IlliniKrush

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 10:26 AM) Classic "buyers or sellers" situation. If we do buy and make the playoffs, this team still wouldn't make it out of the wild card round. QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 11:32 AM) If your odds are 3.7%, it's pretty obvious what side of the buy/sell you should be on. So no, not a classic situation. And you have zero idea what would happen in a wild card game or round. Baseball is so random, it's all about just getting to the playoffs as many times as possible to keep getting a spin of the roulette wheel.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 06:46 PM) So am I the only one that seems to think Tony Dungy is clearly a homophobe? I've got people all over FB defending him. He's absolutely a homophobe, and hiding behind this bulls*** term of "distraction" to try to make it OK. It's not OK, and he's one of the biggest hypocrites you'll ever find. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/07/22/ber...t-with-himself/

You mean only 5 games under .500. Believing is foolish. Please deal someone.

It'd be cool as hell if you were in a men's league game with Kane, especially if you played with him. I'd be trying to play the game of my life, and pass him the puck as soon as I got it. However, if you were on the other team it'd be awful. Not only trying to cover him, but I'd be afraid to get near him. It'd be a lot of ole defense. "Steve49083485 from Soxtalk accidentally went knee to knee with Blackhawks star Patrick Kane in a men's league game, who has a torn ACL."

Dealing with health insurance is the absolute worst. My wife and I have done far too much of it for our daughter in the past year. The things they reject and make you jump through hoops to appeal is incredible.

"Breaking up 2" could go the way of barreling over the catcher and I'd be OK with it. Use the high school rule. Have to slide to the base, not to the side, not through it. I don't want neighborhood plays called outs, but at the same time, I could do without the risk of injury at 2nd base, which is why I'm in favor of the HS rule there for sliding.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 05:02 PM) Just a college kid. Just think about how good he could be if he hadn't matured.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 01:31 PM) I wanted to like it because of Jenny Slate, but that was such cliche tripe. I was looking around at some reviews, some said it gets better after the cliche/weird pilot, I guess we'll see.

Did anyone watch the first episode of "Married" on FX last Thursday? Thought it was pretty funny.

Besides what Google has to say, does anyone have any experience with successfully getting rid of a skunk? Reading that ammonia may be the best bet, as well as filling in any holes it's made. Its weird laugh/cry that sounds like a dead cat was creepy at 3am, and we have seen it/heard it a few times the past week. Plus we've got a small dog that won't be wanting to go outside any time at night.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 18, 2014 -> 09:36 AM) When you call a strike behind the plate, how do you announce a called strike? Do you draw it out, like "STRIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEE" or just a hard "STRAAAHHHHHHHHHHKE" or how? QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 18, 2014 -> 09:55 AM) I bet Krush has a very identifiable strike and out call. We have an awesome ump at AH, an older black guy who has a rollie fingers curly mustache. He yells "THAT....IS A STRIKE" and points in the air when he calls a strike, and does an emphatic out call on the bases. And he is a really good active ump, so his antics dont really rub people the wrong way It's actually not anything crazy, it's just a normal "STRIKE" call and I follow it up with a motion of what is essentially a fist pounding on a door. I'm not in front of 30,000 people so everyone can hear STRIKE right away, but the fact that I call all pitches slightly before any motion makes it a little like Tim McClelland. For me, it helps with timing. I used to use a different stance and an entirely different strike mechanic years ago (went to the side). I don't go crazy with any of my mechanics. You don't make it about you, and the more you try to do that, the more it stunts your growth as far as working Varsity ball, college, etc. QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 18, 2014 -> 10:01 AM) I can just picture Krush practicing his ejections at home in the mirror. What's that...you want to challenge the call....your out of here! No need, I've got that mechanic down pat!

I followed Suze Orman's general rule: Note that you calculate this stuff off your gross pay per month, not your take home pay.

No names on the back of the Sox jerseys, weird to see that.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jul 17, 2014 -> 09:18 PM) The sox made Sundays the value date. Half price Mondays were gone long before they introduced Sunday value days. It's not like they simply changed the days around.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 17, 2014 -> 09:34 PM) That I believe ha. I haven't done a ton of games this year, but I have zero ejections and nary a confrontation, really. That's mainly due to only doing HS Varsity this spring/summer. High school = rarely an ejection (as long as you know what you're doing) Travel ball aka Daddy ball = at least once a week when I was doing it regularly

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 16, 2014 -> 11:48 AM) I say we have Krush ump every game then we wouldn't need instant replay! You'd just have more ejections!

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 10:35 PM) I think it's going fabulously well. It was really iffy, inconsistent, and time consuming at the beginning of the year, but it has really improved since the first month or so of the year. The only thing I'd like to see changed, though I don't know exactly what to do about it, is the awkward period of time in which the manager waits for a signal from the dugout. I'm actually good with instant replay. It's changed a ton of calls. They are getting more calls right, and it's not taking that long (contrary to what Hawk says). Is it going to be perfect? No. Hell, the NFL has been doing it for a long time and it's not perfect there either (and way more time consuming). It's really easy to b**** about it now, but the point is to get more calls right, and they are. Take instant replay away, and you've have more b****ing about umpires and the need for more instant replay. Everyone wants it both ways, or in other words, wants the umpires to be perfect and then get better after that... But I'm in agreement that it should be a challenge in the every essence of the word, not a "confirmation challenge." The manager took a look at it live, said "no" and came out and challenged. No confirmation from the dugout on a monitor. You think they missed it? Go out there immediately and challenge. You can't quite do it like football since there's no real clock on it, so I think that's the best way to go about it. That or literally some sort of flag system, but I don't know if that's necessary. Really, you don't even need to reach the umpire to challenge. Just take a few steps out, signal to the UIC, and go from there. On offense that's easy. On defense they can stall, but put the 20 second count on the pitcher and that'll take care of that.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 01:55 PM) Given the # of plays that occur over a 162 game season (and that is what we are talking about, individual plays), I would say that it is a statistical anomaly that they would not even themselves over the course of a season. Also, while every game has the same importance, you are managing much different in the final week of the season then you are during the first week of the season or middle of June for that matter. There is a reason. When you are down to the end, you know what you need and have a much more specific target in mind. No, it's be an anomaly if they were actually 50/50. And as we know, one call can make the difference. And they all don't impact the game the same way. Every game means the same, you simply cannot have something different at one part of the regular season, then something else after that. QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 02:19 PM) I think you need something subjective regarding this with an objective threshold. A lot of times, a manager may come out for pure clarification purposes. If he's out of the dugout for x amount of time after the explanation has been made, it's an automatic challenge. If he re-enters the dugout at all, the play is no longer reviewable. It's similar but still allows managers the opportunity to hear how the umps are interpreting a given rule. I get your point, but that's not happening. 95% or more of the time, they are out there killing time, or to challenge. Very rarely are you actually looking for a legit explanation/rules interpretation. The # of plays that need it just aren't there.

Same for me BW

HR derby in general is boring now. Try something else at this point. Put targets out there, or different parts of the field with different point values. Or make guys hit this target/part of field on this pitch, etc. I'm sure you could come up with something interesting besides just all home runs.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 09:05 AM) If this were any other team than the Cubs, no one, and I mean no one, would be talking about a World Series appearance in three years. That is flat out ridiculous. Sox fans are starting to sound like Cub fans with their expectations of this rebuild. What? The point I challenged was being .500 in any of three seasons.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 04:54 PM) No, not really. At least in the final game or two, you know much more what you need, etc. I understand a win is a win but in reality, over 162 games, it evens out, and you know in that last week, what you need to do / don't need to do a lot more (in terms of plausible outcomes / scenarios). I don't want replay under any scenarios but if people are worried about the last week or month or whatever, then just do it then. It is awful and bad calls don't keep you out of the playoffs, not over a 162 game season. In the playoffs, I get it. "it evens out" Says who? It's an old saying but there's absolutely no truth behind it. Odds say that no, the breaks/bad calls won't go exactly half and half the entire season. Maybe it comes from the same book that has Hawk's "You win 60 and you lose 60, it's the other 42" stupid saying. You simply can't have replay for a select part of the season unless April wins are worth .5 wins in the standings. And if you are going to argue that it all evens out, there shouldn't be replay in September, either, as that's just part of the "evening out" process, even if it's game 162. QUOTE (zenryan @ Jul 14, 2014 -> 05:22 PM) I just dont like managers coming up to stall while a bench coach is on the phone with someone to see if its worth challenging. If you come out of the dugout then it should be an automatic challenge. 100% agree on this. Put pressure on the managers. They saw the play once, you think they're wrong? Immediately go out and challenge, or sit down and take the result of the play.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 13, 2014 -> 09:28 PM) The Cubs in the World Series in three years? Is that a joke. Take the money and laugh all of the way to the bank. There is a good chance they won't be a .500 team in three years. Come on now. Good chance they won't be .500 in 2017 (or 2015 or 2016) is not an actual bet you are making.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jul 11, 2014 -> 10:12 AM) I think it's funny that if you really pay attention, you can tell which days Boers is doing the show from his house in Mokena. I didn't know he was doing that. Frequently?

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Jul 11, 2014 -> 09:53 AM) i dont like the idea of having the fan base designated into... you're a better fan then someone else. We need a big tent, not a smaller one. I didn't read into the "insult" part at all. Not sure many would and I'm surprised that's how you took it. I would not care one bit if someone has a foul weather t shirt or hat and I didn't. That's not what they were going for anyway, it's to try to drive better April attendance. I posted about it in the attendance thread already on some ideas to get more people to April games. It's a tough sell, but give them credit for trying to float ideas and show concern.