Gregory Pratt

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jun 6, 2006 -> 08:57 PM) The irony is that that "flimsy evidence" will be thrown back in Ridge's or whoevers faces when the next 9-11 happens, just like the last time that it happened. We'll hear all of the same "why wasn't anything done" people screaming at the top of their lungs, while the government will scream back "We told you so". right back at them. I know I have said this before and I will say it again, I will guarentee you that sitting on people's desks right now in the CIA, DHS, FBI, NSA, and any other goverment agency you want to throw out there are tens of thousands of potential terror attacks, against pretty much any target you want to pick. Nuclear plants, buildings, ports, airports, water supply, biological agents, hospitals, malls, financial centers, dirty bombs, etc are all being kicked about by someone, somewhere, right at this very moment, who would love nothing more than to strike fear into the heart of the great satan. The vast majority of the threats are very real, but as forgetful as Americans are, they are more worried about deficit spending, than they are about the fact that about 10% of cargo coming into the US from other countries is actually inspected. Think about it. If GWB had walked into Congress on Monday September 10th, 2001 and asked for $50 billion to stop OBL from flying planes into buildings he would have gotten laughed out of Washington DC, and derrided as a fake President. If GWB would have asked for a trillion dollars to fix every single 2% chance of terror on Wednesday September the 12th 2001, Congress would have been fistfighting to be in the center of the photo-op. ::shrug:: I buy Ridge's arguments. It's consistent with the Bush Administration's handling of the intelligence community, IMO. And no, Bush wouldn't have been laughed out of Washington. The kind of request you're talking of is often made publicly with certain chairman of the relevant committees. The idea of a plane being used was on all the time in the NSA and CIA, and presumably the idea was in the Congress as well, theoritically, as these people are familiar with suicide warfare and Kamikaze strikes. Because they get so many warnings, it's important to look at when they feel it sufficient to warn us, and it's always when an election is going on. But that's gotta be because the terrorists want Democrats in power!

Steroids steroids everywhere

Yeah, I agree with the points of the second, and thought the first to be one of the most informative and shocking as far as steroids-versus-attempts-to-catch-steroids go.

I was happy enough with Freddy's outing. He kept us in the game. Praise to all. And I hope Uribe's wife is fine and happy. The best to the Uribes!

I am sick and tired of this s***.

This is the first one, Cheating Atheletes and the Fans Who Love Them: http://www.slate.com/id/2110902/ And this is Pee No Evil: Thoughts? I enjoyed both the articles very much.

QUOTE(Ndgt10 @ Jun 6, 2006 -> 08:13 PM) He's getting older. That's not it. He's not even thirty yet. (Or, if he is, he's 31, but I believe he's 29.)

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jun 6, 2006 -> 08:12 PM) Freddy and his meatballs in the high 80s is the same meatballs that we have seen all year long. He has to be the only guy to lose 5 mph on this fastball, and no one at all makes a comment in the press about it. Someone here, awhile back, speculated about steroid use. I'm not willing to say that, because Billy Koch's experience is quite humbling, but I thought it was interesting. I thought this was an interesting article, on the subject of steroids: http://www.slate.com/id/2142937/?nav=tap3 Pee No Evil.

QUOTE(Ndgt10 @ Jun 6, 2006 -> 07:49 PM) He has cataracts. Don't make fun of him. There was nothing in my post making fun of him. What are cataracts?

Why does Robertson wear those glasses?

Jermaine Dye.

QUOTE(THEWOOD @ Jun 6, 2006 -> 06:11 PM) i maxed out my votes for one email account Get another. And another. That's why we're in Chicago.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Jun 6, 2006 -> 06:48 PM) anybody just hear Coop's animated pregame interview? (Frank just went yard with a 3-run dinger in cleveland) What'd Coop have to say?

Listen, anyone who doesn't believe that these leaks go out for political purposes is a douchebag. They happen in election years, and Tom Ridge -- a loyal Republican, through and through -- said that, in 2004, the warning was raised against his wishes in cases when he didn't feel it was warranted. Ridge, being a stalwart loyalite, must've been quite bothered by the use of the warning system. If Clinton were President, he'd likely do the same. Most Presidents would. A heightened state of fear typically helps incumbents. This bulls*** doesn't surprise me.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 11:58 PM) So...in other words, you'd be in favor of abolishing the Electoral college too. I'm not. Nice try, though!

I luuuuuuuuv thread hijackings.

Kazmir is on the mound. Let's go Tampa!

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Jun 6, 2006 -> 12:13 PM) i knew about carl's statements, which didn't surprise me. he's a fundamentalist christian, and sometimes those folks aren't very tolerant when it comes to homosexuality. i did not hear about smoltz's statements, though. i'd guess there are gay players on every team. general societal statistics would probably support that. i couldn't care less myself. i don't care about anyone's sexual orientation any more than i'd care about someone's religion, race, ethnicity, etc. i'd hope we get to a point in this world where those things are less of a concern, but that's probably a pipe dream. to the original poster, i've never heard about zito being gay. he's kind of a flake, but that's about it. I love Barry Zito. According to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Everett, Todd Jones and John Smoltz have made similar comments.

Tough titty, kitty, cause the milk is spoiled.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 11:15 PM) Good for you, but there's a lot of people that do. Anyone who comes out is open to all sorts of s*** from fans and other players. In most cases, it just wouldn't be worth it. Yeah. you've got some players, like Carl Everett and John Smoltz, who are on record as saying they'd hate to play on the same team as homosexuals. Indeed, I believe Smoltz said he wouldn't, and Carl promised to convert them to Jesus, so...

So sad. Rest in peace.

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 10:41 PM) Dustin Hermanson is still listed on the disabled list. He is still officially on the 40-man roster. Has anyone heard any news recently on his progress? Should he just be counted out totally or does he just go to the same doctors that Mark Prior does? If he gets back at all, will he be worth a crap after this long of a lay off? Hermanson is done, probably, if not as a pitcher then as an effective pitcher. It's possible that he could come off the injuries he's had and the treatments given him, but I very much doubt it. There are very few genuine medical miracle, comeback-and-be-better-than-ever-or-even-the-same stories in sports, and I think it's unrealistic to expect Hermanson to come back, and we shouldn't rely on that prospect, either, although I don't think anyone is.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 10:30 PM) Its a tragedy that SS reform was put to bed by the Democrats and their asinine scare tactics. Genuine reform would enable millions of Americans to build some real wealth instead of consigning themselves to poverty in their old age but oh well. Some sort of reform is in order, and I'm very personally open to Bush's ideas on it. Personally, I'm fond of what Paul O'Neill, his first Treasury Secretary (run out of town for having a mind of his own) had in store. But I was merely making a point about the nature of mandates. Although I will point out, Nuke, that Republicans turned on Bush with regard to SS reform, too. They were afraid of the AARP at the ballot box.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 09:01 PM) The idea that either Bush or Kerry, winning the 2004 election by a slim margin, would have a mandate is laughable. A "clear mandate", as Bush claimed to have, does not come from winning an election 51-49. That's right, of course, but losing by three million votes and then boasting that with a mild shift in Ohio you'd have been President really annoys me, and that, specifically, was what I was commenting on. I do agree with yours too, though. It's why George Bush was dragged by the balls over Social Security. He took a 51-49 Victory to mean Do As You Please and was in for a rude awakening. Of course, it doesn't help him that he hardly campaigned on the issue of SS Reform, although if he had, he'd have lost the Presidency. It's funny how people think that being elected gives them the mandate to do as they please, whatever it may be.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 10:11 AM) both votes are a complete waste of time