Texsox

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 07:47 AM) I didn't have Nick on my list. Actually I didn't vote for anyone who is having their first year with the Sox. To me a favorite player has to grow on you. I could see Nick being a favorite in a year or two, but not yet. I agree, the only exceptions I made were Zisk and Gamble.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 09:14 AM) That's bulls***. Why should I have to take the time out of MY hands to fight someone else's ticket becuase of a flawed ticket? What if this happens in another county? What if a parent down in Central or Southern Illinois loans a car to their kid for a trip to Chicago and they get one? You think it's "easy" for the parent to drive 6-8 hours just to come in and say, "that's not me in the picture?" Hiring a lawyer or burning the gas is still a big waste of money one way or another. The sad thing is most people won't care and will just pay the fine, or go into court asking for supervision on it (more $$ for the government) just becuase they don't want to deal with the hassle of the courts. I am wondering what makes these tickets different than parking tickets? If you loan your car to someone and they park it illegaly, don't you get a ticket? Or can you go to court and prove you loaned the car to someone and then they get the ticket? I thought the camera tickets were not counted the same way as a regular ticket? And let's look at the technology: Radar? Gold standard, tough to fight based on radar was faulty. Cameras? Again, here is the pic of the vehicle and license plate. Perhaps someone may write down the wrong license plate number, but I imagine that would be rare. Driver? Again, much like parking tickets, it would not matter. Handle it the same way you would a parking ticket. Hey bud, you parked in a no parking zone, you owe me $1,000,000 for the fine. Hey bud, the camera got ya, you owe me $1,000,000 for the fine. But I guess if you have the type of friends who would refuse to pay, that a problem. personally I do not think I would loan my car to someone like that. I guess that speeding in a construction zone isn't as dangerous as parking illegally, so maybe applying the same sort of system to something as serious as illegal parking and minor as speeding in a construction zone, may be flawed. And I agree, unless the road has been altered with no shoulders, etc, there should be changeable signs that lower the limit only when workers are present. My son received a speeding ticket in a construction zone the same day they were taking down the barricades. Basically the entire road was done, no workers or equipment anywhere.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 08:43 AM) I resent that remark, I am MUCH better looking on the internet! You both are correct, we all look better on the internet

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 03:17 PM) Your point is on such a different level of what anyone is saying though. Assume youre not fighting the actual speed you were traveling but who was driving the car. If you get stopped by a cop, you wont have to go to court because they accused you of speeding when you werent even in your car, that is the difference. Sure, if you want to fight the speed youre traveling the appeal process would be the same, but not if you werent driving the car. Same with a parking ticket. How would you handle it if someone you loaned your car to parked it illegally and received a ticket? Wouldn't the same thing work for camera tickets? How is this different?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 08:29 AM) All us Admins look alike on the internets. If he knew it was you, he would not have disagreed

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 10:36 PM) I think I forgot Kittle on my list. I loved copying his batting style. He was very likeable. Saw him hit a roof shot one time. He hit more than one. Kittle had seven IIRC. Six with home plate moved up, and one at it's more common distance.

There are some names that twenty years from now would still make Soxtalk's Top 50. Thomas, Dye, or Buerhle perhaps. I do not wonder if Swish is one of those names. Fun for a while, like a pet rock.

StrangeSox My entire basis for saying slower is safer is based on this: For an accident to occur, there must be two objects that occupy the same space at the same time. That could be vehicle-vehicle or vehicle-object. To avoid that situation, one of the vehicles needs to either stop in time, or alter the vehicles path to avoid the same space and time. Based on Texas physics, a vehicle traveling at a slower rate of speed, arrives at that space slower than a vehicle traveling faster. That gives the driver of the vehicle more time to avoid the accident. Now it has been brought up and we agree, that the variation in speeds caused by 20% of the drivers obeying the speed limit and 80% breaking the law by speeding, causes the opportunity for more accidents. The more uniform speed, the less there is to react to. It would seem then that the argument would be to raise the speed limit based on how fast people are currently driving. But you say that has not been proposed by anyone in this thread. So try and complete this sentence without mentioning the current speed of the drivers: Changing the speed limit from 55 to 70 on this stretch of highway will make this road safer by . . . How else to achieve this more uniform speed? I believe there are only three options, either raise the speed limit to match the people who are currently speeding, stop the speeders by enforcement, or both. (enforcement efforts that are being attacked by many people in this thread) Since you claim no one has proposed raising the limit to match the speeders, I must be missing an option and look forward to reading it. My basis for injuries is equally simple. You walk into a wall, you may get a bruise. You ride your bike into the wall, you may receive a greater injury, you hit it at 25 mph in your car, perhaps a different, 70 even greater, and finally at 200 mph in an airplane, even greater. It would seem that accident, injury, and death rates would vary based on speed. Set the speed limit at 20 MPH, and perhaps there would be zero. At 100 mph, perhaps there would be more, I imagine there would be a curve. At some point there would be a sharp spike. It would be impossible to run such an experiment in the real world, so highway builders and lawmakers must use computer models and experience to determine fastest speeds with an acceptable accident and injury rate for that specific road. In some areas that may be 25 and others may be 80. But the reasons I have read here, it wastes time, the government is corrupt and just wants speeding fines, people are speeding already, it's inconvenient, etc are not valid reasons. I also understand that certain stretches of road have speed limits that are set too low, but there are also some that are set too high. Areas that were once rural highways now go through areas with higher densities of traffic. It is very difficult to lower speed limits once they are set. In Texas they monitor data including accident rates, traffic patterns, and volume to determine speed limits and I do see them adjusted. Both increasing and decreasing. Perhaps Illinois could learn a little bit from Texas.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 07:30 PM) I'm thinking Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Carlton Fisk, Mark Buerhle, Paul Konerko, Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye, AJ Pierzynski, Joe Crede, Aaron Rowand are the top 10 not in that order unless I left out someone really obvious. Other probables Luis Aparicio, Ray Durham, Carlos Lee, John Danks, Bobby Jenks. Will be interesting to see how many from the 2005 Championship team make it. Pods ? Everett ? Garcia? Contreras? Iguchi ? Uribe ? If Baines is not in the top 5, then some Sox fans need a history lesson.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 11:40 AM) You are extraordinarily obtuse. I've provided some information that increasing speed limits to reasonable levels does not lead to more accidents or more serious injuries. Do you have anything showing why 55 MPH on all interstates is a good idea? It doesn't save gas, it doesn't save lives, and it wastes monumental amounts of time. I have argued that following the speed limit is the best course of action. I agree with everyone here that having a large variance between the fastest and slowest drivers is a bad thing. Which seems to me means that speeders are a hazard. Others feel the better course os for everyone to speed. I have argued that it is much more arbitrary to pick the speed that lawbreakers are going as the limit. I have not argued that 55 is a good idea on all interstates. I love the stretch in west Texas that is 70 mph. Not much traffic, no homes, businesses, etc. Just lots of miles to cover. I could research and get you some stats but it seems that if you can stop your car quicker and have more time to react, that would result in fewer accidents with less severe injuries. Advances in car design and construction have decreased injury rates. We'll never know if you took away all the newer cars and people wearing safety belts and just had them drive faster would achieve the same results. But if you think getting cut off at 70 is safer then getting cut off at 55, great! I won't try and change your mind. If you believe that hitting a car doing 70 results in less injuries then hitting a car at 55, great! I won't try and change your mind.

Great story SS and a great write up. 1983 was just a great time to be watching games. Kittle was so easy to root for. He seemed to love the game, his teammates, and most of all the fans.

This only works in Hollywood

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 10:33 AM) I didn't list anyone I didn't see play. That was my first criteria. I also looked at longevity with the team, but looking over my list, it wasn't as much of a factor. There was also guys that were difficult to split up. Zisk and Gamble for example. The Southside Hit Men were my favs. Collectively they were better then by themselves.

Let's see, based on Filibuster debates, people driving 70, while stoned, are the safest drivers. 20% of the drivers, by your numbers, are following the law. Are they following the law because A. They have the capacity to follow the law, the other 80% cannot help themselves. B. They are more comfortable at those speeds. What I wrote. In Texas we have wide shoulders and people move over to the shoulder to allow faster cars to pass. On four lane highways, we move over again to allow cars to pass. Driving "friendly" as the bumper stickers say. I've never seen that in Illinois. In Illinois cars stop faster at 70 then 55 -- making it safer In Illinois drivers react quicker at 70 then 55 -- making it safer

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of events that directly led to Obama being the nominee and front runner for President. The Edwards angle is interesting, and it seems like a decent analysis. But I usually ignore all the factors except those that a campaign had/had direct control over. Bottom line, Obama has the best organization and has run the best campaign. He has rolled with some serious punches, both real and political smoke. I am certain some members of the GOP will do their best to taint Obama with this, (Rumors of Edwards being considered for a cabinet position, etc) Edwards failed as a husband, father, and decent human being. He failed on the biggest stage possible. He obviously had little regard for his wife's feelings. And since he had no regard now the public will have no regard. Despite her pleas for privacy, this will continue to be on the front page for a week or two more. She will be stressed twice. I feel almost as ashamed as John should. So I will post my last post and make my infinitesimally small contribution to her request to stop the chatter.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 07:58 AM) Bonds isn't exactly an easy interview either... I was thinking those three would be a reporter's nightmare and badly in need of some prune juice.

Little by little. At this point a huge acquisition probably isn't going to happen. There is plenty of room for improvement from our current pitching corp. Just getting back close to first half would be a bigger improvement than anyone we are going to pick up. It would also help immensely if MB pitched like INAA

Quick thought, some of the "bad boys" in wrestling are the most popular. Villains do sell as well and can be quite popular.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 07:48 AM) Supposedly the story is that Jerry gave Frank Thomas the choice of signing any ball player he wanted after that season, between Belle and Barry Bonds, Frank chose Belle. Belle does make Frank look like a media darling with loads of PR savvy.

We probably should be immune to this sort of thing by now. Politicians are real people and mirror the population. While I am sympathetic to his current status as a private citizen, this did occur while he was running for office, so it would seem fair comment. I also think too many of the comments are based on his party, just like I said with Larry Craig. I forget, is this evening up for Craig, or does this place the Dems -1 and they need a GOP to get caught so they can catch up?

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 11:09 PM) Tex, are you trying to imply that you have never broken a speed limit? Ever? Not implying that at all, I certainly do not speed 80% of the time. In Texas we drive friendly, and when a quicker car comes up behind, we'll move over and allow the person to pass, even on two lane roads. Our shoulders are extra wide to accomodate that. So I doubt that 80% of the drivers are speeding here. What I am saying is because someone always breaks the law is not justification to change the law. Crying the government makes me speed, is not justification to change the law. That you elected a corrupt Blowjovich and have the worse government ever, is not justification. I'm not certain why in fifteen years speeding went from about 10-15% to 80% of drivers. That does have me wondering why 80% of the drivers are speeding on Chicago roads. I can't imagine why there is such a total disrespect for laws. Too many Democrats maybe? But I think a scientific justification like how fast cars are already going is a good way to determine speed limits.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 09:44 PM) So now all people have to do it take time out of their own lives and waste the tax payers' money (court costs) to come in and prove their innocence because some expensive camera, paid by tax dollars, can't get a clear shot of the driver and doesn't have the technology to scan a database of pictures and match it to the driver. Or people slow down and they have no pictures to take. But of course people in Illinois cannot follow the law and they elected a corrupt government etc. etc. I'm glad I moved, that place seems to have gone to hell in ten years.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 06:57 PM) I enjoyed the homeruns, but not the ballplayer. In retrospect, I wonder if he was ever happy playing pro ball. 19/20 on my list I believe truly enjoyed playing baseball and being a ball player. The only one I've questioned at times is Frank Thomas. Belle was never a favorite of mine. I do see how he could be someone else's favorite based on playing ability.

Not as good as the David Bowie parody, but still very nice. He does need some better dance moves. Actually as a dancer, he looks very Presidential.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 06:58 PM) You know that first part of my post where it says:Its not about speed limits specifically? Since you have all the answers, what if someone else is driving your car? They are taking time stamped photos that show the driver, license plate, and vehicle. If you loaned your car to someone, it will be their picture.