NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 8, 2009 -> 01:46 PM) Just like with the EPA now being ready to regulate CO2 emissions though...they're keeping the back doors open in case the Congress decides to lock the front door. It's exactly what they're doing with Health Care...they learned rapidly from the stimulus bill how the minority is going to respond on these matters. On Health Care, if the minority wants to filibuster, fine, the October deadline hits and it passes without a filibuster through the reconciliation process, so you better get in line. On Climate Change...if the minority wants to filibuster, fine, the EPA issues regulations that are a lot more stringent than what you'd get by setting up a cap and trade plan. Sure, but they aren't going to immediately use the back door and then just hope they can fight through the mess by sticking a cross in the air. They're just smarter on these sorts of things, institutionally, than BushCo was.

On the running and injuries front, I'll tell you what saved me from 90% of my knee and ankles problems - orthotics. I got these foot pedal things made, molded to my feet, that I wear in my shoes. And honestly, I am not exagerrating when I say 90% of my leg joint problems went away* * Background, I have: flat feet, multiple ankle breaks over the years, Osgood Schlatters, Chondromalacia, and a variety of other knee and ankle issues.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 8, 2009 -> 01:40 PM) Again...I think it's leverage. That's the politically smart part I was referring to (in part). I think they know that trying ti fight the battle via a back door that way won't get them where they need to be as easily. Also, one thing ObamaCo is doing right so far, is handling anything science-related (as part of Interior, Energy, etc.). They are doing exactly what I thought they would - letting actual experts decide on things, even if it runs counter to what their base wants - instead of shooting from the hip. Its pretty much the opposite of BushCo, doing everything based on gut feelings and idealogical stubbornness.

Mark has been one of the most successful pitchers in baseball this decade. He's also got a low-effort, repeatable, low injury risk motion, he's baseball smart, and he doesn't rely on velocity. That all says he's got the potential to have a very long career. Pitching to age 40 and beyond is not at all out of the question. So, if he's not really serious about leaving the game early, I think he's got a great chance of getting to age 40, winning 250 or more games, and getting into the outside boundaries of HOF consideration. If he can find a way to win 20 games at least once somewhere in there, and get a Cy Young in there somewhere... then I think he's better than fringe for HOF in that case. We'll see what happens this season. Greinke WILL slow down, he's not keeping up a sub-1 ERA obviously, probably not even sub-2, and possibly not sub-3, so he is going to get hit around a bit at some point. Its all still in the air.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ May 8, 2009 -> 01:03 PM) FYI the Konami Contra code currently works on Facebook What the heck is a Konami Contra code?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 8, 2009 -> 01:01 PM) I know. Just don't see any logic in the inaction to date. Two reasons (though I am not saying I agree with them per se). 1. There are higher priorities that are taking most of his time right now. 2. In order for this to stick, and work well, he needs to time it right and land on top of the political wave. Do it at the wrong time, and the backlash could make things worse for all involved.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ May 8, 2009 -> 12:44 PM) I could be wrong but sale value has nothing to do with property taxes it is assessed value. When they reassess your home you may see a change. You should appeal your taxes and state the decreased value at which you bought it and why it was lower (ie the house was trashed). Correct, the assessed value is what they use, and that may or may not be the same as what you bought it at. Issue here is, it depends where you are. In the City of Chicago and Cook County, its goofy as well, and not easily predictable. Suburbs are different, counties are different, states are different. So where are you located?

So here is something interesting. The Bush Administration declared the Polar Bear endangered under ESA a few years ago, but limited the scope of that declaration. The decline of arctic sea ice was the main culprit, but they specified that said delcaration could not be used to effect anything outside their range (the arctic region). Their worry was that if Polar Bears were protected under ESA, and the main threat was climate change, that the protection as connected with ESA and the 5th amendment could cause a domino effect, where it could be used as a legal tool against any sort of pollution or warming-contributing activity. This year, Congress gave new SecInt Salazar permission to remove that restriction if he wanted to. After internal discussion, they have elected to keep the Bush limitation in place. I agree with this decision - without it, their is a lot of potential there for throwing the whole thing into legal chaos, and its not the appropriate or politically smart way to attack climate change anyway.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 7, 2009 -> 08:23 PM) I think it's kind of silly to use the term "Michael paved the way for lebron" that's not what was meant by keeping the context of the era in mind. There would've been a lebron regardless of a MJ, other players played the same way they just weren't as good. There is an intangible viewing quality to watching Michael Jordan play. It's not just, he was so much better. It's that he was so creative and you watched him and it was something you'd never seen before. He was doing things on the fly no one else could've thought up with 15 minutes and knowing what the defense was going to do. It was otherworldly. Good post, and thanks on the assist on my point. When I think of MJ, trying to compare him to someone else, the only one who comes to mind is... Mikail Baryshnikov. What Michael could do athletically, on the fly, was nothing short of art. I have seen no other athlete in any sport that I'd compare him to in terms of athleticism, other than that one.

I do hope they get rid of DADT. The military needs to join the laws of the rest of the country, as they've been for some time now, in not criminalizing or penalizing sexual preference and acts (not talking about marriage here). The military had to be forced into racial integration, it had problems along the way, but it happened and worked. Same with women in the military, although that is still happening. This one should be no different.

QUOTE (Brian @ May 8, 2009 -> 11:13 AM) Agree with KW, especially when it seems Q is taking the bean balls all the time. I've actually never seen him get beaned - not once. He usually gets it in the arm, shoulder, or back.

QUOTE (Cknolls @ May 8, 2009 -> 11:21 AM) http://thehill.com/the-executive/lawmakers...2009-05-06.html I still say this will be bigger than Abramoff, if it isn't already. I guess I'm missing the controversy here, as it relates to politics. I understand how its really bad for this subcontractor to have skimped on parts like that, of course. But how is this like Abramoff?

QUOTE (bmags @ May 8, 2009 -> 11:14 AM) I remember this editorial four years ago from a white house reporter really pissed that they had to keep correcting Bush's language when he was actually saying the complete wrong words every day. I've heard some stories from Trib folks about reports like Gonzales having to quote Ozzie. Apparently, they had a big meeting of writers one day, and the instruction was something along the lines of, quote more directly with less corrections. The very first objection raised was "um, Ozzie?"

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 7, 2009 -> 08:17 PM) We could go in a lot of different directions this draft. Personally, if we could come out of the first 5 rounds with some of the following players, I'd be ecstatic: Kendall Volz (P - Baylor, round 1-2), Aaron Miller (OF - Baylor, round 2-3), Bobby Borchering (3B - Prep, round 1-2) also, if we could throw in a prep catcher who's very solid defensively and has some tools offensively, as well as adding a bunch of power arms like we did last year with Hudson and Carter, talk about turning one of the worst, if not the worst, farm systems into at least a top 10 one in a matter of about 2 years. Your C description sounds like exactly what they did with Dubler, but he struggled mightily at Bristol, before turning it on a bit at the end. I was thinking he'd be in Kanny this year, since there is no real C prospect on that squad, but I guess they think Kevin needs more Rookie ball work after last year's cold start. I assume he goes to GF.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ May 8, 2009 -> 09:16 AM) Trout spend five years with the Sox! Oh yeah, forgot about that (I didn't look it up before posting).

I feel this needs to be posted, for the umpteenth time... "beaning" someone means hitting them in the head. No one here, is endorsing that, I think, and hope. Pitching inside, even hitting a few guys, is part of the game, and sometimes needs to be done (for all the reasons above). But no one should promoting hitting guys in the head intentionally. Just seems like people are saying "bean" someone, when they mean "hit" someone.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ May 8, 2009 -> 08:46 AM) In the post game press conference that I was watching and missed the Hawks first goal, Guillen said that Nix would get another day at short then they would reevaluate the situation. I think Ramirez is going to be staring down the barrell of the Juan Uribe role really soon. Much as I like what I see of Nix, I think that would be a mistake. Alexei needs regular at bats to get going again. Heck, maybe we need to move Alexei to CF.

QUOTE (bighurt4life @ May 8, 2009 -> 03:13 AM) Are we going to get anybody from the Brewers for him or did we just give him up for a favor from Milwakee down the road? You'd think that we could get something for a guy that was a 13th round pick just a year prior. Not like he was/is a bum or something. He's got some legit tools, could possibly turn into a utility guy down the road. He was traded for "future considerations". Lame. I've followed this guys since the draft, and I really feel like he's got some value, probably as a future utility player, but maybe more. It was flabbergasted that we traded him for basically nothing. My only theory is that the Sox middle infield in the mid-minors was just so damn crowded, that when MIL called looking for one, they said OK, to make room for guys like Beckham and Escobar. Apparently, we should have just moved him to first base.

QUOTE (bighurt4life @ May 8, 2009 -> 02:09 AM) I think that MB is probably one of the most underrated pitchers in all of baseball. He's been our number one guy for almost an entire decade which is just about unheard of anymore in the majors. He is incredibly consistent and durable pitching over 200 innings every season and generally giving the team a chance to win most every time he takes the mound. He doesn't have great stuff but gets by on guile, command, control and guts. This however doesn't tend to get you a Cy Young because he's never going to get 200k's or have a low 2's era. But i'll take him for what he is and let him continue to quietly be one of the best pitchers in the game. An all-star berth would be nice recognition though, because he is having an awesome season so far. Actually, Mark does have great stuff, just not great velocity. Crowning anyone Cy Young this early, even Greinke, is silly.

They were saying yesterday that since 2001, MB has more quality starts than any pitcher in baseball. THAT is awesome.

Is he related to Steve Trout, the former Cubs reliever?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 7, 2009 -> 05:06 PM) I can't imagine the way it is when your in your mid to late 30's. It hurts. Now shut up before I throw my walker at you.

Anyone know the day that Brian's DL trip is supposed to be up?

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:38 PM) No, it's a big deal because I think the Sox would rather keep Podsednik as the everyday starting CF. With Wise coming back in a month or so, there's going to be a tough decision to be made. Anderson is back well before that though. I think BA comes back and he platoons with Pods, and as long as Pods doesn't do terribly, Wise goes to AAA and stays there.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ May 7, 2009 -> 11:45 AM) Don't you have to be at least 5'10" to play first base? LOL, yeah, seems awfully strange to put a 5'9", 180 pound guy who has played most of his career at SS or 2B, over at first. Meanwhile, their starting SS is Brent Brewer (LOL, Brewer the Brewer), who is 6'2" and 198 pounds, and has 9 errors at SS in 25 games. Looks to me like they have people in the wrong positions.