NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 18, 2011 -> 09:31 AM) Link There's an AFL Hall of Fame? Seriously?

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Oct 18, 2011 -> 11:34 AM) It's a tough push, but at the same time - in my mind the GOP path to electability starts and ends at Mittens. I do think Obama has a shot, but he has to hold onto some states that would be pretty tenuous for him this time around (PA, NC, NH, FL) I think he has basically zero chance at NC this time around. If he gets NC, then he is winning very big. I also think he almost assuredly wins NH. The states to watch, IMO, are of course the big swing three (OH, FL, PA), and also NV, OR, CO, NM, WI, MO, VA. Those are the ones truly up in the air right now.

QUOTE (G&T @ Oct 18, 2011 -> 09:05 AM) They aren't going to pay him $7M to sit around and then lose him for nothing in a year. The Cubs would likely have an interim GM from within for a year then hire Theo next year and it would cost them far less. I really don't think this has anything to do with Theo anyway. It's about all the people he wants to bring over from Boston. $7M? I thought he was making more like $3M?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 18, 2011 -> 08:59 AM) I knew he'd be back, though I have to question why. If he's down to play things out on a bad roster, I'm down to watch him do so. Call me crazy, but I am not convinced we'll have a "bad roster" in 2012. If the team trades Danks/Floyd, Quentin and Thornton... you already have replacements in Sale, Viciedo and Santiago, who are likely to at least be in the vicinity of who they are replacing performance-wise. And that's not even considering what the Sox will get back in trade for them. That also leaves enough money, probably, to re-sign MB. And look at the lineup for a moment here. One guy performed at or above what you'd expect in a typical year (PK). The rest, not so much. Ramirez was close to his averages, AJP not too far off, the rest... bad years. How likely is it that such a high percentage will blow chunks again in 2012? A rotation of say: Floyd/Danks, Buehrle, Sale, Peavy and Humber (with Axelrod in the wings) doesn't look horrible to me (though I must admit, I tend to think Peavy has a good year in 2012, because that is how these things typically go). And the bullpen, while experiencing a drop-off from Thornton to Santiago, also picks up Reed and looks decent. The Central is going to be tough next year, but I also think the Sox are likely to be better too, assuming their general plan is what I outlined above.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2011 -> 08:53 AM) As many as I get stalked in? Don't make me turn this car around!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2011 -> 08:42 AM) It is awful nice of you to interpret for Row. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 18, 2011 -> 08:43 AM) You did as well. How many more threads are you two going to turn into fights about nothing?

It still surprises me that M56 is predicted to be a Type B FA. A mid-rotation or better starter on most teams is a Type B?

Didn't Cowley make a pronouncement a couple days after Ozzie left, that he wouldn't write about Ozzie again until spring? It really does amaze me he still has a job. The only place I ever read his garbage is here, he can't be getting THAT many links.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Oct 16, 2011 -> 09:44 PM) ISU losing at Mizzou was one of the saddest efforts I've seen out of an ISU team in a long time. I didn't get to watch. Is Jantz developing at all? Regressing? Staying the same?

So, this could turn out to be real bad for the Cubs. The Red Sox have all the leverage here. They could probably stomach keeping Theo on the payroll as a non-entity for a year, given their financial success. The Cubs, on the other hand, are on the clock. Seems like they lose either way - they will either cave and give up a serious prospect or player, or they will not cave and up with a different GM, much to the chagrin of Cubs fans. Cubs are not in a good position here.

I've been saying for a while now, to the disagreement of almost everyone here, that the general election boils down to this... the GOP doesn't need to worry about their base, because their base is far more focused on getting Obama out, than on who they vote in. All they have to focus on in the general is getting some support among swing/moderate voters. Obama's camp, on the other hand, while also needing to get this middle of the road voters, has a second and larger problem - the base is unhappy and may not show up. You want proof? CNN's latest poll has the proof right there. Consider these numbers... Only 30% of GOP respondents have settled on a candidate. But 65% of them are very enthusiastic about supporting their candidate. What does that tell you? Furthermore, only about 35% of Dem voters are energized for the upcoming election. Everyone likes to talk about the GOP base coming out. To me, that is a complete non-issue for this cycle. The keys are two: moderate voters (which way they go), and the Dem base. That is the election right there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 17, 2011 -> 03:52 PM) Pew research Which pretty much makes sense - the guy currently in office will always get the most gruff. No shocker there.

Was kind of surprised to see this... Crain's did some in-depth analysis of numerous factors and interviewed a lot of people, and found that despite the recent increases in taxes, Illinois still has a better business climate than any of its neighbors.

QUOTE (Tex @ Oct 17, 2011 -> 02:06 PM) We could also add parenting classes, career planning, and a few more. I agree on the value but can a required for graduation high school course be taught both at a level every HS student will understand *and* fully prepare the person to make financial decisions on a home mortage eight or ten years down the road? We keep adding to the schools things that should be considered knowledge that parents should cover in raising their kids. I know they can't so we have schools teaching the kids everything from sex to finances to driving. Why not just have schools adopt the kids and eliminate the parents? And if you say look at the news, the parents don't know this stuff, I will agree. But it just seems like piling how to survive in life to the schools may be too much. I absolutely agree that parents should teach there kids this stuff. But you could say that about everything in school, pretty much, so really it comes down to priorities. I believe that basic finance is more important than some things already required. I also think some things like driving should not be done during normal school hours.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 17, 2011 -> 11:06 AM) Yeah...but there was something else about the predictability level in that one. Maybe it was just that the actor didn't sell me very well on any part of the story, that could certainly play into it. Watched X:0 over the weekend again. The story itself was predictable in the sense that we knew how every bit of it had to end up, but still I thought the actors other than Mystique did an excellent job of drawing in. NSS of course will disagree, but I think that's a solid comp. I will? Not sure I've even seen Origins. Is that different than First Class? Or is that the same movie? If it is, then I didn't like it, but it was the dialogue and story that killed it for me. Not the acting.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 17, 2011 -> 10:19 AM) It probably is sadly. Even more sad is that I would rather see Romney's flexible spine than Cain. The only two candidates in the current GOP field that I might consider voting for over Obama, are Huntsman, Romney and Gingrich, in that order. Romney is the only one of those three with a real chance of winning. At this point, I am not sure if I'd vote for Romney or Obama.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Oct 16, 2011 -> 11:46 PM) There really should be no in-between. If we don't think we can compete in this garbage division, it should be a full-on rebuild. And as has been pointed out a dozen or more times, that isn't feasible, and isn't smart. You have too many immovable contracts to truly, drastically cut payroll. And if you look at the way the contracts on this team fall out, being all-in in 2011 really kinda took 2012 with it. I'm guessing payroll will be very similar to last year, maybe a slight decrease. And you can do that smartly, by trading the likes of Quentin, Danks/Floyd, and Thornton, while acquiring cheaper young talent for 2013 and beyond. Call it rebuilding on the fly, or whatever, but that is really the only practical way to do this.

I am so glad the Yankees and Tigers were eliminated. I don't really care who wins the WS now, other than maybe wanting Texas to win as an AL teeam.

QUOTE (Tex @ Oct 17, 2011 -> 05:42 AM) If you are going to require a HS course in balancing a checkbook and basic consumer law, what course will you be removing? We have required courses our way to almost zero electives. At least in Texas, you *are* required to complete a college loan education program on-line. It very clearly explains the repayment process and how not having a job etc, will not cause you to not have to pay. It is so clear and simple even someone with a PhD* can understand it. *I kid because I care™ I would contend that having a basic knowledge of finance is more important than, say, many of the science courses. In fact I'd say it is more important to having a successful life than nearly anything in high school other than English and HS-level math.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Oct 16, 2011 -> 03:49 PM) Watched a few movies yesterday. Tron: disappointing, I expected better, but it wasn't bad by any stretch, just not as good as I hoped. Midnight in Paris: I really enjoyed this one, I cracked up whenever Hemingway spoke. I thought Tron was awful. The effects were better than the 80's version (duh), and it had a very solid soundtrack... but the dialogue was awful, and so was the acting, and the plot devices. They could have done so much more, but they seemed to focus entirely on the effects.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Oct 16, 2011 -> 03:20 PM) The way the media works, if you don't "win" in the first 3 stops, you're done. That's why Mittens is going to win, because the media wants him to. They know damn well that Mittens is Obama Lite with an ® behind his name and they are ready to pounce his ass into oblivion. Sure, he's "great" now for the GOP, but they will absolutely flame his ass to a crispy critter come the general. Hey Mittens, why is Obamacare exactly the same as Mittencare with three zeros added to the end? He can't separate himself from that, so that issue is right off of the table, and that's why the media loves the guy right now. The bolded is the opposite of reality. The GOP core doesn't like him exactly because he's more moderate than they'd like, but that will play much better in the general than the primaries. Romney has a much better shot against Obama than Perry, or Cain. So following your theory that the media wants Romney, it follows that the media wants Obama out.

GE now signalling that they will go from small-scale experimentation, to big time implementation and manufacturing, in the solar energy market. They apparently now feel that for companies with the right cost structure (i.e. not startups), the time is now ripe for this, even in the states. Article here. This could be a big change, if other larger manufacturers are starting to see that where the startups can't get it done, the big kids can, even at the cost levels they have in the US.

Here is what's odd to me. I'm fairly certain that at any given time, the US has military assets in small numbers in probably a dozen or more countries around the globe, doing things much like this. What seems to be different here is, we're announcing it. So the question really should be, why were we told about this one?

Donny Lucy was also dropped from the 40 a few days ago, assigned, and elected free agency as well.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 14, 2011 -> 11:37 AM) That's like tour de France cyclist territory. Those guys are sometimes closer to 7k. I've done 80-90 mile ride days and some basic interwebbing says I'd likely go through 5k+ in a day doing that.