NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 11:18 PM) I believe I was criticized on this site a couple months ago by saying the insurance cos. would be the next to fall. Quite a handsome return since. I think we all knew AIG was in trouble. But some of the other giants, who were more conservative, i.e. ALL, are doing OK (not great though).

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 03:46 PM) The guy has been given exactly one chance, and that was back in 2006. He sucked for the first half, and picked his game up the second half. Since then, he's been given no regular playing time to get any kind of consistency going. Funny how that happens to players. They cruise along putting up great numbers in the minors, maybe even a bit in the majors... then they hit a rough spot. The question always becomes: are they topped out and just not going to be that good? Or do they just need time to adjust? Or was it just a bad patch they would get past? KW has made a business of trading for players like that, i.e. Quentin, Lillibridge. But then some, like Anderson, seem to never get a second chance. So who fits in which category? Quentin was obviously very good, and just stumbled and had injury issues. Is Lillibridge that good, and is likely to show it? What about Ehren Wassermann, who was great all the way through the minors, and in 2007, then sucked in 2008? Can Anderson rake in the majors at some point, or at least be pretty good? Is Jack Egbert topped out at AAA, or was last year a fluke? I think these discussions are really interesting. How do you decide when a bad year is just a bad year?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 03:43 PM) Clearly, the only way around this problem is larger retention bonuses. This is what you get when insurance companies decide to become market speculators. Just a really bad business pairing model, fraught with risk, which should be the opposite of what an insurance company enters into.

Anyone going to AZ to see games in the next week or two? I am looking forward to reports on how folks look. I'll we've got right now is Joe Cowley's irritating bloviations, and I trust people here more than I do him.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 03:41 PM) I've ridden it 4 times...if we are talking Metra (is that part of amtrak?) then it multiplies to a high number worth mentioning. Metra is a regional rail cooperative, not part of Amtrak.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 03:23 PM) Show of hands though, who here actually rides Amtrak on a regular basis? Occasionally, not regular.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 02:41 PM) Except one of them is 4 years younger, still has potential and can play elite defense at 3 positions. I'm not about ready to give up on Brian after only 2 major league seasons, 1 as a platoon player and the other as a sporadic bench player. Of course I don't expect everyone to feel the same way. Not to mention, as I've illustrated before, Anderson raked at every level in the minors. Wise wasn't even particularly good during his minor league career. Which should be an obvious indicator of Brian's potential being much higher.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 12:37 PM) So, if say, the only one who had the authority to forcibly rewrite a mortgage was a bankruptcy judge, such that things have already gotten so bad for you that you're already in bankruptcy and the only question now is whether or not you can keep your house, is that uncomfortable enough for you? Yes, but, I think that will flood the system. I think it might be better to set up a mediation procedure within the courts for this purpose specifically. People looking for relief still need to do all the legwork and prepare a case, banks still need to work with the system, etc.

This is the other article in the Trib today, more about the Dominican in general with baseball scouting, and more info on Wilder. Lots of "sources" cited.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 11:18 AM) Here is the concept of what was going on (and no, this is not something that happens throughout the industry - and the Chicago White Sox did not "find this out and report it to MLB." It was found out by MLB & reported to the White Sox through arrests & warrants). Dave Wilder and his staff were in control of California (most of the Western part of the USA), and all Latin American operations (including Cuba, etc.). Wilder signed many (MANY!) latin-americans to rather large contracts (+ $100,000) who had no representation in the latin-countries. Now - for anyone who knows and understands latin scouting - there are almost ZERO players without latin representation (meaning - players in these countries are in academies run by agents from these countries who then sell players off to MLB teams to put in their own academies). Now - when a player has no representation - there is generally a reason, i.e., they're terrible. Now - what happened was this: Wilder would find these players and sign them for a large amount of money (as mentioned above) and then take their money as their "agent." Now - he had to get permission to pass these players off & what he was doing was supplying these players with fake birth cerficates taking as many as 5 years off their age & also supplying them with HGH & steroids (even as they were in MiLB). He was then taking this money and putting it into an off-shore account, taking the maximum amount possible at any given time and washing it through a business he opened up in Arizona that rehabs houses. "cheat" southsidesox.com Scenario, besides Juan Silverio, Anderson Gomes and Paulo Orlando, do we have any other players signed in the last 3-5 years (specifically from the Dominican, but theoretically all of Latin America) that are possibly part of this scandal? Gee, I wonder where Cheat got that information...

I see a few misconceptions in this thread... For one, I don't think the issue is "get it now", at all. In fact, high speed rail will get you there a lot faster than a car, and sometimes even a plane ride, for a lot of intercity routes. I think the real issue with Americans is the perceived concept of "freedom" and "control" that goes with a car. As for speed, let me illustrate. Look at one of those high speed corridors - the one that goes Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison-LaCrosse-Minneapolis. I happen to drive to the LaCrosse area a few times a year. From downtown Chicago, it takes 5 to 6 hours to drive to LaCrosse, depending on traffic. Right now, if you take the Amtrak, it takes about 4:45, so under 5 hours. Its already faster, but a little bit. Now, make that a high speed corridor, which increases speeds in the open by 40mph, and its suddenly 3.5 hours or maybe 4. Now, its a LOT faster to take the train. Same applies to other cities on that line - going to MIL, MAD, MSP... all significantly faster. Oh and, if you fly to MIL or Madison or LaCrosse or MSP, by the time you factor in commuting to the airport, waiting in lines, getting their early for check in and security, flight time, taxi time, and a high probability of delays... and the train is ALSO faster than flying. The issue is control. Americans have this idea that by driving a car, they have more "freedom". And it is sort of true, in terms of your ability to go places off the train lines. I hear this reason from people who make the stupid decision to commute to downtown Chicago via car. They say "I have control, I don't have to wait 10 minutes for a train". Never mind that it takes them longer, costs them hundreds of dollars more a month in parking and gas, and they have no freedom whatsoever during the commute (whereas on the train you can read, work, whatever). Their concept is, they have "control". That is the mindset you'd need to get past. Not speed. One other caveat - Amtrak is not price-competitive on some routes. That would also need to be addressed.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 23, 2009 -> 09:19 AM) Hopefully they've planned for such circumstances and have 6-12 months worth of expenses saved up so that in the event that they are unemployed, they aren't missing payments after only a month or two. Yes, having at least 6 months of money in cash or easily-liquidated assets for emergencies is essential. Of course, the flip side, is people of very low incomes often can't do this. But should those people even be able to purchase a house and get a mortgage? I don't think the percentage of people who are in mortgage trouble who fit the conservative-painted target of a reckless over-leveraged speculator is very high. But neither is the percentage of people who had jobs and savings and at least 20% equity, but have somehow gotten in the hole by some pile of bizarre circumstance, or been deceived by the evil banks. I think those are the outliers. Most people are in between - stretched a little bit to get the house, lost a job or are now underemployed, didn't save quite enough, or maybe got hit with some unexpected event. So you've got a full spectrum in there. Any mortgage saving bill should exclude speculators as much as possible, as a start. But no matter how you do it, I think it needs to be a painful process for those going through it. I know that sounds bad, but, you can't make this easy, or people will go right back to making the same mistakes. So, give them an out, but make sure its an uncomfortable out, so that they and everyone they know sees how painful it is to get in over their heads.

I do find it odd, and a bit disappointing, that violence is so readily accepted as OK, but god forbid a naked breast shows up somewhere. I'd much rather my kid see a few too many naked bits, than too much violence.

It really kinda sucks that the send-off thread for Joe Crede, who at least can be said to have been an important player for the Sox, has turned into a snipe fest.

I remember watching the game at the time. I'm a big Seaver fan, even managed to get a teacher in school let me read his auto-bio as an assignment. Watching him and Fisk work batters together is just great baseball.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Feb 22, 2009 -> 01:33 AM) I bought my house at market value, have a decent job, always make my mortgages on time without much difficulty, but I'm basically stuck in this house for several years now. I really doubt if I can sell it, and even if I could, it's worth like $40k less than when I bought it. And s***, I WISH I was buying a house now - I wouldn't have a problem securing a loan since I could use VA financing - because my payment would be several hundred less than it is now. Not that my monthly payment is hurting me (or else I would have had no business in the house) but who couldn't use an extra 500 or 600 per month? It's not just people who made dumb personal decisions that are getting shafted by the housing bubble (to say nothing of the people who are losing their jobs and losing their homes as a by-product of all this). And if someone in your position got laid off, you'd be right there with the others having trouble making payments.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Feb 21, 2009 -> 04:22 PM) I'm talking from these latest pictures. Where do you find these latest pics? I can't find the spring training photos, other than this Bartolo one that keeps being tagged.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Feb 20, 2009 -> 11:33 PM) Cook didn't even get an invite to spring training so he'll be in minor league camp and only play with the big boys during split squads and at the end of games after players have been optioned down and rosters are a little thin. He has pretty much no shot at a roster spot. Yeah, I'd love for Cook to get a shot at an OF position as a backup maybe. But ain't happening, barring some injuries. If the Sox can even get him to re-sign, then he's in AAA. If he rakes there, and there is an injury on the big club (Owens, anyone?), then Cook may well get called up.

Well, I'd rather he didn't end up with a division rival. But he had to go somewhere, not the Sox. I will miss Joe Crede. The only official jersey I've owned in my adult years is a black alternate Crede jersery. I loved watching him play 3B, where, until his back problems became too much, he was one of the best among current players. And, again prior to the back, I think he was coming into his own as a hitter. He was never going to hit for a high average with any regularity, or walk much, or provide much speed. But I think he is capable, when healthy, of very good production, mostly via power. Good luck, Joe. Except against the Sox.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 20, 2009 -> 02:17 PM) If he is trying to recognize the spin of an off-speed pitch, it make sense that he would be late on the fastball if he was having a hard time seeing it. Also, I am not sure if LASIK can address a stigmatism, but that can effect how well you see moving objects. The faster it is, the harder it would be to see well.

Also, I bet mr_genius didn't think his thread would go this far off axis.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Feb 20, 2009 -> 02:12 PM) We could go in circles with this. You're such a square.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 20, 2009 -> 02:07 PM) I was offended as soon as I saw your angle. Give him a break, he's old and needs to be graded on a curve.

I realize this is now turning into Diamond Club material, but, who is even left now who would be interested in O-Cab?

QUOTE (Texsox @ Feb 20, 2009 -> 01:56 PM) I can think of instances where an official has power to nominate but not recall. Supreme Court for example. Yes, that was my point though - there are instances where they can't, but, if there is nothing about not being able to, that doesn't mean it is DEFINITE that they can't. I think this is all very fuzzy.