iamshack

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 06:12 PM) Hopefully, a full year of Quentin, Rios, Beckham, and perhaps Flowers coming off the bench or DHing helps take care of some of that. if Teahen could show some promise in a new park that would help too. But yeah, we need some OPS from the DH spot and we need something else in the OF as it stands right now. This is why some of us still think there's a good shot at Thome coming back; he's just a really good fit for what this team is missing (20-25 HR and a .400 OBP from the LH Side). And probably the best decision economically.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 05:58 PM) Even if everything works in that offense, it's not going to outscore the Yankees. But that's not how this team is built next year; if we fill those other 2 spots with average performance somehow, if we're going to the playoffs, we're going there because we have the best 1-6 starting pitching staff in the AL and we're scoring enough runs. What we need to do is get to teh "Enough" runs point. In 2005 we were 9/15 in the AL in runs scored. In 2009 we were 12/15. That's a fair bit worse, and we need to recover from that. Quentin recovering and giving us a full season, a full season of Beckham, a normal season from Rios, etc., could accomplish that as long as we don't have a complete black hole somewhere. Get me back to that middle-of-the pack range and then our offense can win with this starting staff. That assumes, of course, that the bullpen doesn't implode. Couldn't agree more. Excellent.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 05:50 PM) Okay so the other teams with high payrolls.... yankees.. red sox, angels, mets, cubs... all of those teams have owners that lose money every year, or are they just breaking even? Is it because they sell out every night? The Yankees/Red Sox/Mets basically own their own sports network. They generate tens of millions that way. The Cubs have their own psuedo network in WGN. Those teams also draw extremely well, as you alluded to. That doesn't hurt. The Yankees have been operating in the red though for a few years recently. A few weeks ago, there was a thread here regarding a new company the White Sox have started, entitled "Silver Chalice Ventures," which will attempt to generate funds to be used for the ballclub. Apparently the Red Sox have a similar venture entitled "Fenway Sports Group." Many teams are looking to generate $ in any way possible so as to make them more competitive within the baseball industry.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 05:45 PM) You don't own a sports team to make money, you own a sports team to say you own a sports team. Thereby getting laid more.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 05:41 PM) Oh okay I didn't know that. Run right at 0, and sometimes under? Hmmm... I'm a bit of a skeptic on that one, but I'll buy it since I have no proof to the contrary. I guarantee you they ran in the red last season, which is why those pursestrings are so tight coming into next season...

Again, the key is this: So you can show copyrighted films, but it has to be in a classroom educational setting. So watching Apollo 13 when discussing the space race with the Russians is probably fair game. Watching the Polar Express around Christmas time because you forgot to do a lesson plan, is not.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 12:30 PM) Where am I reading what? There has been all kinds of talk from the Sox about improving their defense, and there was just a blurb that came out saying the Sox are back in on Pods. Please don't do it, Kenny. Kotsay was a good baseball move, but Pods however is not. Tony posted that Merkin Tweeted it last night.

My guess is that Disney, or some other large movie studios, might worry that a school would present one of their new movies in the gymnasium to a large audience (100 kids or more), and then suddenly, you've just lost how many dollars in royalties from rentals? I think this is one of those issues of the law where the odds of it being enforced are slim to none, but my guess is that is their beef here. When I was a kid, they only showed us things in the public domain, like Born Free. Then again, they probably didn't have access to the copyrighted materials they do now. However, it does appear as though many school districts were contacted by organizations representing film distribution companies, offering to sell them licenses, so this issue does indeed appear to be real. Here is a good link: http://www.millercanfield.com/publications-alerts-279.html

I actually think Orton looked pretty good tonight. He made one really bad throw, but against a tough Pittsburgh D, I thought he performed pretty well. As stupid as I though McDaniels was for shopping Cutler in the first place, for the offense he runs, Cutler really wasn't a good fit. A guy like Orton is pretty well-suited for that offense with the one exception that his long ball is terrible. But they honestly seem perfectly content to not even try to go deep, which is perfect for Kyle.

QUOTE (tommy @ Nov 10, 2009 -> 01:25 AM) So I was listening to Comcast Sports Net sports news and apparently the talks with Scott Podsednik's agent have heated up in the last couple of days, right after Kenny's comments about 'looking elsewhere.' I've probably been as big a fan of Scottie as there is on this board, but I am starting to like the idea of Jordan Danks stepping in to take that other OF spot as opposed to Podsednik coming back.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 9, 2009 -> 09:46 PM) I gotta say.. it's looking more and more like a talk up. in my eyes, though I could be wrong. And KW.. Adrian, Crawford etc.. are all nice for trades.. but Nick Johnson is sitting there free in FA and he's a LH OBP stick. Please sign him. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Sounds to me like Jordan could be gone in a few weeks... And Balta, I know, you don't think D2: The Mighty Danks would be traded because of his brother...

QUOTE (tommy @ Nov 9, 2009 -> 01:58 AM) Someone bust out the stats because as much as I don't ever watch him play, his wikipedia page he is a superior defender. No clue about his arm. I'm sure he can be had for cheap and would solve the leadoff problem, his bat is just not enough, hell I probably take Pods over Crisp just because of 2005 and my fanboism, and Mrs. Podsednik of course. Yeah, Crisp is great defensively. His arm is weak. And he hasn't been able to get on base at a high clip in the last few years and he is terribly injury prone. I wouldn't mind picking him up, but he isn't really anything you can count on...

QUOTE (tommy @ Nov 9, 2009 -> 01:58 AM) Someone bust out the stats because as much as I don't ever watch him play, his wikipedia page he is a superior defender. No clue about his arm. I'm sure he can be had for cheap and would solve the leadoff problem, his bat is just not enough, hell I probably take Pods over Crisp just because of 2005 and my fanboism, and Mrs. Podsednik of course. Yeah, Crisp is great defensively. His arm is weak. And he hasn't been able to get on base at a high clip in the last few years and he is terribly injury prone. I wouldn't mind picking him up, but he isn't really anything you can count on...

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 8, 2009 -> 07:54 PM) It's also tough as hell to do the eye-test from watching on TV. You might not see the defender until he is actually in position to make the play, which doesn't tell you anything about how good he is defensively. Exactly. The other thing is there are certain players who make web gems quite often because they take poor routes to the ball but are still athletic enough to catch the ball if they can get to it. Meanwhile, you've got guys like BA who were so good at getting jumps that they made almost every play look so easy. Brian got to all sorts of balls easily that 90% of other OFers would have had to dive at.

QUOTE (tommy @ Nov 9, 2009 -> 01:30 AM) I love how Juan @ #39. Shh...you'll wake DA up...

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 05:57 PM) My phone is unlocked so it can be used with T-Mobile. They wont go and advertise that they will do it, but if you walk into a store with an unlocked iphone and want to switch to their service they will set you up with the correct data plan so that you can use the iphone for much cheaper than AT&T. For example, here is a T-Mobile forum with an employee explaining it. Also, if anyone with an iphone is interested in jailbreaking/unlocking it, I can walk you through it in about 5-10 minutes. Wow, that is extremely interesting. I am somewhat shocked that they would do that. I guess it's better than turning people away just to go somewhere else.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Nov 8, 2009 -> 10:36 PM) I like the part where his cubs fan wife couldn't identify Paul Konerko during the playoff run in 2005. Shes a female cubs fan living in Lincoln park she probably didnt even know there was another team in the city. Not only that she couldn't identify him, but she thought she went to college with him at Indiana! I must say, as someone who lived in the city and suburbs my entire life until I moved to Las Vegas 16 months ago, reading pieces like this really makes me realize how much I miss my old home... Cheers to a great city, the City of Chicago.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 04:08 PM) Since you quoted me I did say historically and you give me one example ? Because you can name Pedroia you take that tone ? I myself gave 3 examples with Sandberg, Morgan and Utley . Maybe you should do some research on what kind of numbers usually qualify a 2nd baseman for the Hall of Fame and you'll see they are not as good as players from most other positions. I stand by my statement that generally and historically teams do not want their BEST players at 2nd base. That does not mean their aren't exceptions to the rule in the 100+ years of baseball history . Rogers Hornsby was another one if you ever heard of him. It's also why when you hear the argument that Beckham should be playing 2nd base it's because his bat is more valuable at a position that usually doesn't have that many good bats playing it. Again an example of the best players not being at 2nd base most of the time. I think part of the reason for that is because middle infielders have historically been amongst the game's smaller players as well. It only follows that many of them would not be putting up the big-time offensive statistics that many of the HOFers have produced. Now there is certainly something to what you're saying, but I think there is more to it as well.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 03:42 PM) "Generally and historically teams do not want their best players at 2nd base.' You mean like the 2008 AL MVP Pedroia?! Get a clue. Tone it down a bit there, shooter.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 09:59 AM) the research has stated that only a very small percentage of those that received the credit would've not purchased the house w/o the credit. The rest were just going to buy a house anyways and got free credit. Is the research any different in the hardest-hit markets? I know that in Las Vegas, the credit has influenced a lot of people to buy who were not particularly interested before. With the rental market in the gutter here, the credit is the incentive that has caused a lot of potential buyers to become buyers in reality, as opposed to taking advantage of a large supply in the rental market.

I'm honestly wondering who you guys are thinking of that we could possibly acquire. I think right now a lot of people are thinking "There have to be better players out there...it's the offseason! Anything is possible!" But when you actually sit down and look at the options out there, even when considering players signed on other teams, there just isn't much available. I think many teams will share the same feelings as many on here do - Thome is over the hill, on the decline, and not worth anything more than a few million dollars, if that - and if that is the case, I think you offer Jim a $2m/year contract, with some incentives that are unreachable unless he does somehow return to form, and hope that he wants to come back and finish his career here. He then becomes a solid bat you can start 3-4 times a week, and a dangerous pinch hitter off the bench. As much as people want to rag on the guy, Balta is correct in pointing out that he still brings good pop and excellent OBP to a team that, to be honest, is in desperate need of that right now. To immediately dismiss the guy as somehow beneath the talent necessary to play for this club is really being a bit blind to the realities KW is operating under currently. Barring some sort of major trade (Read: Paulie or Mark), there simply isn't a whole lot of $ to go around right now.

QUOTE (SHIPPS @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 12:04 PM) I met her through one of my good buddys that I work with. She is 26 and she works as a database admin at at&t. So yes we are both admins. lol She is a conservative christian and is a five tool player as far as a prospect. That's awesome man. She must be a very impressive gal for you to have turned into such a pussbag... Best of luck man!

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 01:36 PM) How long does the practice last? Honestly, this is the position Gordon should have been playing for us in the first place, but Josh Fields is terrible. Better to move him to 2b now and enjoy the fruits of his bat from now until his retirement in 20 years than to keep him at third because we're afraid to ask him to learn a new position.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 7, 2009 -> 01:33 PM) I’d point out that Swisher still hit 24 homeruns in limited AB’s (for him) in a year that proved to be a statistical aberration the very next year after, but I don’t want to be caught in the s*** storm this argument would inevitably create. Instead, I’ll not my head, and move on. Yeah, I think it's kind of unfair to judge Swish's numbers here. We were jacking him around, putting him in defensive positions he wasn't accustomed to, asking him to bat leadoff, etc. Let's face it, we were asking him to do a lot of things and he didn't perform particularly well doing them, and then it got kind of ugly. Nothing to do but move on. I do miss the dirty 30 thing though...

Shipps, tell us a little bit about this lovely lady of yours... Where did you meet her? How did you meet her? How old is she? What does she do?