Texsox

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 09:08 PM) I agree. There isn't much more I can add that I haven't already stated in my many other posts on the topic of Crede/Boras/White Sox relations. I don't blame Joe one bit for going for the money, I'd do the same. The whole thing is a joke. Like Boras has these amazing supernatural powers and every player should be a fan boy. Players who leave the Sox are greedy bastards, those that come aren't. There isn't a GM on the planet that doesn't know Boras and his tactics. He gets those contracts because he gets damn good players, markets them well, and works his ass off for the client. He's not going to get 6/100 for Crede, no matter what he does. He can't create a phantom bidding war and create a 6/100 market for Joe. One team will offer the most, and like any auction they will overpay. Every winner of an auction has overpaid, that is, they offered more than anyone else was willing. If you were a GM and Boras walked in and Joe Blow walked in, who would you have more information on and have the best feel for how he negotiates? Any GM that loses in negotiating with Boras has only to look in the mirror to see the real culprit.

One of the women on my college cross country team, who also worked as a waitress at a famous club in Lake Geneva that became Americana, could pee standing up and through the fly in her jeans. She said it took some practice, but worked great while on training runs and backpacking.

I have my resume on one of the resume sites and get regular notices when jobs match my field. I usually don't respond, but this one caught my eye and I followed the link and it look dead on for career builders. It wasn't until after I entered my social security number and moved to the next field that I started to get that s***ty feeling in my stomache. In the list of "hints" questions was "What is your favorite Internet password?". No way that was legit. I stopped at that point but those bastards have my name, address, and social. A email to career builders confirmed it was a scam.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 07:49 PM) You got it. You hire Boras in order to maximize your return, if he wasn't looking for as much money as possible he would never have hired Boras in the first place. If you don't want t maximize your return why hire an agent at all? If they truly cared about the team, a player would just accept what the team thinks is fair and what the team can afford. That way the team could field a winner ever season. And after all, isn't that the most important thing, winning?

QUOTE(To LA from Chicago @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 03:58 PM) That would be very nice, but when was that statement made? I haven't heard that one... If players didn't have agents, you can damn well bet that owners and GMs would undercut the player and incentives and do everything possible to save money. One way or another, one side is trying to undermine the other side. Not to defend the Black Sox, but it does show what can happen when all the power is in the owner's hands.

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 05:25 PM) Then I remembered they were in an ice cave and probably weren't reading it. So, then I decided it was O.K., like making fun of the Amish. From the climbers missing thread.

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 05:25 PM) Then I remembered they were in an ice cave and probably weren't reading it. So, then I decided it was O.K., like making fun of the Amish. POTM worthy.

David Duke; former Republican State Rep and Democratic candidate for President. How proud the great state of LA must be. At least he isn't bowing to PC, b**** must be proud as well.

QUOTE(smalls2598 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 05:17 PM) Unfortunetly, I am not a home owner or part of a credit union, but I'll definetly look into it. The good thing is that I know exactly what car I want (2007 Honda Civic EX), so that will help if I do apply for a loan online. Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Most credit unions have very easy membership rules and you would probably qualify. Pick up whatever the factory is offering and ask how much time you have to shop the loan. IIRC you should have 30 days and it will still be a new car loan.

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 04:36 PM) I'm printing this thread out and taking it with me when I go to the Himalayans. This and a book of matches. Oh, and hot dogs. I prefer a hot lady, but if you're into dogs . . .

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 04:14 PM) That is in fact one of the problems. But, like an ice hotel, you can be 50 degrees inside and not melt it if its iced over and thick enough. I don't know how or why that works, but it does. And I don't know what temp it would actually be in there. As long as you are warm enough yourself, you can also just warm the snow with your body heat. But you need to be careful there. Also, if its a regular old cave, if you go far enough in ground, it will be reliably in the 50's most of the time. Regardless, being up there without a stove would be stupid in my book. And a warm down bag. Those 5 pounds per person could be the difference between life and death.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 03:58 PM) The temperature inside a cave will be above freezing, more likely than not. You just need to grab some snow, put it in a bag or something, and keep it inside the cave. I could be wrong, but I thought it was above freezing, but generally not warm enough to melt snow. If that was the case, a snow cave would be a miserable place to stay warm, you would be wet? No?

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 12:55 AM) If this proves anything, it's that there isn't currently a good metric for evaluating how good a player is defensively And such is the joy of baseball. I'm guessing there was an argument after the first game was played and someone pulled out a ledger and started writing down numbers. It has ony improved slightly since then.

QUOTE(ptatc @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 03:34 PM) When Boras lies about what a team offers his players to another team is this him being a good agent to get his player the better deal or is it unethical? Because of the threat of collusion the owners can't discuss thier offers. He can essentially have teams bid against themselves as he did with Alex Rodriguez and Texas. Again, if the team doesn't want to spend that much, they don't have to. A GM could just as easy say, "Wow, the Cardinals are offering that? Congratulations, that seems like a great deal for your player". What is Boras going to do when they walk away? Oh wait, maybe we're the only ones that have figured out that Boras may be lying about the comp offers, and the other GMs are stupid?

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 03:05 PM) In a snow cave, water is no problem. The water may not be clean, but it would take many days before that took effect anyway (Giardiasis and its cousins have a 7-10 day gestation period). Well Tex, somehow, we again ended up with our own thread about the outdoors. I would think they need a stove to melt enough snow. And hopefully it's a whitegas stove, I've known container stoves to balk in low temps and high elevations. No to the AT.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 02:32 PM) I'll put it bluntly. It's the mark of the beast. I will never voluntarily allow that to happen to me. I'll die first. Period. What if the joke is on us? With cameras on every street corner (to keep us safe) and facial recognition software that tracks you, and everyone's face on their driver's license, you are already marked. Could all this security be satan's way of welcoming us all into hell?

In the past 50 years, the first place crazy dictators take over is the media. They head to the radio station, the tv station, and the newspapers.

A market is established when someone is willing to pay that price. Whatever we are earning today is probably greater than what someone else was doing that job fifteen years ago. Boras can ask all he wants and there is no harm. He can call Crede the greatest third baseman of all time, worth hundreds of millions, and nothing happens. Everything happens when someone agrees and makes the offer. You guys act like everyone is powerless over Boras. If he walked into the room, everyone would just empty your pockets and give him money. QUOTE(ChiSox9 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 02:51 PM) The point is not if he did/didnt ask them to pay him less... the point is that he went with a company that he feels is an overall better company, able to fit his long/short term goals and gives him and his family the stability and room for growth vs taking a company just based on the money they offer.(fyi, i dont know him just assuming). I have been in this position many times in my career and have been burnt before. I left a good stable company for another company who offered me more money, that company went bankrupt within 1 year of my employment. Is someone really going to argue that there is a chance any MLB would go out of business? That there is a difference in working for the Reds, Padres, or Pirates? Every free agent should be crying they didn't accept any contract that St. Louis offered them if winning a World Series ring would be the #1 criteria.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 01:41 PM) There is a difference Tex. Now obviously I will NEVER be in the situation some of these ballplayers are in, but knowing myself, I would rather take the 5/50 million dollar deal with the Sox than the 5/60 million with the Devil Rays or Royals. It would be insanely difficult to turn down 10 million dollars, but being happy has alot to do with it. Now when you sign with Boras, whether or not its right to stereotype, I look at those players as ones that don't care where they go, and want the $$. I don't hold it against the player, but when I hear about a player that has Boras as his agent, it's obvious they don't care if they go to the Yankees or the Orioles, because the money is just as green. But you are a Sox fan. Would you be saying that if you grew up in California? If you are a soft drink marketing guy and as a kid drank Coke, would you work for Coke for less than Pepsi, because you are a fan? It's not like a player has free will in this. I love South Texas, if I was a ballplayer, I couldn't choose to work in South Texas. How many players get a chance to work in their hometowns? They are drafted, traded around, and most never achieve the level of success that allows for them to make that choice. And teams aren't any more loyal. Frank demonstrated over and over again a willingness to stay with the Sox. Now he's on his third team in three years. I will also say it's better for baseball that players compete in the boardroom as well as on the field. How would baseball look if players wanted so bad to wear Yankee pinstripes that they would play there for less? That they valued winning so much that they would congregate on one team for much less? But my main point is blame Boras all you want, but it is misdirected. He can ask all he wants, it takes someone to write the check. I blame the owners. QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 02:32 PM) Two different companies. One offered me a good deal more money, and I turned them down for the smaller paycheck, and better company. But did you tell them to offer you less? That's the point. The company made you an offer. Would you have told them to pay you less so they could increase marketshare? Hire more/better employees? Make more corporate profits?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 01:23 PM) Am I a liar? I turned down another company, with a higher salary, to take the job I have now, because the other company (for lack of a longer explanation) sucked. We're talking the same position with players. There really isn't much of a difference between the Padres, Reds, and Marlins. And I should be clearer. Did the company make you an offer? Did you tell them, oh no, pay me less?

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 02:23 PM) If that's the case, then I'll be a liberal-pussy. I won't be chipped. I'm guessing it will be easier to convince younger people who trust technology more than the ex-hippies and baby boomers. If we trust the government to put citizens to death, what's a simple little chip?

If it keeps us safe from terrorists we'll be lining up and calling anyone that is against the policy a liberal-p***y, anti-American, and probably a terrorist. It will be so easy to convince the public it's the right thing to do.

QUOTE(Soxy @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 02:07 PM) Well, it's almost Christmas vacation time. And I am completely unmotivated. Anyone have any good ideas to keep motivated? Hello??! Almost Christmas VACATION! Are you going to be missing work and school? VACATION!

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 02:04 PM) There is definitely some difference in what people consider "survival gear". To me, in that situation: sleeping bag, heat source, FA kit, and maybe food. On the food thing, yeah they can go a few days, but they need the energy to get out. And unless they have the training for it, they would struggle to find much food on Hood in December. bag/stove/food ration/map/compass/sunglasses/lip balm etc. seem like basic equipment to me. I wouldn't plan on finding any food on Hood. But at this point, survival is probably hunkering down in a snow cave, make yourself "big" and wait for a rescuer. They wouldn't need food for that. It takes water to digest the food and that could be a problem.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 01:38 PM) Texsox, I really really hope you are right and I wrong. But, as of today, I don't see it. Ultimately you will be correct, history has shown us that no civilization will last forever. What our downfall will be is open to debate. The kind that you envision seems far away. Mine is we continue to borrow billions and eventually we choke on our debt. The most recent example was the USSR. They spent themselves into oblivion.