WCSox

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 10:28 AM) Hey, listen: Divine Justice doesn't play any significant role in American Justice -- not in the Constitution, not in the public arena. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with the talk of Divine Justice. That not all of Christianity's basic principles are universal? Congratulations, but the ones that are are basic tenets in American Justice while Divine Justice isn't. :rolly Divine Justice is what the overwhelmingly-Christian Western society used to enforce "thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, etc." before it had the infrastructure to do so. The basic "laws" of Christianity (and Judaism) eventually became the basis of our legal system. Why is that so difficul to understand? Oh, so you have ESP now? I never said anything about your religious affiliation and, frankly, don't really give a crap. What you "believe" that I'm thinking is completely baseless and prejudicial. Try again, Scooter. :rolly

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 10:26 AM) On BBTN(save the speech), they were talking about a Zumaya for Smoltz trade as an idea/rumor. Interesting. That would certainly be bad news for us. They have an $82.6 million payroll and would have to pick up about $4.5-5 million of Smoltz's contract. Will Illich spend the money?

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 10:14 AM) And Jefferson may have been a Deist, might've been an Atheist. Agree to disagree. Jefferson never claimed to be an Atheist and, by almost all accounts, was a Deist. The fact that you WANT him to be an Atheist to support your argument won't change history. Except Deism, where divine justice doesn't play a major role. Those ideas had been rooted in Christianity LONG before the colonists came to America. Deists like Jefferson and Franklin didn't create them.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 09:57 AM) I boldened the portion I found most objectionable. Let's say that the inventor of Hockey believed in basic Christian principles. Does that mean Hockey was founded on basic Christian principles? My mistake. I meant to say that our nation's system of law was founded on basic Christian principles. Even Deism? I'm not so sure about that. It's my understanding that divine justice isn't a major tenent of Deism. I said that Jefferson was a Deist, not a Christian. Try reading again, "my dear boy." :rolly Washington was a vestyrman in the Anglican Church in Virginia. But I suppose that doesn't matter, right? :rolly

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 07:24 AM) Please tell me how that works when the men who were most notable for the Constitution were either Atheists or Deists, because as it reads, I don't buy that. Last time I checked, the Constitution was written based on the teachings of Locke and Rousseau and not Christ. Few of the Founding Fathers were Atheists. I can't name any off the top of my head. The Catholic and Anglican Churches were trampling on everybody's rights back then, so it's not quite surprisng that quite a few of them (including Jefferson and Franklin) became Deists. Washington was a Christian who moved closer towards Deism later. That said, the average colonist was not part of the "in vogue" Deist movement and considered themselves Christian. Given that even Deists believed in the basic moral values taught by Christianity, it's very fair to say that the our nation's system of laws were founded on basic Christian principles. EDITED

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 06:05 AM) My thinking is that Anderson and Crawford would compliment each other [and the team] very well, both possessing great defensive skills and having various offensive strengths from both the left and right sides of the plate. Instead of an either /or, having both would be a great foundation for the future [and present]. Crawford would give the sox the POds type ignitor. Anderson would give the sox the type of production Rowand did. Sure, that would be nice. But if the D-Rays want young, inexpensive players, Anderson would probably be one of them (along with Fields, Broadway, and maybe Sweeney). This would especially be true if the rumors about them wanting to move Rocco Baldelli have merit. As I said in my original post, I would EVENTUALLY offer Anderson (along with the rest of those guys), but that's about it.

Cardinals fans (in general) are awesome. You can wear the opposing team's jersey to Busch Stadium and they'll treat you like one of their own.

QUOTE(Athomeboy_2000 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 08:48 AM) "It's not fair to me when their broadcaster sits in the booth and rips on me." You have been ripping on them for YEARS! They can just stay there and not retaliate after YEARS of abuse. And it's fair for you to rip EVERYBODY on ESPN and in your column that's featured in a major newspaper? f*** you, Jay. :finger

QUOTE(Steff @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 08:46 AM) He's not allowed in the Cell because he is BANNED from it. If it were a feud with former players why the hell wouldn't be be allowed back. Moron. I thought that he had only lost his parking spot. I'm assuming that the ban came after the near-fisticuffs between him and Hawk in the press box a year or two ago?

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 06:29 AM) [*]F.a.g.g.o.t (epithet) or f.a.g, a generally pejorative term for a gay man, or for men who are judged to be "unmanly", weak or effeminate I think that was the meaning that Ozzie meant to convey. In locker room-speak, "f.a.g." is most often an attack at one's manhood, not a term used to denigrate homosexuals. Also keep in mind that the Hispanic culture isn't exactly the most tolerant of homsexuals. That said, Ozzie was still out of line for using that term. He knows that it's not acceptable and he's also playing right into Moronotti's hands. BTW, it was oh-so-surprising to see the media hacks take the ultra-PC stance. I'll bet that every single one of them has used that word (and the N-word) before. f***ing hypocrites... QUOTE(J-MAN @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 07:19 AM) You guys must all be tons of fun to be around. I'm up to here with everybody being so **** sensitive and almost everyhing someone says offends someone or something. I am Polish and the terms pollock doesn't really offend me and enjoy a good joke as much as the next guy. Polska Kuchnia!

QUOTE(Steff @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 05:42 AM) I watched the replay on Tivo a dozen times this morning. The hits weren't intentional, IMO. Ponson's body language clearly showed that the hits were not intentional. Either that, or he's a hell of an actor.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 03:25 PM) If, [and it's a great big if], the sox traded for Crawford this yr, it's likely he'd play CF [and Anderson would go to AAA and get his stick back on track]. If Anderson continues hitting, he'd stick, and Pods could be dealt with Ozzie and Co. not impressed with his defense and sub .250 avg [that Ozzie publicly called him out for taking his poor AB's into the field]. LF is Crawford's best position. And he'd be a ready made Pods replacement Yet Crawford would likely play LF and Anderson CF for the start of 2007. Anderson will hit in the major leagues. He's shown his value as a defensive player in CF. With the Sox high priced starters, they have to get a few young position players who can contribute on the cheap. KW has said he wants to win now. But not at the expense of his future. Trading away Anderson would be trading away the future. I agree that Anderson will eventually hit and that he has a lot of upside... more than Rowand did. And his defense in CF is already excellent. But he doesn't have Crawford's upside. I'm not nearly has high on Crawford as some other people in this thread but, outside of Anderson's ability to play Gold Glove-caliber CF, Crawford is a much better player overall... and will still be a much better player five years from now. Trading away B-Mac would put this organization's future in jeopardy, given the relative age of our pitching staff. No commodity in baseball is more precious than quality, young, inexpensive starting pitching. But trading away Anderson and some prospects for Crawford would not, IMO. Twenty-four-year-old Carl Crawford would essentially replace Anderson as "the future." Given that either Garcia or Garland will be on their way out this winter and that Thome (and possibly Count) are likely to follow in a couple of years, the money will be available to sign Crawford to a long-term deal. That said, it's not going to happen anyway. The D-Rays are trying to convince everyone that Crawford is the second coming of Pete Rose. And given some of the responses in this thread, they've been at least somewhat successful.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 02:57 PM) Anderson is the long term answer in CF. Crawford would be the long term answer in LF. Yes, but we're trying to win now, not three years from now when Anderson learns how to hit major-league pitching. Any major-league GM would gladly give away Anderson (even if it means Mackowiak in CF for half a season) for Crawford.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 12:20 PM) If you were KW, you wouldn't have a job for long with trades like that. The D-Rays wouldn't want Garland or Pods. And Anderson is a keeper. Fields and Broadway would be a good starting point though with TB wanting a few more players. Anderson is a "keeper", even if the Sox would receive Crawford in return? What was that you were saying about me losing my job as a GM? :rolly

A company called MDU Communications supplied me with the receiver for my DirecTV service. My job relocated a couple of months before the end of my DirecTV contract, so I called them and they sent me a box in which I could return the receiver (which turned out to be way too small... I have no idea what they were thinking). After moving and right before my contract was up, I mailed off the receiver in an appropriately-sized box that I had to "borrow" from work. Three weeks later, I received a bill from a freaking collection agency for the $200 unreturned receiver. I called their billing department and spoke to someone who had never bothered to learn proper English, who informed me that they had received the satellite receiver in good condition and that I owed them nothing. After I asked why they sent a collection agency after me, I was transferred to the collections department and had to leave a voicemail. Nobody called back the next day, so I left another voicemail. Still nothing. The third time I left a message, somebody with equally-poor English returned my call. It turns out that they expected the receiver RIGHT AWAY, despite not providing me with a "due date" and despite the fact that I was still under contract with DirecTV (and paying my monthly bills) when I sent the stupid thing back to them. When I asked why they went to a collection agency instead of, say, sending me a letter or giving me a phone call, the lady on the phone blamed her co-worker. :rolly Needless to say, I won't ever do business with these idiots again.

I'm beginning to see a correlation between rejecting God and being angry all of the time.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 10:13 AM) Defensive qualities don't just drastically change from one year to the next if we're talking about a player who is in his late 20s/early 30s. They can if said player is still having problems with a groin injury.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 10:12 AM) Picking up Jon Garland would single-handedly increase the Devil Rays' total salary expenditures by over 20%. They are simply not going to take ANY of our current starting pitchers not named McCarthy; they are all too expensive. I also forgot about Jon's no-trade clause. Oh well. The Devil Rays are a joke. If they can't afford ONE $10 million/year player, they need to be contracted. A doormat, glorified-Triple A team like that does nothing positive for MLB.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 09:57 AM) I'd deal Figgins for Crawford every day of the week. Crawford is absolutely superior. Completely agree. But Figgins AND Santana? I wouldn't... not with the way that Santana has been pitching. QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 10:01 AM) The Devil Rays don't want people with big salaries, like Garcia. McCarthy + someone else. Pods might fit there honestly, but it might still take a 3rd player if Pods were included. The Devil Rays don't want older players like Garcia, either. I'm sure they'd want B-Mac, but I wouldn't trade him. If I were KW and I really, really wanted Crawford, I'd eventually offer Garland, Fields, Broadway, and either Pods or Anderson. If that was unacceptable, I'd break off negotiations.

QUOTE(MSHAWKS @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 09:21 AM) I've seen Frank Thomas passed over way too many times in terms of All-star selections to give a s*** anymore about the game and who appears in it. ^^^ QUOTE(chisoxfan79 @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 09:46 AM) I have a dumb question, Who is going to represent the royals? Esteban German?

QUOTE(SoxFanInDallas @ Jun 20, 2006 -> 07:35 AM) I think we really need to get a campaign going to show how STUPID fan voting is and have the whole damn city vote for Anderson about 10 times each. That is all the Yank/Red Sox fans do. Vote for all their players regardless how good they are. All that's going to do is perpetuate MLB's stupid, fraud-ridden voting system. The best way to show MLB that their system is asinine is to just not participate at all.

Hung out and watched a Big Head Todd & The Monsters show while standing next to the lead guitarist from Hootie and the Blowfish (the tall guy with blond, curly hair... forgot his name). Apparently he wasn't satisfied with his seats either and had the same sneak-up-to-the-front mentality as my roomate and I. Anyway, he was a really cool guy. Had a couple run-ins with musicians: Met Jeep from The Samples at a corner in Iowa City (he was on his mountain bike, they were playing a show there that night). Met Angelo from Fishbone after the set of a show they were playing. Got a thumbs up after yelling, "Carter Beauford on the Drums!" when I saw said drummer stick his head out of the DMB tour bus window. These guys aren't really "famous" outside of Chicago, but I hung out and drank beer with Liquid Soul in one of the dressing rooms at Double Door. They were playing the '96/'97 New Year's Eve party and a good friend of mine (a DJ) was one of the opening acts. It was my first and only taste of the rock star life (hung out in the dressing rooms, free drinks all night, access to the VIP bathroom, etc.). I actually convinced some chicks that I was with the band - it's amazing how much more the ladies pay attention to you when they think that you're a musician!

The worst beer I've ever had is Elephant Red, which is an Anheiser Busch product. It tastes like a mix of beer and V8. Not surprisingly, I've only seen it at the Busch Courtesy Center at Sea World.

Even though it's not as good as it used to be, The Sopranos is still tops IMO. The Office is really good, although I like the BBC version a little better (the boss is fantastic). I used to be a huge Law & Order (the original) addict, but it's really running out of steam (despite the additions of Farina and Imperioli). One of my favorite lesser-known shows is Most Haunted, which airs on the Travel Channel on Friday nights and Saturday mornings (6 and 9 pm PT and 8 am PT, respectively). It's basically a group of people who investigate "haunted" houses and hotels (mostly in England) with the aid of a psychic medium and a parapsychologist. Not all episodes are that eventful, but some are very crazy they've caught some really cool stuff on camera.

QUOTE(beautox @ Jun 19, 2006 -> 02:08 PM) thats a zinger, the fact remains Crawford is young (24) and has more hits compare to Rose for their respective ages, whats hard to grasp about that? Nothing's difficult to grasp about that, other than the fact that using those numbers to imply that Crawford's going to have a Rose- or Gwynn-like career is just stupid. You said in an earlier thread that Crawford is the second coming of Rose/Gwynn/Clemente... ... which is a pretty bold statement considering that Crawford only got into the All-Star game in '04 because nobody else on the team was good enough to get any votes. How three years of Crawford's stats compare to three years of Rose, Gwynn, Clemente's stats is meaningless. I agree with Kalapse that Crawford is a very good young player, but he's not a guy I'd even put in the "stud" category yet, much less the "future-Cooperstown" category.