iamshack

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 09:16 PM) My point is that big deal, you drafted no doubter of a middle infielder out of college and "developed him" and a college senior who is destined to be a good pen arm and most likely nothing more. That isn't much to brag about recently. Even if you want to use your method, my point being, the White Sox still rank pretty low. Plus, how do you define "ahead of schedule?" and measure such thing? The best way to measure the contributions of ones farm team is world series flags, rings, and parades. Period. So you're going to say these guys were no doubters now? Whatever. That's just revisionist history.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 08:22 PM) True, but it is a whole other level of wrong if Ozzie is coming home and saying "Hey guys, Jenks bawled like a little b**** today!". Well, Ozzie is going to talk about his job to people, most likely his family. It's human nature. His larger mistake is trusting Oney with that information, as he clearly does not think things through before he opens his big mouth.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 08:14 PM) That's the same thing I wondered, because it does make a difference in this story. If Oney is talking about things that he saw, versus things that his dad told him, it changes things for me. I asked Oney on Twitter, and he claims all of the tweets are about things he observed himself. But that doesn't change the fact that Oney knows what he knows because of the position his father holds with the White Sox. It's not as if Oney would know Jenks otherwise. It's not as if the White Sox would have hired Oney otherwise. He knows what he knows because of who his father is, and if his father wants to keep his job, he might want to make sure details about the players' lives are not made public over Twitter.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 06:50 PM) Please pretend I never said anything. You're quite obviously misconstruing my statements. Hah, honestly, I don't disagree with you much...but you're backing away from the only meaning which there could have possibly been. It's really not a big deal, I was just trying to determine what else you could have possibly been trying to say.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 06:34 PM) Do you think that having a closer blowing games because of personal issues is a distraction as well? And maybe is the sort that angers potential FA's and trade options? You are so much better than this, Balta. You have no idea if these personal issues led to him blowing games. And these guys are human beings...they all have real lives that affect their ability to do their jobs, just like you and I. That doesn't give anyone the right to air them out over f***ing Twitter.

QUOTE (J.Reedfan8 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 06:26 PM) Shack, I think your doing your occasional "over-analyzing" a post there. No, I'm really not. I'm trying to determine what his post meant, if not what I thought it meant.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 06:23 PM) Perhaps I should have said "I don't like this line of thinking" instead of "I hate posts like these." It's still pretty much the same thing though.... What exactly are you saying then, if it's not what implication I took from it? That it is wrong to break down the best matchup for your team?

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 05:17 PM) I really don't understand where you get this idea from, or why you're attacking me really. I think you're over-analyzing what I said. Or you just think I'm a pompous idiot. It's the playoffs. Go f***ing play. Attacking you? I'm not attacking anyone. I'm saying you responded to a post of mine saying essentially that I would rather play the Eagles and Falcons rather than the Saints/Packers or Saints/Falcons is weak or shows signs of weakness by stating "I hate posts like these." http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?s=...t&p=2306632 I'm not sure how you could have such a strong reaction to my post unless there was some reason for it? And it seemed pretty clear that that reason is because you are of the attitude that you should prove your worthiness by playing the toughest road possible, otherwise, you are showing weakness. I'm not really sure what else that post could mean...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 04:54 PM) Really folks, let's be honest...when do we ever actually expect this to happen? This season we've already won a couple of FA bidding wars and in the past we've had our GM's and managers ripping departing players repeatedly. When we try to acquire a guy who has an NTC clause at the deadline. When that player has a choice of what contender he wants to go to, and he says "I'm not playing for the White Sox and Ozzie Guillen. That guy runs a freaking soap opera over there." It'll happen, and it may not be something that is recognizable at the time, but it will happen. Players pay attention to stuff like this, and it gets talked about.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 05:55 PM) You kidding me? This is the Chicago sports market. Sure, they'd be beloved by most (look at the 85 team, STILL) but I mean we've already been compared to a team winning the MAC. And it has little to do with being manly or having machismo. Not sure where you're getting that from. Just how I feel about it. There is no easy road to winning the Super Bowl. The playoffs are the playoffs. Ok, so then why do you care if I am looking at what I believe the easiest path is? Your previous post implied that we should relish the opportunity to play only the best teams, to play the most difficult road possible, because this is the NFL playoffs, and to wish for anything else would be a sign of weakness.. It had everything to do with machismo. Now you seem to be backing off that a bit...

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 04:55 PM) You kidding me? This is the Chicago sports market. Sure, they'd be beloved by most (look at the 85 team, STILL) but I mean we've already been compared to a team winning the MAC. Trust me, no team will ever eclipse that 85' team in terms of legend and folklore, so forget that even being a possibility. I was speaking more about a Super Bowl team's legacy around the league and throughout history.

The Saints have also played a relatively weak schedule, like all the NFC South teams, but I still view them as more complete than the Eagles or Falcons right now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 04:39 PM) I think he's talking about the Saints offense versus the December Lake Michigan. I know he was, but come on now, the Saints aren't going to shrivel up and die because of the cold. They played well offensively in the NFC Championship game in Soldier Field January of 06'. The difference was, their defense was a bit suspect then. Well, it isn't anymore.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 04:41 PM) I'm not picking on you, but in general, I hate posts like these. If you want to win the Super Bowl, you're going to have to beat the best teams. This is the playoffs. You can't be afraid anybody. I say bring on the Saints. They won it last year, it goes through them. Huh? I can feel the machismo leaking out of your brain. I don't care if you hate the post or not, and I don't care how "manly" you want to be about it. I want to play the teams the Bears match up the best with. You can say you want to go the toughest route all day long, but the only thing that does is increase our chances of losing. No one ever remembers the road a team took to win the Super Bowl...they only remember who won the Super Bowl.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 05:27 PM) Saints on the road in January don't scare me. They do me...I don't worry about the Saints because of their offense...I think the Saints/Packers/Eagles all have elite offenses. I worry more because of their defense. The Saints and Packers have very good defenses. The Eagles, especially since Assante Samuel has been banged-ed up, do not. I'd much rather face an Eagles/Falcons road to the Super Bowl than have to mess around with the Saints and Packers...

I really, really hope we beat the Packers this week. Because if we don't, I think the Packers will beat the Eagles and the Bears will be playing the Saints in that first playoff game. Would much rather play the Eagles than the Saints.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 03:33 PM) You have focused the issue on the key point. No one disclosed any of Jenks' personal problems before. This recent disclosure is a response to Jenks' criticism of management for not having confidence in him. I think that you are absolutely right about how the other players would feel. Many of them may be as miffed at Jenks as Ozzie and Kenny probably are. Jenks is being an ingrate, and deserves to be called out. He let his team down by his off field behaviour, and has a lot of "chutzpah" to criticise the organization publically, after they covered for him for so long. I'm sorry, but Jenks criticized how he was handled professionally. Oney responded by airing out a bunch of details about Jenks' personal life. Those are two completely different responses in terms of degree. If Oney wanted to say Jenks didn't get it done on the field, fine. But the White Sox are supposed to be a respectful organization operated by professionals. This is not the kind of response such a respectful organization of any kind makes. And Balta, you can say they didn't formally make this response all you want, but the fact is Oney has the relationships he does and information that he does because he is granted certain privileges by the White Sox, and it is their responsibility to make sure he isn't divulging information like this to the public.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 03:44 PM) However Shack...if that behavior impacted my ability to do my work...and regularly did so, to the point that it was costing my employer performance...your employer would only tolerate it for so long, and if you decided to take public the fact that your employer fired you, in the form of a complaint about your treatment, your former employer would very likely respond by making public all that they'd done to help you. Well, I disagree, but it is certainly difficult to take situations that happen in professional sports and come up with analogous situations in real life.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 07:11 AM) a.k.a. "Heat 2: Boston" Note: I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Well, I did love Heat...

I really don't see what happened to Bobby during the season as anything that terrible that the White Sox were incredibly kind about covering up. So he said he was going to quit drinking and then he started drinking again. So he is having marital problems. These are common problems that many people have. Some posters have mentioned that the White Sox "have been covering" for Bobby. Well it isn't as though he has been engaging in criminal activities while in their employ (well, I guess he supposedly did punch someone, but that's a little different) and they have been keeping it on the down low. It's not like Bobby has been shooting heroin or he has been raping women and the White Sox have been covering for him. If you or I had been having these very same problems, guess what? Our employer would have to keep this quiet. Our employer would not be able to go running around telling other employees or other employers. Our employer would be probably even provide support in the form of therapy under our health insurance policy. So to act as though what the White Sox did was some amazing act of generosity is simply not true. It's called normal employment practice. It's the law. Bobby was immature taking a shot at Ozzie, especially knowing the Guillen family as he does, but the White Sox need to distance themselves as an organization from Oney as quickly and quietly as possible.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 11:29 PM) I hate to see this come true, but I called this a while ago. If Oney was right and Jenks started drinking again and was having marital issues during the season, it explains the bereavement leave as well as KW and Ozzie said they were disappointed in Jenks on and off the field. There's still a lot more to this story, so Jenks needs to just be quiet. However, Oney is so ignorant for airing this dirty laundry. But honestly, this stuff happens to real people all the time. People start drinking again all the time. People have marital troubles all the time. Far worse things happen to real people all the time. He is a professional and he should have been able to continue to perform as such. I understand he is a human being first, and a pitcher for the White Sox pitcher comes somewhere down the line after husband and father, etc., but come on. Life happens and you deal with it. Jenks is immature and silly for taking some parting shots and Oney and the Guillen family are wildly arrogant and naive to think this isn't going to catch up with them sooner rather than later.

Very good movie. Maybe a little underwhelming only because it had achieved outrageous hype. I find this happens often to me, since I am not one to go to the theaters often, instead choosing to watch on my home theater (I mean, this is why I paid for all this s***, right?). Loved the soundtrack, loved the ending, solid acting. I guess the concept wasn't as moving as I thought it might be though. Very solid though. Next on my list is The Town.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 12:56 AM) honestly...seattle is not an easy place to play. my buddy from cleveland was just telling me his superbowl picks are patriots vs new orleans, but he also commented that the browns beat both of those teams by a combined 20+ pts...so I certainly would never say 0..and i think its even higher than 10% Seattle is not an easy place to play when Seattle has a team worth a s***. Unfortunely for them, they do not. Denver and Kansas City are not easy places to play either, but when the team that plays there is bad (Denver this year, Kansas City last year), that home field advantage is largely negated. As for the Browns' victories over the Saints and Pats, those weren't entirely flukes. The Browns are a better team than people think, especially if McCoy continues to develop. That being said, those games were in the middle of the year when teams that are heavy favorites can lose focus. Additionally, sometimes better teams just lose, such as the Eagles tonight and the Chargers on Sunday. Still, the Saints are well-coached, playoff-tested, and have an elite quarterback and a very good defense. Their only real weakness is an inconsistent running game. The odds that the Saints lose to the NFC West division winner are not good.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 12:38 AM) I know anything can happen in the playoffs and yada yada yada but there's 0 chance that the NFC West winner beats the Saints, not happening. It's more than zero, but not likely. Probably less that 10%. The Saints have already smoked the Rams once.

QUOTE (lord chas @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 12:22 AM) if bears lock into 2 seed they couldnt play the 6 seed in the 2nd round Good point. The Bears will play either the Eagles, Rams, or Saints, but could not play the Packers or Giants.