NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 20, 2012 -> 09:04 AM) They can always pick a different profession. Buehrle isn't going to re-locate his family to Toronto. If his kids are old enough for school, I'm sure they will be attending in Missouri. The majority of the baseball season falls outside of the school year, and he's only "home" half the time anyway. It is a pain I'm sure, but not nearly as difficult as moving a family permanently. It's really no different than him being in Chicago or Miami. Those weren't permanent residences either. Up until now, Buerhle has made $90 million. If it were that much of an issue, he could always walk away and lead a rather comfortable life. Wouldn't that be interesting... MB decides to retire instead of playing for Toronto.

With the pitching staff this team has... as long as they can find SOME way to get at least similar production out of 3B, whether by trade or signing... I see no way this team won't compete for the ALC crown in 2013. As long as, of course, they are relatively healthy. Will they beat out DET? Probably not, but stranger things happen every season. The Sox will be in the hunt.

After a decent 2012 campaign (where, most importantly, he stayed healthy all year), Josh has been added to the 40-man roster by the Sox. If Tyler Flowers ends up being the starting C in 2013, Phegley may get a shot at the backup slot (though it seems more likely the Sox would pick up a vet backup in that case).

After a pretty good showing in the AFL, Santos Rodriguez was added to the 40-man roster by the Sox.

Thanks to his strong showing in 2012 (and despite being 27), the Sox added Shirek to the 40-man roster to protect him from the upcoming Rule V Draft. This gives some indication that the Sox org, and/or other teams, see some major league potential in him. Good sign for Charlie. Depending on how things fall out this offseason, especially in the trade realm, it is possible that Shirek could compete for a reliever spot in Spring Training.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 20, 2012 -> 01:12 PM) Actually it looks like Shirek got added as well to make it 39. I do have to imagine that Humber is going to be hitting the road here soon though. Daryl Van Schouwen ‏@CST_soxvan Added to White Sox 40-man: OF Jared Mitchell, C Josh Phegley, pitchers Charles Shriek, Santos Rodriguez and Andre Rienzo. Shirek had a pretty big year last year. Not just in results, but the fact that he maintained the results throughout the season - that was something he wasn't doing in years past (which is why I and others figured him for the bullpen). He's got a mid-90's fastball with downward movement, and breaking pitches that he locates well. He is a ground ball pitcher, which is a good fit for The Cell. Depending on how trades go this offseason, if a slot opens up, he may challenge for a bullpen slot.

Based on the rules mentioned above (4 years for 19 and older, 5 for younger)... here is a list of guys who showed up in the last FS top prospects list (anyone who received votes), who are NOT protected as of now, and could be exposed... Brady Shoemaker Dan Remenowsky Dan Black Juan Silverio Kyle Bellamy* I am not sure about Bellamy, since he missed an entire season due to injury (2011), so he may get another year. No other big names in the list, though Juan Silverio was once highly touted (and infamously signed). Silverio is eligible for the minor league Rule V, having never played above A+. Same with Dan Black. Shoemaker and Remenowsky have both played up to AAA (though Shoemaker really is an AA guy), so I think (Correct me if I am wrong) that they are only eligible for the major league portion of the Rule V. I doubt anyone would take that gamble on either of them, if they have to be placed on the 25 man roster. I googled the rules, but it is hard to decipher the minor league vs major league portions. Unless maybe the minor league portion is gone? In that case, I doubt any of these guys is a threat to be picked.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Nov 18, 2012 -> 10:56 AM) Didn't Israel have a stance where they said they'd bomb everyone in their region if they ever got hit with a nuke? If so, anyone know the name of the policy? A nuke, if a big one, would destroy a significant amount of the country. Would make it very hard to respond, depending on where it hit. But yeah, if that ever happened, they would go bonkers militarily, I am sure. QUOTE (kapkomet @ Nov 18, 2012 -> 07:14 PM) But they had the US as an ally then, not so much anymore. LOL

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 20, 2012 -> 08:33 AM) If you signed your first professional contract at age 19 or older, you have to be protected after four years. If you signed at 18 or younger, it's five years. But Santos is a 6-year minor leaguer. He needs a new contract, right?

Did the protection rules change in the new CBA? Anyone know what the current rules are for service years and age for needing protection? --Phegley has 4 minor league years, though his draft year may only count partially. He'll be 25 in 2013. --Rienzo same - 4 years' service, will be 25 --Mitchell has just 3 years of actual playing time, because he missed all of 2010 (and one of his 3 years was his draft year). He'll be 24. --Rodriguez has 6 years and will be 25 As I understand it... Santos Rodriguez should be a minor league FA, so I think they can just sign him to a minor league deal, unless someone else signs him to a deal. I don't think the can protect him per se, they need to sign him again. Why does Mitchell need protecting at 24 with 3 years in? Phegley and Rienzo are in the same boat, 4 and 25 next year... those two make sense to me. But the other two, I don't get.

FutureSox AFL Recap

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 19, 2012 -> 06:21 AM) I'm sure this doesn't mean anything because wins and losses apparently are an overrated stat, but the Sox won a higher percentage of their games when AJP caught vs. games Flowers caught. QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 19, 2012 -> 07:28 AM) The question is how much of that can be attributed to AJ's hitting compared to his game-calling? There was no question the Sox lineup was better with AJ. CERA may help with that, since it focuses purely on the ERA of pitchers they are catching. And since most of the time, catchers don't come in with runners on base, ERA should be a pretty good metric. In 2012... AJ CERA: 4.08 TF CERA: 4.07 Of course, Flowers' numbers are a problem somewhat due to small sample size. But in general, it appears that the results during games they caught from their pitchers were very similar. Another question to ask with this may be, which pitchers did they tend to catch? Did one of them catch Sale and Peavy more often (relatively)? Did another one have to catch 1st half Humber or 2nd half Quintana more often?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 19, 2012 -> 08:03 AM) But I am sure a place like the CIA does. Of course. I was more making the point about people's ideas on privacy. Mostly, it is protected not because it is secure, but because it is a needle in a haystack. Sort of an aside, though. Anyway... the General didn't think about this stuff. This wasn't a thought-through thing.

What?! You let THAT guy be a Mod?! Oh wait, sorry, was this the public forum?

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Nov 18, 2012 -> 07:13 PM) Almost every company I know has the ability to track every single keystroke if they want to. But most don't do much of that at all, because it is impractical. You guys seem to be thinking of this Patraeus scandal in terms of him not understanding technology. Do any of you really think that he was thinking about technology? At all? This is a guy with immense power, a guy in a position where he is constantly tempted by people at his feet. He was tempted, and he did it. This was not something he thought out. Lizard brain won. That's all this is. And Lizard brain doesn't have time to think through all the consequences.

I'm sure one can find multiple specific cases where 2013 may actually cost a little more than 2012 for a game... but for MOST people, MOST group sizes, in MOST sections on MOST days... 2013 will be cheaper.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 04:13 PM) One of my buddies on facebook said the score just announced the Sox signed some catcher for 1.5 mill...anyone else hear anything more? cant find anything online. I'm not seeing anything on the Twitter.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 10:49 AM) I have, many many times. Applied for H-1bs and L1s when I worked for a big blue chip tech firm that did tons of outsourcing. It was easy, every application was approved by USCIS and the DOL. Of course, no green cards for them. The point was for them to get trained and take the job to India or something. I also want to state that I don't agree with using immigration as weapon against workers, but when I was doing it I was a noob and didn't fully comprehend how s***ty it was to local workers. So I have changed my ways. Anyways, I think there is a massive back log for green cards to countries like India and China because each country only gets a certain amount. What is your experience? I've worked at a couple firms where some people who worked directly for me (or on other teams who I worked with) that vame over on visas. Some were student visas, then had to get work in X amount of weeks to stay in the country. Others came over specifically for the job. Some were trying to get green cards, either via work and stay, or via marriage. For India and China, even after working H1B or other visa for a few years, even if they could get company sponsored or married for green cards, the list is YEARS long, as you said. Some other countries I dealt with, like Turkey and Russia, weren't as long. And I have nothing against those folks either - they worked their tails off, almost without exception. But I agree with you tht the application approval process was nothing more than hoops, it likely doesn't sift out much. You need to show them you are hiring this person (or re-hiring) because you cannot find a US citizen with those skill sets. So, you write the job description around that person's skill set. That is the green card process.

QUOTE (sayitaintso @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 10:48 AM) So how many more FA's are available with "T" starting off their last name? Kevin Toukilis?

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 10:44 AM) what kind of jobs? maybe train unemployed and under employed workers to do those. That is another discussion, and I actually agree with you there. I can tell you from experience there are already some barriers set up to encourage that, but they aren't terribly effective. I agree with you that we should probably look to do better with training and filling jobs internally in the US.

I'm just wondering... has anyone in this forum ever actually seen the process up close, to get visas, green cards and eventually citizenship in the US? Because I have. I've had to deal with the lawyers and agencies to shuffle people who worked for me through the hoops. If they aren't enrolled full time in school or (more often) have a full time job, for more than a few weeks, the visa is terminated. Buchanan is delusional.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 10:38 AM) Undocumented immigrants working under fake SSN's are paying payroll taxes but can't ever see the benefits of those programs. They also pay sales taxes, gas taxes, tolls, etc. Again, as I said, they contribute. Not sure why you and Reddy keep trying to change the topic to make it seem like I was saying something else. What I was pointing out, again, was that this idea that legal immigrants are glomming off the government and that is why the GOP lost... is silly for so many reasons. Once of which is the one I stated - they generally come here with jobs. That isn't even to mention that it takes them 5-10 years or more to even become citizens, and can't vote in the meantime. It is an idiotic premise with no foundation in reality.

QUOTE (champs2005 @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 10:37 AM) It is vintage Jerry to say that traffic is the #1 attendance downer. Like it isnt the Sox fault it is out of their hands oh well our attendance "is what it is" nothing we can do about it. Oh by the way if attendance is low I pay alot less on my sweetheart stadium lease deal. It just shows you who he thinks his fans are. Traffic. Wow that is SO deep Jerry. Like no other ballpark in MLB is a big place that might cause a little traffic because of all the folks going there. Where is there NOT traffic in Chicago? People go to those casinos, they go to Warren Dunes Michigan dare I say they go Cub, Bullls an dBears games, they go everywhere but ONLY the Sox blame traffic for their poor attendance. It isn't Jerry's opinion. It is the opinion of the fans. That was one of the top issues brought up in the survey they had done professionally. He didn't pull that out if his rear end - the fans themselves said it. Agenda much?

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 10:31 AM) oh? because i'm pretty sure you need a SS# to get health care and welfare... Health care? ER is the popular choice, also some clinics take in anyone. That costs money. Welfare? Not in the strictest sense, though some do get it fraudulently. I am not, by the way, arguing the illegal immigrants are ONLY a drain. They also provide some positive impacts. I was pointing out that the people who come here via valid visas, are usually doing it with WORK visas, and are contributing to society. Those who are here illegally, are contributing less, and taking more. Thus Buchanan's argment is (shockingly) false.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Nov 15, 2012 -> 10:12 AM) Buchanan sums it up: Except that he's completely wrong. People who come here legally, typically have jobs to come to, or are family with those that do. So this idea that they are coming here and getting paid to live is ridiculous. Buchanan? Seriously? That guy is a clown. The ones who come here ILleggally, are much more likely to NOT have a job, and therefore be more of a drain on resources.