Balta1701

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 11:59 AM) You could always go buy a Trib/Sun-Times they're quite cheap. Not for all of us. I suppose I could drive to LAX, buy a ticket somewhere, and get myself to a newsstand that carries the paper that way.

They give the Cardinals credit for being 3rd in bullpen ERA while we're 5th, but then don't note that we're in the AL and have to face the DH and stronger hitters around them? Ditto the starters...the Cards starters have an ERA of 3.58, good for 2nd in the NL, while our guys have an ERA of 3.75, making us 1st in the AL.

Just out of curiosity...who's awards are those?

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 11:38 AM) What did I do? Just in case you didn't get it...the word you'd want would be "Suspense" and not "suspension"

QUOTE(Chisoxrd5 @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 11:24 AM) Three words: Alternative Minimum Tax Actually I would disagree with you on that...the Alternative Minimum Tax right now is only hitting enough of the Middle Class so that if it were reformed, the savings would be on the order of $10 billion or so. It's not enough to make up the difference. However, the amount of taxpayers hit by the AMT is going to go up rapidly in the next few years, to the point that if we have this discussion again in 2007 or 2008, you'll be correct. Here's an economist piece showing how the deficit would be expected to vary given different changes in the laws. You'll note that they nailed this year right on the head, given that the Medi-can't drug benefit doesn't start spending money until 2006.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 11:14 AM) No other player has more than 40RBI's in RON sits. How do Thomas's numbers compare there, given that he's only been around for a couple weeks?

QUOTE(winodj @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 11:10 AM) Also, does the deficit take into account supplementary spending like Iraq/Afghanistan? Just curious because that would bring that number inching back up to 400 billion dollars. In most cases it takes into account supplementary spending that has been passed, but not any expected supplementals that are thrown in along the way. I.e. if they passed a supplemental earlier in the year before the budget was passed it would be included, but if Congress was still debating the exact numbers or if it they were still working on the last supplemental, no it wouldn't. Going along with that question, in the last budget/supplemental submission, it was pretty obvious that the military was taking things that usually would be bugeted for in the normal budget submitted to Congress and holding them back until the supplemental bills came along. Things like normal repair work, purchases totally unrelated to Iraq/Afghanistan, etc.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:59 AM) Yeah his high era is nothing special to want but he would have been nice insurance. Put it this way, with Marte out, Stanton > Walker. Yeah, but frighteningly, it's not Stanton>>>>>>Walker.

QUOTE(knightni @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:53 AM) He was The holographic Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager. I think that it was implied in my statement earlier that I knew that.

Sadly, the data doesn't support the "Tax cuts are wonderful and generate more revenue" idea here. Why? Because the government is still taking in LESS revenue than it did before the first tax cuts. The idea of the laffer curve is that there is a point at which increasing taxes will lead to less total revenues because of stunted growth, but there is also a point at which decreasing taxes will lead to less total revenues because the rate is too low. We cut taxes, and the government immediately started taking in less revenue. It has taken in less revenue since those tax cuts every single year. There is also probably more to the story of this deficit number than meets the eye.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:35 AM) Borcard does this every year. He's still striking out a ton. Let me know when he's hitting .280 and isn't strikingout once everyy 3 atbats. .255 avg. 99so/306ab and only 33bb at AAA :puke He strikes out 3 times for every walk. The guy is still all or nothing 16 HR is pretty good but he can't do anything else and he doesn't do that enough to offset his major and vast flaws.

I still like Borchard and I still think he has the potential to be an Adam Dunn type character for someone. However, I don't think it'll be for us, for 1 simple reason. He's out of minor league options after this one. In other words, if we bring him back up, he can't be sent down again without clearing waivers and giving other teams a shot at him. I think he'll probably move if KW does any sort of deal, for that simple reason.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:30 AM) Seriously, what do the Yankees have to offer? Their minors are bare, and they are trying to add pitchers, not subtract them. The Yankees really dont make much sense, but if Georgy Porgy starts throwing around money who knows. The Yankees have a few worthy trade pieces...Cano, Wang, and maybe 1 or 2 other elements sitting around. They're still somewhat bare, but they have things to dump.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:10 AM) I'm guessing no launch today. Do you know if there's a specific window during which they have to launch? Some launches have limited launch windows because of something the shuttle has to launch or rendezvous with, but if there's none of that, then they might have some flexibility in the schedule so that they could wait until the skies clear.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:23 AM) That guy was The Cowboy in "Inner Space"!!!!! He was also the office manager in Gremlins 2: the new batch.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:06 AM) NERDS! Oh, just knowing how to spell his name is nothing. Guess who I ran into @ my grocery store on Monday? Robert Picardo. True nerds out there will understand that I was incredibly giddy at this one.

I was a little bit saddened that Francona only gave Pods the chance to field, not to run. I could have cared less if he batted, but if he was coming into the game, I was hoping it would be as a pinch runner. At least he still gets his bonus.

Latest update: they've raised the odds of a weather-related delay to 60%.

QUOTE(Queen Prawn @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:02 AM) LMAO at Jordi! Geordi.

QUOTE(WSoxMatt @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 06:17 AM) I dont think Jason Bey got any time for the NL so lets be happy Pods at least got to the field in the 9th. If I lived in Pittsburgh, Tampa, and Oakland, Id be pissed, your 1 player never saw any action!!! Not much choice. With the new "This time it counts" rules, if you're a manager, you have to keep a couple of pitchers and maybe a batter in reserve just in case the game goes to extra innings.

Not as far as I can see.

You know...when you're considered to be an administration that doesnt' like diplomacy and needs to spend more effort reaching out to other nations...some things just aren't smart. Like this. Come up with whatever objection you want, but it'd be really hard to be in one of those other countries and see the deliberate absence of the U.S. represenative as anything other than a deliberate snub.

Secondly, here's former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie speaking on the issue when it first came up in 2003.

First comment...This Post from a guy who knew Plame.