Texsox

I guess we'll differ here. The fact that wind farms need to be placed on the most prominent land features also bothers me. But I love the outdoors and natural beauty so I am not happy with any of our energy options at this point. Probably the least objectionable to me is solar. They can be placed low to the ground or coordinated onto rooftops. Again, I am only commenting on the visual. I am near two natural gas powered plants which power much of this area. They can't be seen from more than about a half mile away. They build them right on pipelines that runs through the area. I accept that more so than many miles of a wind farm blotting out the sky.

Balta, how often have you driven past wind farms? After driving past coal mines and wind farms, I will take a coal mine any day if the only environmental impact of the two is visual. I really dislike travelling for an hour and seeing turbines. The past couple summers driving through most of the rocky mountain states has really soured my appreciation of wind power. I don't think most people realize how many turbines are installed and over how wide an area.

How are you defining war?

The question I keep wishing someone would answer is why didn't the clean players rise up? Why didn't the guys who were getting screwed by not taking PEDs not go public in a big way? Absent of any solid information that I can find my answer is that they were intimidated by MLB Inc. That they didn't want to bite the hands that fed them. Now, MLB Inc. decides to clean up the players. I can see a backlash against MLB and empathy for players in all this. It must be infuriating when your employer basically rewards you for rules breaking then suddenly adopts a holier than thou attitude. It sickens me that the game was basically taken over by cheating.

Plus it is difficult to fight a war when you don't realize you are fighting a war or have no understanding in your life of "war".

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 09:30 AM) Nah, I'm just going to take duke's explicitly racist posting history combined with his racist posts itt and his generally horrible ideology for what they are. No need to make excuses or try to play negotiator for his bulls***. He hasn't been saying anything remotely like your hypothetical quote, and what he had said isn't just "slightly"more inflammatory. I agree he didn't write anything close to that. In fact that is my point. That if it was phrased better, and by someone who has not posted ugly racist posts prior, it would not have been so soundly denounced. And I wasn't trying to make any excuses either. What I was trying to point out is the kernel of truth in Duke's ugly racist posts. Mandela was not a saint from birth. I believe Mandela became one. It highlights the remarkable ability and potential for all of us to change.

There is a great lesson in board posting here. If someone who is better respected around here, a level headed moderate perhaps like NSS had posted: Instead Duke wrote a slightly more inflammatory post, then in trying to justify his mostly correct post, went deeper and deeper into ugliness. I do hope in his frenzied attempts at defending his earlier posts Duke distorted his own opinions on humans that share all the same characteristics as himself except for skin pigment. So if we could, let's take a huge step back. Mandela was part of acts that while we can debate if they were justified or not, where illegal and of questionable morals. In fact if whites in the country began today doing the same acts that Mandela's groups did, the world would soundly denounce them. But what Mandela was fighting for most of the world applauds. And whether or not SA is a better country for it, we should simply look at the US south. The economy of the United States south was much better prior to the Civil War and the end of slavery. It took decades to repair and rebuild. But I would rather see free people struggling to build an economy based on equal opportunity for all than a thriving economy where only a portion of the public has opportunity. So while I really do not want to be seen as a defender of Duke's writings, we should consider, as Duke started, all of Mandela's life. I believe it is an amazing journey that shows the potential of change in all humans. I applaud, not attack, Mandela's path and find it inspiring.

I believe we need a short hand reference for "team with the worst record" or as I shall propose the Club Unsuccessful By Standings or CUBS. Now when we refer to the team on the bottom of the standing we can just say cubs. amiright?

I see an issue if I understand the proposed process. Three teams all post $20 mil. The player begins negotiations with the team with the worst record. What happens if they cannot agree to a deal? Does the next team have a chance? If that is the case, then the player can basically say no and wait for the Yankees / Red Sox / Dodgers / etc. If the team with the worst record is the only team the player can negotiate with, that's a losing deal for the player.

I wonder how fast he would get banned if he was posting here?

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 03:15 PM) Amazon Prime is failing me. I purchased that phone case on Sunday night. It's now Thursday and I still don't have it. It's been in Muncie since Tuesday morning. Get it together, UPS. I have a new hard drive for my laptop stuck in Amazon since Saturday.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 03:00 PM) Also worth noting, in addition to the many very good things a new USA did in 20 years... 1. It also did a lot of pretty bad things (but again, just as with Mandela's legacy, that doesn't make the whole thing bad) 2. When the USA became a nation it was economically hanging on by a thread for many decades And much of the economic growth in the "new world" came about from tobacco grown from seeds illegally smuggled out of the West Indies, cotton picked by slaves, and textile mills built from smuggled blueprints and on land that was aquired by ethnic cleansing.

I have always liked AJ, this just makes me like him more.

While I am disagreeing with Balta through much of this thread, I do agree with him that there needs to be a reasonable back-up for basically everyone. It isn't good when a manager is forced to play a guy because there are no other options. And that is the single best reason in my mind why the current roster needs work.

And there are a lot more Duke's out there. As a white male in the USA I don't see it as much. Living in an area that is 90% Hispanic and having most of my friends be minorities I have begun to understand this. In real life he probably smiles and is tolerant of people who are not like him, but that's just an act.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 01:09 PM) If the biggest problem the White Sox have is who the back up to the back up is because Paul Konerko took up a roster spot, the Sox will be a lot better than anyone could imagine in 2014. That would be a nice problem to have

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 09:51 AM) I agree with the statement that he shouldn't play 160 games, but I don't want to see him playing less than 150-155. If he starts to wear you've got both Konerko and Dunn who can play first for a game here and there and have Abreu DH. And I am fine with him playing that amount. I want to see the team doing what is best for his development. If he is having Dunn-esque struggles at the plate, then much less. If he's doing anything close to what we expect than 150 games would be fine. Or putting this another way Of the available players that could mentor Abreu through a full season at first I rank them Konerko >>>>>>>> Dunn >>>> Kep And I do agree with Balta and others that the move makes the team less flexible overall and even less likely to win their division. I see it only as a win for Abreu's development, nothing else.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 07:50 AM) I actually like the dh platoon but I hope that's where it ends when it comes to PK playing time. I have no interest in easing Abreu into the major leagues. He's 26 years old on a rebuilding team, he shouldn't be playing almost everyday, he should be playing everyday. He has never played more than 90 games in a season. I'm not certain playing 160 games is best for his confidence and long term health. I guess I should add, I don't think the signing was essential, but I also don't think it's the worst thing ever. Having someone like Konerko mentoring him has some value. Konerko has gone around the league playing the field a few times and I am certain he can offer some valuable insights. This signals to me that Abreu's development is the #1 priority for the team this season and they are willing to pay Konerko a few bucks to do that. If Abreu has a Konerko+ career on the southside that would be a very good thing. What I would like to see now is someone, anyone, willing to take Dunn.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 11:33 PM) Killing civilians is generally bad, particularly in domestic conflict. So you would be against dropping a nuclear bomb on a city?

Bottom line after reading and rereading most of the posts here I believe there is a benefit to having Konerko signed in helping Abreu's rookie MLB season. I also agree with Balta there is a possibility that having a someone available that could, if called upon, play 60 games, could cause them to be too protective of Abreu and actually stunt his growth. If the organization cannot bring Abreu through his adjustment to the MLB, then those responsible should not have their jobs. But I would rather the team have flexibility than Abreu being forced to play 150 games no matter what.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 02:45 PM) You already have a backup 1b in Dunn. You can then fill the DH spot with one of your OFs or 3B options. Yes, you have an emergency backup in Dunn. I'm suggesting the team wants a no pressure situation to protect their biggest investment. Around July when Abrue has already played his usual full season, I can see having Konerko would be a good thing. I agree with Balta there is a chance they will mismanage the situation. But in bringing Abreu up to MLB levels having the most flexibility, including him resting for a couple games, is a great tool. I see signing Paulie as being 90% about Abreu and 10% Konerko. Abreu has never topped 400 abs in a season. Having him jump to 600+ and lpaying no matter what is possibly not the smartest move for the future of the franchise.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 02:28 PM) If I were considering taking on say, $7 million of Adam Dunn's remaining contract in the position of an opposing GM, yesterday I'd drop that to $5 million, no question. The White Sox just surrendered bargaining power. Their roster doesn't work right now and they're forced to make a move. I guess I've missed something. What teams have been discussing taking Dunn?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 02:05 PM) No, I realize that Abreu will get the majority of playing time. But if he starts 120 games instead of 140 simply because Konerko wants one more go around is silly and could stunt Abreu's development and adjustment to the majors. And if Abreu is forced to play because there is not a decent backup that too can stunt his development. He has never had more than 400 ABs in a season. Now you are asking him to make over 600. I'm not a math guy but that looks like his regular season and another half season on top. Having a competent back up seems like insurance to bring him along at whatever pace necessary. If that means Paulie sits, it has been made clear Paulie will sit. If that means Paulie has to play some at 1st, well there is an ok option. As I see this, more and more, I see it as the team wanting flexibillity to do what is best for Abreu and to protect their biggest investment. This season isn't a contending year, so protect your assets. And one of the top assets is Abreu.

A little late but Ryan Braun is (now, finally) doing all the right things.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 09:20 AM) Frankly...no. I don't think they'll try to play him everyday but I think they'll play him often enough that it infuriates me. I'm so used to it from this team I just expect it. I want to see Robin have a decent option to rest Abreu as he finds necessary. I think we agree it should be Abreu's needs, not Konerko's that should determine how often that is. I can see Konerko playing 3-4 times a month, perhaps as many as 35 starts, at 1st and of course the platoon with Dunn for DH. But again, I believe we agree that what is best for Abreu trumps Konerko. Our difference is I believe that will happen, you do not.