scenario

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Apr 12, 2011 -> 11:52 AM) I'm hoping Mitchell and Martinez do enough to earn a promo in the second half. Combined with Short that would give Birmingham three OF potentially worth keeping an eye on. The Barons have decent outfield talent now... not great, but that's not the weakness of the team. The infield is. Pretty horrific. Will be interesting to keep an eye on Seth Loman, but that's about it.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Apr 12, 2011 -> 11:04 AM) Bottom line is the Twins never lose a game like we did last night all year long, most likely, and if you guys want to excuse Ozzie be my guest but as for me, I am going to call a spade a spade. Spend some time on Twins boards.... I think you'll find it "enlightening". Gardenhire gets the same type of respect there that Ozzie gets here.

One of the reasons Jesse Crain wanted out of Minnesota... he wanted to go somewhere he thought he'd get more closing opportunities. Just thought I'd throw that in to the equation.

Noticing a couple of posts and want to make my 'wrong' comment more clear... Most people mistakenly believe that the laptop/processor they select limits them to 4G of ram... When the real issue is their choice of operating system (32-bit or 64-bit) Most new laptops will run either. And give you the choice when you set Windows up. Here's the problem... People will often pick 32-bit because: a. they don't know any better, or b. want to be able to run their old software, and/or c. want to be able to use older devices that don't have 64-bit drivers. If you install 32-bit version, then you're limited to 4G accessible memory. So the belief that their computer hardware limits them to 4G of ram is wrong. It's usually an operating system choice, not a hardware issue. This is a significant issue given that most laptops have integrated (rather than dedicated) video cards, therefore giving up a chunk of ram to run video... plus give up another .5G just to run Windows... plus allocations for any memory hungry programs you have running in the background (like Skype). By the time you make all the subtractions a system that starts out with 'only' 4G can slow to a virtual crawl. What's the best choice then? 32-bit or 64-bit OS? The solution, imo, is to upgrade to Windows 7 Pro. The 64-bit OS allows you to access more ram. The 32-bit emulator allows you to run old software. Win-win... as long as you're willing to pony up the additional expense for Pro... and buy additional ram.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Apr 10, 2011 -> 08:42 PM) Oh yeah and Kanny's 16 inning game was the first of a doubleheader. Game 2 was a 4-1 win. Oh man.... supposed to be a 7-inning game... and they play 9 extra-innings? A triple-header!!! LOL

Kanny and Lakewood tied 0-0 in the 15th inning.

Brandon McCarthy mowing down the Twinkies today (7+innings so far; 0 runs on 8 hits; 5Ks; 0BBs) Attaboy Brandon. Finish them off. Edit: Of course right after I type this they get 2 hits with the middle of their order coming up... BMac gets relieved so he doesn't have to face Mourneau and Thome with runners at 2nd and 3rd. Friggin twinkies.

The solution is simple... Chrome.

I'd consider one of these two instead... both have 7200rpm hard drives. 1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16834157674 (Has Windows 7 Pro. Big advantage if prices are close.) 2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16834157425 This is pretty nice too, although it only has a 5400rpm hard drive... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16834115984, but otherwise good features and you save some money toward upgrading ram. I've bought Acers before. Been happy with them.

I've bought 3 laptops in the last 6 months... one for me, one for daughter, one for assistant. Learned a few hard lessons in the process. 1. With Windows 7 (and the Windows Aero interface), how video ram is handled has become a big deal. Most computers sold in stores, especially lower cost ones, offer 'integrated video ram' only. Recommendation: look for a machine that has some dedicated VRam... like the HP DV6 and DV7 series and/or upgrade your normal ram to the max... and also consider moving up processor-wise. The combination of these things will make a big difference in performance. 2. Check the Windows Experience Index (go to Control Panel/System and Security/System/Window Experience Index) and check the values of the machines you are considering before you buy them. Will tell you alot about the performance of the computer that you may not be able to tell from the specs. Seems like every machine 'on sale' I looked at had at least one inferior part that degraded performance... and may have been the reason the product was on sale. 3. Ask about RAM upgrade-ability (what is the maximum). Seems like most stores don't list this anymore. Look for a machine that can handle 8G ram. I'd recommend upgrading to 8G. Most stores will not have them in stock, but you can find them easily enough online. If the cost of buying one with 8G installed seems unreasonable (>$100 more than machines with 4G), upgrade it yourself. It's simple and makes a significant difference. Some people will tell you it doesn't matter if you have more than 4G because your system won't utilize the extra. Wrong. The way software is being written today sucks up ram, and if you don't have enough it can slow your system to a crawl despite the greater horsepower of your new processor. And this is a HUGE issue is you buy a computer with integrated video ram (no dedicated vram)... and use programs like skype. 4. My suggestion: Look for an Intel I5 or AMD Quad-core; 7200rpm hard drive; 4G ram (upgradeable to 8 and then leave enough money in your budget to buy that upgrade). I think someone could find a machine with those specs in the $600 range. 5. The best combo of price and performance I found were HP, Toshiba, MSI, and Dell. You should be able to find the HP quad-cores with $200 instant rebates. They've been pushing that promo. And the Toshiba website runs very good sales. Probably will be where I buy my next computer. I loved the ability to custom build what I wanted on that site. Better than any other computer website I found. Other Notes Bought an HP DV7 with AMD quad-core for me. $850 but received $200 instant rebate. (Got it at Office Depot.) Didn't like it at first. HATE the mousepad. But after I upgraded the ram, it's been growing on me. Couldn't understand for the life of me why the Internet seemed soooo slow. Was driving me crazy. No reason a quad-core should perform like this. Thought it was my specific computer and almost returned it. Turned out it was a combo of ram issues and Firefox issues. I love Firefox but ditched it and went to Chrome... night and freaking day difference... plowhorse vs. thoroughbred. Made a believer out of me. I am now a Chrome fan. Bought an MSI for my assistant. (MSI is a great off-brand computer.) Got an I5, 7200 rpm, and 4G ram for $570. Only problem is the ram is not upgradeable. Was a good buy but if I had to do it again, I wouldn't get a computer that is not upgradeable to 8G. Bought an Dell Inspiron with an I7 chip for my daughter (architecture student). Loaded with features including 8G RAM; 2G VRAM. $1600. Very fast. Not cheap but if you're willing to go over $1000 you may find some very good deals on Dell. (Example: the computer I bought was normally $2000, but I got it for $400 off and 12 months no interest financing). They run alot of deals like that. If you don't see one on the website, call Dell. The salespeople often have access to deals that are not shown online. If no deals this week... wait a week or two. They're going on all the time. Final Note: I'm surprised how slow many new low cost computers run. Have come to the conclusion that its a function of ram, vram, and Windows Aero issues. If you want to save money and still have a very good computer, you can pull it off with less horsepower computer-wise... if you're running Windows XP. I have an Intel Dual-core running XP that still works great and performs as well as most of the lower cost machines sold in stores that run Windows 7. Hope this helps. Will provide more info if you're interested.

Did Lillibridge really have to dive on that grounder?

Progressive Field on Thursday... View from pressbox at 11:35 am. Workers shoveling snow off tarp and onto vehicle to set up workout http://yfrog.com/h38gaxgj

Marquette is going to bust alot of brackets tonight.

Great thinking Jake. Push it as far as you can... But don't push it.

Is it possible that his aches on Sunday were more flu related than pitching related? Why are we evaluating a guy while he's sick?

QUOTE (The Baconator @ Mar 15, 2011 -> 01:53 AM) I'm currently at that stage in my young career that I'm debating going back to school or continuing to find work (full disclosure- I work in politics, specifically campaigns and political research so I have some downtime between gigs). I've been looking at going back to school to get my masters in public administration (MPA). I have a number of good/great domestic schools that I've been interested in but I've looked abroad as another option. My thought is that I will never get the chance to work abroad for any period of time (I know many fields end up having offices worldwide that may require international work) working in American politics so I might as well get a taste of the world in grad school before I spend decades toiling away at work in the States. Specifically, I'm looking at Ireland- unfortunately, I've only found the University of Limerick to offer an MPA, limiting my choices. As an employer, would you think less of a degree from an international school (especially given that, according to world rankings, Limerick is far below schools I could attend domestically?) My reasoning is that I'm looking for a greater exposure to world politics and international thought (and I just really want to live in Ireland for a bit). If you were an employer related to the field of American politics, how would an MPA from an international school compare to an MPA from a comparable school in the States in terms of hiring? I'd consider separating the two... a.) getting international experience/education, and b.) getting your MPA. Why does the MPA have to be the constraint determining where you go? Instead, go to the best international school you can and do coursework in your areas of interest... politics, economics maybe... and don't worry about the initials. The school you go to, their strengths, and the experience you get will be more impressive to an employer than the MPA itself. Who knows... maybe you can then leverage that experience into entrance in a top US school and get the best of both worlds... overseas experience AND prestigious US degree. Personally, I kinda like that idea... and I think employers would too.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Mar 8, 2011 -> 11:29 PM) Jeesh, what did they have to pay the men who were told not to look at breasts? I would not be able to be one of those men... I wonder if the majority of the men who were supposed to be avoiding breasts were married? And maybe that's why they weren't as healthy as the men who were supposed to look at breasts... Men told not to look at breasts are less healthy because they lose their will to live.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Mar 3, 2011 -> 12:38 PM) lexi practicing from the left side? intriguing Might as well try it during April. Might improve his average.

http://www.morelmania.com/

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2011/...illen-feud.html Would have been nice if Ozzie had handled the issue as maturely as Francona did. If so, this 'feud' would have been a non-issue 5 minutes after it started.

Probably been mentioned in other threads, but just found the following interesting... Lastings Milledge: age 25, 1359 minor league-at bats, combined stat-line .301/.379/.470/.849 Colby Rasmus: age 24, 1533 minor league at-bats, .277/.366/.485/.852

QUOTE (ptatc @ Feb 22, 2011 -> 06:07 PM) Are you referring to his ankle (foot) injury he had when the sox acquired him or his current shoulder injury? If it's the current shoulder problem, the actual injury shouldn't be a long term thing. The lat is not a muscle that really effects the stability of the shoulder like the rotator cuff muscles. It's mostly an accelerator muscle during the throwing phase with a little deceleration activity and the very end of the motion. It's the overall throwing motion changes that he must deal with. Can he be effective with the necessary mechanical changes? He drops down to get more movement on his pitches but it isn't mechanically sound so it will be a big change for him. The foot problem he had is an interesting problem. He had a posterior tibialis tendonosis. This muscle and tendon are largely responsible for maintaining the arch in your foot when you put weight on it. Could he be standing straighter and not following through properly due to a fear of putting full weight on his foot? It's possible. All reports say that he is no longer having problems with it. However, there is always the mental part of injuries. The tendon in reference goes through your tarsal tunnel and can cause problem with your tibial nerve and subsequent plantar nerves. This cause an electric shock through the bottom of the foot. It is extremely painful and makes someone think twice before putting weight on it. An interesting dilemma but probably not the reason for the mechanical flaws of his as I've heard from others that he has always had some odd bits to his motion. If we had a Like button, I'd probably push the the damn thing almost every time you post.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 11:51 AM) Hmph, I have no idea how I missed this. Shin Soo Choo's military service requirements were fulfilled this offseason. "Anything other than a gold medal would have forced Choo, 28, into a two-year military training in South Korea, which requires men to complete the service before they reach the age of 30." There's motivation for you. Win the gold or give up your sweet gig in the US and grab a rifle buddy. LOL.

I think the most important consideration is to make sure you pick a dog/breed that can handle being alone for long periods of time. There are alot of dogs that simply aren't wired for that much time alone.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Feb 5, 2011 -> 06:32 PM) If these 2011-2012 "All in" teams go deep into the playoffs I don't see any reason why we wouldn't be able to swim with the big boys and offer Danks 100M. Didn't we throw 90 at Hunter? The Sox offered Hunter 5 years - $75M.