southsider2k5

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 8, 2009 -> 07:47 PM) The main argument out there is the assertion that the Sox made a profit of $70 million from 2005-2008. I think if people didn't have that in their heads, they wouldn't be so upset...and the prices for most franchises keep appreciating (even in this market), so the average fan always feels like the owners of their teams have to spend wildly like Steinbrenner or Cuban or they're not "good" owners who care the most about their team winning. THey also always increased the payroll to match whatever profits that the team made from year to year as well. Its not like another Chicago team with a payroll similar to ours, yet is drawing a million more fans a year than us.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Feb 8, 2009 -> 12:33 PM) I assume you mean no restriction beyond requiring congressional approve for some positions. I agree he should be able to pick his people, and the voters should know who he is picking and why. Later, in theory, we could use that information to decide our next vote. Which is why I like the gate with exceptions. Those that require approval would get congressional approval. Those that don't, wouldn't. I know I don't want our President overseeing the world with a Sunday lineup. Let him pick his best staff. That is a part of the contract of electing a guy.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 8, 2009 -> 08:40 AM) He's been crying he has no money way before now. If he truly has no money, he's very fortunate those 2 turned him down, or he'd really be stuck. Its not like guys making 8 figures are easy to move these days.His explanation about Hunter and Fukudome was that they would generate a bunch of additional revenue such as jersey and t-shirts sales. I don't think Fukudome could generate $50 million in merchandise sales if he had 2 million relatives. The payroll was also higher then to reflect those times. Do you really believe the Sox should be spending as much in 2009 as 2008 with the economy the way that it is today? Do you really believe a big free agent splash would have the same number of ticket sales come with it this year as it would have last year? What huge revenues are you seeing that the Sox aren't spending that I am not? I have yet to see anyone show me that Kenny was lying when he said the Sox were tapped for this year. I see b****ing and moaning about it, but nothing to show it wasn't the truth.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 7, 2009 -> 07:31 PM) I still feel reasonably confident that Frank didn't use. Not 100% of course, as I can't be, but pretty sure. My fear though, is that when HOF voters look at him, if they don't know him well enough, he'll be looked at as part of the whole thing. Also, if I had to completely ballpark it, I'd guess something like 20% to 30% of major leaguers have, at some point in their professional careers, used some sort of banned substance. From the way it seems today, I wonder if its more like 20 to 30% haven't.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 7, 2009 -> 03:33 PM) Yet he offered Torii Hunter a lot and Fukudome $50 million. Doesn't sound like a guy who can't afford the electric bill. There is about zero comparison between the economics of the 2007 off season and the 2008 off season. There is no rational to connect our actions of last year to this year. The world has completely changed. Failure to recognize that would turn this franchise into the Coyotes.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 03:10 PM) nope conversation. I agree 100% that this is not what the sound byte (bite?) was. I'll even say it was lying. But I like this better. I think of this more like you don't get everything you want when you become President. In this case, like others, I'm glad this President is not getting what he campaigned for. I trust Mr. Gates and if he wants this guy, I think it would have been a shame if there was not a mechanism to at least make it possible. So let's call Obama a liar about this. But which policy do you prefer? No lobbyist under an conditions Lobbyists by exception No restrictions I'll take the second. Especially if they are all on the public record. I like flexibility. I prefer no restrictions. The President should be able to pick whomever he wants to work for him. Why should the most powerful man in the world have to have second rate employees because of who they used to work for? That makes no sense to me.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 7, 2009 -> 01:14 PM) So, in my admin role, not in my partisan liberal role, I'm going to say "please everyone chill out" and "if one person in particular is having a problem with the GOP only thread then perhaps they should stay out of the GOP only thread or make heavy use of the ignore button." In fact I'd probably strongly encourage both sides of this particular discussion to make use of the ignore button, as they should probably consider this a warning. Thanks for the post... I deleted mine that wasn't nearly as nice. Very Good job B.

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 04:35 PM) Something that does not increase the baseline budget the following 6 years. Corrected for accuracy.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 04:16 PM) JOB LOSSES It would nice if he would actually presents a stimulus plan that gets most of the money into the economy THIS YEAR to actually start to fix the problem.

QUOTE (longshot7 @ Feb 7, 2009 -> 02:30 PM) IF it turned out the entire 05 team was on PEDs, would it change your opinion of them? Who cares if it helps your team win - this is why cheating is okay and should be acceptable. I wish our team cheated more if it meant more championships. The reality is that probably a fraction of players were juiced on the 05 team. Heck if you take the 03 numbers of 104 positive tests, which doesn't include HGH type stuff, that is one in seven players testing positive. That averages out to 3 to 4 players per each team. Granted it sounds like some teams have a concetration of problems, but I doubt very seriously that any team has zero cheaters. It is inevitable that some of our favorites will end up being frauds to. It is going to happen, sooner or later, that a name will slip out of the Sox clubhouse.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 7, 2009 -> 12:14 PM) I actually agree with KW with extensions for these guys. They have had 1 good season each. You can't get too far ahead of yourself. Generally, if they continue like they have been, a year or two of arbitration still is a decent deal. The no money talk is what has to stop. I bow to Kenny here because in reality, he, for a guy with our payroll size, has avoided giving out a big and bad contract, as opposed to some of the albatrosses around baseball, hell just 8.1 miles north. At the sametime he has managed to keep a talent pool pumping into Chicago that has allowed him to avoid the free agent market to save the team. We might not like the 50 cents talk, but why hate on the guy for telling it how it is? I'd rather have that than the Schuler type crap about how we went after a free agent that we offered a fraction of the money that the other teams did. (ala Ventura at 3 years 18 mil as compared to NYM at 4 years 32 mil). Give me honesty every time.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 05:13 PM) I thought Cook was more of a corner guy? Doesn't he play LF/RF/1B? He talks about it in his interview.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 7, 2009 -> 05:11 AM) On signing players like Quentin, Floyd, Danks, etc., to long-term extensions... "You are way, way too far ahead there," Williams told Merkin. "I have to look at how the Dow Jones did today and see the general state of the economy before we start committing large sums of money out there." Assitant GM Rick Hahn provided a more optimistic outlook, noting that multi-year contract talks don't typically take place in early February. "Historically, you talk about it in Spring Training, in a more relaxed atmosphere," Hahn said. "There has to be a meeting of the minds, with a willingness also on the part of the player and the agent." Has KW set the record for most comments about the economy/stock-market this offseason? It's getting a little tiresome now. It's one thing to acknowledge it as A BIG ISSUE but to be consumed with talking about it every day, that's not exactly a good way to motivate the fanbase. It would be better if he just said the market conditions are challenging for every team out there but the Yankees and Mets, and that the White Sox, like many teams, don't want to make any long-term commitments before we have a full grasp on when/if the economy might turn around...and what kind of actual losses teams might experience in 2009. Kenny is answering a question. Its not like he is going out and saying this to anyone he can corner. Reporters ask, he answers.

Damn. Tested positive for two different roids in 2003.

No one has mentioned the pumps yet? Anyways, my favs are on my feet right now. The Nike Air Shox.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 02:52 PM) I didn't see Obama posting the article. Makes me wonder why you posted it if you don't want to discuss it. I think it is a good policy, and appreciate that waivers are possible. It's better than what we had. Oh good god, are you really searching for an arguement today or what? lol. We flat out got lied to. He said lobbyists, "won't find a job in my White House," Now they can as long as they are "qualified". It was a BS soundbyte for the campaign trail that he never had any intent of following through on. It would be different if this hadn't have happened multiple times before.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 02:47 PM) So SS, are you suggesting that Obama's executive order barring lobbyists is bad, or the waivers are bad? It would seem to me that this process is pretty good. This way at least someone, perhaps the President, is keeping a look out for this, while still allowing exceptionally qualified candidates to serve. Seems like an improvement over what we had, which was no gate at all. Obama is the one who suggested that lobbyists were evil, not me. Ask him.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 02:35 PM) Jesus, the more I read of that, it looks like something Cubano would write. Get us more gems, please, ss2k5. Only if you promise to keep missing the point.

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/02/02/the-...y-on-lobbyists/

You gotta love Sarah Palin.. Er Joe Biden. With these odds, why are we rushing to spend a trillion dollars again? http://www.cq.com/flatfiles/editorialFiles...l?docid=3026783

Here is the fine print... This change is toothless. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=was...id=azVLk.22AkLI More at link.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/f...over-long-haul/

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 01:56 PM) I seriously don't understand why Steve Martin continues to re-up for these dogs. Give me good old-fashioned Man With Two Brains or The Jerk. Great. Now we will probably see a remake of "The Jerk" or something...

The interesting thing would be if somehow Blago beat the charges, then what would happen? At worst he would have the mother of all lawsuits. In reality, it would be interesting to see him challenge to get his job back.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 6, 2009 -> 11:07 AM) Let's assume we make the Noah + Tyrus + cap room for Amare deal. That leaves the Bulls with Aaron Gray as their starting Center. I wouldn't object to this of course, but that leaves the question...what starting C's are available this offseason as FA? You can put an Aaron Gray on the floor when you have a guy like Stoudemire to clean up after him.