guys btw) are quiting on the team. Everyone has flipped out on Boylan except for maybe Deng, Thabo and the new guys. I think you're underestimating the flipping-outness of people. There are people who seem to be really angry with this organization. There are reports that guys like Noah and Deng have actually hired guys outside of the team to serve as coaches for them because they're not getting what they need from the team. Adding Hughes has cost Thabo minutes. Deng may very well be at the point where he wants out. The whole situation is turning in to a disaster. They don't have the minutes for people who want them and haven't done what they need to develop people, and it seems like it's all about to collapse.

Jesus Christ. I've been pissed off by a few things already in this one...but Richard Armitage saying "Oops" to the whole no WMD thing...yeesh.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 05:34 PM) Swisher had a RZR in high .800's last season in a bigger ballpark when playing CF. He's not TERRIBLE out there. It's not a question of being terrible. It's a question of how much better our other option is. It's comparing a decent CF to a possibly great CF. You give up maybe 20 runs in a season if you go from Swisher to Mackowiak, but then you save like 20 more runs if you go from Swisher to Anderson.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 05:12 PM) A Quentin / Ozuna platoon at LF I'd say until Owens is healthy. Then Swisher slides back over to LF. How do you platoon 2 righties?

What? In CF? Why?

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 04:12 PM) I'll admit that I don't know much about Gravel... but does he know that the Libertarian party is anti-tax, anti-big government, wants to end many aspects of the welfare state, supports school vouchers, is against universal health care, ect? Not really anything close to what the Democrats are for. I think he knows that the libertarians have ballot access.

QUOTE(WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 04:04 PM) Excellent post Steve Once again Guillen proves he's a liar. Fields has the edge going into spring training, performs better than Crede, gets sent down. Why can't Fields at least stay on the roster? He would be a perfect fill-in at DH against lefties. Because the roster doesn't have room for a backup DH and 3rd baseman...we're already carrying a couple guys who can back up at each of those positions. And say what you want about going down to AAA stunting Fields's growth...sitting on the bench and DHing once a week if we're lucky would be even worse.

By the way... In a very sad day for this party....truly tear-jerking...Mike Gravel has announced that he's fed up with not winning and is leaving the Democratic party. He'll be joining the list of people running for the Libertarian party nomination.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 02:54 PM) When he has been healthy, Dye has preformed. If you call down him being always injured, I guess his career was up and down. He wasn't injured last year however, and last time I checked, having super slow bat speed is not an injury. Dye didn't miss much time because of them and wasn't put on the DL, but he was reported as being banged up pretty much the whole first half last year, especially in his legs.. He really didn't start getting healthy until the AS Break. He probably should have been DL'd in all honesty.