southsider2k5

Now if the US really wanted to embarass Cuba, they would add all of the Cuban born players to Team USA. Good move by the US to let the Cubans play. Sports is supposed to be the absence of politics.

QUOTE(zach61 @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 01:11 PM) I would guess not, but can you back up your opinion searching on google for this one? When I googled "steff" and "b****" 33,300 hits came up. [insert joke here]

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 12:56 PM) lol I've heard simular stories, except it was at a park and everyone had their jaw dropped. I never knew someone could say the F word so much in a telephone convo. I couldn't tell you how many f'd up conversations I have heard people having on their cell phones on the train. Since I have put up my South Shore blog, I have blogged the good ones, but I remember quite a few crazy ones even before then.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 12:39 PM) And now, because of the mess with the news media last time, every time there's a mining accident this year, the media will treat it like they would a missing young white woman. No offense to the families of course...but there are hundreds of people who die every day. Hell, there are usualy 30+ coal mining casualties per year in a good year. The only reason why this is a story is that the last one was a story. Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll focus some spotlight on the weakening of inspection procedures and safety standards within the coal industry in the last few years, but it's doubtful the media will even make that connection. *edit: sorry for the filibuster-style rant. Trust me, the more headlines that make the paper for this stuff, the more chance that standards will go up and they will be enforced to the T. The spotlight has a funny way of making sure that people are doing their jobs.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Nah, that's just the Queen Mum going for a dip... Kidding!

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 10:41 AM) A couple of thoughts. This guy is a horse. He is built like a brick s***house, not sure what that means but I like it. Phsically I think he is all there. If he is as old as we think he his, wouldn't his agent be inclined to rush into signing a long term deal as an injury now could end his career. I therefore do not think he is that old. When he defected he was thought of more highly than any Cuban defector, he is not a flash in the pan. Hispanic players struggle in NY and he seems to have turned it around. Trading him now will not get what you could get from him. We do not need to gamble on "sure thing" prospects which we probably wouldn't get anyway. I think they ride him out and if he pitches lights out, good for us. I think in the end we get a discount. I think it is a risk for him to ask for more than 3 yr or $10/M a year but if he pitches like he did last year, look out. This guy could cost Cashman his job. The rumors were that he was looking for more like 12-13 million a year for 3-4 years when the word that contract negotiations weren't going well first leaked out.

QUOTE(crazyman26 @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 11:15 AM) Alot of interesting answers. I agree he tends to go into some horrable monthly slumps. I would like to see him reduce those. All players flucuate in their level at some point in the year, but to have fewer below-par dropoffs, and less severe ones is the keys, and more of those hot periods too. I was just wondering if they take the fact he gets fewer games and fewer at bats into account when looking at his HRs and RBIs into account. Also I hear alot of negativity around him, that unless he drasticaly improves he will be gone after this year, and the fact he was signed to only a 1-year contract at not too high a salary(I thought it might be around 3 million)is a sign of that too I would have thought. I am Canadian so I have no choice but to follow the Toronto Blue Jays alot, and we would have killed to have had a 3rd baseman that hit 22 homers in only 432 at bats, and along with Rodriguez and 1 or 2 others played the best defence of any 3rd baseman in the league, and who peaks for key games. That is why I am a bit surprised whenever I read critical articles of him coming from Chicago, but then again now that Chicago are the World Series Champions their standards probably go far up. Lots of it is that many teams have a whipping boy. There is that one player that always seems to be the target of everyone's ire. For a long time Joe Crede was it for the Sox. PLus there were big expectations for him coming out of the minors as a two time MVP of his respective leagues, and that makes people harder on him as well.

QUOTE(Steff @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 10:24 AM) No idea on why Mark isn't coming. I'll ask pop. Probably because he wants to force a trade to STL.... [runs away]

Thanks to some extreme generousity, I will see everybody Friday!!!

Stupid question, but I didn't see Ozzie Jr on the list of family members, I take it he was born here and already a citizen??

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 08:36 PM) Rates are going up, if you compare them to rates offered in the past 6-9 months. But 3 years ago, many people thought the bottom had dropped out and rates would be going way back up soon. It didn't happen and they fluctuated, at times going even lower over the next three years. My understanding (and a very limited one at that) is that Ameriquest typically deals with people with less than A credit. They typically don't have access to the best rates. The difference is this time the Feds are raising interest rates whereas 3 years ago it was just a bunch of mortgage sellers speculating. I am going to believe that when Greenspan/Bernanke want interest rates to go up, mortgage rates will follow.

Good I say. Hopefully he and John McCain breakaway and establish some kind of honest to goodness moderate party.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060119/wl_nm/...rms_france_dc_2

The CIA is now confirming that it is indeed Binny. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/19/binladen.tape/index.html

QUOTE(mreye @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 03:46 PM) And we're still not done. Who knows, maybe they will get brave and pass the left lane for passing only laws.

This has been a 30 year fight to get this far. True story.

Now for a little bit of a right turn on WMT, I know we have all argued about its economic effects on a community. Well it turns out there are studies that say some of the claims might not be true afterall. I know the author here has it out for Krugman, but there are links to the studies he sites in the article. http://nationalreview.com/nrof_luskin/luskin200512220928.asp

QUOTE(Steff @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 02:21 PM) What does that have to do with buying now...? Going over my homes, I was never anywhere near that rule. Never heard it before either. Too many variables to apply to everyone. There could be a sizable difference between buying today and 3 months from now... Who knows how long it will take the guy to find a place. Mortgage rates haven't gone up nearly as much as interest rates, so eventually there is going to be an evening out of things.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 12:04 PM) ROFL, I don't even notice a difference. Why does that not surprise a single mod or admin on this site?

QUOTE(Steff @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 02:12 PM) The average home price is over $250K... While the average income is just over $70K... (going from memory on that - let me go find a link) So I would say that folks are finding a way to buy bigger and make it work. Low interest rates have a lot to do with that. Once interest rates start to go up, is when you will really see that start to change back towards the 2Xs figure.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 02:06 PM) I take it that's possible when you're in Mich City (that's where you're at correct?) but somehow I doubt that people living closer to the city, or for another example anywhere in the state of California, are following those guidelines. Yeah, good ol Michigan City. It is very possible, but it definately helps that I work in Chicago and live in MC. I would say most jobs in MC are about where two earners would be able to be at about the double income rule for a decent place. We pretty well stuck to our budget when we bought our place, and got lucky to find the price we did for our place. In Chicago or the near burbs, this would be pretty impossible unless you were rich or living in a complete dump/bad area.

QUOTE(Chisoxrd5 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 02:00 PM) Really...I would like to know what percentage of current homeowners actually would fall under that category? My wife and I do. We are barely over our incomes added up.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 12:57 PM) My guess is that the best explanation is that he's significantly changed his appearance in a way to try to avoid being seen by the U.S. (Shave and a haircut?). A year or two ago I would have believed more that the reason he's not showing up on video is that his health is a concern and he doesn't look as strong as he did in late 01, but it's been about 3 years since we last saw a ton of videos of him, and if his health was a genuine concern, I just can't see him still being alive. Not constantly on the run, unable to visit a trained western doctor, in remote areas of Pakistan. Good thought. I just wonder why he hasn't taunted us with repeated audio tapes then? Heck there would be nothing bigger to rally his guys than say a weekly audio tape sticking it to the USs inability to stop Osama. It just makes me wonder as it has to be the most effective propaganda tool that the guy has at his disposal.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 19, 2006 -> 12:54 PM) Not clear = Strike "May" have, and source only being random people within Pakistan. It'd clearly be a good thing if we got the guys we reportedly got, but thus far the only sources I've seen say that they only have unnamed Pakistanis as sources. At some point, you can't say things are certain until you have someone willing to put their name and credibility on the line about the report. So who are the sources saying that Bin Laden is still alive? Some poor quality audio tape and some unnamed Al Qaeda sources? It's the samething I would say.