southsider2k5

Much better episode. John Locke is such a little b****. That dude has gotten them into more trouble than any of the criminals or anyone else combined. He has never been able to leave well enough alone, and always thinks he knows better than everyone else. His stupid obsession with showing that he knows more than everyone else has cost them a couple of times. The ping pong game was awesome. They totally sold you on the whole Asian/ping pong stereotype and then they threw Hugo in there who whipped Sawyers ass. Classic. The best part of that was Hugo saying they had a table "where I used to hang out a lot." The stuff with Sayid meeting one of his torture victims was tough as well. He is so good at saying just enough to get by, and he totally played that perfectly to survive. It will be interesting to see what they do with the Russian guy, and the previews kinda gave it away.

Seriously, can they just take all of the girls and tell the guys to go back to parking cars or busing tables?

Hey, hey the fun just keeps coming. The NEW and IMPROVED, least corrupt congress EVA is still taking their marching orders seemingly from the same things they b****ed about for the last 6 years or so. Remember the whole flap about the energy companies being involved in the writing of energy policy and the Dems being all pissed off because they weren't allowed access to know what they did, and how they did it? Well this one is a quick hitter, buried in a Lou Dobbs column, but it seems the Chamber of Commerce is actually writing our new immigration law, and the Repubs are shut out of the process. I am so glad that all of the promises of being bigger and better than the last six years have lasted until Daylight savings time... Oops. I do look forward to finding out exactly how this is different though.

Is payola really dead? This could be where Barrak Obama could really get big leagued by the guys who have been around the block with the whole finances thing. He already had the stuff with his house and indicted fund raiser Tony Rezko, now this comes out of the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/us/polit...agewanted=print

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 12:06 PM) Yes, but that has nothing to do with these comments. "They can pitch on a Championship team. Otherwise they wouldn't be here." Is this supposed to refer to their mental toughness, or "grinding" abilities? On it's own merit, I wouldn't have thought much about the quote. But the preceding sentence of "We look at things a little differently sometimes than other clubs..." suggests a different philosophy in regards to our pickups. Is Williams implying that he acquires players to play on a championship ballclub, yet other teams don't? Just a strange thing to say, IMO. This is my belief -- he's refering to the methods used to evaluate players. By suggesting he does things differently, he's refering to scouting more than statistical data. Why else would Floyd be on this ballclub, afterall? Wow. You got all of that out of that one sentence?

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 11:15 AM) I thought this KW quote in the FoxSports article was very interesting, speaking in regards to the new pitchers: So if they don't need to be anything but a No. 5 now and next year, doesn't that imply that the current 4 will all be around in 2008, including Buehrle? KW normally chooses his words very carefully and this seems pretty obvious. Either that or they would look at aquiring another decent pitcher somewhere along the line... We all know Kenny has a group of guys on other teams that he is trying to trade for all of the time, just by listening to him talk about how long he works to get guys to Chicago. QUOTE(Hideaway Lights @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 11:29 AM) Levine is on 1000 right now the sound byte from Mark was: Levine: have you talked with your agent Mark: yeah, we talked last night Levine: so are you guys planning on approaching kenny Mark: well, that's why I hired an agent, to do contract talks. So any contract questions you'll have to direct to my agent. (end soundbyte) Levine on 1000 immediately after sound byte ends: Yeah, translation, Buehrle's agent is going to make a pitch for a 3 or 4 year deal in the next couple of days. WTF? LOL. Talk about trying to create a story. I am glad Mark has learned the art of the "no comment". It should serve him well the rest of his career. QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 11:44 AM) The useless jersey club is a pretty awesome one which includes: Damaso Marte, Billy Koch and Joe Borchard. So don't feel too bad. I wear the Jeff Bajenaru jersey proudly, thank you very much QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 11:54 AM) It does? Considering three of the four pitchers mentioned will be back next season, I don't believe he gave a "freudian slip" and played his card concerning Buehrle. What concerns me more is the first line and last line Williams gave in response to Rosenthal's question: Why the hell should it matter whether someone can pitch on a world series championship? The true goal of trading McCarthy and Garcia should have been obtaining the greatest amount of talent. I don't know about many of you, but this answer doesn't sound like someone who's confident the prospects received are good ??? Is the only goal that matters winning a World Series?

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 11:03 AM) I've spoken with a couple people who are ex-military, and it does seem that conditions at VA hospitals have been bad for some time now. But I think its interesting, we all (myself included) complain about our politicians AND the press here a lot, and how things are politicized for someone's gain. In this case, though, the fact that the bill was brought up and the articles were written is an example of how the political system and the free press actually worked in a positive way. Politics resulted in good - what a concept. Well its good that things might get fixed now... Where were these people over the last few decades? This has been going on for a long time, and no one said a damned thing about it. That being said, hopefully they can get it right, but I am not holding my breath.

How would you like to wear your ass for a party hat?

Braff would get $350K for 7th season, per episode

QUOTE(chiguy79 @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 09:55 AM) contract talk did not sound promising... Joe Crede will not be a Chicago White Sox once his free agent years begin. Period.

QUOTE(Tannerfan @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 09:42 AM) I think everytime I've seen a "Levin reports" thread on this board it has always been wrong. I could see that considering I have no idea who "Levin" is

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 09:28 AM) 4 yrs, $56M is not a bad contract, IMO. However, if they do a 3 yr $42M contract, they should give him a huge kicker in that 4th year option (say $16-$17M)... can you imagine what the salaries (going rate) will be in 4 years? That's scary to ponder. Either that or if they are going to offer him $14 for the last year, offer him a big buyout, say like $5/6 million to put the guarenteed money up closer to $50 million.

QUOTE(EvilJester99 @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 09:23 AM) Levine said he expects Buehrle's agent to ask for 4yrs @14 mill. He thinks KW will counter with 3yrs @ 14 with an option for a 4th. Jesus H Christ! If Mark Buehrle ASKS for that contract, you get him to sign it ASAP. That is a STEAL in this marketplace. In all honesty, that way closer than I would have expected. Also out of curiousity, has anyone caught what MB's fastball has been hitting on the gun so far?

I think lots of these players thought the Sox would cave into their demands, and when the Sox started making plans without them, it kind of sobered them up. I have said all along that this would be the last year for the Sox with Buehrle, but if you think about it, he can't get a much more ideal situation for his playing career. If he leaves here as an FA, he is going to expected to be a savior, which he is not. He also will probably end up much further from home, unless the Cubs throw a ton of money at him. (if he is telling the truth about never signing with STL) Family has always seemed to be a big deal with Mark, as his family is at tons of events with him (games, Soxfest etc). Maybe this could happen? Ah, I better just not get my hopes up. Any guesses as to what the magic numbers might be? How low would MB go in terms of dollars and years? 5/75?

Damn, I hate to see that.

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 6, 2007 -> 10:17 PM) We have to get him... 3 Josh Fields would be awesome! Imagine if they all made it to the bigs with the White Sox at some point.. It'd be (dare I say it?) Joshua Fields forever!

Also on the deal, if you are Kenny Williams and the agent comes to you and offers his pitcher with a one million dollar payCUT, and wants to add only three years to his deal, you'd have to be borderline retarded not to do it. As much as pitching is overpriced in this day and age, you still have to have it. In a vaccuum this deal is terrible, but that is the price of doing business today. If you want a 30 start, 200 inning guy, you are going to pay at very least 10 million dollars a year. Throw on top of it the allure of the guys arm, and you are looking at a 5 year $65 million deal on the open market. Ridiculous, hell yeah it is. A fact of life? Yes again. At worst, he has solid trade value, because of his discount to free agents, and relative shortterm deal, unless his arm falls off.

QUOTE(G&T @ Mar 7, 2007 -> 06:24 AM) I'll throw this in here. Pretty good read, but nothing all that new. FoxSports.com Interview With KW One really interesting thing for all of the conspiritalists who swear the Sox have a ton more money after the attendence increases... they are wrong

Its kinda interesting because from an economic standpoint this is an absolute truth: The cheaper something is, the more of it that will get used. The uninsured aren't going to use as much healthcare, because they economic incentive not to do so, while the insured, will use way more, because they have no incentive not to. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/hea...,1,236737.story

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 6, 2007 -> 10:03 PM) BS. This existed long before the Iraq war. I don't know exactly how far the bad VA hospitals go, but my first hand knowledge of them goes back to my Dad's dealings with them as far back as I can remember, after he was a victim in of a bombing back on his base in Vietnam. He spent six months in hospitals before he was even fit enough to return back to the states, and even then, the level of care he got in the Army meant that as long as he didn't raise he arm above his head, his shoulder would stay in its socket. Anything more than that, and it would dislocate. He literally came back to the states, and paid out of his own pocket to have his shoulder fixed in private practice because the army didn't see the problem with it. Throw in some decent, but not major, Agent Orange after-effects, and he has seen a few VA hospitals, as have I when I went with him to appointments. He is too this day considered a 20% disabled vet because of the injuries he endured over there, and has been in and out of VA hospitals over the course of 35+ years, especially the last 25 or so as he became physically unable to work in his mid 30's. (partially due to those injuries, and partially due to some bad luck, and another part dumb decesion making) This is not a new thing, dispite the press just latching on to it. Ask any of the 25 million or so vets who are out there, if they have ever had the misfortune of setting foot into a VA hospital, and prepare to be incredibly depressed.

I'll even throw out a wildcard name that no one would be thinking of, and that's Alan Greenspan.

HARRY CAREY IS A ZOMBIE ?!>!>!)(U%(NBF(H (*)???

QUOTE(salty99 @ Mar 6, 2007 -> 01:35 PM) I'm sure if you paid your money and have your tickets you'll be set with your 27 game plan with postseason. This new 24 game plan must be for new buyers only. Good point... did you renew your 27 game plan, and they stuck you with this, or are you buying them new?

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Mar 6, 2007 -> 01:45 PM) What about appointing McCain or Guiliani? Might be a good strategy to ensure a presidential victory in '08. Depends on Bush's approval ratings during the interm. If they are put into office, they can't distance themselves from his policies anymore. Plus I doubt they would want to do so, because it would take away from their time campaigning. I still think Rice is the ideal choice for them.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 6, 2007 -> 01:33 PM) That's the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread title. I'm sure it'll be easy for Bush to get one of his cronies through both houses right now. If I had to handicap it, I would bet on Condi. She is one of the few left from the old group, plus Bush would have a chance to go down in history as putting both the first female and the first minority into the VP slot.