NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 10:34 AM) Connecting the CTA trains to Metra would be awesome as well, but not really possible There are places it could be done very easily. For example, the green line, just before it hits the loop goes literally right OVER the Ogilvie station tracks. I mean, all you need is a friggin stairwell. For that matter, there should be a tunnel between Union and Ogilvie. QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 10:35 AM) Somewhat related to the "small victories where you can get them" is the Bloomingdale bike/walking trail conversion. http://urbanland.uli.org/infrastructure-tr...-to-next-level/ I'm glad that is progressing, makes a nice bike commute connector between the Elston corridor (which has marked lanes) and Bucktown, Humboldt Park and beyond. QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 10:37 AM) I would rather see new rail lines for parts of the city that are totally with any CTA rail close to them, rather than extending the red or yellow line to the suburbs. but i guess that would cost a s*** load of money to add new subway tracks. Yeah, that's the big problem. Cost of putting in new subways is enormous. Also, I don't think the Red Line is going to the suburbs - just further south parts of the city, that don't have rail right now.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 09:23 AM) An inter-suburb Metra ring would be nice. That's been discussed for decades. Thing is though, because of a lack of rail and in some cases even right-of-way, it is an enormous cost to undertake. I think in the current environment, Metra and CTA can focus on smaller projects with big potential gain. One example: Metra already has the UP-West line running to Elburn. Thing is, that same two-track segment goes west to DeKalb. DeKalb even has an old station depot in town. That is where NIU is, mostly Chicago area students, teachers who live in the west burbs... you have a ton of built-in passenger traffic there, no new rail to be put in, and only need to rehab an existing station. So very little cost involved. Seems a natural fit to do it. I think the only issue in that case is, DeKalb county isn't one of the counties within RTA funding, and that county may or may not want to get involved. CTA Red Line extenstion, Yellow line extension are other examples of smaller ideas expansion-wise that could add more ridership and help reduce road congestion. Also would like to see CTA explore the express route to O'Hare, maybe by adding a third rail in places, to reduce the time of that trip. Not just for travellers and tourists, but also would encourage more people in the NW burbs to park and ride on the Blue Line, like at the Rosemont stop. Find small wins for now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 09:21 AM) There is no doubt that this entire region needs more transportation routes. The ones they have are so overburdened it is ridiculous. I tend to agree, though I'd really like to see better rail build-out along with the roads. Both are needed, IMO, to make the most effective use of capital funds.

I think it's a great project, with the way traffic is in that area. This was the original design anyway. I mean, as it stands now, the Elgin-O'Hare goes to neither Elgin nor O'Hare. Eventually, it will connect to the western highway around O'Hare.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jan 2, 2014 -> 05:55 PM) Exactly. So lets all talk about players the Sox may take, or guys we want the Sox to take and stop saying, "Take the best player, period." That's basically telling everyone to shut up and stop worrying about it until draft day and the #3 pick is on the clock. I think you are way overanalyzing here, and you're off-target. Pretty sure wite was alluding to people saying the Sox should take a pitcher, or any other specific position, and repeating that they should take the best player regardless of position. I'm fairly certain he wasn't trying to get people to "shut up".

Joey DeMichele has left ABL, with lower back issues. MRI clean, but will rehab stateside to be ready for ST. Final ABL numbers: .214/.246/.411, 4 BB, 30 K in about 120 PA. Had 5 HR, 7 2B, both best on his team. Jacob May remains in ABL. Currently .267/.325/.388, 8 BB, 8 K in ~130 PA. 2nd in ABL in steals (14, in 17 attempts), tied for league lead in triples (3).

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 1, 2014 -> 11:37 PM) You can get the Chase Sapphire card for free right now ($125 fee after one year), but if you spend 3K in the first 3 months, you can get around $500 cash back. There's the Chase Freedom card that gets you $200 cash back after the first $500 spent within 3 months. I got the Sapphire, but I sort of wish I got the Freedom instead. I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred. This and the Freedom card are both good products, and it is nice that you essentially have a choice. If you use the card a lot (like I do, I pay all my bills with it that I can), and like travel, the Sapphire gets you a ton of rewards and is worth the fee. If you don't use it as much, the Freedom card has no fee but still decent rewards. I'd recommend either, just depends on how you use your card.

So I had this idea spring into my head (because my life is a blissful journey along a glittering path of excitement), didn't know where to share it, so here goes... I hear a lot of people pointing to increased corporate profits the past few years, contrasted against slow gains in jobs, and extolling their thoughts as to the "why". Some people think corporations are holding onto more cash due to uncertainty over regulations and government funding, thanks to an historically inept Congress. Others think it is a simple matter of corporations not having to take any responsibility for their communities, and taking as much money as they can. Yet others blame specific policies or regulations supported by one party or the other for encouraging it. The list goes on. Whatever you think the reason is, I think it boils down to a question - if businesses are not being good "citizens", is there a way to change that? Or for that matter, SHOULD there even be an effort to change it? If you are heavily on the free market side, the answer is likely either "it doesn't need changing, that isn't a corporation's job" or "the free markets will sort this out themselves by (fill in the blank)". If you are a believer in heavier regulations, you can do things like change tax codes, provide hiring incentives, use government contract choice as leverage, or in the extreme, even do things to specifically curtail or slice off profits. But here is a thought... What if there was a way to do this using consumer choice? A way to do this at minimal material cost? I'd suggest all you need is some simple data. If, for publically traded companies (and this could also apply to large private firms to, potentially), you had the following data (some of which is already available) for a given quarter or year: net profit, gross profit, total hires, total fires/quits/layoffs, total salary+material benefits of each of hires and fires/quits/layoffs, and average raise values across the firm gross and per employee... you could create an index that showed a ratio of profits vs total value of jobs contributions to the economy. You could break it down by net hire/fire, net value of hire/fire, adjusted or unadjusted for tax breaks (gross vs net), and any number of other ways, but the bottom line is that you could produce a number (or a few numbers) that indicated in basic terms how good a company is at turning profits into positive job market impact. With this information, consumers can CHOOSE to do business with firms that do better at this than others. Or they can not. But it is a powerful tool of information for people. And its cost to implement would be very, very small. Some of those numbers are already reported, or can be derived from required reporting. Other information, these companies already have, and getting a few data points added up in a spreadsheet would not be at all burdensome. Then, with those numbers out, anyone from random bloggers to major analysis firms (i.e. Challenger and Christmas, or Gallup, or the like) can create indices from this data and churn it out as a key evaluative number. In any case, mandating these few new reporting numbers costs businesses very little, the analysis can be left to the public or other firms to do at no cost to the government or the companies being reported on, and you get huge consumer value. IF people then use that information, they can mold their consumer choices, thus giving both them and the businesses true CHOICE in the matter. It isn't a perfect measure of how firms treat their employees (future or current) at all - just a general measure. But... what do people think of this idea?

From Adam Lopez on his injury... basically, he doesn't have a set return date, but the typical total recovery time is 6-8 months. This happened after Instructs, so we're looking at May to July for a return to action. He did say his recovery and rehab were going very well, ahead of schedule even, and he wants to get back sooner than that.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jan 1, 2014 -> 03:17 PM) Not yet, but he will if we keep him IMO. If he's a reserve he should be expected to see time there. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 1, 2014 -> 03:22 PM) Probably easier for him to pick up a few AB's as a corner OF than to expect him to pick up SS. Played 2 games in LF, in 2011, in AAA. 29 games at 1B between 2011 and 2012, again at AAA. All other games played in minor league career are at 3B.

Nevermind, found it here. Ugh, that sucks.

QUOTE (beautox @ Jan 1, 2014 -> 10:40 AM) Sanchez is only 21 years 6 months and 2 days I KNEW that didn't seem right when I typed it. Thanks, I'll fix it. QUOTE (floridafan @ Jan 1, 2014 -> 12:20 PM) Adam Lopez tore his ACL training over the winter... He is making a quick recovery though! Wha? News to me.

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 03:45 PM) I have to wonder how many people in the "somebody just broke into my store, better whip out that gun" situation have ever fired a firearm I'd imagine many have "fired a firearm". I'd also imagine almost none of them have fired it at a person. Key differentiation.

Winter Leagues Review - Caribbean Cruise Everyone is done now except the two guys in Australia, so they are all in the above write-up other than that.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 09:42 AM) Pre-2011, Morel was the BA #85 prospect. Davidson has never been that high. Fields was #95 in 2005, and #45 in 2007. Borchard was top 20 at one time. Brian Anderson was top 50. Simon Castro was top 60. Prospects are still suspects until they actually succeed. I actually hadn't realized Morel was that high - a bit of a surprise. And while I agree with your overall point about prospects, I stand by what I said earlier - he's the starting 3B barring an unusual set of events occurring.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 31, 2013 -> 05:29 AM) Davidson is far from a sure thing. Josh Fields and Brent Morel were both at one time ranked higher as prospects. Time in Charlotte is a definite possibility. On the bolded, only half true. Brent Morel was never regarded as nearly the prospect Matt Davidson has been. Not even close. Fields was a T100 name at one time, that is true. I'd be surprised if Davidson wasn't the starting 3B on the Sox on Opening Day. Only was he isn't is if the Sox are unable to move an infielder before then, AND if he looks terrible in ST. Possible sure, but not likely.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 07:48 PM) Had no clue Bassit can fire it up there at 96 if need be. I thought he was following in the foot steps of Axelrod and Leesman as guys who were soft tossing guys who somehow made it through the minors with great success using smoke and mirrors. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 11:04 PM) I haven't seen him anywhere close to 96 but that was as a starter. He's definitely a solid level above Axelrod. AFL reports had him 91-94, T95. He's not Axelrod at all. Very different pitcher. The question with him is, does he stay a starter? He's said he's more comfortable as a reliever, and he was that until late 2012. They may have converted him just to take him from thrower to pitcher, like they have with other guys like Jones and Petricka. But unlike those two, Bassitt was very successful as a starter, and his secondary repertoire blossomed. Should be interesting to see what happens. If he is a reliever, he could potentially be on the Sox sometime in 2014.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 03:18 PM) I think he's implying that De Aza wouldn't preform as well in a part-time role, not that Jordan Danks is a better player overall. Yes. Also, $.

Fangraphs on Bassitt. And of course you can read FS's interview of him in that thread too. Together, you should have everything you need to know about Chris. And then some.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 02:04 PM) Because handguns are tough to shoot if you're rushed, try hurriedly mag dumping a .45 and see how well you do. You might graze your target once or twice. Honestly, if someone tried breaking into my truck my (shiny, new self purchased Duke Christmas present) Sig p220 would be more effective at very loudly scaring them away. The chances of me hitting them even in confined quarters are slim. That's part of it. I'd suggest it is a lot more than a mechanical or technique issue though. I think instinctively, most people don't want to kill other people, even if they feel justified in doing so. Psychologically it is just very diffifult to do, and I think that comes into play, along with fear, unsteady hands, lack of training, usually little or no experience in the situation, and just plain using an inaccurate tool. And for the record, I've actually got a fair amount of experience with a variety of handguns, and I've had formal training. Never the real deal though, thankfully. Even with all that, I doubt I'd fair well if it came down to it. One of the fun stats from the FBI I once read, was that not only are people horribly inaccurate even at close range, but people with substantial training only fair slightly better than those without.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 11:12 AM) Duke, come on now man. That's just ridiculous. He's actually correct on this. To be clear, firing a gun at someone is virtually always considered Use of Deadly Force, from a legal standpoint. But more people survive than die when they've been shot. By a lot. What's also amazing is how bad most people are, especially with pistols, at hitting the intended target. Even at close range.

I'd still be surprised if the Sox didn't trade both an infielder (one of Beckham or Keppinger, maybe even Ramirez), and an outfielder (De Aza most likely, maybe Viciedo), before Opening Day. But people shouldn't expect we'll get a ton back. Just a blocked or quesitonable prospect, as mentioned by others. Still should be done though, IMO.

DR finished play, the other three Caribbean Leagues are finishing today. Some DR stats... 1B Dan Black: .270/.372/.484, 31 K, 21 BB in ~150 PA. 4th in DR in OPS (.856), T-3rd HR (5), 3rd 2B (11), 5th BB (21) INF Leury Garcia: .260/.338/.339, 27 K, 12 BB in ~140 PA. 2nd in DR in SB (12, in 13 ATT) RHP Tony Pena Jr: 24.1 IP, 22 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 27 K (2.59 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) Simon Castro pitched just one inning. De Aza was on a roster but did not play.

FutureSox Write-Up Got some scouting info in there, and some injury history.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 20, 2013 -> 12:48 PM) If it is even close on draft grades, I hope the Sox take the pitcher. I have complete faith their ability to develop them, and the opposite in their record for position players. But you can't keep doing that, or you never come out of the cycle. They've retooled their development personnel in the past couple years, you need to give them a chance to do something. By the way, I am going to move this thread over to the FS area.