caulfield12

Okay, let's say we were lucky enough with our crystal ball to have Moustakas at 3rd and Granderson in CF. Then, you'd have to be even luckier going out into this FA market and buying or acquiring a "really solid/second tier" closer. That still would leave us in that dreaded 72-86 win range, although the Twins sucking and the Indians not running away with the division would lend one to believe it was at least theoretically possible to be competitive this season. So it comes down to the "damage" done to the young players of consistently/predictably losing games like this...versus the upside of a 1st round pick in the #2-4 range instead of 8-12 for our scouting department. Would Moncada be a better player in the future if he walked home with the game-winning RBI's tonight...those things are so difficult to measure. With so much uncertainty in our starting rotation, though, it's hard to imagine even those THREE additions (costing $20-25 million, maybe $30 million) would be worth it THIS YEAR in the overall scheme of things.

Might as well make Nate Jones the closer and up his value. Soria might as well go back to 6th/7th inning or DFA'ed at some point, probably later rather than sooner with his contract to eat. Make Rondon the 8th inning guy and say three Hail Mary's and three Our Father's. Hopefully they can deal Avilan as well.

The worst part is Carpenter has been terrible this season...it's not like MVP-form Carpenter just went yard.

Now you just jinxed him to strike out in extra innings...

Of course. Burdi, where are you?

Guess Moncada didn't take to well to having his 3 for 3 game taken away from him... And, that White Sox bullpen rears its ugly head yet again. Well, it's nothing, if not predictable.

Clinton could at least be respected due to his intellectual heft (Rhodes Scholar) and experience (youngest governor in history) not to mention his personal backstory of overcoming obstacles. He was the best orator of his generation, better even than Obama at connecting to anyone in a room, regardless of their educational background, and making them feel he was speaking to you personally (Obama was always a bit reserved/aloof/different/other in that regard.) It was far easier to imagine yourself hanging out and drinking a beer with Clinton/George W. Bush than Obama, lol. His (Clinton's) foibles with women will obviously be connected to his legacy, but that period of economic explosion (dawn of the internet age) and the end of the Cold War/Peace Dividend years will always be looked on positively...except for those labor unions and progressives who felt that the Dem's triangulated too far to the center (especially on trade policy) and became "Republican Lite" out of desperation (Carter the only Dem president in a long string of Republicans). Especially on issues like the death penalty, welfare and prison reform, drug crimes, the positions of the two mainstream parties became almost indistinguishable. Of course, the obvious point is that Wal-Mart's/globalization's rise under Clinton's supervision was just as logical for a native Arkansan than the Republicans benefiting from Koch Industries largess for their energy and tax policies. Two sides of the same coin. A lot of the financial regulations/restrictions that were loosed in the 1980's and 1990's led directly to stock market bubbles (tech crash) and eventually 2008. Not to mention 9/11 and the fact that Clinton Admin has to be held at least partially responsible, despite no longer being in office. At that time, about the only areas you could distinguish the two parties politically on were on social issues...and the environment (especially Gore).

Obama made everyone think racism was dead and buried. The normalization of Trump makes many of us believe it simply will never be overcome in America. Pretty crazy swing in 8 years.

No way they sent Cease out for another inning...zero need to push him right now.

Why wouldn't the tie go to the baserunner?

Guess we'll have to wait until 2020 or 2021 to start getting some of those calls...

Sounds like you're describing Keon Barnum there...but a 7th round draft pick failing isn't a huge deal in the overall scheme of things, it's more the 1st through 3rd and maybe 4th/5th rounders you should be most critical of (depending on whether they're under or oversigns.)

Why are Palka and Leury sitting against a RHP? Thompson's had success against Wacha with the Dodgers?

How we handle immigration...feels like the biggest divide in the country in the coming years, as the white majority is going to be challenged and won’t embrace women and minorities having a much bigger say in the decision-making process.

Who takes the blame for NAFTA, GATT, or the Trans Pacific Trade Agreement? Clinton and Obama.

Looks like Hansen will be throwing bullpens soon...not out of the woods entirely, but positive news.

By this argument, everyone who wanted hope and change was manipulated in 2008. You can dislike his policies, but Trump has definitely shaken things up as promised. In some ways, he’s made it more possible for anyone to grow up and become President. Only history will be able to judge the ramifications of this change. As for Dems, the middle and lower middle classes shouldn’t be unclear who is actually fighting for them on Main Street versus who’s wining and dining on Wall Street or K Street. The messaging has been largely ineffective.

Matthews is skeptical of Democrats’ chances so far when he applies his old theory that for American voters, “the man with the sun on his face always beats the guy behind the desk.” “Who are the Democrats going to put up who has a face, the sun on his face, who comes across as Mr. America—the guy or woman who just smiles and is American, is so healthy and happy to be an American, and wants to knock this guy off his throne? Who is that person?” asks Matthews. “That’s a hell of a question, isn’t it? A helluva question. Because if it is somebody with a dark suit on and it looks like they belong behind a desk somewhere, who may be very good on full funding for Title X programs—you know, who’s one of those people, you know? It’s very hard to figure out. I can think of a lot of running mates.” And don’t mistake how Trump’s carried on against the media or anyone else for changing the formula of what people are looking for in a president. “I don’t think Trump has lowered the heft requirement. I think with all his flaws, there’s heft there,” Matthews says. “He’s the leader. The Republican Party’s doing what he said.” https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/01/chris-matthews-interview-trump-2018-218116

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/marvel-lied-us-apos-avengers-213351036.html marvel lied to us...spoilers included article

Cubs’ fans must be a little pained watching Candelario, Villanueva, Torres, Jimenez, Cease...Rose, haha.

Well, the terribly managed campaign is partially what led to “evil of two lessers/lesser of two evils” votes for Trump. Maybe they were protest votes...in some cases.

If national writers are already expecting the worst with Hansen, hard to feel optimistic...and Yolmer Sanchez would have been mentioned had this been written two weeks ago, fwiw.

Yes, but all those states the campaign took for granted until it was too late...no campaigning in WI, brought the Obamas at the last minute to PA but the tide had already turned there. Spent resources in states they really had no realistic shot at, but hubris got the best of them. Uninspired choice of Kaine didn’t help matters much. Along with Gore in 2000 and Dukakis is 1988, one of the worst Democratic campaigns (that actually had a good chance to win starting out) I have ever seen, especially in terms of misallocation of resources/wasted spending. Trump is right about that one thing, at least.

Don’t forget drafting Burdi with the idea he would contribute to the playoff race right off the bat...

This is where improving education/skills/abilities (especially affordability of community college and vo tech) has to be addressed. Even if the pay is $12-13 by legislation, 50-75% of those jobs will be wiped out in next 15-25 years anyway.