iamshack

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 06:36 PM) I remember big defense in the 2005 World Series, like game saving defense. I honestly don't remember any big hits of his, though he did hit well; I honestly didn't even remember that he hit that well. I'm not a big believe in clutch, but Uribe is clutch. He's just not a very good hitter otherwise. Agreed. And if the clutch hits continue in the Postseason, he is clearly worth that payday. Although this is really not something you should be signing players based on. I guess I agree with most of the people here...it's a decent signing...won't kill them, could help them.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 06:16 PM) Rasmus is essentially the Cardinals version of Beckham except the fact he has a higher ceiling as a hitter. If you can sign a decent 2b(wouldn't be that difficult) then a Beckham for Rasmus swap actually makes a ton of sense to be honest. I'm pretty happy with Gordo, to be honest. Certainly he has struggled a bit more than we anticipated, but I would rather have a MI with his capabilities offensively than an OF, even though Rasmus's ceiling from a pure hitting standpoint may be a bit higher. I'd keep Gordo.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 05:52 PM) Uribe hit .149/.196/.277/.473 in the 2010 postseason. He did fairly well in big spots, hence a positive WPA, but it wasn't anything otherworldly. Yeah, I remember that being the case...but come on Wite, what do people remember about the Postseason? The big hits, the big defensive plays. Juan has a tendency to get some big hits in the Postseason. He did it for us in 05', and he certainly did it for the Giants last season, including the game winning sac fly in one game and a big home run in another.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 05:41 PM) I really think they didn't want to deal with the "How could you suspend player xxx and not suspend Richard Seymour for that shot on Ben" question. I don't really care about the suspension, but it seems to me that it should be at least $50k in fines for each player.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 06:02 PM) However Iowa is probably as good as anything that Boise played this season. They are judged purely on record which is not always a good indicator of team strength and talent. Dunno about that...I think Virginia Tech and Nevada are both better teams than Iowa this season.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 06:23 PM) Johnson and Finnegan both get $25,000 fines for that brawl yesterday. No suspension That seems like an incredibly light punishment after the $75,000 fines being handed out recently for helmet to helmet contact.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 05:21 PM) He had one above average season and one average season, I guess comparatively he has had a good post-Sox career but it's not like he turned into an MVP or even an all-star caliber player. He seems to shine in the Postseason. Being on the national stage and winning another title is probably what he meant.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 03:59 PM) Just brainstorming here, but I wonder if the Astros were to make Pence available, if Kenny would go after him. Pence is a consistent .280+, 25+ HR, 75+ RBI guy who plays pretty good defense and can steal 15-20 bases. And don't quote me on this, but I believe is under team control until 2014. Just read that the Astros are NOT talking contract extensions with him right now, so maybe he would be available. Not sure what the asking price would be, or if Houston would make him available, but at 28 years old when the season starts, I would think they would consider going younger if they could. He is probably someone the Astros need to trade, much like Arizona is looking to trade Justin Upton, simply to help reload the organization with some young talent. This is probably not something we would be a very good partner for, since we don't have a lot of young talent ourselves.

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 04:49 PM) It would be a huge CF to be in two different conferences for your sports. I can agree to that, but that doesn't mean they gain much by having their football team join a conference. Don't they already get a special BCS exemption as it is? I guess the real question probably is "Would their football team joining the Big Ten or the Big 12 and their basketball team following be better than their basketball team being in the Big East and their football team being independent or also in the Big East?"

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 04:43 PM) The Big East is a BCS conference with major media market cash for all of the other sports. The Big 12 may have better overall athletics, but it doesn't have the same attraction. The Big East is Maria Sharapova, the Big 12 is Venus Williams. But isn't ND already getting the advantages of this by being in the Big East for basketball?

So I have made my predictions for the NFC Playoff picture. Getting the 2nd seed instead of the 3rd seed is going to be huge in the grand scheme of things. That win was HUGE for the Bears yesterday, as it would give us the tiebreaker if we finish tied with the Eagles as division winners of the North and East, respectively. Here are my seeding predictions: 1. Atlanta - reasonably soft schedule, although they have a huge game against TB on the road this week and a big game left with the Saints in Atlanta which would solidify the number 1 seed if they can win. 2. Bears - wins against Detroit and Minny are a must. Final game against GB could be huge. Probably need a split against NE and NYJ to get to 11 wins and the HUGE second seed. A loss in the final game of the season could move them all the way down to the 6th spot or even out of the playoffs entirely, as a 10-6 Bucs team could possibly edge us out in a tiebreaker amongst common opponents 3. Philly - two games left with Dallas serves as a bit of a bad break for the Eagles, and one huge game in NY against the Giants, which the Giants are going to need more than Philly. I'm guessing Philly wins 4 of their final 5 and finishes tied at 11-5 with the Bears. They would then lose on a tiebreaker as a result of the Bears victory yesterday. This 3rd seed is really a brutal seed, as you will see below. 4. St Louis - the winner of any division, regardless of record, gets seeded higher than Wild Card teams. This is something that will eventually be changed hopefully, and this season should make that point clear. 5. New Orleans - will probably finish below Atlanta in the South division, although their matchup on Dec 27th will probably determine the division winner. As it stands, the Saints have the tougher schedule, with matchups in Baltimore, at Atlanta, and against Tampa to finish out the season. 6. Green Bay - giving the nod to the Packers in front of the Giants at this point, since the Giants have been decimated by injuries. This seed could be determined by the game between the two teams at Green Bay the day after Christmas. Then of course, the Packers and Bears square off the final game of the season in Green Bay. However, if the Packers and Bucs finish tied here, it is possible the Bucs could hold the tiebreaker as they may only have 4 conference losses, as the Packers might have 5 should they lose to Chicago. On the outside looking in: 1. NYG - just so devastated by injuries, they are limping along right now. They have Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Washington twice on their schedule, as well as a slightly dangerous Minnesota team. Were they completely healthy, I would probably put them in there instead of GB, but I don't see them winning that game in GB and I don't see them finishing any better than 10-6. 2. Tampa Bay - Tampa's season basically boils down to this week's game against Atlanta. If they can pull off the upset, they actually have a very good chance to make the playoffs as they get Washington, Detroit and Seattle the following three weeks, two of them being at home. They then travel to New Orleans the final week to play the Saints. My guess is they lose both the divisional matchups, but they could finish at 10-6 and possibly earn a spot over a 10-6 Bears team that does not win the north division because of a tiebreaker edge against common opponents (this obviously depends on what Tampa does against upcoming opponents (Detroit, Washington, and Seattle). They could also beat out Green Bay in a tiebreaker, although this is unlikely. Wow, these last 5 weeks are going to be absolutely wild in the NFC! Every game will be huge for every possible contender, with the Cowboys, Lions, and Redskins all having a big chance to be spoilers. The 3rd seed will get absolutely screwed by having to play a team such as the Packers/Bears/Bucs or NYG while the 5th seed will probably play the NFC West division champion. One key for Bears fans, don't finish in a 10-6 tie with Tampa Bay!

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 01:52 PM) That does seem a bit high, but there is something to be said for an infielder that can play 2B, SS, & 3B with a 20-homer bat as well. They might regret the deal in 2013, but its not the worst thing in the world for the next two seasons. Good for him. And Colletti is pretty notorious for liking veterans on his clubs. The signing makes sense.

Looking at Kyle Orton's season this year...it's really ironic how his career has completely been turned on its head. Orton was always referred to as a "winner" when he was in Chicago, but nothing else. A QB which could manage the game for you. He would not lose it for you, but he probably wouldn't win it for you either. He threw 30 TD's against 27 INT's in his Bears career. Then he gets traded to Denver, and puts up outstanding individual numbers and flourishes in their system. He is on pace for like 27-30 TDs this year and almost 5,000 yards, against only 7-10 INT's. That is a Pro Bowl season. He's thrown 41 TD's against 18 INT's since being traded to the Broncos. And yet his record as a starter in Chicago was 21-12. His record for the Broncos is 11-15. Crazy. Just goes to show you how important defense and a running game are, as well as how misleading statistics can be.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 01:22 PM) Its a message board on the internet, not an actual negotiation. Oh, right....so there is no need to present an argument anymore. We'll just all say things like: 1. "Trade for Matt Kemp." 2. "Acquire Clayton Kershaw." 3. "Trade for Buster Posey." I mean this is a message board, not a negotiation.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 01:52 PM) Good for him. +1... Always loved Juan.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 12:39 PM) @BradBiggs - No. That game is locked at noon. RT @HuskyCaucasian @BradBiggs Do you think the #Bears #Jets game will get moved from the 12pm start Ahh, ok. Thanks!

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 11:59 AM) @ZachZaidman - The kickoff time for the Bears vs. Patriots game on December 12 has been moved to 3:15PM CT Yes indeedy! My guess is the kickoff for the Jets game will follow.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 29, 2010 -> 01:30 AM) Can't tell if it's sarcasm or not...I'm assuming it is...I honestly don't even think they're the best 2-9 team in the league, as I think Detroit is a better team, though I also doubt they are 2-9 at this point with a healthy Stafford. But beyond that, I expected them to be a monumental disaster and to go like 1-15, and the reasons ranged from their inability to lure a big name head coach to Buffalo to once again signing virtually nobody of impact in free agency to drafting a gadget player with the #9 pick to naming Edwards the starting QB in preseason and then cutting him like 3 weeks later to shuffling the running back touches like crazy and having no offensive consistency to the defense showing virtually no signs of adequacy...they've come a long ways. I'm not going to sit here and say that they need only one or two more pieces to be competitive, but there have been signs that they might not actually be the least competent franchise in the NFL. They need to build both lines up a bit more, add more pieces to the defense, and bring in a developmental signal caller (preferably before round 7 this time), but they aren't nearly as far away as I thought they were starting the year. A great team led by a Hall of Fame quarterback! The Lions are actually probably better right now with Hill playing, so their record this season is not suffering. Obviously where they are getting hurt is by either losing development time for Stafford, should he ultimately be the longterm starter, or delaying the conclusion that he is not, should that ultimately be their course of action. But would they be a 3, 4, or 5 win team right now were Stafford starting every week, most likely not. As for your Bills, Fitz is a nice "right now" option, and certainly has developed a great rapport with Stevie Johnson, but as you said, they need to bring in a franchise-type qb, as well as get those lines rebuilt. But as is true in life, in the NFL, you are usually not as bad as you look when things are at their worst, and you're usually not as great as you look when things are at their best. To me, find yourself a talented qb, build your lines, and the rest tends to fall into place.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 28, 2010 -> 11:52 PM) He is amazing. Speaking of them, that has to be about the hardest 2-9 of all time. Their last 4 losses have been decided by a field goal or less, and they've lost 7 games by one score (and an 8th by 10 points, a game they were leading for a while against Jacksonville). On my drive back today, I caught about 3 minutes of the Vikings post game coverage, and the radio dude was talking about how the Vikings have the Bills coming up on the schedule and how the Bills are a "terrible team." Perhaps the Vikings will be playing inspired football in their first home game without Childress, but if they take the Bills lightly, they're gonna get steamrolled, because they are most certainly not a terrible team. Wow...what does that make the Vikings? Just a "bad" team?

QUOTE (zenryan @ Nov 28, 2010 -> 11:10 PM) Steve Johnson, my new favorite player. StevieJohnson13 1. I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO... his twitter Oh that is some funny s***...

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 28, 2010 -> 10:18 PM) Jason Peters: “As bad as we played, we lost by five and they know we’re a better team." b**** please. Was that before, during, or after Peppers's dick hit you in the forehead? And which time was it? I saw the same quote. Was not sure how to interpret that...meaning the Bears knew the Eagles were better than they played today, or meaning the Bears knew the Eagles were a better team than the Bears? Been reading a few Packers forums tonight to gauge their reaction to today's events...seems like many of their fans believe we will lose 4, if not all 5 of our remaining games. Did I just hear Adrian Peterson is going to miss the remainder of the season? If so, score!

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 28, 2010 -> 11:00 PM) Funny how Collinsworth was ripping so hard into Cutler All of the national media is very hard on Jay. It'll be up to him to prove himself as a consistent, NFL franchise-quality quarterback.

Listening to Collinsworth and Al Michaels making excuses for Peyton Manning is hilarious...."you can see him flinching before he even gets hit..." "It's impossible to throw the ball when your quarterback is getting hit..." Give me a break. Welcome to the real world, Peyton. Where you actually get pressured and don't have 4 Pro Bowlers at your disposal. Not that I don't recognize the injuries the Colts are dealing with, and not that I don't absolutely respect Peyton Manning, but he has played poorly tonight, and he deserves some actual criticism, not excuses made for him. And I think he would be the first to tell us that.

I am so proud of this team. Now these games against New England and NYJ will be fairly hyped on the national level. Would love nothing more than to somehow beat Ryan and Bellichick.

I'll be interested to see where we are in the power rankings after this week....my guess is we jump about 5 spots to #7 or so...