Balta1701

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 28, 2008 -> 07:51 AM) Any competent court would find him eligible, I'd bet big money on it. He was assigned overseas by the US military, and working in American territory, born to US citizen parents. The Constitutional phrase is sufficiently vague that he'd fit in there just fine. Honestly though, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing to get an actual court ruling on that subject just so that there is an interpretation out there for the future.

Haven't we had more than a few of these "General Iraq threads" and usually each time they wind up falling off the main screen and vanishing?

QUOTE(G&T @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 07:54 PM) I could be wrong about this, but I think it's rare that the Sox and Cubs are both at home at the same time. Teams have a couple long home stands and road trips, so I don't think it would be a huge deal. I'd be more worried about the field. They'd be using it everyday for the whole season. The field doesn't worry me. We have Roger Bossard. The one thing that worries me is rainouts/makeup games. Those would be tough to schedule because someone would probably be using the park on any day off.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/opinion/...amp;oref=slogin

QUOTE(Athomeboy_2000 @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 07:23 PM) As i said, i am sure or "pump prices" will go up, but I am ok with that if i know that a few cents for every gallon I fill up goes to new companies pushing for new technologies and a better and cleaner tomorrow. PS: It's only a matter of time that these gas companies start buying up "alternate energy" companies and the cycle starts all over again. Hell, I couldn't care less if Exxon, BP, and Shell were the ones running the alternative energy companies and getting huge subsidies to do so. The benefits of getting us off of oil and coal would be so tremendous for everyone that no one should really care who the profits go to as long as it gets accomplished, and to some extent you shouldn't even really care about the total cost because the benefits are so high.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 07:22 PM) Obama said he denounced Farrakhan's statements. not the guy himself. Russert followed up, asking if he rejected Farrakhan's support. How exactly do you tell a person not to vote for you?

QUOTE(bmags @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 07:12 PM) Russert: How can the Jewish community trust you when you support farrakhan Obama : I renounce and disagree with Louis Farrakhan and did not seek his endorsement Russert: But DO YOU SUPPORT HIM? No, the last line is actually "Do you support him, and here let me read some of his worst quotes just so I can stress how scandalous it is that he supports you no matter what you say".

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 07:16 PM) Why not increase taxes on the foreign companies gasoline to the same level we are increasing costs to our companies? Put all the money into alternative energy. I would certainly have no complaints.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 06:53 PM) Joe Baseball is coming to the plate with 2 outs and ducks on the pond and instead of the first thought being excitement "come on lets get something here" like an unkowning kid might have, it's more a thought of "s***....Joe Baseball has the worst RISP w/ 2outs on the team" So before a pitch is even thrown you're resigned to the fact that the 3rd out is probably coming. And if you don't think some minds are made up about what's going to happen before it actually does...sit in on a game thread sometime. That's not to say these people are rooting for the third out...just that the doubt is there. That's all I'm saying. There's just that little mystique that is sometimes missing now that you had back when you didn't know any better. So I'm not knocking those who know the stats. I know most of them myself and I like knowing them. I know more than all my friends. I don't believe stats are the end all be all, but they are relevant. So I'm not saying it isn't good to be knowledgable or that having access to that knowledge is bad, just that knowing some stuff...takes away a little something that used to be there. On the other hand, can't it help some time? Let's say for example, that there's a 3rd baseman on the team who has a habit of popping the ball up badly. He comes up in the late innings one game, let's say the 10th inning, and you're resigned to losing. But you've noticed he does tend to hit the ball well in the clutch. Maybe his late inning numbers are better, maybe his close and late numbers are good, whatever. Suddenly he hits a home run to LF and Ken Harrelson's head explodes. In that case, how was thinking that this guy was clutch and has done this before a bad thing?

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 06:48 PM) I wish the bill would also tax foreign oil companies that operate in the US like Citgo. Seems kind of short sighted to give them an advantage and let them off the hook on this issue. Genuinely curious...how does taking subsidies away from U.S. oil companies give a foreign company an advantage? I can understand that it's leveling the playing field, but wouldn't Citgo have to be receiving government subsidies from someone else for them to have an advantage? And if they are, then isn't someone else's government paying for cheaper energy in the U.S.?

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 05:45 PM) So, when oil was $55/bbl, Bush says that the oil companies don't need tax breaks anymore. Now at $100/bbl, Congress takes some of them away (roughly $1.8B per oil company), and Bush says its unfair and promises a veto. I guess this is the legend he wants to etch in history for his Presidency - abject stupidity. Don't you understand, he has to use his veto power. It's the only way he can stay relevant. It doesn't really matter what he vetoes, he must stay relevant.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 05:13 PM) Not to sound like I'm making a stump speech, but, I really have to say, now is the time to get serious on alternative energy. We need to lower energy costs, we need to generate jobs in new sectors, we need to get on the strong side of the negotiating table, we need to strengthen the dollar, mass transit infrastructure needs work... its got to be done right now. All those technologies - solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro, non-corn ethanol - are just starting to grow and are on the verge of getting cheaper and better. I really hope that the folks we send to Washington in 2008 can see that . I disagree. I for one think the time to get serious on alternative energy, by removing the tens of billions of dollars in subsidies given to the oil industry, investing heavily in research into alternative energy, increasing the CAFE standards, investing in mass transit, etc., was the mid 90's. Back when Energy was in its last low cost period before the end of the era of cheap energy. Now, we're slapping a band aid on a gushing wound. Hopefully we have big enough bandaids to stanch the bleeding.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 05:15 PM) I believe our payroll was in the low-to-mid 70's when we won it all. That was good for about middle of the pack in the league. I'm probably wrong, but that's how I remember it. 13th in the league, $75 million. Right behind the Astros at 12.

PJ Brown signs with the Celtics.

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 04:04 PM) Why give up both Uribe and Crede? Uribe maybe, but not both of them. I would think it would really matter as to how long Vizquel is out. Uribe would seem to fit the Giants needs more than Crede and if Vizquel returns Uribe could play 3B for the Giants Because any way the Sox could find an excuse to move both Crede and Uribe, and therefore free up $9 million in salary this year, and more importantly guarantee playing time to the young guys who should be the ones getting that playing time anyway...the better the team will be.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 03:56 PM) The stadium belongs to the Illinois Sports Authority, not the Sox. The Sox lease time in the stadium - Cubs would have to do the same. The money may help the Sox indirectly - more funds for improvements, some sticky fans as Balta said... but directly, no cash for the Sox. Who sells the ads in the stadium?

QUOTE(EvilJester99 @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 03:56 PM) Or San Fran...Vizquel had knee surgery and will be out for 6 weeks or so. Omar Vizquel will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The slick-fielding shortstop is expected to miss four to five weeks, according to the AP. Manager Bruce Bochy said he plans on using Kevin Frandsen at shortstop while the 40-year-old is out. The Giants' first game is a little less than five weeks away, so Vizquel will almost surely begin the year on the DL. Frandsen is a worthy NL-only selection. Crede + Uribe for Something? (Rowand? )

QUOTE(lvjeremylv @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 03:33 PM) Eh. He's a career .254 hitter who will probably hit around 20 bombs and drive in 60-70 if he gets regular playing time. He also plays pretty good defense - at least at SS he did, 2B who knows how he'll be since I don't think he's ever played 2B with the Sox. He's very streaky and can get in a zone and carry a team for a week - then, he'll tank it for 3 weeks where he'll bat .115 and strike out 37 times. What else can you say? It's unfortunate the Sox don't have any better options, but it appears they don't. Yes, they do. Danny Richar. He's graduated from every minor league level, he's earned his way up to the big leagues despite starting off very raw in the D-Backs organization, the team traded one of their better prospects to get him...he deserves a decent chance to learn the big league game before someone else is automatically given the job. And Hell, in only his 2nd full month he pushed his OPS up to .760.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 03:30 PM) Oh yea, Olbermann was the debate commentator, while Chris Matthews fired the questions. Matthews asked 22 follow up questions during that debate. He asked 6 follow up questions to Guiliani about his pro-choice stances. So Russert really wasn't out of step with his fellow debate moderators in being a pain the ass during a debate. So Olbermann wasn't the one asking questions? I have less of a problem with that then, I'd say. Matthews has been pretty ugly to all sides this season. Certainly interesting that MSNBC seems to be the network that everyone has a problem with (accepting the fact that the Dems have pretty much just decided to ignore Fox, deservedly.) It certainly seems reasonable that future campaigns might want to start making an issue of the work MSNBC did during this year's run.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 03:09 PM) I think that is a valid point. Is it the moderators place to pester candidates on their answers? But this wasn't something that just happened to Obama. Some of the CNN and MSNBC GOP debates were total debacles. I remember CNN and the 'Gay General' thing during a GOP debate, that was just bizarre. And MSNBC has Olbermann doing a GOP debate? He was horrible, but what did they expect from a guy who is quoted as saying "The leading terrorist group in this country is the Republican Party." Did Olbermann actually moderate a Republican debate? Not just doing commentary afterwards, but moderating? And the Gay General thing we've been over. I might not have minded the setup if he submitted the question on his own and such, but the fact that he was allowing his name to be publically used as a supporter of the Hillary campaign was pretty damn bad. It certainly has been an interesting debate season. The youtube debates were an interesting bunch to say the least, gave a sort of question you never got at normal debates, Hillary's downfall really did start at a debate with that whole Drivers License question, and then you have these various lowpoints on top of it.

Honestly, for a 1 year thing, I wouldn't mind this at all. This would be a great way to market the Sox to all the Cub fans who have never been anywhere but historic Wrigley Field. Some of them would come back.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 02:49 PM) Not really, he was asking him to respond to a 'growing controversy'. Then Russert pestered Obama about his answer, like Russert does to everyone he interviews. I remember Russert just destroyed Guiliani during a Meet the Press interview, this really wasn't anything our of the ordinary for Tim Russert. I think at least to my eyes, an official debate should be held to a much higher standard of behavior than a Meet the Press interview. I'm not a fan of Russert's "Gotcha" format where he digs up the most obscure detail no one has ever heard of and asks the candidate to respond to it to prove their worthiness in the first place, but that format works even worse in what some would hope would wind up being formal debates on policy matters.

QUOTE(knightni @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 02:28 PM) I heard that joke somewhere. Jon Stewart? Eh, wouldn't surprise me if it subconsciously stuck in there after seeing it on a Daily Show, but didn't do a deliberate lift..

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 02:41 PM) Supposedly Carolina's not bringing Colbert back. After they wouldn't let him run for President, I'm not that surprised.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 02:13 PM) looks like he made an error in judgment. Never count out any pitcher with his kind of stuff.