NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ May 19, 2010 -> 02:45 PM) i agree with your first statement. Kind of goes back to the Mommy/Daddy political argument. Not sure about this one though. Look at today. The economy is in the shi*ter (well not as much as before) and some people are screaming their heads off about government growing out of control. I said all else being equal - meaning, trying to isolate the party difference. There is another dynamic, where a s***ty economy means boot out the incumbents, whoever they are, that is at play right now.

Dem Presidents, all other things equal, will tend to be elected more often when the economy is in the s***ter, because of the perception that they will deliver more to the people effected by that s***ty economy. When things are good, people focus more on not letting government grow out of control, so you get the opposite effect. I think these numbers say more about that, than they do about the actual economic policies each President enacted.

I'd still pick Hudson over Viciedo. Even when he's struggled like his last start, he's missing a lot of bats. And the guy was rushed through. I don't see the 3 bad starts this season for Hudson as a reason to drop him below Viciedo - yet.

Jake Rasner with the start - wonder if that was a one-time deal or if they are converting.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ May 18, 2010 -> 06:22 PM) *yawn* Seriously, why bother posting? Did you see me making some straw man argument? Did you see me regurgitating some talking point? No. You saw me simply point out one factor to consider when looking at the future in energy.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 18, 2010 -> 06:49 PM) He said "as soon as possible," he didn't say "now." Never mind that, they're on a roll.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 18, 2010 -> 03:33 PM) Germany proposes financial transactions tax to cover bailout costs. First "financial transaction taxes" are already used, both in Europe and here - you see it on your brokerage statement as "SEC Fee" or "TAF". Further, the "exchange fee" you may also see has built into it their aspects of oversight. So this is not new. Second, by upping the taxes charged on a per-transaction basis (as opposed to by-principal or by-shares), the idea is of course to hammer the people who trade more frequently. The thinking seems to be that these higher frequency traders (automatic or human) are somehow evil, and therefore must be taxed more heavily. Except, that's not reality, in relation to the bail out bills here or in Europe. The mistakes made and improper actions were not about high transaction levels - they were about improper risk, ignoring valuation and rating problems, regulations not updated to match current reality, and other regulations not enforced at all. So effectively, this method of addressing the bailouts is taxing Peter to pay Paul. It is just not logical. Furthermore, people fail to realize that it is the 20% of traders/investors who make 80% of the markets that keep bid/ask spreads lower, and therefore make the markets more efficient. In this way, the people in the 80% who are just in 401k's, mutual funds, etc., are actually saved some money. So in short, upping the transaction-level taxes will accomplish nothing and in fact make things worse.

QUOTE (danman31 @ May 18, 2010 -> 03:18 PM) Blackwood might get more time in rookie ball this year. It all depends on the draft and how many high profile catchers are going to be in rookie ball. That's a good point - if the Sox don't draft a lot of catchers and sign them in time, Blackwood could see a lot of PT in GF or Bristol. But if Gonzalez continues to struggle, you may see him go to GF.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ May 18, 2010 -> 03:05 PM) Ozzie would never have the balls to do that. And yes, I would still take Hanley and not think twice, as I'm sure most sane fans would also. Except Ozzie has done that exact thing before. He should do it more though, there are guys on the team who dog it way too much (but actually not as much this year's team, as last year).

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ May 18, 2010 -> 02:25 PM) http://www.zannel.com/viewupdate.htm?id=POZQU1 That's a picture of Arkansas senator Blanche Lincoln voting.... by provisional ballot because she had requested an absentee ballot to be sent to her home.... in Virginia. That is not going to play well in Arkansas.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 18, 2010 -> 01:51 PM) I don't know how you can state that it is just standard operating procedure. They have tons of drilling stations and I'm sure they have corporate policies regarding safety and standard that they have to comply with and in this instance my guess is they just ignored some of the issues or just never thought it was near as big of a deal. Its sad that it happened, but unfortunately no amount of controls will always prevent everything from happening. Which is a damn good argument for getting away from oil and on to non-toxic renewable technologies (solar, wind, geo, tidal, hydro, bio) as soon as humanly possible.

QUOTE (girlslikebaseballtoo#26 @ May 18, 2010 -> 12:30 PM) If you want to talk offensively look at the stats from the 2009 GF season. Blackwood had 35 less AB's than Dubler, 2 fewer doubles, 4 fewer RBI's, 3 homeruns compared to Dublers 0, Dubler had 1 triple where Blackwood had none ...granted, Blackwood only had 2 less strikeouts than Dubler, but overall he's not horrible in offense. "Defense is his gig" you say?! As a catcher, is that not what's most important? This is Blackwood's second season pro, first full season ..he's 22 and has already played in 2 AA games, which made him the youngest playing catcher in AA this year. He was signed as a free agent and has to work harder to get to where he wants to be, but obviously he's doing something the organization likes because they could have moved Dubler or Gonzalez up to W-S, but opted for Blackwood. Now i don't want anyone to feel like i'm trying to take anything from Dubler, Gonzalez or any other catcher in the organization, but i like to see credit given where credit is due. I saw Dubler, Gonzalez, Larson and Blackwood all play in spring training ..i also saw Blackwood throw to 1st and 2nd base from his knees and Gonzalez ask him how he learned how to do it!! Larson has since been released, Dubler and Gonzalez both to Kannapolis, and Blackwood ...well, he's been bouncing around from team to team!! I liked all the guys and was sad to see Larson go, but that's baseball. There's a plan for all these guys and i wish them ALL the best of luck! DUBLER: 2009 Season: Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS GRF PIO .223 42 121 19 27 7 1 0 11 36 18 35 4 1 .336 .298 .633 Minors .223 42 121 19 27 7 1 0 11 36 18 35 4 1 .336 .298 .633 BLACKWOOD: 2009 Season: Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS GRF PIO .198 24 86 13 17 5 0 3 7 31 2 33 4 1 .222 .360 .583 Minors .198 24 86 13 17 5 0 3 7 31 2 33 4 1 .222 .360 .583 I like the analysis, nicely done. Keep in mind that Chase played a bit below Dubler statistically, but Dubler has been a pretty big disappointment thus far. Also, Blackwood was moved up because he's a backup C - the organization will be less likely to promote guys like Gonzalez or even Dubler to a backup role, when they can get more game time at the level they want them to be at. And yes, defense and pitcher handling are very important for catchers, no doubt about it. Blackwood may some day get his shot, but right now, its a long shot. That's all I was saying. Hopefully they all do well.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 18, 2010 -> 11:46 AM) Alabama Teacher Gives Geometry Lesson Using Assassination As Example I get not charging him criminally, but I cannot believe he won't be disciplined by the school. You'd have to be a complete moron to not know that was wrong, which means he made a conscious choice to do it.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 18, 2010 -> 11:43 AM) Yeah fire Walker because he did so poorly with Alex Rios this offseason. The only legitimate argument for firing coaches is that they Sox need a few scapegoats to take the blame. While I'd agree that the effect of a hitting coach (positive or negative) is often overstated, I think this is as clear a case as you can get to fire one (barring violent crime). This team has underachieved offensively for years, has been piss-poor situationally, and its painfully clear they are not prepared for pitchers they haven't already seen. Now, that blame may ALSO fall on the scouting staff or others, which is why the best move is probably to fire everyone in that chain, not just Walker. But honestly, I don't see how it could be more clear that a change in that area of the staff is needed.

QUOTE (JorgeFabregas @ May 18, 2010 -> 11:38 AM) Finally someone to stick up for Chris Blackwood. If anyone needs a champion, it's an NDFA who OPSed Is he a friend of yours? What's the scouting report on this guy--is he a defensive specialist? He's organizational filler. The only way he gets a starting gig is if multiple front-line catchers in low or high A ball get injured (Phegley was one, but it would take a couple more). From what little I've read, defense is his gig.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ May 18, 2010 -> 11:38 AM) Conn. Dem misstated military record And as a side note, the Republicans are seriously gonna put up Linda McMahon as their nominee? Ugh. Tha's just incredibly stupid. I mean putting aside the moral issue of being such a fake, did he not think that in a Senate race, there was a decent chance this would come out?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 17, 2010 -> 04:05 PM) Because everyone loves being a Cub fan. You don't have to know anything about baseball, and there's beer. I would hate being a fan of a franchise that consistently didn't care about its team winning, then decided to start caring by throwing god-awful contracts around because THE TEAM IS FOR SALE, thus bankrupting their future.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 17, 2010 -> 04:18 PM) No idea, just that changes are happening. I'd think they would want to replace Randy Williams, but there really isn't anyone ready to do so. I kind of doubt they really plan to demote Beckham at this time, or at least, I hope not.

How do you not put the Cubs on this list?

QUOTE (girlslikebaseballtoo#26 @ May 17, 2010 -> 02:14 PM) I think Blackwood deserves more credit. He's the 2008 Collegiate Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient for his position in his division. He may be considered "organizational filler" now, but he's a hard worker and people see that, he'll be more than filler soon! Welcome to the board. I'm going to guess... Chase is a friend of yours?

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ May 17, 2010 -> 01:45 PM) I guess I just see a benefit to having an experienced backup catcher if your starter is a rookie. I think having a veteran might actually help Flowers' development. Also, I'm not a big Lucy fan. I just don't see his bat holding up over the course of a full season. Lucy gives you many of the benefits you'd get from a veteran - he's already got a reputation for handling pitchers well, so much so that Ozzie and Coop both commented on it during his short stint with the big club. Donny also gives you plus defense, which can hopefully rub off on Flowers. All that for a lot less money. Honestly, I don't see the benefit in paying $1-2M for an experienced backup C, since most of those guys are experienced as a BACKUP for a reason.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ May 17, 2010 -> 01:29 PM) If Flowers is the everyday starter, would you still want Lucy backing him up? For 2011, I would say yes. For this season, the Castro money is already out the door, so might as well keep him there for the duration of the season (unless Castro looks awful, then get rid of him and call up Lucy).

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 17, 2010 -> 12:58 PM) Who cares? Seriously, when you are talking about the backup C, this should be a minor consideration.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 17, 2010 -> 12:22 PM) Not a chance. What has Obama done that would be considered ultra leftist? (Only moderates can respond to that ) This is really the point I was getting at. The right wing has consistently feared that Obama was some socialist far-left nut job, and they were convinced he would be - to the point that they have fooled themselves into thinking he actually has been. Meanwhile, the far left seemed to think (I am talking the general crowd here) he would be that, because they wanted him to be that. Both groups are and were clearly wrong. He's been a raging moderate thus far.

I've been an Ozzie defender more often than not, and I think he's not nearly as stupid as the hyperbole crowd here would like to make him out to be. That said, there is simply zero reason to EVER play Vizquel at DH. That is a flat-out joke.