Balta1701

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 04:42 PM) LaRoche put up a .746 OPS as a 1B. Well, I guess I was wrong. That's what I get for giving Robin the benefit of the doubt, but you must be right, he kept putting him in there at the DH spot anyway. You must be right, just another example of him failing to understand his players.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 04:22 PM) [/b] Yeah, that isn't even close to reality. LaRoche literally should never face LHP. He should be benched any time a lefty comes in. That is reality - however it's not practical. You can't ph for him every time, although that's not the worst strategy late in games. The big problem wound up being Abreu being banged up - he had to start a number of games at 1b for Abreu, especially in May. For him to face fewer LHP, Abreu needs to stay healthier.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 02:28 PM) We are talking about basically 2 sessions with 8 justices. Regardless of party, the confirmation tactics have gotten out of control. Senate needs to re-do their rules so appointments have to be voted on. They can even do "requires 60 threshold", but they have to be voted on. This was perhaps the top "ignored" recommendation of the 911 commission - that there were way too many positions being confirmed by a Senate that no longer moved fast enough, such that the government couldn't respond to a crisis for about 6 months ever 8 years. You don't just have to confirm cabinet level officials, you have to confirm all their deputies and underlings - Most estimates put the total number of positions requiring senate confirmation as between 1200 and 1400 depending on how you count a few that they streamlined about 5 years ago. At the very least for most of those it should be allowable that the President installs someone and then the Senate gets to vote against them if they want. This has been a major problem the last 2 administrations - in 2001 it hurt the government's ability to respond to increasing terror warnings and in 2009 Tim Geithner was dealing with the 2nd half of the TARP bailouts with a skeleton crew staff. You want to shut down the Senate over the Supreme Court, fine at least that's at the level where it should happen. The length of time Circuit Court and District Court nominees wait for approval has on average doubled for this administration compared to the last - those seats now sit open for about a half year even after there is a nominee for them.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 01:47 PM) Realistically, how should the Bulls be able to beat out the rest of the NBA for Durant? I don't see it. Who is likely to have max contract cap space this offseason? Also, playing again in 2017, when Westbrook and Curry are on the market, is also not the worst thing in the world.

QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 02:20 PM) Democrats hypothetically being hypocritical over the matter doesn't mean it isn't unfair or unethical. The Senate's job is to filter out bad candidates, not completely block the President's responsibility to nominate people. Can an opposition party categorically refuse to confirm anyone over a 4, or 8, year term? Technically the Senate seems to have the right to just decide to do that. The reality though is that if they do so, then all of the cases where the Supreme Court was going to totally rewrite the law this year with 5-4 decisions wind up 4-4 ties and since they would have been fundamentally rewriting the laws, most of the Appeals Courts hadn't ruled in favor of the things the Conservative majority was likely to do. That means the Appeals court rulings will stand because the Supreme Court is now denied the ability to write laws 5-4. For example, they were likely to rewrite the "one person, one vote" standard. They were likely to destroy public sector unions, that won't happen. They were likely to declare affirmative action illegal - that won't happen. They were likely to declare that you couldn't force any insurer to provide coverage for contraception - that won't happen.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 01:18 PM) (2) the basic premise that the legislature legislates for the people and 9 people in robes do not. Was he 100% consistent over his tenure? No. But no justice is. He was consistent for the vast majority of his opinions and that's the best you can do.

QUOTE (MDWhiteSoxFan @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 05:50 PM) IMO if they didn't think their offer would be good enough why even offer it? Even if they thought they had an outside shot. They wouldn't offer a contract thinking the player wouldn't accept it just to say "oh man we tried and struck out" or they wouldn't offer the contract if they didn't have interest in said player and vice versa. If Latos hadn't showed legitimate interest in us they would have never offered a contract in the first place. One obvious answer is to push the price up for other teams (i.e. making sure the Royals had to pay full price for Gordon).

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 03:28 PM) the Obamacare can really be discussed in a totally separate topic. but in essence.... health care for everyone... equal health care and benefits. for all. this is the same kind of health care that england has for decades. the elderly, the single parents, the poor... same quality of health benefits for everyone. Actually it's not even close to what you just described or what England does.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 02:52 PM) I honestly havent met a single person who says Obamacare has helped them. Mostly you hear people complaining that their job cut their hours or that peoples premiums have went up. Well now you have.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 01:46 AM) Sure. Obamacare is a ridiculous disaster and health care in America still blows. Tell you what, you go have a family member who is sick and uninsurable for years and then you'll completely redefine what a "ridiculous disaster" is.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 02:32 PM) Too bad that same logic isn't applied for mandatory health care... No, you cannot take my family's health insurance away and please stop trying.

Not even up on many of the major news networks yet, but several local sources reporting it in Texas and the Governor of Texas has released an official press statement on it.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 13, 2016 -> 02:18 PM) In other news, Peyton is scum. ?

Just wondering something silly - do sports books actually add things up to make sure that the total league wide wins and losses match, or do they adjust total numbers of wins based on how much people are betting on each team and just let the total number of wins float based on what people are betting?

Apparently the last gang member has surrendered and this standoff is over. Now the U.S. government is going to have to figure out what to do with the huge number of dildos accumulated on site.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 11, 2016 -> 10:32 AM) I hear ya. The only reason I cling to some hope for the signing of Jackson is that Hahn does have a decent rapport with Boras. That doesnt' sound like the description I've heard of it. There was a moment when the season ticket holders got to talk to Hahn after the Rodon signing and asked him how it went and he had a sarcastic "working with my friend scott boras" line where the group could tell Hahn was being tongue in cheek because he hated the negotiation. It's a relationship that "works when it has to".

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Feb 9, 2016 -> 04:58 PM) Yep. He sure was. And this is an org. that gave Noesi a full year (over 2 seasons). Noesi, of course, was Cooper's guy. As for peripherals, Johnson's strikeout total on the Sox last year was pretty good. If they want to trade him, then trade him...but it would be nice to do so for a similarly situated young hitter. FWIW, if I were a GM of another team, I wouldn't give you one scrap of talent for Erik Johnson. Not until he proves it in the big leagues. I look at his minor league record and major league/2014 implosion and think he's at best a rebuilding project if my organization were to pick him up, and I can just wait until the White Sox let him go when he runs out of options if I want to try my luck at that. His big league numbers last year had bad peripherals, he had a major velocity drop for a full season that could have been some sort of lingering injury, and he only had success at AAA when he was in his 3rd stint there at age 25. If I were a losing team and I shedded a salary I didn't want, fine, I'll take him back, but that's his value to me until he proves he can be a big league pitcher. With this signing, I'd start thinking the White Sox feel the same way.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 9, 2016 -> 02:46 PM) You know Balta, we agree. Everyone else acts like we should just give up and not try for Durant, but I say screw it. What's the harm? Clear some cap space, try to get an extra late first rounder this year, and our lineup next summer has Rose and Butler and a couple bigs including a young Portis and a need at SF. If we don't land him, then we're in the same boat we are now except after 2017 Rose's contract comes off the books. We still have 1 young all star locked up for 3 years right now.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 9, 2016 -> 04:11 PM) Or he really wanted to go somewhere that would promise him a starting spot? if they "promised" him that already then they really don't have much confidence in Johnson at all.

Haven't checked every page but has anyone said whether this is a major league or a minor league deal? I.e. if he's not on the 25 man out of ST/by some date does he get released?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 9, 2016 -> 02:20 PM) Can we just call it quits this year and get a good pick? Right now they're 7th in the East. Blog I just read suggests this is 7+ games for Jimmy. Bulls are 1.5 games ahead of the Hornets, in the middle of a losing skid, now without their best player. I sure as heck would be trading Gasol for the best deal I could get in this situation, probably also trying to clear either dunleavy or Gibson out so that they can make a full max contract offer to anyone and everyone next offseason. What's the harm? Butler + Rose + Durant sounds like an adequate setup to me.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 9, 2016 -> 01:50 PM) Jimmy Butler out 3-4 weeks yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Has there been any talk of what the Bulls could get for Gasol if they moved him? Is he playing in "late first round pick" territory?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 8, 2016 -> 02:18 PM) If I were a team, there is no way I'd sign Cooper. Not worth it. Is he the guy who had some, "racial" issues a couple years ago? Wasn't he a TE?

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Feb 8, 2016 -> 12:23 PM) He'd at least bring some excitement to the fan base. Bar fights definitely are exciting.

Basically would probably become a fan of any team in local market, if there is such a thing wherever I wound up. Probably would care a lot less. If local area was somehow the Chicago market, go Cardinals.