WCSox

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 03:49 PM) Why does it matter where a person in need comes from? It sure as hell does matter when they've already broken the law by living here illegally. If you want to help poor Mexicans, give to charity. Well, for starters, they're illegally given asylum here. The minimum wage they make here is also significantly more than they make in Mexico. So, they get to enjoy a higher salary, a higher standard of living, and illegal asylum in a much safer country. Sounds like a handout to me. And I'm sure that it won't stop there. They've already begun demanding driver's licences and I'm sure that health benefits are on the horizon. Except for those working for the Mexican drug cartels, of course. I would be in favor of a guest worker program to help these people, but the current situation is utter chaos. There needs to be a mechanism by where we can allow a controlled number of honest guest worker into the country and keep out the drug cartels. They're not scum, they're criminals. People who aren't U.S. citizens and broke the law by coming here illegally aren't entitled to taxpayer-funded handouts. It just amazes me how people think that it's our moral duty to financially support the rest of the world, even when said people break our immigration laws. It also amazes me that some people think that money magically grows on trees in America and that it's even remotely possible for our tax dollars to support hundreds of millions of illegal Mexican immigrants without our economy completely collapsing. QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 08:08 PM) But for them to just cross illegally and funnel money back and then cry about not getting any rights under our constitution, is pure BS to me. Exactly.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 02:37 PM) Nice to see you play the human rights card, later bulls***ting that your concerns are for workers' safety, when you clearly stated in your previous posts that your main concern was all of that precious money being "stolen" away from your taxes. :rolly I donate to Catholic Charities on a regular basis and have no problem with some of my income going to the less fortunate via taxes. However, people who come to this country ILLEGALY aren't entitled to a damn cent of my paycheck. If they want handouts, they need to play by our nation's rules.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:56 PM) Jenks is going to be the key to this bullpen. The closer almost always is. I think I like the idea of having a guy who can throw 100 be the guy we need to succeed the most. Funny how much we agree outside of politics... Even if Jenks turns out to be a bust, we have mucho starting pitching available for a trade. Contreras-for-Lidge would be a possibility.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:53 PM) Nope. Crede has gone through 1 of 3 arbitration eligible years. He will be first eligible for FA after 2008. He signed a 1 year deal this year to avoid arbitration. Even if he signs another 1 year deal next offseason, we will still have the rights to him in 2008. In other words, Fields has 3 years to be fully ready to replace him. Of course, JR and KW might not like what the arbitrator has to say next year and decide to trade him. I don't see any chance in hell of us re-signing him over the long term with Boras negotiating his deals.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:49 PM) Crede is with the White Sox until the end of 2008 unless he's traded. 2 more years of arbitration eligibility. I thought that he had an option for '07 and that was it? Apparently I was wrong. For those who think that we need another middle reliever RIGHT NOW, the Cintron signing seems to suggest that KW isn't done wheeling and dealing just yet. It may happen sooner than you think.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:42 PM) Japan and MLB are night and day. See Matsui, Kaz. See also Suzuki, Ichiro; Matsui, Hideki; Iguchi, Tadahito

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:33 PM) Ummmm...we just traded for Cintron and his 1.6 million dollar contract. I'm not going to defend that move. The only rationale I can think of is that KW anticipates Crede leaving at the end of his contrace and wants a temporary solution at 3B. It's only March 11th - still plenty of time for KW to trade for an experienced middle reliever.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:40 PM) A half a season as a closer is hardly "established". But being a stud for many years in Japan certainly is.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:28 PM) Why don't you make improvements in other areas where they will be much more likely to make an impact. Like addressing our lineup's wretched OBP last year and re-signing our best hitter? Check, KW's already done that. Perhaps Kenny remebers paying a 35-year-old washed-up Japanese reliever $2.5 million last year to put up a 5.97 ERA in the closer role. Spending $2-$3 million/year on an "established" reliever doesn't always translate into production.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:16 PM) Because one or two games may make a difference between being in the playoffs and making sure you make your tee times. Sure, and spending extra money in March for a player that may or may not be needed may financially-inhibit KW from pulling off a big trade in July. I agree that the Sox need another experienced reliever (prefereably a lefty), but we're not even halfway through Spring Training yet. Why not give KW and Ozzie the chance to evaluate our current pitching talent/health and worry about them making another trade next month?

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 01:06 PM) This team doesnt need a Scot Sheilds or Brad Lidge. I dont think anyone has said that. The eternal optimists that think everything is perfect want to believe that is what were talking about, but thats just not the case. How about the "eternal pessimists" who are complaining about how bad the 'pen might be? Given that this team already has six starting pitching options that range from "pretty good" to "great", I don't think that adding another middle reliever is something that has to be done right away. If they're that easy to find, why not wait until we actually have a problem in the 'pen? Why spend more money or trade away a valuable player to address a problem that hasn't developed yet and may not ever develop? I agree that we could use another lefty in the 'pen, but I don't see why a deal needs to be made RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Why not wait until May?

QUOTE(Felix @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 11:28 AM) And thats exactly why some people are worried about Cotts, Politte and Hermanson, and think that Kenny should trade for some real bullpen help. Kenny has already traded for Thome to replace Frank and address this team's laughably-poor OBP last season. That was priority #1. And the trade for Vazquez moved McCarthy to the 'pen. So, in a way, he already did address the bullpen. People like Scot Shields or Brad Lidge don't exactly grow on trees and most GMs are reluctant to part ways with tem. KW could easily dangle Contreras as trade bait to address any problems that arise in the 'pen prior to the deadline. Outisde of maybe adding another lefty (which could be done at any time), I don't see any gaping holes in the 'pen or anywhere else on this team.

QUOTE(POPPY_HIDALGO @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 08:20 AM) I see the Sox winning somewhere between 110 and 120 games this year. The rotation is that solid and the everyday lineup is easily one of the best in the league and by the end of the season might be looked at as one of the greatest of all time. So how well do you all see them doing this year? Sorry, but our lineup isn't THAT good. As far as the modern teams go, I like to use the '98 Yankess as the measuring stick. And I don't think that the '05 Sox are at that level. 95-67

Good riddance.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 08:01 AM) I also think we need to do a better job of stopping the flow of undocumented immigrants from coming through illegally Agreed. LOL! That's never gonig to happen. The Mexican government won't allow companies to pay their workers more than $3/day. Even if they'd allow us to tell them how to run their country, they don't have the economic infrastructure to pay their workers wages comparable to ours. The only way to realistically solve this problem is tighter border security. And if Vicente Fox doesn't like it, too bad.

His comments weren't really mean-spirited, so I wouldn't call them a "jab." I think that he raises a legitimate point, although Thome is a tremendous clubhouse guy. Even more important for the Sox this past October was that a bunch of mediocre or good-but-not-great players played at a level far above their career averages: Crede (both offensively and defensively), Uribe (defensively), Garland, Contreras, Cotts, etc. Podsednik hit a freaking walk-off homer in the WS. On paper, I think that the Sox were maybe the third- or fourth-best team in the majors last year. But they stepped up and played incredible baseball in September and October, while the "better" teams either had injury problems or just flat-out didn't get it done. With Thome and Vazquez, they're a better team on paper than they were last year, but they're still going to need guys to step up during the playoffs again if they're to repeat. Not to mention stay healthy.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 12:13 PM) I hate this, and I'm going to get labled, but screw it. YOU ARE HERE ILLEGALY, STFU, GO HOME, AND COME BACK LEGALLY!! Rights my ass. You don't have any unless you do it the right way. Label me as well, because I completely agree.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 01:19 PM) Jingo goes well beyond marked patriotism. Jingoinsm is extreme nationalism, usually tinged with feelings of nationalist-based ethnic superiority and a belligerent foreign policy. Hence my use of the word "excessive." (I didn't feel like reaching for the dictionary.) I wasn't inferring that you did. For the record, I wasn't questioning your patriotism, either. No hard feelings.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 12:51 PM) Actually, the Constitution was in fact meant to protect criminals to some extent, and sometimes it is at the expense of the rest of us. Consequences of living in a just society. And what the heck is a jingo? I changed it to "criminal behavior." That's what I meant to say. And of course I understand that all American citizens (even criminals) have some basic rights. A jingo is somebody who is excessively patriotic.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 11:49 AM) The points, which you understand perfectly well, are that: a ) an evil thing full blown is easy enough to see, but an evil thing in its incipient stages may not be. b ) the "it can't happen here" mentality exhibited by yourself and like-minded individuals is naive, frightening, and dangerous. You're right, only elite liberals know what's really going on. In fact, they have a secret crystal ball (reportedly hidden somewhere on Harvard's campus). The rest of us are just a bunch of uneducated, church-going, pickup truck-driving morons who dig ditches for a living. Thanks for enlightenging us. You're painting with too broad a brush here. I don't support all of the Bush administration's policies. It was equally "unpatriotic" of this President's predecessor to sit on his ass and do nothing while al Qaeda carried out attacks against U.S. interests in the Middle East (not to mention the unsuccessful attack on the WTC at the beginning of his first term). I'll stick with the guy who makes an effort to deal with the situation, rather than the one who is afraid to make political waves and chooses to look the other way and endanger the lives of the American people. Call me a jingo, but captured foreign terrorists and political hack journalists who illegally obtain and release classified information aren't going to get my support. Something tells me that the Founding Fathers didn't intend for the Constitution to protect criminal behavior at the expense of law-abiding citizens.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 10:44 AM) Yeah, I know. But I was just pushing back against WCSox s***tty wingnut shot. By comparing Bush to Hitler, you certainly earned it.

QUOTE(Queen Prawn @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 10:48 AM) If it was just maryjane he was selling, again community service and probation (jail cells are at too much of a premium to waste on some dude selling weed). That depends on how much he was selling. A few dimebags would warrant community service and probation. Ten ounces, on the other hand, would be a completely different story.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 10:41 AM) I agree, of course there is a difference between Hitler and GWB. And that is that Hitler was actually elected. :rolly I can't believe that you people are still crying about the 2000 election. Are you Michael Moore in disguise?

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 10:32 AM) But I think community service and probation here is probably the right maneuver. A long term of it, but I just don't think jail time fits. Wow, I agree with Balta!

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 09:54 AM) I'm sure you are. Pre Kristallnacht, the citizenry of Germany and Austria didn't realize what they had on their hands either. Comparing the Bush administration to Nazi Germany? Oh, that's rich. No wonder nobody listens to liberals anymore.