NorthSideSox72

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 12:19 PM) I think that was exactly my point...that keeping the electoral college around vastly increases the likelihood that an error in counting in 1 state can have a major impact at the national level, so the thing you'd want to do to prevent that is make the pool as large as possible. When you sub-select into 50 groups smaller groups, each with a certian margin of error, it's much more likely that one of those states will simply wind up being wrong than it is the full national vote. Oh. So we were agreeing. Nevermind then.

Mentioned in trade winds yesterday. Wiki Gonzalez is still in Charlotte, but I'd assume Donny Lucy will be promoted and get starting time in Charlotte now. I am not sure which of the two would be the #3 guy now. ETA: also a thread in FutureSox.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 01:38 PM) Red Sox are trading Daniel Murphy and Kason Gabbard for Gagne, pending on if he waives his NTC... I don't think we are getting Murphy then,. Murphy was the question mark - probably blended in with the conversation about the Gagne deal. I wouldn't take ANY of this as truth, I was just pointing out it certainly isn't dead yet.

QUOTE(southsida86 @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 01:36 PM) If I find out that Jon f***ing Daniels got someone like Bowden, Bard, Buchholz, etc. for Gagne I'm going to be seriously pissed off and call for Kenny's head immediately. If Daniels can get that type of guy for Gagne, then there is no reason why Kenny can't get the same guy for Dye. I'd say that Gagne has more value in trade than Dye does.

SOSH posters saying ESPN and a radio show there are saying the Dye deal is happening now. They mentioned Hansen, Wily Mo and maybe Murphy (I don't know who Murphy is).

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 12:32 PM) who's going to play 3b right now? For a couple games a week, for THIS year, Mack will do.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 11:57 AM) Maybe they just want to get him as much time at 3B as possible, he needs to develop defensively at the position he will likely be spending the majority of his time playing for the rest of his career. At this point they don't even know if Crede will be back with the team next year, it would be kind of silly to take Fields away from his natural/future position to get him some time at another position that he may never even play. LF isn't exactly a tough position to play, if Crede shows up healthy to spring training then Fields can get his time in LF in Tuscon, there shouldn't be much of a learning curve with the switch. That's a good point, though I think it wouldn't hurt to play him out there occasionally, just to get a read on his ability to pick it up.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 12:05 PM) Newt Gingrich ensures a conservative would not get the nomination in 2008. Do you mean that Gingrich would spread the more conservative candidates too thin, or that his presence somehow changes the internal chemistry of the party, or that he would likely get the nomination and you don't see him as a conservative?

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 11:57 AM) It certainly makes it much more likely that an election will fall within the margin of error of voting machines. It's really hard to lose 500,000 votes nationwide, and that's in a very, very close election. But it's an awful lot easier to screw up 10,000 or more votes on a state level, and it's much more likely when there are 50 different chances for it to happen every cycle. That's at least one argument I can give about future problems; it makes Florida 00 vastly more likely. Florida 00 losing 20,000-30,000 votes doesn't matter in a national election decided by a few hundred thousand. I realize you are a scientist, but I think you are bending the rules of statistics here. In fact, statistics indicates the opposite here - the larger the pool, the further the margin of error shrinks. Therefore, any result is more likely to be accurate. That's a basic tenet of survey or vote stats. Also, as you say yourself, its a lot easier to lose 10k votes than 500k, and since using the electoral college exagerrates the effect of a few specific districts in a few specific states, those errors are in fact magnified. Therefore, again, the electoral college method means that any election result is LESS likely to be accurate than a true national vote.

I'm just ecstatic to see this year's class be two truly professional, admirable human beings. Its a nice change from some of the players currently among the elite active ones.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 11:53 AM) I just adore how the people who were right on the war from the moment the Administration started marketing it are still considered the nutty ones. ^^^^^^^^^^^^

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 11:43 AM) June: .218 .274 .333 .607 July: .277 .346 .511 .857 Hopefully, that's a sign he's learning and improving with time. Back to what you posted earlier... why aren't the Sox trying Fields in LF? Has it been tried before in the minors and failed?

Are the Sawx still looking for another pitcher? If so, maybe we could throw JC in with JD and get Wily Mo and a Delcarmen-esque pitcher in return, since that offer was a bit too rich for the Sawx before for just JD.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 10:05 AM) So it's better to leave NOW (or in the next 60-90 days, depending on what Democrat you talk to...), right? I do agree that we can't babysit their government - they need to get off their ass. But I think the cost is too great to just pull out. Saying the cost is too great to pull out is, I think, not the best way to look at the decision. You have to see the cost of pulling out versus the cost of NOT pulling out. And at this point, the cost for Iraq AND the U.S. seems lower to pull out than to say. And any sort of third strategic option, such as a Biden-esque plan, the Kurdish option or some sort of regional coalition are of course a moot point since neither BushCo NOR Congress are willing to hear those options out.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 10:43 AM) I know we've debated this ad naseum around here... but I still think it's so short sighted to just do away with the electoral college and go to a popular vote national election. Ok, let's narrow it to your statement then - why, exactly, is it short-sighted? Putting history aside, looking at the future, why is it needed, and what future problem is caused by it?

QUOTE(SoxFan77 @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 10:30 AM) Does it matter? Is anyone of our Minor leaguers really worth anything? Quite a few are. The system is weak, particularly for position players, but its not completely devoid of talent. I can think of at least a half dozen position players and a dozen pitchers who I would not want to use as a throw-in.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 09:19 AM) Not against you, longshot, or NSS - or anyone personally... but the shortsightedness on getting rid of the electoral college is amazing to me. Most of you do realize that there is no senate (from a historical perspective) without the electoral college? No one is suggesting getting rid of the Senate, or history - just the electoral college for the purpose of Presidential elections (sorry of that was not clear). Its purpose was quite good at the time, but is useless today (again, in regards to the national election).

I wasn't sure where to put this, it didn't seem to need its own thread... CNN does an interview with the person who runs a major national gas price survery, used by many media outlets. You just have to read this - it gets funnier as it goes on. She starts logically enough, talking about the effects on prices, refining capacity, etc. Then by the end, she just goes off the deep end. I mean, not just saying she doesn't agree with global warming... but she actually says that conservation or trying to use less oil is bad. Anyone else a little dismayed that the person who is providing this supposedly objective data to the media is so laughably subjective and biased in her views on that subject? And before the responses about global warming not being definite start, I don't even mind that part. Read deeper than that - she is actually advocating using more and more oil as if it were a good thing.

Barons lost 9-3 in 10 innings Wing threw a nice game (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) - he is being shifted to a starter, right? (last 4 starts, 22 IP, 3 ER) Russell threw 4 good innings, then gave up 6 ER in the 10th (yet again showing he should be a reliever) Lucy, Nanita and Myers all drove in runs The highest avg in that lineup is .266 (Lucy) - that's kind of pathetic. Looks like the White Sox' lineup.

QUOTE(premo @ Jul 31, 2007 -> 01:49 AM) I honestly feel bad for BA. I wish he would've gotten at least a full season in the majors. I also hope to never see Darin Erstad as a starting OF for the Sox again Sentence. Sentence. awesome.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 30, 2007 -> 06:04 PM) If Joe Crede comes back next year, at least to start the year, we're going to need somewhere for Josh Fields to play. I think Our OF next year is going to start off with Fields and Owens both somewhere in it. That might seem logical, but, if that were the case, I think we'd have seen Fields playing LF by now. He hasn't played out there yet. He played 1 inning of 1 game in 2006 there.

I haven't seen the text of the law (anyone have it?), but that really does seem like a stretch of logic, especially since the crash could more directly be attributed to the actions of the helicopter pilots. Proximity of cause falls outside the chase, it would seem. But depending on the nature of the new law, that could really throw a wrench in there. By the way, someone mentioned air traffic control. Helicopters flying close to ground like that aren't directed by ATC - they fly on their own using the VFR equipment on hand. ATC is likely aware of their presence in the general area, but ATC isn't telling the choppers where to go.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 30, 2007 -> 04:28 PM) FYI This would say a move is coming. Seems that is likely. Then again, Gustavo was destined for the can anyway. Look for D Lucy to be in Charlotte in the next day or two. As for the 40-man spot... I am psyched to see what might happen.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 30, 2007 -> 06:27 PM) A bunch of IRS agents appear to have hopped into a tube, and it led them to the home of noneother than Senator Ted Stevens. Seems they decided to search the place while they were there. He'd be a good one to be shown the door.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 30, 2007 -> 03:50 PM) They should give him a try in LF, and then sign Rowand and place Sweeney in RF next season. Also, if the Sox do extend Dye, then they're going to have to trade one of the starters. This is one of those axioms in baseball I never understood - that LF is somehow easier defensively than RF. I don't see it. I think RF requires a bit more in arm strength typically, but LF gets more action (more RH hitters). Seems to me they are pretty much the same. But as Dye still has a strong arm but less manueverability, to me, he'd actually be worse in LF than he is in RF. So what makes you think he'd be better in LF?