NorthSideSox72

Happy B-Day, Tex. Have a good one, and a great weekend to celebrate!

Small ball was indeed part of the team's success last year... there is just some question as to how much of it. I don't think it was the key thing - starting pitching, timely hitting, power and defense were more important. I'd say small ball was close to defense for 4th. But the stat you show in this thread as proof is not indicative of anything. You could prove the small ball theory to be false much more completely if you derived run production from HR's or other power numbers in a more reliable correlation. So, for you stat-heads... what numbers best reflect run derivation, and further, how to you equate wins with those numbers? One more wrench to throw into the works here: run production in total is not the same as effective run production. Meaning, a team that wins two games by scores of 3-2 and 2-1 is better than one that wins 14-2 and loses one 5-4, even though they scored more runs. That is the one run game thing, and in tight games against tough pitchers, successful teams require some element of small ball to be successful. We lack that this year.

While the movie answer MUST be Blues Brothers, I'd like to make an honorary mention for a movie not listed which was about the best I've seen since then at capturing Chicago accents and attitudes... Backdraft. Not a spectacularly excellent film by any means, but just listen to Kurt Russell and his company in that movie. They actually, clearly, worked to acquire a proper local dialect. Most of the time, that isn't bothered with in Chicago-filmed movies.

QUOTE(BHAMBARONS @ Sep 1, 2006 -> 02:20 AM) Yep the family was cleared twice I am 99.9% positive the family had nothing to do with this. If this was some kind of family conspiracy with outside help there would have been a trail. I agree on the trail, which is why I don't believe most conspiracy theories of that sort. Except here, the investigation was so thoroughly bumbled, that any trail that was there has been broken in too many places. No one will ever be successfully prosecuted in this case, family or otherwise.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Aug 31, 2006 -> 12:57 AM) Or not. The Caucacus Mountains have a range of Russia, Azerbeijan, Georgia, and Armenia. So he was sort of right - that is Eastern Europe. In fact, the Caucasus Mountains are what make up the boundary between Asia and Europe, between the Black and Caspian Seas.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Aug 31, 2006 -> 08:40 AM) What "Jimbo" (or rather, his son) should do is invest money into space on the East Side of the Dan Ryan. Unless there's some vacant location in close proximity to the part I'm unware of, it wouldn't be a terrible idea. Hell, it may be several years before the area is built up, but pick in ideal spot and he'll be right in the middle of a huge economic rebirth. Interestingly, IIT is part of the plans for all that land from 35th south, just east of the Ryan. And part of their plan is for a courtyard of restaurants, bars and shops, near 35th. May not be a bad idea to get in on an early anchor lease. Problem is, there would be a gap of a year or two where they wouldn't be open.

I think he's hurt. That might not be his WHOLE problem, but its part of it. His mechanics went off, but just watching him pitch, I get the impression he is holding back grimaces. Just an impression I am getting.

QUOTE(whitesoxmanager @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 02:47 PM) the Destoyit Tigers looked very bad in game 1.....they are in freefall....somebody get them a parachute.... Destoyit? Is that a joke of some unknown variety or really bad spelling?

QUOTE(BobDylan @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 01:41 PM) So you're for the arts, but against judgment? That's ridiculous. EDIT: Perhaps I understood you wrong. You are saying judgment should occur in the classroom, but only in the classroom? I'm saying that by reducing (not removing, which is impossible) certain social judgements, like clothing (which you yourself say is bad), you allow judgement of all types, from educators and students, to be focused on those things you yourself say are more important. That is achieved by the dress code, and that is one of the major reasons (but not the only one) why they are a good thing.

My viewpoint on this has zero to do with art. Heck, I was big into music in high school. But frankly, no, I don't think a dress code is a social judgement. I find it to be the exact opposite - its both protecting kids FROM judgement, and further, allowing judgement to occur on more important factors like learning and art and music and the matters at hand.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Chicago White Sox Wednesday, August 30th at 7:05pm US Cellular Field Corcoran v Garland Preview: http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/p...20060830_TB@CHW White Sox are 5 games behind DET in the Al Central, with 31 left to play. They have a half game lead on MIN for the wildcard. Sox have their ace on the mound. And I'm 3-0 in regular season game threads. ahem... do re mi fa so la te do... GO YOU WHITE SOX!!!!!!!

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 12:56 PM) If the guys in front of him get on base, there would be more opportunties to do hit-and-run and be more aggressive with Dye at the plate. He makes contact and puts the ball in play at a higher rate than Thome does. Thome is actually the worst on the team at putting the ball in play (about 70%, watch out when he does get a hold of a pitch though). Dye does it at about a 79% clip (This is based on (AB + SAC - K) / (AB + SAC) AB-----SF-----K------BIP %--------Player 115----1------11-----0.905172414--Gload 458----7------47-----0.898924731--Crede 146----2------15-----0.898648649--Ozuna 62-----1------7------0.888888889--Sandy 424----4------54-----0.873831776--Pierz 241----2------31-----0.872427984--Cintron 376----11-----62-----0.839793282--Uribe 446----11-----83-----0.818380744--Pods 467----7------88-----0.814345992--Kong 461----7------92-----0.803418803--Iguchi 441----6------95-----0.787472036--Dye 290----3------72-----0.754266212--BA 405----5------120----0.707317073--Thome Except BIP ignores walks and HBP, and Thome walks a lot. This measure isn't necessarily helpful. Walks are just fine and dandy with people on, and sometimes are better than putting the ball in play (since BIP includes all outs other than Ks).

QUOTE(BobDylan @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 12:35 PM) You're not looking at it from my perspective. Difference in a classroom is good. The public school system has never understood this. Your perspective is self-conflicting. You say that looks are not important, and that difference in a classroom is good, but allowing different clothes as a manner of expression is good. Do you not see the inconsistency there? Difference IS good. Promoting the perpetuity of money and status is not. QUOTE(Heads22 @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 12:38 PM) So did I go to the most lax high school ever? You could roam the halls without hall passes. There was never a door locked. You could walk right in the principal's office and have a conversation. You grew up in Iowa. You probably never had to lock your front door.

QUOTE(BobDylan @ Aug 30, 2006 -> 12:28 PM) Looks ain't important folks, that's the big picture. Which is one of the many reasons why a dress code, or even uniforms, are good. It takes that element out of the equation.

Flipping Dye and Thome is not even in the top 10 list of issues with this team. While I like the move, if indeed Ozzie makes it, I don't see this as some big change. Given Thome's numbers, which if you use OPS with runners on or RISP are better than Dye's (thanks Qwerty), I'd say this is only a very small improvement if one at all. Issues that are far more important than this one: Garcia's crappy pitching Vazquez's 5 and dives Contreras' sudden suckage (which I believe is a back injury) Our questionable middle relief Our .260-hitting, poor-fielding, low SB-percentage leadoff hitter Lousy production from 8-9-1 in the lineup (though that was quite good last night) Anderson being benched for Mack way too often Ozzie's general insistence on playing people out of position Ozzie's mouth Team's lack of ability to bunt and otherwise move runners over (effective outs) The fact that we are in a division with 2 of the 5 best teams in baseball Our remaining schedule being tougher than either of theirs Those are just some of them. And I'm a relative optimist. I just think this whole Dye/Thome thing is minor in the scheme of things.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 02:57 PM) Definitely for the wildcard. If it's a tie for the division and both teams get into the playoffs either way then the tie breaker is head to head to determine who is the division winner. That is the info I was looking for. I knew about the playoff for in/out. Thanks. So, we are... 11-5 vs DET, thus guaranteeing the tie-break 6-9 vs MIN, so we'd have to sweep them in that season-ender to win a tie-break That's if the division is on the line. So, what happens if they are even in H2H? And what happens in a 3-way tie?

Anyone know the tiebreaker rules off hand, for division and wildcard?

QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 02:30 PM) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060829/ts_nm/..._usa_poverty_dc WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the world's biggest economy one in eight Americans and almost one in four blacks lived in poverty last year, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Tuesday, releasing a figure virtually unchanged from 2004. The survey also showed 15.9 percent of the population, or 46.6 million, had no health insurance, up from 15.6 percent in 2004 and the fifth increase in a row. It was the first year since President George W. Bush took office in 2001 that the poverty rate did not increase. As in past years, the figures showed poverty especially concentrated among blacks and Hispanics. In all, some 37 million Americans lived below the poverty line, defined as having an annual income below around $10,000 for an individual or $20,000 for a family of four. The last decline in poverty was in 2000, the final year of Bill Clinton's presidency, when it fell to 11.3 percent. "It shows that we are spending more money than ever on anti-poverty programs and we haven't done anything to reduce poverty," said Michael Tanner of CATO Institute, a free market think tank in Washington. Around a quarter of blacks and 21.8 percent of Hispanics were living in poverty. Among whites, the rate edged down to 8.3 percent from 8.7 percent in 2004. "Among African Americas the problem correlates primarily to the inner-city and single mothers," said Tanner, adding that blacks also suffer disproportionately from poor education and lower quality jobs. Black median income, at $30,858, was only 61 percent of the median for whites. Some 17.6 percent of children under 18 and one in five of those under 6 were in poverty, higher than for any other age group. Real median household income rose by 1.1 percent between to $46,326 from $45,817 -- its first increase since 1999. The figures contained wide regional variations, ranging from a median household income of $61,672 in New Jersey to $32,938 for Mississippi. Major cities with the highest proportions of poor people included Cleveland with 32.4 percent and Detroit with 31.4 percent under the poverty line. So... Mississippi is both the poorest AND the fattest state in the union. You couldn't pay me enough to live in the south again.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 01:44 PM) In Soxtalk reality... 6-0--> we are the greatest team ever, and are winning the World Series 5-1--> civil war remains the norm on Soxtalk, with brother fighting brother over whether being negative is a capital offense, or being positive can get you excommunitcated from being a Sox fan 4-2 -->Most of the few positives flee for Beirut, as it is more peaceful this time of year 3-3 to 0-6--> Its the end of the World, and certian death will occur because Ozzie said he would kill all of our moms if we didn't come out of this with a winning record. Guillen gets fired, while Forrest Gump and his much superior IQ are promoted to manage the Sox. Nice.

I'd like to see this thread bumped again near the end of the year, to see how we all did.

20-12 They'll go 5-1 against TB and KC, struggle against CLE a bit, split the West Coast road trip 3-3, but win the series against BOS, DET, and sweep SEA. EDIT: with a 20-12 record, I say we make the wildcard, by about 1 game. MIN's pitching falters further, Radke can't finish the season, and they just can't stay hot long enough. DET also continues to fall, and at some point in late September, all three teams are within 2 or 3 games of each other. But DET hangs onto the division, barely.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 01:26 PM) This season, lefties are batting .277 with an .852 OPS against Fossum. Righties are batting .260 with a .760 OPS against Fossum. Scott Podsednik is 4 for 6 in his career against Fossum with a triple and a walk. Pablo is 3/5. I imagine Ozzie will of course ignore the numbers and put Pablo in there because Fossum is right handed...but either way, the top of the order is the key tonight. Any news on whether Thome will play? Um... Pablo is right-handed. If Ozzie ignores the numbers and goes his usual L/R, he'll play Pods. EDIT: Fossum is a lefty, that's why your post confused me.

For these 6 games against TB and KC... 6-0 is obviously ideal, I'd be ecstatic, and we'd likely gain ground on both MIN and DET 5-1 is good, acceptable at least, and gives us a decent chance of gaining ground on one of them 4-2 is not so great, and I'm afraid we may at best just keep pace 3-3 and I'm pissed 2-4 and forget about the post-season 1-5 and they should be embarrassed 0-6 and you might as well call up everyone from Charlotte to audition for jobs

QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 09:45 AM) DNA evidence didn't match anyone in the family. If it's good enough to clear this nut, why isn't it good enough to clear them? Because more than one person was involved. Karr is a nut case, and there was more than a lack of DNA speaking against him.

QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 29, 2006 -> 09:35 AM) FWIW, the family was cleared twice. Cleared due to lack of evidence, not due to any sort of specific contravention. That can change.