Gregory Pratt

http://youtube.com/watch?v=I3GS5r_d8Jk

"Extra gear"? I guess they're missing a Darin Erstad or Aaron Rowand? I don't know if they'll win or not, but it'll have less to do with "desire" or "passion" or "extra gear" than anything else.

QUOTE(Big Hurtin @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 07:55 PM) Cleveland's all done. They got their collective tails firmly between their legs. Bent right over for Boston, no fight whatsoever. Right.

Someone here recently told me I was more Bill Maher than Abraham Lincoln. I said, "I don't mind that, but you don't know me," then, and I say: "I like it a little more!" now. http://youtube.com/watch?v=I3GS5r_d8Jk Good show. I'll definitely boot someone out of an audience at a forum of mine someday, somewhere. I've done it before, on a different level (not like on the Internet ), but that story's not suitable to print here.

I don't like Fuentes long-term.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 06:35 PM) Saw was pretty cool the first time I saw it with a very interesting and somewhat sympathetic killer (if that makes any sense). The idea that perfectly healthy people do so much stupid crap with their lives while he'd give anything to have more time to enjoy his life -- so he took it upon himself to see if they truly did want to live -- was pretty fascinating and a nice take on the traditional horror genre. I have yet to see Saw II or Saw III but I may rent them this weekend if they are as good as the first which I thought was pretty damn good. Do the sequels stand up to the original? I think so. Lots do. My best friend who swears by horror thinks so as well, and we're very different people. You should like them. I found the next few gorier, and not in a better way, but never needlessly. They're good.

I have no doubt that, sometimes, people make things up but for the most part, I tend to believe The Victim (or Accuser) over the Defendant. Of course, I take every situation like this into consideration and I don't just blindly jump to conclusions. But I do believe that People don't take sexual abuse and crimes as serious as they should, and I know that many organizations who should know better often attempt to cover things up, transfer their teachers and hope for the best to avoid embarrassment. I know that's true for certain Churches -- specifically the Catholic Church -- and for schools and for workplaces. I just think it's a shame that so few people take sexual crimes seriously, or would rather be spared the "embarrassment" of revealing something than put someone away.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 12:24 PM) I can SOOOOOO relate! You're not my mother and you never will be.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 12:21 PM) f*** off, asshole! (Do you feel better now? ) Eat my s***, you old prick. (It does feel good.) PS: I'm joking too.

QUOTE(knightni @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 12:17 PM) While all of your thoughts and feelings are appreciated, (because we like Soxtalk as well!) we would prefer that the anti-"other board" comments are kept to a minimum. Thanks! Absolutely. It's much better when we attack one another!

Look, you're being silly. Everyone has bad postseasons, whether it's in "HIGH-PRESSURE!" environments or not, from Babe Ruth (the greatest to ever play the game) to Barry Bonds to Randy Johnson. That Rodriguez has had a few rough postseasons against some of the best pitchers in baseball doesn't mean anything at all and shouldn't determine his next contract and won't. I'll bet a few years ago, if someone had mentioned bringing in Peyton Manning, you'd have said, "No! What has he ever done in the playoffs?!" It's like you expect everyone to be Paul Molitor or Geoff Blum.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 10:26 AM) ZZZzzzzz who cares. You do, since you replied to it in semi-serious fashion (no YouTube video? )

Yes. Unequivocally.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Oct 20, 2007 -> 07:30 AM) Um well, players do get paid for the playoffs. They get paid from a pool of money which gets divided into shares. The players vote who gets what kind of share. Timo and Konerko each got paid exactly the same for the 2005 playoffs. They even each get paid a little more for winning the division. Obviously, ARod would be expected to perform well, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. You take a couple of years of ARod in the playoffs and use those as gospel. But he has hit .280 in the postseason. If he's so awful and a choker, the guy is playing on the biggest stage, a stage where that the ace of the 2005 world champions couldn't handle, winning 2 MVPs with them, under the scrutiny of the largest contract by far of all time, and he plays well enough to opt out and get an even bigger deal. He's no choker. Everyone has tough postseasons. Even Babe Ruth hit .118 in the 1922 WS. Mickey Mantle hit below .200 3 WS in a row. You cherry-picked the .270 because he hit .267 this year, correct? He's a .280 career playoff hitter. If a team had the money to pay him and not ruin the rest of their team, it would be crazy to chose not to add him based on a couple of postseason series. Well, I've never heard Babe Ruth described as "Clutch" have you?

Tell me about Dave Winfield, Mr. Steinbrenner.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 08:31 PM) hell Timo has as many World Series appearances as they have. Timo good. None. Boras and his clients don't give a s*** with very rare exceptions, and Rodriguez ain't one of them.

How many rings do they have? Advantage: Timo.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 06:27 PM) How many times did Elway lose the Super Bowl. He couldn't handle the pressure. There's no doubt ARod had a couple of horrible postseasons. But to even think he can't handle pressure is absurd. For 7 seasons the guy has had more pressure on him than anyone, and he will have 3 MVPs? Not bad. Clearly he turns it all off once the calendar turns. Don't you know that?

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 06:16 PM) Actually, Israeli warfare has generally been fought with much restraint - when out and out war is the issue. I just read a history of the 6 day war in 1967. They were attacked by Egypt, Jordan and Syria simulatneously, with support from Iraqi troops. That's why the six day war was fought on several fronts. There isn't the will on behalf of Arab countries at this time to fire on Israel after Israel would exercise a nuclear strike on Iran. These states are interested in their survival as well. The scenario you describe assumes that there are no rational actors on either side, and I just can't see something getting that out of control. I agree.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 06:14 PM) He played in NY and will win another MVP this season. Frank Thomas, the guy everyone says is the best hitter in White Sox history has 2 playoff series with 0 hits. Konerko got 0 hits in 2000. Barry Bonds struggled in the playoffs. The burden ARod has had with size of his contract, and how he's performed speak volumes. If it was the 7th game of the WS and the White Sox were down a run with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom of the ninth inning, I would personally love to have ARod batting. Derek Jeter is known as a huge clutch guy, even he struggled this post season batting .176. In 2001 Jeter hit .118 in the ALCS and .148 in the WS. Even Mr. October, Reggie Jackson is only about a .220 hitter in post season play. One thing is for sure, ARod, if the rest of the roster isn't compromised due to his salary, would certainly help you make the playoffs. Liabilities! Haven't you heard -- Walter Payton never scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning has only won one Super Bowl -- and he had to go up against Rex Grossman to do it! Notice the similarities between Payton and Peyton? And those guys you cite? They're all liabilities!

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 06:04 PM) Who was the last Borass client to take less money for anything? Actually, he cited quite a few of them recently when he said, "It's not all about the money" re: Alex Rodriguez. One of them was Andruw Jones, although he personally negotiated his own extension with Atlanta and told Boras later that he works for Jones, not the other way around. Boras other citations: "When Greg Maddux went to Atlanta, he did not take the largest deal. Charles Johnson did not take the largest deal. Kevin Brown did not take the largest deal. Bernie Williams did not take the largest deal when he stayed in New York," he says. "We pride ourselves with our clients making informed decisions. That is our job." Of course, Maddux just didn't want to leave the NL and was wooed by Cox/Schuerholz/Leo/the situation in Atlanta at the time; I don't know the other guys' circumstances, but I know that Bernie Williams loves NY, period, and probably refuses to go elsewhere against all of Boras' wishes. He's so slimey and dishonest.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 05:44 PM) A-Rod in 2005 playoffs: .133 BA A-Rod in 2006 playoffs: .071 BA I would say that those performances in the three-hole constitute a "liability." A failure, but not a liability. It's not like batting Byrnes 3rd. But you and I have had these discussions about the playoffs and I think they're crazy as hell. I'm just happy you haven't brought up the football analogies yet.

QUOTE(WHITESOXRANDY @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 05:41 PM) I'm still not convinced that ARod would even sign with the White Sox if they were the highest bidder (which ofcourse they would never be). Why would he want to play for a team that is unlikely to make the playoffs ? Why wouldn't he take less money to play for the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Cubs, Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Cardinals, Astros etc. ? It'd make it easier on him. He sux in the clutch! It'd get the pressure off of him.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 05:32 PM) That is true. And he was also a massive liability for them IN the playoffs in '05 and '06. I agree with that. Too bad it won't happen. Alex Rodriguez isn't a liability in any lineup. Has he been bad since Game Four of the 2004 ALCS? Yeah. But Alex Rodriguez in your lineup is never a liability.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Oct 19, 2007 -> 03:01 PM) Personally I think ARod is probably worth more to the Marlins. They have a low payroll, he's from Miami, he will draw big, and help them get a new stadium. He'll get ripped for going there, but the only team with more championships the last 10 years than the Marlins are the Yankees. Ramirez, ARod and Cabrera would be a left side that could match probably any in history. I don' think Rodriguez would be enough to bring a bunch of people there.