southsider2k5

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:39 PM) For the same reason they aren't kicking out executives who pay themselves too much. Boards and executives are like a fun little club, often so intertwined that there is no real check and balance there. Furthermore, as I am sure you know, the markets have pretty much decided that executive pay is not something worth worrying about when dealing in stocks. So, the Board generally has no motivation to boot them. It is, IMO, an inherent weakness in the system. When a company is going bankrupt, they have a choice. If it were really an option, SOMEONE would have done it by now. When you are talking about millions of dollars being hemorraged, and the big factor is a companies stock price at the board level. They want that price up to protect their own investments. If they really thought it would fix the company, and save it money, they would have done it. Seriously the suggestion you are making is akin to the White Sox releasing their entire team and calling up Birmingham to replace them because they are "professional baseball players" who are only two layers removed from the level the White Sox are at.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:27 PM) I buy it all day. You really think, if you work your way down the org chart, at a large financial firm, that there is some ginormous drop off from C-level to Senior VP level? Or from CEO to ther C-level? Or from SVP to VP/JVP? No way. They all moved up the chain at some point. Its not a giant step after level ground, its small steps at each level. In fact, I'd say the transition we are talking about for, say, an SVP to a C-level job, internal to a firm, is usually going to be faster, than hiring a similar C-level guy from elsewhere. If it was really that easy, why aren't boards dumping entire executive teams and saving millions of dollars?

QUOTE (lostfan @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:26 PM) You completely missed my point. Is the government lacking in specialized skills with demanding hours because they don't pay truckloads of bonuses? Actually yes. That is why people leave the government for the private sector all of the time. You want a great example? Look at pretty much all of the groups regulating all of the individual pieces of the financial sector. They completely failed, and a large portion of that was people who don't have the skills or knowledge to do their jobs.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:17 PM) Thus, one cannot objectively claim that Frank is the greatest Sox player ever and that nobody else is even close. You can actually. It has more to do with their standings within their eras versus anything else. Really it is opinion-based, so it is hard to say that you can't make an argument.

Lately, he doesn't care about excuses, just reasons.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:17 PM) Quite a few, actually. Look at any large organization - for every level of executive, there are 10 in the next level down for each one in that level, who would LOVE to do the job. And those people didn't get to that next tier by being slouches either. They are all qualified, and some would do a good job. There is no magic executive thing here. They all started somewhere else, and moved up. So really, a handful of companies, can't find new executives for $500k a year and an ENORMOUS resume boost for being part of repairing a company and having a C-level title? That's ridiculous. Now, I will certainly say that I wish they had made caveats on the executive compensation restrictions with TARP firms, that allowed for larger payouts much later that were directly performance-related (i.e. stock grants or options). But that isn't really huge thing to me either way. Also, if your firm did this horribly, you SHOULD be looking for new blood, not recycled executives. With the specialized knowledge of this specific field? I don't buy it for a second.

Not really, but it is worth a try.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:10 PM) Some of you need to realize that good baseball players existed prior to 1980 and that not every superstar in today's game is superior to the superstars of your father's or grandfather's era. You can opine all you want about Frank being better than Walsh, but to objectively claim that "it's not even close" is just silly. Walsh is in the Hall of Fame for good reason: He's the all-time leader in ERA (1.82), he had a 40-win season in 1908, and he had five 350+ IP seasons (including two of over 400 IP). That's a remarkable career, even for the dead-ball era. I'd love to see one of today's pitchers win 40 games or try to throw 400 innings in a single season. You can not equate essentially 19th century statistics to a 21st century game. I could spend an hour talking about how different things are, and how much different things would be.

Plus if you ever get pulled over for DUI, you can refer to this thread to help you get through the sobriety tests!

QUOTE (lostfan @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:07 PM) High-ranking government employees probably only make about 190k (give or take a couple dozen) and work just as hard if not harder. 14 hour days, etc. There are plenty of people who work just as hard for minimum wage. Should we cut the governmental employee salaries too?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 12:03 PM) If $500K isn't enough incentive to do a good job then you won't find many tears streaming down my face for these people. Talk about greed. Its all perspective.

Some mod will lock it, much to our disappointment.

QUOTE (Brian @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 10:33 AM) All the "Ambassador Tony Dungy" stuff was annoying me for awhile. Is it possible he was a tad overrated as a coach? 12-0 under Caldwell. Don't get me wrong, I think Dungy's record as a coach speaks for itself, but can we stop looking at him for answers to everything in the NFL. Its funny how having one of the all-time greats on your team can make a coach look great, right Phil Jackson?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 11:30 AM) If the playoffs started today, I'd be in the "start Niemi" corner. While Huet has looked much, much better lately, I don't think there is much of a question that Niemi has looked better. He was a golden god against Pittsburgh.

QUOTE (balfanman @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 07:47 AM) I will state right now to the amusement of some here that I think that the Royals are going to turn into a team to be reckoned with. Probably not next season, and maybe not even 2011, but they will. I really like how their new G. M. is building things. Back around 2000 I was posting on the Sox MLB board before they changed over. I made the comment after the Sox won the division in 2000 and were getting ready for the 2001 season and posters were commenting on how the Sox only competition in the division would be the Indians. I mentioned that I thought that the Twins were up and coming ( after suffering through many terrible seasons) and I pretty much got laughed off of the board. How has that prediction turned out over the last 8 - 9 seasons? Not to pat myself on the back, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. I get the same feeling about the Royals now that I did about the Twins back then FWIW. FWIW, people have been saying this about the Royals for years now. It still hasn't happened.

Unlikely that this one goes nearly as long as the other one.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 09:50 AM) Eh, go ahead. Quit. I don't personally believe this garbage about there supposedly not being quality executive candidates available who can do these jobs. I think there are plenty. And in fact, having new blood is probably better for the company than the same old crap. Best thing for them is to find people, internal or external, who are willing to be part of rebuilding a company. I have zero doubt you could find some very smart, very capable people willing to do that. How many executives do you think could handle this job, seriously? And oh yeah, they have to be willing to work for $500,000 a year and very little bonus incentive. Anyone in their right mind is going to find employment somewhere they can make more money for themselves by multiples of total dollars. We are talking 10 X's or way more in many cases. You are seeing the exactly flight of quality that was warned about before.

In the midst of all of the tributes and commemorations for Pearl Harbor day, I came across this event for the first time. It is known as the Other Pearl Harbor. I had never heard of this before. Apparently it was classified until basically 1960, so no one really has talked about it. http://battle.netgate.net/westloch/westloch.htm

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1260152381...14353:b29231116

QUOTE (Big Daddy Kool @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 09:19 AM) Man, Cowley just keeps pouring it on: cst_sox: Meanwhile, Soxnet.net reporting AGone talks with SD, LA and Sox now a four-way with Madonna now included. Trib makes Gonzo follow it up. In other words, he can't actually find a story, so he is still trying to be funny. How pathetic.

Jordan Danks will NOT be our leadoff hitter in April 2010. Even if he were to make the team, Guillen will put him down the order, like he always does with rookie.

Ugh. This hurts. But it still wouldn't surprise me either. There would be more involved, as I don't think the Sox want to spend that much money in one spot.

Happy Birthday Matt!

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 7, 2009 -> 08:08 AM) Source? What are you talking about? It's in the WSJ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126015136036479479.html

Weis just needs to STFU before he becomes too damaged of goods to get another decent job.