NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 02:06 PM) I've never heard of that book Its one of the most well known pieces of American fiction written in recent decades. Excellent book. Seeing the preview for Book of Eli, it looks to me like a dumbed down, action-ified coat tails film to sit on The Road.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 02:22 PM) He's a weasel who ought to be booted from the caucus, IMHO. He most definitely doesn't deserve to have the gavel in a committee. That should be given to Democrats who run as Democrats. Problem is, this attitude means you leave zero room for independents to be part of the process.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 12:53 PM) I think he's trying to build a solid base... maybe ineffectively, with hopes of building on that. The problem he faces is that he is trying so hard to build a very conservative base that it doesnt give much room for moderates. We've already heard a lot of the "if you arent with us, you're against us" talk coming from Steele. So basically, he is trying to do what the party has already been doing for a couple decades now.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 11:03 AM) Retail sales generally (not store specific, but overall numbers) beat expectations for September. Overall sales decreased 1.5%, but that was due to a 10%+ drop in auto sales as expected - all other retail actually rose 0.5%, beating expectations. This lends further credence to what I espoused earlier, that the American consumers took the pendulum further back than was realistic long term, and they are correcting a bit. Markets are rallying on this and some better than expected earnings news, pushing to yet more year highs, breaking past some important technical resistance. Dow is now around 9980, just below the psychologically important 10k line. Still not seeing this run-up go much further, but, economic news continues to indicate a lessening of the recession overall. Hopefully this will help keep unemployment from rising a lot more (still likely to rise a bit more though). That is still the key to whether we double dip. DJIA10K But then back down to 15 points below it.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 12:46 PM) The fire Greg Walker people have their savior available. Interesting is the Rangers offensive woes in 2009. From ESPN.com Longtime hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo rejected a contract and will not return to the Texas Rangers next season, a team official said Wednesday. Jaramillo's contract was set to expire on October 31. The Rangers' offense struggled in 2009, scoring 784 runs, the fewest since Jaramillo was hired before the 1995 season. The team batted .260, its lowest average since moving into Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in 1994. The disappointing season came after the Rangers hit .283 and scored a league-high 901 runs in 2008. Injuries and inconsistency contributed to the lagging offense. Josh Hamilton played just 89 games and a group of veterans had up-and-down seasons. Ian Kinsler started great in April, but tailed off. The Rangers didn't get much from first base as Chris Davis struggled at the start and was sent to the minors for a swing tune-up. Manager Ron Washington urged his team to manufacture runs and they did that at times, but couldn't score enough runs in clutch situations. "We have to understand how to score runs without getting base hits," Washington said a few days after the season. "Put the ball in the play. We struck out in situations where if we put it in play, it would have resulted in another run. Now that they've been through it, we expect it to get better." The Rangers were 20th in the majors in runs scored and RBIs with runners in scoring position. That was the Sox, right there. I've said it a bunch of times. AVG w/ RISP is only a small part of the picture - you also need to find a way to make productive outs.

So, does anyone know what Steele has been doing behind the scenes? One of the things that helped the Dems a lot in some of the recent elections was the under-the-hood stuff that Dean was doing. Dean didn't focus on a lot of public statements and policy stuff, he acted more like an operational guy. So even though he came off as a bit crazy, that was OK, because he was effective. Can the same be said of Steele? Is he maybe doing some positive things that he doesn't talk up in the press? Has anyone read about anything like that?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 12:26 PM) My feeling is that we don't need to use $10 million on another Pods, when we can have him for a few million dollars in all likelihood. I agree, there, I'd rather go Pods cheap-ish for a year or year plus than Pierre at 8 figures.

QUOTE (Tex @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 12:11 PM) And if you truly believe in your party's ideals and platform, you want that lock step voting. You know there are Dem party officios who dream of having that control over their membership. Not necessarily. If you try to have everyone lockstep, you end up seeing your power to actually do anything dwindle. There is a balance there. To be effective as a legislator, you have to be able to compromise, and to be effective as a party, you have to be able to work across the aisle occasionally. Unless a party can somehow get lockstep AND have a 60% majoority in a chamber, but honestly, I think that is nearly impossible to do at the national level.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 12:05 PM) Well, what he was trying to say that in the King beatings there was a general course of direction that everyone agreed on and he'd like to see that with health care. however, using the Rodney King beating as an example, with both him and Obama being black, is probably not a good reference point. 9/11 might be a good "America comes together" moment, but comparing 9/11 to Health Care might raise a few more eyebrows in the bad analogy department. Maybe the moon landing?? i dunno. King was a bad reference. The Rodney King situation, and the riots and court cases that followed, were the opposite of everyone agreeing on a course.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 12:03 PM) Except that isn't true. The Democrats are already looking at running people in races that have gotten away from the Obama talking points. And Joe Lieberman is offended you forgot about him. It is true, but not black and white. The Dems are most definitely more inclusive and allow a broader umbrella, I don't see how that's not clear. But even they have a limit. This is one of the defining qualities of the two parties right now - the Dems are more inclusive but als more disorganized, the GOP is much more lock-step.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 12:00 PM) That is nearly identical to what Pods put up last year, in a month less with the big club. 132 game, .304 average, .353 OBP, and 30-43 SB And in both cases, they apparently needed to be more selective in when to attempt steals. I like stolen bases, but you need to do it at a better clip than that to be of value. I'd rather have a guy go 20/22 (like Getz) than 30/43. There are very few baserunners who can steal at an effective rate (say, 75%+, give or take), on 30+ attempts. Only a very few, very elite guys can do that for more than one aberrant season.

QUOTE (Tex @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 11:26 AM) Of the major space events of my life, at lest as dtermined by the media coverage, the moon landings had a bigger impact than the notable failures. The moon landings were a couple years too early for me. Old man.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 11:44 AM) I'm not familiar with the term cow on the tracks. Why does that get a "WOW!"? All Dem talking point alignments get a "WOW!" The weird bit to me is the Rodney King moment comment. I don't even get what he is trying to say.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 11:53 AM) We keep talking about Fox like its a real news network. Is this really news? Well, in this case, really none of the mainstream news providers are doing a damn thing in the area of "real news".

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 11:24 AM) Not to bring this topic back to Afghanistan but I love Fred Kaplan at Slate. Always has an interesting perspective on Foreign Policy http://www.slate.com/id/2232194/ This is something that the government generally, and lately the military included, is bad at - focus. I like the idea, but, I don't see it happening.

QUOTE (Soxy @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 11:09 AM) During my lifetime: Includes stuff I can't remember Berlin wall falling Failure of the ERA amendment (I was 5 days old) 9/11 2000 election Challenger explosion Stuff I can remember 9/11 Princess Diana's death (more world impact than US) Jeanine Nicarico trials (not her death, but I remember reading about it a lot and the press coverage as a kid--it was terrifying) 2000 election The whole Ballyhou with the Episcopal church (and now the ELCA) about gay clergy (several of my friends used to be barred from ordination--and now aren't. It really restored my faith in THE CHURCH as an organization) Oh yeah, forgot about Challenger. I remember seeing that in school - everyone was watching because of the teacher aboard.

Retail sales generally (not store specific, but overall numbers) beat expectations for September. Overall sales decreased 1.5%, but that was due to a 10%+ drop in auto sales as expected - all other retail actually rose 0.5%, beating expectations. This lends further credence to what I espoused earlier, that the American consumers took the pendulum further back than was realistic long term, and they are correcting a bit. Markets are rallying on this and some better than expected earnings news, pushing to yet more year highs, breaking past some important technical resistance. Dow is now around 9980, just below the psychologically important 10k line. Still not seeing this run-up go much further, but, economic news continues to indicate a lessening of the recession overall. Hopefully this will help keep unemployment from rising a lot more (still likely to rise a bit more though). That is still the key to whether we double dip.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 13, 2009 -> 04:09 PM) I don't need to read the article to know it's stupid. LOL at the irony of this statement.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2009 -> 07:38 PM) It would be really cool to hear the top five moments during people's life times. Yeah, I think it might be easier to limit it to things that effected the country, and within our lifetimes. Doing the entire world over time is impossible. My biggest historical events for the U.S. as a country, in my lifetime... 1. Creation of and rise to predominance of the internet 2. 9/11 4. The flight from Saigon / the end of the Vietnam War 3. Berlin Wall taken down / End of the Cold War 5. The current economic recession and the financial meltdown that preceded it Katrina just misses the list.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 14, 2009 -> 08:47 AM) They are reporting events as they happen. If stories about Acorn and the like are the most occurring thing, that is what is going to be reported. The numbers are going to skew towards whatever is hot. That is their job. I would think you know that the President's job is a little bit different. When I have said this about various mainstream media outlets before, I was skewered for supposedly being blinded by liberal media bias.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2009 -> 07:39 PM) Well the big difference is that Mexico is invading us... The ghost of Pancho Villa?

QUOTE (scenario @ Oct 13, 2009 -> 02:00 PM) What are you talking about? The highest ERA he had at any level in the minors, until he got hurt in 2008, was 3.65. In 2007, he looked very good in AA... at 22 years old... good enough for him to be rated one of the Yankee's top 10 prospects. But the last two seasons (2008-2009) he's had injury issues. So, I don't get why people are treating him like he's garbage. I highly doubt that KW and the Sox are giving up on him yet, for the reasons you mentioned, his injury, and what the scouts saw in him. He'll start at AAA Charlotte in 2010, and if he's successful, he'll be right back in the mix.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Oct 13, 2009 -> 12:17 PM) Game 1: Peoria Javelinas vs. Surprise Viciedo in the lineup, playing 3B, batting 3rd. No CJ or Danks, though.

I can't see the vid at work, but, I figured the GOP'ers in here would appreciate this just for the headline: Obama to Open Diplomatic Talks with Raging Wildfire.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2009 -> 11:30 AM) Entirely possible that his terrible season was injury-related this year and they want to give him another shot. I'm guessing that is their view. I'd protect Marquez before Armstrong.