NorthSideSox72

I would suggest that a GM's job is to put the right talent in the system to make the team as competitive as possible. Given the stats on KW I mentioned earlier, I think he has done that as well as almost anyone in the game. As for taking those competitive teams and winning the big games with them, to make the post-season and succeed there, I think that lies mostly with the players and coaches on the field.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 12:57 PM) And a popular vote wouldn't? Sorry. I don't think some candidate is going to suddenly start to value smaller places anymore because they now change the electoral process. If anything it would just disenfranchise other people because now they wouldn't value lesser populated areas anymore, because there would be no incentive to care about place that weren't densely populated. Its just like many things, the framers of the consitiution put in protections to ensure that certian groups of people maintained their voices. The small states were one of those main groups the framers looked to protect. Current system, with electoral college - for national elections, only a few states matter. And within that, only a few districts sometimes matter. Effective voting populace - 10%. If we removed the electoral college and voted for national office with a true national vote - every vote counts the same. 1 person is 1 vote. Candidates may choose to not campaign in podunk South Dakota, which they would not have ANYWAY under the current system, but they do visit places all over the country. Effective voting populace: 80%. Yes, its flawed either way. But the popular vote would be much, much closer to representing the will of the people. And the electoral college and its small states protections was built into the representative body - Congress - and I would suggest that part needs to stay for that reason. For a President, it has no purpose at this point.

QUOTE(diegotony06 @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 12:31 PM) Besides 2005 he doesn't have a history of winning anything. there isn't one thing this guy has won besides in 2005. And that is with having the most talent in our division for all them years. He has one division title and one pennant and one WS champioship. Some people are satisfied with that. I'm not one of them. I'm just as grateful to him as anyone for 2005. And I also realize that team was built on pitching, anchored by MB. The same MB he now won't give a NTC and is gonna run outta town. With JG soon to follow. So as for me having faith in Kenny GM, not me. But some will agree with whatever he does because he brought us a Championship in 2005. I don't and I won't. KW says one thing and then turns around and does another, says starting pitching is the most important thing, but yet will let your best starter walk away because he refuses to give hom a NTC, with JG soon to follow. QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 12:33 PM) He's won once. Its not like he has a history of winning. 1 time in 7 years in a 5 team division is below average. Considering he has had the most resources to work with in several of those seasons and considering how poor Detroit and KC and for several years Cleveland were in the division, it makes his history even worse. His "I'm used to winning" line several weeks ago was laughable. 2005 was great, but he was very fortunate a lot of things went his way, even with guys who turned him away. It doesn't take anything away from it, but its not like KW is head and shoulders smarter about baseball than any other GM in the game. His arrogance since 2005 is obvious. He has all the answers, yet with a payroll over $100 million, all the best talent, the greatest coaches, the best owner, the best manager, his team finished 3rd last year and is in 4th this year in a 5 team race. I think its time KW get off his high horse. He has had nothing but winning seasons in his tenure, he has a .537 winning percentage (best in team history), has never finished lower than 3rd, AND has a world series ring. Feel free to criticize, he is certainly not perfect - but he absolutely has a history of winning.

QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 11:48 AM) Maybe he can spend some of that in Illinois. Or will he just take the state for granted and ignore us? Ah yes, that wonderful electoral college. Can we please get rid of that now? Since it effectively disenfranchises about 80% of the country in its current form?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 1, 2007 -> 03:37 PM) These people don't give a s*** who is in power, be it Blair or Brown in Britian, or Bush or either Clinton in the US, and that is what people in this country don't get. *sniff, sniff* Let's *sniff, sniff* nego - *sniff, sniff* negotiate with these *sniff, sniff* poor, misunderstood people *sniff, sniff*. Please. It's our way of life, not "AMERICA" or "BRITIAN" or anything else. Oh for f***s sake. There are, and have been, many, many alternative paths this government could have taken here that would be far better solutions than the two alternatives that we are being pedaled - attacking countries for no good reason, or retreat and appease. Are you telling me you have fallen for this extremist crap Kap? This B.S. the administration And the media are pushing about either supporting their failed Iraq effort or you are some sort of coward? Or else you want all out war and are a warmonger? Its not about Islam, and its not about poverty. Its about the west having meddled in the affairs of that region stupidly and for far too long, coupled with the fact that we NEED the oil that is in that region. And from the local angle, mix in a nice dose of corrupt governments and religious control of law, and there you have it. Add it up, and you create a cauldron of hatred towards the west AND they have some big chips that we don't. You want a real solution? If you aren't willing to shrink scope in Iraq (i.e. take the Kurd route) and clean up the corruption and waste in the U.S. coalition, then get the hell out of there entirely. Spend HALF the money we throw at Iraq on alternative energy, and in a few years, we suddenly won't need them anymore. We can be energy independent, or at least a lot closer to it. THEN, we can go back in (if we so desire) with the advantage on our side, and actually accomplish something. Here is something to add to the debate as well. Think about this - go to Iraq, Iran or Palestine, and you'll probably find that 50% or more of the population has some level of boiling hatred towards the U.S. Take the same poll of Muslims in the U.S., or even in Europe, and you'll find that number to be much smaller. Why? Because those people have suddenly had their eyes opened to the benefits of the west, of democracy, and of free markets. They aren't brainwashed anymore. So, as counter-intuitive as it may be, one of the best things we can do is to INCREASE ties between our culture and theirs. More immigrants, more economic flow, more information.

June report on Miranda (although he's only had a few days)... As noted a week or so ago, he was promoted to Kannapolis after just 7 games raking in Rookie ball. Here are his numbers so far at Kanny: AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS .316 6 19 5 6 0 0 0 5 6 2 1 1 0 .381 .316 .697 Starting off pretty well there too. He doesn't seem to take long to adjust to new pitching. Went 3-3 yesterday and scored twice. Also, not afraid to hit in the clutch - hitting .375 with runners on, .500 w/RISP.

QUOTE(JDsDirtySox @ Jul 1, 2007 -> 08:30 PM) Back to Mark Buehrle now... Am I the only one who still thinks a deal to keep him with the Sox is gonna get done? I was very confident before, but this NTC discussion has given me serious doubts. I understand the reason behind not wanting to give full NTC's, but it sure does seem like a shame to pass on such a great deal for all sides, just based on the difference between full and partial NTC over his 2nd and 3rd seasons in the contract (which is what it amounts to).

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jul 2, 2007 -> 08:42 AM) No mention on velocity though... I wonder where he was at? I looked around and couldn't find anything on that. The Great Falls Tribune website search tool doesn't seem to work very well, and a general web search didn't turn anything up. But if someone else can find something, I'd like to see it too!

Obama raises a record $32.5M for the past quarter, dwarfing the $21M raised by Hillary Clinton. Other candidates... Edwards with $9M, down from the $14M he did the previous quarter Richardson up to $7M+, approaching Edwards' tally Dodd raised $3.25M

June update on Lin... Po-Yu Lin has opened his American baseball career very well. Here are his stats for the three games he has been in so far... W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG 1 0 0.00 3 2 0 0 0 9.0 7 0 0 0 2 11 2.00 .212 Not a bad start. 9 IP, and he hasn't given up a run. His WHIP is 1.00, and he has a K/BB ratio of 11/2.

Time for the June report... D Lucy had a very solid June, a big improvement over his May stats. Here are his offensive numbers for the month: AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS .296 20 71 9 21 4 0 2 9 4 7 1 0 .333 .437 .770 So as of now, his season numbers (this includes 7/1): AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS .272 65 217 31 59 14 0 4 16 20 39 7 1 .335 .392 .726 He's having a good offensive season, especially when he has made the A+ to AA jump that has dumbfounded so many Sox offensive prospects before (the ballpark is a factor). His power numbers need to go up I think, but that will be a tough thing to do in B-Ham. He did actually double his HR total for the season (from 2 to 4) within the past 10 games, and he is hitting .333 during that period. If Lucy's July can be similar to his June offensively, I'd say its time to think about promoting him to Charlotte - especially since Molina and Gonzalez are doing nothing special there.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jul 1, 2007 -> 08:50 PM) I think it's much more complicated than that... Only because people have chosen to make it so. It doesn't need to be, and shouldn't be.

QUOTE(Yossarian @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 01:47 PM) Hell no, it's not. It's as real as the sun and the moon. There are many examples of judges at all levels, and of various political views, making law from the bench. It's disgusting, and has to stop. This ruling is one small step in that direction. Um... making law from the bench via case judgements and setting precedent is what judges do, some of the time. Its part of their role in the system. That doesn't make them "activists". It makes them judges. If you want to argue that some judges do it too often and are trying to bend the law instead of interperet it, then I understand that. But when a judge has to interperet existing law via a specific case, sometimes, new precedent has to be set. Your post seems to indicate you feel that any of that is somehow "disgusting". I think that you are dismissing one of the key roles of the judicial system - filling in the holes in the law. QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 01:56 PM) I think Kennedy's opinion is a good example of why this issue is not so simple. The other majority opinion is just remarkably sweeping, seemingly implying that even noticing race, any act of categorizing except in redressing previous local institutionalized discrimination, is unconstitutional. That seems pretty extreme. Compare it to the Michigan law school decision a couple years ago. This really is a fast change. In the opinion, they bracket off the Michigan decision, saying that its program looked at factors other than race. I can't see, logically, how that's different in any meaningful way. But it does leave a loophole to be tested, which could be interesting. I must confess I have not read the alt-majority opinions in-depth, and so I did not see the indications of notice/acknowledgement of race being unconstititional. And I'd agree that would be extreme. I'll read further on that.

QUOTE(Brian @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 02:43 PM) Interesting movie. I never knew so many countries had free universal health care paid for by the government. Lots of sad stories about people being denied. Note: there is no such thing as free health care. It still costs the citizens money, just not as directly.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 11:28 AM) ...maybe you should take the pissing contest elsewhere. Attempting to follow the ebb and flow of the contract negotiation has been nearly impossible with all of these little quibbles. Its a message board. We discuss and argue things here, its what we do. If you just want the news, then go to a news site.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 11:23 AM) ...so, I take it from the insistent pissing contest we are no longer worried Buehrle will actually be signing a contract extention with the Chicago White Sox? Maybe you shouldn't open the dialogue with insults if you want people to actually answer your questions.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 11:08 AM) That one sentence, it's just a sound bite. It's far too simplistic to summarize this fairly. When Roberts was before Congress, he emphasized repeatedly his respect for precedent. It's hard to imagine a less cautious SC than this. To me, that's inconsistent. In the case of race based selection in schools, there are precedents all over the board. Some of the most recent decisions happen to be in favor of allowing, but by no means has it been all of them. Those newer decisions, in some cases, overrode other existing precedent. So then, what IS precedent? I am much more concerned about Alito's inexperienced and politically motivated decisions than I am about Roberts. You are correct that its just a sound bite, and the issue has all sorts of complexity heaped onto it. But I think the overall issue could be very, very simple, if people let it be. That is what he was driving at, and I agree with him.

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 10:49 AM) ... Interesting. So his contract offer from the Orioles was higher, but he would have taken less money home after taxes. OT, I wonder how often that comes into play in contracts? No wonder the state of Illinois has a $ problem, we tax athletes half as much as anybody else. No, he would have taken home more from Baltimore. By just a little, though. Illinois is a flat tax state. Steve Forbes would be proud.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 10:13 AM) Konerko did not take less money. (near the bottom of the page. That article (I remember reading it at the time, probably from you) makes some leaps of faith and some chancey assumptions. PK did indeed take less salary to stay in Chicago, would have made more in Baltimore even after taxes, and I take issue with the assumption that he'd have less endorsements in LA. Probably he opposite seemed likely to me. Don't want to derail the thread, but on occasion players DO take less than the absolute maximum dollar if they like the situation/ballclub. Just like all of us might not take the highest paying job, if one came along that was almost as high but a better situation. Its not common, but it happens.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 09:56 AM) Tim Raines was an incredibly high OBP hitter. He's easily one of the top 10 leadoff men of all time. Gary Redus Ding ding ding!!!

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 08:39 AM) Raines, probably. QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 08:43 AM) Raines does have big SB numbers though. I want to go w/ Tony Phillips. Nope and nope. He played for the Sox in 1987 and 1988. But his batting averages were only .236 and .263 those years, so he was shipped off to Pittsburgh because that didn't cut it for a leadoff hitter (even if he was a prolific base-stealer). During his Sox seasons, he stole 78 bases and was caught only 13 times (85.7% success rate).

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Jun 29, 2007 -> 08:32 AM) I love you, I'll try this when I get home... they do have in an update dated in may that SpyLocked is malware it removes. It'd s*** if this were right and I'd owe you. I hope it works for you. No need for you to be loving me though.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Jun 18, 2007 -> 03:31 PM) He was incredible. Even if he singled, you might have well just waved him over to 2nd because he WAS going to steal on you. Possibly even 3rd. Best base-stealer I have ever seen. I remember one player during that same period being almost as good at stealing, during his prime. But he wasn't a good enough hitter to get on base enough for the big SB numbers. Tried to hit homeruns too often. He played a few years with the Sox too. I remember him stealing off a pitcher once, and I mean while the pitcher was standing on the mound with the ball in his hand. Anyone rememeber who I am referring to?

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Given the latest articles on both the Sox site and the Trib, I'm upping my percentage from 75% to 95% that he signs. No way that Sox page article has that tone if it wasn't close to done.