Texsox

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 15, 2009 -> 12:50 PM) If they refuse treatment and the child dies, can the government put them in jail? Yes, and they have. Shouldn't the parents be allowed to make that decision? Knowing full well what the consequences are? I'd rather my parents make this decision for me than a judge.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ May 15, 2009 -> 12:47 PM) Abortion is a little different because there is actually a debate as to whether a fetus is life. There is no debate as to whether a child is life. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 15, 2009 -> 12:49 PM) And there's another key point...the difference with an abortion is that the fetus is relying on the mother's body for life. After birth, the child is no longer doing so. That's key to the entire court decision...its always different, I know, but in this case it's important. And I believe it is the government that gave that "right" which was the question. And it will be the government to decide this. Is the government also going to pay for the treatments? This would be a great way to get the government to pay for treatments.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 15, 2009 -> 12:46 PM) It's medical neglect. No, it is a choice of two treatments. If the child still dies, can the parents sue the government for making the wrong decision?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 15, 2009 -> 12:44 PM) What gives them the right to choose to end their child's life in that manner? That would be the government, same way they allow a parent to end it with an abortion.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 15, 2009 -> 12:29 PM) All teams have that "cost/benefit" analysis way of looking at their rosters. Some use VORP and mix it in with salary to get an "overall efficiency" factor for any given player. A perfect example of this is Wilson Betemit versus Juan Uribe. We didn't have anyone (maybe it's Nix now) who could play 3B, SS and 2B AND hit just a little bit. Lillibridge can't hit, Betemit can't field. So the question is do you go with Juan Uribe at $3.6 million or Wilson Betemit at $1.3 million. Personally, with how our pitching has been, I would rather have Uribe's defensive abilities and occasional power (he's also sure to get runners in from 3rd with less than 2 outs, a big weakness for the Sox) than a player in Betemit who's not being used correctly and is a defensively liability at any position on the field. One of the keys to making the playoffs last season was having an experienced/veteran bench player like Uribe to fill the void when Crede went down. Our bench this year is the worst it has been in many years. Before, we had Ozuna, who could give you a spark offensively and play adequate defense. I'll give Nix the benefit of the doubt that he can replace Uribe, though. That's turning out to be a pretty astute pick-up by KW, because if Fields fails to make it, Nix will be the first player they turn to. I'm not sure Ozzie will be able to trust Betemit's defense at 3B, although a platoon of Nix/Betemit might be the best overall option offensively. I was thinking about a stat like ERA, RBI, etc that could be easily calculated. There are too many variables, but I'd love to see someone print standings based on cost per win. That would be interesting and perhaps a partial way to evaluate a GM.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 15, 2009 -> 11:54 AM) Depends on what you're doing at the other positions. If you're strong in lots of places, one or two revolving doors can be tolerated. What I was thinking was around a dollar figure like many businesses calculate. Generally it runs into the thousands to recruit and train someone. Just shuffling rosters and getting some one from one level to another has to cost a bit.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 15, 2009 -> 11:34 AM) Huh? 18mil is what he took, that's what it took to acquire him. Some amount some other team tried to acquire him for is irrelevant. exactly. Is there much of an indirect cost to a revolving door at any position?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 15, 2009 -> 11:37 AM) Torii Hunter would have been a huge mistake at anything over $10 million per year for 3 years. He'd already lost a couple of steps defensively, and his numbers offensively aren't overwhelming. He's very, very streaky and he strikes out way too much. It would have been great to see him beating the Twins after so many plays (running over Jamie Burke, robbing Carlos Lee, etc.) against us in a Twins' uniform, but we're really fortunate not to have been stuck with Fukudome, Rowand or Hunter. We are stuck as well, but with flea market finds. It would be interesting if there was a cost/productivity stat that could be developed.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 15, 2009 -> 10:46 AM) I guess we should change the title of this thread to "Are the White Sox really broke or not?" Not necessarily broke, but how close to breaking even are they each year? They have some serious assets, which would keep them from being "broke" as long as they stay realistic.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 15, 2009 -> 10:37 AM) Barry Rozner had a column about a partner with the Bulls several years ago when they were winning 13 games a year. I forgot the guy's name or even if Barry mentioned it, but the guy was quoted as saying he was "embarrassed" by all the money they were making with the team being so bad. Doesn't basketball have a salary cap? I'm not certain it is fair to compare MLB and the NBA. Plus, I was just thinking the NBA has smaller rosters and without the extensive farm system. I'm not certain how much that comes into play. The finance guys have left the discussion, but it would seem that it is easier to make money in the NBA and the hardest in baseball. I'd rank it NFL > NBA > MLB > NHL

BTW, when you do the website, and I know you will, I would find a hosting company like Kap has. A friend can help a lot when you run into issues. I've been down the road with "cheapest" host and when your website feature is not playing nice with the hots' system, life sucks. That is unless you have a good relationship and not some 1-800 number and a customer service rep to whom you are just another call.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 15, 2009 -> 09:40 AM) Totally agree with the bottom line, which is why I'm not wanting to invest TOO much into this. I don't expect to use the website as a marketing tool to bring in business, but more of a if i'm networking/throwing out my business cards it'll allow people to check out my firm and what I do. So I guess in a sense it is for marketing if that causes a client to call my office, but really it's more "here's who we are and why we can help you" than *flash cheap legal work here! click now! *flash My experience is in civil litigation (contract disputes, personal injury/medical malpractice, discrimination, etc) but I've always wanted to get into helping businesses from formation to dissolution and everything in between. I was just sent a referral for a guy who has just started his own company which could become huge thanks to Obama's green energy initiatives, so there's potential it could be a very long deal. That was the basis for wanting to get a website going and actually get the firm established. I think I'll look into Wordpress. Any other ideas on hosting? Specific things I should be looking at (like the Linux/Windows issue)? You could start with a blog and it would achieve most of what you want. You want the phone to ring and the cash register to jingle. Here is a thought. In the next hour you could make 12 phone calls to potential clients or work on a web site. Which will net you some income quicker? Work through the process, would you rather talk to someone, preferable face to face about your experience and skills, or send them to your website? You do not have an impressive list of clients, etc to make that kind of impression. Initially, your clients will come directly from your efforts and who you are. To get the web placement high enough that a web search for "Hometown Attorney Civil" hits you takes additional money and work. Perhaps some well thought out and written blogs in the area you want to practice will get you the phone calls you need. I could be reading this all wrong, but I've seen too many business start ups think all they need is a really good website and clients will beat a path to their door. Do an internet search right now for your competitors and analyze what you find and think about how easy it will be for a potential client to find you.

Another comment on the overall profitability of sports franchises. Every owner made their money in other arenas before becoming an owner. I don't think anyone believes a sports franchise is a great way to earn profits each year. The real profit taking only occurs when you sell, and most of these guys enjoy their sport too much. And even a not-for-profit charity budgets to have a surplus at the end of the year. You can't stick around for long when revenue does not meet expense.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 15, 2009 -> 09:32 AM) And the only teams who cost more to go see are the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Cubs. Another thing to keep in mind regarding ad revenue. Ed Sherman in his blog on Crains mentioned how Comcast Sportsnet's rating are up for all its programming due to the success of its teams. He said it will lead to increased ad revenue. I think the White Sox own 20% of that station. Its just not the Cubs and Hawks and Bulls games that are higher. Their own shows, like Chicago Tribune Live are up almost double. There are a lot of issues that go into that. Just like the same movie costs differently to watch based on the theater, etc. Stadiums have different structures. I would not necessarily assume profit percentage is the same.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 15, 2009 -> 09:30 AM) They are making a huge deal out of Pontiac and Motorola leaving, and I guarantee you they were giving the White Sox nowhere near $20 million. It would be interesting to know which teams are the most dependent on these types of sponsorships. The revenue streams to teams are so varied, I'll bet some teams are much better positioned to weather this downturn. Perhaps we may see some of the smaller market teams actually in better shape if the large market teams with large corporate deals have to cut back. That would be good for baseball.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 15, 2009 -> 09:27 AM) Thank you. With that I bid this thread adios. Interesting, money is so important to the success, yet no one wants to discuss the factors that go into where the money comes from. It seems there is a direct connection from success on the field to attendance to payroll to future teams. A slow start, and tough year, could have a far reaching impact. Poor weather. Poor scheduling. Lots of stuff there.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 15, 2009 -> 09:12 AM) Please stop. Tex, no one is saying that its important whether or not the team makes money, in a vacuum. They are saying that salary has to be part of the picture because they don't have an unlimited budget. Why is this so hard for you to even acknowledge? I acknowledge it. My entire point is I acknowledge it. Imagine if in a major market it is impossible to win a WS without making a profit. That would spell doom to baseball. It seems in 2005 we achieved a nice balance of salaries and performance. I wish I could find a better way of phrasing it. If you need to lose money to have a reasonable chance at winning a WS, and that holds true for any team, baseball has a problem. So how will the teams performance to date affect spending for next year? Seems like a reasonable discussion for fans that are concerned about this, but instead the discussion devolved into attacking Tex.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 15, 2009 -> 08:48 AM) I'd be more pissed at being mocked for bringing up a valid point when it comes to building a team. Money is critical to building a team. The Sox are not positioned in a market where they can toss the asinine money at some players, and they should not have to. The important thing this season and perhaps next season is to save money. Seems reasonable to me. There is a balance between building a winning team and spending too much money. Without strong fiscal responsibility, we'd wind up like the Yankees. As I have stated before, it would really suck to find out the team lost money in 2005.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 15, 2009 -> 08:23 AM) Because how much money a team makes has no affect on the product on the field at all, does it? Who cares. I care a lot, and it's time we started looking at that. Obviously there are a lot of factors we can look at, schedule, when are the best draws coming to town? Weekends? Weekdays? Long term weather patterns? Hell, it beats discussing Fields and CF. The team with the most money manages to stay competitive longer.We need something to happen in CF, but if I thought the team would lose money by bringing in someone who could make an impact, I'd be pissed.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 14, 2009 -> 10:09 PM) I love the Angels for swooping in and getting Hunter and saving us 18 million dollars, which could easily be 25% of our payroll next year. And that is something we do not talk about enough. Will this team make money this year? This slow start could hurt ticket sales. Wins and loses are one thing, perhaps we may not compete this season, but wouldn't it be grand if we could make more money than any team in the central?

Volumes have been written on this subject, and of course I will toss my .02 in, but in a different direction that has not been addressed. Before you do any of this STOP! You are an attorney, not a web designer, etc. Before you take off in this direction, and I know you want to get started on this immediately, you need to plan. Sit down and write the business plan for your firm. Included in this document should be the answer to a simple question, where will my clients come from? And eventually, how will the web site be used? A website as an advertisement to get customers to your door is one thing, a website to allow you to effectively communicate with your existing customers is another. You may find that your initial advertising and marketing dollars should be spent in other areas. For example, yellow page ads are expensive, but people still use directories. A little market research is helpful, a lot of research is even better. What area of law are you planning on practicing? Where do those clients go to find an attorney? Once you have your plan in place, and these is a whole lot more to this than above, you will see where you need to spend your time to maximize your return and where you need to sub out the work. You may find you do not need a fully custom web site initially and can make do with a prepackaged web presence. Hint: If your entire marketing plan at this point is create a web site and the customers/clients will come rolling in, you are probably fooling yourself. Bottom Line: A web site is part of your over all business strategy, do not get too tunnel focused on it and remember you are an attorney and ultimately you will earn more money for your firm by practicing law than designing a web site.

Sad, but that throws flags up nowadays. It really sucks that fans can become so jaded now.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ May 14, 2009 -> 10:14 AM) 8/10. I missed number of ways to reach first base, and I did not answer #9 because I didn't think any answers were correct. I still don't think the answer they gave is right. How can you tag a runner out when he is standing on a base? He is forced out.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 14, 2009 -> 03:28 PM) Even in that case I think the Sox would be better off to negotiate a deal with him and by all means I wouldn't be opposed to bringing Dye back on a 2yr 12-14M deal with incentives as our DH (key word being as our DH). He could ocassionally play in the field but primarily would be the DH. I'd like to see Dye sticking around for a few more seasons as DH. I'm starting to like the transition that is being set up here. Obviously Fields is a (current and perhaps temporary) disappointment, and there are, and always will be, questions on the back of the rotation, but overall a rebuilding may be at hand without enduring a 90 loss season.

QUOTE (Steff @ May 14, 2009 -> 03:30 PM) Bri's been going since she was 5 months old and not being able to get around on her own was a big plus. Getting her into the routine that young has also helped now that she can get around. Now she just sits or stands on my lap clapping and yelling "White Soxxxxx". We've started potty training so sometimes she wants to go try, but as long as I have enough snacks and her juice she's great. Awesome