NorthSideSox72

Unpinning and send it to the FS forum.

TO clarify what I meant by single act... I can see an argument to have a law that prevents, say, walking into a public space filled with people of a minority, and spouting a bunch of violent rhetoric at that particular group. In the same sense that a person should not be able to threaten someone's life, they should not be able to do so to a group either. But then that should be the only, singular crime.

I've never agreed with the concept of a hate crime, as a circumstance of aggravation or a seperate criminal act, unless it is a singular act. What I mean to say is, if you kill someone, you should be prosecuted for the murder solely. Now, if there is evidence that the suspect acted in part due to hatred of a specific or protected group, certainly the prosecution should bring that up at trial and during sentencing. It is part of the picture. But there should not be an added charge related purely to motivation, in my view.

I agree, I haven't been this psyched after an offseason since going into 2006. Really like what HahnCo has done with this team since mid-2013, impressive turnaround. As for Danks, I think the best case - and I don't think this is outlandish - is that he hits some improvement this year in his second full season back. If he does, either you have a strong guy (relatively as 4th/5th starters go), with Rodon hopefully knocking and you can maybe trade Danks at some point with 1.5 years left on his contract. I think the 2B/UTIL INF race will be fun to watch in ST, and of course seeing how Rodon looks.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 12, 2015 -> 04:34 PM) I love what Adam Lopez brings and want to see him pitch a full and healthy season. Hoping he can be a fast riser this season and put himself back on the radar. Even if he starts next year, 2016, as a 26 year old in the minors, he's still young enough to give quite a few good years. Really hoping he does something. I am also intrigued by Kyle Hansen. He's a guy with good stuff and good peripherals too. Hoping he can succeed in AA this year and maybe get a cup of coffee in September. Of all the guys I've written up in these two just-missed articles, the one that most made me re-think them as I wrote it was Kyle Hansen. Looking back, I think I might have snuck him into the back end of my T30 votes if I re-did them. I think he's got a really intriguing reliever profile and could be a force in the pen.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 08:28 PM) Iowa State losing road games to Kansas and Oklahoma isn't really sliding far They're both "good losses". But I do have concerns about how Iowa State has done on the road. They need to show they can win some hard games away from "Hilton Magic". So far this season, away from Hilton (where they are 13-0)... Neutral (2-2): Beat Alabama Beat Drake Lost to South Carolina Lost to Maryland Road (2-4) Beat Iowa Beat West Virginia Lost to Baylor Lost to Texas Tech (ouch) Lost to Kansas Lost to Oklahoma Kansas and OU are teams they certainly are likely to split with, so that's fine. But losing to Texas Tech was brutal, and the neutral court losses to SC and MD aren't great. Their non-Hilton wins are Alabama (meh), Drake (more meh), Iowa (a little better) and West Virginia (good). I just don't know how they'll do come tournament time (B12 and NCAA) if they can't win a few on the road. Their remaining road games: OSU (21), TEX, KSU, TCU. They should really win two of those at least, maybe steal a third, then I'll feel more confident in the team's March chances. And there's no guarantee they win their remaining three home games either, they're all tough: WV (21), BAY (16), OU (17).

OK I'll try to prompt some discussion... which of these 13 names in the article are you highest on, and why?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 12, 2015 -> 01:57 PM) Just keep in mind that consolidation resets the term. If you were on a 10 year term and you have been paying for 4 years, you're going back to a 10 year term. At least if you do it via the federal consolidation program. Not sure if you can negotiate that or not with a credit union. That's true. Which gives you a lower payment, but you'll pay more interest if you don't accelerate your payments. For us the consolidation as soon as the term started anyway so it didn't really matter.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Feb 12, 2015 -> 10:07 AM) Whatever happened to Myles Jaye? He was among the handful I left out, along with Robinson Leyer and a few others. I just had to stop writing at some point or I'd end up with an encyclopedia. Jaye has a strong sinker that runs 92-94 (T95), and a curve that has at times flashed plus but has been on and off. He's also been pitching relatively young for level, but less so now. He's struggled when being promoted the last couple years, he's getting hit harder and his K rate for all of 2014 was 4.9 K/9, which is dangerously low. He'll be 23 for this upcoming season, probably back at AA so he's still a little on the younger side for that level. Still an interesting guy.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 12, 2015 -> 09:08 AM) Does seem like a ton of arms that could at least be bullpen pieces. Is this typical, though? Or is our system legitimately deep in this area? My personal opinion, I think (as wite said) there are more pitchers in the system now with some legit raw pitches and tools than in the last few years. Most of these guys are high bust rate, but this is the change in philosophy we are seeing - fewer high floor, polished guys with iffy stuff, and more power guys who need refinement but have higher ceilings. I like it. I loved writing about Mendonca. Legitimately have never seen a guy make that dramatic a change in peripherals from year to year.

QUOTE (kevo880 @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 05:34 PM) Northside, I am extremely envious of the 1.75% int rate and a $220 payment on 40k student loan debt. I have not consolidated and pay $585 per month for 2 private and 1 federal student loan. Started with about $72k and am down to about 59k in debt. Did your wife consolidate through a credit union or how did that work out? Well she got the loans before we were married so I'm not sure exactly how the front end worked. I do believe they were government-backed but when we got married she had just finished school and the loans went from a hold of some kind to active. They were both with Great Lakes Credit Union or something, they consolidated the two automatically into a blended rate around 3%. That was in 2004. After I think either 3 or 5 years of making all payments on time, it automatically went down to 1.75%.

Looks like this guy was actually an atheist, and often on social media pointed out the similarities (in bad ways) between Christianity and Islam. Doesn't seem to have been bent against some one religion or group - more against all religion period.

We posted the position player version last week, this one is pitchers. Here is a look at some pitchers who didn't make our Top 30 prospects, but that are still worth keeping an eye on. There are 13 hurlers in the article, some you've heard of, some you may not have. Thirteen sounds like a lot, but honestly I could have gone 20. There were at least a handful more I could have included, but I didn't want the article to go too nuts. There are a lot of arms in the system with some intrigue.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 04:34 PM) I disagree. The fact that the individual did what he did gives us great precedent to infer what kind of person he may be. My personal view is this is exactly why we end up with some much high-speed outrage on the interwebs that turns out to be wrong or misguided later. I mean, sure, you can say that a guy who killed three people execution-style clearly isn't right in the head. That goes without saying. But beyond that? We know very little right now.

I think us even guessing at this point is silly. Need to know more. Awful either way. And I sure hope this isn't racially motivated, but that seems at least possible.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 03:47 PM) You mean like the President inviting the 2014 US champs to the White House but none of the previous six? When did a Chicago team last win? When do people remember a team with this much hype? I think it would actually be cool if the US winner got invited every year though, I agree. Anyway, probably I should just say now... this is getting close to politics. So let's do what we can do avoid going full-Buster if we can. Not directed at you specifically, just a feeling on where this MIGHT go.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 01:58 PM) Well, Jesse Jackson just made everything all better Seriously, what a steaming pile of fail this has turned into. All manner of adults acting like children and the kids are caught between. Wonderful.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 10:06 AM) Wow, none of my loans were below 3.4%. Even at that rate though, you can do better with your money elsewhere, on other debt or investing. My wife's loans were consolidated at 3%, then went down to 1.75% after 3 years of making every payment on time.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 08:45 AM) I feel like it stopped being about the kids a while ago once ESPN started printing money off the TV coverage. The battle between it being about the kids as is should be, and becoming about the parents, has existed since well before ESPN existed. I used to be a LL ump when I was in Jr High and early High School (this would be late 80's), and there was craziness present back then too.

Looks like this thread was closed, accidentally I assume. I've re-opened.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 07:48 AM) The reality is paying back your student loans should be a lower priority than just about any other debt. If you have credit cards, a car loan, etc, those are the things that you should be paying off first. Not only are the interest rates usually lower for your student loans, but they are also a tax benefit. Exactly. We still have my wife's student loans. We've paid off car loans and equity line balances, but always pay the minimum on the student loan. Heck, better to put your extra money in investments than pay off that debt, unless you have capital to reach out and pay it off entirely AND monthly cash flow is a problem for you (which is an unusual combo that doesn't apply to many people). My wife's loans started around 40k, they are now around 17k. Payments are about 220/month, but the rate is just 1.75%. At that rate it is basically free debt on an inflationary basis. Compare that to the car loans we've had (say 3 to 5% rates and higher monthly payment amounts), for example, and it's obvious you pay the other debts first. Or investments - if you do your garden variety mostly-large-equity mutual fund or ETF type stuff, in the long run you can expect an average return of around 8%. Again, gaining 8% is way better than 2%. Now if your student loan rates are high, that's different math of course. But in the example above, we are going to basically continue paying the minimum until it pays off around 2018.

For all the talk about the Fed we've seen here over the years, and all the hot air from various politicians... I think a lot of people are very unclear what the Fed actually does. It's understandable too. It only bothers me when people act tlike they know, when they don't. So here's an article that lays it out pretty nicely.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Feb 10, 2015 -> 05:24 PM) Carlos Sanchez is the the biggest success they have had internationally since the Wilder scandal without going to Google. There's a reason the White Sox don't delve into this process like some other teams do. The camps and individuals helping these naive teenagers are not the most ethical individuals. While Wilder reigns as the most severe case, teams are getting worked over quite frequently even if they don't go the media with it. The Sox have been burned in varying degrees and it is has changed the way they look at the market. I can't seem to find Sanchez' signing bonus, but I seem to recall it was quite low, which further strengthens the case I was making. QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 10, 2015 -> 05:28 PM) the sox have the money and can afford it. everything said otherwise is bull crap. the sox haven't break even yet on the money table to be spend and money coming in, and this is not even counting the fans season tickets let alone regular ticket sales and vending. I don't understand this post.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Feb 11, 2015 -> 07:38 AM) Jackie Robinson Little League stripped of US title for cheating. Apparently the league met with other leagues to falsify the league boundaries in order to create a super team. link Really a shame for the kids that some parents and coaches decided to create their own glory by cheating. I'd hope the local baseball organization who oversees that team makes sure the coaching staff aren't part of this spring's team. They should be ashamed of themselves. These are kids for christ sake.

By the way, looking at the few Int'l signing guys (that the Sox signed) who are currently either ranked in our T30 or got votes, let's look at their bonuses: Adolfo (10): $1.6M Martinez (23): $250k Olacio (got votes): $70k That's it. Adolfo is a very real prospect of course, but he was also twice what the Sox spent on anyone else, ever, so he's an exception. Martinez and Olacio don't even cross the threshold. Not saying that is the full picture, but wanted to point it out.