Balta1701

Ok...I will now start taking bets on whether or not this thread will be open when I return from my talk @ roughly 5 p.m. PST.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 03:25 PM) That being said, Bob Casey Jr only exists because of his late father's Gubernatoral status in PA. Santorum may not say the things that YOU like, but at least he's consistent and believes in something. So you're saying Casey Sr. Met his wife only because he served as governor? And shouldn't it be "Senatorially"?

QUOTE(Dam8610 @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 03:07 PM) If I'm trading an ace caliber starter (which Contreras has proven he is) for ONE hitting prospect, that prospect better be a future #3 hitter. Lastings Milledge projects more as a #2 or leadoff hitter at this point. If the Sox were to trade Contreras to the Mets, I'd be really upset if Milledge was the only player they got in return. If the Mets won't give up more, they can keep their potential future superstar who has just as much (if not more) potential to be a bust. One of the nice things about where we're at right now is that we really don't NEED to trade Jose...we have ourselves sitting in a position of luxury. We can just go with 6 starters on the roster and genuinely make a run at a world series...and whether or not you agree with it, the team will be in good shape. In other words...KW can actually sit around waiting to be completely blown away by an offer for the guy, because the need to trade him is not garganutan. I don't think he'd be traded straight up for Milledge just for that reason. You want him, you've got to earn him.

Personally, I still think I'm much more of a fan of how Santorum just keeps lying and lying about the "K-street project".

QUOTE(The Critic @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 02:55 PM) I actually worked for Morton Thiokol ( the makers of the O-rings ) at that time. We had the audio of the launch going through the paging system and everyone heard what happened. We then immediately had dozens of men in very nice suits running around panicking, having meetings and trying to figure out what happened. One very crazy day. Can't believe it's been 20 years already....damn, I'm getting old... H. Christ...how much did you know the people on the conference call with NASA the night before? Oh, and Thiokol as far as I know didn't just make the O-Rings...they were the lead contractor on the entire SRB assembly.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 03:04 PM) The Pacers can't catch a break. I'm sure they'll still make the playoffs though. Right now they're sitting in the 7 spot, a game and a half ahead of the Wiz and 3 games ahead of the Bulls and Magic. Basically...they're losing O'Neal and gaining Peja, and I think that's a pretty obvious downgrade right now. If O'Neal is out for 8 weeks, they'll basically get him for 10-15 games at the end of the season. Some decent play from a few other teams and they may be too far out of it for him to help.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 07:02 PM) Those 7/8 spots are starting to get competitive b/w Philly, Washington, Chicago, Orlando and Boston. Jermaine O'Neal is out roughly 8 weeks with a groin injury. Those 7/8 spots probably just got a little bit easier.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 02:37 PM) Is the OS market one in which the market would grow with greater competition? Does MSFT's control over the market stiffle new investment & growth in the market? Yes and Yes. I'm debating how big I should make those to emphasize that point.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 02:24 PM) Seriously, I don't have kids, so I see that this hit a nerve with those that do. I also am not aware of poeple's history with Juggs, but some of the replies to him seem kinda judgemental and harsh. Let's just say there's a reason I've kept my mouth shut.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 02:25 PM) They're fooling themselves if they think they can "win back" votes by being blowhards. It's not worked for 12 years. So you're saying it worked in '94?

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 01:42 PM) What year was the first launch? Was it '80? I know I was in 5th grade. I remember watching it on TV in school. 1st launch of Columbia was 4/12/81.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 02:04 PM) Well one thing you have to keep in mind is Contreras actually pitched well in the first half too just didnt get the run support and wasnt as dominant as he was in the 2nd half.... so the fact he did it over a whole season and than in the playoffs gives people more confidence in him than just looking at his 2nd half of the season which you are doing. JC was not bad in the 1st half, but he wasn't good either. He was still walking way too many people and falling behind way too many others. In the 2nd half...he was getting ahead of people and batters had to fight him for walks. That was a huge difference...people had to swing against him, and when they try to swing against him...bad things happen to the batter.

QUOTE(Steve Bartman's my idol @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 01:25 PM) You make some interesting points, Rex. However, I do take issue with this paragraph...On the one hand, they have an oppressive foreign government ruling over their daily lives and creating a difficult life where their economy is unable to act normally and travel within the small zone they are allowed is hampered constantly by checkpoints, detours and giant concrete walls. 1. "Palestinians" live within the borders of Israel, thus, they are not ruled by a "foreign" government. 2. Arabs in general have mores rights under Israeli rule than they do under the rule of ANY Muslim Country. 3. There would not be a need for checkpoints and/or a Security Fence if the "palestinians" would stop trying to kill Israelis. I'm not sure I agree with either side, so I'm going to play devil's advocate for a moment: 1. Yes, they live "Within" the borders of Israel...borders which were created after Israel conquered them in an invasion. Almost every nation I know about has recognized in some fashion that Israel is not going to be able to continue occupying that territory until the end of time. 3. There would be a vastly lower amount of Palestinians trying to kill Israelis if the Israelis were to stop trying to build settlements on land within the occupied territories.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 01:22 PM) What? Are you saying that your leaders are too damn stupid to topple a corrupt, constitution ignoring president? Hmph...I always suspected Yas was part of a new version of COINTELPRO...trying to get us to turn into revolutionaries so the FBI can take us into custody...now I have proof.

QUOTE(Steve Bartman's my idol @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 12:41 PM) Do any of you drive a GM car(s)? Just wondering. I drove a Pontiac, bought new, back when I was in high school and college. Within a year of buying the car, the "Service Engine Soon" light was coming on constantly. We'd take it to the dealer since it was under warranty...they'd hold it for a week, do nothing, and then give it back to us. A month later the light would come back on. Repeat 2-3 times. At one point...they just held the damn thing for quite literally a month, and I can guarantee it spent most of that time sitting on the lot - there were new rain drop spots on the thing when we picked it back up, and it hadn't rained in over a week before that time. The only reason we got it back that day was that my dad called and spoke to the owner. I was this close to including a line in my Valedictorian speech saying "Do not shop at this dealership." I literally said to myself "That line is going in if I don't get my car back today." I got it that day. After that...we did the same song & dance 1-2 more times. But eventually...probably related to the "Service Engine" light...there was a major problem with the fuel injector, which wound up causing something major to go wrong. They finally fixed it, but it starts extremely rough every time (you have to turn the key 2-3 times, with it struggling during each attempt, to get it to run.) Beyond that...the Radiator seals developed a nasty leak, and kept draining the thing. We've had that one fixed a couple of times too, and the leak keeps coming back. Oh, and all of this was with no accidents that I know of either. It'll be a long, long time before I even consider buying another GM vehicle.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 11:39 AM) Sorry, I just assumd there were more issues than just one. I assume then, in Israeli elections, Palestinians are the only issue as well? Oh wait, could it be they chose Hamas over corruption? Maybe they got tired of the corruption? Nope, the only chance it could be is they all want the end of Israel. BTW, do they elect people or is it just Israel Yes/No on the ballot? Bloomberg It's not just corruption...Hamas has actually in many cases done a lot more to help build people's lives than the other authorities there. I think that the most interesting question left is going to be what this does to Israel's elections later this year...and whether or not Netanyahu can get a major boost from it. If he can...then a lot of things are probably going to blow up, IMO.

I'm impressed they were able to give it a concrete floor.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 10:26 AM) He doesn't shut up about anything. That's why people hate him. I'm surprised Ron Artest isn't on this. And I don't watch golf, but why is Phil Mickelson hated? The only people who don't like Artest are his victims.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 12:33 PM) If I'm the Bears, yes. It seems like Mushin Muhammed is like a Peerless Price type player in which they would excel at being a #2 WR. Muhammed certainly looked like a #1 receiver 2 years ago when Steve Smith went down for the whole year and Delhomme and Muhammed played catch the whole year.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 12:26 PM) True, it would be horrible if he's a bust but it's not like we would be trading a pitcher who is under contract for 3 years. Any prospects we would trade Contreras for could turn out to be busts. But you're also missing the other key fact of prospects...Kenny Williams has a habit of turning those prospects into All-Stars...before they reach the big leagues. Personally, I'd hold onto a couple of guys so that we have a young outfield...but say KW looks around next offseason and sees someone offering another guy of Thome's caliber for Milledge? Even if he has a down year next year (isn't our AA park a hitter's park?), people would still give a ton for him based on previous reputation. Look what the BoSox got for Hanley Ramirez after a down year.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 12:31 PM) It looked like it last year...... Ditto for Clemens. Just because some guys are able to pitch until they're 37-38 with no problems doesn't mean they won't have a problem pitching when they're 39, 40, 41, 42, etc. People start to break down, and it's hard to guess when it'll happen. Kerry Wood started to break down at age 22. Schilling is a good example...dominant in 2004, 2nd in the Cy Young race...but then his body caught up to him, and who knows what he has left in the tank. Randy Johnson might be another one...he looked last year like he was starting to finally take some steps backwards after a dominant year in 04 for the DBacks.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 12:05 PM) And if one of them goes down? If I had a pitching staff with 6 Johan Santanas, I could feel confident in my pitching staff if one of them were to go down, because the other dominant starter could step into that person's place. But...if I were to run with a team of 5 Johan Santanas, and trade that last one for a Teixeira...I think i'd be in much better shape, even risking the injury. If Milledge is as good as some have suggested and not a product of East-Coast-Hype...he can make our team better and cheaper and help us stay contending for the next 8 years. The question is...are you willing to slightly reduce our chances of winning a world series this year in exchange for possibly increasing it significiantly the next 7 years after this one?

Here's another option...hold onto Contreras for a few months, and make this trade in June. That way, we can cut down on the innings we put on BMac's arm, we get to hope that one of the Mets' pitchers will go down with an injury (not out of the quesiton with Glavine or Martinez) and maybe drive up their desire...and we get to make sure for several months that no one suffers any ill effects from pitching in the WBC.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 10:35 PM) I heard that JP Losman kid is almost like Cade McNown lol.... in terms of work ethich etc..... Well, those weren't the reports last year, at least not the ones I saw, but then again, I'm also not plugged in to Buffalo that well. He looked at least non-terrible in those few games at the end of the season, and he still had absolutely nothing resembling an offensive line in front of him, and his defense wasn't slowing anyone down and giving him the ball. That's a lot to overcome even if you have a good work ethic. I still look and see a kid who's only played in about 10 games, and done none of it with a strong supporting cast. Give him a decent offensive line...if he doesn't perform then, with McGahee behind him and a quality receiving corps...then dump him. But he should get a chance to start for at least the next 2 years, barring Matt Leinart or Vince Young falling to their pick.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 26, 2006 -> 07:27 AM) They had better not even think about it. When Mihm can stay healthy and out of foul trouble he's actually quite a good inside presence. Trouble is...those 2 things happen somewhere between rarely and never.