NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 11:08 AM) Ok, then aside from Mitchell, who did we draft who has impressed so far? ITs all relative to their expectations. Some of the guys drafted lower, like Shoemaker or even Serafin, have done very well so far. But it is still waaaaaaaaaay early to judge the draft, beyond the signing aspect, which the Sox seem to be doing pretty well with so far.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 10:54 AM) Isn't a big problem with this idea that the government already owns tons and tons of land? And people (i.e. Harry Reid's family, oil companies, and other mining companies) keep finding ways to convince the government to develop or give them that land at a huge discount? Basically you'd need the government to go start buying up failing housing. You don't get much in the way of resources if you have the government buy up vacant subdivisions outside of Orange County and Las Vegas. You buy different land for different purposes, as noted. As for the corruption, any plan anyone comes up with to fund anything will run afoul of some of that - its an X factor I cannot account for.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 10:27 AM) I've watched a lot of baseball and that would have stood out to me. So show me that they did. Circular argument - I never said they did or didn't, and I don't care, you brought them up as some sort of example, even though you made a statement you cannot prove.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 10:24 AM) Jeter, Ripken Jr etc (good leaders) do not go that route. I think it's classless. First off, do you know they didn't? I don't think you could know that. Second, its all opinion I guess, but if someone is out there giving plays the ole, or just not focusing, then they need a quick slap to the jaw. I liked it. Feel free to see it otherwise.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 10:18 AM) lol. That's what Obama originally wanted to do but he let Congress write the legislation. We ended up getting a messy pile of s***f***. He wanted to buy land? I don't recall that. I do think he wanted something much more focused, but as you said, it got Congressed into a steaming pile of garbage.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 10:17 AM) Behind the scenes, sure. I think in-game is better. Not only is it immediate, when guys are thinking baseball, but it puts Alexei on the spot in front of the fans, which I am all for.

So, its too late now, but I had an idea recently about the Stimulus bill(s). We spent a lot of money (or will spend) on a lot of short-term stuff like construction funding, as well as some money for energy and transit infrastructure. But a lot of it isn't very sustainable, which is a shame. Here is a better idea, if you are going to spend this much money, for what the federal government should have done: buy land. Think about this for a second. We have an economy in the worst hole since the Depression, and one of the major factors in that is the collapse of the housing bubble. So what I would propose is, the feds should have spent the money on buying up land - land of various types, all over the country, that could be used for things like resource extraction for energy, or wild land protection, or for lease to various industry purposes. Think about the advantages in doing this: --By purchasing a lot of land, you take supply out of the real estate market, helping prop up prices, and therefore people's equity, allowing fewer people to get upside down --You also put money into the hands of people trying to sell or people in mortgage-related trouble, which allows them to go purchase other property or pay off debts --You help the financial industry with some of the bad mortgage debt, making them healthier and more able to lend more readily --You give yourself the ability to extract more resources (water, oil, gas), or create more energy (solar or wind fields, energy grid infrastructure) --You can protect more wilderness and green spaces, helping improve air and water quality --You create jobs to maintain those spaces which will actually last a while, instead of a 3 month construction job --This creates more movement in the real estate market, which puts money into the governments of states and localities via transfer and other taxes, which they need right now --Some of the money would ultimately go straight into the economy as spending, to help move the economy forward --Other money is invested in the markets, helping them do better as well, which helps all of us --Unlike, say, construction jobs, this plan puts larger chunks of money into the economy right away - it is more immediate than much of the other stim funding that is being planned. --Land could be sold at heavy discount to industry wanting to develop something new, helping them grow. The second phase of this plan would be a transfer plan. Some of the land may stay in federal hands, but much of it can be turned over to private entities. Energy-producing areas can be sold to energy companies to manage, again creating private sector jobs, and allowing the land to be sold with certain easements and caveats to protect the public interest. Wild lands can be turned over to non-profits like Nature Conservancy or Audubon Society, creating more jobs and value for those entities, still protecting the land from haphazard development but not putting the cost onus on the government. Still other land can be handed to states or localities for whatever best purpose they desire, helping those governments in their efforts at smart development. The only big disadvantage to this method of stimulus, that I can see, is that even after the transfers occur over time, some of the land will still be in federal hands. It wouldn't be a huge change, but there would be an overall increase in federal land holdings, giving the feds more control. The best way to address this is through an aggressive plan to make those transfers, and furthermore, apply those transfer plans to already-held lands. This should be a government philosophy moving forward - where private or non-profit groups can make more efficient use of land in its intended purpose, make it a priority to sell it or donate it to them. To reiterate my basis here, this is all under the assumption that we want to spend the money at all - I am not addressing here the question of whether or not the money should even be spent. Thoughts?

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 09:39 AM) Hello Soxtalk! I've lurked for a while around here and finally decided to jump into the fray. This topic really makes my blood boil because it seems like the Sox pack it in after the 5th inning on offense. You want the numbers? In the Sox last 9 games, the team has scored a total of 4 runs--all in one game-- from the 6th inning on. I watched all the games and checked all the box scores. That's a span of 35 innings in which the Sox have put up nothing but goose eggs in all but one game. That one game was last Wednesday in a come-from-behind victory over the Rays at the Cell. Since that game, the Sox have gone 6 games and 25 innings without scoring a run in the 6th inning or later of any game. That is just not going to cut it. There have been three one-run games in that stretch in which the Sox took an early lead but never added on, allowing the Tigers and Twins to come back and win in the late innings. It's not a sabremetric formula that can be proven, but I feel like if you rest on a slim early inning lead without adding on you're playing with fire. Even just adding one or two insurance runs in the middle to late innings makes a huge difference in the momentum of the game, and the psyche of the opposition. The Sox have done nothing in the way of run-scoring in those situations in the past week, putting momentum on the opposition's side and undue pressure on the bullpen to be literally perfect. Something is wrong with that. Yes the bullpen has struggled, but they're given literally zero margin for error. The Sox need to score some late inning runs!!!! Welcome to the board! And you definitely make a good point, which I think we all have seen recently.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 11:00 PM) Ha, sadly I forgot him. The definition of "legit" is very fuzzy. but as far as that group of six (including Poreda) you mentioned, meaning MLB-starter-likely talent in the upper levels of the system, I think you need to start considering adding Shirek to that list.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 08:35 AM) *yawn* Do you provide the same "yawn" when its about Obama?

The pitching and hitting for the Sox actually looked OK last night. Hitters got robbed a few times or hit the ball hard right at people, pitching looked pretty good. It was just the damn defense. And I was a big Alexei defender at SS for a while - early in the season he looked decent and with skills to improve. But as the season has gone on, he really seems to be getting lazy there. So anything done to light a fire under his ass is a good thing, in my view. ETA: There were also 3 plays that Konerko couldn't scoop, that he almost always does. That was a huge aberration, not something likely to happen again.

Get Tex out to New Mexico for the backpacking trip.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 28, 2009 -> 08:02 AM) Post some of these sources. Heck, I'd like to see the original sources as well, not just the discrediting ones. I understand it says "WHO Said...", but I'd like to know more. I may have to go Googling.

Armstrong was swinging a very hot bat at the time that Flowers was promoted. They may be trying to deal him, and want to show him to the scouts.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 04:28 PM) When a company internalizes order flow, they act as another market maker. They assume risk, even if momentarily, by taking on a trade and then offsetting it with another. Companies that use internalization have to have the operation completely separate from their brokerage operations as dictated by the SEC. A brokerage unit's only objective is to fill orders. There is also the misconception that internalization somehow hurts customers, which isn't true. In the end, even if a company didn't internalize order flow, the specialist in a particular area would make that same profit. A customer is always going to sell at the bid and buy at the offer, whether it is GS or a specialist in NYSE making the profit, it doesn't make a difference. All true. But there are still rules for what orders can be or can't be internalized, and further rules about where transactions have to be shown if they are going outside the walls.

Dan Remenowsky was very helpful in giving some nice detailed answers to our questions. This is also up on FutureSox. See his AAP page for more background. Enjoy... --- Were you surprised to not see your name called in the draft? Did the fact that you weren’t drafted add any extra motivation? And do you have any advice for other college players who don’t get drafted? Ahh I get this question often, haha. To be honest I was pretty upset and devastated that I wasn’t drafted at all, kind of made me question the whole ordeal but I definitely think it added motivation to try and succeed. I have a very supportive family but also great friends who were there for me. They helped me get through the process, and we knew it would be a long road but I’m glad that I’ve started on that journey with the White Sox. I don’t know what type of advice to give because I think it differs for different people, but I sat down with my parents and tried to map out how I could get into affiliate ball. I went to MLB showcases, and then as soon as I got a call from Windy City, through my Dad’s networking, I went straight there. All I wanted to do was pitch and I think the rest is history. 10 days later the White Sox got a deal done. Have you met or spoken with any of the other undrafted guys in the organization (like CJ Retherford, Ehren Wassermann, or Chase Blackwood), about their similar experiences? It’s funny because I had a locker right next to CJ in spring training and didn’t realize that he was undrafted. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about anything important really, but he seemed like a very likeable guy. I could see that he kinda knew the ins and outs of things, so I tried to pick up little things from him since it was my first spring training. Other than that I haven’t met the other guys. You dominated pitching in your college conference for four years, but some of your numbers dropped off a bit your senior year. Do you think that is why you weren't drafted? Was there an injury, or change of approach, that caused that? I think my velocity dropped off a bit, but I was able to learn the mental side to pitching with my pitching coach. I’m sure my velocity was one of the reasons why my stock might have fallen, but scouts could see that I understood how to pitch as well as set up batters and attack the strike zone. There was an injury to my lower back my junior summer that might have changed my mechanics a bit, but other than that I think teams in my conference had seen me for 4 years and kind of knew how I pitched. I’m not really sure why the numbers weren’t the same, but it didn’t seem like I threw as much my senior year as I had in the past. The season sort of flew by and before I knew it, my college career was over. Have you gotten to meet to speak with any of the guys on the major league club? If so, what were your impressions? I got to meet Jim Thome in spring training, Buddy Bell introduced me to him and I think he might have been one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and it definitely took me by surprise. Carlos Quentin, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have all been through here on rehab assignments and they couldn’t have treated us any better. I’ve had some great experiences with all of them, I think they all know where they came from and were looking out for us. It’s great to know that they tried giving back to us a bit in anyway they could, not that they should have for any reason. They definitely went out of their way. Tell us about your experience being signed out of the Frontier League – how did that work? Who did you meet, if anyone, prior to signing? It was pretty exciting. I made one start and I believe there were a few teams interested. A deal fell through the first time, but I made another appearance and that was it. My agent had some ties with Buddy Bell and thankfully they were able to get a deal done. It was a good experience because I learned from the older players who had been in affiliated ball how things worked. I was able to come into the system feeling more comfortable that I knew how the business was run to a certain extent. If you hadn’t been signed, and weren’t going to play baseball professionally, what would you be doing instead? That’s tough to answer because I still have some more school to finish. Baseball’s a passion of mine and I think I would have tried to get in any way possible. Maybe try networking for a front office job haha, I’m not really sure. Has the organization given you any plan for the future or timetables for your progression? Will we be seeing you promoted to High A Winston-Salem this season? Yeah I’ve been given some general timetables that I was happy to hear, but I don’t think it would be professional to share how exactly the meetings have gone. I believe there are still players ahead of me deserving a promotion because I think I’m still paving my own way with the organization. The best way to put it is that I’d be very happy to move up to a new level because it’s one more step closer to my ultimate goal of making it to the Show. I think the more polished I can get myself here the better I can be in the long run. Given that there seems to be virtually no scouting information available about you, can you tell us about your pitch repertoire? What pitches you throw, what velocity you throw them at, what sort of movement, etc. I have a 4-seam fastball, sinker, split, change, and spike curve. Right now I’m working on my fastball and changeup combo, but my splitter is my best secondary pitch. My fastball is 88-92, but still working to bump that up a little bit more, my changeup and splitter had similar velocities so I’m working on dropping my changeup lower and perhaps get more depth to be an above average pitch. I think my command is my best asset. I just throw the ball to the glove and don’t worry about the things I can’t control. Judging by your K rate, how does it feel to throw an invisible baseball? Seriously though, are strikeouts your goal, or would you be happier getting a first-pitch ground out? And do you have one pitch that has been your Haha, our pitching coach Larry Owens said that to me earlier in the season. I would much rather prefer to get a guy out on the first three pitches no matter what. I think a key for me is that I’m able to get ahead of the guys, and put them away when I have 2 strikes. I try to throw my fastball to four different spots and I think not throwing the ball down the middle of the plate has helped me so far this year. From the few pictures and videos we could find, you seem to have an unorthodox approach and a very high leg kick. How do you feel this has helped you? Do you think it makes the ball tougher for hitters to pick up? How did you develop your approach? I think it helps me get my arm through quicker, and it’s just become a habit for me. I don’t realize how high it is now and I’m surprised myself when I see the pictures. This might help get a little more deception, it’s just what I’m comfortable with so if anything I need to work on keeping it more compact with runners on base. It started as a joke with my pitching coach in college because I didn’t want to pitch with the phone booth technique my freshman year, and then it just kept getting higher and higher. My windup was similar to Bronson Arroyo without the long golden flowing hair. I just prefer the stretch, keeping with the same motion every time out because it’s easier to repeat. What area of your game are you most interested in trying to improve on? What aspect of your pitching are you most proud of? Right now I’m trying to bugs bunny my changeup, take some velocity off it since it’s around 80. I’d like to get as comfortable throwing it as my fastball, but I think that’s going to take some time because it’s hard while I’m closing games. The last thing I want to do is blow a lead, I take losing more personally then winning. I’m a thrill seeker and nothing compares to when you’re closing games out and the adrenaline’s flowing through you. I’m excited that I’ve been given those opportunities this season. --OK, now some easy questions, just for fun… What was your favorite baseball team (or teams) growing up? Born and raised in Cincinnati. The Reds. I’m glad they’re not in the American League. Who were your favorite players? Any particular pitchers you modeled yourself after? I love watching Manny Ramirez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Josh Beckett. They can be so dominant, or were while I was growing up. I didn’t know much about the White Sox growing up, but I do like watching Bobby Jenks now. I never really tried modeling the way I pitch after someone else, but I like how Josh Beckett pitches. Mark Buehrle is great watching how he sets up hitters. What stadium has been your favorite to play in thus far? Lakewood was awesome because it was in a great location and I was able to make it to New York City for the first time. It’s great to go to Lake County because I get to see all my family and friends, it’s always nice to get a home cooked meal. If you could play a position on the field other than pitcher, what would it be? And how is your hitting? I always liked playing the outfield, try and throw someone out. My hitting is a little suspect, but I guarantee I’m not going to get cheated up there. You’d see some full blown hacks, maybe even a pulled back but I’d hit that white thing a mile if I get a hold of it. What is the strangest thing you’ve seen happen on the field? I’ve seen a tripe play already this year, nothing really beats that. You got to love the head on collisions at the plate though! What music do you like to listen to? If you got to come out of the bullpen to close a big league baseball game, what song would you want playing? I’m a hard rock kind of guy, but none of that heavy screaming or emo stuff. I like a lot of pop and alternative, but I’m not a big country or rap fan. To come into a big league game you’d have to have your own song but also let people know you’re there, and not cliché…I think mine would be Mudayne’s- Happy. Favorite movie(s)? Way too many to name, I like a lot of Comedy, Action, Thriller, Horror, Drama…anything really. I’ll take on any challengers for the movie game. The best movies I’ve seen lately were Transformers Revenge of the Fallen and The Hangover. You were playing briefly for Windy City in the Frontier League. Did you get to know Chicago at all, as a city? What did you think of it? No I wanted to. I have a cousin that lives in Wrigleyville, that might take away some of my street cred haha, but I hadn’t been to Chicago since UConn men’s basketball team won the NCAA tournament beating out Duke in 1999! I love Chicago style pizza though, Gino’s East of Chicago I believe it was. That stuff is amazing. I would definitely like to go back, but preferably not sight seeing. And finally, have you had a chance to look around SoxTalk and/or FutureSox yet? What do you think of it? My mom looks at all the blogs and fills me in at times. She keeps me posted pretty well, and from what I’ve seen of the site it seemed very informative. A lot of interesting stuff! It was a pleasure taking the time for these questions, thanks for asking me for the interview!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 04:20 PM) There is a big difference between a market maker and broker. I was thinking about also trying to explain the difference between venues - exchanges, light pools, dark pools, offer nets, etc. - but I just don't have the time to type all that out. Venue is key to understanding when an order is fair-viewed or not, and when it has to be or not, and to what audience, before execution.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 04:08 PM) Have you read/listened to her resignation speech? the whole thing is like that. I read parts of it. Forget Palin for a moment... who writes her speeches? Because either she butchered it beyond all recognition, or the writer a new job. Also, Alaska really has an agency called "Petroleum Oversight Office"? POO? Seriously?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 04:02 PM) How exactly is that any different from "Frontrunning"? There are some subtleties here, which I couldn't possibly answer in the space here. Plus, I sort of work in this space, so I am limited in what I can say. I really wish we could just sit down over a beer so I could explain it.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 03:59 PM) "It is as throughout all Alaska that big wild good life teeming along the road that is north to the future." - Sarah Palin's farewell address That sentence should be drug out into the street and shot. Like a wolf.

Yes, his wife is expecting around the end of this month. But I didn't know that it was 100% that Richard is going to the pen - where are you hearing that?

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 02:04 PM) This has been my stance for a while now: He gambled as a MANAGER. There is NO evidence he did so as a player. Find the middle ground: instate him as a PLAYER, but keep him banned as a manager. Let him in the hall as a player. This argument makes no sense, when you look at the evaluation criteria for the Hall. We can't look at a player or manager and select only certain aspects of their careers to include or exclude from consideration - the person is the person, real and whole. Also, Rose has lied, lied again, and kept lying, over and over, on gambling. I don't know if he gambled as a player or not (and don't really care), but if that matters, then take into account he has shown zero reason to trust anything he claims or denies.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 10:24 AM) The Hall is a crock with the lying gambler in it. I agree with this revised version of your post. No Pete Rose, No Shoeless Joe.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 27, 2009 -> 08:40 AM) Since this is the closest thing to a catch all I'll post this here. Skip the sports power drinks. Your best bet is to drink pure coconut water after a workout or run. Tons of electrolytes and more potassium than a banana. And you don't get all the high fructose corn syrup and other crap. O.N.E. and Zico are a couple of brands you can try. That's an interesting idea, I've never tried that before. I switched from Gatorade to Vitamin Water a while back, for my drink after I get off the bike on the way home - VW has the same water and electrolytes as G, but with vitamins added, and less corn syrup. But I'll have to give your idea a try as well.

I'll probably draw some ire for this, but... Beyond the Sixth Game, by Peter Gammons