NorthSideSox72

The more I see of him and read about him, the more I like Huntsman among the GOP candidates for 2012. Unfortunately, barring a surprise showing in Iowa or some other strange thing happening, he's a long shot at best.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 12, 2011 -> 01:05 PM) It is the same thing I have been saying for a while too. The difference is his solution is to do nothing about it, mine is to actually try to cut into that by actually trying to get some oil onto the market. I'd be happy to do that, though honestly, that is not going to be much of a help. There are all sorts of fields open for use but the energy companies aren't using them... and even if they did, the total new oil to be introduced is very small. We need a long term, sustainable plan, and adding a small amount more domestic oil can be part of that, but is only a tiny slice of a real solution.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 12, 2011 -> 01:02 PM) Drilling? Who needs drilling... http://www.cnbc.com/id/44121011 Another reason to lower our dependence on oil as soon as possible.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 04:24 PM) He sounds like a possibly better version of Joe Serafin. Serafin didn't really dominate the way this guy is, though. And I think Walters has more velocity. Serafin has dropped off the screen, as you probably noticed, he seems to basically be capped at A ball. Hopefully this guy does better than that.

S&P absolutely did the downgrade to save their own image. The main rating agencies got slammed, rightly, for applying ratings far to pretty to a lot of bad debt, and S&P is trying to look tough and reliable now. First, a true US debt default was never going to happen, though defaults on other obligations may have. If a real default on US debt occurred, the entire global system melts down. So lowering the rating on US debt makes no sense, when it was and is currently a political issue. The only way lowering it makes sense is if the US was actually, truly, unable to pay service on its debt. That may happen in the future (though I doubt it), but it isn't any reasonable threat right now. This is why other agencies kept it at AAA. Second, if US debt is now AA+, then no way in hell are countries like France and Italy AAA, in fact they should be well below the US rating. This is another reason why the S&P downgrade was complete garbage. The markets realized this, and are rallying. Company execs are now scooping up company stock like mad, because they see it too. Buffet sees it, other see it.

To me, creepiest bug ever title goes to the Tarantula Wasp. Bad enough it is a wasp big enough to win a fight with a tarantula, and worse that it can also give humans a painful sting, but that's not the kicker. When a female Tarantula Wasp has eggs, it attacks a tarantula, paralyzes it, and then lays its eggs inside the tarantula. Tarantula wakes up, goes about his life, and the baby wasps slowly eat their way out of the tarantula eventually killing it. Yikes.

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 02:26 PM) Looks like both of the cockroaches that I killed in my house last week... We have some "Amazon" ones in the South. Some of them can fly too. Those are the worst. When I first moved to TN a while back (spent about 3.5 years there), I was introduced to the concept of "inside" cockroaches vs "outside" cockroaches. You don't want the "outside" ones "inside" your house, lest they eat your dog/cat. Jeebus.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 12:31 PM) The Loop Arrested Development Firefly Chappelle Show Father Ted Better Off Ted Terriers Millenium Good call on Millenium, forgot about that one.

Firefly The Wire (ran its pre-determined course, but it was so incredible, wanted them to do another cycle) High Incident Boomtown

QUOTE (chiguy79 @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 09:47 AM) Seems like they are sending these out earlier than in years past. I wonder if MLB determines the timing and how close you need to be to be in contention or if each team determines this on their own. Regardless there should be a rule that if you are under .500 they don't send you the playoff invoice! I would guess they lose at least 25% of ST holders this year. If they don't make the playoffs, which is likely, they will probably lose even more than that after a very disappointing season and a crappy economy. If they make it, I'd bet they hold steady. If they make it and go somewhere in the post-season, which seems incredibly unlikely, they could actually boost their numbers.

Not a freak-out per se, but I just got back from a backpacking trip where we saw a number of walking sticks, which I had never seen in person before. One was about 6 inches long. Kinda cool, really.

Something to consider in the discussion of index vs stock buy performance, sort of... If you have a 401k/IRA and/or trade mutual funds or ETF's, here is something to consider. During this "lost decade" period, something unique has occurred - the index funds have been dramatically outperformed by similarly classed mutual funds, lots of them, over not only 1 and 3 year period, but 5 and 10. For example, if you look at large and mid cap blended funds, or large/mid value, which is a good analog as a collection against SP500, you will find dozens of 4 and 5 star well-traded funds that have outperformed the indicies handily. Now, that is not stock picking, which is a different game. But it is worth checking your mutual funds, and seeing if maybe you are too heavily balanced into simple index funds, if you have the option in your plan/brokerage to buy into other no-load, no-tran-fee funds in a similar class that have consistently outperformed said index.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 08:16 PM) They do have an option this year they didn't in the past. You don't have to buy the World Series tickets until they clinch a playoff berth. That's good to know, I'll take that option. QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 11:18 PM) Anybody who orders postseason tickets is a moron. That is a crime you lose your seniority if you don't order them for this s*** team. Wow. Apparently, I'm a moron. I've been a season ticket holder since 2004, and I don't plan to give that up because of this season. And since we've moved into a primo location for our section, and I don't want to lose it, I'll be renewing, which means paying the postseason invoice.

Justin Cassel sighting - pitched for Bristol.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 29, 2011 -> 11:08 AM) Apple has more cash than the US government. WTF. And at this rate, so will you, by 8/2.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jul 29, 2011 -> 08:40 AM) There are quite a few extreme Democrats in office, and we call them Liberals. Since the rise of the "Tea Party", there are simply MORE extreme Republicans at this specific moment in time. This doesn't mean it won't eventually sway the other direction someday. Note that I put "Tea Party" in quotes, because it's not a new party or alternative party, it's merely extreme Republicans. As I see things: Liberal | Democrat | Moderate/Independent | Republicans | NeoCon/"Tea Party" If you are all the way on that scale, you are extreme, regardless of people such as yourself claiming there are no extreme Democrats...which is just ridiculous. I made no such claim and never have, not sure where you got that idea. What I said, I thought clearly, was that the PARTY doesn't tend to get pulled by those extremists as much in the Democratic party as it is in the Republican party. If the Dems were the same on this topic, imagine a wave of a hundred Kucinich-like liberals waving into office and then the Dems suddenly followed their agenda. That is clearly not the case here. And "at this specific moment in time" goes without saying, these things change over time.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Jul 29, 2011 -> 08:13 AM) At this point, for the sake of his speakership, he really can't. Reid can't get his plan passed in the Senate until Boehner's plan is killed (although 58 senators have publicly stated they will not vote for Boehner's plan) because McConnell can whip his caucus in line and doesn't want to abandon the Speaker. The truth is that Reid's plan is going to pass ultimately - especially if Boehner can't whip the votes by this afternoon, because the Senate is literally running out of time, AND the markets are seriously starting to tank. The Dow is down 4% this week so far which futures pointing to a sharply lower open, because of poor GDP numbers for the second quarter. Boehner is the weakest speaker we have seen in over a generation, unable to whip enough votes to pass what should be something that is purely procedural at this point - and painted in a corner in such a way that he can't negotiate with house Democrats to get to 217. I actually don't think this is a function of weakness from the Speaker. I think the problem the GOP has in the House is, basically, they sold themselves out to the lunatic fringe. They won in a big wave in 2010 becuase the ones who won, were either Tea Partiers, or people who had to slide way to the right and act like Tea Partiers. So now that they are in office, tey have to keep up the charade, or else they will lose in 2012 (or in some cases, there is no charade, they really are that extremist). Either way, the GOP sold their souls to get Tea Party support, and now they are stuck with it. They can either vote away from sanity, or they can compromise and then possibly lose in 2012. This is where the Dems and GOP really are very different. The modern Dems don't get dragged to ideological extremes - they get dragged into so much comrpomise that they come off as wimps and fail to protect their constituents. The modern GOP on the other hand, outright embraces extremism and principal, to a point so ridiculous that they can't achieve anything. I'm not sure how it would start, but I still think it would be healthy to have 2 more parties that actually had some influence and votes.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 10:13 PM) president Obumble has really done a terrible job in his leadership role during this whole debt ceiling debacle. has he even put together any type of plan? He pushed multiple compromise plans. The one I liked, a couple weeks ago now, was a $4T deficit cut over 10 years, but must includde re-tooling the tax structure, removing a lot of breaks/credits, and getting rid of some of the Bush tax cuts. Funny thing was, both parties balked at it.

Bob Nightengale on TCQ and Phils

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 27, 2011 -> 09:26 PM) No one here is going to agree with Sox web page of top prospects, but... Viciedo Escobar Infante Stewart Short Mitchell Flowers Phegley Reed Petricka Infante at 3 and Phegley at 8 are LOLeriffic.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 27, 2011 -> 03:18 PM) We may or may not default on bonds. Hard to say since there's no mechanism in place for legally deciding who not to pay, because no other group of politicians has ever intentionally desired to destroy our economy in order to get policy changes and constitutional amendments. Point is, if you don't have enough money to pay all your obligations, you will fail to pay something. It may not be (probably wouldn't be) a BOND default, but it will be some sort of default on an obligation.

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Jul 26, 2011 -> 04:29 PM) Could we please stop with the default bulls*** already. We will not default. Once again we will cover our borrowing costs, ergo no Default. If I owe you money, on say an invoice or a payment for services or an entitlement or settlement... and I decide to not pay you, in favor of only paying my mortgage, which is a debt in service... you are saying I am not defaulting on my obligations? LOL, how can you say that with a straight face? If I fail to pay you, I have become indebted to you, and if I am not paying, then I am by definition in default.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jul 27, 2011 -> 01:47 PM) Taking Miller in this deal is Horrid............WTF KW! Wait, what? Who is Miller?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 27, 2011 -> 01:21 PM) Zach Stewart better be something, or else we basically gave up Dan Hudson for Jason Frasor... This deal is KW cleaning up his own mess. Stewart is a decent, not great, prspect. But this perspective you are taking is ridiculous. Yes, the Hudson/Jackson trade was bad. That has absolutely nothing to do with what decisions KW makes after the fact. Zero.

I think I like the trade, but I also think it is part of a larger plan. We traded away an under-performing Teahen and an extra underperforming starter in E-Jax, saving the team $10M or so over the next couple years, which gives room for other moves, extensions, etc. We get a better than average late inning reliever in Frasor, and a decent starting pitching prospect in Zach Stewart. You can see the plan from here. The team probably improves a bit now or stays the same, gives Rios a kick in the rear he so desperately needs (De Aza is going to take most playing time in CF), and saves a bunch of money. Acquiring Frasor means they can trade Thornton, who is in high demand, and the Sox already have multiple good lefty relievers (and, just my view, I think Thornton will fall off a cliff soon). De Aza up, and Viciedo in the wings, means they can trade TCQ if they get the right offer, which would also save big money and I think Viciedo can be as good as TCQ anyway. Ozzie gets a speedy leadoff guy in De Aza to replace Juan Pierre, who I think is a free agent after this year (someone can correct me here if wrong). The Sox are still just as competitive this year, and better set next year, with more room to do things like re-sign Buehrle. But if they trade Danks or Floyd, that's saying they are done in 2011. That is a white flag signal. Next year's rotation would be : Buehrle Peavy Danks/Floyd (whomever is not traded) Humber Stewart/Sale/Axelrod competition Still looks pretty damn good. If Sale starts, then Hector Santiago becomes the LOOGY in the pen in 2012. I doubt this is the last trade this week for the Sox.