Balta1701

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Apr 16, 2018 -> 07:42 PM) it's too bad the game is so late, even for us west coasters. not going to be getting much help from the sun after 6pm tonight one way or another. Dropping the sun out there may rob the storms of any energy.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Apr 16, 2018 -> 06:28 PM) I think his default setting is lie first. If this was a complete nothingburger then Hannity played this totally wrong. He had Cohen's lawyers fighting tooth and nail to prevent his name from ever coming up, to the point where the whole courtroom was waiting for the unmasking of client 3 and they built it up to the point they generated gasps. If his statement that he was never represented by Cohen was true, then Hannity should have just released him from any stated or implied attorney-client privilege, at which point they could have simply said "we talked about real estate" and if the documents backed that up then his name doesn't come up in this again. They could have just declared "he wasn't really acting as a lawyer" and given up those rights, then every document is released and there's plenty to clear his name. Instead they made it look like they had something they were desperate to hide. Their own actions don't support the statement he released. Furthermore, this is also true:

Even domes aren't enough.

Wondering how rusty these young pitchers will be.

QUOTE (Sox-35th @ Apr 16, 2018 -> 10:28 AM) Perhaps Rick has become more enlightened on the risk/reward of a stolen base. There's a time and place for a stolen base, but it's not as frequent as you think. Remember how Ricky wanted everyone to bunt all the time last year? If you're going to work on stealing bases, this is the year. Next year it counts.

So, apparently so far this year Tommy Kahnle has been an utter disaster with an ERA close to 9. His fastball is down 3 mph and the Yanks are worried.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 15, 2018 -> 12:43 PM) Cubs PPD. Tigers, Yankees PPD. I really wonder why so many teams have to make their only trip to northern cities before taxes are due. We need sabermetric schedule makers. The teams in the south would never allow you to selectively stick their games in times of year when school is in session/when it's harder for them to sell tickets.

QUOTE (Sleepy Harold @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 03:42 PM) Wouldn't that be something, Jose goes from DFA-worthy to possible HOF-worthy...quite the career 180 if you ask me

QUOTE (Scoots @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 03:11 PM) Do you really think that Kopech and Eloy will make that much of a difference though? I understand being excited to see them make their debuts and what not, but as far as team development goes, not sure it will be much more than what we are currently seeing. Unless this team gradually gets better as the year plays on. I guess I also forgot about Rodon. Still though. I think Fulmer, Lopez, and Giolito are all likely to get substantially stronger as the year goes on. All 3 of them need to work on repeating deliveries, being consistent, throwing strikes, and trusting their stuff. Working with Cooper and having outings in the big leagues will give them all a chance to do that.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 03:09 PM) game threads are 100% a vent zone. SS2K should know that, as a long time forum admin. And we're venting about the venting.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 02:49 PM) This is how Fulmer looked in the spring unfortunately. If you're not ready to accept some struggles from Carson Fulmer this year I don't know what to tell you. There's a talented pitcher in there, but I'd wager he winds up with an ERA above 5.00 this year. We're trying to undo the damage we did to him in 2016, so that's our penance.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 02:17 PM) Sadly hall of fame voters don't care about OPS. They care about HR, RBI, and AVG, and as irrelevant as some of those may be, I think they qualify as good enough. Of course, it's moot since he came over at 27. In order, HR and RBI amongst 1b: 2014: 2nd and 3rd 2015: 5th and tied for 3rd 2016: 3 way tie for 9th and 5th 2017: 7th and 4th The only time he led any of the categories you refer to was in 2014 where he had the highest batting average amongst 1b, outside of that he's consistently "top 5-10 out of 1b". If he'd kept up his 2014 production for 5 years, this might be a valid conversation and we'd be figuring out how to deal with his cuban time, but right now he's a solid but not great 1b with the bat.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 02:36 PM) John Bolton having Trumps ear in situations like this is probably bad. I think there's a nonzero chance they use this as their excuse to launch an Iran strike and war.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 01:19 PM) Why has the price of college skyrocketed? That is really the important question. It's because of government intervention. You're about 1/2 right here. It is because of government intervention. Because state funding of universities has declined by ~3% per year since the early 2000s, and with ~2% inflation on top of that, that is a cut of about 5% a year in state funding every single year. While federal funding has increased in total dollars, it has done so while basically keeping up with inflation, so the state level budget cuts are getting excised every year. Start with 2% inflation as normal, then cut the state contribution, and right away the price of college has to go up well above the rate of inflation just to stay level.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 10:23 AM) Whatever. I mean you're really jumping ships. I'd rather take one topic at a time than obfuscate and bring up tangents when your preferred person/idea has a flaw. I just don't know why that would apply to me. It's not like you can't have an opinion on one side of the aisle because the other side of the aisle has a different problem on another issue. I've never voted for a Republican in the house, so again, not sure of the relevance here. Seems like you're just pivoting and defending your "team." And you'd rather take on the topic that isn't going to happen rather than the one which actually passed. Makes you think.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 12:53 PM) While the numbers are good enough (if they sustain), he simply came over too late. In 2014 he put up the highest OPS amongst 1b. 2015: 7th 2016: 10th 2017: 6th So far in his career, on average, he's the 6th best 1st baseman in MLB most years. Those numbers are not good enough.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 08:59 PM) What does the bolded have to do with Bernie Saunders? I'm sick of people telling me that Bernie Sanders's ideas that don't work make no sense, and then in the same breath going out and voting for people who support the Ryan Budget. If you've voted for a Republican in the House in the last decade you have no right to say that Bernie Sanders has ideas that don't add up because you've already said that isn't a problem for you. At least Bernie Sanders's crazy stuff would help keep people alive.

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 09:08 PM) Pretty sure FDR had over 8 full years of governing and several policy decisions in place before the US was involved in WWII and that several of those policies massively improved conditions to set up the boom that happened during WWII. Things like regulating the banks heavily, creating job programs, and taxing the wealthy. Where else have I heard these crazy ideas? And in 1936, in order to cut the deficit due to the election campaign, they pulled back on a number of those programs and in response the economy cratered again, re-entering a recession in the latter part of the 30s, and a recession once you've already had a collapse is a second strong punch. It was the MONSTROUS deficit spending of the second world war that was the only thing sufficient to drag the US out of that spiral. The other things - bank regulation, etc., were necessary but not sufficient.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 06:42 AM) There is another reason why Moncada might not achieve his potential in a White Sox uniform: Because, he plays in a White Sox uniform. This has the potential to be a really bad team, and Moncada is stuck here, while the Red Sox are competing for the playoffs. And in 2019 and 2020 the White Sox have the potential to be substantially better than the Red Sox and competing for the playoffs, if Moncada is the kind of player he can be.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 10, 2018 -> 07:42 AM) They had a pitcher who was definitely a star, and a HOFer behind the plate. What's amazing about the Giants is that I don't know which pitcher from their title years this is referring to since they've developed several and had a couple derailed by injuries.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 11:02 PM) The 2008 Phillies don't have any Hall of Famers Cole Hamels is about 6 fWAR behind Mark Buehrle for his career, so maybe not HOF but also very good. Jimmy Rollins also goes into that Hall of Very Good with an MVP trophy to his credit.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 06:17 PM) Bernie's economic plan is so flawed it doesn't really deserve the time of day but since it's "let's have the government have the government supply a bunch of who huge expense categories" a lot of people got behind it. He's like the 5th grader in student council who says he'll give longer recess and more root beer. I agree 100% that Bernie Sanders's economic policies don't add up. For example, in the 2016 campaign when he produced his health care plan, his plan called for hundreds of billions of dollars in savings on prescription drugs per year. The amount the government was going to save on prescription drugs per year was actually higher than what the government currently spends on prescription drugs per year. It was calculations like that, things that don't make sense, that were a major part in me not voting for him. That said...the 5th grader in student council who says they will get more recess and more root beer is an apt comparison of the recently passed tax package that an entire political party went along with. They insisted, with no evidence, that it would magically and dramatically increase growth at rates never before triggered after tax cuts. That it wouldn't increase the deficit or lead to inflation, and already only 3.5 months later we're talking about a balanced budget amendment again because of how much it has increased the deficit. Anyone who is a critic of Sanders's policies as not being realistic...we're passing things that are equally non-realistic, and there's an entire party supporting things that make an equal amount of sense. I will trade no more Bernie Sanders "Free root beer" deals for no more entire Republican Party "Here's more recess" deals.

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 06:31 PM) Yeah, those policies are so flawed they're right in line with the ones that pulled our country out of its greatest economic tailspin. Just utterly flawed to expect the wealthy to pay for the society from whence they reap all their benefits. Bernie's policies are to defeat Nazis? Well I guess that's worth supporting these days.

QUOTE (Scoots @ Apr 9, 2018 -> 05:36 PM) Not even ten games into the season and we're saying this. SO hard to remember this is a rebuilding year. I think September last year and all of the offseason hype has given us all false hope haha. Next year baby. This year still doesn't matter. Revenge in '19.