Texsox

I guess I never really expressed myself clearly. Here's the scenario I'm thinking. It's 2003 and Sammy's career is exactly like it is except it was in a Sox uniform. The steroid suspicions, the home run chase, the corked bat, everything happened in a Sox uniform. It's the final weekend of the season. The Sox are battling for a playoff spot. It's in the late innings and Sammy comes to the plate. I contend Sox fans are cheering every step from the on deck circle to the batters box. We've rationalized he made a mistake and served his suspension. Now I am also certain that a lot of sox fans on this board would not be 100% happy but we wouldn't be booing. Remember there are probably 1,000 Sox fans rabid enough to be discussing Uribe for hours. The other 500,000 occassional fans would be doing the Sammy hop in Sox black. Would Sox fans have embraced him as much as Cub fans? I hope not. I know the hardcore won't. As I believe someone else pointed out, we would have more casual fans who do come out to see him. Since they would be wearing Sox hats and coming to games, we would have to consider them Sox fans. cw, sorry if I was confusing in all this. I hope this is clearer. I don't think trading Sammy for any of our All-Stars would have made a difference.

I'm sure you do

I'm not supposing any of that. My original post is we would cheer him. If I understood you correctly, you think we would not. That the rank and file Sox fans would be booing him unlike the Cub fans who cheered. I'm saying we would cheer. We're* no different than any other franchise. If he was hitting 40-50 home runs on the south side, making that little hop, blowing kisses, we would be buying it hook, line, and sinker. Even if it was on the way to a second place finish. For proof I pointed out Rodman. We cheered him with every rebound. This was a guy we hated at one point. We never hated Sosa. *Again, I say we as all Sox fans not just the ones rabid enough to be here. The other 300,000 who attend a couple games a year, maybe own a cap they got on free hat day.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities were concerned with terrorism threats in the air and on the ground Saturday. The British government delayed a London-to-Washington flight for three hours and U.S. officials monitored heavily secured stadiums hosting the first round of football playoffs. British Airways (BAB) 223, the most scrutinized flight since the United States declared a high terrorism alert Dec. 21, lifted off from Heathrow Airport just after 1 p.m. EST after intensive security checks. The plane had the all-clear earlier from Britain's Transport Department. The subsequent checks added to the misery of passengers on a flight also detained in Washington on Wednesday and canceled Thursday and Friday. The British government has declined to provide details of its security concerns about the flight. The department said it took action Saturday following discussions "with a variety of sources," including U.S. authorities. A British Airways morning flight to Washington D.C. left on schedule at 5:55 a.m. EST Saturday. Other routes under scrutiny during the code orange alert in the United States were London-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico City-Los Angeles. The United States is working closely with other countries to lessen the threat of terrorism on international flights. South Korea's national police agency, responding to American requests for international cooperation, said it would have armed officers on individual U.S.-bound flights if warranted, based on information about a terrorist threat to any specific flight. Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Saturday that authorities have been discussing security with the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association during the playoff and college bowl season. NFL playoff games Saturday were in Baltimore and Charlotte, N.C., with contests Sunday in Green Bay, Wis., and Indianapolis. There were weekend bowl games in Boise, Idaho, and New Orleans. NFL spokesman Joe Browne said security has been tight since the Sept. 11 attacks, and air space over stadiums is restricted by federal legislation. He said security for the Super Bowl, Feb. 1 in Houston, would be even more intense because of the international attention the event receives. "The number one concern our fans have is the air space," he said. Spectators are less concerned about stadium security because "they see our tightened measures as they enter the gates and the parking lots."

I pointed to Rodman as someone we hated from the rooftops. Between Lame-beer, Thomas, and Rodman, I'm not certain which one we hated more. And we came to cheer him. If Chicago fans can overcome that hatred to cheer a guy they certainly would cheer Sosa. Doesn't fans going from hate to love prove my point more than going from neutral to love? Chicago loves a winner. If Sosa was leading the Sox to a championship instead of the Cubs, many Sox fans would be lined up to cheer. Face it the totality of Sox fans (not just those rabid enought to be here) and the totality of Cub fans aren't that different. Most are from Chicago. cwsox, not everyone is as principled as you. If I had my choice of a Sosa led WS Title or letting the Cubs win one, I'd take the Sosa title every time.

I think that is pretty close. There is no way to be precise. The key element in your equation is there are powers around the world with big interests in how this shapes up. Don't underestimate the world communties involvement in all this. Bigger countries than these two have a hand in it. Perhaps left to their own, this could have been worked out a long time ago. I looked at your numbes again, include the US and everyone else in the other. The US has made some mistakes in all this as well.

cwsox, for every fan like you, 10,000 will cheer. In time even more. I remember the early boos for Rodman, by the end of December only a couple. Sad but true.

Sorry, but when I read the Sosa bashing I think of Rodman. We hated him when he pushed Pippen into the post. Then he started grabbing MJ misses, we cheered him. We would all love Sammy if he was playing right for the Sox. We'd have the same count up to 500 s***, cheering him towards every record. Sosa-Sox jerseys would be everywhere. Sad but true.

When ranking prospects you have to take the totality of information. Yes he had a rough time but on the other hand if his 4 starts were better he could have been a top 5 or not on the list. You have to take the good with the bad. I'm certain he's not the only one on the list to have a sip of champagne at the mlb level. It's like saying if we were ranking relievers and Koch hadn't played in 2003 he would be ranked higher.

It's like a vacuum out there. With no news we need to create news to fill the void.

So unless I say Israel is PERFECT I'm an anti-Semite? f*** that. Because I believe Israel is at least 25% to blame for the problems, I'm anti-semite? Everyone over there has made mistakes. The weapons systems aren't perfect. The people aren't perfect. Anyone who thinks in all that mess anyone could remain perfect is kidding themselves. You think both sides don't think of revenge? Both sides aren't as dug in? I don't think everything the US has done is perfect, does that make me anti-American? By your definition all of my Jewish friends are anti-semites. They can see where Israel has made mistakes. So I'm anti-Arab, Anti-semite, anti-american, anti-canadian, anti- my children, anti- my parents, anti- everything because I have never found something to be perfect.

Show me the post. I have stated all along that I believe both sides are to blame. Israel has made mistakes as has Palestine. Through you're eyes anyone and everyone who makes that statement is anti Israel. My first post was to be careful. My second was a reminder to both sides that you can't wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep. Here is my third post Because I am digusted with behavior on both sides I am anti Israel? f*** you. You don't know me. I challenge you to put up of shut up regarding any alledged anti-Israel feelings. You will not find one person I know to agree with that.

And just for the record, based on my friendships over the years, I have always been sympathetic to Israel. I have never met anyone who is more extreme in this than you. I have friends who sent their kids to Israel after college to live for a couple years to finish their educations. They have contributed to several organizations to help the Israel situation. They can talk about mistakes they believe the Israel government has made. If everyone in Israel are as unified as you why are their elections? Why doesn't the leader have 100% of the vote? Could it be even people within Israel have some sense to understand that no man is perfect and that these imperfect men run countries. You have done in more to make me sympathetic to both sides than anything Israel has done.

ROTFLMAO Israel4ever, you are totally incapable of admitting that Israel has made mistakes.

I disagree with assasinations, which also happens to be the law in the US. The government that you work for. Now that I answered your question will you get around to answering mine? Is Israel to blame for any of this? Have they done anything wrong and what is it? If you had to assign the blame would it be 100% Palestine or are you capable of admitting that Israel is to blame for some of this?

I was a big fan of dogpile which is a metasearch engine. It basically returns the results from other search engines. Lately I've been googling first. For anyone who spends some time on-line doing research it pays to be familar with several search sites. The same search terms will net you different results depending on how the search engine is set up.

Interesting, do they publish a team roster? And what has Israel done wrong in all this?

BEGOOD mind if I add a couple choices to the poll? Dogpile Other Netscape etc.?

Instead of homeless, isn't he an urban camping anthusiast

British Airways canceled another flight to the United States on Friday as the Bush administration faced questions from American allies about the reliability of the intelligence information that has led to the recent rash of flight cancellations. The British airline grounded a flight from London to Washington — the third cancellation over all in 24 hours — and canceled a flight scheduled for Saturday from London to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Seven international flights have now been canceled since last Saturday after the Bush administration began an aggressive approach to defending American airspace when the nation was put on orange or "high" alert on Dec. 21. Administration officials said no arrests had been made in connection with any of the more than a dozen international flights subjected to rigorous scrutiny. And officials have acknowledged that even now, they are uncertain whether they have succeeded in foiling a terrorist plot. "I don't think we know yet, and we may never know," a senior administration official said. The latest concern over the tighter security — perhaps unparalleled in commercial aviation history — was raised by Mexico on Friday. A spokesman for President Vicente Fox questioned decisions by the United States on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to cancel Aeromexico's Flight 490 from Mexico City to Los Angeles. The spokesman, Agustin Gutiérrez Canet, said that armed Mexican agents had been scheduled to fly aboard the flights and that the authorities made special efforts to interrogate passengers closely and inspect luggage. More here

For years, there have been rumors among the homeless downtown that a drifter in North Beach was sleeping in the gutter while he had all the money he needed in the bank. It's true. That drifter is 68-year-old Lou Dinarde. Dinarde is homeless, he often sleeps in the gutter or on the sidewalk, and he has plenty of cash -- a trust fund that at one point was worth nearly $700,000. He draws $2,500 a month from the fund plus $500 a month in Social Security. Dinarde's had this money rolling in since 1992, when his mother died and her assets were sold to create the trust. Trouble is, he can't resist the bottle. He abandoned his career as a carpenter three decades ago for life on the streets. "I'm rich, but I like it out here. I ain't sleeping inside," Dinarde mumbled through sips of vodka last summer, as he sat with legs splayed in front of St. Francis of Assisi Church. "You can't make me." Link

I'm not certain but all this talk about $200 Million and the Cubs got me to thinking, isn't it a law in Chicago if you have $200 million you have to be a Cub fan? Perhaps all that money makes you stupid and like a moth to a flame, you just start moving towards the ivy . . . Ivy League ~ Ivy Walls . . . So, since I know y'all are big Sox fans, if you get 200 million, give it to me to see if it's safe. I'll take the risk for you. If everything is ok, I'll give back what's left.

This is even funnier ~ or sicker ~ if you don't know PA is a nickname or did you men father or grandpa?

Happy Birthday!