Balta1701

QUOTE(BearSox @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 11:12 AM) and that'd be WAY too much for someone like Hunter. And it may well still be less than what he'll actually get.

Just learned that one of the other grad students in my department died over the weekend.

Oh, and someone needs to bring up 1994 as well.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 11:02 AM) Whatever happened to: Dustin Hermanson? Jerry Manuel? Jerry Manuel has been with the Mets organization for several years, serving as a 1st base coach and a bench coach. His name occasionall crops up in managerial rumors when there is a vacancy. Hermanson signed a minor league deal with the Reds before the start of this season, but was released and did not make the team.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 10:05 AM) I was honestly more annoyed in 2003 when we had what looked to be a division-championship caliber team that just didn't quite seem to hit their stride and ended up getting smacked by the Twins late in the year to finally end it. It was also obviously made a lot worse by the Cubs. 1995 was pretty bad too, coming off the playoff berth in 93 and what would have been a playoff berth in 94 they posted a .472 WPT and finished 32 games behind the division winner. I don't know, yeah, this year is depressing, but all but the most optomistic realized that this was likely a 3rd place team at best unless an awful lot of things went our way. I'm frustrated, but I'm not totally pissed off. Yeah, I think that some of those 00-04 teams really pissed me off...because a lot of them should have been a lot better than what we actually saw. I mean, I'm still bitter about that Loaiza ill vs. the Twins game in late 03 where Esteban really shouldn't have started at all...and the game Cotts pitched in Yankee stadium, etc. Would you rather have a team that is just abjectly terrible from the start of the season or would you rather a team tease you but fall flat in the end?

-Rahm Emanuel

I still have an entertaining pack of DVD's to make myself feel better.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 09:20 AM) Can't wait for Kenny to blow his load on Hunter this offseason, locking in another aging veteran for the next 5 years. So glad he's not playing it safe. At least he doesnt have to trade for him. And the good news is...we can sign an A-level free agent and not have to worry about losing our first round pick!

QUOTE(Mplssoxfan @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 09:15 AM) Two words. Recess Appointment. Are recess appointments even allowed for that position? Anyway, supposedly Harry Reid already did a 2-step move to prevent those. He threatened to simply recall the Senate into session briefly every week or two or something like that, thus preventing Bush from offering up any recess appointments. The Administration backed off, since they had no choice, but managed to convince Reid to be nice and bring a couple people up for a vote in return.

QUOTE(29andPoplar @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 09:04 AM) Further let's suppose Crede comes back and plays well in 2008. Then you have the contract/Boras thing to deal with. What are the odds Crede would stay here. 50/50? I don't know about this whole thing. From where I sit it seems easier to get a good LF than a good 3B, even with Fields growing pains. They are significantly lower than 50/50. If Joe is brought back for another season, it is being done IMO almost entirely to try to get something out of Joe, by giving him a chance to turn himself into a valuable trading deadline deal chip or into a guy who we'd get draft picks for if he walks. If Joe comes back and sucks for a month or two, then Joe winds up either dealt or DFA'd.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 03:38 AM) With Josh Fields in LF, I think you can rule out Hunter in CF. Rowand makes more sense, anyway even at 3 yrs, $30 mill than Hunter and his 4, 5 yr deal at $15 mill per. Aaron Rowand will be offered quite a bit more than 3/$30 by several teams. That's probably a $20 million or more hometown discount you'd be talking about.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 27, 2007 -> 05:56 AM) Oh cripes. I just read that its likely to be Chertoff taking that post. Are you kidding me? We go from an AG who is more interested in making his master happy than obeying the law to a guy who thought that more bureaucracy would be good for Homeland Security?! Well...if the Dems in the Senate cave on approval of Chertoff...we may as well find a 3rd party to support.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 26, 2007 -> 02:20 PM) His arms are almost as big as mine. Governor?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 26, 2007 -> 01:52 PM) I remember seeing A LOT of people saying we should spend everything to take one chance at a World Series, and that it didn't matter what happened after the fact. They just wanted the one title. Those people seem to have all disappeared, except for one honest one here. to you for being honest. If we have to suck for 10 years+...that's easily worth it. I don't have to like the sucking now...but you'll never get me to trade that 1 win for 10+ years of division titles without a series.

Did YOung have anything to do with the Inside-the-Parker that I see on Gameday Lee just hit?

Damnit Young, there goes #28. 2 off of Marquis today. Oh why oh why couldn't he be beating up on the Brewers instead?!

QUOTE(3E8 @ Aug 26, 2007 -> 01:54 PM) Papelbon...now they're just trying to zetz us A closer's got to get in his work somehow.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Aug 26, 2007 -> 01:40 PM) I also want to thank you for fielding a triple-a team against my boys this weekend. Most AAA teams look like they're trying a lot harder than this.

Unfortunately, body type simply is a poor way of judging whether or not a person was on steroids. Show me before and after pictures illustrating how he gained 50 pounds of muscle in a ridiculous amount of time, like a few others we know, and then I'll start to buy it. As we all know, there are people who can look exactly like that just naturally with a vigorous enough workout program. On the other hand, there are people who could never look like that in a million years without the juice, and there are people who juice who in a million years will never get to that point. I still have very, very little confidence in the NFL's testing program, maybe even less than MLB simply because MLB has gotten all of the publicity thanks to Mr. Tetrahydrogestrinone and that's focused people on the quality of the tests, but body type alone simply can't be an argument.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 26, 2007 -> 12:52 PM) Definitely worth a shot, this should have happened a long time ago, imo. If you expect Joe to come back, play here 1 year or less and be gone...then this is probably a good time. Get Fields some work in the MLB at 3rd, where he'll probably be long-term, but then also get him a month or so in the OF so that he's ready for the year Crede is still here.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 25, 2007 -> 07:22 PM) - Scott Rolen's defense right now.....not so good - I have no idea how Arizona has a good record. Their lineup looks worse than the White Sox's lineup. I pray that the Cubs don't face them in the first round of the playoffs. Especially with the way Zambrano's been pitching this season...it's going to be really really tough for any team to look at seeing the D-Backs with Brandon Webb going against them 2x in one series and expect to win 3/5. That's the one dominant pitcher formula, and the D-Backs have that right now.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 26, 2007 -> 11:39 AM) Fields in LF almost guarantees no Owens in CF next year. I like this move....well done Sox. I still think we're going to see Fields/Owens/Dye on day one. Presumably, of course, that means day 2 will be Podsednik, Erstad, Dye, because you know, they gotta get at bats.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 26, 2007 -> 12:36 PM) This is just embarassing. We have a legit shot at the #1 pick next year. Wooooooot!

QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Aug 25, 2007 -> 04:38 PM) But leaving now would be a mistake. Millions MORE would die, all the soldiers who have died so far would have died for nothing (which still may be the case, but leaving now ensures it), the status of the US is further eroded, and you are kidding yourself if you don't think that pulling out would lead to attacks here in the US. My counterpoint to this argument is 2 fold. First and foremost...the reality is...even if the U.S. stays there for another 10 years, if we're at the "Soviets in 1982 in Afghanistan" point in this war, eventually we are going to leave. The U.S. has neither the manpower, the political will, nor the resources to spend $5 trillion on this war for the next 10 years and give up another 5000 lives in the process. So the question is...is there any reason to believe, any reason at all to conclude that our staying there will prevent this calamity you describe from happening? Based on the way the situation has currently gone, I see absolutely no reason to think it will. If the U.S. can not occupy this country for 100 years...then if we want to stay...we better have some reason to think it's worth gambling a couple trillion dollars and a few thousand more U.S. lives and another million or two of Iraqi lives on it getting better. And second...this argument makes one presumption; by staying, the U.S. will manage to keep the situation from becoming worse. And on this point also, I see no evidence it's true. Casualties in that country have gone up every single year we've been there, and the "surge" has simply done nothing to stop that. The political situation is simply a disaster and shows signs of getting even worse as every faction prepares for the civil war. And the U.S. is stuck in the middle of it...thus putting a target on every American over there, and giving out free training against Americans to anyone who wants to learn. Yes, it could very well be a calamity if we pull out. But this ignores the reality on the ground right now; it is a calamity there right now, and it's a calamity we're stuck in the middle of...and it's a calamity that no amount of American blood or treasure is going to improve.

QUOTE(greg775 @ Aug 24, 2007 -> 05:25 PM) Garland strikes me as kind of a flake. The fact the veterans gave up long ago, him included, makes me think he can bounce back next year if the Sox put together a team that can get off to a good start and look like a contender. It's obvious he's given up on this season. I still think that Garland would be throwing up surprisingly good numbers in the NL right now. Better than Zambrano this season, that I'll bet.