iamshack

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 10:08 AM) No, you talk specifically about stop-and-frisk and TNC's article for multiple posts, even going as far as saying he shouldn't write his article until he pretends to be a cop for a few months. You made an irrelevant general whine about "where are the solutions?!!" in response to a specific article; don't try to pretend I'm the one trying to change the topic. It's not "pointless specifics" to point out that your response to the article I posted are 1) wrong factually (liberals and the left offer plenty of solutions) 2) wrong logically (you don't need alternatives to offer criticisms of the status quo) and 3) irrelevant (your criticisms about political will and democrats have exactly zero relevance to the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy). If you want to have a discussion about something completely irrelevant to the article I posted, have at it, but don't try to pretend that you weren't directly criticizing the article and the topic it addressed. I never said anything specific about the article or TNC, because I only read the excerpts you provided and I don't know who this mythical TNC even is. What I did comment on was the Cohen article. The only reference I made to the TNC article was to point out all the fancy language used to complain about the current state of affairs, while meanwhile offering nothing of any substance as to how to actually improve the current system. If folks really want to create change, we need to eventually step up and do...you say I made an "irrelevant general whine"? This is the mainstay of the articles you typically post in this forum. Filled with fancy arguments and 12 letter words that none other than the intellectual elite even understand. Yes, that is what will save us all...

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 10:03 AM) concern-trolling is not lolz-trolling, it's exactly what you're doing in these last few posts. ""concern trolling" as "offering a poisoned apple in the form of advice to political opponents that, if taken, would harm the recipient"" Honestly, I can't keep up with your internet lingo.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:59 AM) "political will" is sort of a irrelevant here. It was a policy enacted in NYC by NYC. It has nothing to do with Washington Democrats. NYPD can end this terrible policy at any time. As I said earlier, I am reacting more generally to the typical liberal approach to this sort of issue. It applies here and your attempts to avoid the conversation through the use of pointless specifics regarding this particular article don't add anything to the discussion I am trying to have. If you don't wish to have it, don't reply to my posts.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:56 AM) "Stop stupid policies like S-A-F" is a better idea than "keep doing stupid policies like S-A-F." "Dems" put S-A-F into place (TNC criticizes Obama for hinting at nominating the man responsible to replace Napalitano in the very same article you said he shouldn't write before he pretends to be a cop for six months). TNC is not the DNC. This is just straight-up concern trolling that results in acceptance of the status quo. So now I am trolling? Gotcha. I guess you can't be invited to the table unless you've read the Atlantic Monthly for the last 5 years of your life from the comfort of your living room. Take your intellectual elitism and shove it right up your ass. It does nothing but obfuscate the issue at hand with needless details. You know damn well I understand the issue enough to debate whether racial profiling is worth the inequality to those it targets or whether we should eschew the gains in crime-fighting effectiveness.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:51 AM) Who cares about the DNC? Ta-Nehisi isn't the DNC. Saying that the DNC is weak-willed and allows itself to be rolled by a reactionary Republican party has f*** all to do with anything TNC is writing. Why is TNC accountable for the lack of political will in the DNC? He isn't, and I don't even know who TNC is. I confess. I was writing a general reaction to the typical liberal position on issues like this. All fluff and ideology, but no realistic alternatives. It's tiresome, at least IMHO, that's all. And yes, when something is just obviously wrong and inequitable, we should condemn it as such. But as we age and grow in experience, many times we realize that things were never as simple as we once thought. That we aren't as smart as we thought we were all along. That there actually were some pretty intelligent people that came before us, and faced some incredibly complex problems, and no, they were not always able to put together the perfect solution, but they dealt with things the best they could. Obviously we should always strive for improvement in all things, but to equate some of these incredibly complex problems to smashing one's own hand for no reason is f***ing stupid.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:48 AM) Who cares? Demanding an alternative to a stupid idea that is immediately rectified by stopping said stupid idea is equivalent to defending the stupid idea in the first place. If something is bad and dumb, stop doing it. You don't need to magical alternative to stop doing bad, dumb things. S-A-F is a bad, dumb thing. TNC doesn't need to solve poverty and crime or be a police officer for six months in order to offer valid criticisms of the program. This is oversimplification and probably the main reason why the Dems often have the better ideas, but the inability to place them into reality.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:29 AM) lol, ok you're still failing to address the main point, which is that you don't need a solution to point out when something is rotten. edit: I'll just go back to this cartoon. I don't need to know how to fix your broken hand nor do I need to smash my own hand with the hammer before I can give criticism/advice about stopping smashing your hand with a hammer. Stuff like "stop-and-frisk" is akin to smashing your hand with a hammer. Things improve immediately as soon as you stop smashing your damn hand with a hammer. No need to worry about alternative instruments to smash your hand with or what you could do to fix the damage you've already done. Just stop doing it. It's not that simple and that is the problem with this cartoon. Why is he smashing his hand in the first place? What is the issue at hand which needs to be addressed which is causing him to smash his hand in the first place?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:29 AM) lol, ok you're still failing to address the main point, which is that you don't need a solution to point out when something is rotten. I did address the main point...several times, in fact. The fact that some commentators are pointing out inequalities and discrimination and outright racism is all fine and good. Yes, they are entitled to their opinions. And yes, many times they make some good points. But at some point we need to see more political will and less pontificating out of the Democratic party than has been shown in the last decade or so.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 09:01 AM) Ok, now you're conflating "the far left" (radical communists, anarchists, etc.) with "the left" with the Democratic Party. "So what's your solution?!" is just a weak defense of the status quo. It's not an actual argument and I'll note that you didn't address the part where I suggest that we simply end racist policies. We don't need any alternative to stop with garbage like "stop-and-frisk" and demanding a comprehensive solution to crime and poverty before we can talk about the failures of the current system only serves to justify those same failures. I don't know the solution. And I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject. And this is precisely the reason why people in law enforcement become frustrated with folks accusing them of being a bunch of racist pigs...yes, it is rather easy to point out the flaws while you're sitting back in your recliner pontificating about your Utopian police force...but until you actually are out there in the middle of it, it's very difficult to understand what law enforcement is dealing with. I'm not saying that I have all the answers, but until I have some kind of idea of what it actually is to try and keep the streets safe every day, especially in a major metropolitan area, I don't feel it is particularly genuine of me to merely sit by and fling insults at the very people who are providing for much of my safety. Maybe TNC should get his ass out on the streets with the cops every weekend for 6 months and then write this column.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 08:52 AM) Well, a good first step would be to stop engaging in explicit racial profiling and stereotyping. Why is it up to the black community (and non-black liberals and leftists concerned with these issues) to come up with alternatives for systemic racism before systemic racism can be ended? Why does TNC need to propose some "real, workable solution" to American crime and poverty to point out how racist and awful stop-and-frisk is? Because someone has to, do they not? My point is that the left seems to devote a disproportionate amount of energy to pointing out inadequacies in the current system rather than devoting their energy to actually improving the situation themselves. It's very easy to point out the flaws...and I get it, people need to be educated of those flaws before change usually occurs, but this has been a theme with the Democratic party for the last decade...the better ideology, but a lack of political will to actually put it into action.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 08:36 AM) I don't think objection to "stop and frisk" is really limited to the far left - you can't tell me there's not an easy-to-see line between "common sense" which is knowing the suspect of a crime is probably black and the police responding accordingly, and treating every black person you see like they're a potential criminal. The latter is an invitation to all sorts of court-sanctioned f***ery. But Cohen says this...he points out that there have to be other factors involved...and don't get me wrong, I don't really agree with Cohen and I said as much last week...but the article SS posted today, and many articles that these intellectuals on the left write, are fantastic at pointing out inadequacies, but not so much at bringing real, workable alternative solutions to the table. Yes, we'd love to approach crime in a manner which never suspects or inconveniences or violates anyone simply because of what others that might share something in common with them have done, or because some folks are just downright racist...but we still have to keep our streets safe, do we not? Ok, how should we do it better?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 07:52 AM) TNC had some thoughts on that Richard Cohen article I shared last week that I thought were worth bringing up: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archiv...ofiling/277871/ That is all fine and good...all that fancy language to describe how wrong Cohen is...tell me how to approach crime in an alternative manner! This is my issue with the far left...always pointing out the inadequacies but rarely coming up with realistic solutions...it's not enough to always point out how wrong the rest of us are if you never provide a realistic alternative...

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 07:44 AM) One day after baby Gage...Elizabeth Rose, born July 19th, decided to shock mom and dad 3 weeks early. Jason, nice middle name for her Beautiful first name as well! Congrats!

QUOTE (knightni @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 05:03 PM) Dude. Don't leave a girl hanging on a text longer than a few hours unless you never want to be with her again. Oh nonsense...she totally freaked on him over something that was so not the end of he world...let her suffer a bit too

Hmmm...I think Brian Kenny really has gotten through to Hawk...he's beginning to read and stuff...

QUOTE (Noonskadoodle @ Jul 20, 2013 -> 03:01 PM) So can we all just call Phegley the Fire Hydrant? It's what he is built like. Another description would be a brick s***house

Congrats, Jason and Jason's wife!

Joe...sllloooooowwwww doooooowwwwnnnn. You frightened her and your silly friends should have told you not to do that thing with the card. That was weird. If I were you I'd ask her to have coffee with you, and assuming she says yes, leave her be until you actually meet up with her. No texts or weird looks. Then when you meet her, just tell her it was all a misunderstanding, you were stupid, and you didn't mean to pressure her. Tell her you still like spending time with her, but you want to slow things down and dial them back a bit. You'd like to know her thoughts on that. Then regardless of what she says, just leave it be until she slowly starts easing back to where you guys were before the whole party and carnival. If she's really interested, she'll come back...if not, it wasn't going to go anywhere anyways. How old are the two of you?

Shingo is throwing out the first pitch tomorrow! Yes!

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 19, 2013 -> 12:18 PM)

At the same time, how do you quantify the effect on the balls one does put in play if hitting style is adjusted to try and cut back on strikeouts? Say Dunn did make a conscious effort to make more contact. How many home runs would it come at the expense of? I understand there is a difference between trying to measure hitters that strikeout versus hitters that don't (as much), but in the end, a guy is what he is for the most part.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 19, 2013 -> 11:28 AM) Your hypothesis makes a lot of sense, and it is one held by many. However, when they went and actually looked at the expected runs from all of the base/out states and factored in how often each occurs, the difference (again, on average) was very small. So, bringing us back to the purpose of these stats, it makes perfect sense NOT to consider context when comparing two players that did not receive the same opportunities. League average BABIP tends to be around .300, though power hitters tend to have lower BABIPs because they hit a lot of fly balls. Ground balls have higher BABIPs than fly balls, liners have the highest. Dunn's BABIP this year is .233. I just want to commend you on your patience and respect towards everyone in this thread. If all the proponents of advanced metrics handled these discussions the way you have, the chasm between the advanced metrics crowd and the old school folks would be far less contentious.

I'll be honest, I sort of selfishly wish we could keep Peavy...he's been one of the few bright spots on this lifeless team.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 19, 2013 -> 07:31 AM) Epic post. f***er

QUOTE (qwerty @ Jul 19, 2013 -> 01:31 AM) At a point in this thread it was questioned as to if the times were indeed ever golden. Golden is a word that is thrown around in excess quite like the word epic. Epic once had a rather signifigant meaning until the overuse starting occuring during the time of the internet. Now, it has become nothing more than a shell of its former self. Anyway, times were once a blast around here. To me there was an abundance of different personalities at some point in time, which really made this place have a spark. For the good and bad. Really far ends of the spectrum in some cases. Maybe we were zanier? Or could it be passion drove us more? I like to think it was a little bit of both. The loss of "The Cheat" was huge for me. Since Kalapse hardly posts I no longer have anyone to mentor (for those new around the place he is supposedly the brains around these parts) so that makes me sad. Wite has not had any of those patended eight to twelve pargraph posts in years it seems. What's up with that? Greg has toned it down. I was always like fathom, though now he seems to blend in here. Years ago, he stuck out like a sore thumb, and his thoughts were much needed to balance out the homerism. Much more realistic person I believe than he was ever given credit for. The basketball thread I will always speak ill of. There are only three posters in there that consistently know what they are talking about, and two others that are generally pretty on the money. Whenever I am feeling down I go to that thread because it's like one of those movies that are so schlocky that you actually find something enjoyable despite you not wanting to. You know what I'm talking about, everyone has one. I guess things are not all that bad when I think about it. The last really exciting thing that happened to me is a few years ago JimH did call me out to fight him in person. While claming I am a drunkard piece of scum. A drunkard I am not. Creepiest thing about it is he did so on another site (chicagonow) after I mentioned him in a thread here. Apparently he had taken whatever trivial thing I said about him to heart. Hardly something worth calling a person out to a fight for in my opinion. Do the rumors hold true that he wears daisy duke type shorts along with a tank top to show his midriff at the games? I know some of you have had to bump into him over the years. Seems to me that is the only way I would have heard that was his clothing style of choice. Yes, the use of the word "epic" is the bane of my existence.